diff --git a/fleetd/src/main/java/dev/ltms/fleet/lead/LeadRollover.java b/fleetd/src/main/java/dev/ltms/fleet/lead/LeadRollover.java
index f43c3c8..29cbb0c 100644
--- a/fleetd/src/main/java/dev/ltms/fleet/lead/LeadRollover.java
+++ b/fleetd/src/main/java/dev/ltms/fleet/lead/LeadRollover.java
@@ -270,24 +270,42 @@ public final class LeadRollover {
      * FleetConfig.LeadRollover#bootstrapTextFor}) ever has to resolve — or worse, silently
      * mis-resolve — a relative path again.
      *
+     * <p><strong>The return value is GUARANTEED absolute, not merely usually absolute.</strong>
+     * {@code leadWorkspace.apply(leadTerminal)} returns an operator-configured {@code
+     * fleet.leaders.<name>.cwd} string, and nothing forces an operator to write an absolute one —
+     * a relative {@code cwd} resolved with plain {@link Path#resolve} would still yield a relative
+     * result, silently reopening the exact bug this class exists to fix (every later reader back to
+     * interpreting an ambiguous string against ITS OWN working directory). {@link
+     * Path#toAbsolutePath()} closes that: it resolves any remaining relative path against {@code
+     * user.dir} (the JVM's own cwd), which is the correct base for an operator-written path the
+     * daemon process itself is meant to interpret, exactly like the {@code user.dir} fallback used
+     * below. Applying it unconditionally on both branches means the ALREADY-absolute branch stays a
+     * no-op (an absolute path is unaffected by {@code toAbsolutePath()}) while the relative-{@code
+     * cwd} branch above is closed the same way.
+     *
      * <ul>
      *   <li>already absolute → returned unchanged (normalized)</li>
      *   <li>relative → resolved against {@code leadWorkspace.apply(leadTerminal)} when that is
      *       non-null and non-blank; otherwise against {@code System.getProperty("user.dir")} — the
      *       same fallback {@code LeadLauncher#launch} uses for a lead with no configured {@code
-     *       cwd}</li>
+     *       cwd}. If {@code leadWorkspace}'s own answer is itself relative (an operator wrote a
+     *       relative {@code cwd:}), the result is finished off against the daemon's own
+     *       {@code user.dir} — see the paragraph above.</li>
      * </ul>
      */
     private String resolveHandoverPath(String configured, String leadTerminal) {
         Path path = Path.of(configured);
         if (path.isAbsolute()) {
-            return path.normalize().toString();
+            // toAbsolutePath() is a no-op for an already-absolute path — kept here anyway so both
+            // branches call the exact same guarantee, rather than one branch relying on
+            // isAbsolute() alone to already imply what toAbsolutePath() enforces.
+            return path.toAbsolutePath().normalize().toString();
         }
         String workspace = leadWorkspace.apply(leadTerminal);
         Path base = (workspace == null || workspace.isBlank())
                 ? Path.of(System.getProperty("user.dir"))
                 : Path.of(workspace);
-        return base.resolve(path).normalize().toString();
+        return base.resolve(path).toAbsolutePath().normalize().toString();
     }
 
     /**
diff --git a/fleetd/src/test/java/dev/ltms/fleet/lead/LeadRolloverTest.java b/fleetd/src/test/java/dev/ltms/fleet/lead/LeadRolloverTest.java
index d2f56ff..8d69d92 100644
--- a/fleetd/src/test/java/dev/ltms/fleet/lead/LeadRolloverTest.java
+++ b/fleetd/src/test/java/dev/ltms/fleet/lead/LeadRolloverTest.java
@@ -575,6 +575,36 @@ class LeadRolloverTest {
                 "an absolute handoverPath must be used unchanged (aside from normalization)");
     }
 
+    @Test
+    @DisplayName("[fleetd #480 follow-up correction] a RELATIVE fleet.leaders.<name>.cwd still "
+            + "yields an ABSOLUTE PendingRollover.handoverPath")
+    void relativeLeadWorkspaceCwdStillYieldsAnAbsoluteHandoverPath() {
+        FakeHerdr herdr = new FakeHerdr();
+        AtomicLong clock = new AtomicLong(1_000);
+        FleetConfig.LeadRollover config = cfg("handover.md"); // relative handoverPath
+        // Nothing in FleetConfig validates fleet.leaders.<name>.cwd, so an operator can write a
+        // RELATIVE one — this must still resolve to an absolute PendingRollover.handoverPath,
+        // never silently reopen the exact bug this class fixes.
+        String relativeWorkspace = "relative-lead-workspace";
+        Function<String, String> leadWorkspace = terminal -> LEAD.equals(terminal) ? relativeWorkspace : null;
+        LeadRollover rollover = newRollover(herdr, config, fixedClock(clock), leadWorkspace);
+
+        LeadRollover.PendingRollover pending = rollover.open(LEAD, "context is full");
+
+        assertTrue(Path.of(pending.handoverPath()).isAbsolute(),
+                "the resolved path must be absolute even when the configured cwd itself is relative");
+
+        // Asserting isAbsolute() alone would also pass for a path resolved against the WRONG base
+        // (e.g. some unrelated absolute directory) — pin the actual value too.
+        String expected = Path.of(System.getProperty("user.dir")).resolve(relativeWorkspace)
+                .resolve("handover.md").toAbsolutePath().normalize().toString();
+        assertEquals(expected, pending.handoverPath(),
+                "a relative cwd must be finished off against the daemon's own user.dir, exactly "
+                        + "like a missing cwd — never left relative, which would silently reopen the "
+                        + "exact bug this class fixes: every later reader interpreting an ambiguous "
+                        + "path against ITS OWN working directory");
+    }
+
     @Test
     @DisplayName("[fleetd #480 follow-up] a terminal with no configured workspace (null lookup "
             + "result) falls back to the daemon's own user.dir")