diff --git a/server/src/__tests__/issue-liveness.test.ts b/server/src/__tests__/issue-liveness.test.ts
index 53e1c8d387..ed594f7a69 100644
--- a/server/src/__tests__/issue-liveness.test.ts
+++ b/server/src/__tests__/issue-liveness.test.ts
@@ -152,6 +152,74 @@ describe("issue graph liveness classifier", () => {
     expect(findings).toEqual([]);
   });
 
+  it.each([
+    ["board", "board"],
+    ["user", { userId: "board-user-1" }],
+    ["agent", { agentId: "00000000-0000-4000-8000-000000000001" }],
+  ])("treats a valid %s unblock descriptor as the external path for a blocked leaf", (_ownerKind, owner) => {
+    const findings = classifyIssueGraphLiveness({
+      issues: [
+        issue(),
+        issue({
+          id: blockerId,
+          identifier: "PAP-1704",
+          title: "Externally owned unblock work",
+          status: "blocked",
+          assigneeAgentId: null,
+          unblockDescriptor: { owner, action: "Obtain the external approval" },
+        }),
+      ],
+      relations: blocks,
+      agents: [agent(), manager],
+    });
+
+    expect(findings).toEqual([]);
+  });
+
+  it("does not accept malformed descriptors as a comment-free unblock path", () => {
+    const findings = classifyIssueGraphLiveness({
+      issues: [
+        issue(),
+        issue({
+          id: blockerId,
+          identifier: "PAP-1704",
+          title: "Malformed external unblock work",
+          status: "blocked",
+          assigneeAgentId: null,
+          unblockDescriptor: { owner: "board", action: "   " },
+        }),
+      ],
+      relations: blocks,
+      agents: [agent(), manager],
+    });
+
+    expect(findings).toHaveLength(1);
+    expect(findings[0]?.state).toBe("blocked_by_unassigned_issue");
+  });
+
+  it("keeps terminal dependency findings ahead of an external descriptor on the blocked issue", () => {
+    const findings = classifyIssueGraphLiveness({
+      issues: [
+        issue({ unblockDescriptor: { owner: "board", action: "Review the external dependency" } }),
+        issue({
+          id: blockerId,
+          identifier: "PAP-1704",
+          title: "Cancelled first-class dependency",
+          status: "cancelled",
+          assigneeAgentId: null,
+        }),
+      ],
+      relations: blocks,
+      agents: [agent(), manager],
+    });
+
+    expect(findings).toHaveLength(1);
+    expect(findings[0]).toMatchObject({
+      state: "blocked_by_cancelled_issue",
+      recoveryIssueId: blockerId,
+    });
+  });
+
   it("detects an assigned backlog blocker leaf with no action path", () => {
     const findings = classifyIssueGraphLiveness({
       issues: [
diff --git a/server/src/__tests__/low-trust-red-team-routes.test.ts b/server/src/__tests__/low-trust-red-team-routes.test.ts
index 639be853c2..e8622c62c3 100644
--- a/server/src/__tests__/low-trust-red-team-routes.test.ts
+++ b/server/src/__tests__/low-trust-red-team-routes.test.ts
@@ -1051,6 +1051,66 @@ describeEmbeddedPostgres(
       }
     });
 
+    it("persists valid external unblock descriptors on create and comment-plus-status updates", async () => {
+      const fixture = await seedLowTrustFixture(db);
+      const app = createApp(db, boardActor(fixture));
+      const unblockDescriptor = {
+        owner: "board",
+        action: "Review the external dependency",
+      } as const;
+
+      const created = await request(app)
+        .post(`/api/companies/${fixture.company.id}/issues`)
+        .send({
+          projectId: fixture.projects.allowed.id,
+          title: "Externally blocked during creation",
+          status: "blocked",
+          unblockDescriptor,
+        });
+      expect(created.status, JSON.stringify(created.body)).toBe(201);
+
+      const [createdRow] = await db
+        .select({
+          status: issues.status,
+          unblockDescriptor: issues.unblockDescriptor,
+        })
+        .from(issues)
+        .where(eq(issues.id, created.body.id));
+      expect(createdRow).toMatchObject({ status: "blocked", unblockDescriptor });
+
+      await db
+        .delete(issueApprovals)
+        .where(eq(issueApprovals.issueId, fixture.issues.assignedReview.id));
+      const transitionComment =
+        "External unblock path recorded with the status transition.";
+      const transitioned = await request(app)
+        .patch(`/api/issues/${fixture.issues.assignedReview.id}`)
+        .send({ status: "blocked", comment: transitionComment, unblockDescriptor });
+      expect(transitioned.status, JSON.stringify(transitioned.body)).toBe(200);
+
+      const [transitionedRow] = await db
+        .select({
+          status: issues.status,
+          unblockDescriptor: issues.unblockDescriptor,
+        })
+        .from(issues)
+        .where(eq(issues.id, fixture.issues.assignedReview.id));
+      const [persistedComment] = await db
+        .select({ body: issueComments.body })
+        .from(issueComments)
+        .where(
+          and(
+            eq(issueComments.issueId, fixture.issues.assignedReview.id),
+            eq(issueComments.body, transitionComment),
+          ),
+        );
+      expect(transitionedRow).toMatchObject({
+        status: "blocked",
+        unblockDescriptor,
+      });
+      expect(persistedComment?.body).toBe(transitionComment);
+    });
+
     it("relays blocked and cancelled stops once without laundering child prose", async () => {
       const fixture = await seedLowTrustFixture(db);
       const app = createApp(db, boardActor(fixture));
diff --git a/server/src/services/issues.ts b/server/src/services/issues.ts
index e51af10035..02e5b9fdfb 100644
--- a/server/src/services/issues.ts
+++ b/server/src/services/issues.ts
@@ -4742,6 +4742,7 @@ async function listIssueReviewAttentionMap(
       executionState: issue.executionState,
       monitorNextCheckAt: issue.monitorNextCheckAt,
       monitorAttemptCount: issue.monitorAttemptCount,
+      unblockDescriptor: issue.unblockDescriptor,
     })),
     relations: [],
     agents: agentRows,
@@ -5838,6 +5839,7 @@ async function listIssueBlockedInboxAttentionMap(
       executionState: issue.executionState,
       monitorNextCheckAt: issue.monitorNextCheckAt,
       monitorAttemptCount: issue.monitorAttemptCount,
+      unblockDescriptor: issue.unblockDescriptor,
     })),
     relations: graphRelations,
     agents: companyAgents,
diff --git a/server/src/services/recovery/issue-graph-liveness.ts b/server/src/services/recovery/issue-graph-liveness.ts
index acf32b0a2b..e9f566df50 100644
--- a/server/src/services/recovery/issue-graph-liveness.ts
+++ b/server/src/services/recovery/issue-graph-liveness.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { getAgentWorkEligibility, isAgentInvokable } from "@paperclipai/shared";
+import { getAgentWorkEligibility, isAgentInvokable, updateIssueSchema } from "@paperclipai/shared";
 import { buildIssueGraphLivenessIncidentKey } from "./origins.js";
 
 export type IssueLivenessSeverity = "warning" | "critical";
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ export interface IssueLivenessIssueInput {
   executionState?: Record<string, unknown> | null;
   monitorNextCheckAt?: Date | string | null;
   monitorAttemptCount?: number | null;
+  unblockDescriptor?: unknown;
 }
 
 export interface IssueLivenessRelationInput {
@@ -168,6 +169,14 @@ function hasWaitingPath(
   return waitingPaths.some((entry) => entry.companyId === companyId && entry.issueId === issueId);
 }
 
+function hasValidExternalUnblockPath(issue: IssueLivenessIssueInput) {
+  if (issue.status !== "blocked" || issue.unblockDescriptor == null) return false;
+  return updateIssueSchema.safeParse({
+    status: "blocked",
+    unblockDescriptor: issue.unblockDescriptor,
+  }).success;
+}
+
 function readRecord(value: unknown): Record<string, unknown> | null {
   return value && typeof value === "object" && !Array.isArray(value)
     ? value as Record<string, unknown>
@@ -512,7 +521,8 @@ export function classifyIssueGraphLiveness(input: IssueGraphLivenessInput): Issu
   }
 
   function hasExplicitWaitingPath(issue: IssueLivenessIssueInput) {
-    return Boolean(issue.assigneeUserId) ||
+    return hasValidExternalUnblockPath(issue) ||
+      Boolean(issue.assigneeUserId) ||
       hasScheduledIssueMonitorPath(issue, nowMs) ||
       hasActiveExecutionPath(issue.companyId, issue.id, activeRuns, queuedWakeRequests) ||
       hasWaitingPath(issue.companyId, issue.id, pendingInteractions) ||