diff --git a/src/fromager/bootstrapper/_bootstrapper.py b/src/fromager/bootstrapper/_bootstrapper.py
index 7ab6fb17..af5df542 100644
--- a/src/fromager/bootstrapper/_bootstrapper.py
+++ b/src/fromager/bootstrapper/_bootstrapper.py
@@ -266,6 +266,25 @@ def bootstrap(self, requirements: list[Requirement]) -> None:
         Args:
             requirements: Top-level requirements to resolve and bootstrap.
         """
+        # Warm the resolver cache with every top-level rule before adding any
+        # of them to the graph: a later rule for the same package (e.g. an
+        # exact pin that bypasses the release-age cooldown) changes what an
+        # earlier rule resolves to. Errors are reported by
+        # _resolve_and_add_top_level below.
+        for req in requirements:
+            with req_ctxvar_context(req):
+                try:
+                    self.resolve_versions(
+                        req=req,
+                        req_type=RequirementType.TOP_LEVEL,
+                        parent_req=None,
+                        return_all_versions=self.multiple_versions,
+                    )
+                except Exception as err:
+                    logger.debug(
+                        "deferring resolution error to top-level handling: %s", err
+                    )
+
         # Resolve all top-level reqs and build initial stack.
         # Use the token pattern (no try/finally) so that if resolution raises
         # in normal mode, the context var stays set for the top-level error
diff --git a/tests/test_bootstrapper.py b/tests/test_bootstrapper.py
index 1f3b2516..0a924eec 100644
--- a/tests/test_bootstrapper.py
+++ b/tests/test_bootstrapper.py
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@
 )
 from fromager.bootstrapper._work_item import WorkItem
 from fromager.context import WorkContext
+from fromager.dependency_graph import ROOT
 from fromager.requirements_file import RequirementType, SourceType
 
 
@@ -955,6 +956,85 @@ def capture_run(self: Resolve, bt_arg: bootstrapper.Bootstrapper) -> list[Phase]
     assert sorted(dispatch_calls) == ["pkg1", "pkg2"]
 
 
+def _bootstrap_and_record_started(
+    bt: bootstrapper.Bootstrapper,
+    requirements: list[Requirement],
+    versions_by_rule: dict[str, list[tuple[str, Version]]],
+) -> set[str]:
+    """Run bootstrap() against a fake index and return the node keys Start saw.
+
+    versions_by_rule maps each top-level rule string to what the index
+    returns for it, which is how the release-age cooldown looks to the
+    bootstrapper: an unpinned rule does not see a version inside the
+    cooldown window, an exact pin does.
+    """
+    started: set[str] = set()
+
+    def fake_lookup(
+        provider: typing.Any, req: Requirement, **kwargs: typing.Any
+    ) -> list[tuple[str, Version]]:
+        return list(versions_by_rule[str(req)])
+
+    def fake_start_run(self: Start, bt_arg: bootstrapper.Bootstrapper) -> list[Phase]:
+        wi = self.work_item
+        started.add(f"{canonicalize_name(wi.req.name)}=={wi.resolved_version}")
+        return []
+
+    with (
+        patch.object(bt._resolver, "_resolve_from_graph", return_value=None),
+        patch("fromager.bootstrap_requirement_resolver.sources.get_source_provider"),
+        patch(
+            "fromager.bootstrap_requirement_resolver.resolver"
+            ".find_all_matching_from_provider",
+            side_effect=fake_lookup,
+        ),
+        patch.object(Start, "run", fake_start_run),
+        patch.object(bt, "_record_stack_state"),
+    ):
+        bt.bootstrap(requirements)
+
+    return started
+
+
+_OLD = ("https://files.test/pkg-0.39.0.tar.gz", Version("0.39.0"))
+_NEW = ("https://files.test/pkg-0.39.1.tar.gz", Version("0.39.1"))
+
+
+def test_bootstrap_toplevel_unpinned_then_pin_leaves_no_stale_node(
+    tmp_context: WorkContext,
+) -> None:
+    bt = bootstrapper.Bootstrapper(tmp_context)
+    requirements = [Requirement("pkg"), Requirement("pkg==0.39.1")]
+
+    started = _bootstrap_and_record_started(
+        bt, requirements, {"pkg": [_OLD], "pkg==0.39.1": [_NEW]}
+    )
+
+    graph_nodes = set(tmp_context.dependency_graph.nodes) - {ROOT}
+    assert started == {"pkg==0.39.1"}
+    assert graph_nodes == started
+    root_edges = tmp_context.dependency_graph.nodes[ROOT].children
+    assert sorted(str(edge.req) for edge in root_edges) == ["pkg", "pkg==0.39.1"]
+    assert {edge.destination_node.key for edge in root_edges} == {"pkg==0.39.1"}
+
+
+def test_bootstrap_toplevel_multiple_versions_graph_matches_started(
+    tmp_context: WorkContext,
+) -> None:
+    bt = bootstrapper.Bootstrapper(tmp_context, multiple_versions=True)
+    requirements = [Requirement("pkg"), Requirement("pkg==0.39.1")]
+
+    with patch("fromager.bootstrapper._resolve._cache.find_cached_wheel") as cached:
+        cached.return_value = (None, None)
+        started = _bootstrap_and_record_started(
+            bt, requirements, {"pkg": [_OLD], "pkg==0.39.1": [_NEW]}
+        )
+
+    graph_nodes = set(tmp_context.dependency_graph.nodes) - {ROOT}
+    assert started == {"pkg==0.39.0", "pkg==0.39.1"}
+    assert graph_nodes == started
+
+
 def test_bg_prepare_source_log_prefix_includes_version(
     tmp_context: WorkContext,
     caplog: pytest.LogCaptureFixture,