diff --git a/packages/loopover-engine/src/fleet-run-manifest.ts b/packages/loopover-engine/src/fleet-run-manifest.ts
index ba7ba65b35..39263d2f90 100644
--- a/packages/loopover-engine/src/fleet-run-manifest.ts
+++ b/packages/loopover-engine/src/fleet-run-manifest.ts
@@ -45,6 +45,12 @@ export const DEFAULT_FLEET_RUN_MANIFEST: FleetRunManifest = Object.freeze({
   totalConcurrentWorktrees: 1,
 });
 
+/** Default per-repo worktree budget for a repo entry that doesn't specify its own `maxConcurrentWorktrees`. Its own
+ *  dedicated source of truth: a *per-repo* cap, deliberately distinct from the *fleet-wide*
+ *  {@link DEFAULT_FLEET_RUN_MANIFEST.totalConcurrentWorktrees} even though both currently equal `1`, so a future
+ *  change to the fleet-wide total default can never silently move the per-repo default. */
+export const DEFAULT_FLEET_RUN_MANIFEST_REPO_MAX_CONCURRENT_WORKTREES = 1;
+
 const MAX_FLEET_RUN_MANIFEST_BYTES = 65_536;
 const MAX_MANIFEST_REPOS = 500;
 
@@ -93,13 +99,13 @@ function normalizeRepoList(value: unknown, warnings: string[]): FleetRunManifest
       break;
     }
     let repoFullName: string | null;
-    let maxConcurrentWorktrees = DEFAULT_FLEET_RUN_MANIFEST.totalConcurrentWorktrees;
+    let maxConcurrentWorktrees = DEFAULT_FLEET_RUN_MANIFEST_REPO_MAX_CONCURRENT_WORKTREES;
     if (typeof entry === "string") {
       repoFullName = normalizeRepoFullName(entry);
     } else if (entry && typeof entry === "object" && !Array.isArray(entry)) {
       const record = entry as Record<string, unknown>;
       repoFullName = normalizeRepoFullName(record.repoFullName);
-      maxConcurrentWorktrees = normalizePositiveInteger(record.maxConcurrentWorktrees, "maxConcurrentWorktrees", 1, warnings);
+      maxConcurrentWorktrees = normalizePositiveInteger(record.maxConcurrentWorktrees, "maxConcurrentWorktrees", DEFAULT_FLEET_RUN_MANIFEST_REPO_MAX_CONCURRENT_WORKTREES, warnings);
     } else {
       warnings.push(`FleetRunManifest "repos" skipped a non-string, non-mapping entry.`);
       continue;
diff --git a/packages/loopover-engine/src/index.ts b/packages/loopover-engine/src/index.ts
index 9751101fdb..75133dd67a 100644
--- a/packages/loopover-engine/src/index.ts
+++ b/packages/loopover-engine/src/index.ts
@@ -574,6 +574,7 @@ export {
 } from "./ams-policy-spec.js";
 export {
   DEFAULT_FLEET_RUN_MANIFEST,
+  DEFAULT_FLEET_RUN_MANIFEST_REPO_MAX_CONCURRENT_WORKTREES,
   parseFleetRunManifest,
   parseFleetRunManifestContent,
   type FleetRunManifest,
diff --git a/packages/loopover-engine/test/fleet-run-manifest-parser.test.ts b/packages/loopover-engine/test/fleet-run-manifest-parser.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..8e99a1e352
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/loopover-engine/test/fleet-run-manifest-parser.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+import assert from "node:assert/strict";
+import { test } from "node:test";
+
+import {
+  DEFAULT_FLEET_RUN_MANIFEST,
+  DEFAULT_FLEET_RUN_MANIFEST_REPO_MAX_CONCURRENT_WORKTREES,
+  parseFleetRunManifest,
+} from "../dist/index.js";
+
+test("barrel: the public entrypoint re-exports the fleet run-manifest parser API (#9324)", () => {
+  assert.equal(typeof parseFleetRunManifest, "function");
+  assert.equal(DEFAULT_FLEET_RUN_MANIFEST_REPO_MAX_CONCURRENT_WORKTREES, 1);
+});
+
+test("normalizeRepoList: a string entry and a fieldless mapping both take the dedicated per-repo default", () => {
+  const parsed = parseFleetRunManifest({ repos: ["owner/a", { repoFullName: "owner/b" }] });
+  assert.deepEqual(parsed.manifest.repos, [
+    { repoFullName: "owner/a", maxConcurrentWorktrees: DEFAULT_FLEET_RUN_MANIFEST_REPO_MAX_CONCURRENT_WORKTREES },
+    { repoFullName: "owner/b", maxConcurrentWorktrees: DEFAULT_FLEET_RUN_MANIFEST_REPO_MAX_CONCURRENT_WORKTREES },
+  ]);
+  assert.deepEqual(parsed.warnings, []);
+});
+
+test("normalizeRepoList: a mapping's own maxConcurrentWorktrees overrides the per-repo default", () => {
+  const parsed = parseFleetRunManifest({
+    repos: [
+      { repoFullName: "owner/a", maxConcurrentWorktrees: 4 }, // explicit budget honoured
+      { repoFullName: "owner/b", maxConcurrentWorktrees: "x" }, // non-numeric → default + warning
+    ],
+  });
+  assert.deepEqual(parsed.manifest.repos, [
+    { repoFullName: "owner/a", maxConcurrentWorktrees: 4 },
+    { repoFullName: "owner/b", maxConcurrentWorktrees: DEFAULT_FLEET_RUN_MANIFEST_REPO_MAX_CONCURRENT_WORKTREES },
+  ]);
+  assert.match(parsed.warnings.join(" "), /"maxConcurrentWorktrees" must be a positive whole number/);
+});
+
+test("the per-repo default is a distinct source of truth from the fleet-wide total default", () => {
+  // Both currently equal 1, but they are deliberately separate constants (#9324).
+  const parsed = parseFleetRunManifest({ repos: ["owner/a"] });
+  assert.equal(parsed.manifest.repos[0]?.maxConcurrentWorktrees, DEFAULT_FLEET_RUN_MANIFEST_REPO_MAX_CONCURRENT_WORKTREES);
+  assert.equal(DEFAULT_FLEET_RUN_MANIFEST_REPO_MAX_CONCURRENT_WORKTREES, DEFAULT_FLEET_RUN_MANIFEST.totalConcurrentWorktrees);
+});
diff --git a/test/unit/fleet-run-manifest-parser.test.ts b/test/unit/fleet-run-manifest-parser.test.ts
index 8cd65f3e7f..eb1fbe757e 100644
--- a/test/unit/fleet-run-manifest-parser.test.ts
+++ b/test/unit/fleet-run-manifest-parser.test.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
 import {
   DEFAULT_FLEET_RUN_MANIFEST,
+  DEFAULT_FLEET_RUN_MANIFEST_REPO_MAX_CONCURRENT_WORKTREES,
   parseFleetRunManifest,
   parseFleetRunManifestContent,
 } from "../../packages/loopover-engine/src/index";
@@ -61,6 +62,30 @@ describe("FleetRunManifest parser (#4299)", () => {
     expect(w).toMatch(/"maxConcurrentWorktrees" must be a positive whole number/);
   });
 
+  it("derives both bare-string and object-form per-repo defaults from the dedicated per-repo constant, decoupled from the fleet-wide total default", () => {
+    // The per-repo default is its own source of truth, deliberately distinct from the fleet-wide total default.
+    // Both equal 1 today, so this pins the value once and lets the assertions below reference the constant rather
+    // than a bare `1` — a future change to the fleet-wide total default cannot silently move the per-repo default.
+    expect(DEFAULT_FLEET_RUN_MANIFEST_REPO_MAX_CONCURRENT_WORKTREES).toBe(1);
+
+    // The frozen DEFAULT_FLEET_RUN_MANIFEST.totalConcurrentWorktrees can't be mutated in place, so drive a
+    // non-default fleet-wide total through the manifest input instead: a bare-string entry (no budget of its own)
+    // and an object-form entry (budget omitted) must BOTH still fall back to the dedicated per-repo constant, not
+    // the manifest's fleet-wide total.
+    const parsed = parseFleetRunManifest({
+      repos: ["owner/a", { repoFullName: "owner/b" }],
+      totalConcurrentWorktrees: 7,
+    });
+    expect(parsed.present).toBe(true);
+    expect(parsed.manifest.totalConcurrentWorktrees).toBe(7);
+    expect(parsed.manifest.repos).toEqual([
+      { repoFullName: "owner/a", maxConcurrentWorktrees: DEFAULT_FLEET_RUN_MANIFEST_REPO_MAX_CONCURRENT_WORKTREES },
+      { repoFullName: "owner/b", maxConcurrentWorktrees: DEFAULT_FLEET_RUN_MANIFEST_REPO_MAX_CONCURRENT_WORKTREES },
+    ]);
+    // The per-repo default did not inherit the non-default fleet-wide total.
+    expect(parsed.manifest.repos.every((r) => r.maxConcurrentWorktrees !== parsed.manifest.totalConcurrentWorktrees)).toBe(true);
+  });
+
   it("falls a non-list repos field and a sub-1 total budget back to defaults with warnings", () => {
     const parsed = parseFleetRunManifest({ repos: "owner/a", totalConcurrentWorktrees: 0 });
     expect(parsed.manifest.repos).toEqual([]);