diff --git a/crates/engine/src/cmd/effectcmd.rs b/crates/engine/src/cmd/effectcmd.rs
index feee6913f..9f1e20121 100644
--- a/crates/engine/src/cmd/effectcmd.rs
+++ b/crates/engine/src/cmd/effectcmd.rs
@@ -304,8 +304,8 @@ fn move_effect(s: &mut Session, p: &Value) -> Result<Value> {
     if aligned(p) && super::appearance::appearances_differ(&s.doc()?.doc, &roots) {
         return Err(bad(C, "effects of objects whose appearances differ can't be moved together"));
     }
-    // Where the effect landed in the first object.
-    let mut landed = None;
+    // Where the effect landed in each object it moved in, in the order of `ids`.
+    let mut landed = vec![];
     let ids = s.edit(if copy { "Duplicate Effect" } else { "Move Effect" }, |d, _| {
         let mut done = vec![];
         for id in &roots {
@@ -317,7 +317,7 @@ fn move_effect(s: &mut Session, p: &Value) -> Result<Value> {
             let at = to.min(fx.len());
             fx.insert(at, e);
             check_revolve_count(n, C)?;
-            landed.get_or_insert((at, di));
+            landed.push((at, di));
             done.push(*id);
         }
         if done.is_empty() {
@@ -325,7 +325,10 @@ fn move_effect(s: &mut Session, p: &Value) -> Result<Value> {
         }
         Ok(done)
     })?;
-    let (index, item) = landed.unzip();
+    // The reply names the object whose row the destination is: the first selected object for the
+    // active item (which need not paint first), as `effect.apply` does; the first target for an
+    // explicit `toItem` or the object's effects.
+    let (index, item) = landed.get(dst.anchor(s, &ids)).copied().unzip();
     Ok(json!({ "ids": ids_json(&ids), "index": index, "item": item.flatten() }))
 }
 
diff --git a/crates/engine/src/tests/appearance.rs b/crates/engine/src/tests/appearance.rs
index e1728c1ad..a49bae19a 100644
--- a/crates/engine/src/tests/appearance.rs
+++ b/crates/engine/src/tests/appearance.rs
@@ -534,6 +534,43 @@ fn apply_reports_the_index_in_the_object_whose_row_it_names() {
     assert_eq!((r["item"].clone(), r["index"].clone()), (json!(0), json!(1)), "a's row 0 holds two effects");
 }
 
+/// `effect.move`'s reply names where the effect landed in the object whose row the active item is
+/// (the first selected object), also when that object paints above the others.
+#[test]
+fn move_reports_the_index_in_the_object_whose_row_it_names() {
+    let mut s = session();
+    let (a, b) = reversed_pair(&mut s);
+    run(&mut s, "select.set", json!({"ids": [a.0]}));
+    run(&mut s, "effect.apply", json!({"effect": "distort.twist", "item": 0}));
+    run(&mut s, "select.set", json!({"ids": [b.0]}));
+    run(&mut s, "effect.apply", json!({"effect": "distort.twist", "item": 0}));
+    run(&mut s, "effect.apply", json!({"effect": "distort.twist", "item": 0}));
+    run(&mut s, "select.set", json!({"ids": [b.0, a.0]}));
+    run(&mut s, "appearance.setActiveItem", json!({"index": 0}));
+    // Row 0's first effect goes to the end of the row: index 1 in b, 0 in a, which paints first.
+    let r = run(&mut s, "effect.move", json!({"from": 0, "to": 9}));
+    assert_eq!((node(&s, a).appearance.items[0].effects().len(), node(&s, b).appearance.items[0].effects().len()), (1, 2));
+    assert_eq!((r["item"].clone(), r["index"].clone()), (json!(0), json!(1)), "b's row 0 holds two effects");
+    // An explicit item is a row of the first target, a.
+    let r = run(&mut s, "effect.move", json!({"from": 0, "to": 9, "fromItem": 0}));
+    assert_eq!((r["item"].clone(), r["index"].clone()), (json!(0), json!(0)), "a's row 0 holds one effect");
+    // When the first selected object has no effect to move, the reply names the first object that moved.
+    run(&mut s, "select.set", json!({"ids": [a.0, b.0]}));
+    run(&mut s, "appearance.setActiveItem", json!({"index": 0}));
+    let r = run(&mut s, "effect.move", json!({"from": 1, "to": 0}));
+    assert_eq!(r["ids"], json!([b.0]), "only b has a second effect in row 0");
+    assert_eq!((r["item"].clone(), r["index"].clone()), (json!(0), json!(0)), "b's effect moved to the start of its row 0");
+    // From the active row to an explicit destination (here the object's effects, where b already
+    // has one), the reply names the first target, a.
+    run(&mut s, "select.set", json!({"ids": [b.0]}));
+    run(&mut s, "effect.apply", json!({"effect": "distort.twist", "item": null}));
+    run(&mut s, "select.set", json!({"ids": [b.0, a.0]}));
+    run(&mut s, "appearance.setActiveItem", json!({"index": 0}));
+    let r = run(&mut s, "effect.move", json!({"from": 0, "to": 9, "toItem": null}));
+    assert_eq!((node(&s, a).appearance.effects.len(), node(&s, b).appearance.effects.len()), (1, 2));
+    assert_eq!((r["item"].clone(), r["index"].clone()), (json!(null), json!(0)), "a's effects hold one effect");
+}
+
 /// How many steps there are to undo and to redo, and whether the document has unsaved changes.
 fn history(s: &Session) -> (usize, usize, bool) {
     let st = s.doc().unwrap();