diff --git a/src/cron/service.external-reload-schedule-recompute.test.ts b/src/cron/service.external-reload-schedule-recompute.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..cec8c03e311
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/cron/service.external-reload-schedule-recompute.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,421 @@
+import fs from "node:fs/promises";
+import { describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
+import { setupCronServiceSuite, writeCronStoreSnapshot } from "./service.test-harness.js";
+import { recomputeNextRuns } from "./service/jobs.js";
+import { run } from "./service/ops.js";
+import { createCronServiceState } from "./service/state.js";
+import { ensureLoaded } from "./service/store.js";
+import type { CronJob } from "./types.js";
+
+const { logger: noopLogger, makeStorePath } = setupCronServiceSuite({
+  prefix: "openclaw-cron-external-reload-",
+  baseTimeIso: "2026-03-19T01:44:00.000Z",
+});
+
+function createCronJob(params: {
+  id: string;
+  expr: string;
+  updatedAtMs?: number;
+  enabled?: boolean;
+  nextRunAtMs?: number;
+  scheduleErrorCount?: number;
+  lastError?: string;
+  lastStatus?: CronJob["state"]["lastStatus"];
+  runningAtMs?: number;
+}): CronJob {
+  return {
+    id: params.id,
+    name: params.id,
+    enabled: params.enabled ?? true,
+    createdAtMs: Date.parse("2026-03-18T00:30:00.000Z"),
+    updatedAtMs: params.updatedAtMs ?? Date.parse("2026-03-19T01:44:00.000Z"),
+    schedule: { kind: "cron", expr: params.expr, tz: "Asia/Shanghai", staggerMs: 0 },
+    sessionTarget: "main",
+    wakeMode: "next-heartbeat",
+    payload: { kind: "systemEvent", text: "tick" },
+    state: {
+      nextRunAtMs: params.nextRunAtMs,
+      scheduleErrorCount: params.scheduleErrorCount,
+      lastError: params.lastError,
+      lastStatus: params.lastStatus,
+      runningAtMs: params.runningAtMs,
+    },
+  };
+}
+
+describe("forceReload repairs externally changed schedules", () => {
+  it("recomputes nextRunAtMs when jobs.json changes a cron schedule outside cron.update", async () => {
+    const store = await makeStorePath();
+    const nowMs = Date.parse("2026-03-19T01:44:00.000Z");
+    const jobId = "external-schedule-change";
+    const staleNextRunAtMs = Date.parse("2026-03-20T00:30:00.000Z");
+    const correctedNextRunAtMs = Date.parse("2026-03-19T12:30:00.000Z");
+
+    await writeCronStoreSnapshot({
+      storePath: store.storePath,
+      jobs: [createCronJob({ id: jobId, expr: "30 8 * * *", nextRunAtMs: staleNextRunAtMs })],
+    });
+
+    const state = createCronServiceState({
+      cronEnabled: true,
+      storePath: store.storePath,
+      log: noopLogger,
+      nowMs: () => nowMs,
+      enqueueSystemEvent: vi.fn(),
+      requestHeartbeatNow: vi.fn(),
+      runIsolatedAgentJob: vi.fn(async () => ({ status: "ok" as const })),
+    });
+
+    await ensureLoaded(state, { skipRecompute: true });
+
+    await writeCronStoreSnapshot({
+      storePath: store.storePath,
+      jobs: [createCronJob({ id: jobId, expr: "30 8,20 * * *", nextRunAtMs: staleNextRunAtMs })],
+    });
+
+    await ensureLoaded(state, { forceReload: true, skipRecompute: true });
+
+    const reloaded = state.store?.jobs.find((job) => job.id === jobId);
+    expect(reloaded?.state.nextRunAtMs).toBe(correctedNextRunAtMs);
+
+    const persisted = JSON.parse(await fs.readFile(store.storePath, "utf8")) as {
+      jobs?: Array<{ id: string; state?: { nextRunAtMs?: number } }>;
+    };
+    expect(persisted.jobs?.find((job) => job.id === jobId)?.state?.nextRunAtMs).toBe(
+      correctedNextRunAtMs,
+    );
+  });
+
+  it("recomputes from updatedAtMs so delayed reload keeps newly earlier slots due", async () => {
+    const store = await makeStorePath();
+    const nowMs = Date.parse("2026-03-19T12:10:00.000Z");
+    const jobId = "external-schedule-change-delayed-observe";
+    const staleNextRunAtMs = Date.parse("2026-03-20T00:30:00.000Z");
+
+    const createJob = (params: { expr: string; updatedAtMs: number }) =>
+      createCronJob({
+        id: jobId,
+        expr: params.expr,
+        updatedAtMs: params.updatedAtMs,
+        nextRunAtMs: staleNextRunAtMs,
+      });
+
+    await writeCronStoreSnapshot({
+      storePath: store.storePath,
+      jobs: [
+        createJob({ expr: "30 23 * * *", updatedAtMs: Date.parse("2026-03-19T12:00:00.000Z") }),
+      ],
+    });
+
+    const state = createCronServiceState({
+      cronEnabled: true,
+      storePath: store.storePath,
+      log: noopLogger,
+      nowMs: () => nowMs,
+      enqueueSystemEvent: vi.fn(),
+      requestHeartbeatNow: vi.fn(),
+      runIsolatedAgentJob: vi.fn(async () => ({ status: "ok" as const })),
+    });
+
+    await ensureLoaded(state, { skipRecompute: true });
+
+    await writeCronStoreSnapshot({
+      storePath: store.storePath,
+      jobs: [createJob({ expr: "* * * * *", updatedAtMs: Date.parse("2026-03-19T12:01:00.000Z") })],
+    });
+
+    await ensureLoaded(state, { forceReload: true, skipRecompute: true });
+
+    expect(state.store?.jobs[0]?.state.nextRunAtMs).toBe(Date.parse("2026-03-19T12:02:00.000Z"));
+  });
+
+  it("records schedule errors instead of aborting reload when an external edit is invalid", async () => {
+    const store = await makeStorePath();
+    const nowMs = Date.parse("2026-03-19T01:44:00.000Z");
+    const jobId = "external-invalid-schedule";
+
+    await writeCronStoreSnapshot({
+      storePath: store.storePath,
+      jobs: [
+        createCronJob({
+          id: jobId,
+          expr: "30 8 * * *",
+          nextRunAtMs: Date.parse("2026-03-20T00:30:00.000Z"),
+        }),
+      ],
+    });
+
+    const state = createCronServiceState({
+      cronEnabled: true,
+      storePath: store.storePath,
+      log: noopLogger,
+      nowMs: () => nowMs,
+      enqueueSystemEvent: vi.fn(),
+      requestHeartbeatNow: vi.fn(),
+      runIsolatedAgentJob: vi.fn(async () => ({ status: "ok" as const })),
+    });
+
+    await ensureLoaded(state, { skipRecompute: true });
+
+    await writeCronStoreSnapshot({
+      storePath: store.storePath,
+      jobs: [
+        createCronJob({
+          id: jobId,
+          expr: "not a valid cron",
+          nextRunAtMs: Date.parse("2026-03-20T00:30:00.000Z"),
+        }),
+      ],
+    });
+
+    await expect(
+      ensureLoaded(state, { forceReload: true, skipRecompute: true }),
+    ).resolves.toBeUndefined();
+
+    const reloaded = state.store?.jobs[0];
+    expect(reloaded?.state.nextRunAtMs).toBeUndefined();
+    expect(reloaded?.state.scheduleErrorCount).toBe(1);
+    expect(reloaded?.state.lastError).toMatch(/^schedule error:/);
+  });
+
+  it("does not double-count a reload schedule error during the immediate recompute", async () => {
+    const store = await makeStorePath();
+    const nowMs = Date.parse("2026-03-19T01:44:00.000Z");
+    const jobId = "external-invalid-schedule-full-recompute";
+
+    await writeCronStoreSnapshot({
+      storePath: store.storePath,
+      jobs: [
+        createCronJob({
+          id: jobId,
+          expr: "30 8 * * *",
+          nextRunAtMs: Date.parse("2026-03-20T00:30:00.000Z"),
+        }),
+      ],
+    });
+
+    const state = createCronServiceState({
+      cronEnabled: true,
+      storePath: store.storePath,
+      log: noopLogger,
+      nowMs: () => nowMs,
+      enqueueSystemEvent: vi.fn(),
+      requestHeartbeatNow: vi.fn(),
+      runIsolatedAgentJob: vi.fn(async () => ({ status: "ok" as const })),
+    });
+
+    await ensureLoaded(state, { skipRecompute: true });
+
+    await writeCronStoreSnapshot({
+      storePath: store.storePath,
+      jobs: [
+        createCronJob({
+          id: jobId,
+          expr: "not a valid cron",
+          nextRunAtMs: Date.parse("2026-03-20T00:30:00.000Z"),
+        }),
+      ],
+    });
+
+    await ensureLoaded(state, { forceReload: true, skipRecompute: true });
+    expect(state.store?.jobs[0]?.state.scheduleErrorCount).toBe(1);
+
+    recomputeNextRuns(state);
+    expect(state.store?.jobs[0]?.state.scheduleErrorCount).toBe(1);
+  });
+
+  it("keeps forceReload repairs when manual-run snapshot is merged back", async () => {
+    const store = await makeStorePath();
+    let nowMs = Date.parse("2026-03-19T01:44:00.000Z");
+    const jobId = "manual-run-reload-merge";
+    const staleNextRunAtMs = Date.parse("2026-03-19T23:30:00.000Z");
+
+    const createJob = (params: { expr: string; enabled: boolean; nextRunAtMs?: number }) => ({
+      ...createCronJob({
+        id: jobId,
+        expr: params.expr,
+        enabled: params.enabled,
+        nextRunAtMs: params.nextRunAtMs,
+      }),
+      sessionTarget: "isolated" as const,
+      payload: { kind: "agentTurn", message: "tick" } as const,
+    });
+
+    await writeCronStoreSnapshot({
+      storePath: store.storePath,
+      jobs: [createJob({ expr: "30 23 * * *", enabled: true, nextRunAtMs: staleNextRunAtMs })],
+    });
+
+    const runIsolatedAgentJob = vi.fn(async () => {
+      await writeCronStoreSnapshot({
+        storePath: store.storePath,
+        jobs: [createJob({ expr: "30 8 * * *", enabled: false, nextRunAtMs: staleNextRunAtMs })],
+      });
+      nowMs += 500;
+      return { status: "ok" as const, summary: "done" };
+    });
+
+    const state = createCronServiceState({
+      cronEnabled: true,
+      storePath: store.storePath,
+      log: noopLogger,
+      nowMs: () => nowMs,
+      enqueueSystemEvent: vi.fn(),
+      requestHeartbeatNow: vi.fn(),
+      runIsolatedAgentJob,
+    });
+
+    expect(await run(state, jobId, "force")).toEqual({ ok: true, ran: true });
+
+    const merged = state.store?.jobs[0];
+    expect(merged?.enabled).toBe(false);
+    expect(merged?.state.nextRunAtMs).toBeUndefined();
+    expect(merged?.state.lastStatus).toBe("ok");
+  });
+
+  it("keeps scheduleErrorCount cleared when external reload fixes schedule during force-run", async () => {
+    const store = await makeStorePath();
+    let nowMs = Date.parse("2026-03-19T01:44:00.000Z");
+    const jobId = "manual-run-reload-clears-schedule-error-count";
+    const staleNextRunAtMs = Date.parse("2026-03-19T23:30:00.000Z");
+
+    const createJob = (expr: string) => ({
+      ...createCronJob({
+        id: jobId,
+        expr,
+        nextRunAtMs: staleNextRunAtMs,
+        scheduleErrorCount: 2,
+        lastError: "schedule error: invalid expression",
+      }),
+      sessionTarget: "isolated" as const,
+      payload: { kind: "agentTurn", message: "tick" } as const,
+    });
+
+    await writeCronStoreSnapshot({
+      storePath: store.storePath,
+      jobs: [createJob("30 23 * * *")],
+    });
+
+    const runIsolatedAgentJob = vi.fn(async () => {
+      await writeCronStoreSnapshot({
+        storePath: store.storePath,
+        jobs: [createJob("30 8 * * *")],
+      });
+      nowMs += 500;
+      return { status: "ok" as const, summary: "done" };
+    });
+
+    const state = createCronServiceState({
+      cronEnabled: true,
+      storePath: store.storePath,
+      log: noopLogger,
+      nowMs: () => nowMs,
+      enqueueSystemEvent: vi.fn(),
+      requestHeartbeatNow: vi.fn(),
+      runIsolatedAgentJob,
+    });
+
+    expect(await run(state, jobId, "force")).toEqual({ ok: true, ran: true });
+    expect(state.store?.jobs[0]?.state.scheduleErrorCount).toBeUndefined();
+  });
+
+  it("preserves runningAtMs when an external reload comes from a stale file snapshot", async () => {
+    const store = await makeStorePath();
+    const nowMs = Date.parse("2026-03-19T12:10:00.000Z");
+    const jobId = "external-running-marker";
+    const runningAtMs = Date.parse("2026-03-19T12:00:00.000Z");
+
+    await writeCronStoreSnapshot({
+      storePath: store.storePath,
+      jobs: [
+        createCronJob({
+          id: jobId,
+          expr: "30 23 * * *",
+          nextRunAtMs: Date.parse("2026-03-20T00:30:00.000Z"),
+          runningAtMs,
+        }),
+      ],
+    });
+
+    const state = createCronServiceState({
+      cronEnabled: true,
+      storePath: store.storePath,
+      log: noopLogger,
+      nowMs: () => nowMs,
+      enqueueSystemEvent: vi.fn(),
+      requestHeartbeatNow: vi.fn(),
+      runIsolatedAgentJob: vi.fn(async () => ({ status: "ok" as const })),
+    });
+
+    await ensureLoaded(state, { skipRecompute: true });
+
+    await writeCronStoreSnapshot({
+      storePath: store.storePath,
+      jobs: [
+        createCronJob({
+          id: jobId,
+          expr: "* * * * *",
+          updatedAtMs: Date.parse("2026-03-19T12:01:00.000Z"),
+          nextRunAtMs: Date.parse("2026-03-20T00:30:00.000Z"),
+        }),
+      ],
+    });
+
+    await ensureLoaded(state, { forceReload: true, skipRecompute: true });
+
+    const reloaded = state.store?.jobs[0];
+    expect(reloaded?.state.runningAtMs).toBe(runningAtMs);
+    expect(reloaded?.state.nextRunAtMs).toBe(Date.parse("2026-03-19T12:02:00.000Z"));
+  });
+
+  it("recomputes nextRunAtMs when an external every schedule changes", async () => {
+    const store = await makeStorePath();
+    const nowMs = Date.parse("2026-03-19T01:44:00.000Z");
+    const jobId = "external-every-schedule-change";
+
+    const createEveryJob = (everyMs: number): CronJob => ({
+      id: jobId,
+      name: jobId,
+      enabled: true,
+      createdAtMs: Date.parse("2026-03-18T00:00:00.000Z"),
+      updatedAtMs: Date.parse("2026-03-19T01:44:00.000Z"),
+      schedule: {
+        kind: "every",
+        everyMs,
+        anchorMs: Date.parse("2026-03-19T00:00:00.000Z"),
+      },
+      sessionTarget: "main",
+      wakeMode: "next-heartbeat",
+      payload: { kind: "systemEvent", text: "tick" },
+      state: {
+        nextRunAtMs: Date.parse("2026-03-20T00:00:00.000Z"),
+      },
+    });
+
+    await writeCronStoreSnapshot({
+      storePath: store.storePath,
+      jobs: [createEveryJob(6 * 60_000)],
+    });
+
+    const state = createCronServiceState({
+      cronEnabled: true,
+      storePath: store.storePath,
+      log: noopLogger,
+      nowMs: () => nowMs,
+      enqueueSystemEvent: vi.fn(),
+      requestHeartbeatNow: vi.fn(),
+      runIsolatedAgentJob: vi.fn(async () => ({ status: "ok" as const })),
+    });
+
+    await ensureLoaded(state, { skipRecompute: true });
+
+    await writeCronStoreSnapshot({
+      storePath: store.storePath,
+      jobs: [createEveryJob(60_000)],
+    });
+
+    await ensureLoaded(state, { forceReload: true, skipRecompute: true });
+
+    expect(state.store?.jobs[0]?.state.nextRunAtMs).toBe(Date.parse("2026-03-19T01:44:00.000Z"));
+  });
+});
diff --git a/src/cron/service.issue-regressions.test.ts b/src/cron/service.issue-regressions.test.ts
index dac28f4b0c9..e0ca0f32816 100644
--- a/src/cron/service.issue-regressions.test.ts
+++ b/src/cron/service.issue-regressions.test.ts
@@ -22,8 +22,12 @@ import {
   createNoopLogger,
   createRunningCronServiceState,
 } from "./service.test-harness.js";
-import { computeJobNextRunAtMs } from "./service/jobs.js";
-import { enqueueRun, run } from "./service/ops.js";
+import {
+  computeJobNextRunAtMs,
+  nextWakeAtMs,
+  recomputeNextRunsForMaintenance,
+} from "./service/jobs.js";
+import { enqueueRun, list, run, status } from "./service/ops.js";
 import { createCronServiceState, type CronEvent } from "./service/state.js";
 import {
   DEFAULT_JOB_TIMEOUT_MS,
@@ -1748,6 +1752,170 @@ describe("Cron issue regressions", () => {
     expect(job.enabled).toBe(true);
   });
 
+  it("does not double-count reload schedule errors in apply path before maintenance recompute", () => {
+    const startedAt = Date.parse("2026-03-02T12:10:00.000Z");
+    const endedAt = startedAt + 25;
+    const job = createIsolatedRegressionJob({
+      id: "apply-result-reload-dedupe-30905",
+      name: "apply-result-reload-dedupe-30905",
+      scheduledAt: startedAt,
+      schedule: { kind: "cron", expr: "0 7 * * *", tz: "Invalid/Timezone" },
+      payload: { kind: "agentTurn", message: "ping" },
+      state: {
+        nextRunAtMs: undefined,
+        runningAtMs: startedAt - 500,
+        scheduleErrorCount: 1,
+        lastError: "schedule error: previous",
+      },
+    });
+    const state = createRunningCronServiceState({
+      storePath: "/tmp/cron-30905-reload-dedupe.json",
+      log: noopLogger as never,
+      nowMs: () => endedAt,
+      jobs: [job],
+    });
+    state.skipNextReloadRepairRecomputeJobIds = new Set([job.id]);
+
+    applyJobResult(state, job, {
+      status: "ok",
+      delivered: true,
+      startedAt,
+      endedAt,
+    });
+
+    expect(job.state.scheduleErrorCount).toBe(1);
+    expect(state.skipNextReloadRepairRecomputeJobIds?.has(job.id)).toBe(true);
+    expect(nextWakeAtMs(state)).toBe(endedAt + 2_000);
+
+    recomputeNextRunsForMaintenance(state);
+    expect(job.state.scheduleErrorCount).toBe(1);
+    expect(state.skipNextReloadRepairRecomputeJobIds?.has(job.id)).toBe(false);
+    expect(nextWakeAtMs(state)).toBe(endedAt + 2_000);
+  });
+
+  it("keeps a future wake when apply skips immediate recompute after reload schedule error", () => {
+    const startedAt = Date.parse("2026-03-02T12:12:00.000Z");
+    const endedAt = startedAt + 25;
+    const job = createIsolatedRegressionJob({
+      id: "apply-result-reload-wake-30905",
+      name: "apply-result-reload-wake-30905",
+      scheduledAt: startedAt,
+      schedule: { kind: "cron", expr: "0 7 * * *", tz: "Invalid/Timezone" },
+      payload: { kind: "agentTurn", message: "ping" },
+      state: {
+        nextRunAtMs: undefined,
+        runningAtMs: startedAt - 500,
+        scheduleErrorCount: 1,
+        lastError: "schedule error: previous",
+      },
+    });
+    const state = createRunningCronServiceState({
+      storePath: "/tmp/cron-30905-reload-wake.json",
+      log: noopLogger as never,
+      nowMs: () => endedAt,
+      jobs: [job],
+    });
+    state.skipNextReloadRepairRecomputeJobIds = new Set([job.id]);
+
+    applyJobResult(state, job, {
+      status: "error",
+      error: "synthetic failure",
+      startedAt,
+      endedAt,
+    });
+
+    expect(job.state.scheduleErrorCount).toBe(1);
+    expect(job.state.nextRunAtMs).toBeUndefined();
+    expect(state.skipNextReloadRepairRecomputeJobIds?.has(job.id)).toBe(true);
+    expect(nextWakeAtMs(state)).toBe(endedAt + 2_000);
+
+    recomputeNextRunsForMaintenance(state);
+    expect(job.state.scheduleErrorCount).toBe(1);
+    expect(state.skipNextReloadRepairRecomputeJobIds?.has(job.id)).toBe(false);
+    expect(nextWakeAtMs(state)).toBe(endedAt + 2_000);
+  });
+
+  it("does not arm 2s wake for malformed every schedules with non-repairable missing nextRun", () => {
+    const nowMs = Date.parse("2026-03-02T12:20:00.000Z");
+    const job = createIsolatedRegressionJob({
+      id: "missing-nextrun-malformed-every",
+      name: "missing-nextrun-malformed-every",
+      scheduledAt: nowMs,
+      schedule: { kind: "every", everyMs: Number.NaN, anchorMs: nowMs - 60_000 },
+      payload: { kind: "agentTurn", message: "ping" },
+      state: {
+        nextRunAtMs: undefined,
+      },
+    });
+    const state = createRunningCronServiceState({
+      storePath: "/tmp/cron-missing-nextrun-malformed-every.json",
+      log: noopLogger as never,
+      nowMs: () => nowMs,
+      jobs: [job],
+    });
+
+    expect(nextWakeAtMs(state)).toBeUndefined();
+  });
+
+  it("does not consume reload skip markers during read-only status/list maintenance", async () => {
+    const nowMs = Date.parse("2026-03-02T12:25:00.000Z");
+    const job = createIsolatedRegressionJob({
+      id: "read-only-skip-marker",
+      name: "read-only-skip-marker",
+      scheduledAt: nowMs,
+      schedule: { kind: "cron", expr: "0 7 * * *", tz: "Invalid/Timezone" },
+      payload: { kind: "agentTurn", message: "ping" },
+      state: {
+        nextRunAtMs: undefined,
+        scheduleErrorCount: 1,
+        lastError: "schedule error: previous",
+      },
+    });
+    const state = createRunningCronServiceState({
+      storePath: "/tmp/cron-read-only-skip-marker.json",
+      log: noopLogger as never,
+      nowMs: () => nowMs,
+      jobs: [job],
+    });
+    state.skipNextReloadRepairRecomputeJobIds = new Set([job.id]);
+
+    const currentStatus = await status(state);
+    expect(currentStatus.nextWakeAtMs).toBe(nowMs + 2_000);
+    expect(state.skipNextReloadRepairRecomputeJobIds.has(job.id)).toBe(true);
+
+    const jobs = await list(state, { includeDisabled: true });
+    expect(jobs).toHaveLength(1);
+    expect(state.skipNextReloadRepairRecomputeJobIds.has(job.id)).toBe(true);
+
+    recomputeNextRunsForMaintenance(state);
+    expect(state.skipNextReloadRepairRecomputeJobIds.has(job.id)).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it("does not arm 2s wake for exhausted one-shot jobs with missing nextRun", () => {
+    const nowMs = Date.parse("2026-03-02T12:22:00.000Z");
+    const atMs = nowMs - 60_000;
+    const job = createIsolatedRegressionJob({
+      id: "missing-nextrun-exhausted-at",
+      name: "missing-nextrun-exhausted-at",
+      scheduledAt: nowMs,
+      schedule: { kind: "at", at: new Date(atMs).toISOString() },
+      payload: { kind: "agentTurn", message: "ping" },
+      state: {
+        nextRunAtMs: undefined,
+        lastStatus: "ok",
+        lastRunAtMs: nowMs - 30_000,
+      },
+    });
+    const state = createRunningCronServiceState({
+      storePath: "/tmp/cron-missing-nextrun-exhausted-at.json",
+      log: noopLogger as never,
+      nowMs: () => nowMs,
+      jobs: [job],
+    });
+
+    expect(nextWakeAtMs(state)).toBeUndefined();
+  });
+
   it("force run preserves 'every' anchor while recording manual lastRunAtMs", () => {
     const nowMs = Date.now();
     const everyMs = 24 * 60 * 60 * 1_000;
diff --git a/src/cron/service.jobs.test.ts b/src/cron/service.jobs.test.ts
index c514f7528ba..c97adb2f504 100644
--- a/src/cron/service.jobs.test.ts
+++ b/src/cron/service.jobs.test.ts
@@ -385,6 +385,7 @@ function createMockState(now: number, opts?: { defaultAgentId?: string }): CronS
       nowMs: () => now,
       defaultAgentId: opts?.defaultAgentId,
     },
+    skipNextReloadRepairRecomputeJobIds: new Set<string>(),
   } as unknown as CronServiceState;
 }
 
diff --git a/src/cron/service.test-harness.ts b/src/cron/service.test-harness.ts
index fcc62637892..a4803b5be3e 100644
--- a/src/cron/service.test-harness.ts
+++ b/src/cron/service.test-harness.ts
@@ -220,6 +220,7 @@ export function createMockCronStateForJobs(params: {
     timer: null,
     storeLoadedAtMs: nowMs,
     storeFileMtimeMs: null,
+    skipNextReloadRepairRecomputeJobIds: new Set<string>(),
     op: Promise.resolve(),
     warnedDisabled: false,
     deps: {
diff --git a/src/cron/service/jobs.schedule-error-isolation.test.ts b/src/cron/service/jobs.schedule-error-isolation.test.ts
index 84cd8e0a1e9..cd55e4aa56d 100644
--- a/src/cron/service/jobs.schedule-error-isolation.test.ts
+++ b/src/cron/service/jobs.schedule-error-isolation.test.ts
@@ -28,6 +28,11 @@ function createMockState(jobs: CronJob[]): CronServiceState {
     store,
     timer: null,
     running: false,
+    op: Promise.resolve(),
+    warnedDisabled: false,
+    storeLoadedAtMs: null,
+    storeFileMtimeMs: null,
+    skipNextReloadRepairRecomputeJobIds: new Set<string>(),
   } as unknown as CronServiceState;
 }
 
@@ -201,4 +206,44 @@ describe("cron schedule error isolation", () => {
     expect(badJob.state.lastError).not.toContain("Cannot read properties of undefined");
     expect(badJob.state.scheduleErrorCount).toBe(1);
   });
+
+  it("keeps malformed every schedules on the schedule-error path", () => {
+    const badJob = createJob({
+      id: "bad-every",
+      name: "Bad Every",
+      schedule: { kind: "every", everyMs: Number.NaN },
+      state: {
+        nextRunAtMs: undefined,
+        scheduleErrorCount: 1,
+        lastError: "schedule error: previous",
+      },
+    });
+    const state = createMockState([badJob]);
+
+    recomputeNextRuns(state);
+
+    expect(badJob.state.nextRunAtMs).toBeUndefined();
+    expect(badJob.state.scheduleErrorCount).toBe(2);
+    expect(badJob.state.lastError).toContain("invalid every schedule");
+  });
+
+  it("keeps malformed at schedules on the schedule-error path", () => {
+    const badJob = createJob({
+      id: "bad-at",
+      name: "Bad At",
+      schedule: { kind: "at", at: "not-a-timestamp" },
+      state: {
+        nextRunAtMs: undefined,
+        scheduleErrorCount: 1,
+        lastError: "schedule error: previous",
+      },
+    });
+    const state = createMockState([badJob]);
+
+    recomputeNextRuns(state);
+
+    expect(badJob.state.nextRunAtMs).toBeUndefined();
+    expect(badJob.state.scheduleErrorCount).toBe(2);
+    expect(badJob.state.lastError).toContain("invalid at schedule");
+  });
 });
diff --git a/src/cron/service/jobs.ts b/src/cron/service/jobs.ts
index 542ba81053d..2f1f6f4d2ab 100644
--- a/src/cron/service/jobs.ts
+++ b/src/cron/service/jobs.ts
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@ import {
 import type { CronServiceState } from "./state.js";
 
 const STUCK_RUN_MS = 2 * 60 * 60 * 1000;
+const MISSING_NEXT_RUN_WAKE_MS = 2_000;
 const STAGGER_OFFSET_CACHE_MAX = 4096;
 const staggerOffsetCache = new Map<string, number>();
 
@@ -238,6 +239,19 @@ export function findJobOrThrow(state: CronServiceState, id: string) {
   return job;
 }
 
+export function removeJobById(state: CronServiceState, jobId: string): boolean {
+  if (!state.store) {
+    return false;
+  }
+  const before = state.store.jobs.length;
+  state.store.jobs = state.store.jobs.filter((job) => job.id !== jobId);
+  const removed = state.store.jobs.length !== before;
+  if (removed) {
+    state.skipNextReloadRepairRecomputeJobIds.delete(jobId);
+  }
+  return removed;
+}
+
 export function computeJobNextRunAtMs(job: CronJob, nowMs: number): number | undefined {
   if (!job.enabled) {
     return undefined;
@@ -294,6 +308,22 @@ export function computeJobNextRunAtMs(job: CronJob, nowMs: number): number | und
   return isFiniteTimestamp(next) ? next : undefined;
 }
 
+export function shouldTreatUndefinedNextRunAsScheduleError(job: CronJob): boolean {
+  if (!job.enabled) {
+    return false;
+  }
+  if (job.schedule.kind === "every") {
+    return coerceFiniteScheduleNumber(job.schedule.everyMs) === undefined;
+  }
+  if (job.schedule.kind === "at") {
+    return parseAbsoluteTimeMs(job.schedule.at) === null;
+  }
+  if (job.schedule.kind === "cron") {
+    return job.schedule.expr.trim().length === 0;
+  }
+  return false;
+}
+
 export function computeJobPreviousRunAtMs(job: CronJob, nowMs: number): number | undefined {
   if (!job.enabled || job.schedule.kind !== "cron") {
     return undefined;
@@ -413,10 +443,50 @@ function walkSchedulableJobs(
   return changed;
 }
 
-function recomputeJobNextRunAtMs(params: { state: CronServiceState; job: CronJob; nowMs: number }) {
+export function hasSkipNextReloadRepairRecompute(state: CronServiceState, jobId: string): boolean {
+  return state.skipNextReloadRepairRecomputeJobIds.has(jobId);
+}
+
+export function consumeSkipNextReloadRepairRecompute(
+  state: CronServiceState,
+  jobId: string,
+): boolean {
+  if (!hasSkipNextReloadRepairRecompute(state, jobId)) {
+    return false;
+  }
+  state.skipNextReloadRepairRecomputeJobIds.delete(jobId);
+  return true;
+}
+
+function recomputeJobNextRunAtMs(params: {
+  state: CronServiceState;
+  job: CronJob;
+  nowMs: number;
+  consumeReloadRepairSkip?: boolean;
+}) {
+  const consumeReloadRepairSkip = params.consumeReloadRepairSkip ?? true;
+  if (
+    consumeReloadRepairSkip
+      ? consumeSkipNextReloadRepairRecompute(params.state, params.job.id)
+      : hasSkipNextReloadRepairRecompute(params.state, params.job.id)
+  ) {
+    return false;
+  }
   let changed = false;
   try {
     const newNext = computeJobNextRunAtMs(params.job, params.nowMs);
+    if (newNext === undefined && shouldTreatUndefinedNextRunAsScheduleError(params.job)) {
+      const err =
+        params.job.schedule.kind === "every"
+          ? new Error("invalid every schedule: everyMs must be a finite number")
+          : params.job.schedule.kind === "at"
+            ? new Error("invalid at schedule: at must be a valid absolute timestamp")
+            : new Error("invalid cron schedule: expr is required");
+      if (recordScheduleComputeError({ state: params.state, job: params.job, err })) {
+        changed = true;
+      }
+      return changed;
+    }
     if (params.job.state.nextRunAtMs !== newNext) {
       params.job.state.nextRunAtMs = newNext;
       changed = true;
@@ -460,16 +530,17 @@ export function recomputeNextRuns(state: CronServiceState): boolean {
  */
 export function recomputeNextRunsForMaintenance(
   state: CronServiceState,
-  opts?: { recomputeExpired?: boolean; nowMs?: number },
+  opts?: { recomputeExpired?: boolean; nowMs?: number; consumeReloadRepairSkip?: boolean },
 ): boolean {
   const recomputeExpired = opts?.recomputeExpired ?? false;
+  const consumeReloadRepairSkip = opts?.consumeReloadRepairSkip ?? true;
   return walkSchedulableJobs(
     state,
     ({ job, nowMs: now }) => {
       let changed = false;
       if (!isFiniteTimestamp(job.state.nextRunAtMs)) {
         // Missing or invalid nextRunAtMs is always repaired.
-        if (recomputeJobNextRunAtMs({ state, job, nowMs: now })) {
+        if (recomputeJobNextRunAtMs({ state, job, nowMs: now, consumeReloadRepairSkip })) {
           changed = true;
         }
       } else if (
@@ -482,7 +553,7 @@ export function recomputeNextRunsForMaintenance(
         const lastRun = job.state.lastRunAtMs;
         const alreadyExecutedSlot = isFiniteTimestamp(lastRun) && lastRun >= job.state.nextRunAtMs;
         if (alreadyExecutedSlot) {
-          if (recomputeJobNextRunAtMs({ state, job, nowMs: now })) {
+          if (recomputeJobNextRunAtMs({ state, job, nowMs: now, consumeReloadRepairSkip })) {
             changed = true;
           }
         }
@@ -495,18 +566,46 @@ export function recomputeNextRunsForMaintenance(
 
 export function nextWakeAtMs(state: CronServiceState) {
   const jobs = state.store?.jobs ?? [];
-  const enabled = jobs.filter((j) => j.enabled && isFiniteTimestamp(j.state.nextRunAtMs));
-  if (enabled.length === 0) {
-    return undefined;
+  let minEnabledNextRunAtMs: number | undefined;
+  let hasEnabledRepairableMissingNextRun = false;
+  const nowMs = state.deps.nowMs();
+
+  for (const job of jobs) {
+    if (!job.enabled) {
+      continue;
+    }
+    const nextRunAtMs = job.state.nextRunAtMs;
+    if (isFiniteTimestamp(nextRunAtMs)) {
+      minEnabledNextRunAtMs =
+        minEnabledNextRunAtMs === undefined
+          ? nextRunAtMs
+          : Math.min(minEnabledNextRunAtMs, nextRunAtMs);
+      continue;
+    }
+    // Only wake for missing nextRun values that can be repaired by recompute.
+    // Non-repairable malformed schedules (e.g. invalid every/at payloads)
+    // should not keep the scheduler in a perpetual 2s poll loop.
+    if ((job.state.scheduleErrorCount ?? 0) > 0) {
+      hasEnabledRepairableMissingNextRun = true;
+      continue;
+    }
+    try {
+      if (computeJobNextRunAtMs(job, nowMs) !== undefined) {
+        hasEnabledRepairableMissingNextRun = true;
+      }
+    } catch {
+      hasEnabledRepairableMissingNextRun = true;
+    }
   }
-  const first = enabled[0]?.state.nextRunAtMs;
-  if (!isFiniteTimestamp(first)) {
-    return undefined;
+
+  if (!hasEnabledRepairableMissingNextRun) {
+    return minEnabledNextRunAtMs;
   }
-  return enabled.reduce((min, j) => {
-    const next = j.state.nextRunAtMs;
-    return isFiniteTimestamp(next) ? Math.min(min, next) : min;
-  }, first);
+
+  const wakeForMissingNextRunAtMs = nowMs + MISSING_NEXT_RUN_WAKE_MS;
+  return minEnabledNextRunAtMs === undefined
+    ? wakeForMissingNextRunAtMs
+    : Math.min(minEnabledNextRunAtMs, wakeForMissingNextRunAtMs);
 }
 
 export function createJob(state: CronServiceState, input: CronJobCreate): CronJob {
diff --git a/src/cron/service/ops.ts b/src/cron/service/ops.ts
index 69751e4dfdb..95e4f84df87 100644
--- a/src/cron/service/ops.ts
+++ b/src/cron/service/ops.ts
@@ -9,10 +9,12 @@ import {
   findJobOrThrow,
   isJobDue,
   nextWakeAtMs,
+  removeJobById,
   recomputeNextRuns,
   recomputeNextRunsForMaintenance,
 } from "./jobs.js";
 import { locked } from "./locked.js";
+import { schedulesEqual } from "./schedule-equality.js";
 import type { CronServiceState } from "./state.js";
 import { ensureLoaded, persist, warnIfDisabled } from "./store.js";
 import {
@@ -47,6 +49,7 @@ export type CronListPageResult = {
   hasMore: boolean;
   nextOffset: number | null;
 };
+
 function mergeManualRunSnapshotAfterReload(params: {
   state: CronServiceState;
   jobId: string;
@@ -55,13 +58,17 @@ function mergeManualRunSnapshotAfterReload(params: {
     updatedAtMs: number;
     state: CronJob["state"];
   } | null;
+  baseline: {
+    enabled: boolean;
+    schedule: CronJob["schedule"];
+  } | null;
   removed: boolean;
 }) {
   if (!params.state.store) {
     return;
   }
   if (params.removed) {
-    params.state.store.jobs = params.state.store.jobs.filter((job) => job.id !== params.jobId);
+    removeJobById(params.state, params.jobId);
     return;
   }
   if (!params.snapshot) {
@@ -71,9 +78,34 @@ function mergeManualRunSnapshotAfterReload(params: {
   if (!reloaded) {
     return;
   }
-  reloaded.enabled = params.snapshot.enabled;
-  reloaded.updatedAtMs = params.snapshot.updatedAtMs;
-  reloaded.state = params.snapshot.state;
+  const preservedEnabled = reloaded.enabled;
+  const preservedNextRunAtMs = reloaded.state.nextRunAtMs;
+  const preservedScheduleErrorCount = reloaded.state.scheduleErrorCount;
+  const preservedScheduleErrorText = reloaded.state.lastError;
+  const externalScheduleOrEnabledChanged =
+    params.baseline !== null &&
+    (preservedEnabled !== params.baseline.enabled ||
+      !schedulesEqual(reloaded.schedule, params.baseline.schedule));
+
+  reloaded.updatedAtMs = Math.max(reloaded.updatedAtMs, params.snapshot.updatedAtMs);
+  reloaded.state = {
+    ...reloaded.state,
+    ...params.snapshot.state,
+  };
+
+  // Only preserve reload-derived schedule/enable repairs when the underlying
+  // schedule or enabled flag was externally changed while the manual run was executing.
+  // Otherwise, keep the manual-run terminal state (e.g. one-shot disable on success).
+  if (externalScheduleOrEnabledChanged) {
+    reloaded.enabled = preservedEnabled;
+    reloaded.state.nextRunAtMs = preservedNextRunAtMs;
+    reloaded.state.scheduleErrorCount = preservedScheduleErrorCount;
+    if (preservedScheduleErrorCount !== undefined) {
+      reloaded.state.lastError = preservedScheduleErrorText;
+    }
+  } else {
+    reloaded.enabled = params.snapshot.enabled;
+  }
 }
 
 async function ensureLoadedForRead(state: CronServiceState) {
@@ -83,7 +115,7 @@ async function ensureLoadedForRead(state: CronServiceState) {
   }
   // Use the maintenance-only version so that read-only operations never
   // advance a past-due nextRunAtMs without executing the job (#16156).
-  const changed = recomputeNextRunsForMaintenance(state);
+  const changed = recomputeNextRunsForMaintenance(state, { consumeReloadRepairSkip: false });
   if (changed) {
     await persist(state);
   }
@@ -302,6 +334,7 @@ export async function update(state: CronServiceState, id: string, patch: CronJob
         job.state.nextRunAtMs = undefined;
         job.state.runningAtMs = undefined;
       }
+      state.skipNextReloadRepairRecomputeJobIds.delete(id);
     } else if (job.enabled) {
       // Non-schedule edits should not mutate other jobs, but still repair a
       // missing/corrupt nextRunAtMs for the updated job.
@@ -326,12 +359,10 @@ export async function remove(state: CronServiceState, id: string) {
   return await locked(state, async () => {
     warnIfDisabled(state, "remove");
     await ensureLoaded(state);
-    const before = state.store?.jobs.length ?? 0;
     if (!state.store) {
       return { ok: false, removed: false } as const;
     }
-    state.store.jobs = state.store.jobs.filter((j) => j.id !== id);
-    const removed = (state.store.jobs.length ?? 0) !== before;
+    const removed = removeJobById(state, id);
     await persist(state);
     armTimer(state);
     if (removed) {
@@ -383,7 +414,7 @@ async function inspectManualRunPreflight(
     // Normalize job tick state (clears stale runningAtMs markers) before
     // checking if already running, so a stale marker from a crashed Phase-1
     // persist does not block manual triggers for up to STUCK_RUN_MS (#17554).
-    recomputeNextRunsForMaintenance(state);
+    recomputeNextRunsForMaintenance(state, { consumeReloadRepairSkip: false });
     const job = findJobOrThrow(state, id);
     if (typeof job.state.runningAtMs === "number") {
       return { ok: true, ran: false, reason: "already-running" as const };
@@ -508,8 +539,7 @@ async function finishPreparedManualRun(
       usage: coreResult.usage,
     });
 
-    if (shouldDelete && state.store) {
-      state.store.jobs = state.store.jobs.filter((entry) => entry.id !== job.id);
+    if (shouldDelete && removeJobById(state, job.id)) {
       emit(state, { jobId: job.id, action: "removed" });
     }
 
@@ -523,6 +553,12 @@ async function finishPreparedManualRun(
           updatedAtMs: job.updatedAtMs,
           state: structuredClone(job.state),
         };
+    const postRunBaseline = shouldDelete
+      ? null
+      : {
+          enabled: executionJob.enabled,
+          schedule: structuredClone(executionJob.schedule),
+        };
     const postRunRemoved = shouldDelete;
     // Isolated Telegram send can persist target writeback directly to disk.
     // Reload before final persist so manual `cron run` keeps those changes.
@@ -531,6 +567,7 @@ async function finishPreparedManualRun(
       state,
       jobId,
       snapshot: postRunSnapshot,
+      baseline: postRunBaseline,
       removed: postRunRemoved,
     });
     recomputeNextRunsForMaintenance(state, { recomputeExpired: true });
diff --git a/src/cron/service/schedule-equality.ts b/src/cron/service/schedule-equality.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..d4f64432ede
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/cron/service/schedule-equality.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+import type { CronJob } from "../types.js";
+
+export function schedulesEqual(a: CronJob["schedule"], b: CronJob["schedule"]): boolean {
+  if (a.kind !== b.kind) {
+    return false;
+  }
+  if (a.kind === "at" && b.kind === "at") {
+    return a.at === b.at;
+  }
+  if (a.kind === "every" && b.kind === "every") {
+    return a.everyMs === b.everyMs && a.anchorMs === b.anchorMs;
+  }
+  if (a.kind === "cron" && b.kind === "cron") {
+    return a.expr === b.expr && a.tz === b.tz && a.staggerMs === b.staggerMs;
+  }
+  return false;
+}
diff --git a/src/cron/service/state.ts b/src/cron/service/state.ts
index 073efd8f459..e56c7d23bcb 100644
--- a/src/cron/service/state.ts
+++ b/src/cron/service/state.ts
@@ -127,6 +127,7 @@ export type CronServiceState = {
   warnedDisabled: boolean;
   storeLoadedAtMs: number | null;
   storeFileMtimeMs: number | null;
+  skipNextReloadRepairRecomputeJobIds: Set<string>;
 };
 
 export function createCronServiceState(deps: CronServiceDeps): CronServiceState {
@@ -139,6 +140,7 @@ export function createCronServiceState(deps: CronServiceDeps): CronServiceState
     warnedDisabled: false,
     storeLoadedAtMs: null,
     storeFileMtimeMs: null,
+    skipNextReloadRepairRecomputeJobIds: new Set(),
   };
 }
 
diff --git a/src/cron/service/store.ts b/src/cron/service/store.ts
index d1d36e48e08..c7e2452844e 100644
--- a/src/cron/service/store.ts
+++ b/src/cron/service/store.ts
@@ -2,7 +2,13 @@ import fs from "node:fs";
 import { normalizeStoredCronJobs } from "../store-migration.js";
 import { loadCronStore, saveCronStore } from "../store.js";
 import type { CronJob } from "../types.js";
-import { recomputeNextRuns } from "./jobs.js";
+import {
+  computeJobNextRunAtMs,
+  recordScheduleComputeError,
+  recomputeNextRuns,
+  shouldTreatUndefinedNextRunAsScheduleError,
+} from "./jobs.js";
+import { schedulesEqual } from "./schedule-equality.js";
 import type { CronServiceState } from "./state.js";
 
 async function getFileMtimeMs(path: string): Promise<number | null> {
@@ -14,6 +20,118 @@ async function getFileMtimeMs(path: string): Promise<number | null> {
   }
 }
 
+function resolveExternalRepairComputeBaseMs(params: {
+  nowMs: number;
+  reloadedUpdatedAtMs: number;
+  previousUpdatedAtMs: number;
+}): number {
+  const { nowMs, reloadedUpdatedAtMs, previousUpdatedAtMs } = params;
+  if (!Number.isFinite(reloadedUpdatedAtMs)) {
+    return nowMs;
+  }
+  const normalizedReloadedUpdatedAtMs = Math.max(0, Math.floor(reloadedUpdatedAtMs));
+  const normalizedPreviousUpdatedAtMs = Number.isFinite(previousUpdatedAtMs)
+    ? Math.max(0, Math.floor(previousUpdatedAtMs))
+    : Number.NEGATIVE_INFINITY;
+  if (normalizedReloadedUpdatedAtMs <= normalizedPreviousUpdatedAtMs) {
+    return nowMs;
+  }
+  return Math.min(nowMs, normalizedReloadedUpdatedAtMs);
+}
+
+function repairNextRunsAfterExternalReload(params: {
+  state: CronServiceState;
+  previousJobs: CronJob[] | undefined;
+}): boolean {
+  const { state, previousJobs } = params;
+  const skipRecomputeJobIds = state.skipNextReloadRepairRecomputeJobIds;
+  if (!state.store || previousJobs === undefined) {
+    return false;
+  }
+  if (skipRecomputeJobIds.size > 0) {
+    const currentJobIds = new Set(state.store.jobs.map((job) => job.id));
+    for (const jobId of skipRecomputeJobIds) {
+      if (!currentJobIds.has(jobId)) {
+        skipRecomputeJobIds.delete(jobId);
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
+  const previousById = new Map(previousJobs.map((job) => [job.id, job]));
+  const now = state.deps.nowMs();
+  let changed = false;
+
+  for (const job of state.store.jobs) {
+    const previous = previousById.get(job.id);
+    if (!previous) {
+      continue;
+    }
+    if (typeof previous.state.runningAtMs === "number" && job.state.runningAtMs === undefined) {
+      job.state.runningAtMs = previous.state.runningAtMs;
+      changed = true;
+    }
+
+    const scheduleChanged = !schedulesEqual(previous.schedule, job.schedule);
+    const enabledChanged = previous.enabled !== job.enabled;
+    if (!scheduleChanged && !enabledChanged) {
+      continue;
+    }
+
+    skipRecomputeJobIds.delete(job.id);
+    const computeBaseMs = resolveExternalRepairComputeBaseMs({
+      nowMs: now,
+      reloadedUpdatedAtMs: job.updatedAtMs,
+      previousUpdatedAtMs: previous.updatedAtMs,
+    });
+    let nextRunAtMs: number | undefined;
+    try {
+      nextRunAtMs = job.enabled ? computeJobNextRunAtMs(job, computeBaseMs) : undefined;
+      if (nextRunAtMs === undefined && shouldTreatUndefinedNextRunAsScheduleError(job)) {
+        const err =
+          job.schedule.kind === "every"
+            ? new Error("invalid every schedule: everyMs must be a finite number")
+            : new Error("invalid at schedule: at must be a valid absolute timestamp");
+        if (recordScheduleComputeError({ state, job, err })) {
+          changed = true;
+        }
+        skipRecomputeJobIds.add(job.id);
+        continue;
+      }
+      if (job.state.scheduleErrorCount !== undefined) {
+        job.state.scheduleErrorCount = undefined;
+        changed = true;
+      }
+    } catch (err) {
+      if (recordScheduleComputeError({ state, job, err })) {
+        changed = true;
+      }
+      skipRecomputeJobIds.add(job.id);
+      continue;
+    }
+    if (job.state.nextRunAtMs !== nextRunAtMs) {
+      job.state.nextRunAtMs = nextRunAtMs;
+      changed = true;
+    }
+    if (!job.enabled && job.state.runningAtMs !== undefined) {
+      job.state.runningAtMs = undefined;
+      changed = true;
+    }
+
+    state.deps.log.debug(
+      {
+        jobId: job.id,
+        scheduleChanged,
+        enabledChanged,
+        computeBaseMs,
+        nextRunAtMs: job.state.nextRunAtMs,
+      },
+      "cron: repaired nextRunAtMs after external reload",
+    );
+  }
+
+  return changed;
+}
+
 export async function ensureLoaded(
   state: CronServiceState,
   opts?: {
@@ -31,6 +149,7 @@ export async function ensureLoaded(
   // Force reload always re-reads the file to avoid missing cross-service
   // edits on filesystems with coarse mtime resolution.
 
+  const previousJobs = state.store?.jobs;
   const fileMtimeMs = await getFileMtimeMs(state.deps.storePath);
   const loaded = await loadCronStore(state.deps.storePath);
   const jobs = (loaded.jobs ?? []) as unknown as Array<Record<string, unknown>>;
@@ -38,12 +157,16 @@ export async function ensureLoaded(
   state.store = { version: 1, jobs: jobs as unknown as CronJob[] };
   state.storeLoadedAtMs = state.deps.nowMs();
   state.storeFileMtimeMs = fileMtimeMs;
+  const repairedExternalReload = repairNextRunsAfterExternalReload({
+    state,
+    previousJobs,
+  });
 
   if (!opts?.skipRecompute) {
     recomputeNextRuns(state);
   }
 
-  if (mutated) {
+  if (mutated || repairedExternalReload) {
     await persist(state, { skipBackup: true });
   }
 }
diff --git a/src/cron/service/timer.ts b/src/cron/service/timer.ts
index e12c4ae38e7..66662de5616 100644
--- a/src/cron/service/timer.ts
+++ b/src/cron/service/timer.ts
@@ -15,7 +15,9 @@ import type {
 import {
   computeJobPreviousRunAtMs,
   computeJobNextRunAtMs,
+  hasSkipNextReloadRepairRecompute,
   nextWakeAtMs,
+  removeJobById,
   recomputeNextRunsForMaintenance,
   recordScheduleComputeError,
   resolveJobPayloadTextForMain,
@@ -368,6 +370,7 @@ export function applyJobResult(
 
   const shouldDelete =
     job.schedule.kind === "at" && job.deleteAfterRun === true && result.status === "ok";
+  const skipImmediateScheduleRecompute = hasSkipNextReloadRepairRecompute(state, job.id);
 
   if (!shouldDelete) {
     if (job.schedule.kind === "at") {
@@ -416,54 +419,58 @@ export function applyJobResult(
     } else if (result.status === "error" && job.enabled) {
       // Apply exponential backoff for errored jobs to prevent retry storms.
       const backoff = errorBackoffMs(job.state.consecutiveErrors ?? 1);
-      let normalNext: number | undefined;
-      try {
-        normalNext =
-          opts?.preserveSchedule && job.schedule.kind === "every"
-            ? computeNextWithPreservedLastRun(result.endedAt)
-            : computeJobNextRunAtMs(job, result.endedAt);
-      } catch (err) {
-        // If the schedule expression/timezone throws (croner edge cases),
-        // record the schedule error (auto-disables after repeated failures)
-        // and fall back to backoff-only schedule so the state update is not lost.
-        recordScheduleComputeError({ state, job, err });
-      }
-      const backoffNext = result.endedAt + backoff;
-      // Use whichever is later: the natural next run or the backoff delay.
-      job.state.nextRunAtMs =
-        normalNext !== undefined ? Math.max(normalNext, backoffNext) : backoffNext;
-      state.deps.log.info(
-        {
-          jobId: job.id,
-          consecutiveErrors: job.state.consecutiveErrors,
-          backoffMs: backoff,
-          nextRunAtMs: job.state.nextRunAtMs,
-        },
-        "cron: applying error backoff",
-      );
-    } else if (job.enabled) {
-      let naturalNext: number | undefined;
-      try {
-        naturalNext =
-          opts?.preserveSchedule && job.schedule.kind === "every"
-            ? computeNextWithPreservedLastRun(result.endedAt)
-            : computeJobNextRunAtMs(job, result.endedAt);
-      } catch (err) {
-        // If the schedule expression/timezone throws (croner edge cases),
-        // record the schedule error (auto-disables after repeated failures)
-        // so a persistent throw doesn't cause a MIN_REFIRE_GAP_MS hot loop.
-        recordScheduleComputeError({ state, job, err });
-      }
-      if (job.schedule.kind === "cron") {
-        // Safety net: ensure the next fire is at least MIN_REFIRE_GAP_MS
-        // after the current run ended.  Prevents spin-loops when the
-        // schedule computation lands in the same second due to
-        // timezone/croner edge cases (see #17821).
-        const minNext = result.endedAt + MIN_REFIRE_GAP_MS;
+      if (!skipImmediateScheduleRecompute) {
+        let normalNext: number | undefined;
+        try {
+          normalNext =
+            opts?.preserveSchedule && job.schedule.kind === "every"
+              ? computeNextWithPreservedLastRun(result.endedAt)
+              : computeJobNextRunAtMs(job, result.endedAt);
+        } catch (err) {
+          // If the schedule expression/timezone throws (croner edge cases),
+          // record the schedule error (auto-disables after repeated failures)
+          // and fall back to backoff-only schedule so the state update is not lost.
+          recordScheduleComputeError({ state, job, err });
+        }
+        const backoffNext = result.endedAt + backoff;
+        // Use whichever is later: the natural next run or the backoff delay.
         job.state.nextRunAtMs =
-          naturalNext !== undefined ? Math.max(naturalNext, minNext) : minNext;
-      } else {
-        job.state.nextRunAtMs = naturalNext;
+          normalNext !== undefined ? Math.max(normalNext, backoffNext) : backoffNext;
+        state.deps.log.info(
+          {
+            jobId: job.id,
+            consecutiveErrors: job.state.consecutiveErrors,
+            backoffMs: backoff,
+            nextRunAtMs: job.state.nextRunAtMs,
+          },
+          "cron: applying error backoff",
+        );
+      }
+    } else if (job.enabled) {
+      if (!skipImmediateScheduleRecompute) {
+        let naturalNext: number | undefined;
+        try {
+          naturalNext =
+            opts?.preserveSchedule && job.schedule.kind === "every"
+              ? computeNextWithPreservedLastRun(result.endedAt)
+              : computeJobNextRunAtMs(job, result.endedAt);
+        } catch (err) {
+          // If the schedule expression/timezone throws (croner edge cases),
+          // record the schedule error (auto-disables after repeated failures)
+          // so a persistent throw doesn't cause a MIN_REFIRE_GAP_MS hot loop.
+          recordScheduleComputeError({ state, job, err });
+        }
+        if (job.schedule.kind === "cron") {
+          // Safety net: ensure the next fire is at least MIN_REFIRE_GAP_MS
+          // after the current run ended.  Prevents spin-loops when the
+          // schedule computation lands in the same second due to
+          // timezone/croner edge cases (see #17821).
+          const minNext = result.endedAt + MIN_REFIRE_GAP_MS;
+          job.state.nextRunAtMs =
+            naturalNext !== undefined ? Math.max(naturalNext, minNext) : minNext;
+        } else {
+          job.state.nextRunAtMs = naturalNext;
+        }
       }
     } else {
       job.state.nextRunAtMs = undefined;
@@ -498,8 +505,7 @@ function applyOutcomeToStoredJob(state: CronServiceState, result: TimedCronRunOu
 
   emitJobFinished(state, job, result, result.startedAt);
 
-  if (shouldDelete) {
-    store.jobs = jobs.filter((entry) => entry.id !== job.id);
+  if (shouldDelete && removeJobById(state, job.id)) {
     emit(state, { jobId: job.id, action: "removed" });
   }
 }
@@ -1194,8 +1200,7 @@ export async function executeJob(
 
   emitJobFinished(state, job, coreResult, startedAt);
 
-  if (shouldDelete && state.store) {
-    state.store.jobs = state.store.jobs.filter((j) => j.id !== job.id);
+  if (shouldDelete && removeJobById(state, job.id)) {
     emit(state, { jobId: job.id, action: "removed" });
   }
 }