diff --git a/.github/scripts/harness_e2e_profiles.py b/.github/scripts/harness_e2e_profiles.py
index 3d070dec5..704825596 100644
--- a/.github/scripts/harness_e2e_profiles.py
+++ b/.github/scripts/harness_e2e_profiles.py
@@ -124,6 +124,7 @@ def resolve_profile(
     requested: list[str],
     catalog_sha: str,
     expected_catalog_sha: str = "",
+    expected_profile_digest: str = "",
 ) -> dict[str, Any]:
     if profile not in VALID_PROFILES:
         raise ValueError(f"validation_profile must be one of {sorted(VALID_PROFILES)}")
@@ -131,7 +132,15 @@ def resolve_profile(
         raise ValueError("code-defined scenarios must be non-empty and unique")
     if available != list(catalog.ids):
         raise ValueError("release catalog scenarios do not match harness-e2e list")
-    if expected_catalog_sha and expected_catalog_sha != catalog_sha:
+    if expected_profile_digest and expected_profile_digest != catalog.profile_digest:
+        raise ValueError(
+            "Harness E2E profile changed after preview; create a new preview"
+        )
+    if (
+        not expected_profile_digest
+        and expected_catalog_sha
+        and expected_catalog_sha != catalog_sha
+    ):
         raise ValueError(
             f"Harness E2E catalog moved from {expected_catalog_sha} to {catalog_sha}; create a new preview"
         )
@@ -168,6 +177,7 @@ def main() -> int:
     parser.add_argument("--scenarios-json", default="[]")
     parser.add_argument("--catalog-sha", required=True)
     parser.add_argument("--expected-catalog-sha", default="")
+    parser.add_argument("--expected-profile-digest", default="")
     parser.add_argument("--output", type=Path)
     args = parser.parse_args()
     try:
@@ -178,6 +188,7 @@ def main() -> int:
             requested=parse_scenarios_json(args.scenarios_json, "requested scenarios"),
             catalog_sha=args.catalog_sha,
             expected_catalog_sha=args.expected_catalog_sha,
+            expected_profile_digest=args.expected_profile_digest,
         )
     except (FileNotFoundError, ValueError) as error:
         raise SystemExit(f"invalid Harness E2E profile: {error}") from error
diff --git a/.github/scripts/tests/test_harness_e2e_profiles.py b/.github/scripts/tests/test_harness_e2e_profiles.py
index fde9773c1..e29a4049b 100644
--- a/.github/scripts/tests/test_harness_e2e_profiles.py
+++ b/.github/scripts/tests/test_harness_e2e_profiles.py
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ def test_custom_superset_is_promotable():
     assert resolved["promotion_eligible"] is True
 
 
-def test_rejects_unknown_scenario_and_stale_catalog():
+def test_rejects_unknown_scenario_and_changed_profile():
     catalog = load_profile_catalog()
     with pytest.raises(ValueError, match="unknown Harness E2E scenarios"):
         resolve_profile(
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ def test_rejects_unknown_scenario_and_stale_catalog():
             requested=["missing"],
             catalog_sha="a" * 40,
         )
-    with pytest.raises(ValueError, match="catalog moved"):
+    with pytest.raises(ValueError, match="profile changed"):
         resolve_profile(
             catalog,
             available=list(catalog.ids),
@@ -75,9 +75,25 @@ def test_rejects_unknown_scenario_and_stale_catalog():
             requested=[],
             catalog_sha="a" * 40,
             expected_catalog_sha="b" * 40,
+            expected_profile_digest="0" * 64,
         )
 
 
+def test_allows_release_bump_commits_when_profile_digest_is_unchanged():
+    catalog = load_profile_catalog()
+    resolved = resolve_profile(
+        catalog,
+        available=list(catalog.ids),
+        profile="release",
+        requested=[],
+        catalog_sha="b" * 40,
+        expected_catalog_sha="a" * 40,
+        expected_profile_digest=catalog.profile_digest,
+    )
+    assert resolved["catalog_sha"] == "b" * 40
+    assert resolved["profile_digest"] == catalog.profile_digest
+
+
 def test_catalog_rejects_duplicate_scenarios(tmp_path: Path):
     path = tmp_path / "release-workers.yaml"
     path.write_text(
diff --git a/.github/workflows/_harness-e2e.yml b/.github/workflows/_harness-e2e.yml
index fbe784cdd..b3e3adb37 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/_harness-e2e.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/_harness-e2e.yml
@@ -103,6 +103,11 @@ on:
         required: false
         type: string
         default: ''
+      profile_digest:
+        description: Canonical scenario profile digest used by the caller preview
+        required: false
+        type: string
+        default: ''
       coverage:
         description: Instrument the E2E stack and produce an LLVM coverage report
         required: false
@@ -328,6 +333,7 @@ jobs:
           VALIDATION_PROFILE: ${{ inputs.validation_profile }}
           REQUESTED_SCENARIOS: ${{ inputs.scenarios_json }}
           EXPECTED_CATALOG_SHA: ${{ inputs.catalog_sha }}
+          EXPECTED_PROFILE_DIGEST: ${{ inputs.profile_digest }}
           # The instrumented binary would otherwise drop default.profraw in cwd.
           LLVM_PROFILE_FILE: ${{ inputs.coverage && format('{0}/target/coverage/build-profraw/%m_%p.profraw', github.workspace) || '' }}
         run: |
@@ -338,7 +344,8 @@ jobs:
             --profile "$VALIDATION_PROFILE" \
             --scenarios-json "$REQUESTED_SCENARIOS" \
             --catalog-sha "${{ github.sha }}" \
-            --expected-catalog-sha "$EXPECTED_CATALOG_SHA")
+            --expected-catalog-sha "$EXPECTED_CATALOG_SHA" \
+            --expected-profile-digest "$EXPECTED_PROFILE_DIGEST")
           {
             echo "json=$(jq -c .scenarios <<<"$resolved")"
             echo "required=$(jq -c .required_scenarios <<<"$resolved")"
diff --git a/.github/workflows/harness-e2e-deployed.yml b/.github/workflows/harness-e2e-deployed.yml
index d44833527..49dbf9ce2 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/harness-e2e-deployed.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/harness-e2e-deployed.yml
@@ -69,6 +69,10 @@ on:
         description: Release catalog SHA used by Release Control preview
         type: string
         default: ''
+      profile_digest:
+        description: Canonical scenario profile digest used by Release Control preview
+        type: string
+        default: ''
 
 permissions:
   actions: read
@@ -97,6 +101,7 @@ jobs:
       validation_profile: ${{ inputs.validation_profile }}
       scenarios_json: ${{ inputs.scenarios_json }}
       catalog_sha: ${{ inputs.catalog_sha }}
+      profile_digest: ${{ inputs.profile_digest }}
       subjects: ${{ inputs.subjects || vars.HARNESS_E2E_SUBJECTS || '[{"id":"anthropic-sonnet","model":"claude-sonnet-4-6","provider":"anthropic"}]' }}
       judge_model: ${{ vars.HARNESS_E2E_JUDGE_MODEL || 'claude-sonnet-4-6' }}
       judge_provider: ${{ vars.HARNESS_E2E_JUDGE_PROVIDER || 'anthropic' }}
diff --git a/harness/tests/e2e/run-deployed-ci.sh b/harness/tests/e2e/run-deployed-ci.sh
index 44314e9db..3b2d81d37 100755
--- a/harness/tests/e2e/run-deployed-ci.sh
+++ b/harness/tests/e2e/run-deployed-ci.sh
@@ -311,11 +311,15 @@ printf 'workers: []\n' >"$project_dir/config.yaml"
 engine_pid=$!
 wait_for_engine
 
-workers=("harness@$worker_tag" "database@$worker_tag" "fp@$worker_tag" "web@$worker_tag")
+# The candidate channel belongs only to the workers pinned in stack_versions.
+# Auxiliary E2E workers are not released as part of this operation and may not
+# expose the candidate tag at all, so keep them on their stable channel.
+support_worker_tag=latest
+workers=("database@$support_worker_tag" "fp@$support_worker_tag" "web@$support_worker_tag")
 declare -A providers=()
 for provider in "$HARNESS_E2E_PROVIDER" "$HARNESS_E2E_JUDGE_PROVIDER"; do
   if [[ -z "${providers[$provider]:-}" ]]; then
-    workers+=("provider-$provider@$worker_tag")
+    workers+=("provider-$provider@$support_worker_tag")
     providers[$provider]=1
   fi
 done
@@ -337,14 +341,22 @@ add_with_retry() {
   return 1
 }
 
-log "Installing registry stack: ${workers[*]}"
+log "Installing stable E2E support stack: ${workers[*]}"
 add_with_retry worker-add "${workers[@]}"
 
+# Bring the exact dependencies up first and the released worker last. For a
+# Harness candidate this prevents Harness from briefly booting against the
+# stable dependency graph before its candidate dependencies replace it.
 while IFS=$'\t' read -r candidate_worker candidate_version; do
   log "Installing exact stack candidate: ${candidate_worker}@${candidate_version}"
   add_with_retry "candidate-${candidate_worker}" \
     "${candidate_worker}@${candidate_version}" --force
-done < <(jq -r 'to_entries | sort_by(.key)[] | [.key, .value] | @tsv' <<<"$stack_versions")
+done < <(jq -r --arg release_worker "$HARNESS_E2E_RELEASE_WORKER" '
+  to_entries
+  | sort_by([if .key == $release_worker then 1 else 0 end, .key])[]
+  | [.key, .value]
+  | @tsv
+' <<<"$stack_versions")
 
 wait_for_functions \
   harness::send harness::status worker::add database::query state::get \