diff --git a/lib/ui/register.go b/lib/ui/register.go
index ee930607..668750f8 100644
--- a/lib/ui/register.go
+++ b/lib/ui/register.go
@@ -57,7 +57,6 @@ func (rw RequestWriter) Register(updater jaws.Updater, params ...any) jid.Jid {
 	// documented usage puts the returned Jid inside an attribute
 	// (<div id="{{$.Register .X}}">), where that comment would corrupt the markup.
 	elem := rw.NewElement(registerUI{Updater: updater})
-	rw.trackElement(elem)
 	elem.Tag(updater)
 	// The registerUI Element's UI is not the updater, so events reach the
 	// updater only through the element's handler list, not the elem.UI() fallback.
diff --git a/lib/ui/requestwriter.go b/lib/ui/requestwriter.go
index 1eabeb36..520bec07 100644
--- a/lib/ui/requestwriter.go
+++ b/lib/ui/requestwriter.go
@@ -30,17 +30,23 @@ func (rw RequestWriter) trackElement(elem *jaws.Element) {
 	}
 }
 
+// NewElement creates a new [jaws.Element] for ui.
+//
+// It has the same ownership and multiplicity requirements as
+// [jaws.Request.NewElement]. An Element created through the RequestWriter passed
+// to a [Template] execution belongs to that Template.
+func (rw RequestWriter) NewElement(ui jaws.UI) *jaws.Element {
+	elem := rw.Request.NewElement(ui)
+	rw.trackElement(elem)
+	return elem
+}
+
 // NewUI creates an element for ui and renders it to the underlying writer.
 //
 // The ui value must satisfy the ownership and live-Element multiplicity
 // requirements documented by [jaws.UI].
 func (rw RequestWriter) NewUI(ui jaws.UI, params ...any) (err error) {
 	elem := rw.NewElement(ui)
-	// Report the Element before rendering it, so the owner's set is complete even for
-	// one that fails. That set may then hold an Element already unregistered below,
-	// which costs nothing: Request.DeleteElements skips elements it finds
-	// unregistered, and every rollback path deletes the whole set at once.
-	rw.trackElement(elem)
 	if err = elem.JawsRender(rw, params); err != nil {
 		// Unregister anything the failed Element already owns along with it, so no
 		// widget can strand a subtree by not rolling back itself.
diff --git a/lib/ui/template_owned_test.go b/lib/ui/template_owned_test.go
index 674b1eae..45f52292 100644
--- a/lib/ui/template_owned_test.go
+++ b/lib/ui/template_owned_test.go
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import (
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"html/template"
+	"io"
 	"slices"
 	"strings"
 	"sync"
@@ -35,10 +36,14 @@ const ownedTestTemplates = `
 {{define "owned-radiogroup-failafter"}}{{range $.RequestWriter.RadioGroup $.Dot.Radios}}{{.Radio}}{{.Label}}{{end}}{{$.Dot.Check}}{{end}}
 {{define "owned-radio-outer"}}{{$.RequestWriter.Template "div" "owned-radio-inner" ($.Dot.Box $.RequestWriter)}}{{end}}
 {{define "owned-radio-inner"}}{{range $.Dot.Elements}}{{.Radio}}{{.Label}}{{end}}{{end}}
+{{define "owned-new-element"}}{{$.Dot.RawChild $.RequestWriter}}{{end}}
+{{define "owned-new-element-failafter"}}{{$.Dot.RawChild $.RequestWriter}}{{$.Dot.Check}}{{end}}
 `
 
 var errOwnedDotCheck = errors.New("owned dot check failed")
 
+const ownedRawChildTag = tag.Tag("owned-raw-child")
+
 // ownedDot is the template data for the ownership tests. A pointer is usable as a
 // tag, and Check fails template execution after nested UI has already rendered.
 type ownedDot struct {
@@ -68,6 +73,12 @@ func (d *ownedDot) Names() []string { return d.names }
 
 func (d *ownedDot) Radios() *named.BoolArray { return d.radios }
 
+// RawChild manually creates and renders a child through rw.
+func (d *ownedDot) RawChild(rw RequestWriter) (string, error) {
+	elem := rw.NewElement(NewSpan(testHTMLGetter("raw child")))
+	return "", elem.JawsRender(rw, []any{ownedRawChildTag})
+}
+
 // Box builds the radio group with the passed-in writer — the outer template's — and
 // returns the box carrying the RadioElement values to the nested template, whose dot it
 // becomes. It is a pointer so it is usable as a tag.
@@ -392,6 +403,108 @@ func TestRequestWriter_NewUIReportsElementBeforeRendering(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestRequestWriter_TracksEachElementOnce(t *testing.T) {
+	for _, tt := range []struct {
+		name   string
+		create func(RequestWriter) error
+	}{
+		{"NewElement", func(rw RequestWriter) error {
+			rw.NewElement(NewSpan(testHTMLGetter("new element")))
+			return nil
+		}},
+		{"Register", func(rw RequestWriter) error {
+			rw.Register(new(testRWUpdater))
+			return nil
+		}},
+	} {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			_, rq := newCoreRequest(t)
+			var seen []*jaws.Element
+			rw := RequestWriter{
+				Request: rq,
+				Writer:  io.Discard,
+				elementCreated: func(elem *jaws.Element) {
+					seen = append(seen, elem)
+				},
+			}
+			if err := tt.create(rw); err != nil {
+				t.Fatal(err)
+			}
+			if len(seen) != 1 {
+				t.Fatalf("elementCreated calls = %d, want 1", len(seen))
+			}
+			if got := rq.GetElementByJid(seen[0].Jid()); got != seen[0] {
+				t.Fatalf("registered Element = %p, want %p", got, seen[0])
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+func TestTemplate_UpdateReplacesRequestWriterNewElement(t *testing.T) {
+	_, rq := newOwnedRequest(t)
+
+	dot := &ownedDot{}
+	tmpl := NewTemplate("div", "owned-new-element", dot)
+	elem := renderOwned(t, rq, tmpl)
+	first := rq.GetElements(ownedRawChildTag)
+	if len(first) != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("raw children after render = %d, want 1", len(first))
+	}
+
+	tmpl.JawsUpdate(elem)
+	second := rq.GetElements(ownedRawChildTag)
+	if len(second) != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("raw children after update = %d, want 1", len(second))
+	}
+	if first[0] == second[0] {
+		t.Fatal("update retained the previous raw child")
+	}
+	if !first[0].Deleted() || rq.GetElementByJid(first[0].Jid()) != nil {
+		t.Fatal("previous raw child remains registered")
+	}
+	if got := countRegistered(t, rq); got != 2 {
+		t.Fatalf("registered elements after update = %d, want 2", got)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestTemplate_UpdateFailureKeepsRequestWriterNewElement(t *testing.T) {
+	jw, rq := newOwnedRequest(t)
+	logger := new(templateLogger)
+	jw.Logger = logger
+
+	dot := &ownedDot{}
+	tmpl := NewTemplate("div", "owned-new-element-failafter", dot)
+	elem := renderOwned(t, rq, tmpl)
+	first := rq.GetElements(ownedRawChildTag)
+	if len(first) != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("raw children after render = %d, want 1", len(first))
+	}
+	firstJids := registeredJids(t, rq)
+
+	dot.setFail(errOwnedDotCheck)
+	tmpl.JawsUpdate(elem)
+	logged := logger.sync(t, jw)
+	if len(logged) != 1 || !errors.Is(logged[0], errOwnedDotCheck) {
+		t.Fatalf("logged errors = %v, want one %v", logged, errOwnedDotCheck)
+	}
+	if got := registeredJids(t, rq); !slices.Equal(got, firstJids) {
+		t.Fatalf("registered jids after failed update = %v, want %v", got, firstJids)
+	}
+	if got := rq.GetElements(ownedRawChildTag); len(got) != 1 || got[0] != first[0] {
+		t.Fatalf("raw children after failed update = %v, want previous child %v", got, first[0])
+	}
+
+	dot.setFail(nil)
+	tmpl.JawsUpdate(elem)
+	second := rq.GetElements(ownedRawChildTag)
+	if len(second) != 1 || second[0] == first[0] {
+		t.Fatalf("raw children after recovery = %v, want one replacement", second)
+	}
+	if !first[0].Deleted() || rq.GetElementByJid(first[0].Jid()) != nil {
+		t.Fatal("previous raw child remains registered after recovery")
+	}
+}
+
 // TestTemplate_UpdateReclaimsWholeSubtree covers the recursive walk: the wrapper
 // owns a nested template that owns another one.
 func TestTemplate_UpdateReclaimsWholeSubtree(t *testing.T) {
@@ -501,9 +614,9 @@ func TestPageTemplate_RenderFailureDeletesOwnedElements(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 // TestTemplate_UpdateTracksRegisterAndRadioGroup covers the two helpers that create
-// their Elements through Request.NewElement rather than RequestWriter.NewUI: they
-// report them to the writer's owner, so the counts stay flat across updates with no
-// client attached to acknowledge DOM removals.
+// Elements without going through RequestWriter.NewUI. Both report them to the
+// writer's owner, so the counts stay flat across updates with no client attached to
+// acknowledge DOM removals.
 //
 // The label-only case is why ownership is recorded at creation: RadioElement.Label
 // creates the radio Element for its for= attribute without ever rendering it, so an