diff --git a/cmd/bd/sync.go b/cmd/bd/sync.go
index ecef9274..9c5934a2 100644
--- a/cmd/bd/sync.go
+++ b/cmd/bd/sync.go
@@ -1597,9 +1597,14 @@ type SanitizeResult struct {
 	RemovedIDs   []string // IDs that were removed
 }
 
-// sanitizeJSONLWithDeletions removes any issues from the JSONL file that are
-// in the deletions manifest. This prevents zombie resurrection when git's
-// 3-way merge re-adds deleted issues to the JSONL during pull.
+// sanitizeJSONLWithDeletions removes non-tombstone issues from the JSONL file
+// if they are in the deletions manifest. This prevents zombie resurrection when
+// git's 3-way merge re-adds deleted issues to the JSONL during pull.
+//
+// IMPORTANT (bd-kzxd fix): Tombstones are NOT removed. Tombstones are the proper
+// representation of deletions in the JSONL format. Removing them would cause
+// the importer to re-create tombstones from deletions.jsonl, leading to
+// UNIQUE constraint errors when the tombstone already exists in the database.
 //
 // This should be called after git pull but before import.
 func sanitizeJSONLWithDeletions(jsonlPath string) (*SanitizeResult, error) {
@@ -1643,10 +1648,10 @@ func sanitizeJSONLWithDeletions(jsonlPath string) (*SanitizeResult, error) {
 			continue
 		}
 
-		// Quick extraction of ID without full unmarshal
-		// Look for "id":"..." pattern
+		// Extract ID and status to check for tombstones
 		var issue struct {
-			ID string `json:"id"`
+			ID     string `json:"id"`
+			Status string `json:"status"`
 		}
 		if err := json.Unmarshal(line, &issue); err != nil {
 			// Keep malformed lines (let import handle them)
@@ -1656,8 +1661,16 @@ func sanitizeJSONLWithDeletions(jsonlPath string) (*SanitizeResult, error) {
 
 		// Check if this ID is in deletions manifest
 		if _, deleted := loadResult.Records[issue.ID]; deleted {
-			result.RemovedCount++
-			result.RemovedIDs = append(result.RemovedIDs, issue.ID)
+			// bd-kzxd fix: Keep tombstones! They are the proper representation of deletions.
+			// Only remove non-tombstone issues that were resurrected by git merge.
+			if issue.Status == string(types.StatusTombstone) {
+				// Keep the tombstone - it's the authoritative deletion record
+				keptLines = append(keptLines, append([]byte{}, line...))
+			} else {
+				// Remove non-tombstone issue that was resurrected
+				result.RemovedCount++
+				result.RemovedIDs = append(result.RemovedIDs, issue.ID)
+			}
 		} else {
 			keptLines = append(keptLines, append([]byte{}, line...))
 		}
diff --git a/cmd/bd/sync_test.go b/cmd/bd/sync_test.go
index 8ee76be7..43edaa5c 100644
--- a/cmd/bd/sync_test.go
+++ b/cmd/bd/sync_test.go
@@ -1013,6 +1013,81 @@ func TestSanitizeJSONLWithDeletions_NonexistentJSONL(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+// TestSanitizeJSONLWithDeletions_PreservesTombstones tests the bd-kzxd fix:
+// Tombstones should NOT be removed by sanitize, even if their ID is in deletions.jsonl.
+// Tombstones ARE the proper representation of deletions. Removing them would cause
+// the importer to re-create tombstones from deletions.jsonl, leading to UNIQUE
+// constraint errors when the tombstone already exists in the database.
+func TestSanitizeJSONLWithDeletions_PreservesTombstones(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+	tmpDir := t.TempDir()
+	beadsDir := filepath.Join(tmpDir, ".beads")
+	os.MkdirAll(beadsDir, 0755)
+
+	jsonlPath := filepath.Join(beadsDir, "beads.jsonl")
+	deletionsPath := filepath.Join(beadsDir, "deletions.jsonl")
+
+	now := time.Now().Format(time.RFC3339)
+
+	// JSONL with:
+	// - bd-1: regular issue (should be kept)
+	// - bd-2: tombstone (should be kept even though it's in deletions.jsonl)
+	// - bd-3: regular issue that's in deletions.jsonl (should be removed)
+	jsonlContent := fmt.Sprintf(`{"id":"bd-1","title":"Issue 1","status":"open"}
+{"id":"bd-2","title":"(deleted)","status":"tombstone","deleted_at":"%s","deleted_by":"user"}
+{"id":"bd-3","title":"Issue 3","status":"open"}
+`, now)
+	os.WriteFile(jsonlPath, []byte(jsonlContent), 0644)
+
+	// Deletions manifest marks bd-2 and bd-3 as deleted
+	deletionsContent := fmt.Sprintf(`{"id":"bd-2","ts":"%s","by":"user","reason":"cleanup"}
+{"id":"bd-3","ts":"%s","by":"user","reason":"duplicate"}
+`, now, now)
+	os.WriteFile(deletionsPath, []byte(deletionsContent), 0644)
+
+	result, err := sanitizeJSONLWithDeletions(jsonlPath)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("unexpected error: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	// Only bd-3 should be removed (non-tombstone issue in deletions)
+	// bd-2 should be kept (it's a tombstone)
+	if result.RemovedCount != 1 {
+		t.Errorf("expected 1 removed (only non-tombstone), got %d", result.RemovedCount)
+	}
+	if len(result.RemovedIDs) != 1 || result.RemovedIDs[0] != "bd-3" {
+		t.Errorf("expected only bd-3 to be removed, got %v", result.RemovedIDs)
+	}
+
+	// Verify JSONL content
+	afterContent, _ := os.ReadFile(jsonlPath)
+	afterStr := string(afterContent)
+
+	// bd-1 should still be present (not in deletions)
+	if !strings.Contains(afterStr, `"id":"bd-1"`) {
+		t.Error("JSONL should still contain bd-1")
+	}
+
+	// bd-2 should still be present (tombstone - preserved!)
+	if !strings.Contains(afterStr, `"id":"bd-2"`) {
+		t.Error("JSONL should still contain bd-2 (tombstone should be preserved)")
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(afterStr, `"status":"tombstone"`) {
+		t.Error("JSONL should contain tombstone status")
+	}
+
+	// bd-3 should be removed (non-tombstone in deletions)
+	if strings.Contains(afterStr, `"id":"bd-3"`) {
+		t.Error("JSONL should NOT contain bd-3 (non-tombstone in deletions)")
+	}
+
+	// Verify we have exactly 2 issues left (bd-1 and bd-2)
+	afterCount, _ := countIssuesInJSONL(jsonlPath)
+	if afterCount != 2 {
+		t.Errorf("expected 2 issues in JSONL after sanitize, got %d", afterCount)
+	}
+}
+
 // TestHashBasedStalenessDetection_bd_f2f tests the bd-f2f fix:
 // When JSONL content differs from stored hash (e.g., remote changed status),
 // hasJSONLChanged should detect the mismatch even if counts are equal.