diff --git a/core/dir.go b/core/dir.go
index 1c54ff8..79bce7b 100644
--- a/core/dir.go
+++ b/core/dir.go
@@ -37,6 +37,11 @@ type SlurpGap struct {
 	loadTime   time.Time
 }
 
+// gapEndOfListing is the end of a loaded range that ran off the end of the
+// listing: nothing follows its start on the server. A lone 0xFF byte cannot
+// occur in a valid UTF-8 key, so it sorts after every key a listing returns.
+const gapEndOfListing = "\xff"
+
 type DirInodeData struct {
 	mountPrefix string
 
@@ -330,8 +335,15 @@ func (parent *Inode) listObjectsSlurp(inode *Inode, startAfter string, sealEnd b
 		nextStartAfter = *obj.Key
 	}
 
-	// Remember this range as already loaded
-	parent.dir.markGapLoaded(NilStr(startWith), nextStartAfter)
+	// Remember this range as already loaded. A listing that ran off the end
+	// proves nothing follows startWith, so record the range as open-ended:
+	// bounding it at the last key returned would send every later lookup of a
+	// name sorting past that key back to the server.
+	loadedEnd := nextStartAfter
+	if seal || !resp.IsTruncated {
+		loadedEnd = gapEndOfListing
+	}
+	parent.dir.markGapLoaded(NilStr(startWith), loadedEnd)
 
 	if lock {
 		parent.mu.Unlock()
@@ -340,38 +352,42 @@ func (parent *Inode) listObjectsSlurp(inode *Inode, startAfter string, sealEnd b
 	return
 }
 
+// markGapLoaded records (start < key <= end] as freshly listed. Gaps stay
+// sorted and disjoint: overlapping ranges are cut down to the parts outside the
+// new one, keeping their own load time, so a narrow re-list inside a wider
+// open-ended range does not discard what is known past its end.
 func (dir *DirInodeData) markGapLoaded(start, end string) {
-	pos := 0
-	if start != "" {
-		pos = sort.Search(len(dir.Gaps), func(i int) bool {
-			return dir.Gaps[i].start >= start
-		})
-	}
-	for pos > 0 && dir.Gaps[pos-1].end > start {
-		pos--
-	}
-	endPos := sort.Search(len(dir.Gaps), func(i int) bool {
-		return dir.Gaps[i].start >= end
-	})
-	if pos < len(dir.Gaps) && dir.Gaps[pos].start < start {
-		dir.Gaps[pos].end = start
-		pos++
-	}
-	if endPos > 0 && dir.Gaps[endPos-1].end > end {
-		dir.Gaps[endPos-1].start = end
-		endPos--
-	}
-	l := len(dir.Gaps) - (endPos - pos)
-	if pos == endPos {
-		dir.Gaps = append(dir.Gaps, nil)
+	fresh := &SlurpGap{start: start, end: end, loadTime: time.Now()}
+	out := make([]*SlurpGap, 0, len(dir.Gaps)+2)
+	inserted := false
+	for _, g := range dir.Gaps {
+		if g.end <= start {
+			out = append(out, g)
+			continue
+		}
+		if g.start >= end {
+			if !inserted {
+				out = append(out, fresh)
+				inserted = true
+			}
+			out = append(out, g)
+			continue
+		}
+		if g.start < start {
+			out = append(out, &SlurpGap{start: g.start, end: start, loadTime: g.loadTime})
+		}
+		if !inserted {
+			out = append(out, fresh)
+			inserted = true
+		}
+		if g.end > end {
+			out = append(out, &SlurpGap{start: end, end: g.end, loadTime: g.loadTime})
+		}
 	}
-	copy(dir.Gaps[pos+1:], dir.Gaps[endPos:])
-	dir.Gaps[pos] = &SlurpGap{
-		start:    start,
-		end:      end,
-		loadTime: time.Now(),
+	if !inserted {
+		out = append(out, fresh)
 	}
-	dir.Gaps = dir.Gaps[0:l]
+	dir.Gaps = out
 }
 
 // LOCKS_REQUIRED(inode.mu)
@@ -920,7 +936,32 @@ func (dh *DirHandle) CloseDir() error {
 	return nil
 }
 
-// Recursively resets the DirTime for child directories.
+// dropLoadedRanges forgets every range the root remembers as already listed.
+// Those ranges let LookUp answer a name from cache without asking the server,
+// so anything that invalidates cached state must drop them too, or the entries
+// it just expired are handed straight back. Over-invalidation is deliberate: a
+// refresh is explicit and rare, and the cost is one listing per lookup until
+// ranges are re-learned.
+//
+// Takes only the root lock, so the caller must hold no inode lock at all: the
+// locking order is parent before child, and the root is everyone's parent.
+// LOCKS_EXCLUDED(any inode.mu)
+func (inode *Inode) dropLoadedRanges() {
+	root := inode
+	for root.Parent != nil {
+		root = root.Parent
+	}
+	root.mu.Lock()
+	if root.dir != nil {
+		root.dir.Gaps = nil
+	}
+	root.mu.Unlock()
+}
+
+// Recursively resets the DirTime for child directories. Does not touch the
+// root's loaded ranges: callers that invalidate cached state drop those
+// themselves, at a point where they hold no lock (see dropLoadedRanges), since
+// mount calls this with the parent's lock held.
 // ACQUIRES_LOCK(inode.mu)
 func (inode *Inode) resetDirTimeRec() {
 	inode.mu.Lock()
@@ -967,6 +1008,7 @@ func (inode *Inode) ResetForUnmount() {
 	inode.mu.Unlock()
 	// Reset DirTime for recursively for this node and all its child nodes.
 	// Note: resetDirTimeRec should be called without holding the lock.
+	inode.dropLoadedRanges()
 	inode.resetDirTimeRec()
 }
 
diff --git a/core/dir_gaps_e2e_test.go b/core/dir_gaps_e2e_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c16f735
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/dir_gaps_e2e_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,77 @@
+// Copyright 2026 Tigris Data, Inc.
+//
+// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+// you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+// You may obtain a copy of the License at
+//
+//	http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+//
+// Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+// distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+// WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+// See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+// limitations under the License.
+
+package core
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"sync/atomic"
+	"syscall"
+	"time"
+
+	. "gopkg.in/check.v1"
+)
+
+// A writer that keeps creating files whose names sort after every key on the
+// server used to make every lookup of the next name list from the server: the
+// listing found nothing past the name, and that was never remembered.
+func (s *GoofysTest) TestLookupPastLastKeyDoesNotRelist(t *C) {
+	s.fs.flags.StatCacheTTL = time.Minute
+	root := s.getRoot(t)
+
+	s.setupBlobs(s.cloud, t, map[string]*string{
+		"gapdir/file-0001": nil,
+		"gapdir/file-0002": nil,
+		"gapdir/file-0003": nil,
+	})
+
+	var lists, heads int64
+	s3 := root.fs.getCloud()
+	cloud := NewTestBackend(&TestBackend{StorageBackend: s3})
+	cloud.ListBlobsFunc = func(p *ListBlobsInput) (*ListBlobsOutput, error) {
+		atomic.AddInt64(&lists, 1)
+		return s3.ListBlobs(p)
+	}
+	cloud.HeadBlobFunc = func(p *HeadBlobInput) (*HeadBlobOutput, error) {
+		atomic.AddInt64(&heads, 1)
+		return s3.HeadBlob(p)
+	}
+	root.fs.setCloud(cloud)
+
+	// Force the directory to be consulted from the server.
+	root.mu.Lock()
+	root.dir.DirTime = time.Time{}
+	root.mu.Unlock()
+	dir, err := root.LookUpCached("gapdir")
+	t.Assert(err, IsNil)
+	dir.mu.Lock()
+	dir.dir.DirTime = time.Time{}
+	dir.mu.Unlock()
+
+	// The first unknown name past the last key may have to list once.
+	_, err = dir.LookUpCached("file-0100")
+	t.Assert(err, Equals, syscall.ENOENT)
+	listsAfterFirst := atomic.LoadInt64(&lists)
+	headsAfterFirst := atomic.LoadInt64(&heads)
+
+	// Every later name is covered by that listing: nothing follows it.
+	for i := 101; i < 110; i++ {
+		_, err = dir.LookUpCached(fmt.Sprintf("file-%04d", i))
+		t.Assert(err, Equals, syscall.ENOENT)
+	}
+	t.Assert(atomic.LoadInt64(&lists), Equals, listsAfterFirst,
+		Commentf("later names must not list again; lists went %d -> %d", listsAfterFirst, atomic.LoadInt64(&lists)))
+	t.Assert(atomic.LoadInt64(&heads), Equals, headsAfterFirst,
+		Commentf("later names must not HEAD; heads went %d -> %d", headsAfterFirst, atomic.LoadInt64(&heads)))
+}
diff --git a/core/dir_gaps_test.go b/core/dir_gaps_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1e20513
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/dir_gaps_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,131 @@
+// Copyright 2026 Tigris Data, Inc.
+//
+// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+// you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+// You may obtain a copy of the License at
+//
+//	http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+//
+// Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+// distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+// WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+// See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+// limitations under the License.
+
+package core
+
+import (
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+	"github.com/tigrisdata/tigrisfs/core/cfg"
+)
+
+func cfgDefaultFlagsForTest() *cfg.FlagStorage { return cfg.DefaultFlags() }
+
+func gapRanges(d *DirInodeData) [][2]string {
+	out := make([][2]string, 0, len(d.Gaps))
+	for _, g := range d.Gaps {
+		out = append(out, [2]string{g.start, g.end})
+	}
+	return out
+}
+
+// The slurp cache was inert: markGapLoaded's final-length arithmetic was one
+// short, so the range it inserted was truncated away every time. With Gaps
+// always empty, every lookup on an expired directory went back to the server
+// for a listing and a HEAD.
+func TestMarkGapLoadedKeepsWhatItInserts(t *testing.T) {
+	old := time.Now().Add(-time.Hour)
+	d := &DirInodeData{}
+
+	d.markGapLoaded("a", "m")
+	require.Equal(t, [][2]string{{"a", "m"}}, gapRanges(d))
+	require.True(t, d.checkGapLoaded("b", old))
+	require.False(t, d.checkGapLoaded("a", old), "start is exclusive: StartAfter never returns it")
+	require.True(t, d.checkGapLoaded("m", old), "end is inclusive")
+	require.False(t, d.checkGapLoaded("z", old))
+
+	d.markGapLoaded("p", "s")
+	require.Equal(t, [][2]string{{"a", "m"}, {"p", "s"}}, gapRanges(d), "append after")
+
+	d.markGapLoaded("0", "5")
+	require.Equal(t, [][2]string{{"0", "5"}, {"a", "m"}, {"p", "s"}}, gapRanges(d), "insert before")
+}
+
+func TestMarkGapLoadedOverlaps(t *testing.T) {
+	d := &DirInodeData{}
+	d.markGapLoaded("a", "m")
+	d.markGapLoaded("p", "s")
+
+	d.markGapLoaded("k", "q")
+	require.Equal(t, [][2]string{{"a", "k"}, {"k", "q"}, {"q", "s"}}, gapRanges(d),
+		"overlapping neighbours are trimmed to the parts outside the new range")
+
+	d.markGapLoaded("b", "r")
+	require.Equal(t, [][2]string{{"a", "b"}, {"b", "r"}, {"r", "s"}}, gapRanges(d),
+		"a new range covering several old ones replaces their interiors")
+
+	d.markGapLoaded("", gapEndOfListing)
+	require.Equal(t, [][2]string{{"", gapEndOfListing}}, gapRanges(d), "a full listing subsumes everything")
+}
+
+// A narrow re-list inside an open-ended range must not throw away what is
+// known past its end, or the next lookup of a later name lists again.
+func TestMarkGapLoadedSplitsAContainingRange(t *testing.T) {
+	old := time.Now().Add(-time.Hour)
+	d := &DirInodeData{}
+	d.markGapLoaded("a", gapEndOfListing)
+
+	d.markGapLoaded("f", "h")
+	require.Equal(t, [][2]string{{"a", "f"}, {"f", "h"}, {"h", gapEndOfListing}}, gapRanges(d))
+	require.True(t, d.checkGapLoaded("zzz", old), "still known that nothing follows h")
+}
+
+// This is the reported symptom: an appending writer creates names sorting
+// after every key on the server. A listing from such a name returns nothing,
+// and must be remembered as "nothing after this", not as an empty range.
+func TestGapRecordsEndOfListing(t *testing.T) {
+	old := time.Now().Add(-time.Hour)
+	d := &DirInodeData{}
+
+	// What the slurp records when the listing is not truncated.
+	d.markGapLoaded("dir/file-0100", gapEndOfListing)
+
+	for _, later := range []string{"dir/file-0101", "dir/file-0101/", "dir/file-9999", "zzz"} {
+		require.True(t, d.checkGapLoaded(later, old), "%q sorts after the last listed key", later)
+	}
+	require.False(t, d.checkGapLoaded("dir/file-0099", old), "earlier names were not listed")
+
+	// Keys are UTF-8, so the sentinel must sort after any of them.
+	require.True(t, d.checkGapLoaded("\U0010FFFF", old))
+	require.True(t, d.checkGapLoaded("\xf4\x8f\xbf\xbf", old))
+}
+
+func TestCheckGapLoadedDropsStaleRanges(t *testing.T) {
+	d := &DirInodeData{}
+	d.markGapLoaded("a", "m")
+	d.Gaps[0].loadTime = time.Now().Add(-2 * time.Minute)
+
+	require.False(t, d.checkGapLoaded("b", time.Now().Add(-time.Minute)), "older than the TTL")
+	require.Empty(t, d.Gaps, "a stale range is evicted on lookup")
+}
+
+// An explicit refresh must forget the loaded ranges too, or LookUp keeps
+// serving the entries the refresh just expired straight from cache.
+func TestResetDirTimeDropsLoadedRanges(t *testing.T) {
+	fs := &Goofys{flags: cfgDefaultFlagsForTest()}
+	root := NewInode(fs, nil, "")
+	root.ToDir()
+	sub := NewInode(fs, root, "sub")
+	sub.ToDir()
+	file := NewInode(fs, sub, "file")
+	root.dir.markGapLoaded("", gapEndOfListing)
+	require.NotEmpty(t, root.dir.Gaps)
+
+	// resetDirTimeRec calls this first; the rest of it needs a mounted fs, so
+	// the wiring is covered by the notify-refresh tests over FUSE.
+	file.dropLoadedRanges()
+	require.Empty(t, root.dir.Gaps, "refreshing any inode drops the root's ranges")
+}
diff --git a/core/goofys.go b/core/goofys.go
index cad6754..ea83d79 100644
--- a/core/goofys.go
+++ b/core/goofys.go
@@ -845,6 +845,10 @@ func (fs *Goofys) mount(mp *Inode, b *Mount) {
 		mp = dirInode
 	}
 
+	// A mount over an existing directory resets that subtree below, while
+	// holding mp.mu; the root's loaded ranges must go too, and taking the
+	// root lock needs no other lock held, so do it here first.
+	mp.dropLoadedRanges()
 	mp.mu.Lock()
 	defer mp.mu.Unlock()
 
@@ -920,6 +924,7 @@ func (fs *Goofys) RefreshInodeCache(inode *Inode) error {
 	name := inode.Name
 	inodeId := inode.Id
 	inode.mu.Unlock()
+	inode.dropLoadedRanges()
 	inode.resetDirTimeRec()
 	var mappedErr error
 	var notifications []interface{}
diff --git a/core/handles.go b/core/handles.go
index 2306858..49b5b2b 100644
--- a/core/handles.go
+++ b/core/handles.go
@@ -1008,8 +1008,13 @@ func (inode *Inode) DumpThis(fn string, withBuffers bool, noLock bool) (children
 			for _, gap := range inode.dir.Gaps {
 				m := make(map[string]interface{})
 				m["start"] = gap.start
-				m["end"] = gap.end
+				if gap.end == gapEndOfListing {
+					m["end"] = "<end of listing>"
+				} else {
+					m["end"] = gap.end
+				}
 				m["loadTime"] = gap.loadTime
+				gaps = append(gaps, m)
 			}
 			dirData["gaps"] = gaps
 		}