diff --git a/src/dev/dev-watcher.ts b/src/dev/dev-watcher.ts
index f8a8dab..bded64e 100644
--- a/src/dev/dev-watcher.ts
+++ b/src/dev/dev-watcher.ts
@@ -38,7 +38,11 @@ export type DevWatcher = {
 
 export function createDevWatcher(input: {
 	root: string
-	onChange: (path: string) => void
+	/**
+	 * Return `false` to leave the poll fingerprint unadvanced so the same
+	 * change is observed again on the next tick (defer, do not drop).
+	 */
+	onChange: (path: string) => void | boolean
 	/** Extra root-relative path prefixes to ignore. */
 	ignore?: ReadonlyArray<string>
 	pollIntervalMs?: number
@@ -90,8 +94,12 @@ export function createDevWatcher(input: {
 				if (tracked !== map || generation !== trackGeneration) return
 				if (!map.has(path)) continue
 				if (previous !== null && next !== previous) {
+					if (tracked !== map || generation !== trackGeneration) return
+					// Defer (false): do not advance the fingerprint — the next
+					// poll must still see this change (e.g. failed-prebuild absorb).
+					if (input.onChange(path) === false) continue
+					if (tracked !== map || generation !== trackGeneration) return
 					map.set(path, next)
-					if (tracked === map && generation === trackGeneration) input.onChange(path)
 				} else if (previous === null) {
 					map.set(path, next)
 				}
diff --git a/src/package-app-dev.ts b/src/package-app-dev.ts
index 5731253..81712ad 100644
--- a/src/package-app-dev.ts
+++ b/src/package-app-dev.ts
@@ -201,6 +201,12 @@ type BuildFailure = {
 const defaultDebounceMs = 30
 /** Watcher events this soon after a prebuild finishes are its own writes, not edits. */
 const prebuildSettleMs = 150
+/**
+ * After a *failed* prebuild, ignore watcher events this long. Chokidar/poll
+ * echoes of partial output can arrive well after {@link prebuildSettleMs} on
+ * slower CI and would otherwise restart the rebuild loop.
+ */
+const failedPrebuildAbsorbMs = 1500
 /** Longest a request waits for an in-progress rebuild before the old build answers. */
 const rebuildGateMs = 10_000
 /** Longest a retired generation may keep draining in-flight requests. */
@@ -378,6 +384,8 @@ export async function startPackageAppDev(
 	const prebuild = options.manifest.dev?.prebuild
 	let prebuildRunning = false
 	let prebuildSettledAt = 0
+	/** `performance.now()` until which onChange ignores events (failed-prebuild absorb). */
+	let ignoreWatcherUntil = 0
 	let prebuildAbort: AbortController | undefined
 	const workerdEnv: NodeJS.ProcessEnv = { ...process.env, [runSecretEnvVar]: runSecret }
 	delete workerdEnv[apiTokenEnvVar]
@@ -516,6 +524,7 @@ export async function startPackageAppDev(
 				changedFiles.clear()
 				rebuildAgain = false
 				clearWatcherPending?.()
+				ignoreWatcherUntil = performance.now() + failedPrebuildAbsorbMs
 			}
 		}
 	}
@@ -896,12 +905,18 @@ export async function startPackageAppDev(
 						ignore: options.manifest.dev?.ignore,
 						onChange: (path) => {
 							if (closed) return
-							if (
-								prebuildRunning ||
-								performance.now() - prebuildSettledAt < prebuildSettleMs
-							) {
+							const now = performance.now()
+							// Soft absorb: fingerprint already advanced by the
+							// poller — prebuild's own writes / brief settle chatter.
+							if (prebuildRunning || now - prebuildSettledAt < prebuildSettleMs) {
 								return
 							}
+							// Hard defer after a *failed* prebuild: leave the
+							// poll fingerprint so a real save in this window is
+							// seen again after absorb (Bugbot: do not drop).
+							if (now < ignoreWatcherUntil) {
+								return false
+							}
 							// Fold mid-build watcher events into the active loop
 							// (including another save of a file already building).
 							// Debouncing them instead schedules a second rebuild
diff --git a/test/dev-ports-assets.test.ts b/test/dev-ports-assets.test.ts
index 85369d4..e9da0b4 100644
--- a/test/dev-ports-assets.test.ts
+++ b/test/dev-ports-assets.test.ts
@@ -276,7 +276,9 @@ test('kody.dev.prebuild runs before every build, without retriggering itself', a
 			assert.match(failed.body, /kody\.dev\.prebuild failed \(exit 3\): sh gen\.sh/)
 			assert.match(failed.body, /boom from prebuild/)
 			const rebuildStartsAfterFailure = events.filter((event) => event.type === 'rebuild_start').length
-			await new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, 1200))
+			// Longer than failedPrebuildAbsorbMs so late chokidar/poll echoes are
+			// covered on slow CI (lts/* runners have shown +1 rebuild_start at ~1s).
+			await new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, 2000))
 			assert.equal(
 				events.filter((event) => event.type === 'rebuild_start').length,
 				rebuildStartsAfterFailure,
diff --git a/test/dev-watcher.test.ts b/test/dev-watcher.test.ts
index c92d948..b9f2348 100644
--- a/test/dev-watcher.test.ts
+++ b/test/dev-watcher.test.ts
@@ -15,7 +15,9 @@ test('track detaches the poll map so a concurrent poll cannot echo a rebuild', a
 		await writeFile(file, 'export const n = 1\n')
 		const watcher = createDevWatcher({
 			root,
-			onChange: (path) => changes.push(path),
+			onChange: (path) => {
+				changes.push(path)
+			},
 			pollIntervalMs: 15,
 		})
 		await watcher.ready