diff --git a/src/pt_snap_cli/core/focus_service.py b/src/pt_snap_cli/core/focus_service.py
index f6fd29c..054e959 100644
--- a/src/pt_snap_cli/core/focus_service.py
+++ b/src/pt_snap_cli/core/focus_service.py
@@ -88,8 +88,11 @@ def _safe_focus_path(path: Path) -> None:
     def _checkpoint_file(path: Path, content: bytes, mode: int) -> tuple[Path, tuple[int, int]]:
         fd, name = tempfile.mkstemp(dir=path.parent, prefix=".focus.pt-snap-", suffix=".recovery")
         backup = Path(name)
-        identity = os.fstat(fd)
+        identity: tuple[int, int] | None = None
+        close_attempted = False
         try:
+            info = os.fstat(fd)
+            identity = (info.st_dev, info.st_ino)
             remaining = memoryview(content)
             while remaining:
                 written = os.write(fd, remaining)
@@ -99,20 +102,28 @@ def _checkpoint_file(path: Path, content: bytes, mode: int) -> tuple[Path, tuple
             if hasattr(os, "fchmod"):
                 os.fchmod(fd, mode)
             else:
-                FocusService._verify_checkpoint(backup, (identity.st_dev, identity.st_ino))
+                FocusService._verify_checkpoint(backup, identity)
                 os.chmod(backup, mode)
             os.fsync(fd)
-            FocusService._verify_checkpoint(backup, (identity.st_dev, identity.st_ino))
+            FocusService._verify_checkpoint(backup, identity)
+            close_attempted = True
+            os.close(fd)
         except BaseException:
-            try:
-                FocusService._verify_checkpoint(backup, (identity.st_dev, identity.st_ino))
-                backup.unlink()
-            except OSError:
-                pass
+            # Windows cannot unlink an open checkpoint. Do not retry a failed
+            # close: the descriptor may already be closed and reused.
+            if not close_attempted:
+                try:
+                    os.close(fd)
+                except OSError:
+                    pass
+            if identity is not None:
+                try:
+                    FocusService._verify_checkpoint(backup, identity)
+                    backup.unlink()
+                except OSError:
+                    pass
             raise
-        finally:
-            os.close(fd)
-        return backup, (identity.st_dev, identity.st_ino)
+        return backup, identity
 
     @staticmethod
     def _verify_checkpoint(path: Path, identity: tuple[int, int]) -> None:
diff --git a/tests/core/test_focus_checkpoint_cleanup.py b/tests/core/test_focus_checkpoint_cleanup.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1e3c6f4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/core/test_focus_checkpoint_cleanup.py
@@ -0,0 +1,311 @@
+"""Checkpoint failure cleanup closes owned descriptors before verified deletion."""
+
+import copy
+import os
+from pathlib import Path
+from types import SimpleNamespace
+
+import pytest
+
+import pt_snap_cli.core.focus_service as focus_module
+from pt_snap_cli.config import Config
+from pt_snap_cli.core.focus_service import FocusService
+
+
+@pytest.fixture
+def focus(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
+    monkeypatch.chdir(tmp_path)
+    monkeypatch.delenv("PT_SNAP_DB_PATH", raising=False)
+    monkeypatch.setenv("HOME", str(tmp_path))
+    monkeypatch.setattr(Path, "home", lambda: tmp_path)
+    service = FocusService(Config())
+    path = service._config.project_focus_path()
+    path.parent.mkdir()
+    original = b'{ "db_path" : "previous.db", "extra" : [1,2] }\n'
+    path.write_bytes(original)
+    service._config._config = {"nested": {"value": "original"}}
+    return service, path, original
+
+
+@pytest.fixture
+def checkpoint_io(monkeypatch):
+    probe = SimpleNamespace(fd=None, path=None, events=[])
+    mkstemp = focus_module.tempfile.mkstemp
+    close = os.close
+    fstat = os.fstat
+    unlink = Path.unlink
+    verify = FocusService._verify_checkpoint
+
+    def create(*args, **kwargs):
+        probe.fd, name = mkstemp(*args, **kwargs)
+        probe.path = Path(name)
+        return probe.fd, name
+
+    def close_checkpoint(fd):
+        if fd == probe.fd:
+            probe.events.append("close")
+        close(fd)
+
+    def verify_checkpoint(path, identity):
+        if path == probe.path:
+            probe.events.append("verify")
+        verify(path, identity)
+
+    def unlink_checkpoint(path, *args, **kwargs):
+        if path == probe.path:
+            # Enforce Windows' close-before-unlink requirement on every runner.
+            with pytest.raises(OSError):
+                fstat(probe.fd)
+            assert probe.events[-1] == "verify"
+            probe.events.append("unlink")
+        return unlink(path, *args, **kwargs)
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(focus_module.tempfile, "mkstemp", create)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(focus_module.os, "close", close_checkpoint)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(FocusService, "_verify_checkpoint", staticmethod(verify_checkpoint))
+    monkeypatch.setattr(Path, "unlink", unlink_checkpoint)
+    yield probe
+    if probe.fd is not None:
+        try:
+            fstat(probe.fd)
+        except OSError:
+            pass
+        else:
+            close(probe.fd)
+            pytest.fail("checkpoint descriptor leaked")
+        assert probe.events.count("close") == 1
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    "failure", ["zero", "short-zero", "write", "fchmod", "permissions", "fsync", "verify"]
+)
+def test_checkpoint_failure_closes_before_cleanup(focus, checkpoint_io, monkeypatch, failure):
+    service, path, original = focus
+    state = copy.deepcopy(service._config._config)
+    error = OSError("injected checkpoint failure")
+    write = os.write
+    verify = FocusService._verify_checkpoint
+    calls = []
+
+    def fail(*args):
+        raise error
+
+    def partial_write(fd, content):
+        calls.append(len(content))
+        if failure == "short-zero" and len(calls) == 1:
+            return write(fd, content[:3])
+        return 0
+
+    def fail_preparation_verify(target, identity):
+        verify(target, identity)
+        if "close" not in checkpoint_io.events:
+            raise error
+
+    if failure in {"zero", "short-zero"}:
+        monkeypatch.setattr(focus_module.os, "write", partial_write)
+    elif failure == "permissions":
+        # Exercise the portable pathname fallback, including real identity checks.
+        monkeypatch.delattr(focus_module.os, "fchmod", raising=False)
+        monkeypatch.setattr(focus_module.os, "chmod", fail)
+    elif failure == "fchmod":
+        monkeypatch.setattr(focus_module.os, "fchmod", fail, raising=False)
+    elif failure == "verify":
+        monkeypatch.setattr(
+            FocusService, "_verify_checkpoint", staticmethod(fail_preparation_verify)
+        )
+    else:
+        monkeypatch.setattr(focus_module.os, failure, fail)
+
+    with pytest.raises(OSError) as caught:
+        with service.project_focus_transaction():
+            pytest.fail("checkpoint failure must prevent focus publication")
+
+    if failure in {"zero", "short-zero"}:
+        assert str(caught.value) == "Could not write focus recovery checkpoint"
+        assert calls == (
+            [len(original)] if failure == "zero" else [len(original), len(original) - 3]
+        )
+    else:
+        assert caught.value is error
+    assert checkpoint_io.events[-3:] == ["close", "verify", "unlink"]
+    assert path.read_bytes() == original
+    assert service._config._config == state
+    assert list(path.parent.iterdir()) == [path]
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("rollback", [False, True], ids=["commit", "rollback"])
+def test_short_writes_keep_successful_transaction_semantics(
+    focus, checkpoint_io, monkeypatch, rollback
+):
+    service, path, original = focus
+    state = copy.deepcopy(service._config._config)
+    write = os.write
+    writes = []
+    error = RuntimeError("focus mutation failed")
+
+    def short_write(fd, content):
+        writes.append(len(content))
+        return write(fd, content[:3])
+
+    def mutate():
+        with service.project_focus_transaction():
+            assert checkpoint_io.events[-1] == "close"
+            assert checkpoint_io.path.read_bytes() == original
+            path.write_bytes(b"committed focus")
+            service._config._config["nested"]["value"] = "changed"
+            if rollback:
+                raise error
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(focus_module.os, "write", short_write)
+    if rollback:
+        with pytest.raises(RuntimeError) as caught:
+            mutate()
+        assert caught.value is error
+        assert path.read_bytes() == original
+        assert service._config._config == state
+    else:
+        mutate()
+        assert path.read_bytes() == b"committed focus"
+        assert service._config._config == {"nested": {"value": "changed"}}
+        assert checkpoint_io.events[-2:] == ["verify", "unlink"]
+    assert len(writes) > 1
+    assert list(path.parent.iterdir()) == [path]
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("cleanup_failure", ["close", "unlink", "verify"])
+def test_cleanup_error_keeps_original_checkpoint_error(
+    focus, checkpoint_io, monkeypatch, cleanup_failure
+):
+    service, path, original = focus
+    error = OSError("original checkpoint write failure")
+    close = os.close
+    verify = FocusService._verify_checkpoint
+
+    def fail_write(*args):
+        raise error
+
+    def close_then_fail(fd):
+        close(fd)
+        raise OSError("late close error")
+
+    def fail_unlink(target, *args, **kwargs):
+        assert target == checkpoint_io.path
+        with pytest.raises(OSError):
+            os.fstat(checkpoint_io.fd)
+        assert checkpoint_io.events[-2:] == ["close", "verify"]
+        raise OSError("unlink denied")
+
+    def fail_verify(target, identity):
+        verify(target, identity)
+        raise OSError("verification denied")
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(focus_module.os, "write", fail_write)
+    if cleanup_failure == "close":
+        monkeypatch.setattr(focus_module.os, "close", close_then_fail)
+    elif cleanup_failure == "unlink":
+        monkeypatch.setattr(Path, "unlink", fail_unlink)
+    else:
+        monkeypatch.setattr(FocusService, "_verify_checkpoint", staticmethod(fail_verify))
+
+    with pytest.raises(OSError) as caught:
+        with service.project_focus_transaction():
+            pytest.fail("checkpoint failure must prevent focus publication")
+    assert caught.value is error
+    assert path.read_bytes() == original
+    assert checkpoint_io.path.exists() is (cleanup_failure != "close")
+
+
+def test_close_failure_after_checkpoint_write_does_not_retry_close(
+    focus, checkpoint_io, monkeypatch
+):
+    service, path, original = focus
+    close = os.close
+    error = OSError("late checkpoint close error")
+
+    def close_then_fail(fd):
+        close(fd)
+        raise error
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(focus_module.os, "close", close_then_fail)
+    with pytest.raises(OSError) as caught:
+        with service.project_focus_transaction():
+            pytest.fail("checkpoint close failure must prevent focus publication")
+    assert caught.value is error
+    assert checkpoint_io.events[-3:] == ["close", "verify", "unlink"]
+    assert path.read_bytes() == original
+    assert list(path.parent.iterdir()) == [path]
+
+
+def test_unknown_checkpoint_identity_closes_without_unverified_deletion(
+    focus, checkpoint_io, monkeypatch
+):
+    service, path, original = focus
+    error = OSError("checkpoint identity unavailable")
+    fstat = os.fstat
+
+    def fail_fstat(fd):
+        if fd == checkpoint_io.fd:
+            raise error
+        return fstat(fd)
+
+    with monkeypatch.context() as patch:
+        patch.setattr(focus_module.os, "fstat", fail_fstat)
+        with pytest.raises(OSError) as caught:
+            with service.project_focus_transaction():
+                pytest.fail("unverified checkpoint must prevent focus publication")
+    assert caught.value is error
+    assert checkpoint_io.events == ["close"]
+    assert checkpoint_io.path.read_bytes() == b""
+    assert path.read_bytes() == original
+
+
+def test_replaced_checkpoint_after_close_is_not_deleted(focus, checkpoint_io, monkeypatch):
+    service, path, original = focus
+    close = os.close
+    replacement = path.parent / "replacement"
+    replacement.write_bytes(b"independent file")
+    saved = path.parent / "owned-checkpoint"
+    error = OSError("original checkpoint write failure")
+
+    def fail_write(*args):
+        raise error
+
+    def close_then_replace(fd):
+        close(fd)
+        # Keep both real files alive, so their distinct identities cannot be reused.
+        checkpoint_io.path.rename(saved)
+        replacement.rename(checkpoint_io.path)
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(focus_module.os, "write", fail_write)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(focus_module.os, "close", close_then_replace)
+    with pytest.raises(OSError) as caught:
+        with service.project_focus_transaction():
+            pytest.fail("checkpoint failure must prevent focus publication")
+    assert caught.value is error
+    assert checkpoint_io.events == ["close", "verify"]
+    assert checkpoint_io.path.read_bytes() == b"independent file"
+    assert saved.read_bytes() == b""
+    assert path.read_bytes() == original
+
+
+def test_symlink_metadata_at_cleanup_is_rejected(focus, checkpoint_io, monkeypatch):
+    service, path, original = focus
+    is_symlink = Path.is_symlink
+    error = OSError("original checkpoint write failure")
+
+    def fail_write(*args):
+        raise error
+
+    def checkpoint_is_symlink(target):
+        # Inject only the metadata observation; no Windows symlink privilege is needed.
+        return target == checkpoint_io.path or is_symlink(target)
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(focus_module.os, "write", fail_write)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(Path, "is_symlink", checkpoint_is_symlink)
+    with pytest.raises(OSError) as caught:
+        with service.project_focus_transaction():
+            pytest.fail("checkpoint failure must prevent focus publication")
+    assert caught.value is error
+    assert checkpoint_io.events == ["close", "verify"]
+    assert checkpoint_io.path.read_bytes() == b""
+    assert path.read_bytes() == original