diff --git a/src/Watcher.zig b/src/Watcher.zig
index 3f4dc4e87f1..ffab0b689c7 100644
--- a/src/Watcher.zig
+++ b/src/Watcher.zig
@@ -758,6 +758,19 @@ pub fn indexOf(this: *Watcher, hash: HashType) ?u32 {
 pub fn remove(this: *Watcher, hash: HashType) void {
     this.mutex.lock();
     defer this.mutex.unlock();
+    // `removeAtIndex` only queues the index into `evict_list`; the real
+    // removal happens in `flushEvictions()`, which is normally driven by
+    // `onFileUpdate()` on the watcher thread. `remove()` can be called many
+    // times without any fs events firing (e.g. `fs.watch()` followed by
+    // `.close()` in a tight loop), so the fixed-size `evict_list` can fill
+    // up and overflow. Drain it here when full — we already hold
+    // `this.mutex`, matching how `flushEvictions()` is invoked from the
+    // platform watch loops. Must happen BEFORE `indexOf()`: flushing
+    // `swapRemove`s entries and relocates/shrinks the list, so an index
+    // captured beforehand could point at the wrong entry or past the end.
+    if (this.evict_list_i >= max_eviction_count) {
+        this.flushEvictions();
+    }
     if (this.indexOf(hash)) |index| {
         this.removeAtIndex(@truncate(index), hash, &[_]HashType{}, .file);
     }
diff --git a/test/js/node/watch/fs.watch.evict-list-overflow.test.ts b/test/js/node/watch/fs.watch.evict-list-overflow.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..58c70edf2d5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/js/node/watch/fs.watch.evict-list-overflow.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,76 @@
+import { expect, test } from "bun:test";
+import { bunEnv, bunExe, isWindows, tempDir } from "harness";
+
+// Regression test for `Watcher.evict_list` overflow.
+//
+// `Watcher.remove()` appends the watchlist index to a fixed-size
+// `evict_list[max_eviction_count = 8096]` buffer; the actual removal
+// happens in `flushEvictions()`, which was only driven by `onFileUpdate()`
+// on the watcher thread — i.e. only when a filesystem event arrives.
+//
+// `fs.watch(path).close()` reaches `_decrementPathRefNoLock()` →
+// `main_watcher.remove(hash)` for the watched path. Repeating that
+// without ever modifying the filesystem means `flushEvictions()` never
+// runs, and once the cumulative remove count passes 8096,
+// `removeAtIndex()` writes past the end of `evict_list`:
+//
+//   panic(main thread): index out of bounds: index 8096, len 8096
+//   Watcher.removeAtIndex  src/Watcher.zig
+//   Watcher.remove
+//   PathWatcherManager._decrementPathRefNoLock
+//
+// The fix drains `evict_list` inside `remove()` when it's full (the
+// mutex is already held there, matching how `flushEvictions()` is
+// invoked from the platform watch loops).
+//
+// Watching a single file (not a directory) keeps the test deterministic:
+// file watches don't schedule a `DirectoryRegisterTask`, so `deinit()`
+// runs to completion on every `close()` and exactly one `remove()` is
+// issued per iteration; and the inotify file mask doesn't include
+// IN_OPEN / IN_CLOSE so re-opening the fd each cycle doesn't generate
+// events that would opportunistically flush.
+//
+// Windows uses win_watcher.zig (no evict_list). macOS/FreeBSD file
+// watches go through KEventWatcher and hit the same `Watcher.remove()`
+// → `evict_list` path, so they're covered too — only directory watches
+// on macOS bypass it via FSEvents.
+test.skipIf(isWindows)(
+  "Watcher.remove() does not overflow evict_list when no fs events fire",
+  async () => {
+    using dir = tempDir("fswatch-evict-overflow", { "f.txt": "x" });
+
+    const fixture = /* js */ `
+      const fs = require("fs");
+      const path = require("path");
+      const target = path.join(process.argv[1], "f.txt");
+      // > max_eviction_count (8096): one remove() per cycle, no fs events,
+      // so without the fix evict_list_i hits 8096 and removeAtIndex panics.
+      const ITERS = 8200;
+      for (let i = 0; i < ITERS; i++) {
+        const w = fs.watch(target, { persistent: false }, () => {});
+        w.close();
+      }
+      console.log("ok " + ITERS);
+    `;
+
+    await using proc = Bun.spawn({
+      cmd: [bunExe(), "-e", fixture, String(dir)],
+      env: bunEnv,
+      stdout: "pipe",
+      stderr: "pipe",
+    });
+    const [stdout, stderr, exitCode] = await Promise.all([proc.stdout.text(), proc.stderr.text(), proc.exited]);
+
+    const filteredStderr = stderr
+      .split("\n")
+      .filter(l => l && !l.startsWith("WARNING: ASAN interferes"))
+      .join("\n");
+
+    expect({ stdout: stdout.trim(), stderr: filteredStderr, exitCode }).toEqual({
+      stdout: "ok 8200",
+      stderr: "",
+      exitCode: 0,
+    });
+  },
+  30000,
+);