diff --git a/cron/jobs.py b/cron/jobs.py
index e8ece8abe8..d359adb522 100644
--- a/cron/jobs.py
+++ b/cron/jobs.py
@@ -1374,6 +1374,15 @@ def load_jobs() -> List[Dict[str, Any]]:
     else:
         raise RuntimeError(
             f"Cron database corrupted: expected {{'jobs': [...]}}, got {type(data).__name__}")
+    if isinstance(jobs, list) and not all(isinstance(j, dict) for j in jobs):
+        # Every reader and the due scan index records as dicts: one junk entry would crash the
+        # whole tick and freeze every healthy sibling job, so skip it like the id-keyed map does.
+        junk = [j for j in jobs if not isinstance(j, dict)]
+        logger.warning(
+            "Skipping %d non-object entr%s in jobs.json: %s",
+            len(junk), "y" if len(junk) == 1 else "ies", ", ".join(map(repr, junk[:5])))
+        jobs = [j for j in jobs if isinstance(j, dict)]
+        repair = repair or "non-object entries dropped"
     if jobs and repair:
         save_jobs(jobs)
         logger.warning("Auto-repaired jobs.json (%s)", repair)
diff --git a/tests/cron/test_jobs.py b/tests/cron/test_jobs.py
index 34818dae70..d301c48464 100644
--- a/tests/cron/test_jobs.py
+++ b/tests/cron/test_jobs.py
@@ -1718,6 +1718,23 @@ class TestJobsJsonIdKeyedMap:
         assert isinstance(on_disk["jobs"], list)
         assert [j["id"] for j in on_disk["jobs"]] == ["goodjob1"]
 
+    def test_non_dict_list_entries_do_not_stop_healthy_jobs_firing(self, tmp_cron_dir):
+        """A junk entry in the canonical list shape must not abort the due scan for its
+        healthy siblings (it used to raise on every tick, so no job fired)."""
+        import json
+        from cron.jobs import JOBS_FILE
+
+        job = create_job(prompt="keep me", schedule="every 1h", name="survivor")
+        payload = json.loads(JOBS_FILE.read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
+        payload["jobs"][0]["next_run_at"] = (_hermes_now() - timedelta(seconds=5)).isoformat()
+        payload["jobs"] += [None, "i am not a job", 42]
+        JOBS_FILE.write_text(json.dumps(payload), encoding="utf-8")
+
+        assert [j["id"] for j in get_due_jobs()] == [job["id"]]
+        assert [j["id"] for j in list_jobs(include_disabled=True)] == [job["id"]]
+        on_disk = json.loads(JOBS_FILE.read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
+        assert [j["id"] for j in on_disk["jobs"]] == [job["id"]]
+