diff --git a/frontend/src/components/StagePanel.test.tsx b/frontend/src/components/StagePanel.test.tsx
index a0fe5a05..5947a230 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/StagePanel.test.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/components/StagePanel.test.tsx
@@ -453,6 +453,67 @@ describe("StagePanel", () => {
 		expect(badge).toHaveTextContent("BLOCKED");
 	});
 
+	// Story 1215 — confirms the board shows an active-agent indicator instead
+	// of the plain blocked icon whenever a running/pending agent is present,
+	// even though blocked=true, and falls back to the plain icon otherwise.
+	it("shows active-agent indicator instead of blocked icon when a running/pending agent is present, even if blocked=true", () => {
+		const items: PipelineStageItem[] = [
+			{
+				story_id: "54_story_blocked_active_agent",
+				name: "Blocked With Active Agent",
+				error: null,
+				merge_failure: null,
+				agent: { agent_name: "coder", model: "claude", status: "running" },
+				review_hold: null,
+				qa: null,
+				depends_on: null,
+				blocked: true,
+			},
+		];
+		render(<StagePanel title="Current" items={items} />);
+		const badge = screen.getByTestId("blocked-badge-54_story_blocked_active_agent");
+		expect(badge).not.toHaveTextContent("BLOCKED");
+		expect(badge).toHaveTextContent("RECOVERING");
+	});
+
+	it("drives the distinct indicator off the agent's running/pending status, not the blocked flag alone", () => {
+		const items: PipelineStageItem[] = [
+			{
+				story_id: "55_story_blocked_stale_agent",
+				name: "Blocked With Completed Agent",
+				error: null,
+				merge_failure: null,
+				agent: { agent_name: "coder", model: "claude", status: "completed" },
+				review_hold: null,
+				qa: null,
+				depends_on: null,
+				blocked: true,
+			},
+		];
+		render(<StagePanel title="Current" items={items} />);
+		const badge = screen.getByTestId("blocked-badge-55_story_blocked_stale_agent");
+		expect(badge).toHaveTextContent("BLOCKED");
+	});
+
+	it("shows the plain blocked icon for a story that is blocked with no live agent", () => {
+		const items: PipelineStageItem[] = [
+			{
+				story_id: "56_story_blocked_no_agent",
+				name: "Blocked No Agent",
+				error: null,
+				merge_failure: null,
+				agent: null,
+				review_hold: null,
+				qa: null,
+				depends_on: null,
+				blocked: true,
+			},
+		];
+		render(<StagePanel title="Current" items={items} />);
+		const badge = screen.getByTestId("blocked-badge-56_story_blocked_no_agent");
+		expect(badge).toHaveTextContent("BLOCKED");
+	});
+
 	it("shows spinning icon for merge_failure item with running mergemaster", () => {
 		const items: PipelineStageItem[] = [
 			{