diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 6c335a9..abd14f5 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -2,6 +2,11 @@
 
 All notable changes to this project will be documented in this file.
 
+## [1.0.0.13] - 2026-07-09
+
+### Fixed
+- `outreach-upgrade` no longer risks silently losing a user's `persona.json`/`conversation_planner.json` edits during an upgrade. Their content is backed up before `git stash`/`git pull` and restored to the live path afterward regardless of how git's stash/rename resolution goes — previously, if upstream renamed a tracked config to `.example`, the user's stashed edits could end up stuck in the stash (or merged into the `.example` file) with nothing at the live path, silently falling back to default config. The script also auto-runs `git stash pop` after the pull instead of just printing a reminder.
+
 ## [1.0.0.12] - 2026-07-07
 
 ### Changed
diff --git a/VERSION b/VERSION
index 6ebe80a..d612e00 100644
--- a/VERSION
+++ b/VERSION
@@ -1 +1 @@
-1.0.0.12
+1.0.0.13
diff --git a/bin/outreach-upgrade b/bin/outreach-upgrade
index 4934fcc..13ead05 100755
--- a/bin/outreach-upgrade
+++ b/bin/outreach-upgrade
@@ -108,6 +108,21 @@ if [[ -x "$CONFIG_BIN" ]]; then
 fi
 [[ "${EBASE_INSTALL_LOCAL:-${LINKEDIN_OUTREACH_INSTALL_LOCAL:-0}}" == "1" ]] && INSTALL_LOCAL="true"
 
+# Local, gitignored user config — upstream has renamed these tracked
+# files before (persona.json/conversation_planner.json -> *.example) and a
+# stash-only strategy can leave a user's live edits stuck in the stash with
+# nothing at the live path. Back them up and restore verbatim regardless of
+# how git's stash/rename resolution goes.
+CONFIG_FILES=(outreach/config/persona.json outreach/config/conversation_planner.json)
+CONFIG_BACKUP_DIR="$(mktemp -d)"
+trap 'rm -rf "$CONFIG_BACKUP_DIR"' EXIT
+for f in "${CONFIG_FILES[@]}"; do
+  if [[ -f "${REPO_ROOT}/${f}" ]]; then
+    mkdir -p "$(dirname "${CONFIG_BACKUP_DIR}/${f}")"
+    cp "${REPO_ROOT}/${f}" "${CONFIG_BACKUP_DIR}/${f}"
+  fi
+done
+
 STASH_OUTPUT=""
 cd "$REPO_ROOT"
 if [[ -n "$(git status --porcelain 2>/dev/null || true)" ]]; then
@@ -119,6 +134,21 @@ if ! git pull --ff-only origin "$REMOTE_BRANCH"; then
   exit 1
 fi
 
+if [[ "$STASH_OUTPUT" == *"Saved working directory"* ]]; then
+  if git stash pop 2>&1; then
+    STASH_OUTPUT=""
+  else
+    echo "[outreach-upgrade] WARNING: 'git stash pop' hit a conflict — resolve manually in ${REPO_ROOT} (stash kept)." >&2
+  fi
+fi
+
+for f in "${CONFIG_FILES[@]}"; do
+  if [[ -f "${CONFIG_BACKUP_DIR}/${f}" ]]; then
+    mkdir -p "$(dirname "${REPO_ROOT}/${f}")"
+    cp "${CONFIG_BACKUP_DIR}/${f}" "${REPO_ROOT}/${f}"
+  fi
+done
+
 if command -v uv >/dev/null 2>&1; then
   uv sync
 else
@@ -175,8 +205,4 @@ mkdir -p "$STATE_DIR"
 echo "$OLD_VERSION" >"$MARKER_FILE"
 rm -f "$CACHE_FILE" "$SNOOZE_FILE"
 
-if [[ "$STASH_OUTPUT" == *"Saved working directory"* ]]; then
-  echo "[outreach-upgrade] Note: local changes were stashed. Run 'git stash pop' in ${REPO_ROOT} to restore."
-fi
-
 echo "UPGRADED $OLD_VERSION $NEW_VERSION"
diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index 9d2d8dc..0da3463 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 [project]
 name = "ebase"
-version = "1.0.0.12"
+version = "1.0.0.13"
 description = "LinkedIn recruiting outreach that runs inside Claude Code"
 readme = "README.md"
 license = "MIT"