diff --git a/apps/server/src/workspace/WorkspaceEntries.test.ts b/apps/server/src/workspace/WorkspaceEntries.test.ts
index 150ac2c69131a..260bd7ee4bf5c 100644
--- a/apps/server/src/workspace/WorkspaceEntries.test.ts
+++ b/apps/server/src/workspace/WorkspaceEntries.test.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 // @effect-diagnostics nodeBuiltinImport:off
 import * as NodeServices from "@effect/platform-node/NodeServices";
+import { FileFinder } from "@ff-labs/fff-node";
 import { it, afterEach, describe, expect } from "@effect/vitest";
 import * as Effect from "effect/Effect";
 import * as FileSystem from "effect/FileSystem";
@@ -569,6 +570,53 @@ it.layer(layerTest, { excludeTestServices: true })("WorkspaceEntries", (it) => {
         expect(match.lineContent.slice(range.start, range.end)).toBe("wörld");
       }),
     );
+
+    it.effect("keeps answering from the live index when a refresh outlasts the scan wait", () =>
+      Effect.gen(function* () {
+        const cwd = yield* makeTempDir({ prefix: "t3code-workspace-content-refresh-" });
+        yield* writeTextFile(cwd, "src/notes.ts", "const needle = 1;\n");
+        let scansOutlastWait = false;
+        let finders = 0;
+        let rescans = 0;
+        const createFinder = FileFinder.create.bind(FileFinder);
+        vi.spyOn(FileFinder, "create").mockImplementation((options) => {
+          const created = createFinder(options);
+          if (created.ok) {
+            const finder = created.value;
+            finders += 1;
+            const scanFiles = finder.scanFiles.bind(finder);
+            finder.scanFiles = () => {
+              rescans += 1;
+              return scanFiles();
+            };
+            const waitForIndexReady = finder.waitForIndexReady.bind(finder);
+            finder.waitForIndexReady = (timeoutMs) =>
+              scansOutlastWait
+                ? Promise.resolve({ ok: true, value: false })
+                : waitForIndexReady(timeoutMs);
+          }
+          return created;
+        });
+        const workspaceEntries = yield* WorkspaceEntries.WorkspaceEntries;
+        const searchNeedle = workspaceEntries.searchContents({
+          cwd,
+          query: "needle",
+          limit: 100,
+          caseSensitive: true,
+          wholeWord: false,
+          useRegex: false,
+        });
+        yield* searchNeedle;
+
+        scansOutlastWait = true;
+        yield* workspaceEntries.refresh(cwd);
+        const result = yield* searchNeedle;
+
+        expect(result.matches.map((match) => match.path)).toEqual(["src/notes.ts"]);
+        // The second search ran on the rescanned live finder, not a rebuild.
+        expect({ finders, rescans }).toEqual({ finders: 1, rescans: 1 });
+      }),
+    );
   });
 
   describe("browse", () => {
diff --git a/apps/server/src/workspace/WorkspaceSearchIndex.ts b/apps/server/src/workspace/WorkspaceSearchIndex.ts
index 3ae5d524611a4..1cf77eb51fc62 100644
--- a/apps/server/src/workspace/WorkspaceSearchIndex.ts
+++ b/apps/server/src/workspace/WorkspaceSearchIndex.ts
@@ -120,10 +120,7 @@ export class WorkspaceSearchIndex extends Context.Service<
     readonly searchContents: (
       input: Omit<ProjectSearchContentsInput, "cwd">,
     ) => Effect.Effect<ProjectSearchContentsResult, WorkspaceSearchIndexSearchFailed>;
-    readonly refresh: () => Effect.Effect<
-      void,
-      WorkspaceSearchIndexRefreshFailed | WorkspaceSearchIndexScanTimedOut
-    >;
+    readonly refresh: () => Effect.Effect<void, WorkspaceSearchIndexRefreshFailed>;
   }
 >()("t3/workspace/WorkspaceSearchIndex") {}
 
@@ -428,6 +425,8 @@ export const make = Effect.fn("WorkspaceSearchIndex.make")(function* (
         reason: result.error,
       });
     }
+    // A rescan that outlasts the wait keeps running, and the finder answers
+    // from its previous index until it finishes, so the index stays usable.
     yield* waitForIndexReady(
       cwd,
       finder,
@@ -437,7 +436,7 @@ export const make = Effect.fn("WorkspaceSearchIndex.make")(function* (
           reason,
           cause,
         }),
-    );
+    ).pipe(Effect.catchTags({ WorkspaceSearchIndexScanTimedOut: () => Effect.void }));
   });
 
   const list: WorkspaceSearchIndex["Service"]["list"] = Effect.fn("WorkspaceSearchIndex.list")(