diff --git a/AGENTS.md b/AGENTS.md
index 4e6e039..520a907 100644
--- a/AGENTS.md
+++ b/AGENTS.md
@@ -81,6 +81,21 @@ created from `origin/main` silently gets `origin/main` as its upstream and will
 push there. The new-branch path must pass `--no-track`, then let `cmd_track` set
 the correct upstream. Live in `cmd_add`; any change there needs a fresh test.
 
+## Git pitfall: a start-point can override `-b`
+
+`git worktree add --no-track -b <new> <dir> <base>` does **not** guarantee a
+worktree on `<new>`. When `<base>` is a bare name matching a branch that exists
+only on the remote, git's DWIM reads it as "create a local branch tracking
+`origin/<base>`" and overrides `-b <new>` entirely: the worktree comes up on
+`<base>`, `<new>` is never created, a stray local `<base>` ref is left to go
+stale, and the exit status is 0. `--no-track` does not help — it governs the
+upstream, not the branch name.
+
+`cmd_add` resolves the base through `_base_sha` first (local commit-ish, else
+`origin/<base>`) and passes the sha, which leaves nothing for the DWIM to latch
+onto, and then asserts the new worktree's `HEAD` really is `<br>`. Keep both:
+the resolution is the fix, the assertion is what makes a future regression loud.
+
 ## Git pitfall: worktree paths are physical
 
 `git worktree list` reports the *physical* path. Resolve any user-supplied
@@ -129,6 +144,10 @@ What the suite covers:
   exactly `origin/feature-x` for an existing remote branch and exactly
   `origin/brandnew` for a new one; directory collision; `--print-path` emitting
   only a path; argument errors; nonzero exit when `track`/push fails
+- **add with a remote-only base** — the worktree lands on the requested branch
+  (not the base), starts at `origin/<base>`, leaves no stray local ref, and
+  tracks its own remote; an explicit `origin/<base>` behaves identically; an
+  unresolvable base fails and creates no worktree
 - **add with a slash in the branch** — the directory is slugged (`feature/x` →
   `feature-x/`, `deep/new/branch` → `deep-new-branch/`) while the ref keeps its
   slash and tracks `origin/feature/x`; a second branch slugging to a taken
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index e5588cf..07bc436 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -212,6 +212,11 @@ Creates a worktree, handling three cases:
 | Branch exists on `origin` | Fetch, create with `--track` |
 | Branch is new | Create from `base` (default `origin/<default>`) with `--no-track` |
 
+`base` is resolved to a commit before the worktree is created. A bare name that
+exists only on `origin` resolves to `origin/<name>`, so `add newwork v1.2.0`
+starts the branch where you meant and leaves no local `v1.2.0` behind; a base
+that resolves to nothing is an error rather than a worktree on something else.
+
 > **`add` writes to the remote by default.** When pushing is enabled, upstream is
 > set afterward via `track`. If the branch does not exist on `origin`, that runs
 > `git push -u origin HEAD` — **which creates the branch on the remote.** This
diff --git a/git-trees b/git-trees
index 786496a..83e5a92 100755
--- a/git-trees
+++ b/git-trees
@@ -139,6 +139,26 @@ _default_branch() {
   echo main
 }
 
+# _base_sha <ref> -> commit sha of <ref>, or nonzero
+#
+# `git worktree add -b <new> <dir> <base>` DWIMs a base that names a branch
+# existing only on the remote: it creates a local branch named <base> tracking
+# it and overrides the explicit `-b <new>` entirely, so the worktree lands on
+# the wrong branch, <new> is never created, and the command exits 0. `--no-track`
+# does not prevent it — that flag governs the upstream, not the branch name.
+# Resolving the base to a sha first leaves nothing for the DWIM to latch onto,
+# and creates no stray local ref that would later go stale as origin advances.
+#
+# A bare remote-only name is not resolvable as a commit-ish, so it is retried
+# against `origin/` — the branch the user meant.
+_base_sha() {
+  local sha
+  sha=$(git rev-parse --verify --quiet "$1^{commit}") && { printf '%s\n' "$sha"; return 0; }
+  sha=$(git rev-parse --verify --quiet "refs/remotes/origin/$1^{commit}") \
+    && { printf '%s\n' "$sha"; return 0; }
+  return 1
+}
+
 _ref_info() {   # _ref_info <branch> -> upstream|track|date
   git for-each-ref --format='%(upstream:short)|%(upstream:track)|%(committerdate:short)' \
     "refs/heads/$1"
@@ -377,7 +397,7 @@ cmd_root() {
 # --- add ---------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 cmd_add() {
-  local br="" base="" print_path=0 no_push=0 root path dir owner
+  local br="" base="" print_path=0 no_push=0 root path dir owner base_sha created
 
   while [ $# -gt 0 ]; do
     case "$1" in
@@ -449,9 +469,27 @@ cmd_add() {
     git worktree add --track -b "$br" "$dir" "origin/$br" >&2 || return 1
   else
     : "${base:=origin/$(_default_branch)}"
+    # A sha, never the base name: see _base_sha for the wrong-branch DWIM this
+    # avoids. Resolving here also turns a bogus base into a clear error instead
+    # of a worktree on something the user did not ask for.
+    base_sha=$(_base_sha "$base") || {
+      echo "git trees add: base '$base' is not a valid commit" >&2
+      return 1
+    }
     # --no-track: a new branch must not inherit the base ref's upstream,
     # or it would silently push to the base branch.
-    git worktree add --no-track -b "$br" "$dir" "$base" >&2 || return 1
+    git worktree add --no-track -b "$br" "$dir" "$base_sha" >&2 || return 1
+  fi
+
+  # Belt and braces against a future DWIM: `add` must never leave a worktree
+  # checked out on a branch other than the one asked for, silently or otherwise.
+  # Asked of the worktree itself, not `git worktree list`: that reports physical
+  # paths, and $dir is built from _root, so a symlinked container root would make
+  # the lookup miss and this check cry wolf.
+  created=$(git -C "$dir" symbolic-ref --quiet --short HEAD 2>/dev/null)
+  if [ "$created" != "$br" ]; then
+    echo "git trees add: worktree at $dir is on '${created:-detached HEAD}', not '$br'" >&2
+    return 1
   fi
 
   if [ "$no_push" -eq 1 ]; then
diff --git a/tests/smoke.sh b/tests/smoke.sh
index 63d4f59..4b6374d 100755
--- a/tests/smoke.sh
+++ b/tests/smoke.sh
@@ -361,6 +361,55 @@ assert_not_contains "list does not show it as having no worktree" \
 
 cd "$C" || exit 1
 
+# --- add with a remote-only base ---------------------------------------------
+
+# A base naming a branch that exists only on the remote used to be handed to
+# `git worktree add -b <new> <dir> <base>` verbatim, where git's DWIM turned it
+# into "create a local branch tracking origin/<base>" and overrode `-b <new>`
+# entirely: the worktree came up on <base>, <new> was never created, a stray
+# local <base> ref was left behind to go stale, and the command exited 0.
+section "add — remote-only base"
+RB=$(new_container remote-base-c)
+
+# A branch on origin that the container has never had locally: created after the
+# clone, so only the remote-tracking ref exists. Its own commit, so "based on it"
+# is distinguishable from "based on main".
+RB_SHA=$(git -C "$ORIGIN" commit-tree "$(git -C "$ORIGIN" rev-parse 'main^{tree}')" \
+  -p main -m relbase)
+git -C "$ORIGIN" branch relbase "$RB_SHA" >/dev/null 2>&1
+cd "$RB" || exit 1
+git fetch -q origin
+assert_fail "the base branch is remote-only" \
+  git show-ref --verify --quiet refs/heads/relbase
+
+assert_ok "add on a remote-only base" bash "$T" add newfromremote relbase
+assert_eq "the worktree is on the requested branch, not the base" \
+  "$(git -C newfromremote symbolic-ref --short HEAD 2>/dev/null)" "newfromremote"
+assert_eq "the new branch starts at origin/<base>" \
+  "$(git -C newfromremote rev-parse HEAD 2>/dev/null)" "$RB_SHA"
+assert_fail "no stray local branch named after the base" \
+  git show-ref --verify --quiet refs/heads/relbase
+assert_eq "the new branch tracks its own remote, not the base" \
+  "$(git -C newfromremote rev-parse --abbrev-ref '@{upstream}' 2>/dev/null)" \
+  "origin/newfromremote"
+
+# The same base spelled out explicitly must behave identically.
+assert_ok "add on an explicit origin/<base>" bash "$T" add explicitbase origin/relbase
+assert_eq "the explicit form checks out the requested branch" \
+  "$(git -C explicitbase symbolic-ref --short HEAD 2>/dev/null)" "explicitbase"
+assert_eq "the explicit form starts at that commit" \
+  "$(git -C explicitbase rev-parse HEAD 2>/dev/null)" "$RB_SHA"
+
+# A base that resolves to nothing is an error, not a worktree on something else.
+out=$(bash "$T" add frombogus no/such/base 2>&1)
+assert_fail "add on a nonexistent base fails" bash "$T" add frombogus no/such/base
+assert_contains "the error names the bad base" "$out" "no/such/base"
+assert_fail "no worktree was left behind for a bad base" test -e "$RB/frombogus"
+
+git -C "$ORIGIN" branch -D relbase >/dev/null 2>&1
+
+cd "$C" || exit 1
+
 # A failed upstream setup must fail `add` (the worktree may still exist).
 BROKE=$(new_container add-nopush-remote)
 cd "$BROKE" || exit 1