diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 7a7e801..09254f3 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -1,5 +1,14 @@
 # Changelog
 
+## 0.14.5 - 2026-09-03
+
+- Split broadcast claiming into separate pending and stale-processing probes,
+  then choose the oldest locked candidate across both. The old `OR` query made
+  MySQL, PostgreSQL, and SQLite collect and sort eligible rows before applying
+  `LIMIT 1`; each probe now follows the existing
+  `(status, available_at, id)` index while preserving delivery order, recovery,
+  and concurrent claimant safety. No migration or new index is required.
+
 ## 0.14.4 - 2026-08-30
 
 - Reuse the encoding the after image already built. `State#to_h` copies the
diff --git a/Gemfile.lock b/Gemfile.lock
index ed845a2..1c8a95e 100644
--- a/Gemfile.lock
+++ b/Gemfile.lock
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 PATH
   remote: .
   specs:
-    solid_objects (0.14.4)
+    solid_objects (0.14.5)
       actioncable (>= 7.1)
       actionpack (>= 7.1)
       actionview (>= 7.1)
@@ -384,7 +384,7 @@ CHECKSUMS
   rubocop-rails-omakase (1.1.0) sha256=2af73ac8ee5852de2919abbd2618af9c15c19b512c4cfc1f9a5d3b6ef009109d
   ruby-progressbar (1.13.0) sha256=80fc9c47a9b640d6834e0dc7b3c94c9df37f08cb072b7761e4a71e22cff29b33
   securerandom (0.4.1) sha256=cc5193d414a4341b6e225f0cb4446aceca8e50d5e1888743fac16987638ea0b1
-  solid_objects (0.14.4)
+  solid_objects (0.14.5)
   sqlite3 (2.9.5-aarch64-linux-gnu) sha256=78075b6337d3d182c6d2b4691049ed45cd220826160c9ea18946bf6a1de200dc
   sqlite3 (2.9.5-aarch64-linux-musl) sha256=18c801185deb4adc01ddb281e8f672a39e3d1729979ca91e39439cd3eac0402d
   sqlite3 (2.9.5-arm-linux-gnu) sha256=1bdfca0c7d63998c60b0f4a8e3c8df2d33800ccc4abd2d612eddbbbc92a4c48b
diff --git a/lib/solid_objects/broadcast_executor.rb b/lib/solid_objects/broadcast_executor.rb
index dd70af5..1aaa574 100644
--- a/lib/solid_objects/broadcast_executor.rb
+++ b/lib/solid_objects/broadcast_executor.rb
@@ -112,11 +112,15 @@ def claim_next
       database_adapter.transaction do
         now = database_adapter.database_now
         stale_at = now - SolidObjects.configuration.process_alive_threshold
-        relation = Broadcast
-          .where(status: "pending", available_at: ..now)
-          .or(Broadcast.where(status: "processing", claimed_at: ..stale_at))
-          .order(:available_at, :id)
-        broadcast = database_adapter.lock_candidates(relation).first
+        pending_broadcast = claim_candidate(
+          Broadcast.where(status: "pending", available_at: ..now)
+        )
+        stale_broadcast = claim_candidate(
+          Broadcast.where(status: "processing", claimed_at: ..stale_at)
+        )
+        broadcast = [ pending_broadcast, stale_broadcast ]
+          .compact
+          .min_by { |candidate| [ candidate.available_at, candidate.id ] }
         next unless broadcast
 
         broadcast.update!(
@@ -129,6 +133,11 @@ def claim_next
       end
     end
 
+    # @rbs (ActiveRecord::Relation[Broadcast]) -> Broadcast?
+    def claim_candidate(relation)
+      database_adapter.lock_candidates(relation.order(:available_at, :id)).first
+    end
+
     # @rbs () -> Proc | ActionCableBroadcastAdapter
     def broadcast_adapter
       SolidObjects.configuration.broadcast_adapter ||
diff --git a/lib/solid_objects/version.rb b/lib/solid_objects/version.rb
index 22aeb34..f90d21e 100644
--- a/lib/solid_objects/version.rb
+++ b/lib/solid_objects/version.rb
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 # rbs_inline: enabled
 
 module SolidObjects
-  VERSION = "0.14.4"
+  VERSION = "0.14.5"
 end
diff --git a/sig/generated/lib/solid_objects/broadcast_executor.rbs b/sig/generated/lib/solid_objects/broadcast_executor.rbs
index e2776be..f69c94b 100644
--- a/sig/generated/lib/solid_objects/broadcast_executor.rbs
+++ b/sig/generated/lib/solid_objects/broadcast_executor.rbs
@@ -47,6 +47,9 @@ module SolidObjects
     # @rbs () -> Broadcast?
     def claim_next: () -> Broadcast?
 
+    # @rbs (ActiveRecord::Relation[Broadcast]) -> Broadcast?
+    def claim_candidate: (ActiveRecord::Relation[Broadcast]) -> Broadcast?
+
     # @rbs () -> Proc | ActionCableBroadcastAdapter
     def broadcast_adapter: () -> Proc
 
diff --git a/test/integration/broadcasts_test.rb b/test/integration/broadcasts_test.rb
index 03f8beb..2abd4c1 100644
--- a/test/integration/broadcasts_test.rb
+++ b/test/integration/broadcasts_test.rb
@@ -149,4 +149,111 @@ def reveal(secret:)
     broadcast_executor&.stop
     worker&.stop
   end
+
+  test "recovers the oldest broadcast across pending and stale work" do
+    pending_reference = PublicCounterActor.ref("pending").async.increment
+    stale_reference = PublicCounterActor.ref("stale").async.increment
+    worker = SolidObjects::Worker.new
+    worker.run_until_idle
+    stale_process_registry = SolidObjects::ProcessRegistry.new
+    stale_process = stale_process_registry.register(kind: "broadcast")
+    now = SolidObjects.database_adapter.database_now
+    pending_broadcast = SolidObjects::Broadcast.find_by!(message_id: pending_reference.id)
+    pending_broadcast.update!(available_at: now - 1.minute)
+    stale_broadcast = SolidObjects::Broadcast.find_by!(message_id: stale_reference.id)
+    stale_broadcast.update!(
+      status: "processing",
+      available_at: now - 2.minutes,
+      claimed_by: stale_process.id,
+      claimed_at: now - SolidObjects.configuration.process_alive_threshold - 1.second
+    )
+    delivered = Queue.new
+    SolidObjects.configuration.broadcast_adapter = ->(broadcast) { delivered << broadcast.id }
+    broadcast_executor = SolidObjects::BroadcastExecutor.new
+
+    assert broadcast_executor.run_once
+
+    assert_equal stale_broadcast.id, delivered.pop
+    assert_equal "delivered", stale_broadcast.reload.status
+    assert_equal "pending", pending_broadcast.reload.status
+  ensure
+    broadcast_executor&.stop
+    stale_process_registry&.stop
+    worker&.stop
+  end
+
+  test "concurrent executors claim different broadcasts" do
+    pending_reference = PublicCounterActor.ref("pending").async.increment
+    stale_reference = PublicCounterActor.ref("stale").async.increment
+    worker = SolidObjects::Worker.new
+    worker.run_until_idle
+    stale_process_registry = SolidObjects::ProcessRegistry.new
+    stale_process = stale_process_registry.register(kind: "broadcast")
+    now = SolidObjects.database_adapter.database_now
+    pending_broadcast = SolidObjects::Broadcast.find_by!(message_id: pending_reference.id)
+    pending_broadcast.update!(available_at: now - 1.minute)
+    stale_broadcast = SolidObjects::Broadcast.find_by!(message_id: stale_reference.id)
+    stale_broadcast.update!(
+      status: "processing",
+      available_at: now - 2.minutes,
+      claimed_by: stale_process.id,
+      claimed_at: now - SolidObjects.configuration.process_alive_threshold - 1.second
+    )
+    claims = Queue.new
+    release = Queue.new
+    SolidObjects.configuration.broadcast_adapter = lambda do |broadcast|
+      claims << broadcast.id
+      release.pop
+    end
+    executor_a = SolidObjects::BroadcastExecutor.new
+    executor_b = SolidObjects::BroadcastExecutor.new
+
+    thread_a = Thread.new { executor_a.run_once }
+    assert_equal stale_broadcast.id, Timeout.timeout(5) { claims.pop }
+    thread_b = Thread.new { executor_b.run_once }
+    assert_equal pending_broadcast.id, Timeout.timeout(5) { claims.pop }
+    2.times { release << true }
+
+    assert thread_a.value
+    assert thread_b.value
+    assert_equal %w[delivered delivered], SolidObjects::Broadcast.order(:id).pluck(:status)
+  ensure
+    2.times { release << true } if release
+    thread_a&.join(2)
+    thread_b&.join(2)
+    executor_a&.stop
+    executor_b&.stop
+    stale_process_registry&.stop
+    worker&.stop
+  end
+
+  test "polls pending and stale broadcasts separately" do
+    PublicCounterActor.ref("one").async.increment
+    worker = SolidObjects::Worker.new
+    worker.run_until_idle
+    SolidObjects.configuration.broadcast_adapter = ->(broadcast) { broadcast }
+    broadcast_executor = SolidObjects::BroadcastExecutor.new
+    polling_queries = []
+    subscription = ActiveSupport::Notifications.subscribe("sql.active_record") do |event|
+      query = event.payload.fetch(:sql).squish
+      if query.match?(/SELECT .* FROM ["`]solid_objects_broadcasts["`]/) &&
+          query.match?(/ORDER BY .*available_at.*id.*LIMIT/i)
+        polling_queries << query
+      end
+    end
+
+    assert broadcast_executor.run_once
+
+    assert_equal 2, polling_queries.length
+    assert polling_queries.one? { |query| !query.include?("claimed_at") }
+    assert polling_queries.one? { |query| query.include?("claimed_at") }
+    polling_queries.each { |query| refute_match(/\sOR\s/i, query) }
+    if database_family != :sqlite
+      polling_queries.each { |query| assert_match(/FOR UPDATE SKIP LOCKED\z/i, query) }
+    end
+  ensure
+    ActiveSupport::Notifications.unsubscribe(subscription) if subscription
+    broadcast_executor&.stop
+    worker&.stop
+  end
 end
diff --git a/test/models/schema_constraints_test.rb b/test/models/schema_constraints_test.rb
index ef06190..b6814b3 100644
--- a/test/models/schema_constraints_test.rb
+++ b/test/models/schema_constraints_test.rb
@@ -48,6 +48,20 @@ class SchemaConstraintsTest < ActiveSupport::TestCase
     assert indexes.all? { |index| index.where.nil? }
   end
 
+  test "indexes each polling query in delivery order" do
+    expected_indexes = {
+      "solid_objects_effects" => %w[status available_at id],
+      "solid_objects_broadcasts" => %w[status available_at id],
+      "solid_objects_reminders" => %w[status next_run_at id]
+    }
+
+    expected_indexes.each do |table, columns|
+      indexes = ActiveRecord::Base.connection.indexes(table).map(&:columns)
+
+      assert_includes indexes, columns
+    end
+  end
+
   test "links every runtime claim owner to the process registry" do
     expected_claim_foreign_keys = {
       "solid_objects_claimed_messages" => "process_id",