diff --git a/src/bridge/manager.py b/src/bridge/manager.py
index f6e1df4..f4ee9e4 100644
--- a/src/bridge/manager.py
+++ b/src/bridge/manager.py
@@ -29,7 +29,17 @@ def build_ssh_command(cfg: TunnelConfig, cert_path: Optional[Path] = None) -> Li
     """Build the SSH tunnel command (reverse -R or local -L)."""
     key = os.path.expanduser(cfg.ssh_key)
     if cfg.direction == "local":
-        forward_flag = ["-L", f"{cfg.local_port}:{cfg.remote_host}:{cfg.remote_port}"]
+        # Bind the forward explicitly to 127.0.0.1. Without a bind address ssh
+        # listens on every loopback family, so if another process already holds
+        # the IPv4 port the IPv6 bind still succeeds and ExitOnForwardFailure
+        # never fires — the tunnel comes up on [::1] and every client that
+        # resolves 127.0.0.1 silently reaches the other process instead.
+        # That is how a local State Hub cache impersonated the primary for
+        # seven weeks (CUST-WP-0067-T02).
+        forward_flag = [
+            "-L",
+            f"127.0.0.1:{cfg.local_port}:{cfg.remote_host}:{cfg.remote_port}",
+        ]
     else:
         forward_flag = ["-R", f"{cfg.remote_port}:{cfg.remote_host}:{cfg.local_port}"]
     cmd = [
diff --git a/tests/test_manager.py b/tests/test_manager.py
index 613617f..67e212c 100644
--- a/tests/test_manager.py
+++ b/tests/test_manager.py
@@ -25,6 +25,10 @@ def tunnel_cfg():
     )
 
 
+def cmd_value(cmd, flag):
+    """Return the argument following ``flag`` in an argv list."""
+    return cmd[cmd.index(flag) + 1]
+
 @pytest.fixture
 def state_dir(tmp_path):
     return tmp_path / "bridge"
@@ -44,7 +48,19 @@ class TestBuildSshCommand:
         cfg = replace(tunnel_cfg, direction="local", remote_host="10.43.103.154")
         cmd = build_ssh_command(cfg)
         assert "-L" in cmd
-        assert f"{cfg.local_port}:10.43.103.154:{cfg.remote_port}" in cmd
+        assert f"127.0.0.1:{cfg.local_port}:10.43.103.154:{cfg.remote_port}" in cmd
+
+    def test_local_forward_pins_bind_address(self, tunnel_cfg):
+        """An unbound -L also listens on [::1], so a taken IPv4 port does not fail.
+
+        ExitOnForwardFailure only fires when every requested bind fails. Pinning
+        127.0.0.1 makes a port collision loud instead of routing clients to
+        whatever else holds the port (CUST-WP-0067-T02).
+        """
+        cfg = replace(tunnel_cfg, direction="local")
+        forward = cmd_value(build_ssh_command(cfg), "-L")
+        assert forward.startswith("127.0.0.1:")
+        assert forward.count(":") == 3
 
     def test_remote_host_default_loopback(self, tunnel_cfg):
         cmd = build_ssh_command(tunnel_cfg)