diff --git a/server/agent-edit-v2.ts b/server/agent-edit-v2.ts
index 88626cc5..28f1b61c 100644
--- a/server/agent-edit-v2.ts
+++ b/server/agent-edit-v2.ts
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ import {
   summarizeParseError,
   type HeadlessMilkdownParser,
 } from './milkdown-headless.js';
-import { isHostedRewriteEnvironment } from './rewrite-policy.js';
+import { isHostedMultiReplicaRewriteEnvironment } from './rewrite-policy.js';
 import { getActiveCollabClientBreakdown } from './ws.js';
 import { canonicalizeStoredMarks, type StoredMark } from '../src/formats/marks.js';
 import { refreshSnapshotForSlug } from './snapshot.js';
@@ -126,12 +126,14 @@ const COLLAB_WRITE_STABILITY_SAMPLE_MS = parsePositiveInt(process.env.AGENT_EDIT
 
 function getStrictLiveClientCount(slug: string): number {
   const breakdown = getActiveCollabClientBreakdown(slug);
-  return isHostedRewriteEnvironment() ? breakdown.total : breakdown.exactEpochCount;
+  // Single-replica trusts its own connection view; only a genuine multi-replica
+  // fleet counts ghost leases (a live doc that might be held on a sibling node).
+  return isHostedMultiReplicaRewriteEnvironment() ? breakdown.total : breakdown.exactEpochCount;
 }
 
 async function getStrictLiveClientCountWithGrace(slug: string): Promise<number> {
   let breakdown = getActiveCollabClientBreakdown(slug);
-  if (!isHostedRewriteEnvironment()) return breakdown.exactEpochCount;
+  if (!isHostedMultiReplicaRewriteEnvironment()) return breakdown.exactEpochCount;
   if (breakdown.total === 0 || breakdown.exactEpochCount > 0) return breakdown.total;
 
   const timeoutMs = parsePositiveInt(process.env.HOSTED_LIVE_DOC_GRACE_MS, 1500);
diff --git a/server/canonical-document.ts b/server/canonical-document.ts
index 3069c8c5..ff473eee 100644
--- a/server/canonical-document.ts
+++ b/server/canonical-document.ts
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ import {
   summarizeDocumentIntegrity,
 } from './document-integrity.js';
 import { recordProjectionRepair } from './metrics.js';
-import { isHostedRewriteEnvironment } from './rewrite-policy.js';
+import { isHostedRewriteEnvironment, isSingleReplicaDeployment } from './rewrite-policy.js';
 import { refreshSnapshotForSlug } from './snapshot.js';
 import { pauseDocumentAndPropagate } from './share-state.js';
 import { getActiveCollabClientBreakdown, getActiveCollabClientCount } from './ws.js';
@@ -800,17 +800,24 @@ export async function mutateCanonicalDocument(args: CanonicalMutationArgs): Prom
   const collabRuntimeEnabled = getCollabRuntime().enabled;
   let collabClientBreakdown = getActiveCollabClientBreakdown(args.slug);
   const hostedRuntime = isHostedRewriteEnvironment();
+  // Single-replica self-host: there is no sibling node that could hold the live
+  // doc, so a recent lease without a live connection here means "nobody is
+  // connected", not "another replica owns it". Trust this node's own view.
+  const singleReplica = isSingleReplicaDeployment();
   const strictLiveDocRequested = args.strictLiveDoc !== false;
   if (
     strictLiveDocRequested
     && collabRuntimeEnabled
     && hostedRuntime
+    && !singleReplica
     && collabClientBreakdown.total > 0
     && collabClientBreakdown.exactEpochCount === 0
   ) {
     collabClientBreakdown = await waitForHostedLiveLeaseMaterialization(args.slug);
   }
-  let activeCollabClients = collabClientBreakdown.total;
+  let activeCollabClients = singleReplica
+    ? collabClientBreakdown.exactEpochCount
+    : collabClientBreakdown.total;
   if (strictLiveDocRequested && activeCollabClients > 0 && !collabRuntimeEnabled) {
     return {
       ok: false,
@@ -822,6 +829,7 @@ export async function mutateCanonicalDocument(args: CanonicalMutationArgs): Prom
   }
   const hostedRemoteLiveLease = collabRuntimeEnabled
     && hostedRuntime
+    && !singleReplica
     && collabClientBreakdown.total > 0
     && collabClientBreakdown.exactEpochCount === 0;
   if (strictLiveDocRequested && hostedRemoteLiveLease) {
diff --git a/server/rewrite-policy.ts b/server/rewrite-policy.ts
index dd0954c6..8e43fee4 100644
--- a/server/rewrite-policy.ts
+++ b/server/rewrite-policy.ts
@@ -76,6 +76,26 @@ export function isHostedRewriteEnvironment(runtimeEnvironment: string = getRewri
   return runtimeEnvironment === 'production' || runtimeEnvironment === 'staging' || isRailwayHostedRuntime();
 }
 
+// Single-replica self-hosting. The live-doc gate assumes a multi-replica fleet:
+// a recent collab-session lease with no live connection *on this node* is read
+// as "another replica holds the doc live", returning LIVE_DOC_UNAVAILABLE. On a
+// single replica there are no siblings, so that inference is a false positive
+// that blocks all programmatic edits for the lease window after a viewer leaves.
+// When set, callers trust this node's own connection view (exactEpochCount)
+// instead of ghost leases. Auto-on when RAILWAY_REPLICA_ID is absent would be
+// too aggressive (cold starts), so this stays explicit/opt-in.
+export function isSingleReplicaDeployment(): boolean {
+  const raw = (process.env.PROOF_SINGLE_REPLICA || '').trim().toLowerCase();
+  return raw === '1' || raw === 'true' || raw === 'yes' || raw === 'on';
+}
+
+// Multi-replica hosted runtime: hosted AND not explicitly single-replica. Use
+// this for the "another replica may hold the live doc" gating; keep
+// isHostedRewriteEnvironment for genuinely environment-wide policy.
+export function isHostedMultiReplicaRewriteEnvironment(): boolean {
+  return isHostedRewriteEnvironment() && !isSingleReplicaDeployment();
+}
+
 export function evaluateRewriteLiveClientGate(slug: string, body: unknown): RewriteLiveClientGate {
   return evaluateRewriteLiveClientGateWithOptions(slug, body, {});
 }