diff --git a/app/controllers/goals_controller.rb b/app/controllers/goals_controller.rb
index ddb3896eb..5de8aa24a 100644
--- a/app/controllers/goals_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/goals_controller.rb
@@ -93,9 +93,20 @@ class GoalsController < ApplicationController
       return
     end
 
+    # Assign first, sync the links, then persist once. Saving the attributes
+    # up front ran `must_have_at_least_one_linked_account` against the goal's
+    # OLD links, so a goal orphaned by account deletion (Account has_many
+    # :goal_accounts, dependent: :destroy) could never be edited back to
+    # health: the save raised before the submitted accounts were attached.
+    # One save over the fully-assembled goal validates what the user actually
+    # submitted.
     Goal.transaction do
-      @goal.update!(goal_update_params)
-      sync_linked_accounts!(@goal, accounts, submitted_allocations) if accounts_supplied
+      @goal.assign_attributes(goal_update_params)
+      if accounts_supplied
+        sync_linked_accounts!(@goal, accounts, submitted_allocations)
+      else
+        @goal.save!
+      end
     end
 
     flash[:notice] = t(".success")
@@ -289,16 +300,27 @@ class GoalsController < ApplicationController
     end
 
     def perform_transition!(event)
-      if @goal.aasm.may_fire_event?(event)
-        @goal.public_send("#{event}!")
-        respond_to do |format|
-          format.html { redirect_to goal_path(@goal), notice: t(".success") }
-          format.turbo_stream do
-            render turbo_stream: turbo_stream.action(:redirect, goal_path(@goal))
-          end
-        end
-      else
+      unless @goal.aasm.may_fire_event?(event)
         redirect_to goal_path(@goal), alert: t(".invalid_transition")
+        return
+      end
+
+      # AASM's bang event returns false — it does NOT raise — when the save
+      # that persists the new state fails validation. The return value used to
+      # be discarded, so an invalid goal (e.g. orphaned by account deletion)
+      # flashed "Goal archived." while the state never moved. Surface the
+      # validation error instead of claiming success.
+      unless @goal.public_send("#{event}!")
+        redirect_to goal_path(@goal),
+                    alert: @goal.errors.full_messages.to_sentence.presence || t(".invalid_transition")
+        return
+      end
+
+      respond_to do |format|
+        format.html { redirect_to goal_path(@goal), notice: t(".success") }
+        format.turbo_stream do
+          render turbo_stream: turbo_stream.action(:redirect, goal_path(@goal))
+        end
       end
     end
 end
diff --git a/test/controllers/goals_controller_test.rb b/test/controllers/goals_controller_test.rb
index 2fb08236c..cfc5c6d5b 100644
--- a/test/controllers/goals_controller_test.rb
+++ b/test/controllers/goals_controller_test.rb
@@ -210,6 +210,36 @@ class GoalsControllerTest < ActionDispatch::IntegrationTest
     assert fresh.reload.active?
   end
 
+  # A goal whose last funding account is deleted survives with zero links and
+  # fails `must_have_at_least_one_linked_account` from then on. Editing is the
+  # only way back, so update must validate the accounts the user SUBMITTED,
+  # not the stale (empty) set already on the record.
+  test "an orphaned goal can be repaired by re-linking an account" do
+    orphan = orphaned_goal
+
+    patch goal_url(orphan), params: {
+      goal: { name: orphan.name, target_amount: orphan.target_amount, account_ids: [ @depository.id ] }
+    }
+
+    assert_redirected_to goal_path(orphan)
+    assert_equal [ @depository.id ], orphan.reload.goal_accounts.pluck(:account_id)
+    assert orphan.valid?
+  end
+
+  # AASM's bang event returns false rather than raising when the post-transition
+  # save fails validation. The controller used to discard that, flashing
+  # "Goal archived." while the state never moved.
+  test "a transition that fails validation reports the error, not success" do
+    orphan = orphaned_goal
+
+    patch archive_goal_url(orphan)
+
+    assert_redirected_to goal_path(orphan)
+    assert_nil flash[:notice]
+    assert_match(/at least one account/i, flash[:alert])
+    assert_equal "active", orphan.reload.state
+  end
+
   test "destroy on non-archived is rejected" do
     assert_no_difference "Goal.count" do
       delete goal_url(@goal)
@@ -257,6 +287,23 @@ class GoalsControllerTest < ActionDispatch::IntegrationTest
   end
 
   private
+    # A goal in the state account deletion leaves behind: still present, zero
+    # linked accounts, failing its own validations.
+    def orphaned_goal
+      family = @user.family
+      throwaway = Account.create!(
+        family: family, accountable: Depository.new, name: "Throwaway", currency: "USD", balance: 100
+      )
+      goal = family.goals.new(name: "Orphan", target_amount: 500, currency: "USD")
+      goal.goal_accounts.build(account: throwaway)
+      goal.save!
+
+      throwaway.destroy!
+      goal.reload
+      assert_empty goal.goal_accounts, "fixture setup failed to orphan the goal"
+      goal
+    end
+
     def build_goal(family, name, target_amount: 1_000_000, target_date: nil)
       g = family.goals.new(name: name, target_amount: target_amount, target_date: target_date, currency: "USD")
       g.goal_accounts.build(account: @depository)