diff --git a/src/context/unshare.rs b/src/context/unshare.rs
index 1d6938b..6ef7b92 100644
--- a/src/context/unshare.rs
+++ b/src/context/unshare.rs
@@ -234,39 +234,33 @@ impl ContextDriver for UnshareDriver {
 
         // The upper/work dirs are the persistent ones of a build session:
         // mounting them again exposes the previous attempt's build
-        // artifacts over the (live) host tree.
-        if src.is_dir() && is_overlayfs_available() {
-            match self.mount_overlay(src, &dest_path, Some(upper), Some(work)) {
-                Ok(()) => {
-                    debug!(
-                        "Mounted overlay for {} at {} (reused upper {})",
-                        src.display(),
-                        dest_path.display(),
-                        upper.display()
-                    );
-                    return Ok(super::api::OverlayStaging {
-                        path: Path::new(dest_root).join(filename),
-                        overlay: true,
-                    });
-                }
-                Err(e) => {
-                    debug!(
-                        "Overlay remount failed for '{}', falling back to copy: {}",
-                        src.display(),
-                        e
-                    );
-                }
-            }
+        // artifacts over the (live) host tree. Mount failure is an ERROR,
+        // never a silent copy fallback: a copy would merge the host tree
+        // into the stale staged tree of the previous attempt (old build
+        // stamps, dropped host deletions) — the caller decides to wipe and
+        // re-stage instead.
+        if !src.is_dir() {
+            return Err(io::Error::new(
+                io::ErrorKind::Unsupported,
+                "overlay staging only applies to directories",
+            ));
         }
-
-        if src.is_dir() {
-            copy_dir_recursive(src, &dest_path)?;
-        } else {
-            copy_file_with_times(src, &dest_path)?;
+        if !is_overlayfs_available() {
+            return Err(io::Error::new(
+                io::ErrorKind::Unsupported,
+                "overlayfs is not available on this system",
+            ));
         }
+        self.mount_overlay(src, &dest_path, Some(upper), Some(work))?;
+        debug!(
+            "Mounted overlay for {} at {} (reused upper {})",
+            src.display(),
+            dest_path.display(),
+            upper.display()
+        );
         Ok(super::api::OverlayStaging {
             path: Path::new(dest_root).join(filename),
-            overlay: false,
+            overlay: true,
         })
     }
 
diff --git a/src/deb/mod.rs b/src/deb/mod.rs
index 05b2d18..94144f8 100644
--- a/src/deb/mod.rs
+++ b/src/deb/mod.rs
@@ -361,9 +361,12 @@ async fn build_binary_package_impl(
         }
         let staged_path = if let Some(s) = &session {
             // Re-mount the session's persistent upperdir over the host
-            // tree; a driver without overlay support (or a failed mount)
-            // falls back to a fresh copy — still environment-resumable,
-            // just not artifact-resumable.
+            // tree. If overlay staging is unavailable (no overlayfs, mount
+            // failure, non-overlay driver), wipe the staged tree and
+            // re-stage a fresh copy: copying over the previous attempt's
+            // tree would merge stale build artifacts and resurrect
+            // host-deleted files into the build. Still environment-
+            // resumable, just not artifact-resumable.
             let staging = match build_ctx.ensure_available_with_overlay(
                 &parent_dir,
                 &build_root,
@@ -371,14 +374,20 @@ async fn build_binary_package_impl(
                 &s.work_dir(),
             ) {
                 Ok(staging) => staging,
-                Err(e) if e.kind() == std::io::ErrorKind::Unsupported => {
+                Err(e) => {
+                    log::info!(
+                        "Overlay staging unavailable ({}): the staged tree is \
+                         re-staged from scratch, build artifacts are discarded",
+                        e
+                    );
+                    s.wipe_staged_tree()?;
                     let path = build_ctx.ensure_available(&parent_dir, &build_root)?;
+                    build_resume = false;
                     crate::context::OverlayStaging {
                         path,
                         overlay: false,
                     }
                 }
-                Err(e) => return Err(e.into()),
             };
             if !staging.overlay {
                 // Copy fallback: the staged tree is fresh, there is nothing
diff --git a/src/deb/session.rs b/src/deb/session.rs
index a75902a..6a17e1b 100644
--- a/src/deb/session.rs
+++ b/src/deb/session.rs
@@ -312,7 +312,7 @@ impl Session {
 
     /// The advisory lock file path: `<sessions root>/<slug>.lock`, outside
     /// the session root it guards (see [`Session::acquire`]).
-    fn lock_path(&self) -> PathBuf {
+    pub(crate) fn lock_path(&self) -> PathBuf {
         let name = self
             .root
             .file_name()
@@ -343,9 +343,33 @@ impl Session {
         }
     }
 
+    /// Wipe the staged tree inside the chroot (the stable build root).
+    ///
+    /// Used when overlay staging is unavailable on a resumed session: the
+    /// fallback re-stages a fresh copy, and copying over the previous
+    /// attempt's tree would merge stale build artifacts and resurrect
+    /// host-deleted files into the build.
+    pub fn wipe_staged_tree(&self) -> io::Result<()> {
+        let staged = self.chroot_path().join("tmp/pkh-build");
+        fs::create_dir_all(&staged)?;
+        for entry in fs::read_dir(&staged)?.flatten() {
+            let path = entry.path();
+            let result = if path.is_dir() {
+                fs::remove_dir_all(&path)
+            } else {
+                fs::remove_file(&path)
+            }
+            .or_else(|_| crate::deb::ephemeral::privileged_remove(&path));
+            result
+                .map_err(|e| io::Error::other(format!("cannot clear {}: {e}", staged.display())))?;
+        }
+        Ok(())
+    }
+
     /// Remove the whole session tree (unmounting anything mounted under
-    /// it first). The lock file is deleted along with the root; the flock
-    /// stays held by this handle until it drops.
+    /// it first), then unlink the lock file. The caller holds the flock;
+    /// an opener that raced ahead of the unlink failed its lock attempt
+    /// while we held it, and the next one creates a fresh session.
     pub fn remove(&self) {
         if let Err(e) = remove_session_dir(&self.root) {
             log::warn!(
@@ -354,6 +378,7 @@ impl Session {
                 e
             );
         }
+        let _ = fs::remove_file(self.lock_path());
     }
 }
 
@@ -649,6 +674,30 @@ impl Session {
     }
 }
 
+/// Whether the lock file at `path` is currently held by a live build
+/// (flock taken). `Ok(false)` also covers a missing file.
+pub(crate) fn lock_is_held(path: &Path) -> io::Result<bool> {
+    use std::os::unix::io::AsRawFd;
+    let file = match fs::OpenOptions::new().read(true).open(path) {
+        Ok(file) => file,
+        Err(e) if e.kind() == io::ErrorKind::NotFound => return Ok(false),
+        Err(e) => return Err(e),
+    };
+    let taken = unsafe { libc::flock(file.as_raw_fd(), libc::LOCK_EX | libc::LOCK_NB) };
+    if taken == 0 {
+        // Nobody holds it: release the probe's own lock and report free.
+        unsafe {
+            libc::flock(file.as_raw_fd(), libc::LOCK_UN);
+        }
+        return Ok(false);
+    }
+    let err = io::Error::last_os_error();
+    if err.kind() == io::ErrorKind::WouldBlock {
+        return Ok(true);
+    }
+    Err(err)
+}
+
 /// Whether the cached chroot tarball the session was bootstrapped from is
 /// still the one the current bootstrap would use (name, then size/mtime,
 /// falling back to the recorded SHA-256 when the cheap check drifts).