diff --git a/scripts/dispatch-issue-triage.test.ts b/scripts/dispatch-issue-triage.test.ts
index 6bfbe1bb514..15d879b2017 100644
--- a/scripts/dispatch-issue-triage.test.ts
+++ b/scripts/dispatch-issue-triage.test.ts
@@ -72,6 +72,13 @@ describe("dispatchTarget", () => {
     expect(dispatchTarget(ready(), [unrelated], [])).toEqual({ kind: "dispatch" });
   });
 
+  test("only the workflow's own marker counts, a commenter pasting it cannot opt the issue out", () => {
+    const forged: Comment = { ...marker, user: { type: "User", login: "someone" } };
+    expect(dispatchTarget(ready(), [forged], [])).toEqual({ kind: "dispatch" });
+    const otherBot: Comment = { ...marker, user: { type: "Bot", login: "some-other-app[bot]" } };
+    expect(dispatchTarget(ready(), [otherBot], [])).toEqual({ kind: "dispatch" });
+  });
+
   test("an open pull request that references the issue blocks, a merged one or a plain issue does not", () => {
     expect(reasonOf(dispatchTarget(ready(), [], [crossRef(41950, "open")]))).toBe("open pull request #41950 already references it");
     expect(reasonOf(dispatchTarget(ready(), [], [crossRef(41950, "open"), crossRef(41960, "open")]))).toBe(
diff --git a/scripts/dispatch-issue-triage.ts b/scripts/dispatch-issue-triage.ts
index a48f28dd5ba..caeb1de1134 100644
--- a/scripts/dispatch-issue-triage.ts
+++ b/scripts/dispatch-issue-triage.ts
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@ export type DispatchVerdict =
 export const BUG_LABEL = labelName("kind", "bug");
 export const RUNNING_LABEL = labelName("repro", "running");
 export const DISPATCH_MARKER = "<!-- litellm:repro-dispatched -->";
+export const DISPATCH_AUTHOR = "github-actions[bot]";
 export const DISPATCH_COMMENT = [
   DISPATCH_MARKER,
   "Devin is going to try to reproduce this. A PR or a Linear ticket follows if it does. Add repro:skip to opt out",
@@ -70,7 +71,7 @@ export function dispatchTarget(
   if (blocking.length > 0) {
     return skip(`carries ${blocking.join(", ")}`);
   }
-  if (comments.some((comment) => comment.body.includes(DISPATCH_MARKER))) {
+  if (comments.some((comment) => comment.user.login === DISPATCH_AUTHOR && comment.body.includes(DISPATCH_MARKER))) {
     return skip("was already dispatched once");
   }
   const pulls = openPullsReferencing(timeline);
diff --git a/scripts/flag-duplicate-issue.test.ts b/scripts/flag-duplicate-issue.test.ts
index 81d2b135366..ec646d8f8f5 100644
--- a/scripts/flag-duplicate-issue.test.ts
+++ b/scripts/flag-duplicate-issue.test.ts
@@ -195,6 +195,13 @@ describe("flagIssue", () => {
     const { api, writes } = fakeApi(undefined, [existing]);
     expect(await flagIssue(api, config, verdict())).toEqual({ kind: "skip", reason: "already carries a duplicate notice" });
     expect(writes).toEqual([]);
+
+    const rerun = fakeApi(undefined, [existing]);
+    expect(await flagIssue(rerun.api, config, verdict({ duplicate_of: null }))).toEqual({
+      kind: "skip",
+      reason: "already carries a duplicate notice",
+    });
+    expect(rerun.writes).toEqual([]);
   });
 
   test("a failed comment leaves no marker, so the rerun finishes the job", async () => {
diff --git a/scripts/flag-duplicate-issue.ts b/scripts/flag-duplicate-issue.ts
index b28050892d1..f43ac24e57d 100644
--- a/scripts/flag-duplicate-issue.ts
+++ b/scripts/flag-duplicate-issue.ts
@@ -103,16 +103,16 @@ export function noticeBody(issue: Issue, prior: Issue, evidence: string): string
 export async function flagIssue(api: GitHubApi, config: FlagConfig, verdict: Verdict): Promise<FlagVerdict> {
   const target = flagTarget(verdict, config.issueNumber);
   const issuePath = `/repos/${config.repo}/issues/${config.issueNumber}`;
+  const comments = await listAll<Comment>(api, `${issuePath}/comments`);
+  if (comments.some((comment) => comment.body.includes(NOTICE_MARKER_PREFIX))) {
+    return skip("already carries a duplicate notice");
+  }
   if (target.kind === "clear") {
     if (!config.dryRun) {
       await api.request("POST", `${issuePath}/labels`, { labels: [CLEAR_LABEL] });
     }
     return target;
   }
-  const comments = await listAll<Comment>(api, `${issuePath}/comments`);
-  if (comments.some((comment) => comment.body.includes(NOTICE_MARKER_PREFIX))) {
-    return skip("already carries a duplicate notice");
-  }
   const prior = await api.request<Issue>("GET", `/repos/${config.repo}/issues/${target.original}`);
   if (prior.pull_request !== undefined) {
     return skip(`#${target.original} is a pull request`);