diff --git a/tools/dwh-auth/internal/command/command.go b/tools/dwh-auth/internal/command/command.go
index df70c959..6d24bd52 100644
--- a/tools/dwh-auth/internal/command/command.go
+++ b/tools/dwh-auth/internal/command/command.go
@@ -236,9 +236,9 @@ func runCreate(ctx context.Context, root string, args []string, stdout, stderr i
 	}
 	addErr := addRecord(store, value)
 	if addErr != nil {
-		lookupErr := lookupCreatedRecord(store, material.KeyID)
+		present, snapshotErr := snapshotContainsKey(store, material.KeyID)
 		closeErr := closeStore(store)
-		if errors.Is(lookupErr, registry.ErrNotFound) && closeErr == nil {
+		if snapshotErr == nil && !present && closeErr == nil {
 			if cleanupOutput(options.output) != nil {
 				writeCleanupFailure(stderr, options.output)
 				return exitIntegrity
@@ -448,9 +448,17 @@ func runServe(args []string, stderr io.Writer) int {
 	return exitIntegrity
 }
 
-func lookupCreatedRecord(store *registry.Store, keyID string) error {
-	_, err := store.Find(keyID)
-	return err
+func snapshotContainsKey(store *registry.Store, keyID string) (bool, error) {
+	values, err := store.List()
+	if err != nil {
+		return false, err
+	}
+	for _, value := range values {
+		if value.KeyID == keyID {
+			return true, nil
+		}
+	}
+	return false, nil
 }
 
 func openCheckedStore(ctx context.Context, root string) (*registry.Store, error) {
diff --git a/tools/dwh-auth/internal/command/command_test.go b/tools/dwh-auth/internal/command/command_test.go
index a9c5eaf3..1059c1c6 100644
--- a/tools/dwh-auth/internal/command/command_test.go
+++ b/tools/dwh-auth/internal/command/command_test.go
@@ -359,6 +359,47 @@ func TestCreateCleansOnlyWhenFailedPublicationProvesKeyAbsent(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestCreateRetainsOutputWhenSnapshotFindsUnrelatedIntegrityFailure(t *testing.T) {
+	root := t.TempDir()
+	output := filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "corrupt-registry")
+	addRecord = func(*registry.Store, record.Record) error {
+		if err := os.WriteFile(filepath.Join(root, "active", "unexpected"), []byte(sentinelSecret), 0o600); err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("WriteFile(corrupt entry) error = %v", err)
+		}
+		return errors.New("synthetic add failure")
+	}
+	t.Cleanup(func() { addRecord = func(store *registry.Store, value record.Record) error { return store.Add(value) } })
+	stdout, stderr, code := run(t, "--registry-root", root, "key", "create", "--installation-id", "corrupt-client", "--output", output)
+	if code != 4 || stdout != "" || !strings.Contains(stderr, "publication uncertain path=") || strings.Contains(stderr, sentinelSecret) {
+		t.Fatalf("corrupt snapshot result = (%d, %q, %q)", code, stdout, stderr)
+	}
+	if _, err := os.Stat(output); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("corrupt snapshot output stat error = %v, want retained: %v", err, err)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestCreateRetainsOutputWhenFailedPublicationRecordIsExpired(t *testing.T) {
+	oldNow := nowUTC
+	nowUTC = func() time.Time { return time.Date(2020, 1, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, time.UTC) }
+	t.Cleanup(func() { nowUTC = oldNow })
+	root := t.TempDir()
+	output := filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "expired-record")
+	addRecord = func(store *registry.Store, value record.Record) error {
+		if err := store.Add(value); err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		return errors.New("synthetic expired post-publication failure")
+	}
+	t.Cleanup(func() { addRecord = func(store *registry.Store, value record.Record) error { return store.Add(value) } })
+	stdout, stderr, code := run(t, "--registry-root", root, "key", "create", "--installation-id", "expired-client", "--expires-at", "2020-01-01T00:00:01Z", "--output", output)
+	if code != 4 || stdout != "" || !strings.Contains(stderr, "publication uncertain path=") {
+		t.Fatalf("expired publication result = (%d, %q, %q)", code, stdout, stderr)
+	}
+	if _, err := os.Stat(output); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("expired publication output stat error = %v, want retained: %v", err, err)
+	}
+}
+
 func run(t *testing.T, args ...string) (string, string, int) {
 	t.Helper()
 	var stdout, stderr bytes.Buffer