diff --git a/src/browser/Frame.zig b/src/browser/Frame.zig
index 16a03f23f..4e3a6de81 100644
--- a/src/browser/Frame.zig
+++ b/src/browser/Frame.zig
@@ -211,6 +211,12 @@ _customized_builtin_disconnected_callback_invoked: std.AutoHashMapUnmanaged(*Ele
 // The constructor can access this to get the element being upgraded.
 _upgrading_element: ?*Node = null,
 
+// Set when materializing the fragment parser's context element. The element
+// is never inserted into the tree so if its a custom element ,we must not run
+// its constructor (else we'll end up in an endless loop if the constructor
+// sets this.innerHTML = '...', which happens).
+_skip_custom_element_upgrade: bool = false,
+
 // List of custom elements that were created before their definition was registered
 _undefined_custom_elements: std.ArrayList(*Element.Html.Custom) = .{},
 
diff --git a/src/browser/frame/node_factory.zig b/src/browser/frame/node_factory.zig
index 95dd36ec9..b93d4a36a 100644
--- a/src/browser/frame/node_factory.zig
+++ b/src/browser/frame/node_factory.zig
@@ -829,6 +829,12 @@ pub fn createElementNS(frame: *Frame, namespace: Element.Namespace, name: []cons
                     ._definition = definition,
                 });
 
+                // Fragment-parse context element. It will not be inserted and
+                // we should not run the custom element's constructor.
+                if (frame._skip_custom_element_upgrade) {
+                    return node;
+                }
+
                 const def = definition orelse {
                     const element = node.as(Element);
                     const custom = element.is(Element.Html.Custom).?;
diff --git a/src/browser/parser/Parser.zig b/src/browser/parser/Parser.zig
index 700dc5377..159dbe372 100644
--- a/src/browser/parser/Parser.zig
+++ b/src/browser/parser/Parser.zig
@@ -272,6 +272,7 @@ pub fn parseFragment(self: *Parser, html: []const u8) void {
         &self.container,
         self,
         createElementCallback,
+        createContextElementCallback,
         getDataCallback,
         appendCallback,
         parseErrorCallback,
@@ -439,6 +440,25 @@ fn createXMLElementCallback(ctx: *anyopaque, data: *anyopaque, qname: h5e.QualNa
     return _createElementCallbackWithDefaultnamespace(ctx, data, qname, attributes, .xml);
 }
 
+// html5ever_parse_fragment materializes the fragment's context element through
+// this dedicated callback, never through createElementCallback. The context
+// element is a throwaway: html5ever only queries its name (and, for a
+// <template> context, its content), it is never inserted into the tree. It
+// must be built bare — running a custom element constructor here is unbounded
+// recursion when the constructor sets innerHTML: that re-parse needs a context
+// element of the same custom tag, reconstructing forever (stack overflow). No
+// _ce_reactions window is needed: nothing can enqueue reactions on a bare
+// create.
+fn createContextElementCallback(ctx: *anyopaque, data: *anyopaque, qname: h5e.QualName, attributes: h5e.AttributeIterator) callconv(.c) ?*anyopaque {
+    const self: *Parser = @ptrCast(@alignCast(ctx));
+    self.frame._skip_custom_element_upgrade = true;
+    defer self.frame._skip_custom_element_upgrade = false;
+    return self._createElementCallback(data, qname, attributes, .unknown) catch |err| {
+        self.err = .{ .err = err, .source = .create_element };
+        return null;
+    };
+}
+
 fn _createElementCallbackWithDefaultnamespace(ctx: *anyopaque, data: *anyopaque, qname: h5e.QualName, attributes: h5e.AttributeIterator, default_namespace: Element.Namespace) ?*anyopaque {
     const self: *Parser = @ptrCast(@alignCast(ctx));
     const cp = self.frame._ce_reactions.push();
diff --git a/src/browser/parser/html5ever.zig b/src/browser/parser/html5ever.zig
index 753b057cc..3c5905302 100644
--- a/src/browser/parser/html5ever.zig
+++ b/src/browser/parser/html5ever.zig
@@ -75,6 +75,7 @@ pub extern "c" fn html5ever_parse_fragment(
     doc: *anyopaque,
     ctx: *anyopaque,
     createElementCallback: *const fn (ctx: *anyopaque, data: *anyopaque, QualName, AttributeIterator) callconv(.c) ?*anyopaque,
+    createContextElementCallback: *const fn (ctx: *anyopaque, data: *anyopaque, QualName, AttributeIterator) callconv(.c) ?*anyopaque,
     elemNameCallback: *const fn (node_ref: *anyopaque) callconv(.c) *anyopaque,
     appendCallback: *const fn (ctx: *anyopaque, parent_ref: *anyopaque, NodeOrText) callconv(.c) void,
     parseErrorCallback: *const fn (ctx: *anyopaque, StringSlice) callconv(.c) void,
diff --git a/src/browser/tests/custom_elements/context_element_not_reconstructed.html b/src/browser/tests/custom_elements/context_element_not_reconstructed.html
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..4e94dc184
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/browser/tests/custom_elements/context_element_not_reconstructed.html
@@ -0,0 +1,69 @@
+<!DOCTYPE html>
+<script src="../testing.js"></script>
+
+<script id="constructor_sets_innerhtml">
+    {
+        // A custom element whose constructor sets innerHTML. The innerHTML
+        // setter fragment-parses with this element as the parsing context.
+        // html5ever's parse_fragment builds a throwaway context element of the
+        // same tag via our create_element callback; if we run its constructor
+        // it sets innerHTML again -> re-parses -> rebuilds the context element
+        // -> constructs forever (stack overflow). The context element must be
+        // built bare, so the constructor runs exactly once.
+        let calls = 0;
+        class CeCtorInnerHtml extends HTMLElement {
+            constructor() {
+                super();
+                calls += 1;
+                this.innerHTML = '<span>hi</span>';
+            }
+        }
+        customElements.define('ce-ctor-innerhtml', CeCtorInnerHtml);
+
+        const el = document.createElement('ce-ctor-innerhtml');
+        testing.expectEqual(1, calls);
+        testing.expectEqual('<span>hi</span>', el.innerHTML);
+    }
+</script>
+
+<script id="innerhtml_on_custom_element_host">
+    {
+        // Setting innerHTML on an existing custom-element instance parses with
+        // that element as context. The throwaway context element html5ever
+        // builds must NOT invoke the constructor a second time.
+        let calls = 0;
+        class CeHost extends HTMLElement {
+            constructor() {
+                super();
+                calls += 1;
+            }
+        }
+        customElements.define('ce-host', CeHost);
+
+        const host = document.createElement('ce-host');
+        testing.expectEqual(1, calls);
+        host.innerHTML = '<b>x</b>';
+        testing.expectEqual(1, calls);
+        testing.expectEqual('<b>x</b>', host.innerHTML);
+    }
+</script>
+
+<script id="fragment_children_still_upgrade">
+    {
+        // Only the context element is skipped: real custom elements that appear
+        // *inside* the parsed fragment must still be constructed.
+        let calls = 0;
+        class CeChild extends HTMLElement {
+            constructor() {
+                super();
+                calls += 1;
+            }
+        }
+        customElements.define('ce-child', CeChild);
+
+        const container = document.createElement('div');
+        container.innerHTML = '<ce-child></ce-child><ce-child></ce-child>';
+        testing.expectEqual(2, calls);
+        testing.expectEqual(2, container.querySelectorAll('ce-child').length);
+    }
+</script>
diff --git a/src/html5ever/lib.rs b/src/html5ever/lib.rs
index 85c5ff3ce..f778dbeb7 100644
--- a/src/html5ever/lib.rs
+++ b/src/html5ever/lib.rs
@@ -29,9 +29,10 @@ use std::os::raw::{c_uchar, c_void};
 use types::*;
 
 use encoding_rs::Encoding;
+use html5ever::driver::parse_fragment_for_element;
 use html5ever::interface::tree_builder::QuirksMode;
 use html5ever::tendril::{StrTendril, TendrilSink};
-use html5ever::{ns, parse_document, parse_fragment, LocalName, ParseOpts, Parser, QualName};
+use html5ever::{ns, parse_document, LocalName, ParseOpts, Parser, QualName};
 
 #[no_mangle]
 pub extern "C" fn html5ever_parse_document(
@@ -466,6 +467,7 @@ pub extern "C" fn html5ever_parse_fragment(
     document: Ref,
     ctx: Ref,
     create_element_callback: CreateElementCallback,
+    create_context_element_callback: CreateElementCallback,
     get_data_callback: GetDataCallback,
     append_callback: AppendCallback,
     parse_error_callback: ParseErrorCallback,
@@ -537,12 +539,27 @@ pub extern "C" fn html5ever_parse_fragment(
         ..Default::default()
     };
 
-    parse_fragment(
+    let context_qname = QualName::new(None, ns!(html), context_local);
+    let context_data = arena.alloc(sink::ElementData {
+        qname: context_qname.clone(),
+        mathml_annotation_xml_integration_point: false,
+    });
+    let mut context_attrs = CAttributeIterator { vec: vec![], pos: 0 };
+    let context_elem = unsafe {
+        (create_context_element_callback)(
+            ctx,
+            context_data as *mut _ as *mut c_void,
+            CQualName::create(&context_qname),
+            &mut context_attrs as *mut _ as *mut c_void,
+        )
+    };
+
+    parse_fragment_for_element(
         sink,
         opts,
-        QualName::new(None, ns!(html), context_local),
-        vec![], // attributes
-        false,  // context_element_allows_scripting
+        context_elem,
+        false, // context_element_allows_scripting
+        None,  // form_element
     )
     .from_utf8()
     .one(bytes);
diff --git a/src/network/HttpClient.zig b/src/network/HttpClient.zig
index 1a60a2966..5f179fde7 100644
--- a/src/network/HttpClient.zig
+++ b/src/network/HttpClient.zig
@@ -647,14 +647,24 @@ fn settleConns(self: *Client) !void {
 fn dispatchCompleted(self: *Client, mode: DrainMode) void {
     if (mode == .all) {
         if (comptime IS_DEBUG) {
+            // .all never inside a syncRequest, so nothing can be gating requests.
             std.debug.assert(self.blocking_requests.count() == 0);
         }
-        // Called from the top; not inside a syncRequest. There cannot be a
-        // blocking request, so this is the time to process any gated requests.
+    }
+
+    // blocking_requests.count() is always true on tick(.all) but can also
+    // happen mid .sync_wait. This is important to do. During blocking, we gated
+    // every request. When the blocking requested completed, it only unblocked
+    // it's frames request.
+    if (self.blocking_requests.count() == 0) {
         var node = self.gated_queue.last;
         while (node) |n| {
             node = n.prev;
             const transfer: *Transfer = @fieldParentPtr("_queue_node", n);
+            if (mode == .sync_wait and self.isGated(transfer)) {
+                // still gated: a document is never delivered on a sync pump
+                continue;
+            }
             transfer._gated = false;
             self.gated_queue.remove(n);
             self.dispatch_queue.prepend(n);