diff --git a/.github/scripts/issue-version-triage.cjs b/.github/scripts/issue-version-triage.cjs
index 06340f6776..ca909ced89 100644
--- a/.github/scripts/issue-version-triage.cjs
+++ b/.github/scripts/issue-version-triage.cjs
@@ -197,12 +197,6 @@ function buildTriageState(issue, core, latestVersion) {
   }
 
   const hasAdditionalActionableTopics = classifyAdditionalActionableTopics(issue.body);
-  if (hasAdditionalActionableTopics === true) {
-    core.info("Issue declares additional actionable topics; decomposition is required.");
-    nextLabels.add(NEEDS_DECOMPOSITION_LABEL);
-  } else if (hasAdditionalActionableTopics === false) {
-    nextLabels.delete(NEEDS_DECOMPOSITION_LABEL);
-  }
 
   const reportedVersion = extractPulseVersion(issue.title, issue.body);
   core.info(`Reported Pulse version: ${reportedVersion || "not found"}`);
@@ -265,7 +259,18 @@ async function syncLabels({ github, context, core }) {
     isBugLike,
   } = buildTriageState(issue, core, latestVersion);
 
-  if (hasAdditionalActionableTopics === true) {
+  // A form declaration creates a review task only when it is new. A later
+  // empty field cannot prove that comment topics were dispositioned, and an
+  // unrelated edit must not restore a label Community deliberately cleared.
+  const previousBody = context.payload.changes?.body?.from;
+  const newlyDeclared = hasAdditionalActionableTopics === true && (
+    context.payload.action === "opened" ||
+    (context.payload.action === "edited" && previousBody !== undefined &&
+      classifyAdditionalActionableTopics(previousBody) !== true)
+  );
+  if (newlyDeclared) {
+    core.info("Issue newly declares additional actionable topics; decomposition is required.");
+    nextLabels.add(NEEDS_DECOMPOSITION_LABEL);
     await ensureLabel(
       github,
       context,
diff --git a/.github/scripts/issue-version-triage.test.cjs b/.github/scripts/issue-version-triage.test.cjs
index d247b62600..f598d47cdd 100644
--- a/.github/scripts/issue-version-triage.test.cjs
+++ b/.github/scripts/issue-version-triage.test.cjs
@@ -69,11 +69,12 @@ function createGithub({
   return { github, calls };
 }
 
-function createContext({ action = "opened", issue }) {
+function createContext({ action = "opened", issue, previousBody }) {
   return {
     payload: {
       action,
       issue,
+      ...(previousBody === undefined ? {} : { changes: { body: { from: previousBody } } }),
     },
     repo: {
       owner: "rcourtman",
@@ -159,24 +160,52 @@ test("syncLabels marks declared secondary topics for decomposition", async () =>
   ]);
 });
 
-test("syncLabels clears decomposition after every declared topic has a disposition", async () => {
-  const { github, calls } = createGithub({ latestVersion: "6.4.1" });
-  const issue = {
-    number: 1796,
-    title: "Availability workflow feedback",
-    body: "## Additional actionable topics\nNone.\n",
-    labels: [{ name: "enhancement" }, { name: "needs-decomposition" }],
-  };
+test("syncLabels preserves community decomposition on an empty form field", async () => {
+  for (const action of ["edited", "reopened"]) {
+    const { github, calls } = createGithub({ latestVersion: "6.4.1" });
+    const issue = {
+      number: 1796,
+      title: "Availability workflow feedback",
+      body: "## Additional actionable topics\nNone.\n",
+      // A later comment may have raised a distinct topic after this form was filed.
+      labels: [{ name: "enhancement" }, { name: "needs-decomposition" }],
+    };
 
-  await triage.syncLabels({
-    github,
-    context: createContext({ action: "edited", issue }),
-    core: createCore(),
-  });
+    await triage.syncLabels({
+      github,
+      context: createContext({ action, issue }),
+      core: createCore(),
+    });
 
-  assert.equal(calls.createLabel.length, 0);
-  assert.equal(calls.addLabels.length, 0);
-  assert.deepEqual(calls.removeLabel.map(call => call.name), ["needs-decomposition"]);
+    assert.equal(calls.createLabel.length, 0);
+    assert.equal(calls.addLabels.length, 0);
+    assert.deepEqual(calls.removeLabel, []);
+  }
+});
+
+test("syncLabels adds newly declared topics but respects a completed disposition", async () => {
+  const topicBody = "## Additional actionable topics\nAdd a storage filter.\n";
+  const emptyBody = "## Additional actionable topics\nNone.\n";
+  for (const { action, previousBody, expectedAdd } of [
+    { action: "edited", previousBody: emptyBody, expectedAdd: true },
+    { action: "edited", previousBody: topicBody, expectedAdd: false },
+    { action: "edited", expectedAdd: false },
+    { action: "reopened", expectedAdd: false },
+  ]) {
+    const { github, calls } = createGithub();
+    await triage.syncLabels({
+      github,
+      context: createContext({ action, previousBody, issue: {
+        number: 1796,
+        title: "Availability workflow feedback",
+        body: topicBody,
+        labels: [{ name: "enhancement" }],
+      } }),
+      core: createCore(),
+    });
+    assert.deepEqual(calls.addLabels.flatMap(call => call.labels),
+      expectedAdd ? ["needs-decomposition"] : []);
+  }
 });
 
 test("additional topic classification is explicit and fail-quiet for legacy forms", () => {
@@ -390,13 +419,13 @@ test("queued label sync cannot overwrite newer Community label decisions", async
   }
 });
 
-test("classification removal tolerates an absent label but propagates access failures", async () => {
+test("version-label removal tolerates an absent label but propagates access failures", async () => {
   for (const status of [404, 403]) {
     const { github } = createGithub();
     github.rest.issues.removeLabel = async () => { throw Object.assign(new Error("API failure"), { status }); };
     const run = triage.syncLabels({ github, core: createCore(), context: createContext({ issue: {
-      number: 1200, title: "Feedback", body: "## Additional actionable topics\nNone.\n",
-      labels: [{ name: "enhancement" }, { name: "needs-decomposition" }],
+      number: 1200, title: "Bug", body: "## Pulse version\n6.0.1\n",
+      labels: [{ name: "bug" }, { name: "affects-6.0.0" }],
     } }) });
     if (status === 404) await assert.doesNotReject(run);
     else await assert.rejects(run, { status: 403 });
diff --git a/docs/ISSUE_TRIAGE.md b/docs/ISSUE_TRIAGE.md
index 4b22611670..4581e0fc74 100644
--- a/docs/ISSUE_TRIAGE.md
+++ b/docs/ISSUE_TRIAGE.md
@@ -7,9 +7,13 @@ documentation gaps, or operator workflows described in the same report.
 ## Intake contract
 
 Issue forms ask for one primary outcome and provide an **Additional actionable
-topics** field. Entering anything other than `None` applies the
-`needs-decomposition` label automatically. This is a queue-integrity signal,
-not a statement that every topic will be built.
+topics** field. Declaring a topic when opening an issue or newly adding one to
+this field applies the `needs-decomposition` label automatically. This is a
+queue-integrity signal, not a statement that every topic will be built.
+The synchronizer never removes this label, nor restores it after a maintainer
+has cleared it when an unrelated edit or reopen occurs. A later `None` in the
+form does not prove that topics raised in comments were dispositioned; triage
+removes the label only after the linked dispositions below are complete.
 
 Reporters may still write free-form issues, edit form output, or discover a
 second topic during discussion. Triage owns decomposition in those cases; it