diff --git a/src/plugins/runtime.channel-pin.test.ts b/src/plugins/runtime.channel-pin.test.ts
index 62f7a6f59ec..0c88a2c6a09 100644
--- a/src/plugins/runtime.channel-pin.test.ts
+++ b/src/plugins/runtime.channel-pin.test.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 import { afterEach, describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
+import { getChannelPlugin } from "../channels/plugins/registry.js";
 import { createEmptyPluginRegistry } from "./registry-empty.js";
 import {
+  getActivePluginRegistryVersion,
   getActivePluginChannelRegistry,
   pinActivePluginChannelRegistry,
   releasePinnedPluginChannelRegistry,
@@ -34,6 +36,29 @@ describe("channel registry pinning", () => {
     expect(getActivePluginChannelRegistry()!.channels).toHaveLength(1);
   });
 
+  it("re-pin invalidates cached channel lookups", () => {
+    const setup = createEmptyPluginRegistry();
+    const setupPlugin = { id: "slack", meta: {} } as never;
+    setup.channels = [{ plugin: setupPlugin }] as never;
+    setActivePluginRegistry(setup);
+    pinActivePluginChannelRegistry(setup);
+
+    expect(getChannelPlugin("slack")).toBe(setupPlugin);
+
+    const full = createEmptyPluginRegistry();
+    const fullPlugin = { id: "slack", meta: {} } as never;
+    full.channels = [{ plugin: fullPlugin }] as never;
+    setActivePluginRegistry(full);
+
+    expect(getChannelPlugin("slack")).toBe(setupPlugin);
+
+    const versionBeforeRepin = getActivePluginRegistryVersion();
+    pinActivePluginChannelRegistry(full);
+
+    expect(getActivePluginRegistryVersion()).toBe(versionBeforeRepin + 1);
+    expect(getChannelPlugin("slack")).toBe(fullPlugin);
+  });
+
   it("updates channel registry on swap when not pinned", () => {
     const first = createEmptyPluginRegistry();
     setActivePluginRegistry(first);
diff --git a/src/plugins/runtime.ts b/src/plugins/runtime.ts
index a422956d452..c345f53c40e 100644
--- a/src/plugins/runtime.ts
+++ b/src/plugins/runtime.ts
@@ -106,16 +106,25 @@ export function resolveActivePluginHttpRouteRegistry(fallback: PluginRegistry):
  *  gateway startup after the initial plugin load so that config-schema reads
  *  and other non-primary registry loads cannot evict channel plugins. */
 export function pinActivePluginChannelRegistry(registry: PluginRegistry) {
+  if (state.channelRegistry === registry && state.channelRegistryPinned) {
+    return;
+  }
   state.channelRegistry = registry;
   state.channelRegistryPinned = true;
+  state.version += 1;
 }
 
 export function releasePinnedPluginChannelRegistry(registry?: PluginRegistry) {
   if (registry && state.channelRegistry !== registry) {
     return;
   }
+  const nextChannelRegistry = state.registry;
+  if (state.channelRegistry === nextChannelRegistry && !state.channelRegistryPinned) {
+    return;
+  }
   state.channelRegistryPinned = false;
-  state.channelRegistry = state.registry;
+  state.channelRegistry = nextChannelRegistry;
+  state.version += 1;
 }
 
 /** Return the registry that should be used for channel plugin resolution.