diff --git a/public/checksum.txt b/public/checksum.txt
index ae73b25..2735178 100644
--- a/public/checksum.txt
+++ b/public/checksum.txt
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
 6de66efba021ebcf462e7672577d9f6876f13db55691f04e7009ff7e78d658b8 public/sh/install_zpmod.sh
 6e753a0314ba9f2e4f0a2c429798ca3767af4fb94c669e6923d161d6af7aa745 public/sh/install.sh
 08cc893ceb982fc99d17db1966c6c30790cc571e16e4f5392352d995f5252952 public/sh/sync-init.sh
-e5db3eb099daf0098bed263f4f1960adc9d3d0074a19260fae7ab3df8bf08573 public/zsh/init.zsh
+c979e39748d1d86ace17a61ff2b1bf6e1224a43291c25bf7fad985d1e9e11af1 public/zsh/init.zsh
diff --git a/public/zsh/init.zsh b/public/zsh/init.zsh
index 0847867..ce998e1 100755
--- a/public/zsh/init.zsh
+++ b/public/zsh/init.zsh
@@ -295,7 +295,7 @@ _zi_pmod() {
   module_path+=( "$module_dir" )
   if ! zmodload zi/zpmod 2>/dev/null; then
     [[ ${ZI[MUTE_WARNINGS]} == 1 ]] ||
-      _zi_err "zpmod.so is present but zmodload zi/zpmod failed; rebuild it with \`zi module build\`."
+      _zi_err "zpmod.so is present but zmodload zi/zpmod failed; rebuild it with \`zi module build\`, then run \`zzinit\` again."
     return 1
   fi
   return 0
@@ -329,8 +329,11 @@ zzinit() {
   _zi_pmod
   status_pmod=$?
 
+  # Zi is usable at this point, but an optional stage reported a problem. Keep
+  # the helpers so the diagnostics above can be acted on and zzinit re-run.
+  (( status_comps == 0 && status_pmod == 0 )) || return 1
+
   # Helpers are only removed on success so a failed run stays retryable.
   unset -f _zi_err _zi_fetch _zi_check_stream _zi_setup _zi_source _zi_comps _zi_pmod zzinit 2>/dev/null
-
-  (( status_comps == 0 && status_pmod == 0 ))
+  return 0
 }
diff --git a/tests/installers.sh b/tests/installers.sh
index f27d812..e8955d2 100755
--- a/tests/installers.sh
+++ b/tests/installers.sh
@@ -191,6 +191,45 @@ test_init_rejects_invalid_stream() {
   pass "invalid ZI[STREAM] is rejected before reaching git"
 }
 
+test_init_keeps_helpers_when_zpmod_fails() {
+  values_log="${TMP_ROOT}/init-zpmod-values"
+  err_log="${TMP_ROOT}/init-zpmod-err"
+
+  # zi.zsh loads, but an optional stage fails: zpmod.so exists and cannot be
+  # loaded. The helpers and zzinit itself must survive so that, once the module
+  # is rebuilt, the advertised `zzinit` retry has something to call.
+  zsh -f -c '
+    typeset -ghA ZI
+    ZI[LOADER_HISTORY]=0
+    ZI[HOME_DIR]="$4/zpmod-home"
+    ZI[BIN_DIR]="$4/zpmod-home/bin"
+    module_dir="${ZI[HOME_DIR]}/zmodules/zpmod/Src/zi"
+    command mkdir -p "${ZI[BIN_DIR]}" "$module_dir"
+    print -r -- "# fake zi.zsh" > "${ZI[BIN_DIR]}/zi.zsh"
+    # A file that is not a shared object: zmodload refuses it.
+    print -r -- "not a shared object" > "$module_dir/zpmod.so"
+
+    source "$1"
+    zzinit 2>"$3"
+    print -r -- "first_status:$?" >"$2"
+    print -r -- "first_retryable:${+functions[zzinit]}" >>"$2"
+
+    command rm -f -- "$module_dir/zpmod.so"
+    zzinit 2>>"$3"
+    print -r -- "second_status:$?" >>"$2"
+    print -r -- "second_retryable:${+functions[zzinit]}" >>"$2"
+  ' zsh "${ROOT}/public/zsh/init.zsh" "${values_log}" "${err_log}" "${TMP_ROOT}"
+
+  contains "${values_log}" 'first_status:1'
+  contains "${err_log}" 'rebuild it with'
+  # The failed run keeps zzinit defined so the user can rebuild and retry.
+  contains "${values_log}" 'first_retryable:1'
+  # The retry succeeds and only then removes the helpers.
+  contains "${values_log}" 'second_status:0'
+  contains "${values_log}" 'second_retryable:0'
+  pass "optional zpmod failure keeps zzinit retryable"
+}
+
 test_init_progress_filter_url() {
   # The loader downloads this file and executes it. A 404 previously aborted
   # every clean install with no diagnostic, so the path is asserted here.
@@ -639,6 +678,7 @@ test_init_defaults_are_single_arguments
 test_init_preserves_caller_options
 test_init_history_opt_out
 test_init_rejects_invalid_stream
+test_init_keeps_helpers_when_zpmod_fails
 test_init_progress_filter_url
 test_init_uses_private_tempdir
 test_init_path_resolution