diff --git a/src/SerialConsole.cpp b/src/SerialConsole.cpp
index a406fcd0dd..24141be28e 100644
--- a/src/SerialConsole.cpp
+++ b/src/SerialConsole.cpp
@@ -125,6 +125,10 @@ int32_t SerialConsole::runOnce()
 
     int32_t delay = runOncePart();
 #if defined(SERIAL_HAS_ON_RECEIVE) || defined(CONFIG_IDF_TARGET_ESP32S2)
+    // Nothing wakes the idle sleep for "TX space freed" or a bounded-drain remainder
+    // (#11164), so keep polling while the API holds undelivered output.
+    if (hasPendingOutput())
+        return delay < 25 ? delay : 25; // 0 continues a budget slice; else short-poll TX drain
     return Port.available() ? delay : INT32_MAX;
 #elif defined(IS_USB_SERIAL)
     return HWCDC::isPlugged() ? delay : (1000 * 20);
@@ -212,6 +216,17 @@ bool SerialConsole::finishPendingFrame()
 #endif
 }
 
+/// Report a retained USB CDC frame awaiting TX space.
+bool SerialConsole::hasRetainedFrame()
+{
+#ifdef IS_USB_SERIAL
+    concurrency::LockGuard guard(&streamLock);
+    return !frameWriter.isIdle();
+#else
+    return false;
+#endif
+}
+
 /// Protect the retained log buffer from being overwritten.
 bool SerialConsole::canEncodeLogRecord()
 {
diff --git a/src/SerialConsole.h b/src/SerialConsole.h
index eeed25644d..466d6afa96 100644
--- a/src/SerialConsole.h
+++ b/src/SerialConsole.h
@@ -51,6 +51,8 @@ class SerialConsole : public StreamAPI, public RedirectablePrint, private concur
 
     /// Continue retained USB CDC output before PhoneAPI advances.
     virtual bool finishPendingFrame() override;
+    /// Report a retained USB CDC frame awaiting TX space.
+    virtual bool hasRetainedFrame() override;
     /// Return whether the dedicated log buffer can be safely overwritten.
     virtual bool canEncodeLogRecord() override;
     /// Write or retain one framed USB CDC message.
diff --git a/src/mesh/StreamAPI.cpp b/src/mesh/StreamAPI.cpp
index e20434042c..412a9786a5 100644
--- a/src/mesh/StreamAPI.cpp
+++ b/src/mesh/StreamAPI.cpp
@@ -33,6 +33,12 @@ int32_t StreamAPI::runOncePart(char *buf, uint16_t bufLen)
     return result;
 }
 
+/// Report undelivered output so idle-sleep decisions keep the drain alive.
+bool StreamAPI::hasPendingOutput()
+{
+    return canWrite && (hasRetainedFrame() || available());
+}
+
 /**
  * Read any rx chars from the link and call handleRecStream
  */
diff --git a/src/mesh/StreamAPI.h b/src/mesh/StreamAPI.h
index c91da4d02f..7968972e1f 100644
--- a/src/mesh/StreamAPI.h
+++ b/src/mesh/StreamAPI.h
@@ -57,6 +57,10 @@ class StreamAPI : public PhoneAPI
     virtual int32_t runOncePart();
     virtual int32_t runOncePart(char *buf, uint16_t bufLen);
 
+    /// True while undelivered output remains (retained frame or queued PhoneAPI data); callers
+    /// woken only by RX activity must keep polling while set, as drains stop mid-dump (#11164).
+    bool hasPendingOutput();
+
     /// Check the current underlying physical link to see if the client is currently connected
     virtual bool checkIsConnected() override = 0;
 
@@ -104,6 +108,8 @@ class StreamAPI : public PhoneAPI
 
     /// Complete retained transport output before dequeuing another PhoneAPI packet.
     virtual bool finishPendingFrame() { return true; }
+    /// Return whether the transport retains an incomplete frame awaiting TX space.
+    virtual bool hasRetainedFrame() { return false; }
     /// Return whether the dedicated log buffer is available for encoding.
     virtual bool canEncodeLogRecord() { return true; }
     /// Frame and write a payload, optionally using best-effort admission.
diff --git a/test/test_stream_api/test_main.cpp b/test/test_stream_api/test_main.cpp
index 994e82c3d3..fdc87ab8e4 100644
--- a/test/test_stream_api/test_main.cpp
+++ b/test/test_stream_api/test_main.cpp
@@ -147,6 +147,26 @@ class PhoneAPITestShim : public PhoneAPI
     bool checkIsConnected() override { return true; }
 };
 
+/// Exposes the hasPendingOutput() inputs used by idle-sleep gating.
+class PendingOutputStreamAPI : public StreamAPI
+{
+  public:
+    /// Construct the shim over a scripted stream.
+    explicit PendingOutputStreamAPI(Stream *stream) : StreamAPI(stream) {}
+
+    /// Keep connection-timeout handling inactive during tests.
+    bool checkIsConnected() override { return true; }
+
+    /// Set the transport-writability gate normally controlled by first client contact.
+    void setCanWrite(bool value) { canWrite = value; }
+
+    bool retainedFrame = false;
+
+  protected:
+    /// Report the scripted retained-frame state.
+    bool hasRetainedFrame() override { return retainedFrame; }
+};
+
 /// Exposes framed-log hooks and records best-effort writes.
 class LogHookStreamAPI : public StreamAPI
 {
@@ -538,7 +558,7 @@ static void queuePendingTimePlaceholderPacket(NodeNum from, uint32_t placeholder
     service->sendToPhone(packetPool.allocCopy(pending));
 }
 
-static void startHandshake(PhoneAPITestShim &api)
+static void startHandshake(PhoneAPI &api)
 {
     meshtastic_ToRadio request = meshtastic_ToRadio_init_zero;
     request.which_payload_variant = meshtastic_ToRadio_want_config_id_tag;
@@ -566,6 +586,58 @@ static bool drainHandshakeForPacketFrom(PhoneAPITestShim &api, NodeNum from, mes
     return false;
 }
 
+// Scratch NodeDB for the config-dump stream; restored by tearDown() rather than RAII
+// because a failed TEST_ASSERT longjmps out of the test without running destructors.
+static NodeDB *scratchNodeDB = nullptr;
+static NodeDB *savedNodeDB = nullptr;
+
+/// Install a scratch NodeDB; tearDown() restores the previous one after any test outcome.
+static void installScratchNodeDB()
+{
+    savedNodeDB = nodeDB;
+    scratchNodeDB = new NodeDB();
+    nodeDB = scratchNodeDB;
+}
+
+// SerialConsole::runOnce gates its INT32_MAX idle sleep on hasPendingOutput(): pending while
+// output is queued or retained (#11164 bounded drain), clear when drained or pre-contact.
+static void test_stream_api_pending_output_tracks_queue_and_retained_frame(void)
+{
+    ScopedMeshService scopedService;
+    installScratchNodeDB();
+    ScriptedStream stream;
+    PendingOutputStreamAPI api(&stream);
+
+    // Nothing queued and no client yet: an idle console must be allowed to sleep.
+    TEST_ASSERT_FALSE(api.hasPendingOutput());
+
+    // A client that has not yet spoken (canWrite false) must not force polling,
+    // even with a full config dump queued behind the gate.
+    startHandshake(api);
+    api.setCanWrite(false);
+    TEST_ASSERT_FALSE(api.hasPendingOutput());
+
+    // Once writable, the queued dump is pending output until fully drained.
+    api.setCanWrite(true);
+    TEST_ASSERT_TRUE(api.hasPendingOutput());
+    unsigned drained = 0;
+    for (unsigned i = 0; i < 512 && api.hasPendingOutput(); ++i) {
+        uint8_t responseBytes[meshtastic_FromRadio_size];
+        if (api.getFromRadio(responseBytes) != 0)
+            drained++;
+    }
+    TEST_ASSERT_GREATER_THAN_UINT(0, drained);
+    TEST_ASSERT_FALSE_MESSAGE(api.hasPendingOutput(), "pending output must clear once the dump is drained");
+
+    // A transport-retained partial frame alone keeps the drain alive.
+    api.retainedFrame = true;
+    TEST_ASSERT_TRUE(api.hasPendingOutput());
+    api.retainedFrame = false;
+    TEST_ASSERT_FALSE(api.hasPendingOutput());
+
+    api.close();
+}
+
 /// Swaps in a scratch NodeDB and the injected clock, restoring both plus the RTC on destruction.
 /// Unity's TEST_ASSERT longjmps out on failure, so cleanup must not live at the end of the test.
 class ScopedTimeFixture
@@ -715,8 +787,15 @@ static void test_node_heard_during_first_uptime_second_gets_last_heard_backfille
 
 /// Unity per-test setup; fixtures are local to each test.
 void setUp(void) {}
-/// Unity per-test teardown; fixtures clean themselves up.
-void tearDown(void) {}
+/// Unity per-test teardown; restores state that a failed assert's longjmp would leak.
+void tearDown(void)
+{
+    if (scratchNodeDB) {
+        nodeDB = savedNodeDB;
+        delete scratchNodeDB;
+        scratchNodeDB = nullptr;
+    }
+}
 
 /// Initialize the native environment and run the stream regression suite.
 void setup()
@@ -735,6 +814,7 @@ void setup()
     RUN_TEST(test_lockdown_admin_gate_ignores_wire_from);
     RUN_TEST(test_lockdown_admin_gate_rejects_undecodable_admin);
     RUN_TEST(test_want_config_includes_status_message_module_config);
+    RUN_TEST(test_stream_api_pending_output_tracks_queue_and_retained_frame);
     RUN_TEST(test_time_given_at_handshake_start_reconciles_queued_packet);
     RUN_TEST(test_time_given_at_handshake_end_does_not_rewrite_already_sent_packet);
     RUN_TEST(test_node_heard_before_time_gets_last_heard_backfilled);