diff --git a/frontend/src/lib/itemStore.svelte.ts b/frontend/src/lib/itemStore.svelte.ts
index db2c37f26c..b2cb1561bd 100644
--- a/frontend/src/lib/itemStore.svelte.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/lib/itemStore.svelte.ts
@@ -390,6 +390,9 @@ class Entry<V> {
 				await this.settleRows([this.key])
 				// The row is the item: while its delete has not landed, the item is still there.
 				if (this.rowRefused(this.key)) {
+					// The syncer keeps a failed payload for its page-close flush; that delete would
+					// remove the item this reports as kept.
+					this.ports.dropPending(this.key)
 					this.row = keptRow
 					this.replaceValue(kept)
 					this.reconcile()
diff --git a/frontend/src/lib/itemStore.test.ts b/frontend/src/lib/itemStore.test.ts
index 2c69e1c72a..166e146011 100644
--- a/frontend/src/lib/itemStore.test.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/lib/itemStore.test.ts
@@ -395,6 +395,7 @@ describe('item store: origins', () => {
 		expect(item.value).toEqual(draft)
 		expect(item.status).toBe('failed')
 		expect(rows.hints.get('u/me/r')).toBe(true)
+		expect(rows.dropped).toContain('u/me/r')
 	})
 
 	it('creates under a temporary path, then moves to the real one and clears any row there', async () => {