diff --git a/backend/app/api/routes/proxmox.py b/backend/app/api/routes/proxmox.py
index 078f914..fab786a 100644
--- a/backend/app/api/routes/proxmox.py
+++ b/backend/app/api/routes/proxmox.py
@@ -339,15 +339,22 @@ async def _find_pending(
 
     1. The synthetic ``ieee_address`` (``pve-{host}-{vmid}``). Unique per guest
        and the only key that identifies one.
-    2. Else MAC, else IP — merging into a row an IP/ARP scan found first.
+    2. Else the NIC MAC, else the IP — merging into a row an IP/ARP scan found
+       first, or into this same guest under its previous host name.
 
     An IP is not an identity: a duplicated static lease, a re-used DHCP address,
     two guests behind one NAT, or a container-bridge address several guests
     report to the agent all make one address describe several machines. So the
-    fallback skips any row already claimed by a *different* Proxmox guest —
-    matching one used to overwrite that guest's hostname, VMID and specs, and
+    IP fallback skips any row already claimed by a Proxmox guest — matching one
+    used to overwrite that guest's hostname, VMID and specs, and
     non-deterministically, since one flat OR with no ordering returned whichever
     row the database yielded first. Oldest row wins, so a re-import is stable.
+
+    A MAC *is* an identity, so its fallback matches a claimed row too. It has to:
+    the synthetic ieee embeds the host name, and a live migration or a node
+    rename changes it for what is the same guest (``pve-pve1-802`` →
+    ``pve-pve2-802``). Excluding claimed rows there would file the migrated
+    guest as a new device and orphan its old row. See ``_adopted_ieee``.
     """
     exact = (
         await db.execute(
@@ -361,13 +368,17 @@ async def _find_pending(
         InventoryDevice.ieee_address.is_(None),
         ~InventoryDevice.ieee_address.startswith(_PVE_IEEE_PREFIX),
     )
-    for column, value in ((InventoryDevice.mac, mac), (InventoryDevice.ip, ip)):
+    for column, value, claimed_ok in (
+        (InventoryDevice.mac, mac, True),
+        (InventoryDevice.ip, ip, False),
+    ):
         if not value:
             continue
+        where = [column == value] if claimed_ok else [column == value, unclaimed]
         row = (
             await db.execute(
                 select(InventoryDevice)
-                .where(column == value, unclaimed)
+                .where(*where)
                 .order_by(InventoryDevice.discovered_at, InventoryDevice.id)
             )
         ).scalars().first()
@@ -376,6 +387,20 @@ async def _find_pending(
     return None
 
 
+def _adopted_ieee(current: str | None, ieee: str) -> str:
+    """The ``ieee_address`` a row should carry once this guest merges into it.
+
+    Re-point a row that already belongs to a Proxmox guest: matched by NIC MAC,
+    it is this same guest under a stale host name (migrated, or the node was
+    renamed). Links are rebuilt keyed on the ieee, so a row left on the old one
+    stops resolving as a host→guest endpoint. A mesh ieee is a real hardware
+    address and is never overwritten.
+    """
+    if not current or current.startswith(_PVE_IEEE_PREFIX):
+        return ieee
+    return current
+
+
 def _new_pending(
     ieee: str,
     ip: str | None,
@@ -432,7 +457,7 @@ def _refresh_pending(
 ) -> None:
     # Compute sources before adopting the pve ieee (needs the pre-merge origin).
     pending.discovery_sources = _sources_after_merge(pending)
-    pending.ieee_address = pending.ieee_address or ieee
+    pending.ieee_address = _adopted_ieee(pending.ieee_address, ieee)
     pending.ip = ip or pending.ip
     pending.mac = pending.mac or mac
     pending.hostname = n.get("hostname") or pending.hostname
@@ -464,7 +489,7 @@ async def _ensure_inventory_row(
     else:
         # Compute sources before adopting the pve ieee (needs the pre-merge origin).
         inv.discovery_sources = _sources_after_merge(inv)
-        inv.ieee_address = inv.ieee_address or ieee
+        inv.ieee_address = _adopted_ieee(inv.ieee_address, ieee)
         inv.ip = ip or inv.ip
         inv.mac = inv.mac or mac
         inv.hostname = n.get("hostname") or inv.hostname
diff --git a/backend/tests/test_proxmox_router.py b/backend/tests/test_proxmox_router.py
index c3eafd3..465f76f 100644
--- a/backend/tests/test_proxmox_router.py
+++ b/backend/tests/test_proxmox_router.py
@@ -40,14 +40,17 @@ def _host_node() -> dict:
     }
 
 
-def _guest_node(vmid: int, ip: str | None, status: str = "online", mac: str | None = None) -> dict:
+def _guest_node(
+    vmid: int, ip: str | None, status: str = "online", mac: str | None = None,
+    host: str = "pve1",
+) -> dict:
     return {
-        "id": f"pve-pve1-{vmid}", "label": f"vm{vmid}", "type": "vm",
-        "ieee_address": f"pve-pve1-{vmid}", "hostname": f"vm{vmid}", "ip": ip,
+        "id": f"pve-{host}-{vmid}", "label": f"vm{vmid}", "type": "vm",
+        "ieee_address": f"pve-{host}-{vmid}", "hostname": f"vm{vmid}", "ip": ip,
         "mac": mac,
         "status": status, "cpu_count": 2, "ram_gb": 4.0, "disk_gb": 32.0,
         "vendor": "Proxmox VE", "model": "QEMU", "vmid": vmid,
-        "parent_ieee": "pve-node-pve1",
+        "parent_ieee": f"pve-node-{host}",
     }
 
 
@@ -341,6 +344,67 @@ async def test_persist_merges_the_oldest_scan_row_when_two_share_an_ip(db_sessio
     assert merged.mac == "aa:bb:cc:00:00:02"               # the older row
 
 
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_persist_merges_a_guest_that_moved_to_another_host(db_session) -> None:
+    # The synthetic ieee embeds the host name, so a live migration or a node
+    # rename changes it for what is the same guest. The NIC MAC survives both:
+    # merge and re-point the row, rather than filing a new device and orphaning
+    # the old row (which would then never resolve as a host→guest link end).
+    await _persist_pending_import(
+        db_session, [_guest_node(802, "10.0.0.5", mac="bc:24:11:aa:bb:cc")], []
+    )
+    row = (await db_session.execute(select(InventoryDevice))).scalars().one()
+    row.status = "approved"
+    await db_session.commit()
+
+    await _persist_pending_import(
+        db_session,
+        [_guest_node(802, "10.0.0.5", mac="bc:24:11:aa:bb:cc", host="pve2")],
+        [],
+    )
+
+    rows = (await db_session.execute(select(InventoryDevice))).scalars().all()
+    assert len(rows) == 1                                  # no duplicate, no orphan
+    assert rows[0].ieee_address == "pve-pve2-802"          # re-pointed to the new host
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_persist_never_repoints_a_mesh_ieee(db_session) -> None:
+    # A zigbee/zwave ieee is a real hardware address. A Proxmox import that
+    # merges into such a row by MAC must not overwrite it.
+    db_session.add(InventoryDevice(
+        id=str(uuid.uuid4()), ieee_address="0x00124b0022a1b2c3",
+        mac="bc:24:11:aa:bb:cc", suggested_type="zigbee_device", status="pending",
+        discovery_source="zigbee", discovery_sources=["zigbee"],
+    ))
+    await db_session.commit()
+
+    await _persist_pending_import(
+        db_session, [_guest_node(101, None, mac="bc:24:11:aa:bb:cc")], []
+    )
+
+    rows = (await db_session.execute(select(InventoryDevice))).scalars().all()
+    assert len(rows) == 1
+    assert rows[0].ieee_address == "0x00124b0022a1b2c3"
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_persist_merges_two_guests_that_share_a_nic_mac(db_session) -> None:
+    # Accepted trade-off of matching on MAC: two guests configured with the same
+    # NIC MAC collapse into one row. That is a misconfiguration which already
+    # breaks their networking, and the alternative — excluding claimed rows from
+    # the MAC fallback — orphans every migrated guest. Shared *IPs* stay split;
+    # see test_persist_never_overwrites_another_guest_row_on_a_shared_ip.
+    nodes = [
+        _guest_node(802, "10.0.0.5", mac="bc:24:11:aa:bb:cc"),
+        _guest_node(812, "10.0.0.6", mac="bc:24:11:aa:bb:cc"),
+    ]
+    await _persist_pending_import(db_session, nodes, [])
+
+    rows = (await db_session.execute(select(InventoryDevice))).scalars().all()
+    assert len(rows) == 1
+
+
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
 async def test_persist_preserves_ip_tag_for_legacy_null_source_row(db_session) -> None:
     # Legacy inventory row from an old IP scan, before discovery_source(s) were