diff --git a/data_plane/src/precompute_engine/raw_dag.rs b/data_plane/src/precompute_engine/raw_dag.rs
index 5d94407a9..95c0fe0cb 100644
--- a/data_plane/src/precompute_engine/raw_dag.rs
+++ b/data_plane/src/precompute_engine/raw_dag.rs
@@ -223,11 +223,6 @@ impl RawDagProgram {
         self.updater().map(|_| ())
     }
 
-    pub fn uses_counter_delta(&self) -> bool {
-        // Planner represents rate computation as an explicit upstream operator.
-        false
-    }
-
     pub fn apply(
         &self,
         updater: &mut dyn AccumulatorUpdater,
diff --git a/data_plane/src/precompute_engine/worker.rs b/data_plane/src/precompute_engine/worker.rs
index ae9db38fe..0bb5ebaaa 100644
--- a/data_plane/src/precompute_engine/worker.rs
+++ b/data_plane/src/precompute_engine/worker.rs
@@ -546,15 +546,7 @@ impl Worker {
             let too_late = previous_event_time != i64::MIN
                 && pane_timestamp(*ts)
                     < watermark_for_event_time(previous_event_time, allowed_lateness_ms);
-            let value = if state.program.as_deref().map_or_else(
-                || {
-                    matches!(
-                        state.config.sample_update_rule(),
-                        SampleUpdateRule::CounterDelta { .. }
-                    )
-                },
-                |p| p.uses_counter_delta(),
-            ) {
+            let value = if legacy_counter_delta(state) {
                 reset_aware_counter_delta(&mut state.counter_previous, series_key, *val, *ts)
             } else {
                 Some(*val)
@@ -605,15 +597,7 @@ impl Worker {
                             // Never feed the raw counter value into a membership
                             // heap; the authoritative ExactCounter branch remains
                             // responsible for the visible result.
-                            if state.program.as_deref().map_or_else(
-                                || {
-                                    matches!(
-                                        state.config.sample_update_rule(),
-                                        SampleUpdateRule::CounterDelta { .. }
-                                    )
-                                },
-                                |p| p.uses_counter_delta(),
-                            ) {
+                            if legacy_counter_delta(state) {
                                 if let Some(input) = state.input_revisions.get_mut(&bucket_start) {
                                     Arc::make_mut(input).first_revision = 0;
                                 }
@@ -1612,6 +1596,21 @@ pub(crate) fn apply_sample(
 /// Convert a cumulative counter sample into a non-negative, reset-aware
 /// increment. Only the immediately preceding sample per series is retained;
 /// pane rotation therefore cannot lose the boundary increment.
+/// Whether a sample must be converted to a counter delta before it reaches the
+/// accumulator.
+///
+/// Only the legacy configured update rule does this. A selected Planner program
+/// never does: rate is an explicit upstream operator in the DAG, so the sample
+/// reaches the accumulator unchanged. Both call sites used to ask the program
+/// and were always told `false`.
+fn legacy_counter_delta(state: &GroupState) -> bool {
+    state.program.is_none()
+        && matches!(
+            state.config.sample_update_rule(),
+            SampleUpdateRule::CounterDelta { .. }
+        )
+}
+
 pub(crate) fn reset_aware_counter_delta(
     previous: &mut HashMap<String, (i64, f64)>,
     series_key: &str,
diff --git a/data_plane/src/storage_engines/sketch_db/backfill/window_builder.rs b/data_plane/src/storage_engines/sketch_db/backfill/window_builder.rs
index f6dc241ac..ae89f9fd6 100644
--- a/data_plane/src/storage_engines/sketch_db/backfill/window_builder.rs
+++ b/data_plane/src/storage_engines/sketch_db/backfill/window_builder.rs
@@ -167,21 +167,15 @@ pub fn build_dag_accumulator(
     samples: &[RawSample],
 ) -> Result<Box<dyn AggregateCore>, String> {
     let mut updater = program.updater()?;
-    let mut previous = std::collections::HashMap::new();
+    // A selected program never converts samples to counter deltas; rate is an
+    // explicit upstream operator, so each sample is applied as it arrives.
     for sample in samples {
-        let value = if program.uses_counter_delta() {
-            crate::precompute_engine::worker::reset_aware_counter_delta(
-                &mut previous,
-                &sample.labels,
-                sample.value,
-                sample.timestamp_ms,
-            )
-        } else {
-            Some(sample.value)
-        };
-        if let Some(value) = value {
-            program.apply(&mut *updater, &sample.labels, value, sample.timestamp_ms)?;
-        }
+        program.apply(
+            &mut *updater,
+            &sample.labels,
+            sample.value,
+            sample.timestamp_ms,
+        )?;
     }
     Ok(updater.take_accumulator())
 }