diff --git a/image_analysis/pixel_refinement/PixelRefine.cpp b/image_analysis/pixel_refinement/PixelRefine.cpp
index c398b9d3..bef4392b 100644
--- a/image_analysis/pixel_refinement/PixelRefine.cpp
+++ b/image_analysis/pixel_refinement/PixelRefine.cpp
@@ -920,8 +920,11 @@ void PixelRefine::Run(const T *image,
         BuildParameterBlocks(data, beam, dist_mm, detector_rot,
                              latt_vec0, latt_vec1, latt_vec2);
 
-        // Anchor for orientation regularization = the spot-centroid orientation we
-        // started from (captured before any pixel-level refinement moved it).
+        // Anchor for orientation regularization = the orientation the LSQ starts from
+        // (captured before the predict<->refine iterations move it). When the global
+        // sweep ran first this is the swept orientation, not the original spot-centroid
+        // one - which is intended: the regularizer keeps the LSQ near its own starting
+        // point, it is not meant to pull a deliberate sweep back.
         if (iter == 0)
             for (int i = 0; i < 3; ++i)
                 orient_prior[i] = latt_vec0[i];
diff --git a/image_analysis/scale_merge/Merge.cpp b/image_analysis/scale_merge/Merge.cpp
index 3acf2ba4..cfb829e9 100644
--- a/image_analysis/scale_merge/Merge.cpp
+++ b/image_analysis/scale_merge/Merge.cpp
@@ -103,6 +103,14 @@ float MergeOnTheFly::CorrectedSigma(float I_corr, float sigma_corr, uint64_t hkl
 }
 
 void MergeOnTheFly::RefineErrorModel(const std::vector<IntegrationOutcome> &outcomes) {
+    // Reset to identity up front: every early return below then leaves the model
+    // inactive (CorrectedSigma returns sigma unchanged) rather than keeping a stale
+    // a/b from a previous call alongside a freshly-cleared mean map.
+    error_model_active = false;
+    error_model_a = 1.0;
+    error_model_b = 0.0;
+    error_model_mean_I.clear();
+
     // --- 1. Collect accepted, scaled observations grouped by symmetry-equivalent hkl,
     //        applying exactly the filters AddImage uses. ---
     struct Obs { float I, sigma; };
@@ -134,7 +142,6 @@ void MergeOnTheFly::RefineErrorModel(const std::vector<IntegrationOutcome> &outc
     //        (b*I)^2 term uses the reflection mean, so the mean (not I_i) is the abscissa. ---
     struct Sample { double s2, I2, dev2; };
     std::vector<Sample> samples;
-    error_model_mean_I.clear();
 
     for (const auto &[key, obs]: groups) {
         if (obs.size() < 2)
@@ -176,7 +183,9 @@ void MergeOnTheFly::RefineErrorModel(const std::vector<IntegrationOutcome> &outc
         return v[v.size() / 2];
     };
 
-    double Ass = 0, AsI = 0, AII = 0, Bs = 0, BI = 0;
+    // Per-intensity-bin medians of (sigma^2, <I>^2, dev2).
+    std::vector<double> bs2, bI2, bd2;
+    bs2.reserve(n_bins); bI2.reserve(n_bins); bd2.reserve(n_bins);
     const size_t per = samples.size() / n_bins;
     for (int bin = 0; bin < n_bins; ++bin) {
         const size_t lo = bin * per;
@@ -188,8 +197,22 @@ void MergeOnTheFly::RefineErrorModel(const std::vector<IntegrationOutcome> &outc
             vI2.push_back(samples[i].I2);
             vd2.push_back(samples[i].dev2);
         }
-        const double s2 = median(vs2), I2 = median(vI2), d2 = median(vd2);
-        const double wgt = 1.0 / std::max(d2 * d2, 1e-30);
+        bs2.push_back(median(vs2));
+        bI2.push_back(median(vI2));
+        bd2.push_back(median(vd2));
+    }
+
+    // Relative-weighted (1/dev2^2) least squares for (a, b^2). Floor the weight's dev2 at a
+    // small fraction of the typical bin dev2: an absolute floor (1e-30) does not stop a
+    // near-zero-scatter bin from acquiring a runaway weight and hijacking the fit, so the
+    // floor must scale with the data. The regression target keeps the unfloored dev2.
+    std::vector<double> bd2_sorted = bd2;
+    const double dev2_floor = std::max(1e-30, 1e-3 * median(bd2_sorted));
+    double Ass = 0, AsI = 0, AII = 0, Bs = 0, BI = 0;
+    for (int bin = 0; bin < n_bins; ++bin) {
+        const double s2 = bs2[bin], I2 = bI2[bin], d2 = bd2[bin];
+        const double d2w = std::max(d2, dev2_floor);
+        const double wgt = 1.0 / (d2w * d2w);
         Ass += wgt * s2 * s2;
         AsI += wgt * s2 * I2;
         AII += wgt * I2 * I2;
@@ -197,8 +220,10 @@ void MergeOnTheFly::RefineErrorModel(const std::vector<IntegrationOutcome> &outc
         BI  += wgt * I2 * d2;
     }
 
+    // Reject a near-collinear (ill-conditioned) system *relatively*: det lies in
+    // [0, Ass*AII] by Cauchy-Schwarz, so compare against that scale rather than 1e-30.
     const double det = Ass * AII - AsI * AsI;
-    if (std::fabs(det) < 1e-30)
+    if (!(det > 1e-10 * Ass * AII))
         return;
     const double a  = std::clamp((Bs * AII - BI * AsI) / det, 0.25, 100.0);
     const double b2 = std::max((Ass * BI - AsI * Bs) / det, 0.0);