diff --git a/pkg/compose/reconcile.go b/pkg/compose/reconcile.go
index a7127d78d..c3d166770 100644
--- a/pkg/compose/reconcile.go
+++ b/pkg/compose/reconcile.go
@@ -720,6 +720,40 @@ func (r *reconciler) reconcileService(service types.ServiceConfig) error {
 	if service.Provider != nil {
 		serviceCopy := service
 		deps := r.infrastructureDeps(service)
+		// A service migrated from replicas to a provider leaves its old
+		// containers behind: not converged (a provider service has no
+		// replicas to converge) and not orphaned (the service is still in
+		// the model). They must go before the provider's relay stands in:
+		// the relay takes over the service's canonical container name and
+		// its network alias, so a leftover replica is both a name conflict
+		// at relay creation and a competing DNS entry serving stale
+		// traffic. The relay itself (RelayLabel) is the provider service's
+		// legitimate container and is left alone — converged by
+		// ensureServiceRelay, not by the plan.
+		for i := range r.observed.Containers[service.Name] {
+			oc := &r.observed.Containers[service.Name][i]
+			if isRelayContainer(oc.Summary) {
+				continue
+			}
+			resID := serviceReplicaID(service.Name, oc.Number)
+			stopNode := r.plan.addNode(Operation{
+				Type:       OpStopContainer,
+				ResourceID: resID,
+				Cause:      "service is now provider-backed",
+				Container:  &oc.Summary,
+				Timeout:    r.options.Timeout,
+			}, "")
+			removeNode := r.plan.addNode(Operation{
+				Type:       OpRemoveContainer,
+				ResourceID: resID,
+				Cause:      "service is now provider-backed",
+				Container:  &oc.Summary,
+			}, "", stopNode)
+			r.removedByPlan[resID] = true
+			// the provider run deploys the relay: the canonical name must
+			// be free by then
+			deps = append(deps, removeNode)
+		}
 		node := r.plan.addNode(Operation{
 			Type:       OpRunProvider,
 			ResourceID: "provider:" + service.Name,
diff --git a/pkg/compose/reconcile_test.go b/pkg/compose/reconcile_test.go
index 9d89275de..981ab2f55 100644
--- a/pkg/compose/reconcile_test.go
+++ b/pkg/compose/reconcile_test.go
@@ -183,6 +183,83 @@ func TestReconcileNetworks_Diverged(t *testing.T) {
 `)+"\n")
 }
 
+// A service migrated from regular replicas to a provider must have its old
+// containers condemned by the plan: they are neither converged (a provider
+// service has no replicas) nor orphaned (the service is still in the model),
+// yet they hold the canonical container name the relay takes over and the
+// service's network alias. The relay itself is the provider service's
+// legitimate container and must be left alone.
+func TestReconcileService_ProviderMigrationRemovesStaleReplicas(t *testing.T) {
+	db := types.ServiceConfig{Name: "db", Provider: &types.ServiceProviderConfig{Type: "test"}}
+	project := &types.Project{
+		Name:     "myproject",
+		Services: types.Services{"db": db},
+	}
+	stale := ObservedContainer{
+		ID: "old-db", Number: 1, State: container.StateRunning, ConfigHash: "prehash",
+		Summary: container.Summary{
+			ID: "old-db", State: container.StateRunning,
+			Labels: map[string]string{
+				api.ServiceLabel:         "db",
+				api.ContainerNumberLabel: "1",
+				api.ConfigHashLabel:      "prehash",
+			},
+		},
+	}
+	observed := &ObservedState{
+		ProjectName: "myproject",
+		Containers:  map[string][]ObservedContainer{"db": {stale}},
+		Networks:    map[string][]ObservedNetwork{},
+		Volumes:     map[string][]ObservedVolume{},
+	}
+
+	plan, err := reconcile(t.Context(), project, observed, defaultReconcileOptions(), noPrompt)
+	assert.NilError(t, err)
+
+	// the provider run deploys the relay under the canonical name: it must
+	// depend on the removal that frees it
+	assert.Equal(t, plan.String(), strings.TrimSpace(`
+[] -> #1 service:db:1, StopContainer, service is now provider-backed
+[1] -> #2 service:db:1, RemoveContainer, service is now provider-backed
+[2] -> #3 provider:db, RunProvider, provider service
+`)+"\n")
+}
+
+// An up-to-date relay container observed for a provider service is NOT the
+// plan's to touch: ensureServiceRelay converges it during the provider run.
+func TestReconcileService_ProviderRelayLeftAlone(t *testing.T) {
+	db := types.ServiceConfig{Name: "db", Provider: &types.ServiceProviderConfig{Type: "test"}}
+	project := &types.Project{
+		Name:     "myproject",
+		Services: types.Services{"db": db},
+	}
+	relay := ObservedContainer{
+		ID: "relay-db", Number: 1, State: container.StateRunning, ConfigHash: "relay-identity",
+		Summary: container.Summary{
+			ID: "relay-db", State: container.StateRunning,
+			Labels: map[string]string{
+				api.ServiceLabel:         "db",
+				api.ContainerNumberLabel: "1",
+				api.ConfigHashLabel:      "relay-identity",
+				api.RelayLabel:           "relay-identity",
+			},
+		},
+	}
+	observed := &ObservedState{
+		ProjectName: "myproject",
+		Containers:  map[string][]ObservedContainer{"db": {relay}},
+		Networks:    map[string][]ObservedNetwork{},
+		Volumes:     map[string][]ObservedVolume{},
+	}
+
+	plan, err := reconcile(t.Context(), project, observed, defaultReconcileOptions(), noPrompt)
+	assert.NilError(t, err)
+
+	assert.Equal(t, plan.String(), strings.TrimSpace(`
+[] -> #1 provider:db, RunProvider, provider service
+`)+"\n")
+}
+
 // TestReconcileNetworks_DivergedAlsoRecreatesChangedContainer verifies the
 // entangled case: when a container attached to a diverged network also has its
 // own config changed, it is both reconnected (by the network recreate) and
diff --git a/pkg/e2e/providers_test.go b/pkg/e2e/providers_test.go
index 999c9df28..fe9fdeccd 100644
--- a/pkg/e2e/providers_test.go
+++ b/pkg/e2e/providers_test.go
@@ -107,6 +107,26 @@ func TestProviderRawSetEnvOverridesInheritedEnvMapForm(t *testing.T) {
 			OutputContains("overrides environment variable"))
 }
 
+func TestProviderMigration(t *testing.T) {
+	// Regression: migrating an already-deployed service to a provider left
+	// its replica standing — neither converged (provider services have no
+	// replicas) nor orphaned (the service is still in the model) — and the
+	// relay creation then failed with a name conflict on the canonical
+	// container name the replica still held.
+	relayImage := "compose-relay-e2e"
+	s := providerScenario(t, "migrating a deployed service to a provider must replace its replica with the relay")
+	s.CLI().RunCmd(t, "docker", "build", "-t", relayImage, "../../relay")
+	s.Env("PROVIDER_DEMO_ENDPOINT=1", "COMPOSE_RELAY_IMAGE="+relayImage)
+	s.Step("the service first runs as a regular container",
+		ComposeCmd("up", "-d"),
+		ServiceState("db", "running"))
+	s.FromFile("migrated.yaml")
+	s.Step("up after the migration replaces the replica with the relay, reachable at the compose-native address",
+		ComposeCmd("up"),
+		Recreated("db"),
+		OutputContains("test-1  | hello from provider"))
+}
+
 func TestProviderPublishEndpoint(t *testing.T) {
 	// The example provider stands up a real endpoint on the host and
 	// publishes it; compose deploys a relay under the service's name, so the
diff --git a/pkg/e2e/scenario.go b/pkg/e2e/scenario.go
index 3d43752c7..cd2c3a145 100644
--- a/pkg/e2e/scenario.go
+++ b/pkg/e2e/scenario.go
@@ -268,6 +268,25 @@ func (s *Scenario) FromRemote(source string, rootFlags ...string) *Scenario {
 	return s
 }
 
+// FromFile switches the scenario's compose file to another file of the
+// anchored project directory — for scenarios whose intent is a model
+// migration: steps before the switch ran the initial model, steps after it
+// run the migrated one, against the same project.
+func (s *Scenario) FromFile(name string) *Scenario {
+	s.t.Helper()
+	if s.file == "" {
+		s.t.Fatal("FromFile requires an anchored testdata directory")
+	}
+	file := filepath.Join(filepath.Dir(s.file), name)
+	if _, err := os.Stat(file); err != nil {
+		s.t.Fatalf("FromFile(%q): %v", name, err)
+	}
+	s.remote = ""
+	s.rootArgs = nil
+	s.file = file
+	return s
+}
+
 // Requires skips the scenario unless every requirement is met by the target
 // environment.
 func (s *Scenario) Requires(reqs ...Requirement) *Scenario {
diff --git a/pkg/e2e/testdata/TestProviderMigration/compose.yaml b/pkg/e2e/testdata/TestProviderMigration/compose.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b190baf9f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/e2e/testdata/TestProviderMigration/compose.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+services:
+  db:
+    image: alpine
+    init: true
+    command: sleep infinity
diff --git a/pkg/e2e/testdata/TestProviderMigration/migrated.yaml b/pkg/e2e/testdata/TestProviderMigration/migrated.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..885287740
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/e2e/testdata/TestProviderMigration/migrated.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+services:
+  test:
+    image: alpine
+    command: wget -qO- -T 10 http://db
+    depends_on:
+      - db
+  db:
+    provider:
+      type: example-provider
+      options:
+        name: db
+        type: test1
+        size: 1