diff --git a/dashboards/tracker-web/src/app/dashboard/fleet/jobs/[id]/page.tsx b/dashboards/tracker-web/src/app/dashboard/fleet/jobs/[id]/page.tsx
index 6204bce2..706bb46e 100644
--- a/dashboards/tracker-web/src/app/dashboard/fleet/jobs/[id]/page.tsx
+++ b/dashboards/tracker-web/src/app/dashboard/fleet/jobs/[id]/page.tsx
@@ -229,6 +229,16 @@ export default function FleetJobDetailPage() {
               {acting === 'requeue' ? 'Requeuing...' : 'Requeue'}
             </Button>
           )}
+          {(job.stage === 'dead_letter' || job.stage === 'failed') && (
+            <Button
+              onClick={() => handleAction('redrive')}
+              disabled={acting !== null}
+              aria-label="Re-drive this job with a fresh retry budget"
+              title="Requeue with a fresh retry budget (resets the attempt counter)"
+            >
+              {acting === 'redrive' ? 'Re-driving...' : 'Re-drive ↻'}
+            </Button>
+          )}
           {job.stage !== 'shipped' && job.stage !== 'failed' && job.stage !== 'dead_letter' && (
             <>
               <Button
diff --git a/dashboards/tracker-web/src/lib/fleet-client.ts b/dashboards/tracker-web/src/lib/fleet-client.ts
index 848dbbce..caaf6655 100644
--- a/dashboards/tracker-web/src/lib/fleet-client.ts
+++ b/dashboards/tracker-web/src/lib/fleet-client.ts
@@ -260,7 +260,7 @@ export async function patchJob(id: string, body: PatchJobBody): Promise<FleetJob
   return apiFetch(`/jobs/${id}`, { method: 'PATCH', body: JSON.stringify(body) });
 }
 
-export type OperatorAction = 'requeue' | 'reject' | 'cancel' | 'ship';
+export type OperatorAction = 'requeue' | 'reject' | 'cancel' | 'ship' | 'redrive';
 
 /**
  * Operator-initiated lifecycle action (no lease required). The coordinator
diff --git a/services/platform-service/src/modules/fleet/coordinator.ts b/services/platform-service/src/modules/fleet/coordinator.ts
index 6ea48421..91166080 100644
--- a/services/platform-service/src/modules/fleet/coordinator.ts
+++ b/services/platform-service/src/modules/fleet/coordinator.ts
@@ -228,6 +228,7 @@ export async function submitJob(productId: string, input: SubmitJobInput): Promi
     verify: input.verify,
     autoMerge: input.autoMerge,
     attempts: 0,
+    attemptsBase: 0,
     leaseEpoch: 0,
     rev: 0,
     createdAt: now,
@@ -290,6 +291,7 @@ export async function submitJob(productId: string, input: SubmitJobInput): Promi
       kind: 'leaf',
       parentId: id,
       attempts: 0,
+      attemptsBase: 0,
       leaseEpoch: 0,
       rev: 0,
       createdAt: childNow,
@@ -960,6 +962,7 @@ export async function submitChildren(
       kind: 'leaf',
       parentId,
       attempts: 0,
+      attemptsBase: 0,
       leaseEpoch: 0,
       rev: 0,
       createdAt: now,
@@ -1114,8 +1117,10 @@ export function decideFailureOutcome(job: FleetJobDoc, result?: string): Failure
   const retryable =
     !!policy && policy.max > 0 && classes.length > 0 && classes.some(c => on.includes(c));
   if (!retryable) return { kind: 'failed' };
-  if (job.attempts >= policy!.max) return { kind: 'dead_letter' };
-  return { kind: 'retry', backoffMs: parseBackoffMs(policy!.backoff, job.attempts) };
+  // Budget is consumed since the last redrive: attempts - attemptsBase.
+  const used = job.attempts - (job.attemptsBase ?? 0);
+  if (used >= policy!.max) return { kind: 'dead_letter' };
+  return { kind: 'retry', backoffMs: parseBackoffMs(policy!.backoff, used) };
 }
 
 export async function releaseLease(
@@ -1202,7 +1207,7 @@ export async function releaseLease(
 
 // ── Operator actions (§14 Phase 3 — approve/ship/reject/requeue) ──────────────
 
-export const OPERATOR_ACTIONS = ['requeue', 'reject', 'cancel', 'ship'] as const;
+export const OPERATOR_ACTIONS = ['requeue', 'reject', 'cancel', 'ship', 'redrive'] as const;
 export type OperatorActionKind = (typeof OPERATOR_ACTIONS)[number];
 
 /** Bounded retries for the operator-action optimistic-concurrency loop. */
@@ -1220,6 +1225,11 @@ export type OperatorActionResult =
  *
  * - `requeue`: return the job to `queued` (or `blocked` if deps unmet) for a
  *    fresh claim. The checkpoint pointer is preserved (resume-friendly).
+ * - `redrive`: like `requeue`, but ALSO grants a FRESH retry budget by anchoring
+ *    `attemptsBase` to the current `attempts` and clearing any `retryNotBefore`
+ *    backoff. (`attempts` stays monotonic so run ids never collide.) This is how
+ *    an operator re-drives a `dead_letter`/`failed` job — a plain requeue leaves
+ *    the budget exhausted, so the job would immediately dead-letter again.
  * - `reject`:  move the job to `dead_letter` (operator gives up on it).
  * - `cancel`:  move the job to `failed` (stop work, not a dead letter).
  *
@@ -1248,7 +1258,10 @@ export async function operatorAction(
 
     let stage: FleetStage;
     let blockedReason: string | undefined;
-    if (action === 'requeue') {
+    // `redrive` additionally resets the retry budget so the job gets a full set of
+    // attempts again (a plain requeue keeps attempts at max → instant re-dead-letter).
+    const resetRetry = action === 'redrive';
+    if (action === 'requeue' || action === 'redrive') {
       const unmet = await unmetDeps(job);
       stage = unmet.length > 0 ? 'blocked' : 'queued';
       blockedReason = unmet.length > 0 ? `waiting on: ${unmet.join(', ')}` : undefined;
@@ -1266,6 +1279,7 @@ export async function operatorAction(
       stage,
       leaseEpoch: newEpoch,
       blockedReason,
+      ...(resetRetry ? { attemptsBase: job.attempts, retryNotBefore: undefined } : {}),
     });
     if (!res.ok) {
       if (res.reason === 'not_found') return { ok: false, reason: 'not_found' };
@@ -1859,6 +1873,14 @@ export async function fleetMetrics(
       message: `${stale} factory(ies) have not sent a heartbeat within ${Math.round(staleMaxAgeMs / 1000)}s.`,
     });
   }
+  const deadLetter = byStage.dead_letter ?? 0;
+  if (deadLetter > 0) {
+    alerts.push({
+      level: 'warning',
+      code: 'dead_letter',
+      message: `${deadLetter} job(s) in dead_letter — exhausted retries or rejected; needs operator triage.`,
+    });
+  }
 
   return {
     productId,
diff --git a/services/platform-service/src/modules/fleet/retry.test.ts b/services/platform-service/src/modules/fleet/retry.test.ts
index e11538c4..93613637 100644
--- a/services/platform-service/src/modules/fleet/retry.test.ts
+++ b/services/platform-service/src/modules/fleet/retry.test.ts
@@ -151,4 +151,54 @@ describe('fleet retry — releaseLease enforcement', () => {
     expect(c2?.job.id).toBe(job.id);
     expect(c2?.job.attempts).toBe(2);
   });
+
+  it('operator redrive grants a dead_letter job a FRESH retry budget (queued, no backoff)', async () => {
+    const { job } = await coord.submitJob(PID, input({ retry: { max: 2, on: ['timeout'] } }));
+    // Burn the whole budget: two attempts → dead_letter.
+    const c1 = await claim();
+    await coord.releaseLease(job.id, PID, c1.job.leaseEpoch, 'failed', { result: 'timeout' });
+    const c2 = await coord.claimNextJob(factory());
+    await coord.releaseLease(job.id, PID, c2!.job.leaseEpoch, 'failed', { result: 'timeout' });
+    expect((await repo.getJob(job.id, PID))?.stage).toBe('dead_letter');
+
+    const res = await coord.operatorAction(job.id, PID, 'redrive');
+    expect(res.ok).toBe(true);
+    const after = await repo.getJob(job.id, PID);
+    expect(after?.stage).toBe('queued');
+    expect(after?.attemptsBase).toBe(after?.attempts); // budget anchored to now
+    expect(after?.retryNotBefore).toBeUndefined(); // claimable immediately
+
+    // Fresh budget: the next failure RETRIES (used 1 < max 2) instead of dead-lettering,
+    // and the re-claim doesn't collide on run id (attempts stays monotonic).
+    const c3 = await coord.claimNextJob(factory());
+    expect(c3?.job.id).toBe(job.id);
+    expect(c3!.job.attempts).toBe(3); // monotonic
+    await coord.releaseLease(job.id, PID, c3!.job.leaseEpoch, 'failed', { result: 'timeout' });
+    expect((await repo.getJob(job.id, PID))?.stage).toBe('queued');
+  });
+
+  it('a plain requeue leaves the budget exhausted (re-dead-letters); redrive resets it', async () => {
+    const { job } = await coord.submitJob(PID, input({ retry: { max: 1, on: ['timeout'] } }));
+    const c1 = await claim();
+    await coord.releaseLease(job.id, PID, c1.job.leaseEpoch, 'failed', { result: 'timeout' });
+    // requeue: budget still exhausted → one more attempt re-dead-letters.
+    await coord.operatorAction(job.id, PID, 'requeue');
+    const c2 = await coord.claimNextJob(factory());
+    await coord.releaseLease(job.id, PID, c2!.job.leaseEpoch, 'failed', { result: 'timeout' });
+    expect((await repo.getJob(job.id, PID))?.stage).toBe('dead_letter');
+    // redrive: anchors the budget so the next attempt is fresh again.
+    await coord.operatorAction(job.id, PID, 'redrive');
+    const j = await repo.getJob(job.id, PID);
+    expect(j?.attemptsBase).toBe(j?.attempts);
+    expect(j?.stage).toBe('queued');
+  });
+
+  it('fleetMetrics raises a dead_letter alert when jobs are dead-lettered', async () => {
+    const { job } = await coord.submitJob(PID, input({ retry: { max: 1, on: ['timeout'] } }));
+    const c = await claim();
+    await coord.releaseLease(job.id, PID, c.job.leaseEpoch, 'failed', { result: 'timeout' });
+    const metrics = await coord.fleetMetrics(PID);
+    expect(metrics.jobs.byStage.dead_letter).toBe(1);
+    expect(metrics.alerts.map(a => a.code)).toContain('dead_letter');
+  });
 });
diff --git a/services/platform-service/src/modules/fleet/types.ts b/services/platform-service/src/modules/fleet/types.ts
index a9b87041..a804c871 100644
--- a/services/platform-service/src/modules/fleet/types.ts
+++ b/services/platform-service/src/modules/fleet/types.ts
@@ -204,6 +204,13 @@ export const FleetJobDocSchema = z.object({
   autoMerge: z.boolean().optional(),
   checkpoint: CheckpointSchema.optional(),
   attempts: z.number().int().nonnegative().default(0),
+  /**
+   * Attempt count at which the CURRENT retry budget started (operator `redrive`
+   * sets this to `attempts` to grant a fresh budget). The retry policy compares
+   * `attempts - attemptsBase` against `retry.max`, so `attempts` stays monotonic
+   * (run ids are keyed by it) while the budget can be reset. Default 0.
+   */
+  attemptsBase: z.number().int().nonnegative().default(0),
   leaseEpoch: z.number().int().nonnegative().default(0),
   rev: z.number().int().nonnegative().default(0),
   blockedReason: z.string().optional(),