diff --git a/src/db-paired-turn-progress.test.ts b/src/db-paired-turn-progress.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d59c7a6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/db-paired-turn-progress.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,62 @@
+import { beforeEach, describe, expect, it } from 'vitest';
+
+import {
+  _initTestDatabase,
+  getLatestPairedTurnForTask,
+  markPairedTurnRunning,
+  reservePairedTurnReservation,
+  updatePairedTurnProgressText,
+} from './db.js';
+import { CODEX_MAIN_SERVICE_ID } from './config.js';
+import { buildPairedTurnIdentity } from './paired-turn-identity.js';
+
+beforeEach(() => {
+  _initTestDatabase();
+});
+
+describe('paired turn progress activity', () => {
+  it('selects the latest paired turn by progress activity timestamp', async () => {
+    const taskId = 'progress-latest-task';
+    const activeTurn = buildPairedTurnIdentity({
+      taskId,
+      taskUpdatedAt: '2026-04-10T00:00:00.000Z',
+      intentKind: 'owner-follow-up',
+      role: 'owner',
+    });
+    const queuedTurn = buildPairedTurnIdentity({
+      taskId,
+      taskUpdatedAt: '2026-04-10T00:01:00.000Z',
+      intentKind: 'owner-follow-up',
+      role: 'owner',
+    });
+
+    markPairedTurnRunning({
+      turnIdentity: activeTurn,
+      executorServiceId: CODEX_MAIN_SERVICE_ID,
+      executorAgentType: 'codex',
+      runId: 'run-progress-active',
+    });
+    expect(
+      reservePairedTurnReservation({
+        chatJid: 'dc:ops',
+        taskId,
+        taskStatus: 'active',
+        roundTripCount: 1,
+        taskUpdatedAt: queuedTurn.taskUpdatedAt,
+        intentKind: queuedTurn.intentKind,
+        runId: 'run-queued-empty',
+      }),
+    ).toBe(true);
+
+    await new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, 5));
+    updatePairedTurnProgressText(
+      activeTurn.turnId,
+      'checking dashboard parity',
+    );
+
+    expect(getLatestPairedTurnForTask(taskId)).toMatchObject({
+      turn_id: activeTurn.turnId,
+      progress_text: 'checking dashboard parity',
+    });
+  });
+});
diff --git a/src/db/paired-turns.ts b/src/db/paired-turns.ts
index b8d9390..8b7f127 100644
--- a/src/db/paired-turns.ts
+++ b/src/db/paired-turns.ts
@@ -507,16 +507,19 @@ export function updatePairedTurnProgressTextFromDatabase(
   turnId: string,
   progressText: string | null,
 ): void {
+  const now = new Date().toISOString();
   let stmt = updateProgressTextStmtCache.get(database);
   if (!stmt) {
     stmt = database.prepare(`
       UPDATE paired_turns
-         SET progress_text = ?, progress_updated_at = ?
+         SET progress_text = ?,
+             progress_updated_at = ?,
+             updated_at = ?
        WHERE turn_id = ?
     `);
     updateProgressTextStmtCache.set(database, stmt);
   }
-  stmt.run(progressText, new Date().toISOString(), turnId);
+  stmt.run(progressText, now, now, turnId);
 }
 
 const latestPairedTurnStmtCache = new WeakMap<
@@ -534,7 +537,15 @@ export function getLatestPairedTurnForTaskFromDatabase(
       SELECT *
         FROM paired_turns
        WHERE task_id = ?
-       ORDER BY updated_at DESC, turn_id DESC
+       ORDER BY CASE
+                  WHEN progress_text IS NOT NULL
+                   AND trim(progress_text) <> ''
+                   AND progress_updated_at IS NOT NULL
+                   AND progress_updated_at > updated_at
+                  THEN progress_updated_at
+                  ELSE updated_at
+                END DESC,
+                turn_id DESC
        LIMIT 1
     `);
     latestPairedTurnStmtCache.set(database, stmt);
diff --git a/src/web-dashboard-data.test.ts b/src/web-dashboard-data.test.ts
index 2dd008b..1641eb4 100644
--- a/src/web-dashboard-data.test.ts
+++ b/src/web-dashboard-data.test.ts
@@ -646,6 +646,69 @@ describe('web dashboard room activity data', () => {
     ]);
   });
 
+  it('keeps a progress-updated turn current when a newer empty reservation exists', () => {
+    const task = makePairedTask({
+      id: 'paired-room-progress-race',
+      chat_jid: 'dc:ops',
+      status: 'active',
+      updated_at: '2026-04-26T06:10:00.000Z',
+    });
+    const activeProgressTurn: PairedTurnRecord = {
+      turn_id: 'turn-progress-active',
+      task_id: task.id,
+      task_updated_at: task.updated_at,
+      role: 'owner',
+      intent_kind: 'owner-follow-up',
+      state: 'running',
+      executor_service_id: 'codex-main',
+      executor_agent_type: 'codex',
+      attempt_no: 1,
+      created_at: '2026-04-26T06:00:00.000Z',
+      updated_at: '2026-04-26T06:10:00.000Z',
+      completed_at: null,
+      last_error: null,
+      progress_text: 'checking dashboard parity',
+      progress_updated_at: '2026-04-26T06:12:00.000Z',
+    };
+    const queuedEmptyTurn: PairedTurnRecord = {
+      ...activeProgressTurn,
+      turn_id: 'turn-queued-empty',
+      state: 'queued',
+      executor_service_id: null,
+      executor_agent_type: null,
+      attempt_no: 0,
+      created_at: '2026-04-26T06:11:00.000Z',
+      updated_at: '2026-04-26T06:11:00.000Z',
+      progress_text: null,
+      progress_updated_at: null,
+    };
+
+    const activity = buildWebDashboardRoomActivity({
+      serviceId: 'codex-main',
+      entry: {
+        jid: 'dc:ops',
+        name: '#ops',
+        folder: 'ops',
+        agentType: 'codex',
+        status: 'processing',
+        elapsedMs: 20_000,
+        pendingMessages: false,
+        pendingTasks: 0,
+      },
+      pairedTask: task,
+      turns: [activeProgressTurn, queuedEmptyTurn],
+      attempts: [],
+      outputs: [],
+      messages: [],
+    });
+
+    expect(activity.pairedTask?.currentTurn).toMatchObject({
+      turnId: 'turn-progress-active',
+      progressText: 'checking dashboard parity',
+      progressUpdatedAt: '2026-04-26T06:12:00.000Z',
+    });
+  });
+
   it('does not show active turn placeholders when canonical progress is absent', () => {
     const task = makePairedTask({
       id: 'paired-progress-internal',
diff --git a/src/web-dashboard-data.ts b/src/web-dashboard-data.ts
index aaf1b44..a8d7e5a 100644
--- a/src/web-dashboard-data.ts
+++ b/src/web-dashboard-data.ts
@@ -594,6 +594,17 @@ function compareRoomMessagesByTimestamp(
   return aTime - bTime;
 }
 
+function getRoomTurnActivityTimestamp(turn: PairedTurnRecord): string {
+  const progressUpdatedAt =
+    turn.completed_at === null && turn.progress_text?.trim()
+      ? turn.progress_updated_at
+      : null;
+  if (progressUpdatedAt && progressUpdatedAt > turn.updated_at) {
+    return progressUpdatedAt;
+  }
+  return turn.updated_at;
+}
+
 const TASK_STATUS_PREFIX = '⁣⁣⁣';
 
 function isTaskStatusMessage(message: NewMessage): boolean {
@@ -673,7 +684,9 @@ export function buildWebDashboardRoomActivity(args: {
   }
   const currentTurn =
     [...args.turns].sort((a, b) =>
-      b.updated_at.localeCompare(a.updated_at),
+      getRoomTurnActivityTimestamp(b).localeCompare(
+        getRoomTurnActivityTimestamp(a),
+      ),
     )[0] ?? null;
   const currentAttempt = currentTurn
     ? (latestAttemptByTurnId.get(currentTurn.turn_id) ?? null)