diff --git a/cc-ci-plan/agents.toml b/cc-ci-plan/agents.toml
index a0e375a..9c49251 100644
--- a/cc-ci-plan/agents.toml
+++ b/cc-ci-plan/agents.toml
@@ -164,6 +164,6 @@ phases = [
   { id = "canon",   plan = "plan-phase-canon-canonical-sweep.md",         status = "STATUS-canon.md",   models = { builder = "claude-opus-4-8", adversary = "claude-opus-4-8" } },
   # fix incomplete per-recipe run history on the CI dashboard (capped at latest 100 Drone builds; 362 runs exist) — source from local /var/lib/cc-ci-runs (opus) — see plan-phase-dash-*.md (operator 2026-06-17)
   { id = "dash",    plan = "plan-phase-dash-recipe-history.md",           status = "STATUS-dash.md",    models = { builder = "claude-opus-4-8", adversary = "claude-opus-4-8" } },
-  # minimal CI-server settings.toml + SKIP_CANONICALS_FOR_UPGRADE (default false; canonicals are optional for the upgrade base) — see plan-phase-settings-*.md (operator 2026-06-17)
-  { id = "settings", plan = "plan-phase-settings-ci-server-config.md",    status = "STATUS-settings.md", models = { builder = "claude-sonnet-4-6", adversary = "claude-sonnet-4-6" } },
+  # CI-server settings.toml + SKIP_CANONICALS_FOR_UPGRADE + release-tag-first no-canonical fallback (opus) — see plan-phase-settings-*.md (operator 2026-06-17)
+  { id = "settings", plan = "plan-phase-settings-ci-server-config.md",    status = "STATUS-settings.md", models = { builder = "claude-opus-4-8", adversary = "claude-opus-4-8" } },
 ]
diff --git a/cc-ci-plan/plan-phase-settings-ci-server-config.md b/cc-ci-plan/plan-phase-settings-ci-server-config.md
index e16700d..9549630 100644
--- a/cc-ci-plan/plan-phase-settings-ci-server-config.md
+++ b/cc-ci-plan/plan-phase-settings-ci-server-config.md
@@ -1,11 +1,19 @@
-# Phase `settings` — minimal CI-server settings.toml + `SKIP_CANONICALS_FOR_UPGRADE`
+# Phase `settings` — CI-server settings.toml + `SKIP_CANONICALS_FOR_UPGRADE` + release-tag-first fallback
 
-**Mission (operator-specified 2026-06-17):** introduce a **minimal, extensible server-level settings file**
-(TOML) for the cc-ci server, and add its first value: **`SKIP_CANONICALS_FOR_UPGRADE`** (bool, **default
-`false`**, and `false` on this server). When `true`, the upgrade tier resolves its base **without
-canonicals** — i.e. it falls back to the main-tip predecessor — codifying that canonicals are an optional
-optimization (a switch an operator can flip). The settings file is structured to hold **other CI-server
-configs** later, but ship it minimal (just this one value for now).
+**Mission (operator-specified 2026-06-17):** two cohesive `resolve_upgrade_base` changes for the cc-ci
+server:
+1. A **minimal, extensible server-level `settings.toml`** with its first value
+   **`SKIP_CANONICALS_FOR_UPGRADE`** (bool, **default `false`**, `false` on this server). When `true`, the
+   upgrade tier resolves its base **without canonicals** — codifying that canonicals are an optional
+   optimization (an operator switch). The file is structured to hold other CI-server configs later; ship
+   it minimal.
+2. An **improved no-canonical fallback (always-on, not flag-gated):** when no canonical is used — none
+   exists, its promote failed, or the flag is `true` — the base should be the **most recent release TAG on
+   `main` older than the PR head** (a real published predecessor), with the **raw `main`-tip only as a
+   further fallback** if the recipe has no prior release, then skip. Today the no-canonical path jumps
+   straight to `main`-tip, which may be an untagged WIP commit.
+
+These compose: `SKIP_CANONICALS_FOR_UPGRADE=true` always takes the improved release-tag-first fallback.
 
 State files: `STATUS-settings.md`, `BACKLOG-settings.md`, `REVIEW-settings.md`, `JOURNAL-settings.md`. DECISIONS.md shared.
 
@@ -38,33 +46,50 @@ hatch.
 
 **B. `SKIP_CANONICALS_FOR_UPGRADE` (bool, default `false`).**
 - Wire into `resolve_upgrade_base` (`run_recipe_ci.py`): guard the canonical (`version`) branch — when the
-  flag is `true`, **skip the canonical lookup entirely** and fall through to the existing main-tip ref path
-  (→ skip if head == main-tip). Effectively: behave as if no canonical exists.
+  flag is `true`, **skip the canonical lookup entirely** and fall through to the **improved no-canonical
+  fallback (§2.C)**. Effectively: behave as if no canonical exists.
 - **Scope it narrowly to the upgrade BASE** (its name says so). Do NOT change canonical *promotion* or the
   `--quick` warm-reattach with this flag — those are separate optimizations (a future `SKIP_CANONICAL_SWEEP`
   / `SKIP_QUICK` could gate them; out of scope here — note in DECISIONS).
-- **Note the sweep interaction** (document, don't fight it): with the flag `true`, a cold-on-latest sweep
-  run's upgrade tier resolves base = main-tip = head → the upgrade tier **skips** (no predecessor delta
-  without the canonical). That's consistent — an "upgrade" in a cold-on-latest run only exists relative to
-  the canonical. PR runs are unaffected (base = main-tip = real predecessor). This server runs `false`, so
-  no change here.
+
+**C. Improved no-canonical fallback — release tag before main-tip (always-on).** Replace the current
+"jump straight to `main`-tip" no-canonical path with:
+  1. **most recent release TAG with version strictly older than the PR head** — reuse `samever`'s existing
+     helper (newest published version `< head`, from `recipe_tags`, version-ordered); deploy that tag (a
+     clean published predecessor) as the base.
+  2. **raw `main`-tip** (the target-branch tip) — only if the recipe has **no** prior release tag at all.
+  3. **skip** — if neither (no predecessor / head == main-tip with no older tag).
+  This applies whenever no canonical is used (none exists, promote failed, or the flag is `true`), so it
+  improves this server too (false flag, but un-promoted recipes get a real release base instead of a WIP
+  commit). The unified chain becomes: `canonical (unless flag/none/==head) → newest release tag < head →
+  main-tip → skip`, with `samever`'s step-back and this fallback sharing the same release-tag helper.
+- **Sweep interaction (now better):** with the flag `true`, a cold-on-latest sweep run resolves
+  base = newest release tag `< latest` = the **previous release** → the upgrade tier still runs a **real**
+  `previous-release → latest` upgrade (not a skip, not a no-op). So `SKIP_CANONICALS_FOR_UPGRADE` swaps the
+  base from *last-green canonical* to *latest published predecessor* without losing upgrade coverage. PR
+  runs likewise get a real release base. This server runs `false`, so the canonical path is unchanged.
 
 ## 3. Gates
 
 **M1 — implemented + unit-tested.** Settings loader (TOML, stdlib, defaults, validation, graceful on
-absent/malformed file); `SKIP_CANONICALS_FOR_UPGRADE` wired into `resolve_upgrade_base`. Unit tests: flag
-`false` (and absent file / absent key) → canonical used exactly as today; flag `true` → canonical branch
-skipped, resolver returns the main-tip/skip path; malformed file handled. Adversary cold-verifies: the
-**default is false** (this server's behavior is byte-for-byte unchanged); `true` genuinely bypasses the
-canonical (not just cosmetically); the loader can't crash the harness on a bad/absent file; scope is the
-upgrade base only (promote/`--quick` untouched).
+absent/malformed file); `SKIP_CANONICALS_FOR_UPGRADE` wired into `resolve_upgrade_base`; the release-tag-first
+no-canonical fallback (§2.C) implemented by reusing `samever`'s newest-release-tag-`<`-head helper. Unit
+tests for the **full resolution matrix**: flag `false` + canonical present → canonical (unchanged); flag
+`false` + no canonical → **newest release tag `< head`** (NOT main-tip); no canonical AND no older release
+tag → main-tip; none → skip; flag `true` → canonical skipped → same release-tag-first fallback; absent
+file / absent key → default false; malformed file handled. Adversary cold-verifies: **default is false**
+(this server byte-for-byte unchanged); the no-canonical fallback returns a real older **release tag**
+(main-tip only as last resort); `true` genuinely bypasses the canonical; the loader can't crash the harness
+on a bad/absent file; scope is the upgrade base only (promote/`--quick` untouched); the fallback reuses the
+`samever` helper (no divergent version-ordering).
 
 **M2 — verified on the server.** The live server reads the settings (file present with
 `SKIP_CANONICALS_FOR_UPGRADE = false`, or absent → default false) and the upgrade path **still uses
-canonicals — unchanged**. Then a controlled demonstration: flip it `true` (in a test/scratch context, not
-permanently), show the upgrade base resolves to main-tip (canonical bypassed), then restore `false`.
-Confirm the harness actually picks up the file on the server. Fresh Adversary PASS on both milestones →
-`## DONE`.
+canonicals — unchanged**. Demonstrate, with evidence: (a) a recipe **without** a canonical resolves its
+base to the **newest release tag `< head`** (a real published predecessor), not the raw main-tip; (b)
+flipping `SKIP_CANONICALS_FOR_UPGRADE = true` (test/scratch, not permanent) makes a canonical-bearing
+recipe ALSO resolve to that release-tag base (canonical bypassed), then restore `false`. Confirm the
+harness picks up the file on the server. Fresh Adversary PASS on both milestones → `## DONE`.
 
 ## 4. Guardrails
 
@@ -81,7 +106,9 @@ Confirm the harness actually picks up the file on the server. Fresh Adversary PA
 
 A minimal, extensible CI-server `settings.toml` (+ tracked `.example`, defaults in the loader) is read by
 the harness; `SKIP_CANONICALS_FOR_UPGRADE` (default `false`, `false` on this server) is wired into the
-upgrade-base resolver so `true` bypasses the canonical (main-tip path) and `false`/absent leaves current
-behavior byte-for-byte unchanged; unit-tested; verified live on the server (false = unchanged; true =
-canonical bypassed, then restored). Scope limited to the upgrade base (promote/`--quick` noted as separate).
-M1 + M2 fresh Adversary PASSes in REVIEW-settings.md.
+upgrade-base resolver; AND the no-canonical fallback now prefers the **most recent release tag `< head`**
+(reusing `samever`'s helper) with raw `main`-tip only as a last resort. `false`/absent leaves current
+behavior byte-for-byte unchanged; `true` bypasses the canonical into the same release-tag-first fallback.
+Unit-tested across the full resolution matrix; verified live on the server (false = unchanged; no-canonical
+recipe → release-tag base; true = canonical bypassed, then restored). Scope limited to the upgrade base
+(promote/`--quick` separate). M1 + M2 fresh Adversary PASSes in REVIEW-settings.md.