diff --git a/docs/installation.md b/docs/installation.md
index a5ecc7e132..3164457330 100644
--- a/docs/installation.md
+++ b/docs/installation.md
@@ -1473,6 +1473,9 @@ reopen the target to resolve a new profile after intentionally changing it.
 The profile records the caller path, resolved project/name, program and content
 fingerprint. Original analysis settings and completeness remain **unknown**;
 prior annotations or edits are caller-project state, not fresh REA discoveries.
+For supported header-selected MIPS ELF targets, the profile also binds the
+selected target's ELF metadata; it does not claim a fresh-import MIPS lane was
+used for the saved project.
 A matching recorded import digest does not claim that the database is unedited.
 Saved REA seed/analyzer reports remain historical facts in retained source Evidence;
 they are not interpreted as overrides applied by this session.
diff --git a/scripts/verify-real-ghidra-mips.mjs b/scripts/verify-real-ghidra-mips.mjs
index b2e02568c0..14e794ba3e 100644
--- a/scripts/verify-real-ghidra-mips.mjs
+++ b/scripts/verify-real-ghidra-mips.mjs
@@ -6,12 +6,13 @@ import {
   mkdtemp,
   mkdir,
   readFile,
+  readdir,
   realpath,
   rm,
   writeFile,
 } from "node:fs/promises";
 import { tmpdir } from "node:os";
-import { join } from "node:path";
+import { basename, join, relative } from "node:path";
 import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
 import { promisify } from "node:util";
 import { Client } from "@modelcontextprotocol/client";
@@ -41,8 +42,10 @@ import {
 import {
   requireMcpToolError,
   requireMcpOperationResult,
+  requireMcpOutput,
 } from "./lib/mcp-verifier-results.mjs";
 import { createVerifierRun, completeVerifierRun } from "./lib/verifier-run.mjs";
+import { runOwnedCommand } from "../dist/process/OwnedCommand.js";
 
 // Optional cross-target lane. No tool acquisition and no target execution.
 const mode = process.argv[2];
@@ -90,6 +93,114 @@ for (const setting of ["GHIDRA_HEADLESS_MAXMEM", "GHIDRA_MAXMEM"]) {
   if (process.env[setting] !== undefined) env[setting] = process.env[setting];
 }
 
+/** Observe an existing project, and verify REA never alters the caller's copy. */
+async function verifyExistingMipsProject(fixture, byteOrder) {
+  const projectDir = join(workspace, `${byteOrder}-existing-project`);
+  await mkdir(projectDir);
+  assert.ok(installation.analyzeHeadlessPath);
+  await runOwnedCommand(
+    {
+      command: installation.analyzeHeadlessPath,
+      arguments: [
+        projectDir,
+        "ExistingMips",
+        "-import",
+        fixture.path,
+        "-noanalysis",
+      ],
+      env,
+      runId: run.run_id,
+      expectedCommand: null,
+    },
+    { timeoutMs: 180000, diagnosticBytes: 1024 * 1024 },
+  );
+  const projectPath = join(projectDir, "ExistingMips.gpr");
+  const digestTree = async () => {
+    const paths = [projectPath];
+    const walk = async (dir) => {
+      for (const entry of await readdir(dir, { withFileTypes: true })) {
+        const path = join(dir, entry.name);
+        if (entry.isDirectory()) await walk(path);
+        else if (entry.isFile()) paths.push(path);
+      }
+    };
+    await walk(join(projectDir, "ExistingMips.rep"));
+    return Promise.all(
+      paths.sort().map(async (path) => [
+        relative(projectDir, path),
+        createHash("sha256")
+          .update(await readFile(path))
+          .digest("hex"),
+      ]),
+    );
+  };
+  const before = await digestTree();
+  const transport = new StdioClientTransport({
+    command: process.execPath,
+    args: [entrypoint, "mcp"],
+    env: {
+      ...env,
+      REA_GHIDRA_PROJECT_PATH: projectPath,
+      REA_GHIDRA_PROGRAM_NAME: basename(fixture.path),
+    },
+    stderr: "pipe",
+  });
+  const client = new Client({ name: "rea-existing-mips-proof", version: "1" });
+  try {
+    await client.connect(transport);
+    const opened = await client.callTool(
+      {
+        name: "open_binary",
+        arguments: { path: fixture.path, provider_id: "ghidra" },
+      },
+      { timeout: 180000 },
+    );
+    requireMcpOperationResult(opened, "open_binary");
+    const result = await client.callTool(
+      { name: "list_procedures", arguments: {} },
+      { timeout: 180000 },
+    );
+    const observation = parseEvidence(
+      requireMcpOutput(result, "list_procedures"),
+    );
+    assert.ok(Array.isArray(observation.normalized_result));
+    const parameters = observation.analysis_profile?.parameters;
+    assert.equal(parameters?.import_mode, "existing-project-private-copy-v1");
+    assert.equal(parameters?.mips_elf?.byte_order, byteOrder);
+    assert.equal(parameters?.mips_support_lane, undefined);
+    assert.deepEqual(parameters?.original_analysis, {
+      completeness: "unknown",
+      settings: "unknown",
+    });
+    requireMcpOperationResult(
+      await client.callTool({ name: "close_binary", arguments: {} }),
+      "close_binary",
+    );
+  } finally {
+    try {
+      await client.close();
+    } finally {
+      await transport.close();
+    }
+  }
+  assert.deepEqual(
+    await digestTree(),
+    before,
+    "REA changed the source project",
+  );
+  assert.equal(
+    createHash("sha256")
+      .update(await readFile(fixture.path))
+      .digest("hex"),
+    fixture.sha256,
+  );
+  return {
+    byte_order: byteOrder,
+    project_unchanged: true,
+    target_unchanged: true,
+  };
+}
+
 /**
  * Typed float signatures must use soft-float o32 storage, and callers must see
  * the source constants through it rather than FPU inputs.
@@ -320,6 +431,10 @@ try {
       );
     }
     assert.equal(resolved.value.sha256, fixture.sha256);
+    const existingProject =
+      !psp && floatAbi === "hard"
+        ? await verifyExistingMipsProject(fixture, byteOrder)
+        : undefined;
     const snapshotPath = join(
       workspace,
       `${byteOrder}-${floatAbi}.snapshot.json`,
@@ -682,6 +797,9 @@ try {
       }
       reports.push({
         ...fixture,
+        ...(existingProject === undefined
+          ? {}
+          : { existing_project: existingProject }),
         independent_reader: independent,
         effective_language: image.observations.language_id,
         effective_compiler_spec: image.observations.compiler_spec_id,
diff --git a/src/ghidra/GhidraAnalysisProfile.ts b/src/ghidra/GhidraAnalysisProfile.ts
index d35ca1b428..6a9b5223f4 100644
--- a/src/ghidra/GhidraAnalysisProfile.ts
+++ b/src/ghidra/GhidraAnalysisProfile.ts
@@ -475,11 +475,13 @@ export const existingGhidraAnalysisProfile = (
   target: BinaryTarget,
   provider: Parameters<typeof createAnalysisProfile>[0],
   project: JsonValue,
-) =>
-  createAnalysisProfile(provider, {
+) => {
+  const mipsElf = ghidraMipsProfileParameters(target).mips_elf;
+  return createAnalysisProfile(provider, {
     target_kind: target.kind,
     target_format: target.format,
     architecture: target.architecture ?? null,
+    ...(mipsElf === undefined ? {} : { mips_elf: mipsElf }),
     import_mode: "existing-project-private-copy-v1",
     ...sharedAnalysisSemantics,
     annotation_policy: "read-only-existing-project-v1",
@@ -488,3 +490,4 @@ export const existingGhidraAnalysisProfile = (
     no_return_repair: "disabled-existing-project",
     process_launch: "inspected-jvm-launch-support-v1",
   });
+};
diff --git a/src/ghidra/GhidraMipsProfile.test.ts b/src/ghidra/GhidraMipsProfile.test.ts
index 27045790ce..44e2105b5e 100644
--- a/src/ghidra/GhidraMipsProfile.test.ts
+++ b/src/ghidra/GhidraMipsProfile.test.ts
@@ -13,11 +13,15 @@ import { HopperProvider } from "../hopper/HopperProvider.js";
 import { hopperLoaderArgsForTarget } from "../hopper/HopperAnalysisProfile.js";
 import { IdaProvider } from "../ida/IdaProvider.js";
 import { GhidraProvider } from "./GhidraProvider.js";
-import { ghidraMipsProfileParameters } from "./GhidraMipsProfile.js";
+import {
+  ghidraMipsProfileMismatchReason,
+  ghidraMipsProfileParameters,
+} from "./GhidraMipsProfile.js";
 import { ghidraProfileInstallationHost as host } from "./GhidraInstallation.fixture.js";
 import { GHIDRA_SESSION_CAPABILITIES } from "./GhidraSessionValues.js";
 import type { GhidraMipsSoftFloatReport } from "./GhidraMipsProfile.js";
 import {
+  existingGhidraAnalysisProfile,
   ghidraPinnedLanguage,
   ghidraProfileLanguageOverride,
   ghidraProfilePinnedLanguage,
@@ -96,6 +100,28 @@ const abi = (
 const softFloat = abi({ cpr1Size: 0, fpAbi: 3 });
 
 describe("bounded Ghidra MIPS admission", () => {
+  it("binds a saved project's MIPS metadata without claiming a fresh-import lane", () => {
+    const little = target();
+    const big = target({ byteOrder: "big" });
+    const profile = existingGhidraAnalysisProfile(
+      little,
+      { id: "ghidra", name: "Ghidra", version: "12.1.4" },
+      { project_name: "fixture" },
+    );
+    expect(profile.parameters).not.toHaveProperty("mips_support_lane");
+    expect(
+      ghidraMipsProfileMismatchReason(little, profile.parameters, true),
+    ).toBeNull();
+    expect(
+      ghidraMipsProfileMismatchReason(big, profile.parameters, true),
+    ).toMatch(/metadata does not match/u);
+    expect(
+      ghidraMipsProfileMismatchReason(little, profile.parameters, false),
+    ).toMatch(/different target/u);
+    expect(ghidraMipsProfileMismatchReason(little, {}, true)).toMatch(
+      /metadata does not match/u,
+    );
+  });
   it("binds endian and flags without widening Windows P0", async () => {
     const ghidra = new GhidraProvider(config, silentLogger, {}, host);
     const little = target();
diff --git a/src/ghidra/GhidraMipsProfile.ts b/src/ghidra/GhidraMipsProfile.ts
index d9838ac65f..4dc2a60d66 100644
--- a/src/ghidra/GhidraMipsProfile.ts
+++ b/src/ghidra/GhidraMipsProfile.ts
@@ -435,6 +435,7 @@ export const ghidraMipsProfileParameters = (
 export const ghidraMipsProfileMismatchReason = (
   target: BinaryTarget,
   parameters: Readonly<Record<string, unknown>>,
+  existingProject: boolean,
 ): string | null => {
   if (target.architecture !== "mips" || target.mips === undefined) return null;
   const expected = ghidraMipsProfileParameters(target);
@@ -447,6 +448,7 @@ export const ghidraMipsProfileMismatchReason = (
   const expectedBasis =
     committedLane === pspLane ? undefined : expected.mips_abi_basis;
   if (
+    !existingProject &&
     expectedLane !== undefined &&
     (committedLane !== expectedLane ||
       parameters.mips_abi_basis !== expectedBasis)
diff --git a/src/ghidra/GhidraProviderClient.ts b/src/ghidra/GhidraProviderClient.ts
index 7eb4052e7b..9464f560da 100644
--- a/src/ghidra/GhidraProviderClient.ts
+++ b/src/ghidra/GhidraProviderClient.ts
@@ -439,6 +439,9 @@ export const createGhidraProviderClient = (input: {
   const mipsProfileMismatch = ghidraMipsProfileMismatchReason(
     target,
     committedProfile.parameters,
+    project !== undefined &&
+      committedProfile.parameters.import_mode ===
+        "existing-project-private-copy-v1",
   );
   if (mipsProfileMismatch !== null)
     return err(