diff --git a/crates/omnigraph/tests/composite_flow.rs b/crates/omnigraph/tests/composite_flow.rs
index 00f4d49..63ec8b2 100644
--- a/crates/omnigraph/tests/composite_flow.rs
+++ b/crates/omnigraph/tests/composite_flow.rs
@@ -396,6 +396,137 @@ async fn composite_flow_canonical_lifecycle() {
     assert!(!final_total.batches().is_empty());
 }
 
+/// Cross-handle sequence that exercises operations after a schema_apply
+/// invalidates a peer handle's cached `_schema.pg`. The narrow load-bearing
+/// pin is that `Omnigraph::refresh()` must not deadlock when its
+/// `reload_schema_if_source_changed()` step needs to acquire a read on the
+/// coordinator's `RwLock`. The broader sequencing — schema_apply →
+/// branch_create → branch_delete → branch_merge → mutate (using the new
+/// schema's added property) → reopen — pins that the fix doesn't regress
+/// any of the related call sites.
+///
+/// Pre-fix bug class: `Omnigraph::refresh()` held
+/// `coordinator.write().await` from start to finish, including across the
+/// `self.reload_schema_if_source_changed()` call. That helper's
+/// `self.coordinator.read().await` (only reached when the on-disk schema
+/// source differs from the in-memory cache) deadlocks against the outer
+/// write guard because tokio's `RwLock` is not reentrant. Reachable from
+/// every public refresh-using API: `branch_delete` (`omnigraph.rs:910`),
+/// `branch_merge` (post-merge refresh on bound target), and any caller
+/// that calls `Omnigraph::refresh` directly.
+///
+/// The cross-handle setup is the realistic trigger: handle A applies a
+/// schema, advancing `_schema.pg` on disk; handle B has stale in-memory
+/// schema_source. B's next `refresh()` (via branch_delete here) hits the
+/// read-after-write reload path. Single-handle is unreachable because
+/// `apply_schema` updates the local ArcSwap cache in-line.
+///
+/// Post-fix invariant: `refresh()` scopes its write guard to the recovery
+/// section only, releasing it before `reload_schema_if_source_changed()`.
+/// The reload's read acquisition is uncontested.
+#[tokio::test(flavor = "multi_thread", worker_threads = 4)]
+async fn composite_flow_schema_apply_then_branch_ops_no_deadlock_in_refresh() {
+    let dir = tempfile::tempdir().unwrap();
+    let uri = dir.path().to_str().unwrap();
+
+    // Step 1: init + load on handle A.
+    let mut db_a = Omnigraph::init(uri, TEST_SCHEMA).await.unwrap();
+    load_jsonl(&mut db_a, TEST_DATA, LoadMode::Append).await.unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(count_rows(&db_a, "node:Person").await, 4);
+
+    // Step 2: open handle B on the same repo. B's in-memory schema_source
+    // cache is now a snapshot of `_schema.pg` at open time.
+    let db_b = Omnigraph::open(uri).await.unwrap();
+
+    // Step 3: A applies a schema that adds a nullable property to Person.
+    // A's on-disk `_schema.pg` is rewritten; A's in-memory cache is updated
+    // in-line by `apply_schema`. B's in-memory cache is now STALE relative
+    // to disk.
+    const TEST_SCHEMA_V2: &str = "node Person {\n    name: String @key\n    age: I32?\n    nickname: String?\n}\n\nnode Company {\n    name: String @key\n}\n\nedge Knows: Person -> Person {\n    since: Date?\n}\n\nedge WorksAt: Person -> Company\n";
+    let plan = db_a.apply_schema(TEST_SCHEMA_V2).await.unwrap();
+    assert!(plan.applied, "apply_schema must succeed on a clean repo");
+    assert!(
+        !plan.steps.is_empty(),
+        "apply_schema must record the AddProperty step"
+    );
+
+    // Step 4: deadlock vector. B.branch_delete calls B.refresh() internally
+    // (omnigraph.rs:910). refresh() pre-fix holds the coord write guard
+    // across reload_schema_if_source_changed; with B's cache stale, that
+    // helper takes the not-early-return branch and tries
+    // self.coordinator.read().await — deadlocks against the outer write.
+    //
+    // Wrap in tokio::time::timeout so a deadlock surfaces as a clean test
+    // panic instead of a stuck CI job. 15s is well above natural completion
+    // on local FS (sub-second under normal conditions).
+    db_b.branch_create("post-schema-apply-test").await.unwrap();
+    let delete_result = tokio::time::timeout(
+        std::time::Duration::from_secs(15),
+        db_b.branch_delete("post-schema-apply-test"),
+    )
+    .await;
+    assert!(
+        delete_result.is_ok(),
+        "branch_delete deadlocked in refresh() with stale schema cache. \
+         Pre-fix symptom: Omnigraph::refresh() holds coordinator.write().await \
+         across reload_schema_if_source_changed(), which acquires \
+         coordinator.read().await on the same non-reentrant RwLock when the \
+         on-disk schema source differs from the in-memory cache.",
+    );
+    delete_result
+        .unwrap()
+        .expect("branch_delete must succeed once refresh() releases its write guard");
+
+    // Step 5: continuing operations on B post-refresh — verify the broader
+    // sequence works. B's catalog should now reflect the new schema (the
+    // refresh path includes reload_schema_if_source_changed which calls
+    // store_catalog).
+    db_b.branch_create("feature-after-apply").await.unwrap();
+
+    // Step 6: branch_merge from B exercises the post-merge refresh() path
+    // (merge.rs:1100-1107) — same deadlock surface as branch_delete,
+    // sanity-pinned by reusing the same handle whose cache was just
+    // refreshed.
+    let _outcome = tokio::time::timeout(
+        std::time::Duration::from_secs(15),
+        db_b.branch_merge("feature-after-apply", "main"),
+    )
+    .await
+    .expect("branch_merge deadlocked in refresh() post-schema-apply")
+    .expect("branch_merge must succeed");
+
+    // Step 7: mutation on main using the new schema's added property —
+    // verifies the catalog reload completed and the engine accepts a
+    // mutation referencing `nickname`.
+    const NICKNAME_QUERY: &str = "query set_nickname($name: String, $nickname: String) {\n    update Person set { nickname: $nickname } where name = $name\n}";
+    db_b.mutate_as(
+        "main",
+        NICKNAME_QUERY,
+        "set_nickname",
+        &mixed_params(&[("$name", "Alice"), ("$nickname", "Ali")], &[]),
+        None,
+    )
+    .await
+    .expect("update using post-apply schema property must succeed");
+
+    // Step 8: reopen — final integration check that the post-deadlock-fix
+    // state persists across handle drop/open.
+    drop(db_a);
+    drop(db_b);
+    let db_c = Omnigraph::open(uri).await.unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(
+        count_rows(&db_c, "node:Person").await,
+        4,
+        "Person count consistent across reopen post-schema-apply",
+    );
+    let branches = db_c.branch_list().await.unwrap();
+    assert!(
+        !branches.iter().any(|b| b == "post-schema-apply-test"),
+        "deleted branch must stay deleted across reopen; got {:?}",
+        branches,
+    );
+}
+
 /// Multi-branch sequential merges with main writes interleaved between
 /// every diverge point. Catches compositional regressions that single-
 /// merge tests can't see: