diff --git a/lib/issue-lifecycle.sh b/lib/issue-lifecycle.sh
index 743f871..80f9afa 100644
--- a/lib/issue-lifecycle.sh
+++ b/lib/issue-lifecycle.sh
@@ -132,6 +132,21 @@ issue_claim() {
     "${FORGE_API}/issues/${issue}" \
     -d "{\"assignees\":[\"${me}\"]}" >/dev/null 2>&1 || return 1
 
+  # Verify the PATCH stuck.  Forgejo's assignees PATCH is last-write-wins, so
+  # under concurrent claims from multiple dev agents two invocations can both
+  # see .assignee == null at the pre-check, both PATCH, and the loser's write
+  # gets silently overwritten (issue #830).  Re-reading the assignee closes
+  # that TOCTOU window: only the actual winner observes its own login.
+  # Labels are intentionally applied AFTER this check so the losing claim
+  # leaves no stray "in-progress" label to roll back.
+  local actual
+  actual=$(curl -sf -H "Authorization: token ${FORGE_TOKEN}" \
+    "${FORGE_API}/issues/${issue}" | jq -r '.assignee.login // ""') || return 1
+  if [ "$actual" != "$me" ]; then
+    _ilc_log "issue #${issue} claim lost to ${actual:-<none>} — skipping"
+    return 1
+  fi
+
   local ip_id bl_id
   ip_id=$(_ilc_in_progress_id)
   bl_id=$(_ilc_backlog_id)
diff --git a/tests/lib-issue-claim.bats b/tests/lib-issue-claim.bats
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d7a2c91
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/lib-issue-claim.bats
@@ -0,0 +1,183 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bats
+# =============================================================================
+# tests/lib-issue-claim.bats — Regression guard for the issue_claim TOCTOU
+# fix landed in #830.
+#
+# Before the fix, two dev agents polling concurrently could both observe
+# `.assignee == null`, both PATCH the assignee, and Forgejo's last-write-wins
+# semantics would leave the loser believing it had claimed successfully.
+# Two agents would then implement the same issue and collide at the PR/branch
+# stage.
+#
+# The fix re-reads the assignee after the PATCH and aborts when it doesn't
+# match self, with label writes moved AFTER the verification so a losing
+# claim leaves no stray `in-progress` label.
+#
+# These tests stub `curl` with a bash function so each call tree can be
+# driven through a specific response sequence (pre-check, PATCH, re-read)
+# without a live Forgejo. The stub records every HTTP call to
+# `$CALLS_LOG` for assertions.
+# =============================================================================
+
+setup() {
+  ROOT="$(cd "$(dirname "$BATS_TEST_FILENAME")/.." && pwd)"
+  export FACTORY_ROOT="$ROOT"
+  export FORGE_TOKEN="dummy-token"
+  export FORGE_URL="https://forge.example.test"
+  export FORGE_API="${FORGE_URL}/api/v1"
+
+  export CALLS_LOG="${BATS_TEST_TMPDIR}/curl-calls.log"
+  : > "$CALLS_LOG"
+  export ISSUE_GET_COUNT_FILE="${BATS_TEST_TMPDIR}/issue-get-count"
+  echo 0 > "$ISSUE_GET_COUNT_FILE"
+
+  # Scenario knobs — overridden per @test.
+  export MOCK_ME="bot"
+  export MOCK_INITIAL_ASSIGNEE=""
+  export MOCK_RECHECK_ASSIGNEE="bot"
+
+  # Stand-in for lib/env.sh's forge_api (we don't source env.sh — too
+  # much unrelated setup). Shape mirrors the real helper closely enough
+  # that _ilc_ensure_label_id() works.
+  forge_api() {
+    local method="$1" path="$2"
+    shift 2
+    curl -sf -X "$method" \
+      -H "Authorization: token ${FORGE_TOKEN}" \
+      -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
+      "${FORGE_API}${path}" "$@"
+  }
+
+  # curl shim — parses method + URL out of the argv and dispatches
+  # canned responses per endpoint. Every call gets logged as
+  # `METHOD URL` (one line) to $CALLS_LOG for later grep-based asserts.
+  curl() {
+    local method="GET" url="" arg
+    while [ $# -gt 0 ]; do
+      arg="$1"
+      case "$arg" in
+        -X) method="$2"; shift 2 ;;
+        -H|-d|--data-binary|-o) shift 2 ;;
+        -sf|-s|-f|--silent|--fail) shift ;;
+        *) url="$arg"; shift ;;
+      esac
+    done
+    printf '%s %s\n' "$method" "$url" >> "$CALLS_LOG"
+
+    case "$method $url" in
+      "GET ${FORGE_URL}/api/v1/user")
+        printf '{"login":"%s"}' "$MOCK_ME"
+        ;;
+      "GET ${FORGE_API}/issues/"*)
+        # Distinguish pre-check (first GET) from re-read (subsequent GETs)
+        # via a counter file that persists across curl invocations in the
+        # same test.
+        local n
+        n=$(cat "$ISSUE_GET_COUNT_FILE")
+        n=$((n + 1))
+        echo "$n" > "$ISSUE_GET_COUNT_FILE"
+        local who
+        if [ "$n" -eq 1 ]; then
+          who="$MOCK_INITIAL_ASSIGNEE"
+        else
+          who="$MOCK_RECHECK_ASSIGNEE"
+        fi
+        if [ -z "$who" ]; then
+          printf '{"assignee":null}'
+        else
+          printf '{"assignee":{"login":"%s"}}' "$who"
+        fi
+        ;;
+      "PATCH ${FORGE_API}/issues/"*)
+        : # accept any PATCH; body is ignored by the mock
+        ;;
+      "GET ${FORGE_API}/labels")
+        printf '[]'
+        ;;
+      "POST ${FORGE_API}/labels")
+        printf '{"id":99}'
+        ;;
+      "POST ${FORGE_API}/issues/"*"/labels")
+        :
+        ;;
+      "DELETE ${FORGE_API}/issues/"*"/labels/"*)
+        :
+        ;;
+      *)
+        return 1
+        ;;
+    esac
+    return 0
+  }
+
+  # shellcheck source=../lib/issue-lifecycle.sh
+  source "${ROOT}/lib/issue-lifecycle.sh"
+}
+
+# ── helpers ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+# count_calls METHOD URL — count matching lines in $CALLS_LOG.
+count_calls() {
+  local method="$1" url="$2"
+  grep -cF "${method} ${url}" "$CALLS_LOG" 2>/dev/null || echo 0
+}
+
+# ── happy path ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+@test "issue_claim returns 0 when re-read confirms self (no regression, single agent)" {
+  export MOCK_ME="bot"
+  export MOCK_INITIAL_ASSIGNEE=""
+  export MOCK_RECHECK_ASSIGNEE="bot"
+
+  run issue_claim 42
+  [ "$status" -eq 0 ]
+
+  # Exactly two GETs to /issues/42 — pre-check and post-PATCH re-read.
+  [ "$(count_calls GET "${FORGE_API}/issues/42")" -eq 2 ]
+
+  # Assignee PATCH fired.
+  [ "$(count_calls PATCH "${FORGE_API}/issues/42")" -eq 1 ]
+
+  # in-progress label added (POST /issues/42/labels).
+  [ "$(count_calls POST "${FORGE_API}/issues/42/labels")" -eq 1 ]
+}
+
+# ── lost race ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+@test "issue_claim returns 1 and leaves no stray in-progress when re-read shows another agent" {
+  export MOCK_ME="bot"
+  export MOCK_INITIAL_ASSIGNEE=""
+  export MOCK_RECHECK_ASSIGNEE="rival"
+
+  run issue_claim 42
+  [ "$status" -eq 1 ]
+  [[ "$output" == *"claim lost to rival"* ]]
+
+  # Re-read happened (two GETs) — this is the new verification step.
+  [ "$(count_calls GET "${FORGE_API}/issues/42")" -eq 2 ]
+
+  # PATCH happened (losers still PATCH before verifying).
+  [ "$(count_calls PATCH "${FORGE_API}/issues/42")" -eq 1 ]
+
+  # CRITICAL: no in-progress label operations on a lost claim.
+  # (No need to roll back what was never written.)
+  [ "$(count_calls POST "${FORGE_API}/issues/42/labels")" -eq 0 ]
+  [ "$(count_calls GET "${FORGE_API}/labels")" -eq 0 ]
+}
+
+# ── pre-check skip ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+@test "issue_claim skips early (no PATCH) when pre-check shows another assignee" {
+  export MOCK_ME="bot"
+  export MOCK_INITIAL_ASSIGNEE="rival"
+  export MOCK_RECHECK_ASSIGNEE="rival"
+
+  run issue_claim 42
+  [ "$status" -eq 1 ]
+  [[ "$output" == *"already assigned to rival"* ]]
+
+  # Only the pre-check GET — no PATCH, no re-read, no labels.
+  [ "$(count_calls GET "${FORGE_API}/issues/42")" -eq 1 ]
+  [ "$(count_calls PATCH "${FORGE_API}/issues/42")" -eq 0 ]
+  [ "$(count_calls POST "${FORGE_API}/issues/42/labels")" -eq 0 ]
+}