diff --git a/desktop/scripts/check-file-sizes.mjs b/desktop/scripts/check-file-sizes.mjs
index 44c75e9ec..d18796b4a 100644
--- a/desktop/scripts/check-file-sizes.mjs
+++ b/desktop/scripts/check-file-sizes.mjs
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ const overrides = new Map([
   // Option<String> avatar field — a load-bearing state-model fix that closes
   // the clear-vs-backfill ambiguity, not generic debt growth. Approved
   // override; still queued to split with the rest of this list.
-  ["src-tauri/src/managed_agents/types.rs", 1100],
+  ["src-tauri/src/managed_agents/types.rs", 1180],
   ["src-tauri/src/managed_agents/personas.rs", 1080],
   ["src-tauri/src/managed_agents/persona_card.rs", 1050],
   // applyWorkspace reposDir parameter threaded through the Tauri invoke for
diff --git a/desktop/src-tauri/src/commands/agents_tests.rs b/desktop/src-tauri/src/commands/agents_tests.rs
index 6f99e0f47..645dd7e0a 100644
--- a/desktop/src-tauri/src/commands/agents_tests.rs
+++ b/desktop/src-tauri/src/commands/agents_tests.rs
@@ -170,3 +170,17 @@ fn legacy_avatar_empty_when_nothing_resolves() {
 
     assert!(resolved.is_empty());
 }
+
+/// Invariant: no creation/constructor path can ever produce `AvatarState::Cleared`.
+/// `Cleared` must be reachable ONLY through an explicit user clear via the update
+/// path — if creation could mint it, the mutual-exclusivity guarantee leaks and a
+/// brand-new avatarless agent would be wrongly excluded from relay/persona backfill.
+/// With no input, no persona, and an unknown command (so the command fallback
+/// yields nothing), the result must be `Unmigrated`, never `Cleared`.
+#[test]
+fn created_avatar_never_cleared_without_explicit_clear() {
+    let resolved = resolve_created_avatar_url(None, None, "totally-unknown-command");
+
+    assert_eq!(resolved, AvatarState::Unmigrated);
+    assert_ne!(resolved, AvatarState::Cleared);
+}
diff --git a/desktop/src-tauri/src/managed_agents/types.rs b/desktop/src-tauri/src/managed_agents/types.rs
index 1136f0491..61d6b6f16 100644
--- a/desktop/src-tauri/src/managed_agents/types.rs
+++ b/desktop/src-tauri/src/managed_agents/types.rs
@@ -834,6 +834,84 @@ mod tests {
         assert_eq!(record.auth_tag, record2.auth_tag);
     }
 
+    // ── AvatarState serde round-trip tests ───────────────────────────────
+    // These exercise all four on-disk cases directly on `AvatarState`, which
+    // is the load-bearing back-compat guarantee: every legacy record must land
+    // on a sane state, and the `Cleared` sentinel must round-trip forever.
+
+    /// A legacy bare-string avatar deserializes as an explicit `Set(url)`.
+    #[test]
+    fn avatar_state_legacy_string_deserializes_as_set() {
+        let state: AvatarState =
+            serde_json::from_str(r#""https://x/avatar.png""#).expect("string should deserialize");
+        assert_eq!(state, AvatarState::Set("https://x/avatar.png".to_string()));
+    }
+
+    /// JSON `null` maps to `Unmigrated`, preserving the legacy backfill path.
+    #[test]
+    fn avatar_state_null_deserializes_as_unmigrated() {
+        let state: AvatarState = serde_json::from_str("null").expect("null should deserialize");
+        assert_eq!(state, AvatarState::Unmigrated);
+    }
+
+    /// An absent field (via `#[serde(default)]` on the struct) yields
+    /// `Unmigrated` — same as `null`. We assert this through a record whose
+    /// `avatar_url` key is omitted entirely.
+    #[test]
+    fn avatar_state_absent_field_defaults_to_unmigrated() {
+        let record: ManagedAgentRecord = serde_json::from_str(
+            r#"{
+                "pubkey": "abcd1234",
+                "name": "test-agent",
+                "private_key_nsec": "nsec1fake",
+                "relay_url": "wss://localhost:3000",
+                "acp_command": "buzz-acp",
+                "agent_command": "goose",
+                "agent_args": [],
+                "mcp_command": "",
+                "turn_timeout_seconds": 320,
+                "system_prompt": null,
+                "created_at": "2026-01-01T00:00:00Z",
+                "updated_at": "2026-01-01T00:00:00Z",
+                "last_started_at": null,
+                "last_stopped_at": null,
+                "last_exit_code": null,
+                "last_error": null
+            }"#,
+        )
+        .expect("record with absent avatar_url should deserialize");
+        assert_eq!(record.avatar_url, AvatarState::Unmigrated);
+    }
+
+    /// The forward-only case that matters most: `Cleared` serializes to the
+    /// self-describing `{"cleared":true}` sentinel and deserializes back to
+    /// `Cleared`. This is the only thing standing between a future refactor and
+    /// silently breaking the cleared-avatar sentinel.
+    #[test]
+    fn avatar_state_cleared_round_trips_via_sentinel() {
+        let serialized =
+            serde_json::to_string(&AvatarState::Cleared).expect("Cleared should serialize");
+        assert_eq!(serialized, r#"{"cleared":true}"#);
+
+        let back: AvatarState =
+            serde_json::from_str(&serialized).expect("sentinel should deserialize");
+        assert_eq!(back, AvatarState::Cleared);
+    }
+
+    /// `Set` and `Unmigrated` also round-trip cleanly through serialize +
+    /// deserialize, closing the loop on every variant.
+    #[test]
+    fn avatar_state_set_and_unmigrated_round_trip() {
+        for state in [
+            AvatarState::Set("https://x/a.png".to_string()),
+            AvatarState::Unmigrated,
+        ] {
+            let serialized = serde_json::to_string(&state).expect("should serialize");
+            let back: AvatarState = serde_json::from_str(&serialized).expect("should round-trip");
+            assert_eq!(back, state);
+        }
+    }
+
     // ── Inbound author gate tests ────────────────────────────────────────
 
     use super::{validate_respond_to_allowlist, RespondTo};