diff --git a/src/specify_cli/workflows/_commands.py b/src/specify_cli/workflows/_commands.py
index cd24b22bc..fdbc9c504 100644
--- a/src/specify_cli/workflows/_commands.py
+++ b/src/specify_cli/workflows/_commands.py
@@ -934,6 +934,15 @@ def _install_workflow_from_catalog(
     workflow_dir = _safe_workflow_id_dir(workflows_dir, workflow_id)
     workflow_file = workflow_dir / "workflow.yml"
 
+    # Captured before any mkdir/download writes so a registry.add() failure
+    # at the end of this function can tell a fresh install from a
+    # reinstall-over-an-existing-one, mirroring _validate_and_install_local's
+    # existed-before/backup-aware rollback.
+    existed_before = workflow_dir.is_dir()
+    prior_workflow_bytes = (
+        workflow_file.read_bytes() if existed_before and workflow_file.is_file() else None
+    )
+
     try:
         from specify_cli.authentication.http import open_url as _open_url
         from specify_cli.authentication.http import github_provider_hosts as _github_provider_hosts
@@ -1047,8 +1056,15 @@ def _install_workflow_from_catalog(
     try:
         registry.add(workflow_id, entry)
     except OSError as exc:
-        import shutil
-        shutil.rmtree(workflow_dir, ignore_errors=True)
+        # Don't destroy a prior working install on a reinstall: only a
+        # brand-new directory is safe to remove wholesale; an existing one
+        # gets its previous workflow.yml restored instead.
+        if existed_before:
+            if prior_workflow_bytes is not None:
+                workflow_file.write_bytes(prior_workflow_bytes)
+        else:
+            import shutil
+            shutil.rmtree(workflow_dir, ignore_errors=True)
         console.print(
             f"[red]Error:[/red] Failed to update workflow registry for "
             f"'{_escape_markup(workflow_id)}': {_escape_markup(str(exc))}"
diff --git a/tests/test_workflows.py b/tests/test_workflows.py
index eb59c50d4..cf76d49c0 100644
--- a/tests/test_workflows.py
+++ b/tests/test_workflows.py
@@ -7782,6 +7782,71 @@ steps:
         assert not dest_dir.exists()
         assert not WorkflowRegistry(project_dir).is_installed("align-wf")
 
+    def test_add_catalog_reinstall_save_failure_restores_prior_file(self, project_dir, monkeypatch):
+        """Re-adding an already-installed catalog workflow downloads the new
+        version over the existing install directory. If registry.add() then
+        fails to save, the prior working workflow.yml must be restored
+        byte-for-byte (not left overwritten with the new download, and not
+        deleted like a fresh install) and the registry must remain valid and
+        still point at the original version -- the update path's caller has
+        an outer backup/restore for this, but plain `workflow add` does not,
+        so _install_workflow_from_catalog must handle it itself."""
+        from typer.testing import CliRunner
+        from specify_cli import app
+        from specify_cli.workflows.catalog import WorkflowCatalog, WorkflowRegistry
+
+        monkeypatch.chdir(project_dir)
+        monkeypatch.setattr(
+            WorkflowCatalog,
+            "get_workflow_info",
+            lambda self, wid: {
+                "id": wid,
+                "name": "Align Workflow",
+                "version": "1.0.0",
+                "url": "https://example.com/workflow.yml",
+                "_install_allowed": True,
+                "_catalog_name": "test-catalog",
+            },
+        )
+        original_data = self.WORKFLOW_YAML.format(version="1.0.0").encode()
+        runner = CliRunner()
+        with pytest.MonkeyPatch.context() as mp:
+            mp.setattr(
+                "specify_cli.authentication.http.open_url",
+                lambda url, timeout=None, extra_headers=None, redirect_validator=None: self._FakeResponse(
+                    original_data, url
+                ),
+            )
+            result = runner.invoke(app, ["workflow", "add", "align-wf"])
+        assert result.exit_code == 0, result.output
+
+        dest_file = project_dir / ".specify" / "workflows" / "align-wf" / "workflow.yml"
+        assert dest_file.read_bytes() == original_data
+
+        new_data = self.WORKFLOW_YAML.format(version="2.0.0").encode()
+
+        def boom(self):
+            raise OSError("disk full")
+
+        with pytest.MonkeyPatch.context() as mp:
+            mp.setattr(
+                "specify_cli.authentication.http.open_url",
+                lambda url, timeout=None, extra_headers=None, redirect_validator=None: self._FakeResponse(
+                    new_data, url
+                ),
+            )
+            mp.setattr(WorkflowRegistry, "save", boom)
+            result = runner.invoke(app, ["workflow", "add", "align-wf"])
+
+        assert result.exit_code != 0
+        assert result.exception is None or isinstance(result.exception, SystemExit)
+        assert result.output.strip() != ""
+        # The prior working install must survive untouched, byte-for-byte.
+        assert dest_file.read_bytes() == original_data
+        registry = WorkflowRegistry(project_dir)
+        assert registry.is_installed("align-wf")
+        assert registry.get("align-wf")["version"] == "1.0.0"
+
     def test_download_redirect_validator_rejects_http_before_follow(self):
         import urllib.error