diff --git a/packages/block-editor/package.json b/packages/block-editor/package.json
index 1447852b..97bfceef 100644
--- a/packages/block-editor/package.json
+++ b/packages/block-editor/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "@wrnexus/block-editor",
-  "version": "0.1.6",
+  "version": "0.1.7",
   "type": "module",
   "description": "Hydrated accessible editor runtime for WRNexus block documents.",
   "exports": {
diff --git a/packages/block-editor/src/runtime.ts b/packages/block-editor/src/runtime.ts
index 0c59b744..c26019c9 100644
--- a/packages/block-editor/src/runtime.ts
+++ b/packages/block-editor/src/runtime.ts
@@ -31,8 +31,20 @@ export function mountBlockEditor(root: HTMLElement, options: MountEditorOptions)
   live.style.cssText =
     "position:absolute;width:1px;height:1px;padding:0;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);white-space:nowrap;border:0";
   root.append(live);
+  const destroy = () => {
+    if (destroyed) return;
+    destroyed = true;
+    generation++;
+    try {
+      cleanups.forEach((cleanup) => cleanup());
+    } finally {
+      cleanups = [];
+      try { manager?.destroy(); } finally { live.remove(); }
+    }
+  };
   const refresh = () => {
     if (destroyed) return;
+    try {
     const currentGeneration = ++generation;
     cleanups.forEach((cleanup) => cleanup());
     cleanups = [];
@@ -145,18 +157,13 @@ export function mountBlockEditor(root: HTMLElement, options: MountEditorOptions)
         }),
       );
     }
+    } catch (error) {
+      try { destroy(); } finally { throw error; }
+    }
   };
   refresh();
   return {
     refresh,
-    destroy() {
-      if (destroyed) return;
-      destroyed = true;
-      generation++;
-      cleanups.forEach((cleanup) => cleanup());
-      cleanups = [];
-      manager?.destroy();
-      live.remove();
-    },
+    destroy,
   };
 }
diff --git a/packages/block-editor/test/runtime.test.ts b/packages/block-editor/test/runtime.test.ts
index 94ca6ec1..e5f599ff 100644
--- a/packages/block-editor/test/runtime.test.ts
+++ b/packages/block-editor/test/runtime.test.ts
@@ -9,6 +9,28 @@ const code = new Bun.Transpiler({ loader: "ts" })
   .replace(/^import .*;\s*$/gm, "")
   .replace("export function mountBlockEditor", "function mountBlockEditor");
 
+test("partial registration failure cleans the backend and live region on mount and refresh", () => {
+  for (const failingMount of [1, 2]) {
+    const window = new Window(), root = window.document.createElement("div");
+    window.document.body.append(root);
+    root.innerHTML = '<div data-block-id="a" data-block-parent="root" data-block-slot="content"></div><div data-block-id="b" data-block-parent="root" data-block-slot="content"></div>';
+    let mounts = 0, destroyed = 0, cleaned = 0;
+    const mount = new Function("createDndManager", code + ";return mountBlockEditor;")(() => {
+      const number = ++mounts; let registrations = 0;
+      return { registerSortable() { if (++registrations === 2 && number === failingMount) throw new Error("registration failed"); return () => { cleaned++; }; }, destroy() { destroyed++; } };
+    });
+    let editor: MountedEditor | undefined;
+    if (failingMount === 1) expect(() => mount(root, { onMove() {} })).toThrow("registration failed");
+    else { editor = mount(root, { onMove() {} }); expect(() => editor!.refresh()).toThrow("registration failed"); }
+    expect(root.querySelector('[role="status"]')).toBeNull();
+    expect(root.querySelectorAll('[data-block-id]')).toHaveLength(2);
+    expect(destroyed).toBe(failingMount);
+    expect(cleaned).toBe(failingMount === 1 ? 1 : 3);
+    editor?.destroy(); editor?.refresh();
+    expect(destroyed).toBe(failingMount);
+  }
+});
+
 function fixture(onMove: MountEditorOptions["onMove"] = () => false) {
   const window = new Window();
   const document = window.document;