diff --git a/weed/mount/meta_cache/meta_cache.go b/weed/mount/meta_cache/meta_cache.go
index d866c13f5..29055daad 100644
--- a/weed/mount/meta_cache/meta_cache.go
+++ b/weed/mount/meta_cache/meta_cache.go
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ type MetaCache struct {
 	isCachedFn           func(fullpath util.FullPath) bool
 	invalidateFunc       func(fullpath util.FullPath, entry *filer_pb.Entry)
 	onDirectoryUpdate    func(dir util.FullPath)
-	pinnedChildFn        func(util.FullPath) bool // a child a rebuild must not drop (local-only, not yet on the filer); nil disables
+	pinnedChildFn        func(*filer.Entry) bool // a child a rebuild must not drop (local-only, not yet on the filer); nil disables
 	visitGroup           singleflight.Group       // deduplicates concurrent EnsureVisited calls for the same path
 	applyCh              chan metadataApplyRequest
 	applyDone            chan struct{}
@@ -342,7 +342,7 @@ func (mc *MetaCache) DeleteFolderChildren(ctx context.Context, fp util.FullPath)
 
 // SetPinnedChildFn installs a predicate reporting whether a child holds
 // local-only state a rebuild must not discard. See deleteFolderChildrenForRebuild.
-func (mc *MetaCache) SetPinnedChildFn(fn func(util.FullPath) bool) {
+func (mc *MetaCache) SetPinnedChildFn(fn func(*filer.Entry) bool) {
 	mc.pinnedChildFn = fn
 }
 
@@ -360,7 +360,7 @@ func (mc *MetaCache) deleteFolderChildrenForRebuild(ctx context.Context, dirPath
 	}
 	var pinned []*filer.Entry
 	if _, err := mc.localStore.ListDirectoryEntries(ctx, dirPath, "", true, math.MaxInt64, func(entry *filer.Entry) (bool, error) {
-		if mc.pinnedChildFn(entry.FullPath) {
+		if mc.pinnedChildFn(entry) {
 			pinned = append(pinned, entry)
 		}
 		return true, nil
diff --git a/weed/mount/meta_cache/meta_cache_build_test.go b/weed/mount/meta_cache/meta_cache_build_test.go
index e48f41b9f..ead21dae2 100644
--- a/weed/mount/meta_cache/meta_cache_build_test.go
+++ b/weed/mount/meta_cache/meta_cache_build_test.go
@@ -473,11 +473,19 @@ func TestEnsureVisitedPreservesLocalOnlyEntry(t *testing.T) {
 	mc, _, _, _ := newTestMetaCache(t, map[util.FullPath]bool{"/": true})
 	defer mc.Shutdown()
 
-	// The mount pins the un-flushed create (open dirty handle / pending flush).
-	mc.SetPinnedChildFn(func(p util.FullPath) bool { return p == "/dir/pending.txt" })
+	// The mount pins the un-flushed create (open dirty handle / pending flush),
+	// keyed off the inode the entry carries so a kernel Forget that dropped the
+	// path→inode mapping cannot unpin an in-flight create.
+	mc.SetPinnedChildFn(func(e *filer.Entry) bool { return e.Attr.Inode == 42 })
 
 	// A deferred local create lands before the rebuild; /dir is not yet cached.
-	insertCacheEntry(t, mc, "/dir/pending.txt")
+	// It carries its allocated inode, as createFile's placeholder does.
+	if err := mc.InsertEntry(context.Background(), &filer.Entry{
+		FullPath: "/dir/pending.txt",
+		Attr:     filer.Attr{Crtime: time.Unix(1, 0), Mtime: time.Unix(1, 0), Mode: 0100644, FileSize: 1, Inode: 42},
+	}); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("insert pending entry: %v", err)
+	}
 
 	// A concurrent rebuild lists the filer, whose snapshot pre-dates the
 	// un-flushed create, so it returns only the already-persisted sibling.
@@ -522,7 +530,7 @@ func TestEnsureVisitedDropsUnpinnedStaleEntry(t *testing.T) {
 	mc, _, _, _ := newTestMetaCache(t, map[util.FullPath]bool{"/": true})
 	defer mc.Shutdown()
 
-	mc.SetPinnedChildFn(func(util.FullPath) bool { return false })
+	mc.SetPinnedChildFn(func(*filer.Entry) bool { return false })
 
 	// A stale child sits in the cache; the filer no longer has it.
 	insertCacheEntry(t, mc, "/dir/stale.txt")
diff --git a/weed/mount/weedfs.go b/weed/mount/weedfs.go
index bc4bc222f..9b7665183 100644
--- a/weed/mount/weedfs.go
+++ b/weed/mount/weedfs.go
@@ -550,16 +550,20 @@ func (wfs *WFS) maybeReadEntry(inode uint64) (path util.FullPath, fh *FileHandle
 	return
 }
 
-// isLocalOnlyEntry reports whether fullpath holds local-only state not yet on the
+// isLocalOnlyEntry reports whether entry holds local-only state not yet on the
 // filer — an open handle with dirty metadata, or a pending async flush. A
 // directory rebuild refills from a filer listing that omits such an entry, so it
 // must be preserved across the wipe; this is the same signal lookupEntry trusts
 // over a filer ErrNotFound for deferred creates.
-func (wfs *WFS) isLocalOnlyEntry(fullpath util.FullPath) bool {
-	inode, found := wfs.inodeToPath.GetInode(fullpath)
-	if !found {
+//
+// Keyed off the inode the entry carries, not inodeToPath: a kernel Forget can
+// drop the path→inode mapping while an async writeback flush is still in flight,
+// and the entry must stay pinned until that flush reaches the filer.
+func (wfs *WFS) isLocalOnlyEntry(entry *filer.Entry) bool {
+	if entry == nil || entry.Attr.Inode == 0 {
 		return false
 	}
+	inode := entry.Attr.Inode
 	if fh, fhFound := wfs.fhMap.FindFileHandle(inode); fhFound && fh.dirtyMetadata {
 		return true
 	}