diff --git a/actions/publications/subscribeEmail.tsx b/actions/publications/subscribeEmail.tsx
index 158abc37..554a84cb 100644
--- a/actions/publications/subscribeEmail.tsx
+++ b/actions/publications/subscribeEmail.tsx
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ import {
   deleteSuppression,
 } from "src/utils/postmarkSuppressions";
 import {
+  backfillAtprotoSubscriptionsForIdentity,
   publishAtprotoSubscriptionForDid,
   unsubscribeToPublication,
 } from "app/lish/subscribeToPublication";
@@ -360,6 +361,7 @@ async function linkEmailToCurrentIdentity(
       console.error("[subscribeEmail] attach email failed:", error);
       return Err("database_error");
     }
+    await backfillAtprotoSubscriptionsForIdentity(current.id, current.atp_did);
     return Ok(current.id);
   }
 
diff --git a/app/api/oauth/[route]/route.ts b/app/api/oauth/[route]/route.ts
index d5a8c95e..c71fd7d5 100644
--- a/app/api/oauth/[route]/route.ts
+++ b/app/api/oauth/[route]/route.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
-import { subscribeToPublication } from "app/lish/subscribeToPublication";
+import {
+  backfillAtprotoSubscriptionsForIdentity,
+  subscribeToPublication,
+} from "app/lish/subscribeToPublication";
 import { cookies } from "next/headers";
 import { redirect } from "next/navigation";
 import { NextRequest, NextResponse } from "next/server";
@@ -114,6 +117,10 @@ export async function GET(
               .from("identities")
               .update({ atp_did: session.did })
               .eq("id", currentIdentity.id);
+            await backfillAtprotoSubscriptionsForIdentity(
+              currentIdentity.id,
+              session.did,
+            );
             return handleAction(s.action, redirectPath);
           }
           if (identity.id !== currentIdentity.id) {
@@ -148,6 +155,10 @@ export async function GET(
               .from("identities")
               .update({ atp_did: session.did })
               .eq("id", currentIdentity.id);
+            await backfillAtprotoSubscriptionsForIdentity(
+              currentIdentity.id,
+              session.did,
+            );
             return handleAction(s.action, redirectPath);
           }
           const { data } = await supabaseServerClient
diff --git a/app/lish/subscribeToPublication.ts b/app/lish/subscribeToPublication.ts
index db64f7af..35d71e9b 100644
--- a/app/lish/subscribeToPublication.ts
+++ b/app/lish/subscribeToPublication.ts
@@ -192,6 +192,28 @@ export async function publishAtprotoSubscriptionForDid(
   }
 }
 
+// Publishes atproto subscription records for every confirmed email
+// subscription tied to `identityId`. Call after an identity gains an atp_did
+// (account-linking, merge) so existing email-only subscriptions also live as
+// records on the user's PDS — otherwise they'd be invisible to atproto-side
+// consumers and would silently drop if a publication ever leaves email-only
+// mode. Best-effort: errors are swallowed by publishAtprotoSubscriptionForDid.
+export async function backfillAtprotoSubscriptionsForIdentity(
+  identityId: string,
+  atp_did: string,
+): Promise<void> {
+  const { data: subs } = await supabaseServerClient
+    .from("publication_email_subscribers")
+    .select("publication")
+    .eq("identity_id", identityId)
+    .eq("state", "confirmed");
+  if (!subs || subs.length === 0) return;
+
+  await Promise.all(
+    subs.map((s) => publishAtprotoSubscriptionForDid(atp_did, s.publication)),
+  );
+}
+
 type UnsubscribeResult =
   | { success: true }
   | { success: false; error: OAuthSessionError };
diff --git a/src/mergeIdentity.ts b/src/mergeIdentity.ts
index e941a3a9..4e6ad5cc 100644
--- a/src/mergeIdentity.ts
+++ b/src/mergeIdentity.ts
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ import {
 } from "drizzle/schema";
 import { pool } from "supabase/pool";
 import { Err, Ok, type Result } from "src/result";
+import { backfillAtprotoSubscriptionsForIdentity } from "app/lish/subscribeToPublication";
 
 export type MergeError =
   | "merge_not_pending"
@@ -34,6 +35,7 @@ export async function mergeEmailIdentityIntoAtpIdentity(args: {
   if (sourceId === targetId) return Err("same_identity");
 
   const client = await pool.connect();
+  let targetAtpDid: string;
   try {
     const db = drizzle(client);
     await db.transaction(async (tx) => {
@@ -55,6 +57,7 @@ export async function mergeEmailIdentityIntoAtpIdentity(args: {
       if (lockedTarget.atp_did === null)
         throw new Error("merge: target missing atp_did");
       if (!lockedSource.email) throw new Error("merge: source missing email");
+      targetAtpDid = lockedTarget.atp_did;
 
       const sourceEmail = lockedSource.email;
 
@@ -152,5 +155,7 @@ export async function mergeEmailIdentityIntoAtpIdentity(args: {
     client.release();
   }
 
+  await backfillAtprotoSubscriptionsForIdentity(targetId, targetAtpDid!);
+
   return Ok(null);
 }