diff --git a/oci/remote/oci_instance_transaction.py b/oci/remote/oci_instance_transaction.py
index 0e07d7c5..fa01b2dc 100644
--- a/oci/remote/oci_instance_transaction.py
+++ b/oci/remote/oci_instance_transaction.py
@@ -624,7 +624,11 @@ def without_public_routes(config, vmid):
 def refuse_high_availability(vmid):
     """Recreating a container that HA manages would race the HA manager, which
     restarts or relocates it in the middle of the replacement."""
-    resources = json.loads(run('pvesh', 'get', '/cluster/ha/resources', '--output-format', 'json'))
+    try:
+        answer = run('pvesh', 'get', '/cluster/ha/resources', '--output-format', 'json')
+    except FileNotFoundError:
+        return  # Not a Proxmox VE node: there is no HA manager to race.
+    resources = json.loads(answer)
     if any(r.get('sid') == f'ct:{vmid}' for r in resources):
         raise ValueError(translate(
             'This container is managed by high availability. Remove ct:{vmid} from HA (Datacenter → HA, '
@@ -641,6 +645,9 @@ def preflight(record, candidate, config, coordinated=None, in_place=False, basel
         raise ValueError(translate('Stack members are updated together with their stack'))
     if instances.identity(config) != record['installation_id']:
         raise ValueError(translate('The container identity changed; the container is not replaced'))
+    if not in_place and not coordinated:
+        # A stack checks its members itself; an in-place edit keeps the container.
+        refuse_high_availability(record['vmid'])
     for key, value in (external_changes(record, config, adopt=not coordinated) if baseline else {}).items():
         section, name = ADOPTABLE[key]
         recorded = deployment.get(section, {}) if section else deployment
@@ -1213,7 +1220,8 @@ def apply(root, vmid, archive, operation, proposal=None, registry_digest=None, i
                                                             runtime_settings.file_binds(before))
     original_gpu = gpu_devices.planned(record['deployment'])
     desired_gpu = gpu_devices.planned(candidate['deployment'])
-    refuse_high_availability(vmid)
+    if coordinated:
+        refuse_high_availability(vmid)
     archive = archive.resolve(strict=True)
     check_archive(archive)
     image = image_from_archive(str(archive))
diff --git a/oci/remote/oci_update_current.py b/oci/remote/oci_update_current.py
index b0278615..e8163fb9 100644
--- a/oci/remote/oci_update_current.py
+++ b/oci/remote/oci_update_current.py
@@ -232,9 +232,8 @@ def update(vmid, acknowledge_external_data=False, proposal=None, keep_backup=Non
         # An unsupported native edit still uses the existing installer. Decide
         # the route before changing anything; actual validation/API failures
         # must not silently switch to a destructive fallback.
+        # Also refuses a container that HA manages, before the image is downloaded.
         transaction.preflight(record, desired, config)
-        # Refused before the image is downloaded, not after.
-        transaction.refuse_high_availability(vmid)
         msg_ok(translate('Container checked'))
         current = record['observed']['image'] if operation == 'update' else None
         check = lambda: work_backup.locate(
diff --git a/oci/tests/test_update_high_availability.py b/oci/tests/test_update_high_availability.py
index 356dfa6b..e2cfdbfd 100644
--- a/oci/tests/test_update_high_availability.py
+++ b/oci/tests/test_update_high_availability.py
@@ -26,6 +26,28 @@ class HighAvailabilityTests(unittest.TestCase):
         with ha_resources(200):
             transaction.refuse_high_availability(101)
 
+    def test_a_host_without_pvesh_has_no_ha_to_refuse(self):
+        with patch.object(transaction, 'run', side_effect=FileNotFoundError('pvesh')):
+            transaction.refuse_high_availability(101)
+
+    def test_the_preflight_of_a_replacement_refuses_it(self):
+        record = {'vmid': 101, 'installation_id': 'install-1', 'deployment': {}}
+        with patch.object(transaction.instances, 'identity', return_value='install-1'), ha_resources(101), \
+                self.assertRaises(ValueError) as refused:
+            transaction.preflight(record, {'deployment': {}}, b'')
+        self.assertIn('ct:101', str(refused.exception))
+
+    def test_an_in_place_edit_and_a_stack_member_are_not_refused_here(self):
+        record = {'vmid': 101, 'installation_id': 'install-1', 'deployment': {}}
+        refuse = Mock()
+        with patch.object(transaction.instances, 'identity', return_value='install-1'), \
+                patch.object(transaction, 'refuse_high_availability', refuse), \
+                patch.object(transaction, 'external_changes', side_effect=RuntimeError('past the check')):
+            for options in ({'in_place': True}, {'coordinated': {'id': 'stack'}}):
+                with self.subTest(options=options), self.assertRaises(RuntimeError):
+                    transaction.preflight(record, {'deployment': {}}, b'', **options)
+        refuse.assert_not_called()
+
     def test_an_update_stops_before_downloading_the_image(self):
         record = {'status': 'installed', 'observed': {'image': {}}}
         resolve = Mock()
@@ -35,11 +57,11 @@ class HighAvailabilityTests(unittest.TestCase):
             stack.enter_context(patch.object(update.instances, 'command', return_value=b''))
             stack.enter_context(patch.object(update.transaction, 'candidate_contract', return_value={}))
             stack.enter_context(patch.object(update.transaction, 'external_changes', return_value={}))
-            stack.enter_context(patch.object(update.transaction, 'preflight'))
+            stack.enter_context(patch.object(update.transaction, 'preflight',
+                                             side_effect=ValueError('managed by high availability')))
             stack.enter_context(patch.object(update, 'resolve_archive', resolve))
             stack.enter_context(patch.object(update, 'msg_info'))
             stack.enter_context(patch.object(update, 'msg_ok'))
-            stack.enter_context(ha_resources(101))
             with self.assertRaises(ValueError):
                 update.update(101)
         resolve.assert_not_called()