diff --git a/src/IMessage/Sources/IMessageCore/PassivelyAwareDispatchQueue.swift b/src/IMessage/Sources/IMessageCore/PassivelyAwareDispatchQueue.swift
index 80403c1d..05e56a97 100644
--- a/src/IMessage/Sources/IMessageCore/PassivelyAwareDispatchQueue.swift
+++ b/src/IMessage/Sources/IMessageCore/PassivelyAwareDispatchQueue.swift
@@ -16,10 +16,8 @@ public final class PassivelyAwareDispatchQueue {
 
     public let queue: DispatchQueue
 
-    private var pending = Protected<Int>(0)
-    private var passiveWorkItem: DispatchWorkItem?
+    private var activityState = Protected(ActivityState())
     private var uponIdle = Protected<PassiveCallback?>()
-    private var activityEpoch = Protected<UInt>(0)
     public private(set) var idleDelay: TimeInterval
 
     public init(label: String, idleDelay: TimeInterval, qos: DispatchQoS = .unspecified) {
@@ -28,60 +26,67 @@ public final class PassivelyAwareDispatchQueue {
     }
 
     // Updating the idle callback is not itself considered "work" at all; it
-    // happens instantly and it'll run even if the passive work item was
+    // happens instantly and it'll run even if the passive work was
     // scheduled before the callback was updated.
     public func setIdleCallback(_ callback: PassiveCallback?) {
         uponIdle.withLock { $0 = callback }
     }
 
     public func async(execute activeWork: @Sendable @escaping () -> Void) {
-        let (epoch, _) = bumpStateInResponseToWorkSubmission()
+        bumpStateInResponseToWorkSubmission()
 
         queue.async { [self] in
             activeWork()
 
-            let pendingPostDecrement = pending.withLock {
-                $0 -= 1
-                return $0
-            }
+            let (pendingPostDecrement, currentEpoch) = completeWork()
             #if DEBUG
             log.debug("\(queue.label): ✅ finished work, pending is now \(pendingPostDecrement)")
             #endif
             if pendingPostDecrement == 0 {
                 // There isn't any work left in the queue, so arm the passive
                 // work to potentially execute soon.
-                armPassive(expectingEpoch: epoch, quiescence: .began)
+                armPassive(expectingEpoch: currentEpoch, quiescence: .began)
             }
         }
     }
 }
 
 private extension PassivelyAwareDispatchQueue {
-    private func bumpStateInResponseToWorkSubmission() -> (epoch: UInt, newCount: Int) {
-        let newEpoch = activityEpoch.withLock { $0 += 1; return $0 }
-        // If we had scheduled passive work, prevent it from running. This won't
-        // stop it if it already had a chance to begin executing, though.
-        passiveWorkItem?.cancel()
-        passiveWorkItem = nil
-        let newCount = pending.withLock { $0 += 1; return $0 }
+    struct ActivityState {
+        var pending = 0
+        var epoch: UInt = 0
+    }
+
+    private func bumpStateInResponseToWorkSubmission() {
+        let newCount = activityState.withLock { state in
+            state.epoch += 1
+            state.pending += 1
+            return state.pending
+        }
         #if DEBUG
         log.debug("\(queue.label): 🔄 enqueuing work, pending is now \(newCount)")
         #endif
-        return (newEpoch, newCount)
     }
 
-    // This is only ever called from the queue, so we don't need to protect `passiveWorkItem`.
-    func armPassive(expectingEpoch expectedEpoch: UInt, quiescence: Quiescence) {
-        passiveWorkItem?.cancel()
+    private func completeWork() -> (pending: Int, epoch: UInt) {
+        activityState.withLock { state in
+            state.pending -= 1
+            return (state.pending, state.epoch)
+        }
+    }
 
-        let workItem = DispatchWorkItem { [weak self] in
+    func armPassive(expectingEpoch expectedEpoch: UInt, quiescence: Quiescence) {
+        // Submission-side epoch changes logically cancel delayed idle checks
+        // without retaining and releasing DispatchWorkItems across threads.
+        queue.asyncAfter(deadline: .now() + idleDelay) { [weak self] in
             guard let self else { return }
             #if DEBUG
             // log.debug("\(queue.label): 💭 running passive work now")
             #endif
 
-            let isQuiet = pending.read() == 0
-            let epochUnchanged = activityEpoch.read() == expectedEpoch
+            let (isQuiet, epochUnchanged) = activityState.withLock { state in
+                (state.pending == 0, state.epoch == expectedEpoch)
+            }
             guard isQuiet, epochUnchanged else {
                 #if DEBUG
                 log.debug("\(queue.label): 🚫 backing out of passive work (quiet? \(isQuiet), epoch unchanged? \(epochUnchanged))")
@@ -91,19 +96,14 @@ private extension PassivelyAwareDispatchQueue {
 
             uponIdle.read()?(quiescence)
 
-            if pending.read() == 0 {
+            let shouldContinue = activityState.withLock { state in
+                state.pending == 0 && state.epoch == expectedEpoch
+            }
+            if shouldContinue {
                 // If no active work was scheduled while we were busy with
                 // passive work, schedule the passive work to run again soon.
                 armPassive(expectingEpoch: expectedEpoch, quiescence: .continuing)
             }
         }
-
-        // Prime passive work, scheduling it to run at some point in the future.
-        //
-        // It is immediately cancelled when active work is submitted; in other
-        // words, the mere submission of active work preempts the execution of
-        // passive work.
-        queue.asyncAfter(deadline: .now() + idleDelay, execute: workItem)
-        passiveWorkItem = workItem
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/IMessage/Sources/IMessageTests/PassivelyAwareDispatchQueueTests.swift b/src/IMessage/Sources/IMessageTests/PassivelyAwareDispatchQueueTests.swift
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..323e0f91
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/IMessage/Sources/IMessageTests/PassivelyAwareDispatchQueueTests.swift
@@ -0,0 +1,117 @@
+import Dispatch
+import Foundation
+import IMessageCore
+import Testing
+
+@Test func passivelyAwareQueueFiresIdleAfterActiveWorkDrains() {
+    let queue = PassivelyAwareDispatchQueue(label: testQueueLabel(), idleDelay: 0.02)
+    let observations = Protected<[String]>([])
+    let idleObserved = DispatchSemaphore(value: 0)
+    let workFinished = DispatchSemaphore(value: 0)
+
+    queue.setIdleCallback { quiescence in
+        observations.withLock { $0.append(label(for: quiescence)) }
+        idleObserved.signal()
+    }
+
+    queue.async {
+        workFinished.signal()
+    }
+
+    #expect(workFinished.wait(timeout: .now() + 1) == .success)
+    #expect(idleObserved.wait(timeout: .now() + 1) == .success)
+    #expect(observations.read().first == "began")
+}
+
+@Test func passivelyAwareQueueSuppressesStaleIdleCallbacksAfterNewWork() {
+    let queue = PassivelyAwareDispatchQueue(label: testQueueLabel(), idleDelay: 0.3)
+    let observations = Protected<[String]>([])
+    let idleObserved = DispatchSemaphore(value: 0)
+    let firstWorkFinished = DispatchSemaphore(value: 0)
+    let secondWorkFinished = DispatchSemaphore(value: 0)
+
+    queue.setIdleCallback { quiescence in
+        observations.withLock { $0.append(label(for: quiescence)) }
+        idleObserved.signal()
+    }
+
+    queue.async {
+        firstWorkFinished.signal()
+    }
+    #expect(firstWorkFinished.wait(timeout: .now() + 1) == .success)
+
+    Thread.sleep(forTimeInterval: 0.1)
+
+    queue.async {
+        secondWorkFinished.signal()
+    }
+    #expect(secondWorkFinished.wait(timeout: .now() + 1) == .success)
+
+    #expect(idleObserved.wait(timeout: .now() + 0.25) == .timedOut)
+    #expect(idleObserved.wait(timeout: .now() + 1) == .success)
+    #expect(observations.read() == ["began"])
+}
+
+@Test func passivelyAwareQueueRepeatsContinuingIdleWhileQuiet() {
+    let queue = PassivelyAwareDispatchQueue(label: testQueueLabel(), idleDelay: 0.02)
+    let observations = Protected<[String]>([])
+    let idleObservedTwice = DispatchSemaphore(value: 0)
+
+    queue.setIdleCallback { quiescence in
+        let count = observations.withLock { observations in
+            observations.append(label(for: quiescence))
+            return observations.count
+        }
+        if count == 2 {
+            idleObservedTwice.signal()
+        }
+    }
+
+    queue.async {}
+
+    #expect(idleObservedTwice.wait(timeout: .now() + 1) == .success)
+    #expect(Array(observations.read().prefix(2)) == ["began", "continuing"])
+}
+
+@Test func passivelyAwareQueueHandlesRapidConcurrentSubmissions() {
+    let queue = PassivelyAwareDispatchQueue(label: testQueueLabel(), idleDelay: 0.01)
+    let totalWorkItems = 500
+    let completedCount = Protected<Int>(0)
+    let allWorkFinished = DispatchSemaphore(value: 0)
+    let idleObserved = DispatchSemaphore(value: 0)
+
+    queue.setIdleCallback { quiescence in
+        if case .began = quiescence {
+            idleObserved.signal()
+        }
+    }
+
+    DispatchQueue.concurrentPerform(iterations: totalWorkItems) { _ in
+        queue.async {
+            let completed = completedCount.withLock { count in
+                count += 1
+                return count
+            }
+            if completed == totalWorkItems {
+                allWorkFinished.signal()
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    #expect(allWorkFinished.wait(timeout: .now() + 2) == .success)
+    #expect(idleObserved.wait(timeout: .now() + 2) == .success)
+    #expect(completedCount.read() == totalWorkItems)
+}
+
+private func label(for quiescence: Quiescence) -> String {
+    switch quiescence {
+    case .began:
+        return "began"
+    case .continuing:
+        return "continuing"
+    }
+}
+
+private func testQueueLabel() -> String {
+    "passively-aware-dispatch-queue-test-\(UUID().uuidString)"
+}