diff --git a/packages/cli/src/utils/appHistory.test.ts b/packages/cli/src/utils/appHistory.test.ts
index d24294035e3..843216bada1 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/utils/appHistory.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/utils/appHistory.test.ts
@@ -23,6 +23,22 @@ import {
 } from "./appHistory.js";
 import { readRecord, writeRecord } from "./projectRecords.js";
 
+const { afterDirectoryRead } = vi.hoisted(() => ({
+  afterDirectoryRead: vi.fn<(path: unknown) => void>(),
+}));
+
+vi.mock("node:fs", async (importOriginal) => {
+  const original = await importOriginal<typeof import("node:fs")>();
+  return {
+    ...original,
+    readdirSync: vi.fn(original.readdirSync).mockImplementation((path, options) => {
+      const entries = original.readdirSync(path, options);
+      afterDirectoryRead(path);
+      return entries;
+    }),
+  };
+});
+
 const history = (dir: string) => join(dir, ".hyperframes", APP_HISTORY);
 
 function project(lines: string[] = []): string {
@@ -128,6 +144,33 @@ describe("app history", () => {
     expect(filesChangedSince(dir, 5000)).toEqual(["compositions/a.html"]);
   });
 
+  it("keeps listing changed files when one disappears after the directory read", () => {
+    const dir = project();
+    const removed = join(dir, "removed.html");
+    writeFileSync(removed, "removed");
+    writeFileSync(join(dir, "index.html"), "kept");
+    mkdirSync(join(dir, "compositions"));
+    writeFileSync(join(dir, "compositions", "scene.html"), "kept");
+    afterDirectoryRead.mockImplementationOnce(() => {
+      rmSync(removed);
+    });
+
+    expect(filesChangedSince(dir, 0)).toEqual(["compositions/scene.html", "index.html"]);
+  });
+
+  it("skips a file replaced by a directory after the directory read", () => {
+    const dir = project();
+    const replaced = join(dir, "replaced.html");
+    writeFileSync(replaced, "replaced");
+    writeFileSync(join(dir, "index.html"), "kept");
+    afterDirectoryRead.mockImplementationOnce(() => {
+      rmSync(replaced);
+      mkdirSync(replaced);
+    });
+
+    expect(filesChangedSince(dir, 0)).toEqual(["index.html"]);
+  });
+
   it("names unseen turns at the end of a command run in the project or on it", () => {
     const dir = project([turn("2026-01-01T10:00:00Z", "a"), turn("2026-01-01T11:00:00Z", "b")]);
     expect(appHistoryNotice(dir, []), "never handed over from here").toBeNull();
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/utils/appHistory.ts b/packages/cli/src/utils/appHistory.ts
index ea9afd2d23a..897453436d9 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/utils/appHistory.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/utils/appHistory.ts
@@ -96,6 +96,15 @@ export function unseenTurns(dir: string, since: number, now = Date.now()): AppTu
   );
 }
 
+function isChangedFile(path: string, since: number): boolean {
+  try {
+    const stats = lstatSync(path);
+    return stats.isFile() && stats.mtimeMs > since;
+  } catch {
+    return false;
+  }
+}
+
 /** Project files changed after `since`, by the app or by hand; hidden folders and outputs are not the video. */
 export function filesChangedSince(dir: string, since: number): string[] {
   const changed: string[] = [];
@@ -112,7 +121,7 @@ export function filesChangedSince(dir: string, since: number): string[] {
       if (entry.name.startsWith(".") || SKIPPED_DIRS.has(entry.name)) continue;
       const path = join(folder, entry.name);
       if (entry.isDirectory()) walk(path);
-      else if (entry.isFile() && lstatSync(path).mtimeMs > since)
+      else if (entry.isFile() && isChangedFile(path, since))
         changed.push(relative(dir, path).split(sep).join("/"));
     }
   };