diff --git a/apps/desktop/scripts/build.mjs b/apps/desktop/scripts/build.mjs
index fd1ecacb7e..8ba6bbf1e0 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/scripts/build.mjs
+++ b/apps/desktop/scripts/build.mjs
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ import { cpSync } from 'node:fs'
 import { join, resolve } from 'node:path'
 import { parseArgs } from 'node:util'
 import { isMain, repoRoot } from '../../../scripts/build/frontend-common.mjs'
-import { readNativeInputs } from './prepared-native-deps.mjs'
+import { nativeInputsComplete } from './prepared-native-deps.mjs'
 
 export function buildSourceDesktop({ source = repoRoot, icons, run = execFileSync } = {}) {
   source = resolve(source)
@@ -26,19 +26,11 @@ export function buildSourceDesktop({ source = repoRoot, icons, run = execFileSyn
   // The native inputs carry their own receipt (inputs identity + tree digest): restaging the
   // same sources recompiles two universal helpers for identical bytes on every update.
   const nativeDeps = join(app, 'build/native-deps')
-  if (!nativeCurrent({ source, nativeDeps })) step('apps/desktop/scripts/stage-native-deps.mjs')
+  if (!nativeInputsComplete({ source, nativeDeps })) step('apps/desktop/scripts/stage-native-deps.mjs')
   step('scripts/build/desktop.mjs', ['--source', source, '--icons', icons,
     '--stamp', join(app, 'build/install-stamp.json'), '--native-deps', nativeDeps, '--out', join(app, 'dist')])
 }
 
-function nativeCurrent(inputs) {
-  try {
-    readNativeInputs(inputs)
-    return true
-  } catch {
-    return false
-  }
-}
 
 if (isMain(import.meta.url)) {
   const { values } = parseArgs({ options: { icons: { type: 'string' } } })
diff --git a/apps/desktop/scripts/prepared-native-deps.mjs b/apps/desktop/scripts/prepared-native-deps.mjs
index 1fed773a9a..117bb3c415 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/scripts/prepared-native-deps.mjs
+++ b/apps/desktop/scripts/prepared-native-deps.mjs
@@ -21,16 +21,29 @@ function nativeIdentity(source) {
 
 /**
  * The sidecar stays outside node_modules so it never ships in the application.
- * @param {{ source: string, out: string, platform: string, arch: string, nativeToolchain?: string }} inputs
+ * ``degraded`` records a soft-failed component (no get-windows, no X11 toolchain): the tree is
+ * consumable, but the identity cannot see the host fix that would complete it.
+ * @param {{ source: string, out: string, platform: string, arch: string, nativeToolchain?: string, degraded?: boolean }} inputs
  * @returns {void}
  */
-export function recordNativeInputs({ source, out, platform, arch, nativeToolchain }) {
+export function recordNativeInputs({ source, out, platform, arch, nativeToolchain, degraded = false }) {
   fs.writeFileSync(`${out}.prepared.json`, JSON.stringify({
     schema: 1, source: fs.realpathSync(source), out: fs.realpathSync(out),
-    platform, arch, nativeToolchain, identity: nativeIdentity(source), digest: treeDigest(out),
+    platform, arch, nativeToolchain, degraded, identity: nativeIdentity(source), digest: treeDigest(out),
   }) + '\n')
 }
 
+/** A local rebuild may skip restaging: the receipt is admitted and nothing in it soft-failed.
+ * @param {NativeSelection} inputs @returns {boolean} */
+export function nativeInputsComplete(inputs) {
+  try {
+    readNativeInputs(inputs)
+    return JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(`${inputs.nativeDeps}.prepared.json`, 'utf8')).degraded === false
+  } catch {
+    return false
+  }
+}
+
 /** @param {NativeSelection} inputs @returns {string} */
 export function readNativeInputs({ source, nativeDeps, platform = process.platform, arch = process.arch, nativeToolchain }) {
   try {
diff --git a/apps/desktop/scripts/stage-native-deps.mjs b/apps/desktop/scripts/stage-native-deps.mjs
index b843222850..a018923fb6 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/scripts/stage-native-deps.mjs
+++ b/apps/desktop/scripts/stage-native-deps.mjs
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ import { spawnSync } from 'node:child_process'
 import { isMain } from './utils.mjs'
 import { recordNativeInputs } from './prepared-native-deps.mjs'
 import { buildCommandScreenshotMonitor } from './build-command-screenshot-monitor.mjs'
-import { buildHudModifierMonitor } from './build-hud-modifier-monitor.mjs'
+import { buildHudModifierMonitor, hudModifierBinaryRelativePath } from './build-hud-modifier-monitor.mjs'
 import { parseArgs } from 'node:util'
 import { productOutput, withProduct, workspaceTool } from '../../../scripts/build/frontend-common.mjs'
 
@@ -727,6 +727,23 @@ export function stageGetWindows(
   return stageGetWindowsInto(srcRoot, destRoot, { platform, arch, install })
 }
 
+/**
+ * Whether ``out`` holds every native piece a build on THIS host can stage for the target.
+ * Cross-target packs never build helpers and win32-arm64 has no get-windows prebuild, so neither
+ * counts as missing: nothing a host fix could add.
+ * @param {string} out @param {string} platform @param {string} arch @returns {boolean}
+ */
+export function nativeTreeComplete(out, platform, arch) {
+  const native = platform === process.platform && (platform !== 'linux' || arch === process.arch)
+  const required = ['get-windows/lib/windows.js']
+  if (platform === 'darwin') required.push('get-windows/main')
+  if (platform === 'win32' && arch !== 'arm64') required.push('get-windows/lib/binding')
+  if (native && ['darwin', 'linux', 'win32'].includes(platform)) {
+    required.push(hudModifierBinaryRelativePath(platform, arch))
+  }
+  return required.every(relative => existsSync(join(out, relative)))
+}
+
 /**
  * Preparation may rebuild/download native bindings; compilation only consumes them.
  * @param {{ source: string, out: string, platform?: string, arch?: string, nativeToolchain?: string }} inputs
@@ -741,7 +758,10 @@ export async function prepareDesktopNativeDependencies({ source, out, platform =
     buildCommandScreenshotMonitor({ source, distDir: product, platform })
     buildHudModifierMonitor({ source, distDir: product, platform, arch })
   }, { source })
-  recordNativeInputs({ source, out, platform, arch, nativeToolchain })
+  // Each component fails soft (no get-windows or its win32 binding, no X11 toolchain). Judge the
+  // staged tree, not each builder's return shape: a tree missing a piece this host could produce
+  // is degraded, and build.mjs restages it on every build, so fixing the host repairs the next update.
+  recordNativeInputs({ source, out, platform, arch, nativeToolchain, degraded: !nativeTreeComplete(out, platform, arch) })
   return { out }
 }
 
diff --git a/apps/desktop/scripts/stage-native-deps.test.mjs b/apps/desktop/scripts/stage-native-deps.test.mjs
index 6f2fc8d825..ca94fad871 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/scripts/stage-native-deps.test.mjs
+++ b/apps/desktop/scripts/stage-native-deps.test.mjs
@@ -12,7 +12,8 @@ import {
   stageGetWindows,
   stageGetWindowsInto,
   stageNodePtyInto,
-  classifyNativeBinary
+  classifyNativeBinary,
+  nativeTreeComplete
 } from '../scripts/stage-native-deps.mjs'
 
 const { join } = path
@@ -712,3 +713,33 @@ test('a half-installed get-windows dir is found and named in a repair hint', ()
     fs.rmSync(tmp, { recursive: true, force: true })
   }
 })
+
+test('a native tree missing a piece this host could stage is incomplete; unfixable gaps are not', () => {
+  const tmp = fs.mkdtempSync(join(os.tmpdir(), 'native-complete-'))
+  const put = relative => { fs.mkdirSync(path.dirname(join(tmp, relative)), { recursive: true }); fs.writeFileSync(join(tmp, relative), '') }
+  try {
+    // A cross-target pack (here: win32 packed off Windows) never builds the HUD helper.
+    const crossWin = (arch) => nativeTreeComplete(tmp, 'win32', arch)
+    put('get-windows/lib/windows.js')
+    if (process.platform !== 'win32') {
+      assert.equal(crossWin('x64'), false) // x64 can still get its prebuilt binding
+      assert.equal(crossWin('arm64'), true) // arm64 has no prebuild: nothing a host fix adds
+      fs.mkdirSync(join(tmp, 'get-windows/lib/binding'), { recursive: true })
+      assert.equal(crossWin('x64'), true)
+    }
+    if (process.platform === 'darwin') {
+      assert.equal(nativeTreeComplete(tmp, 'darwin', process.arch), false) // no get-windows helper
+      put('get-windows/main')
+      assert.equal(nativeTreeComplete(tmp, 'darwin', process.arch), false) // HUD helper did not build
+      put('native/darwin-universal/hud-modifier-monitor')
+      assert.equal(nativeTreeComplete(tmp, 'darwin', process.arch), true)
+    }
+    if (process.platform === 'linux') {
+      assert.equal(nativeTreeComplete(tmp, 'linux', process.arch), false) // no X11 toolchain at stage time
+      put(`native/linux-${process.arch}/hud-modifier-monitor`)
+      assert.equal(nativeTreeComplete(tmp, 'linux', process.arch), true)
+    }
+  } finally {
+    fs.rmSync(tmp, { recursive: true, force: true })
+  }
+})
diff --git a/tests-js/desktop-builder.test.mjs b/tests-js/desktop-builder.test.mjs
index 81f3f69003..6c17ec5d83 100644
--- a/tests-js/desktop-builder.test.mjs
+++ b/tests-js/desktop-builder.test.mjs
@@ -41,6 +41,8 @@ test('desktop development composition restages native inputs only when their rec
   expect(staged()).toBe(false)
   put(join(nativeDeps, 'native/helper-fixture'), 'tampered')
   expect(staged()).toBe(true) // the tree no longer matches its digest
+  recordNativeInputs({ source: input.source, out: nativeDeps, platform: process.platform, arch: process.arch, degraded: true })
+  expect(staged()).toBe(true) // a soft-failed component restages until the host can complete it
   recordNativeInputs({ source: input.source, out: nativeDeps, platform: process.platform, arch: process.arch })
   put(join(input.source, 'package-lock.json'), '{"lockfileVersion":3}')
   expect(staged()).toBe(true) // a dependency pin moved