diff --git a/meta/hibernate.go b/meta/hibernate.go
index 8db1c2f..517fedc 100644
--- a/meta/hibernate.go
+++ b/meta/hibernate.go
@@ -36,3 +36,15 @@ func ReadRestoreFromHibernate(pod *corev1.Pod) bool {
 	}
 	return pod.Annotations[AnnotationRestoreFromHibernate] == annotationTrue
 }
+
+// MarkRestoreFromHibernate flags a freshly-built pod to restore its VM from the
+// :hibernate snapshot instead of cloning from the base image. The operator sets
+// this when it (re)creates a pod for an agent that is currently hibernated (see
+// AnnotationRestoreFromHibernate); symmetric with ReadRestoreFromHibernate.
+func MarkRestoreFromHibernate(pod *corev1.Pod) {
+	if pod == nil {
+		return
+	}
+	a := ensurePodAnnotations(pod)
+	a[AnnotationRestoreFromHibernate] = annotationTrue
+}
diff --git a/meta/hibernate_test.go b/meta/hibernate_test.go
index 4350334..7987a85 100644
--- a/meta/hibernate_test.go
+++ b/meta/hibernate_test.go
@@ -65,6 +65,21 @@ func TestReadHibernateStateNilPod(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestMarkRestoreFromHibernate(t *testing.T) {
+	pod := &corev1.Pod{}
+	if ReadRestoreFromHibernate(pod) {
+		t.Fatal("fresh pod should not be flagged for restore")
+	}
+	MarkRestoreFromHibernate(pod)
+	if !ReadRestoreFromHibernate(pod) {
+		t.Errorf("MarkRestoreFromHibernate should round-trip through ReadRestoreFromHibernate")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestMarkRestoreFromHibernateNilPod(t *testing.T) {
+	MarkRestoreFromHibernate(nil) // must not panic
+}
+
 func TestHibernateSnapshotTagConstant(t *testing.T) {
 	if HibernateSnapshotTag != "hibernate" {
 		t.Errorf("HibernateSnapshotTag = %q, want %q", HibernateSnapshotTag, "hibernate")