diff --git a/crates/font-store/src/language_packs.rs b/crates/font-store/src/language_packs.rs
index fccf5df24..1e3fbd882 100644
--- a/crates/font-store/src/language_packs.rs
+++ b/crates/font-store/src/language_packs.rs
@@ -476,7 +476,11 @@ impl FontStore {
             installed.committed_removals.push(id);
         }
         installed.packs.retain(|p| p.locale != locale);
-        finish_pack_removal(stage, &backup, &dest, has_folder, self.write_installed(&installed))
+        let saved = stage
+            .recovery_root()
+            .map_err(io("using the Language pack recovery stage"))
+            .and_then(|root| self.write_installed_with_recovery(&installed, Some(root)));
+        finish_pack_removal(stage, &backup, &dest, has_folder, saved)
     }
 
     /// Retain the move, rollback, and cleanup capabilities; preserve the stage if opening fails.
@@ -609,19 +613,22 @@ impl FontStore {
         Installed { version: 1, packs, committed_removals: Vec::new() }
     }
 
+    /// Prune receipts only through an available recovery capability; otherwise retain them.
     fn write_installed(&self, installed: &Installed) -> Result<(), Error> {
+        let recovery = if installed.committed_removals.is_empty() { None } else { PackRemovalRoot::open(self.dir()).ok() };
+        self.write_installed_with_recovery(installed, recovery.as_ref())
+    }
+
+    /// Commit removal receipts against the same recovery directory used for the pack move.
+    fn write_installed_with_recovery(&self, installed: &Installed, recovery: Option<&PackRemovalRoot>) -> Result<(), Error> {
         #[cfg(test)]
         tests::fail_io(tests::IoFailure::RecordWrite).map_err(io("saving the Language pack list"))?;
-        let parent = self.language_packs_dir().join(".removing");
         // Keep receipts until their backup has actually disappeared. A future locked sweep
         // retries failed cleanup, and stage creation excludes IDs whose receipts remain.
         let committed_removals = installed
             .committed_removals
             .iter()
-            .filter(|id| {
-                Stage::valid_name(id)
-                    && !matches!(std::fs::symlink_metadata(parent.join(id)), Err(error) if error.kind() == std::io::ErrorKind::NotFound)
-            })
+            .filter(|id| Stage::valid_name(id) && recovery.is_none_or(|root| root.retains_receipt(id)))
             .cloned()
             .collect();
         let bytes = serde_json::to_vec_pretty(&Installed { version: 1, packs: installed.packs.clone(), committed_removals })
@@ -668,6 +675,14 @@ impl PackRemovalRoot {
         cap_primitives::fs::rename(stage, Path::new(locale), &self.packs, Path::new(locale))
     }
 
+    /// Absence must be observed relative to this directory, never through its display path.
+    fn retains_receipt(&self, id: &str) -> bool {
+        !matches!(
+            cap_primitives::fs::stat(&self.recovery, Path::new(id), cap_primitives::fs::FollowSymlinks::No),
+            Err(error) if error.kind() == std::io::ErrorKind::NotFound
+        )
+    }
+
     /// Release the child lock before deletion while retaining every recovery ancestor.
     pub(crate) fn remove_stage(mut self, id: &str, display_parent: &Path) -> std::io::Result<()> {
         drop(self.stage.take());
diff --git a/crates/font-store/src/language_packs/tests.rs b/crates/font-store/src/language_packs/tests.rs
index 458ad5735..5e468bc4b 100644
--- a/crates/font-store/src/language_packs/tests.rs
+++ b/crates/font-store/src/language_packs/tests.rs
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ thread_local! {
     #[cfg(unix)]
     static REPLACE_CLEANUP_PARENT: RefCell<Option<(PathBuf, PathBuf, PathBuf)>> = const { RefCell::new(None) };
     #[cfg(unix)]
-    static REPLACE_MOVE_PARENT: RefCell<Option<PathBuf>> = const { RefCell::new(None) };
+    static REPLACE_MOVE_PARENT: RefCell<Option<(PathBuf, bool)>> = const { RefCell::new(None) };
 }
 
 struct InjectFailure(Option<IoFailure>);
@@ -67,10 +67,12 @@ fn take_cleanup_attempts() -> Vec<PathBuf> {
 /// Replace the recovery parent immediately before moving a pack, keeping a matching outside ID.
 pub(super) fn before_pack_move(stage: &Path) -> std::io::Result<()> {
     #[cfg(unix)]
-    if let Some(outside) = REPLACE_MOVE_PARENT.take() {
+    if let Some((outside, matching_id)) = REPLACE_MOVE_PARENT.take() {
         let parent = stage.parent().ok_or_else(|| std::io::Error::other("missing recovery parent"))?;
         let id = stage.file_name().ok_or_else(|| std::io::Error::other("missing recovery ID"))?;
-        std::fs::create_dir(outside.join(id))?;
+        if matching_id {
+            std::fs::create_dir(outside.join(id))?;
+        }
         std::fs::rename(parent, parent.with_extension("original"))?;
         std::os::unix::fs::symlink(outside, parent)?;
     }
@@ -547,7 +549,7 @@ fn removal_move_stays_with_its_cleanup_anchor_after_parent_replacement() {
     store.install_pack_from(false, &index, index.pack("nl").unwrap(), &Cancel::new(), &mut |_| {}).unwrap();
     let outside = temp("remove-move-parent-race-outside");
     std::fs::write(outside.join("keep"), b"untouched").unwrap();
-    REPLACE_MOVE_PARENT.set(Some(outside.clone()));
+    REPLACE_MOVE_PARENT.set(Some((outside.clone(), true)));
     store.remove_language_pack("nl").unwrap();
     assert_eq!(std::fs::read(outside.join("keep")).unwrap(), b"untouched");
     for entry in std::fs::read_dir(&outside).unwrap().flatten() {
@@ -559,6 +561,36 @@ fn removal_move_stays_with_its_cleanup_anchor_after_parent_replacement() {
     std::fs::remove_dir_all(store.dir()).unwrap();
 }
 
+/// An unavailable display path must not prune a receipt for a backup held by its capability.
+#[cfg(unix)]
+#[test]
+fn committed_receipt_survives_parent_replacement_and_failed_immediate_cleanup() {
+    let (store, _server, pin, _) = setup("remove-receipt-parent-race");
+    let index = store.fetch_pack_index_from(&IndexSource::Pinned(pin), &Cancel::new()).unwrap();
+    store.install_pack_from(false, &index, index.pack("nl").unwrap(), &Cancel::new(), &mut |_| {}).unwrap();
+    let dictionary = std::fs::read(store.language_packs_dir().join("nl/spelling.dic")).unwrap();
+    let outside = temp("remove-receipt-parent-race-outside");
+    REPLACE_MOVE_PARENT.set(Some((outside.clone(), false)));
+    let injected = InjectFailure::new(IoFailure::Cleanup);
+    store.remove_language_pack("nl").unwrap();
+    drop(injected);
+    let record = store.read_record().unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(record.committed_removals.len(), 1, "the committed receipt must survive a missing path under the replacement parent");
+    let id = &record.committed_removals[0];
+    let parent = store.language_packs_dir().join(".removing");
+    let original = parent.with_extension("original");
+    assert_eq!(std::fs::read(original.join(id).join("nl/spelling.dic")).unwrap(), dictionary);
+    assert!(std::fs::read_dir(&outside).unwrap().next().is_none());
+    std::fs::remove_file(&parent).unwrap();
+    std::fs::rename(original, &parent).unwrap();
+    drop(store.lock().unwrap());
+    assert!(!parent.join(id).exists(), "the persisted receipt drives a later anchored retry");
+    store.write_installed(&record).unwrap();
+    assert!(store.read_record().unwrap().committed_removals.is_empty());
+    std::fs::remove_dir_all(outside).unwrap();
+    std::fs::remove_dir_all(store.dir()).unwrap();
+}
+
 /// Removing a stale record needs no recovery directory when there is no folder to move.
 #[test]
 fn removing_a_missing_pack_folder_only_updates_the_record() {