diff --git a/appview/db/entity_state.go b/appview/db/entity_state.go
index aba28f96..61436063 100644
--- a/appview/db/entity_state.go
+++ b/appview/db/entity_state.go
@@ -124,8 +124,16 @@ func UnparkStateRecord(tx *sql.Tx, did, rkey, nsid string) error {
 	return err
 }
 
-func DistinctPendingStateSubjects(e Execer) ([]syntax.ATURI, error) {
-	rows, err := e.Query(`select distinct subject from pending_state_records order by subject asc`)
+func distinctPendingSubjects(e Execer, nsid string) ([]syntax.ATURI, error) {
+	query := `select distinct subject from pending_state_records`
+	var args []any
+	if nsid != "" {
+		query += ` where nsid = ?`
+		args = append(args, nsid)
+	}
+	query += ` order by subject asc`
+
+	rows, err := e.Query(query, args...)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
@@ -142,13 +150,19 @@ func DistinctPendingStateSubjects(e Execer) ([]syntax.ATURI, error) {
 	return subjects, rows.Err()
 }
 
+func DistinctPendingStateSubjects(e Execer) ([]syntax.ATURI, error) {
+	return distinctPendingSubjects(e, "")
+}
+
+func PendingStateSubjectsForNsid(e Execer, nsid string) ([]syntax.ATURI, error) {
+	return distinctPendingSubjects(e, nsid)
+}
+
 func EvictStalePendingStateRecords(e Execer, before string) (int64, error) {
-	res, err := e.Exec(`
-		delete from pending_state_records
-		where created < ?
-		and not exists (select 1 from issues where at_uri = pending_state_records.subject)
-		and not exists (select 1 from pulls where at_uri = pending_state_records.subject)
-	`, before)
+	res, err := e.Exec(
+		`delete from pending_state_records where created < ?`,
+		before,
+	)
 	if err != nil {
 		return 0, err
 	}
diff --git a/appview/db/entity_state_test.go b/appview/db/entity_state_test.go
index 68b165d0..d58c439c 100644
--- a/appview/db/entity_state_test.go
+++ b/appview/db/entity_state_test.go
@@ -415,15 +415,15 @@ func TestEvictStalePendingStateRecords(t *testing.T) {
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("EvictStalePendingStateRecords: %v", err)
 	}
-	if evicted != 1 {
-		t.Fatalf("only the stale orphan must be evicted, got %d want 1", evicted)
+	if evicted != 2 {
+		t.Fatalf("both stale rows must be evicted regardless of subject presence, got %d want 2", evicted)
 	}
 
 	var remaining int
 	if err := d.QueryRow(`select count(*) from pending_state_records`).Scan(&remaining); err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("count: %v", err)
 	}
-	if remaining != 2 {
-		t.Fatalf("the fresh orphan and the stale row with a live subject must survive, got %d want 2", remaining)
+	if remaining != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("only the fresh row must survive the TTL sweep, got %d want 1", remaining)
 	}
 }