diff --git a/packages/hashline/src/patcher.ts b/packages/hashline/src/patcher.ts
index c2a65d24d..3754fd56f 100644
--- a/packages/hashline/src/patcher.ts
+++ b/packages/hashline/src/patcher.ts
@@ -524,14 +524,19 @@ export class Patcher {
 		// A 16-bit tag can collide across two different file states, so equality
 		// on `computeFileHash(normalized) === expected` alone is not enough to
 		// prove the live text IS the snapshot the tag names. Also require that,
-		// when a snapshot for `(path, expected)` is retained, its stored text
-		// matches the live text. Otherwise the tag collides and we route through
-		// recovery/mismatch instead of applying line-anchored edits to unrelated
-		// live content (issue #4075).
+		// when a snapshot for `(path, expected)` is retained, exactly one stored
+		// version carries the tag and its full text matches the live text. If
+		// multiple versions share the tag, the header is ambiguous: there is no
+		// safe way to know which stored text the model's line anchors came from.
+		const storedSnapshotsForTag =
+			expected === undefined
+				? []
+				: this.snapshots.findByHash(expected).filter(snapshot => snapshot.path === canonicalPath);
+		const ambiguousStoredTag = storedSnapshotsForTag.length > 1;
+		const storedSnapshotForTag = expected === undefined ? null : this.snapshots.byHash(canonicalPath, expected);
 		const hashMatches = expected !== undefined && computeFileHash(normalized) === expected;
 		const matchedSnapshot = hashMatches ? this.snapshots.byContent(canonicalPath, normalized) : null;
-		const anyStoredForTag = hashMatches ? this.snapshots.byHash(canonicalPath, expected as string) : null;
-		const liveMatches = hashMatches && (anyStoredForTag === null || matchedSnapshot !== null);
+		const liveMatches = hashMatches && !ambiguousStoredTag && (storedSnapshotForTag === null || matchedSnapshot !== null);
 
 		// Resolve `replace_block N:` edits to concrete ranges before recovery
 		// runs. Block anchors are expressed against the snapshot the section tag
@@ -546,8 +551,10 @@ export class Patcher {
 		const resolveWarnings: string[] = [];
 		let resolved: readonly Edit[] = edits;
 		if (hasBlockEdit(edits)) {
-			const baseText =
-				expected === undefined || liveMatches ? normalized : this.snapshots.byHash(canonicalPath, expected)?.text;
+			if (ambiguousStoredTag) {
+				throw this.#mismatchError(section, canonicalPath, normalized, expected ?? "", true);
+			}
+			const baseText = expected === undefined || liveMatches ? normalized : storedSnapshotForTag?.text;
 			if (baseText === undefined) {
 				throw this.#mismatchError(section, canonicalPath, normalized, expected ?? "", false);
 			}
@@ -582,6 +589,9 @@ export class Patcher {
 			const result = applyEdits(normalized, resolved);
 			return withResolveWarnings({ ...result, warnings: [HEADTAIL_DRIFT_WARNING, ...(result.warnings ?? [])] });
 		}
+		if (ambiguousStoredTag) {
+			throw this.#mismatchError(section, canonicalPath, normalized, expected ?? "", true);
+		}
 		// File drifted: try to replay the edit against the version the tag
 		// names and 3-way-merge it onto the live content.
 		const recovered = this.recovery.tryRecover({
diff --git a/packages/hashline/test/patcher.test.ts b/packages/hashline/test/patcher.test.ts
index b742d8284..f07ab03a2 100644
--- a/packages/hashline/test/patcher.test.ts
+++ b/packages/hashline/test/patcher.test.ts
@@ -158,6 +158,47 @@ describe("Patcher snapshot tag integrity", () => {
 		// model's edit anchored against the collider.
 		expect(fs.get(PATH)).toBe(LIVE_TEXT);
 	});
+
+	it("rejects an ambiguous colliding tag even when live text matches one retained collider", async () => {
+		const SNAPSHOT_TEXT = "line one 263\nline two 4471\n";
+		const LIVE_TEXT = "line one 410\nline two 6970\n";
+		expect(computeFileHash(SNAPSHOT_TEXT)).toBe(computeFileHash(LIVE_TEXT));
+
+		const snapshots = new InMemorySnapshotStore();
+		const tag = snapshots.record(PATH, SNAPSHOT_TEXT, [1, 2]);
+		snapshots.record(PATH, LIVE_TEXT, [1, 2]);
+
+		const fs = new InMemoryFilesystem([[PATH, LIVE_TEXT]]);
+		const patcher = new Patcher({ fs, snapshots });
+		try {
+			await patcher.apply(Patch.parse(`[${PATH}#${tag}]\nSWAP 2.=2:\n+edited from snapshot`));
+			throw new Error("expected MismatchError");
+		} catch (error) {
+			expect(error).toBeInstanceOf(MismatchError);
+		}
+		expect(fs.get(PATH)).toBe(LIVE_TEXT);
+	});
+
+	it("rejects an ambiguous colliding tag before stale recovery can target the wrong snapshot", async () => {
+		const SNAPSHOT_TEXT = "line one 263\nline two 4471\n";
+		const COLLIDING_TEXT = "line one 410\nline two 6970\n";
+		const LIVE_TEXT = "line one 410\nline two 6970\nlive-added\n";
+		expect(computeFileHash(SNAPSHOT_TEXT)).toBe(computeFileHash(COLLIDING_TEXT));
+
+		const snapshots = new InMemorySnapshotStore();
+		const tag = snapshots.record(PATH, SNAPSHOT_TEXT, [1, 2]);
+		snapshots.record(PATH, COLLIDING_TEXT, [1, 2]);
+
+		const fs = new InMemoryFilesystem([[PATH, LIVE_TEXT]]);
+		const patcher = new Patcher({ fs, snapshots });
+		try {
+			await patcher.apply(Patch.parse(`[${PATH}#${tag}]\nSWAP 2.=2:\n+edited from snapshot`));
+			throw new Error("expected MismatchError");
+		} catch (error) {
+			expect(error).toBeInstanceOf(MismatchError);
+		}
+		expect(fs.get(PATH)).toBe(LIVE_TEXT);
+	});
 });
 
 describe("Patcher mandatory snapshot tag policy", () => {