diff --git a/src/billing/cloud-capacity.ts b/src/billing/cloud-capacity.ts
index 8959407..f3b2d10 100644
--- a/src/billing/cloud-capacity.ts
+++ b/src/billing/cloud-capacity.ts
@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@ export async function ensureCloudAccountCapacity(
 
   let next: CatalogPlan | null = null;
   try {
-    next = cheapestPlanRaising(await deps.fetchCatalog(config), 'maxCloudAccounts', plan.usage.cloudAccounts.limit);
+    next = cheapestPlanRaising(await deps.fetchCatalog(config), 'maxCloudAccounts', plan.usage.cloudAccounts.limit, plan.plan.id);
   } catch {
     throw new CLIError(limitLine(plan), ExitCode.QUOTA, `Plans: ${PRICING_URL}\n${UPGRADE_LATER}`);
   }
diff --git a/src/billing/plans.ts b/src/billing/plans.ts
index 8c72c3b..fa10c30 100644
--- a/src/billing/plans.ts
+++ b/src/billing/plans.ts
@@ -75,16 +75,20 @@ export function isPurchasable(plan: CatalogPlan): boolean {
   return plan.selectable && plan.monthlyPriceCents > 0;
 }
 
-// The cheapest purchasable plan that lifts `dimension` above `currentLimit`,
-// or null when no plan on sale does (the workspace is already on the top
-// tier for that dimension, or the catalog is empty).
+// The cheapest purchasable plan above the current one that lifts `dimension`
+// past `currentLimit`, or null when none does (the workspace is on the top
+// tier for that dimension, or the catalog is empty). The current plan is
+// never a candidate: an admin-lowered limit on a paid plan must not pitch the
+// plan the workspace already pays for.
 export function cheapestPlanRaising(
   catalog: PlanCatalog,
   dimension: keyof PlanLimits & string,
-  currentLimit: number
+  currentLimit: number,
+  currentPlanId: string
 ): CatalogPlan | null {
+  const currentPrice = catalog.plans.find((p) => p.id === currentPlanId)?.monthlyPriceCents ?? 0;
   const candidates = catalog.plans.filter((plan) => {
-    if (!isPurchasable(plan)) return false;
+    if (!isPurchasable(plan) || plan.id === currentPlanId || plan.monthlyPriceCents <= currentPrice) return false;
     const limit = plan.limits[dimension];
     if (limit === undefined) return false;
     if (isUnlimited(limit)) return !isUnlimited(currentLimit);
diff --git a/test/billing-cloud-capacity.test.ts b/test/billing-cloud-capacity.test.ts
index 702eddf..1ee4f75 100644
--- a/test/billing-cloud-capacity.test.ts
+++ b/test/billing-cloud-capacity.test.ts
@@ -206,6 +206,18 @@ describe('ensureCloudAccountCapacity', () => {
     assert.deepEqual(h.checkouts, [{ mode: 'change', plan: 'team', cycle: 'annual', previousPlanId: 'starter', noBrowser: false }]);
   });
 
+  it('a paying workspace whose limit an admin lowered is pitched the next plan up, never its own', async () => {
+    const h = harness({
+      plan: usage(0, 0, 'starter'),
+      subscription: { plan: 'starter', status: 'active', billingCycle: 'monthly', stripeSubscriptionId: 'sub_1' },
+      answer: false,
+    });
+    assert.equal(await ensureCloudAccountCapacity(config, 'ws_1', { noBrowser: false }, h.deps), 'declined');
+    assert.match(errOut.join(''), /Your Starter plan includes 0 cloud accounts; 0 connected\./);
+    assert.match(errOut.join(''), /Team \(\$200\/mo\) allows unlimited cloud accounts\./);
+    assert.deepEqual(h.confirms, ['Switch to Team now? (prorated)']);
+  });
+
   it('exits QUOTA pointing at the pricing page when the catalog is unavailable', async () => {
     const h = harness({ plan: usage(2, 2), catalog: new Error('down') });
     await assert.rejects(
diff --git a/test/billing-plans.test.ts b/test/billing-plans.test.ts
index a9bc7d6..89320f0 100644
--- a/test/billing-plans.test.ts
+++ b/test/billing-plans.test.ts
@@ -77,20 +77,20 @@ describe('capacityOf', () => {
 
 describe('cheapestPlanRaising', () => {
   it('picks the cheapest paid plan with a higher limit', () => {
-    assert.equal(cheapestPlanRaising(catalog, 'maxCloudAccounts', 2)?.id, 'starter');
+    assert.equal(cheapestPlanRaising(catalog, 'maxCloudAccounts', 2, 'free')?.id, 'starter');
   });
 
   it('skips plans that do not raise the limit', () => {
-    assert.equal(cheapestPlanRaising(catalog, 'maxCloudAccounts', 5)?.id, 'team');
+    assert.equal(cheapestPlanRaising(catalog, 'maxCloudAccounts', 5, 'starter')?.id, 'team');
   });
 
   it('returns null when the current limit is already unlimited', () => {
-    assert.equal(cheapestPlanRaising(catalog, 'maxCloudAccounts', -1), null);
+    assert.equal(cheapestPlanRaising(catalog, 'maxCloudAccounts', -1, 'team'), null);
   });
 
   it('never offers Free or Enterprise', () => {
     const only = { ...catalog, plans: catalog.plans.filter((p) => p.monthlyPriceCents === 0) };
-    assert.equal(cheapestPlanRaising(only, 'maxCloudAccounts', 0), null);
+    assert.equal(cheapestPlanRaising(only, 'maxCloudAccounts', 0, 'free'), null);
   });
 
   it('follows the catalog when the free limit moves', () => {
@@ -99,12 +99,22 @@ describe('cheapestPlanRaising', () => {
       plans: catalog.plans.map((p) => (p.id === 'starter' ? { ...p, limits: { ...p.limits, maxCloudAccounts: 1 } } : p)),
     };
     // Starter no longer raises a limit of 1, so the next tier is offered.
-    assert.equal(cheapestPlanRaising(moved, 'maxCloudAccounts', 1)?.id, 'team');
+    assert.equal(cheapestPlanRaising(moved, 'maxCloudAccounts', 1, 'free')?.id, 'team');
+  });
+
+  it('never pitches the plan the workspace is already on, even when an admin lowered its limit below the catalog default', () => {
+    // Seen live on UAT: Starter with maxCloudAccounts lowered to 0 was offered Starter.
+    assert.equal(cheapestPlanRaising(catalog, 'maxCloudAccounts', 0, 'starter')?.id, 'team');
+  });
+
+  it('never pitches a plan priced at or below the current one', () => {
+    assert.equal(cheapestPlanRaising(catalog, 'maxCloudAccounts', 0, 'team')?.id, 'scale');
+    assert.equal(cheapestPlanRaising(catalog, 'maxCloudAccounts', 0, 'scale'), null);
   });
 
   it('ignores plans that are not selectable', () => {
     const hidden = { ...catalog, plans: catalog.plans.map((p) => (p.id === 'starter' ? { ...p, selectable: false } : p)) };
-    assert.equal(cheapestPlanRaising(hidden, 'maxCloudAccounts', 2)?.id, 'team');
+    assert.equal(cheapestPlanRaising(hidden, 'maxCloudAccounts', 2, 'free')?.id, 'team');
   });
 });