diff --git a/src/benchmarks/service.ts b/src/benchmarks/service.ts
index ca0e07c..b489423 100644
--- a/src/benchmarks/service.ts
+++ b/src/benchmarks/service.ts
@@ -79,6 +79,7 @@ export interface BenchmarkShowInput {
   project?: string;
   workload?: string;
   includeReport?: boolean;
+  expectPublication?: string;
 }
 
 export interface BenchmarkShowResult {
@@ -120,6 +121,9 @@ export function createBenchmarksService(options: ManagementScopeOptions): Benchm
     },
 
     async show(input) {
+      if (input.expectPublication !== undefined && input.expectPublication.length === 0) {
+        throw new CliError("Expected publication id must not be empty.");
+      }
       const scope = await resolveManagementScope(options, {
         project: input.project,
         workload: input.workload,
@@ -136,6 +140,9 @@ export function createBenchmarksService(options: ManagementScopeOptions): Benchm
           (result.publication && (result.publication.org_id !== session.organizationId || result.publication.project_id !== project!.id || result.publication.workload_id !== workload!.id))) {
         throw new CliError("Understudy returned a benchmark outside the selected workload.");
       }
+      if (input.expectPublication !== undefined && result.publication?.id !== input.expectPublication) {
+        throw new CliError("The published benchmark has changed. Refresh the dashboard and copy the agent handoff again.");
+      }
       const report = result.benchmark?.report;
       return {
         project: { id: project!.id, slug: project!.slug, name: project!.name },
diff --git a/src/commands/benchmarks.ts b/src/commands/benchmarks.ts
index 0164a01..246d5b3 100644
--- a/src/commands/benchmarks.ts
+++ b/src/commands/benchmarks.ts
@@ -30,7 +30,8 @@ export function addBenchmarksCommands(
     .option("--project <selector>", "Exact project id, slug, or name; defaults to saved context.")
     .option("--workload <selector>", "Exact workload id or name; defaults to saved context.")
     .option("--include-report", "Include the full benchmark manifest, which may contain customer prompt and eval content.")
-    .action(async function (this: Command, options: { project?: string; workload?: string; includeReport?: boolean }) {
+    .option("--expect-publication <id>", "Require this exact publication; fail if the current benchmark changed.")
+    .action(async function (this: Command, options: { project?: string; workload?: string; includeReport?: boolean; expectPublication?: string }) {
       const result = await service.show(options);
       output(formatBenchmark(this, result, options.includeReport === true));
     });
diff --git a/tests/benchmarks-command.test.mjs b/tests/benchmarks-command.test.mjs
index 5efb358..3d9856e 100644
--- a/tests/benchmarks-command.test.mjs
+++ b/tests/benchmarks-command.test.mjs
@@ -50,6 +50,12 @@ test("benchmarks show gives an agent the full JSON report only when requested",
   assert.equal(JSON.parse(output[0]).benchmark.report.prompt_change.diff[0], "Invented prompt line");
 });
 
+test("benchmarks show forwards the publication pin", async () => {
+  const { program, calls } = setup();
+  await program.parseAsync(["node", "understudy", "benchmarks", "show", "--expect-publication", "synthetic-publication"]);
+  assert.deepEqual(calls, [{ expectPublication: "synthetic-publication" }]);
+});
+
 test("benchmarks list prints available publications", async () => {
   const { program, output } = setup();
   await program.parseAsync(["node", "understudy", "benchmarks", "list"]);
diff --git a/tests/benchmarks-service.test.mjs b/tests/benchmarks-service.test.mjs
index 3ed8b1f..f449585 100644
--- a/tests/benchmarks-service.test.mjs
+++ b/tests/benchmarks-service.test.mjs
@@ -103,6 +103,25 @@ test("benchmark detail exposes an explicit empty state", async () => {
   assert.equal(result.manifestBytes, null);
 });
 
+test("benchmark detail refuses a replaced or missing publication when pinned", async () => {
+  const service = fixture(async (input) => responseFor(input));
+  const current = await service.show({ project: projectId, workload: workloadId, expectPublication: publication.id });
+  assert.equal(current.publication.id, publication.id);
+  await assert.rejects(
+    service.show({ project: projectId, workload: workloadId, expectPublication: "synthetic-older-publication", includeReport: true }),
+    /published benchmark has changed/,
+  );
+  await assert.rejects(
+    service.show({ project: projectId, workload: workloadId, expectPublication: "" }),
+    /Expected publication id must not be empty/,
+  );
+  await assert.rejects(
+    fixture(async (input) => responseFor(input, { benchmark: null, publication: null }))
+      .show({ project: projectId, workload: workloadId, expectPublication: publication.id }),
+    /published benchmark has changed/,
+  );
+});
+
 test("benchmark detail rejects another workload's response", async () => {
   await assert.rejects(
     fixture(async (input) => responseFor(input, {