diff --git a/src/lib/onboard/machine/runtime.test.ts b/src/lib/onboard/machine/runtime.test.ts
index 7b26269541..f098ba0dc3 100644
--- a/src/lib/onboard/machine/runtime.test.ts
+++ b/src/lib/onboard/machine/runtime.test.ts
@@ -185,23 +185,28 @@ describe("OnboardRuntime", () => {
     expect(policiesHarness.getSession().machine.state).toBe("policies");
   });
 
-  it("completes from post_verify and emits completion events", async () => {
-    const { runtime, events, getSession } = createHarness(sessionInState("post_verify"));
+  it("transitions through finalizing and post_verify before completion", async () => {
+    const { runtime, events, getSession } = createHarness(sessionInState("finalizing"));
 
+    await runtime.transition("post_verify");
     await runtime.complete({ sandboxName: "my-assistant" });
 
     expect(getSession()).toMatchObject({
       status: "complete",
       resumable: false,
       sandboxName: "my-assistant",
-      machine: { state: "complete", revision: 8 },
+      machine: { state: "complete", revision: 9 },
     });
     expect(events.map((event) => event.type)).toEqual([
+      "state.exited",
+      "state.entered",
       "context.updated",
       "state.completed",
       "state.entered",
       "onboard.completed",
     ]);
+    expect(events[0]).toMatchObject({ state: "finalizing" });
+    expect(events[1]).toMatchObject({ state: "post_verify" });
   });
 
   it("emits skipped and repair events without mutating durable state", async () => {
diff --git a/src/lib/onboard/runtime-boundary.ts b/src/lib/onboard/runtime-boundary.ts
index 45e017c367..f71d72cec6 100644
--- a/src/lib/onboard/runtime-boundary.ts
+++ b/src/lib/onboard/runtime-boundary.ts
@@ -91,6 +91,15 @@ export class OnboardRuntimeBoundary {
   }
 
   async recordSessionComplete(updates: SessionUpdates = {}): Promise<Session> {
-    return this.getRuntime().completeSession(updates);
+    const runtime = this.getRuntime();
+    const current = await runtime.session();
+    if (current.machine.state === "finalizing") {
+      await runtime.transition("post_verify");
+      return runtime.complete(updates);
+    }
+    if (current.machine.state === "post_verify") {
+      return runtime.complete(updates);
+    }
+    return runtime.completeSession(updates);
   }
 }