diff --git a/.github/workflows/devkit-sync.yml b/.github/workflows/devkit-sync.yml
index b6871b7..0fc91b8 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/devkit-sync.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/devkit-sync.yml
@@ -117,10 +117,21 @@ jobs:
           set -euo pipefail
           git config user.name  "github-actions[bot]"
           git config user.email "github-actions[bot]@users.noreply.github.com"
-          git push origin --delete "$BRANCH_NAME" 2>/dev/null || true
+          # NO `git push origin --delete "$BRANCH_NAME"` here (DEC-079).
+          #
+          # Deleting the head ref DELETES THE PR WITH IT: GitHub auto-closes any
+          # open PR whose head branch disappears. That is what closed 18 sync PRs
+          # across the fleet, including four that were already fully green — the
+          # e2e had passed, and the work was discarded and re-queued for nothing.
+          # It also made the `gh pr edit` reuse path below dead code: the delete
+          # closed the very PR the next line goes looking for, so `existing` was
+          # always empty and every run created a brand-new PR.
+          #
+          # Force-pushing the branch is sufficient and non-destructive: an open PR
+          # follows its head ref and simply picks up the new commit.
           git checkout -B "$BRANCH_NAME"
           git commit -m "chore: sync devkit submodule to ${{ steps.bump.outputs.target }}"
-          git push --force-with-lease origin "$BRANCH_NAME"
+          git push --force origin "$BRANCH_NAME"
 
           body="Automated devkit sync — bumped \`$DEVKIT_PATH\` to the devkit's latest release (\`${{ steps.bump.outputs.target }}\`)."
           existing=$(gh pr list --head "$BRANCH_NAME" --state open --json number --jq '.[0].number // empty' 2>/dev/null || true)
diff --git a/SPEC.md b/SPEC.md
index d594bfe..77d59ea 100644
--- a/SPEC.md
+++ b/SPEC.md
@@ -1128,6 +1128,25 @@ while half the fleet was still broken. Collector → `e2e/harness/_artifacts.sh`
 harnesses; prune → `e2e/ci/prune-artifacts.sh`, invoked by both workflows. A reusable workflow can
 call the script from the consumer's vendored devkit path, so there is still exactly one definition.
 
+**DEC-079 — devkit-sync is on-demand, and never deletes its own branch.**
+Two corrections to the sync mechanism, one of policy and one of implementation.
+
+*Policy.* The nightly `schedule:` is removed; the caller is `workflow_dispatch:` only. A submodule
+pin is a deliberate dependency upgrade, not something that should land while nobody is watching, and
+the schedule measurably cost more than it delivered: **189 runs produced 29 merged bumps** (51 PRs
+opened, 18 closed without merging). Worse, from 2026-07-10 it silently no-op'd for three weeks —
+every night it opened a PR whose checks sat in `action_required` awaiting approval, so nothing merged
+and nothing complained, because a no-op is indistinguishable from "nothing to sync". Deliberate bumps
+go through `make update-devkit` or a manual dispatch.
+
+*Implementation.* The push step began with `git push origin --delete "$BRANCH_NAME"`. Deleting a head
+ref **deletes the PR with it** — GitHub auto-closes any open PR whose head branch disappears. That is
+the actual cause of the 18 closed-unmerged PRs, including four that were **already fully green**: the
+e2e had passed and the result was discarded and re-queued for nothing. The same delete also made the
+`gh pr edit` reuse path below it dead code — it closed the very PR the next line went looking for, so
+`existing` was always empty and every run created a brand-new PR instead of updating one. A force-push
+alone is sufficient and non-destructive: an open PR follows its head ref and picks up the new commit.
+
 > **Numbering note:** DEC-070–072 were introduced as code comments only and were never written up
 > here. This section documents 073–076; backfilling 070–072 is tracked separately.
 
diff --git a/templates/devkit-sync.caller.yml b/templates/devkit-sync.caller.yml
index 32993e5..d2a8497 100644
--- a/templates/devkit-sync.caller.yml
+++ b/templates/devkit-sync.caller.yml
@@ -1,8 +1,20 @@
 # devkit-sync — caller template (SPEC DEC-044).
 #
 # Copied into a consumer plugin repo at .github/workflows/devkit-sync.yml by
-# `make link-workflows`. Keeps the repo's vendored devkit submodule
-# (tests/_testkit) current by bumping it to the devkit's latest main nightly.
+# `make link-workflows`. Bumps the repo's vendored devkit submodule
+# (tests/_testkit) to the devkit's latest release within its major channel.
+#
+# ON DEMAND ONLY (DEC-079). This used to run nightly at 04:00 UTC. A submodule
+# pin is a deliberate dependency upgrade, not something that should happen while
+# you sleep, and the schedule cost more than it delivered:
+#   * 189 runs across the fleet produced 29 merged bumps — 51 PRs opened, 18 of
+#     them closed without ever merging.
+#   * From 2026-07-10 it silently no-op'd for three weeks: every night it opened
+#     a PR whose checks sat in `action_required` awaiting approval, so nothing
+#     merged and nothing complained. A no-op looks exactly like "nothing to sync".
+#   * It clobbered in-flight work — see the branch-delete note in the reusable
+#     workflow.
+# Bump deliberately instead: `make update-devkit`, or run this workflow manually.
 #
 # Required REPO-level secrets (the shared sync GitHub App; already present on
 # repos that previously used skills-sync — same App):
@@ -15,8 +27,6 @@
 name: devkit-sync
 
 on:
-  schedule:
-    - cron: "0 4 * * *"   # nightly 04:00 UTC (offset from skills-sync's 03:00)
   workflow_dispatch:
 
 permissions: