diff --git a/.github/workflows/docker-build-push-ecr.yml b/.github/workflows/docker-build-push-ecr.yml
index 09f81bd..a723523 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/docker-build-push-ecr.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/docker-build-push-ecr.yml
@@ -16,6 +16,11 @@ on:
         required: false
         type: boolean
         default: false
+      ref:
+        description: 'Git ref to build from (branch, tag or SHA). Empty = the ref that triggered the run — pass the tag on recovery/backfill dispatches, or the image is built from the dispatched branch instead of the tagged commit'
+        required: false
+        type: string
+        default: ''
       dockerfile:
         description: 'Path to Dockerfile relative to context'
         required: false
@@ -82,6 +87,9 @@ jobs:
         uses: actions/checkout@v6
         with:
           submodules: ${{ inputs.submodules }}
+          # Empty ref = default (the triggering ref); backfills pass the tag so
+          # the image content matches the tagged commit, not the dispatch branch.
+          ref: ${{ inputs.ref }}
 
       - name: Set up QEMU
         uses: docker/setup-qemu-action@v4
diff --git a/.github/workflows/release-publish-oci.yml b/.github/workflows/release-publish-oci.yml
index 5e01256..3ae4333 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release-publish-oci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release-publish-oci.yml
@@ -188,6 +188,9 @@ jobs:
     uses: ./.github/workflows/docker-build-push-ecr.yml
     with:
       image_name: ${{ inputs.image_name }}
+      # On existing_tag backfills the run is dispatched from a branch — build
+      # from the tag's commit, not the branch head.
+      ref: ${{ inputs.existing_tag || '' }}
       context: ${{ inputs.context }}
       dockerfile: ${{ inputs.dockerfile }}
       platforms: ${{ inputs.platforms }}