diff --git a/apps/web/src/components/Sidebar.logic.test.ts b/apps/web/src/components/Sidebar.logic.test.ts
index d8e4bab4187c..bf2a0c0cbd6f 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/components/Sidebar.logic.test.ts
+++ b/apps/web/src/components/Sidebar.logic.test.ts
@@ -2235,6 +2235,50 @@ describe("Working shelf (beta)", () => {
       expect(resolveSidebarDropVerb("active", "working")).toBeNull();
     });
 
+    it("arranges the rows it can write when another row's server cannot store an order", () => {
+      // None of the rows has a key yet, so the drop needs keys for its
+      // neighbors too. "offline" sits on a server that cannot take them.
+      const plan = planSidebarThreadDrop({
+        activeKey: "a2",
+        activeSection: "active",
+        target: {
+          section: "active",
+          pinnedOrder: [],
+          activeOrder: ["offline", "a2", "a1"],
+        },
+        pinnedOrder: [],
+        pinnedKeysById: new Map(),
+        activeOrder: ["offline", "a1", "a2"],
+        activeKeysById: new Map([
+          ["offline", null],
+          ["a1", null],
+          ["a2", null],
+        ]),
+        activeReorderableKeys: new Set(["a1", "a2"]),
+      });
+      expect(plan.kind).toBe("move-active");
+      if (plan.kind !== "move-active") return;
+      expect(plan.assignments.map(({ id }) => id)).toEqual(["a2", "a1"]);
+      const [a2, a1] = plan.assignments.map(({ orderKey }) => orderKey);
+      expect(a2! < a1!).toBe(true);
+
+      // A keyed row on that server still sorts by its key, so it stays a bound.
+      const above = planSidebarThreadDrop({
+        activeKey: "a2",
+        activeSection: "active",
+        target: { section: "active", pinnedOrder: [], activeOrder: ["a2", "offline"] },
+        pinnedOrder: [],
+        pinnedKeysById: new Map(),
+        activeOrder: ["offline", "a2"],
+        activeKeysById: new Map([
+          ["offline", "m"],
+          ["a2", "t"],
+        ]),
+        activeReorderableKeys: new Set(["a2"]),
+      });
+      expect(above.kind === "move-active" && above.assignments[0]!.orderKey < "m").toBe(true);
+    });
+
     it("only changes lifecycle when the inbox is time-ordered", () => {
       const base = {
         pinnedOrder: ["p1"],
diff --git a/apps/web/src/components/Sidebar.logic.ts b/apps/web/src/components/Sidebar.logic.ts
index 7e7010d59a42..a8743024832f 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/components/Sidebar.logic.ts
+++ b/apps/web/src/components/Sidebar.logic.ts
@@ -336,6 +336,24 @@ export function planSidebarThreadDrop(input: {
   if (input.supportsSettlement === false && (target.section === "settled" || activeSettled)) {
     return { kind: "none" };
   }
+  // Rows whose server cannot store an order (an older server, or a machine
+  // that is offline) are never written. Keyless ones sort outside the keyed
+  // run, so they leave the plan; keyed ones stay as bounds. Before, one keyless row
+  // refused every drop that needed fresh keys for its neighbors.
+  const arrange = (
+    order: readonly string[],
+    keysById: ReadonlyMap<string, string | null | undefined>,
+    writable: ReadonlySet<string> | undefined,
+  ) => {
+    if (!writable) return planPinnedReorder({ orderedIds: order, keysById, movedId: activeKey });
+    if (!writable.has(activeKey)) return null;
+    const assignments = planPinnedReorder({
+      orderedIds: order.filter((key) => writable.has(key) || keysById.get(key) != null),
+      keysById,
+      movedId: activeKey,
+    });
+    return assignments.every(({ id }) => writable.has(id)) ? assignments : null;
+  };
   switch (target.section) {
     case "active": {
       // Like the settled tail: threads can enter a time-ordered inbox, but
@@ -360,14 +378,8 @@ export function planSidebarThreadDrop(input: {
       ) {
         return { kind: "none" };
       }
-      const assignments = planPinnedReorder({
-        orderedIds: order,
-        keysById: activeKeysById,
-        movedId: activeKey,
-      });
-      if (activeReorderableKeys && assignments.some(({ id }) => !activeReorderableKeys.has(id))) {
-        return { kind: "none" };
-      }
+      const assignments = arrange(order, activeKeysById, activeReorderableKeys);
+      if (assignments === null) return { kind: "none" };
       return {
         kind: "move-active",
         order,
@@ -389,14 +401,8 @@ export function planSidebarThreadDrop(input: {
       ) {
         return { kind: "none" };
       }
-      const assignments = planPinnedReorder({
-        orderedIds: order,
-        keysById: pinnedKeysById,
-        movedId: activeKey,
-      });
-      if (reorderableKeys && assignments.some(({ id }) => !reorderableKeys.has(id))) {
-        return { kind: "none" };
-      }
+      const assignments = arrange(order, pinnedKeysById, reorderableKeys);
+      if (assignments === null) return { kind: "none" };
       if (activeSection === "pinned") {
         return assignments.length === 0
           ? { kind: "none" }