diff --git a/docs/release-control/v6/internal/subsystems/unified-resources.md b/docs/release-control/v6/internal/subsystems/unified-resources.md
index b71946edf..ec63e8a36 100644
--- a/docs/release-control/v6/internal/subsystems/unified-resources.md
+++ b/docs/release-control/v6/internal/subsystems/unified-resources.md
@@ -86,6 +86,11 @@ then leaves the top-level monitored-system projection exactly once so usage and
 licensing do not count a decommissioned member. Proxmox platform consumers must
 scope equal cluster labels and node names by provider instance when grouping,
 searching, and assigning guests or storage.
+That provider scope also governs node-to-agent link inference and host
+presentation coalescing. A repeated cluster label is operator-authored
+grouping metadata, not same-machine evidence; cross-instance equality requires
+the same node identity, the exact configured endpoint, or independently
+corroborated host evidence.
 The same boundary carries cluster-node presentation without weakening
 canonical identity. `ProxmoxData` preserves the immutable connection-scoped
 node identity, current native node name, prior native-name aliases, and
diff --git a/internal/unifiedresources/presentation_coalesce.go b/internal/unifiedresources/presentation_coalesce.go
index ec1741410..fd76f1abb 100644
--- a/internal/unifiedresources/presentation_coalesce.go
+++ b/internal/unifiedresources/presentation_coalesce.go
@@ -231,8 +231,10 @@ func presentationHostIdentitiesDistinct(left, right Resource) bool {
 // two hand-added sites are commonly just "pve" (#1753), so a shared short
 // hostname must not fold one site's node row into the other's. The proof
 // mirrors the state-layer rule: the same connection instance, the same node
-// identity, the same non-empty cluster, or the same endpoint host still
-// merge; anything less keeps the rows apart.
+// identity, or the same endpoint host still merge; anything less keeps the
+// rows apart. Cluster names are operator-chosen display labels and are not
+// globally unique, so an equal label across provider instances is not
+// same-machine proof.
 func presentationProxmoxNodeScopesDistinct(left, right *ProxmoxData) bool {
 	if left == nil || right == nil {
 		return false
@@ -246,9 +248,6 @@ func presentationProxmoxNodeScopesDistinct(left, right *ProxmoxData) bool {
 	if presentationIdentityValuesEqual(left.NodeIdentity, right.NodeIdentity) {
 		return false
 	}
-	if presentationIdentityValuesEqual(left.ClusterName, right.ClusterName) {
-		return false
-	}
 	if presentationIdentityValuesEqual(extractHostname(left.HostURL), extractHostname(right.HostURL)) {
 		return false
 	}
diff --git a/internal/unifiedresources/presentation_coalesce_test.go b/internal/unifiedresources/presentation_coalesce_test.go
index 9afdb9bdd..15c30f008 100644
--- a/internal/unifiedresources/presentation_coalesce_test.go
+++ b/internal/unifiedresources/presentation_coalesce_test.go
@@ -619,6 +619,21 @@ func TestCoalescePresentationHostResourcesKeepsStandaloneProviderScopesApart(t *
 		}
 	})
 
+	t.Run("equal cluster display labels do not collapse provider scopes", func(t *testing.T) {
+		staging := nodeRow("staging-pve", "hema-staging", "https://pve.hemastaging.hot:8006", "Tripper Staging", "host-staging")
+		staging.Proxmox.ClusterName = "homelab"
+		staging.Sources = append(staging.Sources, SourceAgent)
+		staging.Agent = &AgentData{AgentID: "host-staging", Hostname: "pve", MachineID: "machine-staging"}
+		staging.Identity.MachineID = "machine-staging"
+		production := nodeRow("production-pve", "hema-production", "https://pve.hemaproduction.hot:8006", "VV Staging", "")
+		production.Proxmox.ClusterName = "homelab"
+
+		got := CoalescePresentationHostResources([]Resource{staging, production})
+		if len(got) != 2 {
+			t.Fatalf("equal cluster display labels collapsed distinct provider scopes: %#v", got)
+		}
+	})
+
 	t.Run("single site still merges its node and agent rows", func(t *testing.T) {
 		resources := []Resource{
 			nodeRow("home-pve", "home", "https://pve.home.lan:8006", "home", ""),
diff --git a/internal/unifiedresources/proxmox_node_links.go b/internal/unifiedresources/proxmox_node_links.go
index 4ba22606c..081c4a318 100644
--- a/internal/unifiedresources/proxmox_node_links.go
+++ b/internal/unifiedresources/proxmox_node_links.go
@@ -235,8 +235,10 @@ func inferLinkedHostsForProxmoxNodes(nodes []models.Node, hostByID map[string]*m
 // names are commonly short and repeat across independent standalone sites, so
 // a shared name is deliberately absent here. Distinct configured instances
 // may share a host only when provider-owned evidence says they are the same
-// (the same node identity, named cluster, or exact configured endpoint), or
+// (the same node identity or exact configured endpoint), or
 // when both views independently match the trusted host's full endpoint/IP.
+// A cluster name is only an operator-chosen display label and may be reused
+// by independent estates, so equality is not provider identity evidence.
 func proxmoxProviderNodesProveSameMachine(left, right models.Node, host *models.Host) bool {
 	if leftID, rightID := strings.TrimSpace(left.ID), strings.TrimSpace(right.ID); leftID != "" && leftID == rightID {
 		return true
@@ -249,11 +251,6 @@ func proxmoxProviderNodesProveSameMachine(left, right models.Node, host *models.
 	if leftInstance != "" && leftInstance == rightInstance {
 		return true
 	}
-	leftCluster := strings.TrimSpace(strings.ToLower(left.ClusterName))
-	rightCluster := strings.TrimSpace(strings.ToLower(right.ClusterName))
-	if leftCluster != "" && leftCluster == rightCluster {
-		return true
-	}
 	leftEndpoint := strings.TrimSpace(strings.ToLower(extractHostname(left.Host)))
 	rightEndpoint := strings.TrimSpace(strings.ToLower(extractHostname(right.Host)))
 	if leftEndpoint != "" && leftEndpoint == rightEndpoint {
diff --git a/internal/unifiedresources/proxmox_node_links_test.go b/internal/unifiedresources/proxmox_node_links_test.go
index a296db932..b20f0ca77 100644
--- a/internal/unifiedresources/proxmox_node_links_test.go
+++ b/internal/unifiedresources/proxmox_node_links_test.go
@@ -83,6 +83,32 @@ func TestInferLinkedHostsForProxmoxNodesKeepsStandaloneProviderScopesApart(t *te
 	}
 }
 
+func TestInferLinkedHostsForProxmoxNodesDoesNotTrustRepeatedClusterLabel(t *testing.T) {
+	staging := models.Node{
+		ID: "staging-pve", NodeIdentity: "staging-pve", Name: "pve",
+		ClusterName: "homelab", Instance: "staging", Host: "https://pve.staging.example:8006",
+		LinkedAgentID: "host-staging",
+	}
+	production := models.Node{
+		ID: "production-pve", NodeIdentity: "production-pve", Name: "pve",
+		ClusterName: "homelab", Instance: "production", Host: "https://pve.production.example:8006",
+	}
+	host := &models.Host{
+		ID: "host-staging", Hostname: "pve", LinkedNodeID: "staging-pve",
+	}
+
+	got := inferLinkedHostsForProxmoxNodes(
+		[]models.Node{staging, production},
+		map[string]*models.Host{host.ID: host},
+	)
+	if got[staging.ID] == nil || got[staging.ID].ID != host.ID {
+		t.Fatalf("trusted staging link was lost: %+v", got)
+	}
+	if got[production.ID] != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("repeated display label leaked staging host into production provider: %+v", got)
+	}
+}
+
 func TestProxmoxProviderNodesProveSameMachineAcrossDuplicateConnections(t *testing.T) {
 	base := models.Node{
 		ID: "site-a-pve", NodeIdentity: "node-pve", Name: "pve",
@@ -91,7 +117,6 @@ func TestProxmoxProviderNodesProveSameMachineAcrossDuplicateConnections(t *testi
 
 	for name, candidate := range map[string]models.Node{
 		"node identity": {ID: "site-b-pve", NodeIdentity: "node-pve", Name: "pve", Instance: "site-b", Host: "https://other.example:8006"},
-		"cluster":       {ID: "site-b-pve", Name: "pve", Instance: "site-b", ClusterName: "prod", Host: "https://other.example:8006"},
 		"endpoint":      {ID: "site-b-pve", Name: "pve", Instance: "site-b", Host: "https://pve.example:8006"},
 	} {
 		t.Run(name, func(t *testing.T) {
@@ -112,4 +137,14 @@ func TestProxmoxProviderNodesProveSameMachineAcrossDuplicateConnections(t *testi
 	if proxmoxProviderNodesProveSameMachine(base, distinct, nil) {
 		t.Fatalf("shared native hostname proved distinct standalone providers equal: left=%+v right=%+v", base, distinct)
 	}
+
+	leftCluster := base
+	leftCluster.NodeIdentity = ""
+	leftCluster.ClusterName = "homelab"
+	rightCluster := distinct
+	rightCluster.NodeIdentity = ""
+	rightCluster.ClusterName = "homelab"
+	if proxmoxProviderNodesProveSameMachine(leftCluster, rightCluster, nil) {
+		t.Fatalf("equal cluster display labels proved distinct provider scopes equal: left=%+v right=%+v", leftCluster, rightCluster)
+	}
 }
diff --git a/internal/unifiedresources/registry_test.go b/internal/unifiedresources/registry_test.go
index fbf1b9c10..9b0083a80 100644
--- a/internal/unifiedresources/registry_test.go
+++ b/internal/unifiedresources/registry_test.go
@@ -298,6 +298,11 @@ func TestMonitorAdapterKeepsSameNamedProxmoxProvidersDistinct(t *testing.T) {
 	if got := MonitoredSystemCount(adapter); got != 2 {
 		t.Fatalf("same-name provider monitored-system count = %d, want 2", got)
 	}
+
+	presented := CoalescePresentationHostResources(resources)
+	if len(presented) != 2 {
+		t.Fatalf("repeated cluster label collapsed provider-scoped presentation rows: %+v", presented)
+	}
 }
 
 func TestResourceRegistryAvailabilityLinkedResourceResolvesSourceReference(t *testing.T) {