diff --git a/config/observability-rules.yaml b/config/observability-rules.yaml
index a4d7513..e7f9f01 100644
--- a/config/observability-rules.yaml
+++ b/config/observability-rules.yaml
@@ -130,6 +130,22 @@ rules:
     summary: Queue, provider journal and Incus inventory disagree.
     action: Preserve all three states and recover only from exact authoritative identity.
     recovery: Orphan, missing and uncovered-running metrics remain zero.
+  - id: lifecycle_queued_delivery_stall
+    severity: page
+    query_language: promql
+    stream_name: gha_fleet_queue_intent_oldest_state_age_seconds
+    expression: max(gha_fleet_queue_intent_oldest_state_age_seconds{state="queued"})
+    operator: ">"
+    threshold: 300
+    evaluation_seconds: 60
+    hold_seconds: 300
+    destination_ref: fleet_oncall
+    enabled: false
+    owner: fleet-operations
+    runbook: https://github.com/NDDev-OpenNetwork/github-actions/blob/main/docs/runbooks/fleet-alerts.md
+    summary: An eligible queued job has not produced runner delivery progress within five minutes.
+    action: Preserve the job and correlate queue intent, provider retry, admission, worker creation and GitHub registration before recovery.
+    recovery: Queued age remains below five minutes or the exact job advances without operator cancellation.
   - id: memory_psi_slow_burn
     severity: ticket
     query_language: promql
diff --git a/internal/observabilityrules/rules_test.go b/internal/observabilityrules/rules_test.go
index 08ee8d3..aac9a5d 100644
--- a/internal/observabilityrules/rules_test.go
+++ b/internal/observabilityrules/rules_test.go
@@ -10,8 +10,8 @@ func TestRepositoryBundleIsValid(t *testing.T) {
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
-	if len(bundle.Rules) != 13 {
-		t.Fatalf("rules = %d, want 13", len(bundle.Rules))
+	if len(bundle.Rules) != 14 {
+		t.Fatalf("rules = %d, want 14", len(bundle.Rules))
 	}
 }
 
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ func TestRepositoryRulesUseCurrentMetricSemantics(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 	wanted := map[string]string{
 		"github_correlation_persistent":   "gha_fleet_queue_missing_workflow_run_id_beyond_grace",
+		"lifecycle_queued_delivery_stall": `gha_fleet_queue_intent_oldest_state_age_seconds{state="queued"}`,
 		"memory_psi_slow_burn":            `window_seconds="10"`,
 		"queue_wait_slow_burn":            `gha_fleet_queue_intent_oldest_state_age_seconds{state="queued"}`,
 		"provider_retry_error_persistent": `gha_fleet_provider_retry_deferred_records_by_error_class{error_class=~"identity|intent|provider|timeout|unknown"}`,