diff --git a/src/Server/ZB.MOM.WW.OtOpcUa.Runtime/OpcUa/OpcUaPublishActor.cs b/src/Server/ZB.MOM.WW.OtOpcUa.Runtime/OpcUa/OpcUaPublishActor.cs
index bc7f4f6f..4b3e65ae 100644
--- a/src/Server/ZB.MOM.WW.OtOpcUa.Runtime/OpcUa/OpcUaPublishActor.cs
+++ b/src/Server/ZB.MOM.WW.OtOpcUa.Runtime/OpcUa/OpcUaPublishActor.cs
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ public sealed class OpcUaPublishActor : ReceiveActor
     private readonly Phase7Applier? _applier;
     private readonly IActorRef? _dbHealthProbe;
     private readonly TimeSpan _staleWindow;
-    private TimeSpan _probeFreshnessWindow;
+    private readonly TimeSpan _probeFreshnessWindow;
     private readonly Akka.Cluster.Cluster _cluster = Akka.Cluster.Cluster.Get(Context.System);
     private readonly ILoggingAdapter _log = Context.GetLogger();
 
diff --git a/tests/Server/ZB.MOM.WW.OtOpcUa.Runtime.Tests/OpcUa/OpcUaPublishActorTests.cs b/tests/Server/ZB.MOM.WW.OtOpcUa.Runtime.Tests/OpcUa/OpcUaPublishActorTests.cs
index b14b6c23..4dc5d16e 100644
--- a/tests/Server/ZB.MOM.WW.OtOpcUa.Runtime.Tests/OpcUa/OpcUaPublishActorTests.cs
+++ b/tests/Server/ZB.MOM.WW.OtOpcUa.Runtime.Tests/OpcUa/OpcUaPublishActorTests.cs
@@ -355,6 +355,50 @@ public sealed class OpcUaPublishActorTests : RuntimeActorTestBase
             duration: TimeSpan.FromMilliseconds(500));
     }
 
+    /// <summary>Verifies branch (3) of <c>OpcUaProbeOk()</c>: a peer's NEGATIVE verdict about this node
+    /// that has aged past <c>_probeFreshnessWindow</c> is given the benefit of the doubt (the peer's
+    /// verdict aged out → don't demote), so the node still publishes the HEALTHY level. With a 1ms
+    /// freshness window and a 30ms wait before the recompute, the cached <c>Ok==false</c> verdict is
+    /// reliably stale by the time the level is computed, so <c>OpcUaProbeOk()</c> returns true and a
+    /// healthy primary-leader computes inputs (true, true, false) → 240, +10 leader → 250 — NOT the 0
+    /// that a still-fresh negative verdict would produce (cf. <see cref="Probe_false_about_me_with_healthy_db_publishes_0"/>).</summary>
+    [Fact]
+    public void Stale_probe_verdict_is_not_demoted_publishes_healthy()
+    {
+        var publisher = new RecordingPublisher();
+        var local = NodeId.Parse("primary-node");
+        var probe = Sys.ActorOf(Akka.Actor.Props.Create(() =>
+            new StubDbHealth(new DbHealthProbeActor.DbHealthStatus(true, DateTime.UtcNow, null))));
+        var actor = Sys.ActorOf(OpcUaPublishActor.PropsForTests(
+            serviceLevel: publisher, localNode: local, dbHealthProbe: probe,
+            staleWindow: TimeSpan.FromSeconds(30),
+            probeFreshnessWindow: TimeSpan.FromMilliseconds(1)));
+
+        // Seed a healthy DB sample and a NEGATIVE peer verdict about me. (No RedundancyStateChanged yet,
+        // so no level is computed from these — the verdict just gets stamped with the receive time.)
+        actor.Tell(new DbHealthProbeActor.DbHealthStatus(true, DateTime.UtcNow, null));
+        actor.Tell(new PeerOpcUaProbeActor.OpcUaProbeResult(local, Ok: false));
+
+        // Let the verdict age WELL past the 1ms freshness window before any level is computed. The 30ms
+        // wait is >> 1ms, so the verdict is reliably stale by the time OpcUaProbeOk() runs — no reliance
+        // on sub-ms clock ties.
+        ExpectNoMsg(TimeSpan.FromMilliseconds(30));
+
+        // Now trigger the recompute with a fresh healthy primary-leader snapshot. By now _probeAboutMe is
+        // >1ms old, so branch (3) ignores the negative verdict and OpcUaProbeOk() returns true.
+        actor.Tell(new RedundancyStateChanged(
+            Nodes: new[]
+            {
+                new NodeRedundancyState(local, RedundancyRole.Primary,
+                    IsClusterLeader: true, IsRoleLeaderForDriver: true, DateTime.UtcNow),
+            },
+            CorrelationId.NewId()));
+
+        // Healthy (250), NOT 0 — proves an aged negative verdict does not demote.
+        AwaitAssert(() => publisher.Levels.ShouldContain((byte)250),
+            duration: TimeSpan.FromMilliseconds(500));
+    }
+
     /// <summary>Verifies that with no peer probe result ever received, <c>OpcUaProbeOk()</c> defaults
     /// to <c>true</c> (benefit of the doubt / single-node). A healthy primary-leader thus computes
     /// inputs (true, true, false) → 240, +10 leader → 250.</summary>