diff --git a/dsh/install.sh b/dsh/install.sh
index f74cec1..6baab09 100755
--- a/dsh/install.sh
+++ b/dsh/install.sh
@@ -414,10 +414,12 @@ ensure_pinned_clone() {
     fi
     # Online: refresh the pin. Fetching from $DSH_SUPERPOWERS_REPO (not from
     # the clone's origin) makes a repo change take effect on the next run
-    # (T3.3); fetching the tag ref itself and checking out FETCH_HEAD handles
-    # a moved tag, which `git checkout <ref>` (resolving the stale local ref)
-    # would miss.
-    if git -C "$dir" fetch -q --depth 1 "$DSH_SUPERPOWERS_REPO" "refs/tags/$ref" 2>/dev/null ||
+    # (T3.3); the force refspec updates the LOCAL tag as well as FETCH_HEAD, so
+    # a later offline run still sees HEAD on the ref (T3.5), and checking out
+    # FETCH_HEAD handles a moved tag, which `git checkout <ref>` (resolving the
+    # stale local ref) would miss. The plain "$ref" fallback covers non-tag
+    # refs (e.g. a branch pin).
+    if git -C "$dir" fetch -q --depth 1 "$DSH_SUPERPOWERS_REPO" "+refs/tags/$ref:refs/tags/$ref" 2>/dev/null ||
        git -C "$dir" fetch -q --depth 1 "$DSH_SUPERPOWERS_REPO" "$ref" 2>/dev/null; then
       if ! git -C "$dir" checkout -q FETCH_HEAD; then
         echo "FAIL: checkout of the fetched ref failed in $dir" >&2
diff --git a/dsh/tests/install.test.mjs b/dsh/tests/install.test.mjs
index c3f8d02..ae6b717 100644
--- a/dsh/tests/install.test.mjs
+++ b/dsh/tests/install.test.mjs
@@ -240,6 +240,34 @@ test('--skills updates an existing clone from DSH_SUPERPOWERS_REPO, not origin (
   }
 })
 
+test('after a repo switch, an offline run still reuses the clone on the ref (T3.5)', () => {
+  const work = tempDir()
+  try {
+    const home = join(work, 'home')
+    const repoA = makePinnedRepo(work, 'from-a', 'upstream-a')
+    const repoB = makePinnedRepo(work, 'from-b', 'upstream-b')
+    const installed = join(home, '.dsh', 'skills', 'using-superpowers', 'SKILL.md')
+
+    const first = runInstaller(home, ['--skills'], { DSH_SUPERPOWERS_REPO: `file://${repoA}` })
+    assert.equal(first.status, 0, first.stdout + first.stderr)
+
+    // Online switch: the clone moves to repoB's v7.0.1 (T3.3 behavior).
+    const second = runInstaller(home, ['--skills'], { DSH_SUPERPOWERS_REPO: `file://${repoB}` })
+    assert.equal(second.status, 0, second.stdout + second.stderr)
+    assert.match(readFileSync(installed, 'utf8'), /pin-marker: from-b/)
+
+    // Offline afterwards: the local tag must have moved with the fetch, so
+    // the on-ref reuse succeeds with a WARN instead of a hard FAIL.
+    const third = runInstaller(home, ['--skills'], { DSH_SUPERPOWERS_REPO: 'file:///nonexistent' })
+    const out = third.stdout + third.stderr
+    assert.equal(third.status, 0, out)
+    assert.match(out, /offline; reusing the existing clone/)
+    assert.match(readFileSync(installed, 'utf8'), /pin-marker: from-b/)
+  } finally {
+    cleanup(work)
+  }
+})
+
 test('--skills removes a half-cloned dir after a failed fresh clone (RF5)', () => {
   const home = tempDir()
   try {