diff --git a/scripts/deploy-remote.sh b/scripts/deploy-remote.sh
index 273733a..c1216ac 100755
--- a/scripts/deploy-remote.sh
+++ b/scripts/deploy-remote.sh
@@ -177,6 +177,17 @@ add_pending_services() {
         if [[ "$status" != deployed ]]; then
             # A pending service was intentionally skipped or its handler
             # failed. Retry it even when the checkout has not advanced.
+            # But a pending entry for a service RETIRED from this target can
+            # never be deployable: retrying it fails the whole run before
+            # the e2e gate (the frank-default-sightsound lockout, found
+            # 2026-09-17). Drop such entries into the host trash instead.
+            if ! service_is_allowed "$service"; then
+                local trash="$HOME/.AGENTTRASH/$(date +%Y%m%d)-retired-deploy-state"
+                mkdir -p "$trash"
+                mv -- "$state_file" "$trash/$service"
+                echo "WARN: $service is retired on $TARGET; dropped its stale $status state to $trash" >&2
+                continue
+            fi
             SERVICES+=("$service")
             continue
         fi
diff --git a/tests/deployment_flow.bats b/tests/deployment_flow.bats
index f39bca2..c20c58a 100644
--- a/tests/deployment_flow.bats
+++ b/tests/deployment_flow.bats
@@ -98,3 +98,29 @@ load helpers
     grep -qF "dankuser ${hash}" <<< "$rendered"
     ! grep -qF '$2a$14$$2a$14$' <<< "$rendered"
 }
+
+@test "the pending pass prunes retired-service state instead of blocking the run" {
+    # Regression: a pending state entry for frank-default-sightsound (an
+    # endpoint retired 2026-09-11) made every --pending run exit 2 at the
+    # dispatcher before the Playwright e2e gate could execute. The pending
+    # pass must drop entries the target no longer allows into the trash and
+    # still deploy the services that remain.
+    local sandbox="$BATS_TEST_TMPDIR/st"
+    mkdir -p "$sandbox"
+    printf 'revision=deadbeef\nstatus=pending\n' > "$sandbox/frank-default-sightsound"
+    printf 'revision=deadbeef\nstatus=pending\n' > "$sandbox/searxng"
+    run env HOME="$BATS_TEST_TMPDIR" STATE_DIR="$sandbox" bash -c '
+        set -euo pipefail
+        SERVICES=()
+        REVISION=cafebabe
+        TARGET=dankclaw
+        service_is_allowed() { [[ "$1" == searxng ]]; }
+        eval "$(sed -n "/^state_revision()/,/^}/p" "$1/scripts/deploy-remote.sh"; sed -n "/^state_status()/,/^}/p" "$1/scripts/deploy-remote.sh"; sed -n "/^add_pending_services()/,/^}/p" "$1/scripts/deploy-remote.sh")"
+        add_pending_services >/dev/null 2>&1
+        printf "%s\n" "${SERVICES[@]:-}"
+    ' _ "$REPO_ROOT"
+    [ "$status" -eq 0 ]
+    [ "$output" = "searxng" ]
+    [ ! -e "$sandbox/frank-default-sightsound" ]
+    [ -e "$BATS_TEST_TMPDIR/.AGENTTRASH/$(date +%Y%m%d)-retired-deploy-state/frank-default-sightsound" ]
+}