diff --git a/docsgpt/deploy/commands.py b/docsgpt/deploy/commands.py
index 5ba2c4e3..c03ccecb 100644
--- a/docsgpt/deploy/commands.py
+++ b/docsgpt/deploy/commands.py
@@ -298,17 +298,26 @@ def _port_is_free(port: int) -> bool:
 def _refuse_busy_port(directory: Path, port: int, services, names: tuple[str, str]) -> None:
     """Whatever holds the port would answer the health check while these services failed to bind.
 
-    An install re-running on its own port is the exception: its services are holding it, and
-    starting them again replaces them.
+    The one exception is this install's own API holding the port it is recorded on. Ownership is not
+    inferred from the install having some service running: asking for a different port that something
+    else holds is how a move to a new port would look, and the API would fail to bind it.
     """
     if _port_is_free(port):
         return
-    if _record(directory).get("mode") == "native" and any(services.is_running(name) for name in names):
+    record = _record(directory)
+    api_service = names[0]
+    owns_the_port = (
+        record.get("mode") == "native"
+        and str(record.get("port") or "") == str(port)
+        and services.is_running(api_service)
+    )
+    if owns_the_port:
         return
     raise DeployError(
-        f"port {port} is already in use by something other than this install. The API would fail to "
-        f"bind it while the health check answered from whatever holds it, so the install would look "
-        f"healthy and be dead. Free the port, or give this install another one with --port."
+        f"port {port} is already in use by something other than this install's API. It would fail to "
+        f"bind while the health check answered from whatever holds the port, so the install would "
+        f"look healthy and be dead. Free the port, stop this install first with `docsgpt down` if it "
+        f"is the one holding it on another port, or choose another port with --port."
     )
 
 
@@ -406,7 +415,7 @@ def _native_up(args, context: Context, directory: Path) -> int:
     # that status, down and uninstall can see and clean up, rather than orphaned units.
     now = datetime.now(timezone.utc).isoformat(timespec="seconds")
     record = record or {"installed_at": now}
-    record.update(version=context.version, mode="native", updated_at=now)
+    record.update(version=context.version, mode="native", port=port, updated_at=now)
     (directory / stack.RECORD_FILE).write_text(json.dumps(record, indent=2) + "\n", encoding="utf-8")
 
     for unit in native.units_for(directory, launcher, port, directory, names):
diff --git a/tests/deploy/test_native.py b/tests/deploy/test_native.py
index ce66744f..d5a41696 100644
--- a/tests/deploy/test_native.py
+++ b/tests/deploy/test_native.py
@@ -295,16 +295,33 @@ class TestNativeUp:
                 _run(argv, _native_context())
             assert not (tmp_path / ".env").exists(), "it refuses before writing anything"
 
-    def test_an_install_may_keep_the_port_its_own_services_hold(self, tmp_path):
-        """Re-running an install must not trip over the services it is about to replace."""
+    def test_an_install_may_keep_the_port_its_own_api_is_recorded_on(self, tmp_path):
+        """Re-running an install must not trip over the API it is about to replace."""
+        services = FakeServices()
+        with socket.socket(socket.AF_INET, socket.SOCK_STREAM) as probe:
+            probe.bind(("127.0.0.1", 0))
+            port = probe.getsockname()[1]
+        argv = ["up", "--native", "--dir", str(tmp_path), "--yes", "--port", str(port),
+                "--postgres-uri", "postgresql://localhost/d"]
+        assert _run(argv, _native_context(services)) == 0
+        assert json.loads((tmp_path / "install.json").read_text())["port"] == port
+
+        with socket.socket(socket.AF_INET, socket.SOCK_STREAM) as held:
+            held.bind(("127.0.0.1", port))
+            held.listen(1)
+            assert _run(["up", "--dir", str(tmp_path), "--yes"], _native_context(services)) == 0
+
+    def test_moving_an_install_onto_a_busy_port_is_refused(self, tmp_path):
+        """Ownership is of one port, not of any port while some service of the install runs."""
         services = FakeServices()
         argv = ["up", "--native", "--dir", str(tmp_path), "--yes", "--postgres-uri", "postgresql://localhost/d"]
         assert _run(argv, _native_context(services)) == 0
         with socket.socket(socket.AF_INET, socket.SOCK_STREAM) as held:
             held.bind(("127.0.0.1", 0))
             held.listen(1)
-            envfile.update(tmp_path / ".env", {"DOCSGPT_PORT": str(held.getsockname()[1])})
-            assert _run(["up", "--dir", str(tmp_path), "--yes"], _native_context(services)) == 0
+            elsewhere = held.getsockname()[1]
+            with pytest.raises(DeployError, match="already in use"):
+                _run(["up", "--dir", str(tmp_path), "--yes", "--port", str(elsewhere)], _native_context(services))
 
     def test_a_database_url_is_required(self, tmp_path):
         with pytest.raises(DeployError, match="--postgres-uri"):