diff --git a/bun.lock b/bun.lock
index 64887ff4..1c03c238 100644
--- a/bun.lock
+++ b/bun.lock
@@ -357,7 +357,7 @@
     },
     "packages/dev-server": {
       "name": "@wrnexus/dev-server",
-      "version": "0.8.57",
+      "version": "0.8.58",
       "dependencies": {
         "@wrnexus/authz": "workspace:*",
         "@wrnexus/cache": "workspace:*",
diff --git a/packages/dev-server/package.json b/packages/dev-server/package.json
index 6e5ce518..95541951 100644
--- a/packages/dev-server/package.json
+++ b/packages/dev-server/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "@wrnexus/dev-server",
-  "version": "0.8.57",
+  "version": "0.8.58",
   "type": "module",
   "main": "src/index.ts",
   "exports": {
diff --git a/packages/dev-server/src/runtime.ts b/packages/dev-server/src/runtime.ts
index 537fa319..b8eed1eb 100644
--- a/packages/dev-server/src/runtime.ts
+++ b/packages/dev-server/src/runtime.ts
@@ -2622,8 +2622,9 @@ function extractSlots(inner: string): { named: Record<string, string>; def: stri
   const named: Record<string, string> = {};
   if (!inner.includes("data-slot=")) return { named, def: inner };
 
-  const SLOT_MOUNT_RE =
-    /<([A-Za-z][A-Za-z0-9-]*)\b([^>]*?\bdata-slot="([A-Za-z0-9_-]+)"[^>]*?)(\/?)>/;
+  // Only direct children belong to this mount. Descendant named slots belong
+  // to their own component (for example a splitter inside a shell's slot).
+  const SLOT_MOUNT_RE = /<([A-Za-z][A-Za-z0-9-]*)\b([^>]*?)(\/?)>/;
   let def = "";
   let i = 0;
   for (;;) {
@@ -2634,11 +2635,16 @@ function extractSlots(inner: string): { named: Record<string, string>; def: stri
     }
     const tagStart = i + m.index;
     def += inner.slice(i, tagStart);
-    const [open, tag, , name, selfClose] = m;
+    const [open, tag, attributes, selfClose] = m;
+    const name = /\bdata-slot="([A-Za-z0-9_-]+)"/.exec(attributes!)?.[1];
     const openEnd = tagStart + open.length;
     const { inner: content, end } =
-      selfClose === "/" ? { inner: "", end: openEnd } : readElementBody(inner, tag!, openEnd);
-    named[name!] = content;
+      selfClose === "/" ||
+      /^(area|base|br|col|embed|hr|img|input|link|meta|param|source|track|wbr)$/i.test(tag!)
+        ? { inner: "", end: openEnd }
+        : readElementBody(inner, tag!, openEnd);
+    if (name) named[name] = content;
+    else def += inner.slice(tagStart, end);
     i = end;
   }
   return { named, def };
diff --git a/packages/dev-server/test/nested-named-slots.test.ts b/packages/dev-server/test/nested-named-slots.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..fc6fabdc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/dev-server/test/nested-named-slots.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+import { expect, test } from "bun:test";
+import { fillSlots } from "../src/runtime.ts";
+
+test("an outer default slot preserves a nested component's named slots", () => {
+  const child =
+    '<div data-component="LayoutSplitter"><div data-slot="start">Inbox</div><div data-slot="end">Message</div></div>';
+  const shell = fillSlots("<main><slot></slot></main>", child, true);
+  expect(shell).toContain(child);
+  const panes = fillSlots(
+    '<section><slot name="start"></slot><slot name="end"></slot></section>',
+    '<div data-slot="start">Inbox</div><div data-slot="end">Message</div>',
+    true,
+  );
+  expect(panes).toContain("Inbox</wrn-slot>");
+  expect(panes).toContain("Message</wrn-slot>");
+});
+
+test("void children do not swallow following direct named slots", () => {
+  const html = fillSlots(
+    '<slot name="header"></slot><slot></slot>',
+    'Text<input><div data-slot="header">Heading</div><p>Body</p>',
+  );
+  expect(html).toBe("HeadingText<input><p>Body</p>");
+});