diff --git a/src/features/clusters/ClustersList.test.tsx b/src/features/clusters/ClustersList.test.tsx
index 6b20eaa08..f9fe02e3e 100644
--- a/src/features/clusters/ClustersList.test.tsx
+++ b/src/features/clusters/ClustersList.test.tsx
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ vi.mock(
 vi.mock('@tanstack/react-router', () => ({
 	useParams: () => ({ organizationId: 'org-a' }),
 	Link: ({ children, to, ...props }: { children: ReactNode; to: string }) => <a href={to} {...props}>{children}</a>,
-	Navigate: ({ to }: { to: string }) => <p>Navigate {to}</p>,
+	Navigate: ({ to, replace }: { to: string; replace?: boolean }) => <p>{replace ? 'Replace' : 'Push'} {to}</p>,
 }));
 vi.mock('@/components/SubNavMenu', () => ({ SubNavMenu: () => null }));
 vi.mock(
@@ -109,10 +109,10 @@ describe('ClustersList', () => {
 		expect(screen.getByRole('link', { name: 'New Cluster' }).getAttribute('href')).toBe('/org-a/new-cluster');
 	});
 
-	it('preserves a saved cluster creation redirect', () => {
+	it('redirects a saved cluster draft in place, so Back skips the page that redirected (#1326)', () => {
 		state.clusters = [cluster('Production', 'RUNNING', 'US East')];
 		state.saved = { name: 'Draft' };
 		render(<ClustersList />);
-		expect(screen.getByText('Navigate /org-a/new-cluster')).toBeTruthy();
+		expect(screen.getByText('Replace /org-a/new-cluster')).toBeTruthy();
 	});
 });
diff --git a/src/features/clusters/ClustersList.tsx b/src/features/clusters/ClustersList.tsx
index d54f9d117..6f55a7e03 100644
--- a/src/features/clusters/ClustersList.tsx
+++ b/src/features/clusters/ClustersList.tsx
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ export function ClustersList() {
 		return <UpsertCluster />;
 	}
 	if (savedClusterState) {
-		return <Navigate to={`/${organizationId}/new-cluster`} />;
+		return <Navigate to={`/${organizationId}/new-cluster`} replace={true} />;
 	}
 
 	return (
diff --git a/src/features/clusters/DESIGN.md b/src/features/clusters/DESIGN.md
index ecea1d316..16bb0b7b1 100644
--- a/src/features/clusters/DESIGN.md
+++ b/src/features/clusters/DESIGN.md
@@ -2,6 +2,11 @@
 
 `lib/clusterListModel.ts` derives lifecycle categories, counts and filters from the same organization snapshot; its tests pin missing-data and self-hosted semantics. A running lifecycle is not a monitoring-health assertion. Regions combine resolved plan labels with available non-retired instance labels, deduplicating matches, because organization responses need not expand instances; the list resolves opaque ids through the existing organization-scoped region catalog once, without polling. Missing labels remain unreported without discarding other reported instance regions. Running classification uses the same activeClusterStatuses rule as card navigation; UPDATED remains attention until RUNNING is reported. The model still derives instance count and version when instance data is supplied, but the card no longer renders them: the organization response does not currently expand instances, so those two cells only ever showed a dash, and the Regions cell (real plan labels) went with the row. The list adds no per-card detail polling. Existing `ClusterProgress` retains its lifecycle polling behavior.
 
+A saved cluster draft makes the list redirect to the form, and that redirect replaces its history entry (#1326). The
+form clears the draft only once it mounts, so a pushed redirect left Back on the list, which pushed the form again for
+as long as the form was still loading. Billing's Stripe return page replaces itself on the way back to the form for the
+same reason: it strips the setup-intent secret from its own URL first, so going back to it would show a spinner forever.
+
 SystemStatus notices have no cluster association and remain in the cloud-wide notification banner/center. Per-cluster monitoring incidents and scheduled maintenance need a scoped backend contract before the list can attribute them. The UI preserves ClusterCard's permission checks and lifecycle actions.
 
 # Cluster configuration
diff --git a/src/features/organization/billing/confirm/ProcessSetupIntent.test.tsx b/src/features/organization/billing/confirm/ProcessSetupIntent.test.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..bcc16d7a0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/features/organization/billing/confirm/ProcessSetupIntent.test.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,55 @@
+/** @vitest-environment jsdom */
+import { cleanup, render, waitFor } from '@testing-library/react';
+import { afterEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest';
+import { ProcessSetupIntent } from './ProcessSetupIntent';
+
+const state = vi.hoisted(() => ({
+	navigate: vi.fn(),
+	saved: null as unknown,
+	setupIntent: {} as { status: string; payment_method: string | null },
+	stripe: { retrieveSetupIntent: vi.fn() },
+}));
+vi.mock('@stripe/react-stripe-js', () => ({ useStripe: () => state.stripe }));
+vi.mock('@tanstack/react-router', () => ({
+	useNavigate: () => state.navigate,
+	useParams: () => ({ organizationId: 'org-a' }),
+	useSearch: () => ({}),
+}));
+vi.mock('@/hooks/useLocalStorage', () => ({ useLocalStorage: () => [state.saved] }));
+vi.mock('@/integrations/stripe/useProcessStripePaymentMethod', () => {
+	const process = (_paymentMethod: string, onProcessed: () => void) => onProcessed();
+	return { useProcessStripePaymentMethod: () => process };
+});
+
+afterEach(() => {
+	cleanup();
+	state.navigate.mockReset();
+	state.stripe.retrieveSetupIntent.mockReset();
+	state.saved = null;
+});
+
+function returnFromStripe(setupIntent: { status: string; payment_method: string | null }) {
+	window.history.pushState(null, '', '/?setup_intent_client_secret=seti_secret#/org-a/billing/confirm');
+	state.stripe.retrieveSetupIntent.mockResolvedValue({ setupIntent });
+	render(<ProcessSetupIntent />);
+}
+
+describe('ProcessSetupIntent', () => {
+	it('replaces itself with the cluster draft, so Back from the form skips this page (#1326)', async () => {
+		state.saved = { clusterName: 'Draft' };
+		returnFromStripe({ status: 'succeeded', payment_method: 'pm_card' });
+
+		await waitFor(() => expect(state.navigate).toHaveBeenCalled());
+		expect(state.navigate).toHaveBeenCalledWith({ search: undefined, to: '../../new-cluster', replace: true });
+		expect(window.location.search).toBe('');
+		expect(window.location.hash).toBe('#/org-a/billing/confirm');
+	});
+
+	it('replaces itself on the way back to a cluster edit too', async () => {
+		state.saved = { clusterId: 'clu-a' };
+		returnFromStripe({ status: 'processing', payment_method: null });
+
+		await waitFor(() => expect(state.navigate).toHaveBeenCalled());
+		expect(state.navigate).toHaveBeenCalledWith({ search: undefined, to: '../../clu-a/edit', replace: true });
+	});
+});
diff --git a/src/features/organization/billing/confirm/ProcessSetupIntent.tsx b/src/features/organization/billing/confirm/ProcessSetupIntent.tsx
index c6e804062..3cd766cc4 100644
--- a/src/features/organization/billing/confirm/ProcessSetupIntent.tsx
+++ b/src/features/organization/billing/confirm/ProcessSetupIntent.tsx
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ export function ProcessSetupIntent() {
 				: '../../new-cluster'
 			: '../';
 		window.history.replaceState(null, '', currentUrlIncludingHash());
-		void navigate({ search: undefined, to });
+		void navigate({ search: undefined, to, replace: true });
 	}, [navigate, savedClusterState]);
 
 	useEffect(() => {