diff --git a/src/backend/base/langflow/services/jobs/service.py b/src/backend/base/langflow/services/jobs/service.py
index b535fda534..166c837f2b 100644
--- a/src/backend/base/langflow/services/jobs/service.py
+++ b/src/backend/base/langflow/services/jobs/service.py
@@ -343,6 +343,73 @@ class JobService(Service):
             await session.flush()
             return len(rows)
 
+    async def heartbeat(self, job_id: UUID, owner: str) -> None:
+        """Stamp the running owner + a fresh heartbeat on the job row.
+
+        This is the liveness signal a reconciler reads to tell a live in-flight
+        run from a genuinely orphaned one: only the running owner refreshes it,
+        and a reconciler only fails/requeues a job whose heartbeat is STALE
+        (``is_lease_stale``). Stored in ``job_metadata`` (no new column, matching
+        the attempt-accounting decision in the design) via a shallow merge so the
+        persisted request / retry flags are preserved.
+        """
+        now = datetime.now(timezone.utc).isoformat()
+        await self.update_job_metadata(job_id, {"owner": owner, "heartbeat_at": now})
+
+    @staticmethod
+    def is_lease_stale(job: Job, *, lease_ttl_s: float) -> bool:
+        """True when a job's heartbeat is older than ``lease_ttl_s`` (or absent).
+
+        An absent heartbeat means the owner never recorded liveness (it died in
+        the QUEUED->IN_PROGRESS window, or this is a legacy row), so it is
+        treated as stale and reconcilable. A fresh heartbeat (within the TTL)
+        means a live owner is running the job and a reconciler must NOT touch it.
+        """
+        meta = job.job_metadata or {}
+        raw = meta.get("heartbeat_at")
+        if not raw:
+            return True
+        try:
+            hb = datetime.fromisoformat(raw)
+        except (TypeError, ValueError):
+            return True
+        if hb.tzinfo is None:
+            hb = hb.replace(tzinfo=timezone.utc)
+        age = (datetime.now(timezone.utc) - hb).total_seconds()
+        return age > lease_ttl_s
+
+    async def increment_attempt_if(self, job_id: UUID, *, expected: int, new: int) -> bool:
+        """Atomically bump ``job_metadata.attempt`` from ``expected`` to ``new``.
+
+        Returns True only for the single caller whose read-modify-write observed
+        ``attempt == expected`` and committed. Concurrent reconcilers reading the
+        same ``expected`` race on the row, but UNIQUE row identity + a re-read
+        under the write lock means only one transaction's conditional UPDATE
+        matches: every other sees ``rowcount == 0`` and returns False. This
+        closes the lost-update window where two reconcilers both bumped 1->2 and
+        each requeued, pushing a job past ``max_attempts``.
+
+        Portable across SQLite and Postgres: the conditional UPDATE matches the
+        JSON-extracted attempt cast to integer, the same single-row-conditional
+        primitive ``claim_queued_job`` relies on.
+        """
+        from sqlalchemy import Integer
+        from sqlalchemy import cast as sa_cast
+        from sqlmodel import update
+
+        attempt_expr = sa_cast(col(Job.job_metadata)["attempt"].as_string(), Integer)
+        async with session_scope() as session:
+            # Read the current metadata so we can write back a full merged blob
+            # (JSON columns are replaced wholesale, not patched in place).
+            job = await session.get(Job, job_id)
+            if job is None:
+                return False
+            merged = {**(job.job_metadata or {}), "attempt": new}
+            stmt = update(Job).where(Job.job_id == job_id, attempt_expr == expected).values(job_metadata=merged)
+            result = await session.exec(stmt)  # type: ignore[call-overload]
+            await session.flush()
+            return result.rowcount == 1
+
     async def claim_queued_job(self, job_id: UUID) -> bool:
         """Atomically claim a QUEUED job for execution. Returns True if we won.
 
diff --git a/src/backend/tests/unit/services/jobs/test_jobs_liveness.py b/src/backend/tests/unit/services/jobs/test_jobs_liveness.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..d7d3e50c37
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/backend/tests/unit/services/jobs/test_jobs_liveness.py
@@ -0,0 +1,112 @@
+"""Store-layer liveness primitives: heartbeat, stale predicate, atomic attempt.
+
+These back the lease+heartbeat reconciliation model. A reconciler must only
+fail/requeue a job whose heartbeat is STALE (older than the lease TTL), never a
+fresh one, and the retry-safe attempt bump must be atomic so two concurrent
+reconcilers cannot push a job past max_attempts.
+"""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import asyncio
+from datetime import datetime, timedelta, timezone
+from uuid import uuid4
+
+import pytest
+from langflow.services.jobs.service import JobService
+
+
+@pytest.mark.usefixtures("client")
+async def test_heartbeat_records_owner_and_timestamp():
+    service = JobService()
+    job_id = uuid4()
+    await service.create_job(job_id=job_id, flow_id=uuid4(), user_id=uuid4())
+
+    before = datetime.now(timezone.utc)
+    await service.heartbeat(job_id, owner="worker-A")
+    after = datetime.now(timezone.utc)
+
+    job = await service.get_job_by_job_id(job_id)
+    meta = job.job_metadata or {}
+    assert meta.get("owner") == "worker-A"
+    hb = datetime.fromisoformat(meta["heartbeat_at"])
+    assert before <= hb <= after
+
+
+@pytest.mark.usefixtures("client")
+async def test_heartbeat_preserves_other_metadata():
+    service = JobService()
+    job_id = uuid4()
+    await service.create_job(job_id=job_id, flow_id=uuid4(), user_id=uuid4())
+    await service.update_job_metadata(job_id, {"request": {"input_value": "hi"}, "retry_safe": True})
+
+    await service.heartbeat(job_id, owner="worker-A")
+
+    job = await service.get_job_by_job_id(job_id)
+    meta = job.job_metadata or {}
+    # Heartbeat must not clobber the persisted request / retry flag.
+    assert meta["request"] == {"input_value": "hi"}
+    assert meta["retry_safe"] is True
+    assert meta["owner"] == "worker-A"
+
+
+@pytest.mark.usefixtures("client")
+async def test_is_lease_stale_fresh_vs_stale():
+    service = JobService()
+    fresh = uuid4()
+    stale = uuid4()
+    absent = uuid4()
+    await service.create_job(job_id=fresh, flow_id=uuid4(), user_id=uuid4())
+    await service.create_job(job_id=stale, flow_id=uuid4(), user_id=uuid4())
+    await service.create_job(job_id=absent, flow_id=uuid4(), user_id=uuid4())
+
+    await service.heartbeat(fresh, owner="w1")
+    # Backdate the stale job's heartbeat well past the TTL.
+    old = (datetime.now(timezone.utc) - timedelta(seconds=120)).isoformat()
+    await service.update_job_metadata(stale, {"owner": "w1", "heartbeat_at": old})
+
+    fresh_job = await service.get_job_by_job_id(fresh)
+    stale_job = await service.get_job_by_job_id(stale)
+    absent_job = await service.get_job_by_job_id(absent)
+
+    assert service.is_lease_stale(fresh_job, lease_ttl_s=30.0) is False
+    assert service.is_lease_stale(stale_job, lease_ttl_s=30.0) is True
+    # No heartbeat ever recorded -> treated as stale (truly orphaned / never ran).
+    assert service.is_lease_stale(absent_job, lease_ttl_s=30.0) is True
+
+
+@pytest.mark.usefixtures("client")
+async def test_increment_attempt_atomic_is_conditional():
+    """Atomic attempt bump only succeeds when it observes the expected value.
+
+    This is the optimistic guard that prevents two concurrent reconcilers from
+    both reading attempt=1 and both writing attempt=2 (a lost update).
+    """
+    service = JobService()
+    job_id = uuid4()
+    await service.create_job(job_id=job_id, flow_id=uuid4(), user_id=uuid4())
+    await service.update_job_metadata(job_id, {"attempt": 1, "max_attempts": 3})
+
+    # First bump from 1 -> 2 wins.
+    assert await service.increment_attempt_if(job_id, expected=1, new=2) is True
+    job = await service.get_job_by_job_id(job_id)
+    assert job.job_metadata["attempt"] == 2
+
+    # A racer that still thinks attempt==1 must NOT bump it again.
+    assert await service.increment_attempt_if(job_id, expected=1, new=2) is False
+    job = await service.get_job_by_job_id(job_id)
+    assert job.job_metadata["attempt"] == 2
+
+
+@pytest.mark.usefixtures("client")
+async def test_increment_attempt_concurrent_only_one_wins():
+    """Under concurrent bumps from the same expected value exactly one wins."""
+    service = JobService()
+    job_id = uuid4()
+    await service.create_job(job_id=job_id, flow_id=uuid4(), user_id=uuid4())
+    await service.update_job_metadata(job_id, {"attempt": 1, "max_attempts": 5})
+
+    results = await asyncio.gather(*(service.increment_attempt_if(job_id, expected=1, new=2) for _ in range(8)))
+    assert results.count(True) == 1
+    job = await service.get_job_by_job_id(job_id)
+    assert job.job_metadata["attempt"] == 2