diff --git a/apps/bot/src/telegram/commands/pair.ts b/apps/bot/src/telegram/commands/pair.ts
index 029b009..1a409c0 100644
--- a/apps/bot/src/telegram/commands/pair.ts
+++ b/apps/bot/src/telegram/commands/pair.ts
@@ -1,14 +1,37 @@
 import type { Context } from "grammy";
 import { InputFile } from "grammy";
+import { rm } from "node:fs/promises";
+import { join } from "node:path";
 import { whatsappAccounts } from "@cmbot/db";
 import { db } from "../../db.js";
+import { env } from "../../env.js";
 import { logger } from "../../logger.js";
 import { sessionManager } from "../../whatsapp/session-manager.js";
 import { renderQrPng } from "../../whatsapp/qr-renderer.js";
 import { syncGroupsForAccount } from "../../whatsapp/group-sync.js";
 import { writeAuditLog } from "../../audit.js";
 
+// Per-account state for the pairing flow. Re-running /pair for the same
+// account tears down the previous flow before starting a new one so we never
+// have multiple listeners fighting over the same Telegram message.
 const qrMessageIdByAccount = new Map<string, number>();
+const lastQrPayloadByAccount = new Map<string, string>();
+const offByAccount = new Map<string, () => void>();
+
+async function cancelExistingFlow(accountId: string): Promise<void> {
+  const off = offByAccount.get(accountId);
+  if (off) {
+    off();
+    offByAccount.delete(accountId);
+  }
+  qrMessageIdByAccount.delete(accountId);
+  lastQrPayloadByAccount.delete(accountId);
+  if (sessionManager.hasSession(accountId)) {
+    await sessionManager.stop(accountId);
+  }
+  // Wipe any half-baked session creds so the new flow gets a fresh QR
+  await rm(join(env.SESSIONS_DIR, accountId), { recursive: true, force: true });
+}
 
 export async function handlePair(ctx: Context): Promise<void> {
   const text = ctx.message?.text ?? "";
@@ -49,28 +72,48 @@ export async function handlePair(ctx: Context): Promise<void> {
     accountId = created!.id;
   }
 
+  // If a previous pairing flow for this account is still alive (or stuck),
+  // tear it down cleanly before opening a new one.
+  await cancelExistingFlow(accountId);
+
   await ctx.reply(`📡 Starting pairing for "${label}". A QR code will arrive shortly.`);
 
   const off = sessionManager.on(async (id, _state, event) => {
     if (id !== accountId) return;
     try {
       if (event.type === "qr") {
+        // Skip duplicate QR pushes — Baileys can re-emit the same QR which
+        // makes editMessageMedia fail with "message is not modified".
+        if (lastQrPayloadByAccount.get(id) === event.payload) return;
+        lastQrPayloadByAccount.set(id, event.payload);
+
         const png = await renderQrPng(event.payload);
         const file = new InputFile(png, `pair-${id}.png`);
         const caption = `📱 Scan with WhatsApp → Linked Devices.\nLabel: "${label}". Expires in ~30s.`;
         const existingMsg = qrMessageIdByAccount.get(id);
         if (existingMsg) {
-          await ctx.api.editMessageMedia(ctx.chat!.id, existingMsg, {
-            type: "photo",
-            media: file,
-            caption,
-          });
+          try {
+            await ctx.api.editMessageMedia(ctx.chat!.id, existingMsg, {
+              type: "photo",
+              media: file,
+              caption,
+            });
+          } catch (err) {
+            // If the edit fails for a benign reason (e.g. message gone), fall
+            // back to sending a fresh photo so the operator still sees the QR.
+            logger.warn({ err, accountId: id }, "pair: editMessageMedia failed; sending fresh QR");
+            qrMessageIdByAccount.delete(id);
+            const sent = await ctx.replyWithPhoto(file, { caption });
+            qrMessageIdByAccount.set(id, sent.message_id);
+          }
         } else {
           const sent = await ctx.replyWithPhoto(file, { caption });
           qrMessageIdByAccount.set(id, sent.message_id);
         }
       } else if (event.type === "open") {
         qrMessageIdByAccount.delete(id);
+        lastQrPayloadByAccount.delete(id);
+        offByAccount.delete(id);
         await ctx.reply(
           `✅ "${label}" connected${event.phoneNumber ? ` as +${event.phoneNumber}` : ""}.`,
         );
@@ -90,6 +133,8 @@ export async function handlePair(ctx: Context): Promise<void> {
         off();
       } else if (event.type === "close" && event.loggedOut) {
         qrMessageIdByAccount.delete(id);
+        lastQrPayloadByAccount.delete(id);
+        offByAccount.delete(id);
         await ctx.reply(`⚠️ Pairing failed (logged out).`);
         off();
       }
@@ -97,6 +142,7 @@ export async function handlePair(ctx: Context): Promise<void> {
       logger.error({ err, accountId: id }, "pair handler error");
     }
   });
+  offByAccount.set(accountId, off);
 
   try {
     await sessionManager.start(accountId);
@@ -104,5 +150,6 @@ export async function handlePair(ctx: Context): Promise<void> {
     logger.error({ err, accountId }, "pair: start failed");
     await ctx.reply(`Pairing failed to start: ${(err as Error).message}`);
     off();
+    offByAccount.delete(accountId);
   }
 }