diff --git a/internal/beliefs/store.go b/internal/beliefs/store.go
index 983f2db..952ae94 100644
--- a/internal/beliefs/store.go
+++ b/internal/beliefs/store.go
@@ -872,7 +872,7 @@ func (s *Store) Search(ctx context.Context, mind ids.ID, text string, limit int)
 	}
 	q := strings.Join(toks, " | ")
 	rows, err := s.db.Query(ctx, `SELECT `+cols+` FROM beliefs b WHERE b.mind_id=$1 AND b.status NOT IN ('superseded') AND b.search @@ to_tsquery('english', $2)
-		ORDER BY ts_rank_cd(b.search, to_tsquery('english', $2)) DESC, b.confidence DESC LIMIT $3`, mind, q, limit)
+		ORDER BY ts_rank_cd(b.search, to_tsquery('english', $2)) DESC, b.confidence DESC, b.id LIMIT $3`, mind, q, limit)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
diff --git a/internal/cognition/volition.go b/internal/cognition/volition.go
index e04bf0a..bfed809 100644
--- a/internal/cognition/volition.go
+++ b/internal/cognition/volition.go
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import (
 	"context"
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
+	"sort"
 	"strings"
 	"time"
 
@@ -495,6 +496,13 @@ func supportingBeliefs(ctx context.Context, s *brain.State, w volition.Want) []i
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil
 	}
+	// A belief about the proposed action itself ("restarting atlas-worker
+	// clears the queue") is what the action rests on, so it comes first; the
+	// first supporting belief is the one a verification outcome revises.
+	action := strings.ToLower(w.Proposal.Capability[strings.LastIndex(w.Proposal.Capability, ".")+1:])
+	sort.SliceStable(bs, func(i, j int) bool {
+		return action != "" && strings.Contains(strings.ToLower(bs[i].Proposition), action) && !strings.Contains(strings.ToLower(bs[j].Proposition), action)
+	})
 	var out []ids.ID
 	for _, b := range bs {
 		if len(out) == 3 {
diff --git a/tests/agency/incident_test.go b/tests/agency/incident_test.go
index 23d26a8..5ad56a3 100644
--- a/tests/agency/incident_test.go
+++ b/tests/agency/incident_test.go
@@ -72,7 +72,8 @@ func TestIncidentScenario(t *testing.T) {
 	var req string
 	waitFor(t, h, m, 30*time.Second, "a capability request for logs", func() bool {
 		rs, _ := h.Deps.Capabilities.CapabilityRequests(ctx, m.ID, "pending", 5)
-		if len(rs) == 1 {
+		// The request commits before the executor blocks the intention.
+		if cur, _ := h.Deps.Volition.GetIntention(ctx, nil, m.ID, investigate.ID); len(rs) == 1 && cur.Status == volition.IntentionBlocked {
 			req = rs[0].ID.String()
 			if rs[0].Capability != "logs.query" || rs[0].Risk == "" || rs[0].Fallback == "" || rs[0].MaxOperations == nil {
 				t.Fatalf("request not explained: %+v", rs[0])
@@ -139,6 +140,9 @@ func TestIncidentScenario(t *testing.T) {
 	if host.count() != 0 || restart.Kind != volition.IntentRequestApproval || len(restart.BeliefIDs) == 0 {
 		t.Fatalf("restart before approval, wrong kind or no supporting belief: restarts=%d %+v", host.count(), restart)
 	}
+	if restart.BeliefIDs[0] != belief.ID {
+		t.Fatalf("the belief about restarting should be the first support, got %v (want %s)", restart.BeliefIDs, belief.ID)
+	}
 
 	// 21–25: approved; restarted with a typed capability; health is verified, not assumed; it fails.
 	post("/api/v1/approvals/"+approval+"/approve", map[string]any{"note": "go"})
@@ -182,14 +186,16 @@ func TestIncidentScenario(t *testing.T) {
 		}
 		return false
 	})
-	mems, _ := h.Deps.Memory.List(ctx, m.ID, memory.Filter{Kinds: []concepts.MemoryKind{concepts.Procedural}, Limit: 10})
-	learnt := false
-	for _, mm := range mems {
-		learnt = learnt || strings.Contains(mm.Content, "confirmed by observation")
-	}
-	if !learnt {
-		t.Fatalf("what worked was not recorded as a procedure: %+v", mems)
-	}
+	// The plan completes, and records what worked, after the prediction resolves.
+	waitFor(t, h, m, 30*time.Second, "what worked recorded as a procedure", func() bool {
+		mems, _ := h.Deps.Memory.List(ctx, m.ID, memory.Filter{Kinds: []concepts.MemoryKind{concepts.Procedural}, Limit: 10})
+		for _, mm := range mems {
+			if strings.Contains(mm.Content, "confirmed by observation") {
+				return true
+			}
+		}
+		return false
+	})
 
 	// 31: "Why did you do that?" is answered from the recorded chain.
 	execs, _ := h.Deps.Capabilities.Executions(ctx, m.ID, 50)