diff --git a/pkg/registry/core/tap/rest.go b/pkg/registry/core/tap/rest.go
index 3bb6f74ce..4695340e2 100644
--- a/pkg/registry/core/tap/rest.go
+++ b/pkg/registry/core/tap/rest.go
@@ -217,6 +217,15 @@ func (r *REST) Create(ctx context.Context, obj runtime.Object, createValidation
 		}
 	}
 
+	// A connect carries a tag, a digest, or both; an explicit digest is pinned
+	// here, while a tag-only source is pinned to a digest later by the operator.
+	refSpec := map[string]any{}
+	if target.Tag != "" {
+		refSpec["tag"] = target.Tag
+	}
+	if target.Digest != "" {
+		refSpec["digest"] = target.Digest
+	}
 	repo := &unstructured.Unstructured{Object: map[string]any{
 		"apiVersion": "source.toolkit.fluxcd.io/v1",
 		"kind":       "OCIRepository",
@@ -229,7 +238,7 @@ func (r *REST) Create(ctx context.Context, obj runtime.Object, createValidation
 		"spec": map[string]any{
 			"url":      target.URL,
 			"interval": "5m0s",
-			"ref":      map[string]any{"tag": target.Tag},
+			"ref":      refSpec,
 		},
 	}}
 	if in.Spec.SecretRef != "" {
@@ -255,12 +264,22 @@ func (r *REST) Create(ctx context.Context, obj runtime.Object, createValidation
 			return nil, apierrors.NewConflict(r.gvr.GroupResource(), target.FluxSourceName,
 				fmt.Errorf("a different repository (%s) is already connected as %q; disconnect it before connecting %s", curURL, target.FluxSourceName, target.URL))
 		}
-		// Update only the fields this API owns (spec, the tap label and name
-		// annotation) on the FETCHED object, so the operator's finalizer survives.
-		// Clear the materialized-revision annotation so a re-connect re-materializes
-		// and recovers a registration Package (or PackageSource) removed out-of-band
-		// since the last materialization, the same recovery `cozypkg tap` performs.
-		cur.Object["spec"] = repo.Object["spec"]
+		// Update the fields this API owns on the FETCHED object, so the operator's
+		// finalizer survives. Replace url, interval, ref and secretRef from this
+		// connect, but PRESERVE a spec.verify set earlier (by this API or by an
+		// admin): a repeat connect must never silently drop a signature-verification
+		// policy. Replacing the whole ref rather than merging it is deliberate: it
+		// drops the operator's prior digest pin so the newly requested tag re-
+		// resolves (the operator re-pins it). A connect that itself carries verify
+		// overrides the preserved one.
+		newSpec := map[string]any{}
+		if existingVerify, ok, _ := unstructured.NestedMap(cur.Object, "spec", "verify"); ok {
+			newSpec["verify"] = existingVerify
+		}
+		for k, v := range repo.Object["spec"].(map[string]any) {
+			newSpec[k] = v
+		}
+		cur.Object["spec"] = newSpec
 		labels := cur.GetLabels()
 		if labels == nil {
 			labels = map[string]string{}
@@ -272,7 +291,12 @@ func (r *REST) Create(ctx context.Context, obj runtime.Object, createValidation
 			ann = map[string]string{}
 		}
 		ann[tapconst.NameAnnotation] = target.FluxSourceName
+		// Clear the materialized-revision annotation so a re-connect re-materializes
+		// (recovering a registration removed out-of-band, the same recovery `cozypkg
+		// tap` performs), and the pinned-digest annotation so the operator re-pins
+		// the newly requested tag rather than treating the dropped pin as a user digest.
 		delete(ann, tapconst.MaterializedRevisionAnnotation)
+		delete(ann, tapconst.PinnedDigestAnnotation)
 		cur.SetAnnotations(ann)
 		if _, err := src.Update(ctx, cur, metav1.UpdateOptions{FieldManager: "cozystack-api", DryRun: createDryRun(opts)}); err != nil {
 			return nil, apierrors.NewInternalError(fmt.Errorf("update Flux source for tap %s: %w", target.FluxSourceName, err))
diff --git a/pkg/registry/core/tap/rest_test.go b/pkg/registry/core/tap/rest_test.go
index d05c13512..112381b0b 100644
--- a/pkg/registry/core/tap/rest_test.go
+++ b/pkg/registry/core/tap/rest_test.go
@@ -309,6 +309,73 @@ func TestCreateRepeatPreservesFinalizerAndForcesRematerialize(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestCreatePinsExplicitDigest(t *testing.T) {
+	const digest = "sha256:1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111"
+	r := fakeREST()
+	in := &corev1alpha1.Tap{Spec: corev1alpha1.TapSpec{URL: "oci://ghcr.io/foo/bar@" + digest}}
+	if _, err := r.Create(context.Background(), in, nil, nil); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("create: %v", err)
+	}
+	u, err := r.dyn.Resource(gvrOCIRepos).Namespace("cozy-system").Get(context.Background(), "tap-foo-bar", metav1.GetOptions{})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if got, _, _ := unstructured.NestedString(u.Object, "spec", "ref", "digest"); got != digest {
+		t.Errorf("explicit digest not pinned on the source: got %q", got)
+	}
+	// A digest-only connect must not also follow a tag.
+	if tag, found, _ := unstructured.NestedString(u.Object, "spec", "ref", "tag"); found && tag != "" {
+		t.Errorf("digest connect must not set a tag, got %q", tag)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestCreateRepeatPreservesVerifyAndResetsPin(t *testing.T) {
+	// A source connected earlier, pinned by the operator to a digest, with a
+	// signature-verification policy added by an admin. A repeat connect at a new
+	// tag must: preserve spec.verify (never silently downgrade trust), drop the
+	// operator's digest pin so the new tag re-resolves, and clear the pin and
+	// materialized-revision annotations so the operator re-pins and re-materializes.
+	const oldDigest = "sha256:2222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222"
+	existing := ociRepoObj("tap-foo-bar")
+	_ = unstructured.SetNestedField(existing.Object, "oci://ghcr.io/foo/bar", "spec", "url")
+	_ = unstructured.SetNestedField(existing.Object, oldDigest, "spec", "ref", "digest")
+	_ = unstructured.SetNestedField(existing.Object, "v1", "spec", "ref", "tag")
+	_ = unstructured.SetNestedMap(existing.Object, map[string]any{
+		"provider":          "cosign",
+		"matchOIDCIdentity": []any{map[string]any{"issuer": "https://token.actions.githubusercontent.com", "subject": "https://github.com/org/repo/.github/workflows/release.yml@refs/tags/v1"}},
+	}, "spec", "verify")
+	existing.SetFinalizers([]string{"apps.cozystack.io/tap-materializer"})
+	existing.SetAnnotations(map[string]string{
+		"apps.cozystack.io/materialized-revision": "v1@" + oldDigest,
+		"apps.cozystack.io/tap-pinned-digest":     oldDigest,
+	})
+	r := fakeREST(existing)
+
+	in := &corev1alpha1.Tap{Spec: corev1alpha1.TapSpec{URL: "oci://ghcr.io/foo/bar:v2"}}
+	if _, err := r.Create(context.Background(), in, nil, nil); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("repeat create: %v", err)
+	}
+	u, err := r.dyn.Resource(gvrOCIRepos).Namespace("cozy-system").Get(context.Background(), "tap-foo-bar", metav1.GetOptions{})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if prov, _, _ := unstructured.NestedString(u.Object, "spec", "verify", "provider"); prov != "cosign" {
+		t.Errorf("spec.verify was dropped on repeat connect: %+v", u.Object["spec"])
+	}
+	if tag, _, _ := unstructured.NestedString(u.Object, "spec", "ref", "tag"); tag != "v2" {
+		t.Errorf("tag not updated to v2, got %q", tag)
+	}
+	if d, found, _ := unstructured.NestedString(u.Object, "spec", "ref", "digest"); found && d != "" {
+		t.Errorf("operator digest pin must be dropped so the new tag re-resolves, got %q", d)
+	}
+	if _, ok := u.GetAnnotations()["apps.cozystack.io/tap-pinned-digest"]; ok {
+		t.Error("pinned-digest annotation must be cleared on re-connect")
+	}
+	if _, ok := u.GetAnnotations()["apps.cozystack.io/materialized-revision"]; ok {
+		t.Error("materialized-revision annotation must be cleared on re-connect")
+	}
+}
+
 func TestCreateRefusesConflictingURL(t *testing.T) {
 	// A source with the same derived name but a different registry host must not
 	// be silently retargeted.