diff --git a/packages/nanoviews/src/flow/if.spec.ts b/packages/nanoviews/src/flow/if.spec.ts
index 2acbfb16..57db06e5 100644
--- a/packages/nanoviews/src/flow/if.spec.ts
+++ b/packages/nanoviews/src/flow/if.spec.ts
@@ -9,8 +9,13 @@ import { render } from '@nanoviews/testing-library'
 import {
   type WritableSignal,
   type ReadableSignal,
-  signal
+  signal,
+  effect
 } from 'kida'
+import {
+  b,
+  i
+} from '../elements/elements.js'
 import * as Stories from './if.stories.js'
 import { if_ } from './if.js'
 
@@ -55,6 +60,100 @@ describe('nanoviews', () => {
         expect(container.innerHTML).toBe('<div></div>')
       })
 
+      it('should render a write to the condition made by the branch it selected', () => {
+        const $open = signal(false)
+        const $allowed = signal(false)
+        const $text = signal('closed')
+        const { container } = render(() => if_($open)(
+          () => {
+            // the branch refuses to be shown, so the write reaches the
+            // condition from an effect the swap itself started
+            effect(() => {
+              if (!$allowed()) {
+                $open(false)
+              }
+            })
+
+            return b()('open')
+          },
+          () => i()($text)
+        ))
+
+        $open(true)
+
+        expect(container.innerHTML).toBe('<div><i>closed</i></div>')
+
+        // the branch the write brought back is live, not merely rendered
+        $text('shut')
+
+        expect(container.innerHTML).toBe('<div><i>shut</i></div>')
+      })
+
+      it('should render a write to the condition made while the branch renders', () => {
+        const $open = signal(false)
+        const $tick = signal(0)
+        const runs: number[] = []
+        const { container } = render(() => if_($open)(
+          () => {
+            $open(false)
+
+            return b()('open')
+          },
+          () => {
+            // an effect of the branch the write brought back: unlike a
+            // binding it runs only if that branch was started
+            effect(() => {
+              runs.push($tick())
+            })
+
+            return i()('closed')
+          }
+        ))
+
+        $open(true)
+
+        expect(container.innerHTML).toBe('<div><i>closed</i></div>')
+        expect(runs).toEqual([0, 0])
+
+        $tick(1)
+
+        expect(runs).toEqual([0, 0, 1])
+      })
+
+      it('should start the branch brought up by a write made on mount', () => {
+        const $open = signal(true)
+        const $allowed = signal(false)
+        const $tick = signal(0)
+        const runs: number[] = []
+        const { container } = render(() => if_($open)(
+          () => {
+            effect(() => {
+              if (!$allowed()) {
+                $open(false)
+              }
+            })
+
+            return b()('open')
+          },
+          () => {
+            // an effect of the branch the mount-time write brought up:
+            // unlike a binding it runs only if that branch was started
+            effect(() => {
+              runs.push($tick())
+            })
+
+            return i()('closed')
+          }
+        ))
+
+        expect(container.innerHTML).toBe('<div><i>closed</i></div>')
+        expect(runs).toEqual([0])
+
+        $tick(1)
+
+        expect(runs).toEqual([0, 1])
+      })
+
       it('should keep signal type in branches', () => {
         const $value = signal<string | null>('truthy')
 
diff --git a/packages/nanoviews/src/internals/effects.ts b/packages/nanoviews/src/internals/effects.ts
index 6152683b..3d50bf63 100644
--- a/packages/nanoviews/src/internals/effects.ts
+++ b/packages/nanoviews/src/internals/effects.ts
@@ -13,8 +13,9 @@ import type { EffectScopeSwapperCallback } from './types/index.js'
 export function deferScopeBindContext(context = getContext()) {
   const factory = boundDeferScope()
 
-  // Render under the injection context, start strictly outside of it
-  return (fn: () => void, replace?: DeferredScope): DeferredScope => startScope(unsafeRun(context, factory, fn, replace))
+  // Render under the injection context; starting the scope is not the
+  // renderer's move
+  return (fn: () => void, replace?: DeferredScope): DeferredScope => unsafeRun(context, factory, fn, replace)
 }
 
 export function effectScopeSwapper<T>(
@@ -23,9 +24,14 @@ export function effectScopeSwapper<T>(
 ) {
   let prev: DeferredScope | undefined
 
+  // The swap starts what it returns. Before the mount walk the scope's
+  // anchor is still lazy and the start is a no-op, so the walk keeps the
+  // block's position; after it the swapped-in content comes up on the
+  // swap's own stack, so a swap correcting a write made mid-render leaves
+  // no scope behind that is rendered but never started
   effect(() => {
     const value = $signal()
 
-    prev = untracked(() => callback(prev, value))
+    prev = untracked(() => startScope(callback(prev, value)))
   }, true)
 }
diff --git a/packages/nanoviews/src/internals/flow/decide.ts b/packages/nanoviews/src/internals/flow/decide.ts
index 8285be5b..5a31b09f 100644
--- a/packages/nanoviews/src/internals/flow/decide.ts
+++ b/packages/nanoviews/src/internals/flow/decide.ts
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ import {
   type Accessor,
   type ValueOrAccessor,
   type DeferredScope,
+  effect,
   isAccessor
 } from 'kida'
 import type { Child } from '../types/index.js'
@@ -39,6 +40,12 @@ export function reactiveDecide<T>(
     insertChildBeforeAnchor(decider(condition), end)
   }, destroyPrev))
 
+  // The echo: a branch that writes the condition back does it from inside
+  // the running swapper, which cannot be re-queued by its own propagation.
+  // This second subscriber is idle at that moment, so its read settles the
+  // condition and re-queues the parked swapper for the corrective swap
+  effect(() => void $condition(), true)
+
   return fragment
 }