diff --git a/xCAT-server/lib/xcat/plugins/destiny.pm b/xCAT-server/lib/xcat/plugins/destiny.pm
index 2832d7710..2ae255ee2 100644
--- a/xCAT-server/lib/xcat/plugins/destiny.pm
+++ b/xCAT-server/lib/xcat/plugins/destiny.pm
@@ -861,7 +861,14 @@ sub nextdestiny {
             $ref->{currchain} = $ref->{chain};
         } elsif ($ref->{currchain} !~ /[,;]/){
             if ($ref->{currstate} and ($ref->{currchain} =~ /$ref->{currstate}/)) {
-                $ref->{currchain} = 'standby';
+                # 'boot' is the steady state a completed provision leaves behind,
+                # set by setdestiny once the install or netboot destiny is applied.
+                # Some installers advance the destiny more than once, so it has to
+                # survive being advanced again: replacing it with 'standby' would
+                # leave the node with no destiny that boots the installed system.
+                unless ($ref->{currchain} eq 'boot') {
+                    $ref->{currchain} = 'standby';
+                }
                 $callnodeset = 0;
             }
         }
diff --git a/xCAT-test/unit/destiny_chain_advance.t b/xCAT-test/unit/destiny_chain_advance.t
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b46c59290
--- /dev/null
+++ b/xCAT-test/unit/destiny_chain_advance.t
@@ -0,0 +1,77 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env perl
+use strict;
+use warnings;
+
+use FindBin;
+use File::Spec;
+use Test::More;
+
+my $repo_root = File::Spec->catdir( $FindBin::Bin, '..', '..' );
+my $plugin = File::Spec->catfile( $repo_root, 'xCAT-server/lib/xcat/plugins/destiny.pm' );
+
+plan skip_all => "$plugin not found" unless -r $plugin;
+
+open( my $fh, '<', $plugin ) or die "Unable to read $plugin: $!";
+my $source = do { local $/; <$fh> };
+close($fh);
+
+# Extract the chain-advance block out of nextdestiny() and run it directly, so
+# that this exercises the shipped logic instead of a copy that can drift away
+# from it. The block only touches $ref and $callnodeset, so it can be evaluated
+# without a database or a running xcatd.
+my ($block) = $source =~ m{
+    ( unless \s* \(\$ref->\{currchain\}\) .*?
+      \#If \s we've \s gone \s off \s the \s end \s of \s the \s chain .*?
+      \n \s* \} \n )
+}sx;
+
+ok( $block, 'the chain-advance block was located in nextdestiny()' )
+  or BAIL_OUT('destiny.pm no longer matches the expected chain-advance shape');
+
+sub advance {
+    my (%chain) = @_;
+    my $ref = { %chain };
+    my $callnodeset = 1;
+    my $code = "sub { my (\$ref, \$callnodeset) = \@_;\n$block\n return (\$ref, \$callnodeset); }";
+    my $sub = eval $code;
+    die "Unable to evaluate the extracted block: $@" if $@;
+    my ( $out, $cns ) = $sub->( $ref, $callnodeset );
+    return $out;
+}
+
+# A completed provision leaves chain.currchain set to 'boot' (setdestiny does
+# this once the install or netboot destiny is applied). Some installers advance
+# the destiny more than once, and that extra advance must leave the node on a
+# destiny that still boots it.
+my $repeat = advance( currchain => 'boot', currstate => 'boot', chain => 'osimage=rhels9-x86_64-install-compute' );
+is( $repeat->{currstate}, 'boot', 'advancing again from boot keeps the node booting' );
+is( $repeat->{currchain}, 'boot', 'advancing again from boot leaves boot as the next destiny' );
+
+# Advancing repeatedly has to stay idempotent, not drift one state per call.
+my $twice = advance( currchain => $repeat->{currchain}, currstate => $repeat->{currstate}, chain => 'osimage=rhels9-x86_64-install-compute' );
+is( $twice->{currstate}, 'boot', 'a third advance still leaves the node booting' );
+is( $twice->{currchain}, 'boot', 'repeated advances from boot are idempotent' );
+
+# An exhausted non-boot chain must still fall to standby, so that a finished
+# install does not simply reinstall the node on its next boot.
+my $exhausted = advance(
+    currchain => 'osimage=rhels9-x86_64-install-compute',
+    currstate => 'osimage=rhels9-x86_64-install-compute',
+    chain     => 'osimage=rhels9-x86_64-install-compute'
+);
+is( $exhausted->{currstate}, 'standby', 'an exhausted install chain still falls to standby' );
+
+# A chain with steps left is untouched by the guard and advances normally.
+my $remaining = advance(
+    currchain => 'osimage=rhels9-x86_64-install-compute,boot',
+    currstate => 'osimage=rhels9-x86_64-install-compute',
+    chain     => 'osimage=rhels9-x86_64-install-compute,boot'
+);
+is( $remaining->{currstate}, 'osimage=rhels9-x86_64-install-compute', 'a chain with steps left advances to its next step' );
+is( $remaining->{currchain}, 'boot', 'a chain with steps left keeps the rest of the chain' );
+
+# With no current chain the default chain is still copied in.
+my $fresh = advance( currchain => '', currstate => '', chain => 'osimage=rhels9-x86_64-install-compute,boot' );
+is( $fresh->{currstate}, 'osimage=rhels9-x86_64-install-compute', 'an empty currchain still starts from the default chain' );
+
+done_testing();