diff --git a/src/log_setup/rotation.py b/src/log_setup/rotation.py
index 9f0088e..3209169 100644
--- a/src/log_setup/rotation.py
+++ b/src/log_setup/rotation.py
@@ -35,22 +35,6 @@ def _move(source: str, dest: str) -> None:
         shutil.move(source, dest)
 
 
-def _free_dest(dest: str) -> str:
-    """return `dest`, or a `.N`-suffixed variant if it (or its .gz twin) already exists
-
-    used by the tiered rotator so a second same-stamp roll doesn't clobber the earlier
-    file; checks both the plain and .gz forms of each candidate.
-    """
-    if not os.path.exists(dest) and not os.path.exists(dest + ".gz"):
-        return dest
-    counter = 1
-    while True:
-        candidate = f"{dest}.{counter}"
-        if not os.path.exists(candidate) and not os.path.exists(candidate + ".gz"):
-            return candidate
-        counter += 1
-
-
 def _gzip_file(source: str, dest: str) -> None:
     """atomically gzip source into dest, then remove source - or leave source untouched
 
@@ -169,10 +153,9 @@ def make_rotator(
         if not os.path.exists(source):
             return
         if tiered:
-            # strip the namer's .gz suffix so the roll lands plain and retier decides
-            # its tier; disambiguate a same-interval collision via _free_dest
-            plain_dest = _free_dest(dest[:-3] if dest.endswith(".gz") else dest)
-            _move(source, plain_dest)
+            # the tiered namer (plain=True) already minted a free, plain .log name;
+            # retier decides its tier
+            _move(source, dest)
             if log_dir is not None and prune_stem is not None:
                 retier(log_dir, prune_stem, keep_uncompressed or 0, keep_compressed or 0, live_stem)
             return
@@ -214,21 +197,8 @@ def rotate_on_start(
     tiered = keep_uncompressed is not None or keep_compressed is not None
     live_stem = os.path.splitext(os.path.basename(live_path))[0]
     stem = os.path.basename(history_stem) if history_stem else live_stem
-    stamp = time.strftime("%Y-%m-%d_%H-%M-%S", clock())
-    suffix = ".log.gz" if (compress and not tiered) else ".log"
-
-    # a 1-second stamp collision (rapid crash-restart) is disambiguated with a
-    # counter; check BOTH .log and .log.gz since a tiered same-stamp roll may
-    # already be compressed
-    def _taken(path: str) -> bool:
-        base = path[:-3] if path.endswith(".gz") else path
-        return os.path.exists(base) or os.path.exists(base + ".gz")
-
-    dest = os.path.join(log_dir, f"{stem}.{stamp}{suffix}")
-    counter = 1
-    while _taken(dest):
-        dest = os.path.join(log_dir, f"{stem}.{stamp}.{counter}{suffix}")
-        counter += 1
+    # same name + same-second collision counter as the size/daily rolls
+    dest = make_history_namer(stem, log_dir, compress, plain=tiered, clock=clock)(live_path)
     if compress and not tiered:
         _gzip_file(live_path, dest)
     else:
@@ -368,26 +338,13 @@ def prune(log_dir: str, stem: str, backup_count: int, live_stem: Optional[str] =
     (`<stem>.<stamp>[.N].log[.gz]`, see `_is_rolled_name`) - a foreign file that only
     shares the `<stem>.` prefix (e.g. a project's own `<stem>.audit.log` dropped into
     the same log_dir) is left alone rather than counted and deleted as a roll.
+
+    this is `retier` with no compressed tier (so a crash-left plain twin of a .gz is
+    dropped first, not counted); `backup_count <= 0` leaves history alone.
     """
     if backup_count <= 0:
         return
-    stem = os.path.basename(stem)
-    live_stem = os.path.basename(live_stem) if live_stem else None
-    try:
-        entries = [
-            os.path.join(log_dir, name)
-            for name in os.listdir(log_dir)
-            if name != f"{stem}.log" and _is_rolled_name(stem, name, live_stem)
-        ]
-    except OSError:
-        return
-    files = [(p, _safe_mtime(p), _roll_counter(p)) for p in entries if os.path.isfile(p)]
-    files.sort(key=lambda t: (t[1], t[2]), reverse=True)
-    for path, _, _ in files[backup_count:]:
-        try:
-            os.remove(path)
-        except OSError:
-            pass
+    retier(log_dir, stem, backup_count, 0, live_stem)
 
 
 def _safe_mtime(path: str) -> float: