diff --git a/roboco/services/task.py b/roboco/services/task.py
index aac561df..0da837f3 100644
--- a/roboco/services/task.py
+++ b/roboco/services/task.py
@@ -4935,6 +4935,16 @@ class TaskService(BaseService):
             claim_agent_id = await self.resolve_agent_id(claim_target_slug)
             allow_reassign = True
 
+        # awaiting_pm_review is a REVIEW state, not a dev state. Claiming it must
+        # NOT transition it to `claimed` — the assigned PM's complete() requires
+        # awaiting_pm_review, so a transitioning claim wedges it (the dispatcher
+        # claims an ownerless review task before spawning the PM, who then can't
+        # complete). Mirror the QA/Doc review-claim: assign the owner, keep the
+        # review status. Reached only for an ownerless review task; normal flow
+        # keeps the owner and never re-claims here.
+        if task.status == TaskStatus.AWAITING_PM_REVIEW:
+            return await self._claim_review_state(task_id, claim_agent_id)
+
         claimed = await self.claim(
             task_id, claim_agent_id, allow_reassign=allow_reassign
         )
@@ -4944,6 +4954,18 @@ class TaskService(BaseService):
         await self.session.commit()
         return claimed
 
+    async def _claim_review_state(
+        self, task_id: UUID, claim_agent_id: UUID
+    ) -> TaskTable:
+        """No-transition review-claim for awaiting_pm_review (see caller)."""
+        claimed = await self._qa_or_doc_claim(
+            claim_agent_id, task_id, TaskStatus.AWAITING_PM_REVIEW
+        )
+        if not claimed:
+            raise ValidationError("Cannot claim task - not in awaiting_pm_review")
+        await self.session.commit()
+        return claimed
+
     async def soft_block_task_for_agent(
         self,
         task_id: UUID,
diff --git a/tests/unit/services/test_claim_review_state.py b/tests/unit/services/test_claim_review_state.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..637ac247
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/unit/services/test_claim_review_state.py
@@ -0,0 +1,80 @@
+"""Claiming an awaiting_pm_review task must NOT transition it to `claimed`.
+
+awaiting_pm_review is a review state: the assigned PM's complete() requires the
+task to be IN awaiting_pm_review. The dispatcher claims an *ownerless* review
+task before spawning the PM; if that claim transitioned it to `claimed`, the PM
+could never complete (observed live: a complete() rejected with invalid_state,
+the task then bounced to blocked). claim_task_for_agent must therefore do a
+no-transition review-claim for awaiting_pm_review, exactly like QA/Doc — while
+leaving every other state (pending, needs_revision, ...) transitioning as before.
+"""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+from unittest.mock import AsyncMock, MagicMock
+from uuid import uuid4
+
+import pytest
+from roboco.models.base import AgentRole, TaskStatus
+from roboco.services.task import TaskService
+
+
+def _svc() -> TaskService:
+    svc = TaskService.__new__(TaskService)
+    svc.session = AsyncMock()
+    return svc
+
+
+def _agent() -> MagicMock:
+    # A PM claiming for review — not QA/Documenter, so the self-review check is
+    # skipped; can_perform_task_action is stubbed True on the permissions mock.
+    return MagicMock(role=AgentRole.CELL_PM, agent_id=uuid4())
+
+
+def _perms() -> MagicMock:
+    p = MagicMock()
+    p.can_perform_task_action = MagicMock(return_value=True)
+    return p
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_awaiting_pm_review_claim_does_not_transition(
+    monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch,
+) -> None:
+    svc = _svc()
+    task_id = uuid4()
+    task = MagicMock(status=TaskStatus.AWAITING_PM_REVIEW, team="backend")
+    review_claim = AsyncMock(return_value=task)
+    plain_claim = AsyncMock(return_value=task)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(svc, "_load_task_or_raise", AsyncMock(return_value=task))
+    monkeypatch.setattr(svc, "_qa_or_doc_claim", review_claim)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(svc, "claim", plain_claim)
+    agent = _agent()
+
+    await svc.claim_task_for_agent(task_id, agent, _perms(), claim_target_slug=None)
+
+    # No-transition review-claim used; the transitioning claim() never called.
+    review_claim.assert_awaited_once_with(
+        agent.agent_id, task_id, TaskStatus.AWAITING_PM_REVIEW
+    )
+    plain_claim.assert_not_awaited()
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_pending_claim_still_transitions(
+    monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch,
+) -> None:
+    """Regression guard: non-review states still go through the normal claim()."""
+    svc = _svc()
+    task_id = uuid4()
+    task = MagicMock(status=TaskStatus.PENDING, team="backend")
+    review_claim = AsyncMock(return_value=task)
+    plain_claim = AsyncMock(return_value=task)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(svc, "_load_task_or_raise", AsyncMock(return_value=task))
+    monkeypatch.setattr(svc, "_qa_or_doc_claim", review_claim)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(svc, "claim", plain_claim)
+
+    await svc.claim_task_for_agent(task_id, _agent(), _perms(), claim_target_slug=None)
+
+    plain_claim.assert_awaited_once()
+    review_claim.assert_not_awaited()