diff --git a/scripts/test_dependency_invalidation.sh b/scripts/test_dependency_invalidation.sh
index 1e3b2b7..81961b6 100755
--- a/scripts/test_dependency_invalidation.sh
+++ b/scripts/test_dependency_invalidation.sh
@@ -18,6 +18,10 @@ fi
 bin_directory="${bin_directory:-/tmp/uce/work}"
 cache_dir=""
 mutation_file="/tmp/uce-dependency-mutation-$$"
+component_mutation_file="/tmp/uce-component-mutation-$$"
+component_post_body="/tmp/uce-component-post-body-$$"
+component_post_headers="/tmp/uce-component-post-headers-$$"
+component_lock_ready_file="/tmp/uce-component-lock-ready-$$"
 post_body="/tmp/uce-dependency-post-body-$$"
 post_headers="/tmp/uce-dependency-post-headers-$$"
 lock_ready_file="/tmp/uce-dependency-lock-ready-$$"
@@ -32,7 +36,7 @@ cleanup() {
 	if [[ -n "$cache_dir" ]]; then
 		rm -rf "$cache_dir"
 	fi
-	rm -f "$mutation_file" "$post_body" "$post_headers" "$lock_ready_file" "$nested_lock_ready_file" "$race_output" "$race_error" "$race_status"
+	rm -f "$mutation_file" "$component_mutation_file" "$component_post_body" "$component_post_headers" "$component_lock_ready_file" "$post_body" "$post_headers" "$lock_ready_file" "$nested_lock_ready_file" "$race_output" "$race_error" "$race_status"
 }
 trap cleanup EXIT
 mkdir -p "$source_dir"
@@ -69,6 +73,80 @@ if [[ "$(http_marker)" != *"dependency-marker-a"* ]]; then
 	exit 1
 fi
 
+# HTTP entry units can resolve route/components dynamically. A changed dynamic
+# component must enter the demand-priority queue just like a changed entry unit;
+# otherwise a common dependency rebuild can leave the requested page stale for
+# the duration of the full proactive queue.
+printf '%s\n' "COMPONENT(Request& context) { if(context.params[\"REQUEST_METHOD\"] == \"POST\") file_put_contents(\"$component_mutation_file\", \"executed\"); print(\"http-component-marker-a\"); }" >"$source_dir/http-component-child.uce"
+printf '%s\n' 'RENDER(Request& context) { DValue props; print(component("http-component-child", props, context)); }' >"$source_dir/http-component-parent.uce"
+http_component_marker() {
+	curl -fsS -H "Host: $http_host" "http://127.0.0.1/$test_name/http-component-parent.uce"
+}
+if [[ "$(http_component_marker)" != *"http-component-marker-a"* ]]; then
+	echo "HTTP component warm-up did not return marker-a" >&2
+	exit 1
+fi
+sed -i 's/http-component-marker-a/http-component-marker-b/' "$source_dir/http-component-child.uce"
+started_at=$(date +%s%N)
+http_component_output=$(http_component_marker)
+elapsed_ms=$(( ($(date +%s%N) - started_at) / 1000000 ))
+if [[ "$http_component_output" != *"http-component-marker-a"* && "$http_component_output" != *"http-component-marker-b"* ]]; then
+	echo "stale HTTP component request returned neither complete artifact: $http_component_output" >&2
+	exit 1
+fi
+if (( elapsed_ms >= 2000 )); then
+	echo "HTTP component request spent ${elapsed_ms}ms rebuilding a stale artifact" >&2
+	exit 1
+fi
+deadline=$((SECONDS + 15))
+while [[ "$http_component_output" != *"http-component-marker-b"* && $SECONDS -lt $deadline ]]; do
+	sleep 0.2
+	http_component_output=$(http_component_marker)
+done
+if [[ "$http_component_output" != *"http-component-marker-b"* ]]; then
+	echo "requested stale HTTP component did not receive a demand-priority rebuild" >&2
+	exit 1
+fi
+
+# Mutations must never execute a stale dynamically resolved component, even
+# inside the short read-only freshness memo window.
+http_component_wasm="$cache_dir/http-component-child.uce.wasm"
+(
+	exec 8>"$http_component_wasm.lock"
+	flock 8
+	: >"$component_lock_ready_file"
+	sleep 2
+) &
+component_lock_pid=$!
+deadline=$((SECONDS + 5))
+while [[ ! -e "$component_lock_ready_file" && $SECONDS -lt $deadline ]]; do sleep 0.05; done
+if [[ ! -e "$component_lock_ready_file" ]]; then
+	echo "HTTP component mutation lock was not acquired before deadline" >&2
+	exit 1
+fi
+sed -i 's/http-component-marker-b/http-component-marker-c/' "$source_dir/http-component-child.uce"
+rm -f "$component_mutation_file"
+component_post_status=$(curl -sS -o "$component_post_body" -D "$component_post_headers" -w '%{http_code}' -X POST -H "Host: $http_host" "http://127.0.0.1/$test_name/http-component-parent.uce")
+if [[ "$component_post_status" != "503" ]]; then
+	echo "stale HTTP component mutation did not fail closed: status=$component_post_status body=$(cat "$component_post_body")" >&2
+	exit 1
+fi
+if ! grep -qi '^Retry-After: 1' "$component_post_headers"; then
+	echo "stale HTTP component mutation omitted Retry-After" >&2
+	exit 1
+fi
+if [[ -e "$component_mutation_file" ]]; then
+	echo "stale HTTP component mutation executed application code" >&2
+	exit 1
+fi
+wait "$component_lock_pid"
+deadline=$((SECONDS + 15))
+while [[ "$(http_component_marker)" != *"http-component-marker-c"* && $SECONDS -lt $deadline ]]; do sleep 0.2; done
+if [[ "$(http_component_marker)" != *"http-component-marker-c"* ]]; then
+	echo "HTTP component did not recover after the guarded mutation rebuild" >&2
+	exit 1
+fi
+
 # A failed parent build must remember the exact dependency graph that failed.
 # If a dependency is restored byte-for-byte to the last working source, the
 # old successful metadata must not make that transient failure permanent.
diff --git a/src/wasm/worker.cpp b/src/wasm/worker.cpp
index b6d2e7c..9ab964c 100644
--- a/src/wasm/worker.cpp
+++ b/src/wasm/worker.cpp
@@ -1117,6 +1117,12 @@ public:
 
 private:
 	friend class WasmWorkspace;
+	struct ComponentFreshnessState
+	{
+		std::chrono::steady_clock::time_point checked_at;
+		bool stale = false;
+	};
+	std::map<String, ComponentFreshnessState> component_freshness;
 
 	static String cached_wasm_path(const String& wasm_path)
 	{
@@ -1491,6 +1497,13 @@ public:
 		String decode_error;
 		if(!ucb_decode(meta_encoded, response.meta, &decode_error))
 			return("response meta decode failed: " + decode_error);
+		if(stale_component_mutation_blocked)
+		{
+			response.body = "The requested code is being updated. Retry this request shortly.\n";
+			response.meta["status"] = stale_component_mutation_status;
+			response.meta["headers"]["Content-Type"] = "text/plain; charset=utf-8";
+			response.meta["headers"]["Retry-After"] = "1";
+		}
 		return("");
 	}
 
@@ -1513,6 +1526,8 @@ private:
 	std::map<String, size_t> units_by_source;
 	std::map<String, u32> handler_slots;     // source + ":" + symbol → table slot
 	std::vector<wasmtime::Func> host_funcs;  // keep host imports alive
+	bool stale_component_mutation_blocked = false;
+	String stale_component_mutation_status;
 
 	wasmtime::Store::Context ctx()
 	{
@@ -2180,11 +2195,42 @@ private:
 		auto artifact_start = std::chrono::steady_clock::now();
 		bool artifact_exists = file_exists_host(worker.unit_wasm_path(resolved));
 		bool can_serve_stale = compiler_request_can_serve_stale_artifact(context);
-		// The proactive compiler owns freshness while stale HTTP artifacts may be
-		// served. Keep source-graph scans off that request path; CLI/non-stale
-		// execution still checks synchronously and cold artifacts still compile.
-		bool stale = !can_serve_stale && artifact_exists && compiler_unit_needs_recompile(context, resolved, 0);
-		if(!artifact_exists || stale)
+		String method = context ? to_upper(trim(context->params["REQUEST_METHOD"])) : String("");
+		bool read_request = method == "GET" || method == "HEAD" || method == "OPTIONS";
+		bool stale = false;
+		if(artifact_exists)
+		{
+			auto now = std::chrono::steady_clock::now();
+			auto cached_freshness = worker.component_freshness.find(resolved);
+			// HTTP reads may serve a complete stale artifact, so bound their graph
+			// stat work; CLI and mutations always check the current graph.
+			bool check_freshness = !can_serve_stale || !read_request ||
+				cached_freshness == worker.component_freshness.end() ||
+				std::chrono::duration_cast<std::chrono::milliseconds>(
+					now - cached_freshness->second.checked_at).count() >= 1000;
+			if(check_freshness)
+			{
+				stale = compiler_unit_needs_recompile(context, resolved, 0);
+				worker.component_freshness[resolved] = { now, stale };
+			}
+			else
+				stale = cached_freshness->second.stale;
+		}
+		if(stale && can_serve_stale)
+		{
+			compiler_prioritize_unit(context, resolved);
+			if(!read_request)
+			{
+				stale_component_mutation_blocked = true;
+				stale_component_mutation_status = context->params["GATEWAY_INTERFACE"] != "" ?
+					"Status: 503 Service Unavailable" : "HTTP/1.1 503 Service Unavailable";
+				component_artifact_total_us += (u64)std::chrono::duration_cast<std::chrono::microseconds>(
+					std::chrono::steady_clock::now() - artifact_start).count();
+				record_probe();
+				return(0);
+			}
+		}
+		if(!artifact_exists || (stale && !can_serve_stale))
 			get_shared_unit(context, resolved);
 		component_artifact_total_us += (u64)std::chrono::duration_cast<std::chrono::microseconds>(
 			std::chrono::steady_clock::now() - artifact_start).count();