diff --git a/src/ralph-fix-plan-watcher.ts b/src/ralph-fix-plan-watcher.ts
index 305f3b39..5347c107 100644
--- a/src/ralph-fix-plan-watcher.ts
+++ b/src/ralph-fix-plan-watcher.ts
@@ -203,6 +203,9 @@ export class RalphFixPlanWatcher extends EventEmitter {
   /** Path to the @fix_plan.md file being watched */
   private _fixPlanPath: string | null = null;
 
+  /** The path is on a REMOTE host (`setRemoteWorkingDir`): never read or watch it locally. */
+  private _remote = false;
+
   /** File watcher for @fix_plan.md */
   private _fixPlanWatcher: FSWatcher | null = null;
 
@@ -238,6 +241,7 @@ export class RalphFixPlanWatcher extends EventEmitter {
    * @param workingDir - The session's working directory
    */
   setWorkingDir(workingDir: string): void {
+    this._remote = false;
     this._workingDir = workingDir;
     this._fixPlanPath = join(workingDir, '@fix_plan.md');
 
@@ -258,16 +262,18 @@ export class RalphFixPlanWatcher extends EventEmitter {
    */
   setRemoteWorkingDir(workingDir: string): void {
     this.stopWatchingFixPlan();
+    this._remote = true;
     this._workingDir = workingDir;
     this._fixPlanPath = join(workingDir, '@fix_plan.md');
   }
 
   /**
    * Load @fix_plan.md from disk if it exists.
-   * Called on initialization and when file changes are detected.
+   * Called on initialization and when file changes are detected. A remote path is never read here:
+   * the local disk would hold a missing path or an unrelated same-named file.
    */
   async loadFixPlanFromDisk(): Promise<number> {
-    if (!this._fixPlanPath) return 0;
+    if (!this._fixPlanPath || this._remote) return 0;
 
     try {
       if (!existsSync(this._fixPlanPath)) {
@@ -295,7 +301,7 @@ export class RalphFixPlanWatcher extends EventEmitter {
    * Reloads todos when the file is modified.
    */
   private startWatchingFixPlan(): void {
-    if (!this._fixPlanPath || !this._workingDir) return;
+    if (!this._fixPlanPath || !this._workingDir || this._remote) return;
 
     // Stop existing watcher if any
     this.stopWatchingFixPlan();
diff --git a/test/ralph-fix-plan-remote.test.ts b/test/ralph-fix-plan-remote.test.ts
index c499b65e..661b7e5e 100644
--- a/test/ralph-fix-plan-remote.test.ts
+++ b/test/ralph-fix-plan-remote.test.ts
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@
  * Drives the real `WebServer.setupSessionListeners()`, like
  * discard-partially-built-session.test.ts.
  */
-import { mkdirSync } from 'node:fs';
+import { mkdirSync, rmSync, writeFileSync } from 'node:fs';
 import { homedir } from 'node:os';
 import { join } from 'node:path';
 import { afterAll, afterEach, beforeAll, describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest';
@@ -100,6 +100,38 @@ describe('Ralph @fix_plan.md watcher and the session location', () => {
     expect(session.ralphTracker.isFileAuthoritative).toBe(true);
   });
 
+  it('never reads a same-named local file for a remote session', async () => {
+    // The remote path exists locally too (an sshfs mount, a leftover checkout) and holds a plan.
+    writeFileSync(join(WORKSPACE, '@fix_plan.md'), '- [ ] a local task the remote session never had\n');
+    try {
+      const session = new Session({
+        id: SESSION_ID,
+        workingDir: WORKSPACE,
+        mode: 'claude',
+        name: 'remote session over a local twin',
+        mux,
+        useMux: true,
+        remote: {
+          hostId: 'proxx',
+          label: 'proxx',
+          host: 'proxx.example.lan',
+          username: 'user',
+          remotePath: WORKSPACE,
+          owned: true,
+        },
+      });
+      vi.spyOn(console, 'log').mockImplementation(() => {});
+
+      await internals.registerSessionWithLayout(session);
+      await internals.setupSessionListeners(session);
+
+      expect(await session.ralphTracker.loadFixPlanFromDisk()).toBe(0);
+      expect(session.ralphTracker.todos).toEqual([]);
+    } finally {
+      rmSync(join(WORKSPACE, '@fix_plan.md'), { force: true });
+    }
+  });
+
   it('keeps a remote session todo list out of the prose completion guessers', async () => {
     const session = buildSession(true);
     vi.spyOn(console, 'log').mockImplementation(() => {});