diff --git a/crates/lance-context-master/src/scanner.rs b/crates/lance-context-master/src/scanner.rs
index e6ed92c..806d020 100644
--- a/crates/lance-context-master/src/scanner.rs
+++ b/crates/lance-context-master/src/scanner.rs
@@ -507,6 +507,20 @@ struct ScanEntry {
     kind: ScanKind,
 }
 
+/// Count pending generations under the observe timeout; shard manifests are
+/// one small object read per shard, but object storage still has to answer.
+async fn pending_or_timeout(
+    name: &str,
+    pending: impl std::future::Future<Output = lance::Result<usize>>,
+) -> lance::Result<usize> {
+    match tokio::time::timeout(OBSERVE_TIMEOUT, pending).await {
+        Ok(result) => result,
+        Err(_) => Err(lance::Error::io(format!(
+            "pending-generation count timed out for store '{name}'"
+        ))),
+    }
+}
+
 /// Observe one generic store. Only the fields the WAL-merge sweep and the UI
 /// need: version (for the skip-if-unchanged shortcut), base row count,
 /// fragment count and pending MemWAL generations. Compaction counters stay at
@@ -529,11 +543,19 @@ async fn observe_generic(
         }
     };
 
+    // WAL flushes never bump the base-table version, so the unchanged-
+    // version shortcut must still recount pending generations: a store that
+    // no worker or master has merged keeps its old version while its shards
+    // accumulate thousands of generations, and the merge sweep reads this
+    // row to decide whether to merge it at all. Only the row count (a
+    // base-table scan) is carried over.
     let current_version = store.version() as i64;
     if let Some(prev) = previous {
         if prev.version != StatRow::UNKNOWN_VERSION && prev.version == current_version {
+            let pending = pending_or_timeout(name, store.pending_wal_generations()).await?;
             let mut row = prev.clone();
             row.uri = uri.to_string();
+            row.pending_wal_generations = pending as i64;
             row.scanned_at = Utc::now().timestamp_millis();
             return Ok((row, true));
         }
@@ -593,12 +615,16 @@ async fn observe_one(
         }
     };
 
-    // Free: the manifest is already in hand from the open above.
+    // Free: the manifest is already in hand from the open above. Pending
+    // generations are not: see `observe_generic` for why they are recounted
+    // even when the base-table version is unchanged.
     let current_version = store.version() as i64;
     if let Some(prev) = previous {
         if prev.version != StatRow::UNKNOWN_VERSION && prev.version == current_version {
+            let pending = pending_or_timeout(name, store.pending_wal_generations()).await?;
             let mut row = prev.clone();
             row.uri = uri.to_string();
+            row.pending_wal_generations = pending as i64;
             row.scanned_at = Utc::now().timestamp_millis();
             return Ok((row, true));
         }
@@ -1053,6 +1079,72 @@ mod incremental_scan_tests {
                 .unwrap();
         assert!(skipped);
         assert_eq!(again.pending_wal_generations, 3);
+
+        // More flushes do not move the base version, but the merge sweep
+        // reads this count: the skipped row must still carry the new one.
+        {
+            let store = GenericStore::open(
+                &uri,
+                SchemaSpec::new(vec![(
+                    ID_COLUMN.to_string(),
+                    ColumnSpec::required(ColumnType::String { large: false }),
+                )]),
+                GenericStoreOptions {
+                    seal_on_add: true,
+                    ..Default::default()
+                },
+            )
+            .await
+            .unwrap();
+            for i in 3..5 {
+                store
+                    .add(&[serde_json::json!({"id": format!("r{i}")})
+                        .as_object()
+                        .unwrap()
+                        .clone()])
+                    .await
+                    .unwrap();
+            }
+        }
+        let (recounted, skipped) =
+            observe_generic(&name, &uri, Some(&again), GenericStoreOptions::default())
+                .await
+                .unwrap();
+        assert!(skipped, "base version unchanged");
+        assert_eq!(recounted.version, again.version);
+        assert_eq!(recounted.pending_wal_generations, 5);
+    }
+
+    /// WAL flushes never bump the base-table version. A store that no one
+    /// has merged keeps its version forever while its shards fill up; the
+    /// unchanged-version shortcut must still recount pending generations or
+    /// the merge sweep never learns about it (17k generations sat behind a
+    /// stale "3" in production).
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn skipped_round_recounts_pending_generations() {
+        let dir = TempDir::new().unwrap();
+        let uri = dir.path().join("e.lance").to_string_lossy().to_string();
+        let store = RolloutStore::open_with_options(&uri, RolloutStoreOptions::default())
+            .await
+            .unwrap();
+        store.add(&[rec("a")]).await.unwrap();
+        store.flush().await.unwrap();
+
+        let (prev, _) = observe_one("e", &uri, None, RolloutStoreOptions::default())
+            .await
+            .unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(prev.pending_wal_generations, 1);
+
+        for id in ["b", "c", "d"] {
+            store.add(&[rec(id)]).await.unwrap();
+            store.flush().await.unwrap();
+        }
+        let (next, skipped) = observe_one("e", &uri, Some(&prev), RolloutStoreOptions::default())
+            .await
+            .unwrap();
+        assert!(skipped, "base version unchanged");
+        assert_eq!(next.version, prev.version);
+        assert_eq!(next.pending_wal_generations, 4);
     }
 
     /// A write moves the base version, so the next scan must observe fully and