diff --git a/src/cron/service.issue-regressions.test.ts b/src/cron/service.issue-regressions.test.ts
index c8078672b97..3a1f291943c 100644
--- a/src/cron/service.issue-regressions.test.ts
+++ b/src/cron/service.issue-regressions.test.ts
@@ -22,7 +22,11 @@ import {
   createNoopLogger,
   createRunningCronServiceState,
 } from "./service.test-harness.js";
-import { computeJobNextRunAtMs, recomputeNextRunsForMaintenance } from "./service/jobs.js";
+import {
+  computeJobNextRunAtMs,
+  nextWakeAtMs,
+  recomputeNextRunsForMaintenance,
+} from "./service/jobs.js";
 import { enqueueRun, run } from "./service/ops.js";
 import { createCronServiceState, type CronEvent } from "./service/state.js";
 import {
@@ -1780,11 +1784,13 @@ describe("Cron issue regressions", () => {
     });
 
     expect(job.state.scheduleErrorCount).toBe(1);
-    expect(state.skipNextReloadRepairRecomputeJobIds?.has(job.id)).toBe(false);
+    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", () => {
@@ -1819,12 +1825,14 @@ describe("Cron issue regressions", () => {
     });
 
     expect(job.state.scheduleErrorCount).toBe(1);
-    expect(job.state.nextRunAtMs).toBe(endedAt + 30_000);
-    expect(state.skipNextReloadRepairRecomputeJobIds?.has(job.id)).toBe(false);
+    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("force run preserves 'every' anchor while recording manual lastRunAtMs", () => {
diff --git a/src/cron/service/jobs.ts b/src/cron/service/jobs.ts
index 184f136d98c..6ba919bcd1c 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>();
 
@@ -526,18 +527,32 @@ 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 hasEnabledMissingNextRun = false;
+
+  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;
+    }
+    hasEnabledMissingNextRun = true;
   }
-  const first = enabled[0]?.state.nextRunAtMs;
-  if (!isFiniteTimestamp(first)) {
-    return undefined;
+
+  if (!hasEnabledMissingNextRun) {
+    return minEnabledNextRunAtMs;
   }
-  return enabled.reduce((min, j) => {
-    const next = j.state.nextRunAtMs;
-    return isFiniteTimestamp(next) ? Math.min(min, next) : min;
-  }, first);
+
+  const wakeForMissingNextRunAtMs = state.deps.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/timer.ts b/src/cron/service/timer.ts
index 315be8a4fc8..66662de5616 100644
--- a/src/cron/service/timer.ts
+++ b/src/cron/service/timer.ts
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ import type {
 import {
   computeJobPreviousRunAtMs,
   computeJobNextRunAtMs,
-  consumeSkipNextReloadRepairRecompute,
+  hasSkipNextReloadRepairRecompute,
   nextWakeAtMs,
   removeJobById,
   recomputeNextRunsForMaintenance,
@@ -370,7 +370,7 @@ export function applyJobResult(
 
   const shouldDelete =
     job.schedule.kind === "at" && job.deleteAfterRun === true && result.status === "ok";
-  const skipImmediateScheduleRecompute = consumeSkipNextReloadRepairRecompute(state, job.id);
+  const skipImmediateScheduleRecompute = hasSkipNextReloadRepairRecompute(state, job.id);
 
   if (!shouldDelete) {
     if (job.schedule.kind === "at") {
@@ -445,10 +445,6 @@ export function applyJobResult(
           },
           "cron: applying error backoff",
         );
-      } else {
-        // Keep a future wake so we don't stall when the one-shot skip marker
-        // defers immediate schedule recompute after reload repair.
-        job.state.nextRunAtMs = result.endedAt + backoff;
       }
     } else if (job.enabled) {
       if (!skipImmediateScheduleRecompute) {
@@ -475,10 +471,6 @@ export function applyJobResult(
         } else {
           job.state.nextRunAtMs = naturalNext;
         }
-      } else if (job.state.nextRunAtMs === undefined) {
-        // Keep timer progress when immediate recompute is deferred by the
-        // reload-repair skip marker.
-        job.state.nextRunAtMs = result.endedAt + MIN_REFIRE_GAP_MS;
       }
     } else {
       job.state.nextRunAtMs = undefined;