diff --git a/.github/workflows/dependabot-lock-regen.yml b/.github/workflows/dependabot-lock-regen.yml
index d99097aea..973adee3b 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/dependabot-lock-regen.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/dependabot-lock-regen.yml
@@ -10,13 +10,20 @@
 # CREDENTIAL: the estate's dedicated applier App — vars.APP_ID and
 # secrets.APP_PRIVATE_KEY, the same slot apply-workflow-pins.yml and
 # signed-push read (owner ruling STD-R-3: NOT OikosBot, which is a ruleset
-# bypass actor). Needs Contents R/W, Workflows R/W, Pull requests R, and must
-# be installed on BOTH owners. Until it exists the run warns and exits 0.
+# bypass actor). Needs Contents R/W, Workflows R/W, Pull requests R/W (the
+# default-branch repair opens PRs), and must be installed on BOTH owners. Until
+# it exists the run warns and exits 0.
+#
+# DEFAULT-BRANCH REPAIR: the 04:41 UTC tick (or dispatch with main-repair) also
+# sets REGEN_MAIN=1, which opens one lock-only PR where a stale lock already
+# landed on the default branch (drift merged before this workflow could catch
+# it). Every other tick only repairs open Dependabot and applier PRs.
 name: Dependabot lock regeneration
 
 on:
   schedule:
     - cron: '23,53 * * * *'
+    - cron: '41 4 * * *'
   workflow_dispatch:
     inputs:
       repo:
@@ -27,6 +34,10 @@ on:
         description: 'Regenerate and report, but commit nothing'
         type: boolean
         default: false
+      main-repair:
+        description: 'Also repair a stale actions.lock on each default branch (opens a PR)'
+        type: boolean
+        default: false
 
 concurrency:
   group: ${{ github.workflow }}
@@ -81,6 +92,7 @@ jobs:
             hyperpolymath=${{ steps.tok-user.outputs.token }}
             metadatastician=${{ steps.tok-org.outputs.token }}
           DRY_RUN: ${{ inputs.dry-run && '1' || '0' }}
+          REGEN_MAIN: ${{ (github.event.schedule == '41 4 * * *' || inputs.main-repair) && '1' || '0' }}
           ONLY_REPO: ${{ inputs.repo }}
         run: |
           # A token is an empty string when the App is absent or not installed
diff --git a/scripts/regen-dependabot-locks.sh b/scripts/regen-dependabot-locks.sh
index a9c32cb8f..d65e48b44 100755
--- a/scripts/regen-dependabot-locks.sh
+++ b/scripts/regen-dependabot-locks.sh
@@ -43,10 +43,20 @@
 # is reported as a warning and exits 0 — the job must not pretend it swept
 # anything, and must not redden every schedule tick before the App exists.
 #
+# DEFAULT-BRANCH REPAIR (REGEN_MAIN=1)
+# ------------------------------------
+# Drift that already landed (a red lock check merged through automerge) is not
+# on any open PR, so it is repaired separately: the default branch is cloned,
+# regenerated with the same chain and the same refusals, and one lock-only PR
+# is opened from $REPAIR_BRANCH. Nothing is pushed to the default branch. An
+# existing $REPAIR_BRANCH is reused only when it is this script's own leftover
+# (its head commit carries the repair headline) and no PR is open from it. An
+# open repair PR is swept like a Dependabot PR. See repair_main.
+#
 # Usage: regen-dependabot-locks.sh [owner/repo]     (default: every repo the
 #        installations can see).  DRY_RUN=1 regenerates but never commits.
-# Env:   REGEN_TOKENS, DRY_RUN, GH_BIN (test stub), REGEN_TOOLS (dir holding
-#        the repair scripts; default: this script's directory).
+# Env:   REGEN_TOKENS, DRY_RUN, REGEN_MAIN, GH_BIN (test stub), REGEN_TOOLS (dir
+#        holding the repair scripts; default: this script's directory).
 set -uo pipefail
 
 GH_BIN="${GH_BIN:-gh}"
@@ -102,25 +112,35 @@ regen_lock() {
   )
 }
 
+# Commit messages: a Dependabot/applier PR repair, and a default-branch repair.
+BUMP_HEADLINE="chore(deps): regenerate actions.lock for this bump"
+BUMP_BODY="Dependabot updated workflow refs without the lockfile. Regenerated with the estate repair order (scripts/regen-dependabot-locks.sh in hyperpolymath/standards) and verified with update-actions-lock.sh --verify-local."
+REPAIR_HEADLINE="fix(ci): regenerate the stale actions.lock"
+REPAIR_BODY="The default branch's actions.lock no longer matches its workflows' uses: refs, so the lock gate is red and GitHub refuses to start the workflows whose refs drifted. Regenerated with the estate repair order (scripts/regen-dependabot-locks.sh in hyperpolymath/standards, REGEN_MAIN=1) and verified with update-actions-lock.sh --verify-local and check-lock-sync.sh. Only actions.lock changes."
+
 # Commit the checkout's actions.lock onto branch $2 of repo $1, only if the
-# branch head is still $3. Prints the new commit oid.
+# branch head is still $3, with headline $5 and body $6 (default: the
+# Dependabot-bump message). Prints the new commit oid.
 commit_lock() {
   local repo="$1" branch="$2" expected="$3" dir="$4" payload
+  local headline="${5:-$BUMP_HEADLINE}" body="${6:-$BUMP_BODY}"
   payload="$(jq -n \
     --arg repo "$repo" --arg branch "$branch" --arg oid "$expected" \
     --arg path "$LOCK_PATH" --arg contents "$(base64 -w0 < "$dir/$LOCK_PATH")" \
+    --arg headline "$headline" --arg body "$body" \
     '{query: "mutation($in: CreateCommitOnBranchInput!) { createCommitOnBranch(input: $in) { commit { oid } } }",
       variables: {in: {
         branch: {repositoryNameWithOwner: $repo, branchName: $branch},
         expectedHeadOid: $oid,
-        message: {headline: "chore(deps): regenerate actions.lock for this bump",
-                  body: "Dependabot updated workflow refs without the lockfile. Regenerated with the estate repair order (scripts/regen-dependabot-locks.sh in hyperpolymath/standards) and verified with update-actions-lock.sh --verify-local."},
+        message: {headline: $headline, body: $body},
         fileChanges: {additions: [{path: $path, contents: $contents}]}}}}')"
   printf '%s' "$payload" | "$GH_BIN" api graphql --input - --jq '.data.createCommitOnBranch.commit.oid'
 }
 
 # The branch scripts/apply-workflow-pins-remote.sh opens its PRs from.
 APPLIER_BRANCH="${APPLIER_BRANCH:-chore/re-point-standards-workflow-pins}"
+# The branch this script opens default-branch repair PRs from (REGEN_MAIN=1).
+REPAIR_BRANCH="${REPAIR_BRANCH:-chore/regenerate-actions-lock}"
 
 # Read a pulls-list JSON array on stdin; print "number<TAB>head_ref<TAB>head_sha"
 # for each open, non-draft PR from a same-repo branch that changes workflow refs
@@ -128,18 +148,93 @@ APPLIER_BRANCH="${APPLIER_BRANCH:-chore/re-point-standards-workflow-pins}"
 # standards pin applier (scripts/apply-workflow-pins-remote.sh). The applier
 # rewrites `uses:` pins only, so without this its PRs die at startup on an
 # unclosed lock record. It is matched on a bot author AND its fixed branch name,
-# so a human's branch of the same name is never rewritten.
+# so a human's branch of the same name is never rewritten. This script's own
+# default-branch repair PRs are matched the same way, so a repair PR that
+# drifts again before it merges is regenerated rather than left stale.
 select_prs() {
-  jq -r --arg applier "$APPLIER_BRANCH" '.[]
+  jq -r --arg applier "$APPLIER_BRANCH" --arg repair "$REPAIR_BRANCH" '.[]
     | select(((.user.login == "dependabot[bot]")
-              or ((.user.login | endswith("[bot]")) and .head.ref == $applier))
+              or ((.user.login | endswith("[bot]"))
+                  and (.head.ref == $applier or .head.ref == $repair)))
              and (.draft | not)
              and .head.repo.full_name == .base.repo.full_name)
     | [.number, .head.ref, .head.sha] | @tsv'
 }
 
+# Shallow-clone branch $3 of repo $2 into $1 with the installation token in
+# $GH_TOKEN. The token travels as a header from the environment: never in
+# argv, and never persisted in the checkout's remote.origin.url (CWE-522).
+clone_branch() {
+  local dest="$1" repo="$2" ref="$3"
+  GIT_CONFIG_COUNT=1 GIT_CONFIG_KEY_0=http.extraHeader \
+    GIT_CONFIG_VALUE_0="Authorization: Basic $(printf 'x-access-token:%s' "$GH_TOKEN" | base64 -w0)" \
+    git clone --quiet --depth 1 --branch "$ref" \
+    "https://github.com/$repo.git" "$dest" 2>/dev/null
+}
+
+# Repair a stale actions.lock on the default branch of repo $1, whose open PRs
+# are the JSON array $2. Regenerates it with the same chain as a Dependabot
+# PR and opens ONE lock-only PR from $REPAIR_BRANCH; prints
+# "repo@branch<TAB>outcome". Dependabot repairs fix new drift; this fixes drift
+# that already landed (a red lock check merged through automerge), which
+# otherwise reddens every later PR and stops GitHub starting the drifted
+# workflows. Never moves a branch it did not create: an existing
+# $REPAIR_BRANCH is reused only when its head commit carries this script's
+# repair headline and no PR is open from it. Needs Pull requests: write.
+repair_main() {
+  local repo="$1" prs="$2" base sha work outcome oid pr msg
+  if printf '%s' "$prs" | jq -e --arg b "$REPAIR_BRANCH" \
+       'any(.[]; .head.ref == $b and .head.repo.full_name == .base.repo.full_name)' >/dev/null; then
+    printf '%s@main\trepair-pr-open\n' "$repo"; return 0
+  fi
+  if ! base="$("$GH_BIN" api "repos/$repo" --jq .default_branch)" || [ -z "$base" ] \
+     || ! sha="$("$GH_BIN" api "repos/$repo/commits/$base" --jq .sha)"; then
+    printf '%s@main\tapi-error\n' "$repo"; return 0
+  fi
+  work="$(mktemp -d)"
+  if ! clone_branch "$work/r" "$repo" "$base"; then
+    printf '%s@%s\tclone-failed\n' "$repo" "$base"; rm -rf "$work"; return 0
+  fi
+  if [ "$(git -C "$work/r" rev-parse HEAD)" != "$sha" ]; then
+    printf '%s@%s\tmoved\n' "$repo" "$base"; rm -rf "$work"; return 0
+  fi
+  outcome="$(regen_lock "$work/r")"
+  if [ "$outcome" = changed ] && [ "${DRY_RUN:-0}" != 1 ]; then
+    outcome=""
+    if ! "$GH_BIN" api -X POST "repos/$repo/git/refs" \
+         -f ref="refs/heads/$REPAIR_BRANCH" -f sha="$sha" --silent 2>/dev/null; then
+      # The branch exists. Reuse it only if it is a leftover of ours.
+      msg="$("$GH_BIN" api "repos/$repo/commits/$REPAIR_BRANCH" --jq .commit.message 2>/dev/null || true)"
+      if [ "${msg%%$'\n'*}" = "$REPAIR_HEADLINE" ] \
+         && "$GH_BIN" api -X PATCH "repos/$repo/git/refs/heads/$REPAIR_BRANCH" \
+              -f sha="$sha" -F force=true --silent 2>/dev/null; then
+        :
+      else
+        outcome="repair-branch-exists"
+      fi
+    fi
+    if [ -z "$outcome" ]; then
+      if oid="$(commit_lock "$repo" "$REPAIR_BRANCH" "$sha" "$work/r" "$REPAIR_HEADLINE" "$REPAIR_BODY")" \
+         && printf '%s' "$oid" | grep -Eq '^[0-9a-f]{40}$'; then
+        if pr="$("$GH_BIN" api -X POST "repos/$repo/pulls" -f title="$REPAIR_HEADLINE" \
+                  -f head="$REPAIR_BRANCH" -f base="$base" -f body="$REPAIR_BODY" --jq .number)" \
+           && [ -n "$pr" ]; then
+          outcome="pr-opened #$pr ($oid)"
+        else
+          outcome="pr-refused ($oid)"
+        fi
+      else
+        outcome="commit-refused"
+      fi
+    fi
+  fi
+  printf '%s@%s\t%s\n' "$repo" "$base" "$outcome"
+  rm -rf "$work"
+}
+
 # Process every candidate PR of repo $1 with token $2; print one
-# "repo#N<TAB>outcome" line per PR examined.
+# "repo#N<TAB>outcome" line per PR examined. With REGEN_MAIN=1, then repair
+# the default branch's own lock (see repair_main).
 process_repo() {
   local repo="$1" token="$2" num ref sha work outcome oid err files prs
   export GH_TOKEN="$token"
@@ -152,6 +247,7 @@ process_repo() {
   if ! prs="$("$GH_BIN" api --paginate "repos/$repo/pulls?state=open&per_page=100")"; then
     printf '%s\tapi-error\n' "$repo"; return 0
   fi
+  prs="$(printf '%s' "$prs" | jq -s 'add // []')"
   while IFS=$'\t' read -r num ref sha; do
     [ -n "$num" ] || continue
     if ! files="$("$GH_BIN" api --paginate "repos/$repo/pulls/$num/files?per_page=100" --jq '.[].filename')"; then
@@ -159,12 +255,7 @@ process_repo() {
     fi
     printf '%s\n' "$files" | grep -q '^\.github/workflows/' || continue
     work="$(mktemp -d)"
-    # The token travels as a header from the environment: never in argv, and
-    # never persisted in the checkout's remote.origin.url (CWE-522).
-    if ! GIT_CONFIG_COUNT=1 GIT_CONFIG_KEY_0=http.extraHeader \
-         GIT_CONFIG_VALUE_0="Authorization: Basic $(printf 'x-access-token:%s' "$token" | base64 -w0)" \
-         git clone --quiet --depth 1 --branch "$ref" \
-         "https://github.com/$repo.git" "$work/r" 2>/dev/null; then
+    if ! clone_branch "$work/r" "$repo" "$ref"; then
       printf '%s#%s\tclone-failed\n' "$repo" "$num"; rm -rf "$work"; continue
     fi
     if [ "$(git -C "$work/r" rev-parse HEAD)" != "$sha" ]; then
@@ -180,7 +271,10 @@ process_repo() {
     fi
     printf '%s#%s\t%s\n' "$repo" "$num" "$outcome"
     rm -rf "$work"
-  done < <(printf '%s' "$prs" | jq -s 'add // []' | select_prs)
+  done < <(printf '%s' "$prs" | select_prs)
+  if [ "${REGEN_MAIN:-0}" = 1 ]; then
+    repair_main "$repo" "$prs"
+  fi
 }
 
 # Enumerate every repository visible to each owner's installation token (or
diff --git a/scripts/tests/regen-dependabot-locks-test.sh b/scripts/tests/regen-dependabot-locks-test.sh
index 779331324..916c7f9e1 100755
--- a/scripts/tests/regen-dependabot-locks-test.sh
+++ b/scripts/tests/regen-dependabot-locks-test.sh
@@ -76,6 +76,20 @@ if [ "$1 $2" = "api graphql" ]; then
   echo 2222222222222222222222222222222222222222
   exit 0
 fi
+# Default-branch repair (REGEN_MAIN=1): repo metadata, heads, refs and PRs.
+if [ "$1" = api ] && [ "$2" = repos/o/r ] && [ "$3" = --jq ]; then echo "${DEFAULT_BRANCH:-main}"; exit 0; fi
+if [ "$1" = api ] && [ "$2" = repos/o/r/commits/chore/regenerate-actions-lock ]; then
+  [ -n "${LEFTOVER_MSG:-}" ] || exit 1
+  printf '%s\n' "$LEFTOVER_MSG"; exit 0
+fi
+if [ "$1" = api ] && [[ "$2" == repos/o/r/commits/* ]]; then echo "$MAIN_SHA"; exit 0; fi
+if [ "$1 $2 $3" = "api -X POST" ] && [[ "$4" == repos/*/git/refs ]]; then
+  echo "POST-REF $*" >> "$GH_LOG"; [ -n "${REF_EXISTS:-}" ] && exit 1; exit 0
+fi
+if [ "$1 $2 $3" = "api -X PATCH" ]; then echo "PATCH-REF $*" >> "$GH_LOG"; exit 0; fi
+if [ "$1 $2 $3" = "api -X POST" ] && [[ "$4" == repos/*/pulls ]]; then
+  echo "POST-PR $*" >> "$GH_LOG"; [ -n "${PR_FAIL:-}" ] && exit 1; echo 42; exit 0
+fi
 exit 1
 EOF
 chmod +x "$WORK/gh"
@@ -180,6 +194,63 @@ expect "a rate-limited lock probe is reported, not skipped" "o/r	api-error" "$(C
 expect "a failed PR listing is reported" "o/r	api-error" "$(PULLS_FAIL=1 process_repo o/r t 2>/dev/null)"
 expect "a repo with no open PRs prints nothing" "" "$(process_repo o/r t)"
 
+# --- repair_main: a stale lock that already landed on the default branch ----
+# Clone the local fixture instead of github.com; the rest is the real code.
+clone_branch() { git clone --quiet "$FIXTURE" "$1" 2>/dev/null; }
+export GH_LOG="$WORK/gh.log"
+oid=2222222222222222222222222222222222222222
+# fresh_main <name>: a new fixture as the default branch, an empty call log.
+fresh_main() { FIXTURE="$(fixture "$1")"; MAIN_SHA="$(git -C "$FIXTURE" rev-parse HEAD)"; export MAIN_SHA; : > "$GH_LOG"; rm -f "$GH_CAPTURE"; }
+
+fresh_main stale
+out="$(TOOL_ACTION=bump repair_main o/r '[]' 2>/dev/null)"
+expect "a stale default-branch lock opens one repair PR" "o/r@main	pr-opened #42 ($oid)" "$out"
+expect "…from the repair branch, created at the default head" 1 "$(grep -c "POST-REF .*ref=refs/heads/chore/regenerate-actions-lock .*sha=$MAIN_SHA" "$GH_LOG")"
+expect "…its commit is guarded by the default head" "$MAIN_SHA" "$(jq -r .variables.in.expectedHeadOid "$GH_CAPTURE")"
+expect "…lands on the repair branch" chore/regenerate-actions-lock "$(jq -r .variables.in.branch.branchName "$GH_CAPTURE")"
+expect "…carries the repair headline, not the Dependabot one" "$REPAIR_HEADLINE" "$(jq -r .variables.in.message.headline "$GH_CAPTURE")"
+expect "…writes only the lock" ".github/workflows/actions.lock" "$(jq -r '.variables.in.fileChanges.additions | map(.path) | join(",")' "$GH_CAPTURE")"
+expect "…and the PR goes from the repair branch to the default branch" 1 "$(grep -c 'POST-PR .*head=chore/regenerate-actions-lock .*base=main' "$GH_LOG")"
+
+fresh_main current
+expect "a current default-branch lock opens nothing" "o/r@main	current" "$(TOOL_ACTION=none repair_main o/r '[]' 2>/dev/null)"
+expect "…and touches no ref" 0 "$(grep -c . "$GH_LOG")"
+
+fresh_main dry
+expect "DRY_RUN reports the change" "o/r@main	changed" "$(DRY_RUN=1 TOOL_ACTION=bump repair_main o/r '[]' 2>/dev/null)"
+expect "…and writes nothing" 0 "$(grep -c . "$GH_LOG")"
+
+fresh_main unver
+expect "a lock the verifier rejects is not proposed" "o/r@main	unverified" "$(VERIFY_RC=1 TOOL_ACTION=bump repair_main o/r '[]' 2>/dev/null)"
+expect "…and no branch is created" 0 "$(grep -c . "$GH_LOG")"
+
+fresh_main moved
+expect "a default branch that moved under the clone is refused" "o/r@main	moved" "$(MAIN_SHA=4444444444444444444444444444444444444444 TOOL_ACTION=bump repair_main o/r '[]' 2>/dev/null)"
+
+fresh_main open
+open='[{"number":9,"draft":false,"user":{"login":"estate-applier[bot]"},"head":{"ref":"chore/regenerate-actions-lock","sha":"hhh","repo":{"full_name":"o/r"}},"base":{"repo":{"full_name":"o/r"}}}]'
+expect "an open repair PR is left to the PR sweep" "o/r@main	repair-pr-open" "$(TOOL_ACTION=bump repair_main o/r "$open" 2>/dev/null)"
+expect "…which selects it, because a bot opened it on the repair branch" "9	chore/regenerate-actions-lock	hhh" "$(printf '%s' "$open" | select_prs)"
+human='[{"number":10,"draft":false,"user":{"login":"someone"},"head":{"ref":"chore/regenerate-actions-lock","sha":"iii","repo":{"full_name":"o/r"}},"base":{"repo":{"full_name":"o/r"}}}]'
+expect "…but never a human's PR on that branch name" "" "$(printf '%s' "$human" | select_prs)"
+
+fresh_main foreign
+expect "an existing branch the script did not create is never moved" "o/r@main	repair-branch-exists" "$(REF_EXISTS=1 LEFTOVER_MSG='feat: someone else' TOOL_ACTION=bump repair_main o/r '[]' 2>/dev/null)"
+expect "…no PATCH, no commit" "0 no" "$(grep -c PATCH-REF "$GH_LOG") $([ -e "$GH_CAPTURE" ] && echo yes || echo no)"
+
+fresh_main leftover
+out="$(REF_EXISTS=1 LEFTOVER_MSG="$REPAIR_HEADLINE"$'\n\n'"body" TOOL_ACTION=bump repair_main o/r '[]' 2>/dev/null)"
+expect "a leftover repair branch of ours is reused" "o/r@main	pr-opened #42 ($oid)" "$out"
+expect "…by force-moving it to the default head" 1 "$(grep -c "PATCH-REF .*git/refs/heads/chore/regenerate-actions-lock .*sha=$MAIN_SHA .*force=true" "$GH_LOG")"
+
+fresh_main prfail
+expect "a refused PR creation is reported with the commit" "o/r@main	pr-refused ($oid)" "$(PR_FAIL=1 TOOL_ACTION=bump repair_main o/r '[]' 2>/dev/null)"
+
+fresh_main wired
+expect "process_repo runs the default-branch repair only with REGEN_MAIN=1" "o/r@main	pr-opened #42 ($oid)" "$(REGEN_MAIN=1 TOOL_ACTION=bump process_repo o/r t 2>/dev/null)"
+fresh_main unwired
+expect "…and not without it" "" "$(TOOL_ACTION=bump process_repo o/r t 2>/dev/null)"
+
 # --- missing credential ----------------------------------------------------
 out="$(REGEN_TOKENS='' main 2>&1)"; rc=$?
 expect "no token: exits 0" 0 "$rc"