diff --git a/tests/v1/kv_connector/unit/test_mooncake_store_scheduler.py b/tests/v1/kv_connector/unit/test_mooncake_store_scheduler.py
index 7e8a6db27dc4..4b46c03f5831 100644
--- a/tests/v1/kv_connector/unit/test_mooncake_store_scheduler.py
+++ b/tests/v1/kv_connector/unit/test_mooncake_store_scheduler.py
@@ -4,6 +4,8 @@
 from types import SimpleNamespace
 
 from vllm.distributed.kv_transfer.kv_connector.v1.mooncake.store.data import (
+    LoadSpec,
+    ReqMeta,
     RequestTracker,
 )
 from vllm.distributed.kv_transfer.kv_connector.v1.mooncake.store.scheduler import (
@@ -109,3 +111,236 @@ def test_cached_request_without_spec_decode_keeps_current_step_save_overlap():
     tracker = scheduler._request_trackers["req-0"]
     assert tracker.token_len == 48
     assert tracker.num_saved_tokens == 48
+
+
+def _make_pending_load_unfinished_request(
+    scheduler: MooncakeStoreScheduler,
+    *,
+    num_tokens: int,
+    block_hashes: list[bytes],
+    block_ids: tuple[list[int], ...] = ([0, 1, 2],),
+) -> None:
+    request = SimpleNamespace(
+        num_tokens=num_tokens,
+        block_hashes=block_hashes,
+        num_output_placeholders=0,
+    )
+    scheduler._unfinished_requests["req-0"] = (request, block_ids)
+
+
+def _make_pending_load_scheduler_output() -> SimpleNamespace:
+    """scheduler_output for a step where req-0 is parked on a pending load
+    (not in scheduled_new_reqs or scheduled_cached_reqs)."""
+    return SimpleNamespace(
+        finished_req_ids=set(),
+        preempted_req_ids=set(),
+        scheduled_new_reqs=[],
+        scheduled_cached_reqs=SimpleNamespace(
+            req_ids=[],
+            new_block_ids=[],
+            num_computed_tokens=[],
+        ),
+        num_scheduled_tokens={},
+        scheduled_spec_decode_tokens={},
+    )
+
+
+def test_pending_load_does_not_co_queue_save():
+    # Regression: a cache-hit request waiting on an async load must not also
+    # enqueue a save in the same scheduling step. Co-queuing both produces a
+    # recv+send pair for the same req_id, and the scheduler's
+    # _update_from_kv_xfer_finished then trips `assert req_id in self.requests`
+    # when both completions land for the delay-freed request.
+    scheduler = _make_bare_scheduler()
+    _make_pending_load_unfinished_request(
+        scheduler,
+        num_tokens=48,
+        block_hashes=[b"h0", b"h1", b"h2"],
+    )
+    scheduler.load_specs["req-0"] = LoadSpec(
+        vllm_cached_tokens=0,
+        kvpool_cached_tokens=48,
+        can_load=True,
+    )
+
+    meta = scheduler.build_connector_meta(_make_pending_load_scheduler_output())
+
+    assert len(meta.requests) == 1
+    req_meta = meta.requests[0]
+    assert req_meta.req_id == "req-0"
+    # Save must be off so the worker does not call add_stored_request.
+    assert req_meta.can_save is False
+    # Load is still issued as planned.
+    assert req_meta.load_spec is not None
+    assert req_meta.load_spec.can_load is True
+    # And the tracker's saved-tokens watermark stays at 0 so request_finished
+    # later sees `num_saved_tokens <= 0` and frees immediately rather than
+    # waiting for a finished_sending that will never come.
+    tracker = scheduler._request_trackers["req-0"]
+    assert tracker.num_saved_tokens == 0
+
+
+def _make_resumed_unfinished_request(
+    scheduler: MooncakeStoreScheduler,
+    *,
+    token_ids: list[int],
+    block_hashes: list[bytes],
+    num_computed_tokens: int,
+) -> None:
+    request = SimpleNamespace(
+        all_token_ids=token_ids,
+        block_hashes=block_hashes,
+        num_computed_tokens=num_computed_tokens,
+        num_output_placeholders=0,
+    )
+    scheduler._unfinished_requests["req-0"] = (request, ([0, 1],))
+
+
+def _make_resumed_scheduler_output(*, num_scheduled_tokens: int) -> SimpleNamespace:
+    return SimpleNamespace(
+        finished_req_ids=set(),
+        preempted_req_ids=set(),
+        scheduled_new_reqs=[],
+        scheduled_cached_reqs=SimpleNamespace(
+            req_ids=["req-0"],
+            new_block_ids=[([2],)],
+            num_computed_tokens=[0],
+        ),
+        num_scheduled_tokens={"req-0": num_scheduled_tokens},
+        scheduled_spec_decode_tokens={},
+    )
+
+
+def test_resumed_from_preemption_with_load_skips_save():
+    # On resume-from-preemption with a cache hit, the same co-queueing race
+    # applies: the resumed-from-preemption branch in build_connector_meta also
+    # passes load_spec.can_load=True. Skip save in this step; subsequent
+    # cached_reqs steps will save new tokens normally.
+    scheduler = _make_bare_scheduler()
+    scheduler._preempted_req_ids = {"req-0"}
+    _make_resumed_unfinished_request(
+        scheduler,
+        token_ids=list(range(48)),
+        block_hashes=[b"h0", b"h1", b"h2"],
+        num_computed_tokens=0,
+    )
+    scheduler.load_specs["req-0"] = LoadSpec(
+        vllm_cached_tokens=0,
+        kvpool_cached_tokens=48,
+        can_load=True,
+    )
+
+    meta = scheduler.build_connector_meta(
+        _make_resumed_scheduler_output(num_scheduled_tokens=48)
+    )
+
+    assert len(meta.requests) == 1
+    req_meta = meta.requests[0]
+    assert req_meta.req_id == "req-0"
+    assert req_meta.can_save is False
+    assert req_meta.load_spec is not None
+    assert req_meta.load_spec.can_load is True
+    tracker = scheduler._request_trackers["req-0"]
+    assert tracker.num_saved_tokens == 0
+
+
+def test_resumed_from_preemption_without_load_still_saves():
+    # No load_spec → behavior is unchanged: save proceeds.
+    scheduler = _make_bare_scheduler()
+    scheduler._preempted_req_ids = {"req-0"}
+    _make_resumed_unfinished_request(
+        scheduler,
+        token_ids=list(range(48)),
+        block_hashes=[b"h0", b"h1", b"h2"],
+        num_computed_tokens=0,
+    )
+
+    meta = scheduler.build_connector_meta(
+        _make_resumed_scheduler_output(num_scheduled_tokens=48)
+    )
+
+    assert len(meta.requests) == 1
+    req_meta = meta.requests[0]
+    assert req_meta.req_id == "req-0"
+    assert req_meta.can_save is True
+    assert req_meta.load_spec is None
+    tracker = scheduler._request_trackers["req-0"]
+    assert tracker.num_saved_tokens == 48
+
+
+# Focused tests for ReqMeta.from_request_tracker — the centralized guard that
+# enforces "a ReqMeta never carries both a save and a load".
+
+
+def test_from_request_tracker_load_overrides_caller_skip_save():
+    # Caller asks for skip_save=False, but load_spec.can_load=True. The
+    # function must force skip_save=True to avoid producing a ReqMeta the
+    # worker would enqueue on both kv_send_thread and kv_recv_thread.
+    tracker = RequestTracker(
+        req_id="req-0",
+        token_len=48,
+        allocated_block_ids=([0, 1, 2],),
+        num_saved_tokens=0,
+    )
+    load_spec = LoadSpec(vllm_cached_tokens=0, kvpool_cached_tokens=48, can_load=True)
+
+    req_meta = ReqMeta.from_request_tracker(
+        tracker,
+        block_size=16,
+        load_spec=load_spec,
+        skip_save=False,
+        block_hashes=[b"h0", b"h1", b"h2"],
+    )
+
+    assert req_meta is not None
+    assert req_meta.can_save is False
+    assert req_meta.load_spec is load_spec
+    assert tracker.num_saved_tokens == 0
+
+
+def test_from_request_tracker_load_with_can_load_false_still_saves():
+    # A LoadSpec with can_load=False (e.g., no external tokens to load after
+    # update_state_after_alloc) must not suppress the save.
+    tracker = RequestTracker(
+        req_id="req-0",
+        token_len=48,
+        allocated_block_ids=([0, 1, 2],),
+        num_saved_tokens=0,
+    )
+    load_spec = LoadSpec(vllm_cached_tokens=0, kvpool_cached_tokens=48, can_load=False)
+
+    req_meta = ReqMeta.from_request_tracker(
+        tracker,
+        block_size=16,
+        load_spec=load_spec,
+        skip_save=False,
+        block_hashes=[b"h0", b"h1", b"h2"],
+    )
+
+    assert req_meta is not None
+    assert req_meta.can_save is True
+    # from_request_tracker clears load_spec when can_load is False.
+    assert req_meta.load_spec is None
+    assert tracker.num_saved_tokens == 48
+
+
+def test_from_request_tracker_no_load_saves_normally():
+    tracker = RequestTracker(
+        req_id="req-0",
+        token_len=48,
+        allocated_block_ids=([0, 1, 2],),
+        num_saved_tokens=0,
+    )
+
+    req_meta = ReqMeta.from_request_tracker(
+        tracker,
+        block_size=16,
+        load_spec=None,
+        skip_save=False,
+        block_hashes=[b"h0", b"h1", b"h2"],
+    )
+
+    assert req_meta is not None
+    assert req_meta.can_save is True
+    assert req_meta.load_spec is None
+    assert tracker.num_saved_tokens == 48
diff --git a/vllm/distributed/kv_transfer/kv_connector/v1/mooncake/store/data.py b/vllm/distributed/kv_transfer/kv_connector/v1/mooncake/store/data.py
index ab1df0413d11..f3e9a2e64469 100644
--- a/vllm/distributed/kv_transfer/kv_connector/v1/mooncake/store/data.py
+++ b/vllm/distributed/kv_transfer/kv_connector/v1/mooncake/store/data.py
@@ -236,6 +236,12 @@ def from_request_tracker(
         )
 
         skip_save = skip_save or num_tokens_to_save < chunk_boundary
+        # A ReqMeta must never carry both a save AND a load.
+        # The save would also be wasted work — the bytes are being looked up
+        # in the store right now. Later cached_reqs steps save new tokens
+        # normally.
+        if load_spec is not None and load_spec.can_load:
+            skip_save = True
         if skip_save and load_spec is None:
             return None