diff --git a/packages/opencode/src/tasks/job-commands.ts b/packages/opencode/src/tasks/job-commands.ts
index ae99a2540c8d..0020b2ec4821 100644
--- a/packages/opencode/src/tasks/job-commands.ts
+++ b/packages/opencode/src/tasks/job-commands.ts
@@ -84,21 +84,45 @@ export async function executeStart(projectId: string, params: any, ctx: any): Pr
   try {
     const { $ } = await import("bun")
     const base = await PulseUtils.defaultBranch(cwd)
-    const result = await $`git checkout -b ${safeFeatureBranch} ${base}`.cwd(cwd).quiet().nothrow()
-    if (result.exitCode !== 0) {
-      const stderr = result.stderr ? new TextDecoder().decode(result.stderr) : "Unknown error"
-      log.error("failed to create feature branch", { issueNumber, featureBranch: safeFeatureBranch, error: stderr })
-      throw new Error(`Failed to create feature branch ${safeFeatureBranch}: ${stderr}`)
+
+    // Check if branch already exists
+    const branchCheck = await $`git rev-parse --verify ${safeFeatureBranch}`.cwd(cwd).quiet().nothrow()
+
+    if (branchCheck.exitCode === 0) {
+      // Branch exists — check it out instead of creating
+      const checkoutResult = await $`git checkout ${safeFeatureBranch}`.cwd(cwd).quiet().nothrow()
+      if (checkoutResult.exitCode !== 0) {
+        const stderr = checkoutResult.stderr ? new TextDecoder().decode(checkoutResult.stderr) : "Unknown error"
+        log.error("failed to checkout existing branch", { issueNumber, featureBranch: safeFeatureBranch, error: stderr })
+        throw new Error(`Failed to checkout existing branch ${safeFeatureBranch}: ${stderr}`)
+      }
+      log.info("reusing existing feature branch", { issueNumber, featureBranch: safeFeatureBranch })
+    } else {
+      // Branch doesn't exist — create it
+      const result = await $`git checkout -b ${safeFeatureBranch} ${base}`.cwd(cwd).quiet().nothrow()
+      if (result.exitCode !== 0) {
+        const stderr = result.stderr ? new TextDecoder().decode(result.stderr) : "Unknown error"
+        log.error("failed to create feature branch", { issueNumber, featureBranch: safeFeatureBranch, error: stderr })
+        throw new Error(`Failed to create feature branch ${safeFeatureBranch}: ${stderr}`)
+      }
+      log.info("feature branch created", { issueNumber, featureBranch: safeFeatureBranch })
     }
 
     // Push the feature branch to origin - MUST succeed before creating job
     const pushResult = await $`git push -u origin ${safeFeatureBranch}`.cwd(cwd).quiet().nothrow()
     if (pushResult.exitCode !== 0) {
       const stderr = pushResult.stderr ? new TextDecoder().decode(pushResult.stderr) : "Unknown error"
-      log.error("failed to push feature branch to origin", { issueNumber, featureBranch: safeFeatureBranch, error: stderr })
-      throw new Error(`Failed to push feature branch ${safeFeatureBranch} to origin: ${stderr}`)
+      // If push fails because remote branch exists, that's okay — just set upstream
+      if (stderr.includes("already exists") || stderr.includes("would clobber")) {
+        log.info("remote branch already exists, setting upstream", { issueNumber, featureBranch: safeFeatureBranch })
+        await $`git branch --set-upstream-to=origin/${safeFeatureBranch} ${safeFeatureBranch}`.cwd(cwd).quiet().nothrow()
+      } else {
+        log.error("failed to push feature branch to origin", { issueNumber, featureBranch: safeFeatureBranch, error: stderr })
+        throw new Error(`Failed to push feature branch ${safeFeatureBranch} to origin: ${stderr}`)
+      }
+    } else {
+      log.info("feature branch pushed to origin", { issueNumber, featureBranch: safeFeatureBranch })
     }
-    log.info("feature branch created and pushed", { issueNumber, featureBranch: safeFeatureBranch })
   } catch (e) {
     log.error("error creating feature branch", { issueNumber, featureBranch: safeFeatureBranch, error: String(e) })
     throw e
diff --git a/packages/opencode/src/tasks/pulse-scheduler.ts b/packages/opencode/src/tasks/pulse-scheduler.ts
index 9daee169789e..94f6b7c53685 100644
--- a/packages/opencode/src/tasks/pulse-scheduler.ts
+++ b/packages/opencode/src/tasks/pulse-scheduler.ts
@@ -367,7 +367,7 @@ async function spawnAdversarial(task: Task, jobId: string, projectId: string, pm
   try {
     adversarialSession = await Session.createNext({
       parentID: pmSessionId,
-      directory: parentSession.directory,
+      directory: safeWorktree,
       title: `Adversarial: ${task.title}`,
       permission: [],
     })
diff --git a/packages/opencode/test/fixture/fixture.ts b/packages/opencode/test/fixture/fixture.ts
index ad9a13cbb0e7..588ea9d00f7b 100644
--- a/packages/opencode/test/fixture/fixture.ts
+++ b/packages/opencode/test/fixture/fixture.ts
@@ -21,6 +21,8 @@ export async function tmpdir<T>(options?: TmpDirOptions<T>) {
   if (options?.git) {
     await $`git init`.cwd(dirpath).quiet()
     await $`git commit --allow-empty -m "root commit ${dirpath}"`.cwd(dirpath).quiet()
+    // Ensure we're on a main branch (modern git may auto-create it, or we may be on master/detached)
+    await $`git checkout -b main`.cwd(dirpath).quiet().nothrow()
   }
   if (options?.config) {
     await Bun.write(
diff --git a/packages/opencode/test/tasks/branch-resilience.test.ts b/packages/opencode/test/tasks/branch-resilience.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..73e007dc4098
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/opencode/test/tasks/branch-resilience.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,94 @@
+import { describe, test, expect } from "bun:test"
+import { $ } from "bun"
+import path from "path"
+import { tmpdir } from "../fixture/fixture"
+import fs from "fs/promises"
+
+describe("taskctl start: branch creation resilience", () => {
+  test("checks out existing branch instead of creating duplicate", async () => {
+    await using tmp = await tmpdir({ git: true })
+
+    const branchName = "feature/test-branch"
+
+    // Create the branch once
+    await $`git checkout -b ${branchName}`.cwd(tmp.path).quiet().nothrow()
+    const firstCheckout = await $`git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD`.cwd(tmp.path).quiet().nothrow()
+    expect(new TextDecoder().decode(firstCheckout.stdout).trim()).toBe(branchName)
+
+    // Make a commit to establish history
+    await Bun.write(path.join(tmp.path, "test.txt"), "content")
+    await $`git add test.txt`.cwd(tmp.path).quiet().nothrow()
+    await $`git commit -m "test commit"`.cwd(tmp.path).quiet().nothrow()
+
+    // Switch back to main
+    await $`git checkout -`.cwd(tmp.path).quiet().nothrow()
+
+    // Verify branch exists
+    const branchCheck = await $`git rev-parse --verify ${branchName}`.cwd(tmp.path).quiet().nothrow()
+    expect(branchCheck.exitCode).toBe(0)
+
+    // Simulate the start command logic: check if branch exists
+    const existsCheck = await $`git rev-parse --verify ${branchName}`.cwd(tmp.path).quiet().nothrow()
+
+    if (existsCheck.exitCode === 0) {
+      // Branch exists — check it out
+      const checkoutResult = await $`git checkout ${branchName}`.cwd(tmp.path).quiet().nothrow()
+      expect(checkoutResult.exitCode).toBe(0)
+
+      const currentBranch = await $`git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD`.cwd(tmp.path).quiet().nothrow()
+      expect(new TextDecoder().decode(currentBranch.stdout).trim()).toBe(branchName)
+    } else {
+      throw new Error("Branch should exist")
+    }
+  })
+
+  test("creates new branch when it doesn't exist", async () => {
+    await using tmp = await tmpdir({ git: true })
+
+    const branchName = "feature/new-branch-test"
+
+    // Verify branch doesn't exist
+    const branchCheck = await $`git rev-parse --verify ${branchName}`.cwd(tmp.path).quiet().nothrow()
+    expect(branchCheck.exitCode).not.toBe(0)
+
+    // Simulate the start command logic: branch doesn't exist, create it
+    const base = "main"
+    const createResult = await $`git checkout -b ${branchName} ${base}`.cwd(tmp.path).quiet().nothrow()
+    expect(createResult.exitCode).toBe(0)
+
+    const currentBranch = await $`git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD`.cwd(tmp.path).quiet().nothrow()
+    expect(new TextDecoder().decode(currentBranch.stdout).trim()).toBe(branchName)
+  })
+
+  test("handles remote branch already exists gracefully", async () => {
+    await using tmp = await tmpdir({ git: true })
+
+    const branchName = "feature/remote-exists-test"
+
+    // Create branch
+    await $`git checkout -b ${branchName}`.cwd(tmp.path).quiet().nothrow()
+    await Bun.write(path.join(tmp.path, "test.txt"), "content")
+    await $`git add test.txt`.cwd(tmp.path).quiet().nothrow()
+    await $`git commit -m "test commit"`.cwd(tmp.path).quiet().nothrow()
+
+    // Add a fake remote that points to the current directory
+    const remotePath = tmp.path
+    await $`git remote add test-remote ${remotePath}`.cwd(tmp.path).quiet().nothrow()
+
+    // Push to the remote
+    const pushResult = await $`git push test-remote ${branchName}`.cwd(tmp.path).quiet().nothrow().nothrow()
+
+    // If push failed with "already exists" error (which it shouldn't in this case, but we test the logic)
+    // then we would set upstream manually
+    if (pushResult.exitCode !== 0) {
+      const stderr = pushResult.stderr ? new TextDecoder().decode(pushResult.stderr) : ""
+      if (stderr.includes("already exists") || stderr.includes("would clobber")) {
+        await $`git branch --set-upstream-to=test-remote/${branchName} ${branchName}`.cwd(tmp.path).quiet().nothrow()
+      }
+    }
+
+    // The branch should be checked out and ready
+    const currentBranch = await $`git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD`.cwd(tmp.path).quiet().nothrow()
+    expect(new TextDecoder().decode(currentBranch.stdout).trim()).toBe(branchName)
+  })
+})
\ No newline at end of file