diff --git a/scripts/generate-design-system-adoption.mjs b/scripts/generate-design-system-adoption.mjs
index 4b47310836..188d78eb76 100644
--- a/scripts/generate-design-system-adoption.mjs
+++ b/scripts/generate-design-system-adoption.mjs
@@ -418,15 +418,33 @@ function validateCandidateSourceBinding(candidateSourceHead, { root, policy }) {
 
   const candidateAwaiting = candidateSuite === null ? null : visualBaselineAwaitingIds(candidateSuite, visualSuiteFile);
   const currentAwaiting = currentSuite === null ? null : visualBaselineAwaitingIds(currentSuite, visualSuiteFile);
+  // Two legitimate shapes, and the second is what makes updating the design possible.
+  //
+  //   FIRST ADOPTION — the capture head still declares the canonical six as awaiting,
+  //   and the adopting commit empties that list.
+  //   REFRESH — the list is already empty at both ends. Deliberately re-shooting a
+  //   surface produces exactly this, and it is the ORDINARY case once baselines
+  //   exist: the pixels move, the goldens are replaced, and the suite itself does
+  //   not change at all.
+  //
+  // Requiring the six-to-empty transition alone made this binding satisfiable
+  // exactly once. After the first adoption no commit declares the six again, so no
+  // capture head could ever qualify and every later refresh was unprovable — the
+  // goldens would go red on the first intentional design change with no supported
+  // way to re-adopt them.
   const candidateAwaitingCanonical =
     candidateAwaiting?.valid && JSON.stringify(candidateAwaiting.ids) === JSON.stringify(canonicalIds);
+  const candidateAwaitingEmpty = candidateAwaiting?.valid && candidateAwaiting.ids.length === 0;
+  const candidateAwaitingAdoptable = candidateAwaitingCanonical || candidateAwaitingEmpty;
   const currentAwaitingEmpty = currentAwaiting?.valid && currentAwaiting.ids.length === 0;
   if (!candidateAwaiting?.valid) {
     failures.push(
       `candidateSourceHead AWAITING_BASELINE must be a static literal Set: ${candidateAwaiting?.failure ?? "missing suite"}`,
     );
-  } else if (!candidateAwaitingCanonical) {
-    failures.push("candidateSourceHead AWAITING_BASELINE must contain exactly the canonical six ids");
+  } else if (!candidateAwaitingAdoptable) {
+    failures.push(
+      "candidateSourceHead AWAITING_BASELINE must be either the canonical six ids (first adoption) or empty (refresh)",
+    );
   }
   if (!currentAwaiting?.valid) {
     failures.push(
@@ -444,8 +462,11 @@ function validateCandidateSourceBinding(candidateSourceHead, { root, policy }) {
     currentSuite === null || currentAwaiting === null
       ? null
       : normalizeVisualSuiteAwaitingValues(currentSuite, currentAwaiting);
+  // Normalisation blanks the AWAITING_BASELINE values on both sides, so this stays
+  // exact for a refresh (where the suite is byte-identical) as well as for the
+  // first adoption (where only those values moved).
   const visualSuiteOnlyChangedAwaiting =
-    candidateAwaitingCanonical &&
+    candidateAwaitingAdoptable &&
     currentAwaitingEmpty &&
     normalizedCandidateSuite !== null &&
     normalizedCandidateSuite === normalizedCurrentSuite;
diff --git a/tests/design-system-adoption.test.ts b/tests/design-system-adoption.test.ts
index 3e7b58d392..3f9926eb7a 100644
--- a/tests/design-system-adoption.test.ts
+++ b/tests/design-system-adoption.test.ts
@@ -831,15 +831,25 @@ describe("design-system adoption manifest", () => {
     }
   });
 
-  it("requires the exact static AWAITING_BASELINE transition from canonical six to empty", { timeout: 90_000 }, () => {
+  it("accepts a first adoption or a refresh, and nothing else", { timeout: 90_000 }, () => {
     const exactRoot = fs.mkdtempSync(path.join(os.tmpdir(), "design-system-awaiting-exact-"));
+    const refreshRoot = fs.mkdtempSync(path.join(os.tmpdir(), "design-system-awaiting-refresh-"));
     const retainedRoot = fs.mkdtempSync(path.join(os.tmpdir(), "design-system-awaiting-retained-"));
     const missingRoot = fs.mkdtempSync(path.join(os.tmpdir(), "design-system-awaiting-missing-"));
     const extraRoot = fs.mkdtempSync(path.join(os.tmpdir(), "design-system-awaiting-extra-"));
     const dynamicRoot = fs.mkdtempSync(path.join(os.tmpdir(), "design-system-awaiting-dynamic-"));
     const spreadRoot = fs.mkdtempSync(path.join(os.tmpdir(), "design-system-awaiting-spread-"));
     const duplicateRoot = fs.mkdtempSync(path.join(os.tmpdir(), "design-system-awaiting-duplicate-"));
-    const fixtureRoots = [exactRoot, retainedRoot, missingRoot, extraRoot, dynamicRoot, spreadRoot, duplicateRoot];
+    const fixtureRoots = [
+      exactRoot,
+      refreshRoot,
+      retainedRoot,
+      missingRoot,
+      extraRoot,
+      dynamicRoot,
+      spreadRoot,
+      duplicateRoot,
+    ];
     try {
       initialiseCandidateRepository(exactRoot, canonicalAwaitingValues);
       setCurrentAwaitingValues(exactRoot, "");
@@ -848,6 +858,18 @@ describe("design-system adoption manifest", () => {
         validateLinuxVisualBaselineSet(exact.paths, { root: exactRoot, trackedFiles: exact.trackedFiles }),
       ).toEqual([]);
 
+      // A REFRESH binds too: empty at both ends, suite byte-identical. This is the
+      // ordinary case once baselines exist — a surface is deliberately re-shot and
+      // its goldens replaced. Without it the six-to-empty transition was satisfiable
+      // exactly once, so the first intentional design change would have left the
+      // goldens red with no supported way to re-adopt them.
+      initialiseCandidateRepository(refreshRoot, "");
+      setCurrentAwaitingValues(refreshRoot, "");
+      const refresh = writeBaselineSet(refreshRoot);
+      expect(
+        validateLinuxVisualBaselineSet(refresh.paths, { root: refreshRoot, trackedFiles: refresh.trackedFiles }),
+      ).toEqual([]);
+
       initialiseCandidateRepository(retainedRoot, canonicalAwaitingValues);
       setCurrentAwaitingValues(retainedRoot, JSON.stringify("dashboard-shell"));
       const retained = writeBaselineSet(retainedRoot);
@@ -872,14 +894,18 @@ describe("design-system adoption manifest", () => {
           root: missingRoot,
           trackedFiles: missing.trackedFiles,
         }),
-      ).toContain("candidateSourceHead AWAITING_BASELINE must contain exactly the canonical six ids");
+      ).toContain(
+        "candidateSourceHead AWAITING_BASELINE must be either the canonical six ids (first adoption) or empty (refresh)",
+      );
 
       initialiseCandidateRepository(extraRoot, `${canonicalAwaitingValues}, "extra-target"`);
       setCurrentAwaitingValues(extraRoot, "");
       const extra = writeBaselineSet(extraRoot);
       expect(
         validateLinuxVisualBaselineSet(extra.paths, { root: extraRoot, trackedFiles: extra.trackedFiles }),
-      ).toContain("candidateSourceHead AWAITING_BASELINE must contain exactly the canonical six ids");
+      ).toContain(
+        "candidateSourceHead AWAITING_BASELINE must be either the canonical six ids (first adoption) or empty (refresh)",
+      );
 
       initialiseCandidateRepository(dynamicRoot, "BASELINE_IDS");
       setCurrentAwaitingValues(dynamicRoot, "");