diff --git a/tests/neovim.bats b/tests/neovim.bats
index 347cb3c..708e3fb 100644
--- a/tests/neovim.bats
+++ b/tests/neovim.bats
@@ -7,12 +7,13 @@ load test_helper
 
 setup() {
   common_setup
-  export XDG_DATA_HOME="$HOME/.local/share"
+  export XDG_DATA_HOME="$HOME/.local/share" XDG_STATE_HOME="$HOME/.local/state"
   LAZY="$XDG_DATA_HOME/nvim/lazy"
+  BACKUPS="$XDG_STATE_HOME/coredesktop/nvim-plugins"
   mkdir -p "$LAZY"
   export GIT_AUTHOR_NAME=test GIT_AUTHOR_EMAIL=test@example.com
   export GIT_COMMITTER_NAME=test GIT_COMMITTER_EMAIL=test@example.com
-  stub nvim 'echo "nvim ran" >> "$BATS_TEST_TMPDIR/nvim.log"'
+  stub nvim
 }
 
 # plugin NAME: a plugin checkout with one committed file
@@ -28,28 +29,44 @@ update_neovim() {
   run_update
 }
 
-@test "a plugin with local changes is stashed so lazy.nvim can update it" {
+@test "a plugin whose files don't match its checkout is set aside to be installed again" {
   plugin LuaSnip
   echo changed > "$LAZY/LuaSnip/README.md"
-  echo build output > "$LAZY/LuaSnip/untracked.so"
+  mkdir "$LAZY/LuaSnip/data"
+  echo leftover > "$LAZY/LuaSnip/data/new.md"
 
   run update_neovim
   [ "$status" -eq 0 ]
-  [[ "$output" == *"LuaSnip had local changes"* ]]
-  [ -z "$(git -C "$LAZY/LuaSnip" ls-files -d -m)" ]
-  [ "$(cat "$LAZY/LuaSnip/README.md")" = original ]
-  # The changes can be got back, and untracked build output is left alone
-  git -C "$LAZY/LuaSnip" stash list | grep -q "Stashed by CoreDesktop's update"
-  [ -f "$LAZY/LuaSnip/untracked.so" ]
-  grep -q "nvim ran" "$BATS_TEST_TMPDIR/nvim.log"
+  [[ "$output" == *"LuaSnip's files didn't match its version"* ]]
+  [ ! -e "$LAZY/LuaSnip" ]
+  # The old copy, edits and all, is kept
+  copies=("$BACKUPS"/LuaSnip-*)
+  [ "${#copies[@]}" -eq 1 ]
+  [ "$(cat "${copies[0]}/README.md")" = changed ]
+  [ -f "${copies[0]}/data/new.md" ]
+  called nvim --headless "+Lazy! sync" +qa
 }
 
-@test "plugins without local changes are left as they are" {
+@test "a plugin an earlier update only stashed is set aside too" {
+  plugin LuaSnip
+  echo changed > "$LAZY/LuaSnip/README.md"
+  git -C "$LAZY/LuaSnip" stash push -q -m "Stashed by CoreDesktop's update"
+
+  run update_neovim
+  [ "$status" -eq 0 ]
+  [ ! -e "$LAZY/LuaSnip" ]
+  [ -d "$(echo "$BACKUPS"/LuaSnip-*)" ]
+}
+
+@test "plugins that match their checkout are left as they are" {
   plugin lazy.nvim
   echo build output > "$LAZY/lazy.nvim/untracked.so"
+  echo changed > "$LAZY/lazy.nvim/README.md"
+  git -C "$LAZY/lazy.nvim" stash push -q -m "the user's own stash"
 
   run update_neovim
   [ "$status" -eq 0 ]
-  [[ "$output" != *"local changes"* ]]
-  [ -z "$(git -C "$LAZY/lazy.nvim" stash list)" ]
+  [[ "$output" != *"didn't match"* ]]
+  [ -f "$LAZY/lazy.nvim/untracked.so" ]
+  [ ! -e "$BACKUPS" ]
 }
diff --git a/updates.d/46-neovim.sh b/updates.d/46-neovim.sh
index d59966d..f95b9ae 100755
--- a/updates.d/46-neovim.sh
+++ b/updates.d/46-neovim.sh
@@ -2,28 +2,36 @@
 
 # Only the plugins are updated; the kickstart.nvim config itself is the user's to edit.
 LAZY_DIR="${XDG_DATA_HOME:-$HOME/.local/share}/nvim/lazy"
+PLUGIN_BACKUPS="${XDG_STATE_HOME:-$HOME/.local/state}/coredesktop/nvim-plugins"
 
 is_installed() {
   command -v nvim &>/dev/null && [ -d "$LAZY_DIR/lazy.nvim" ]
 }
 
 # lazy.nvim won't update a plugin whose tracked files differ from its checkout
-# (it checks with `git ls-files -d -m`), which an interrupted update can leave
-# behind. Stash those changes, so the plugin updates and they can still be
-# recovered with `git stash pop` in its folder, and put its submodules back.
-restore_plugins() {
-  local dir
+# (it checks with `git ls-files -d -m`). An interrupted update can leave a
+# plugin like that, along with leftovers git won't overwrite, such as new files
+# and half-cloned submodules (LuaSnip, 2026-10-20). Move such a plugin out of
+# the way, so `Lazy! sync` installs it afresh; any edits made to it are in the
+# copy. So is a plugin an earlier version of this step only stashed.
+set_aside_broken_plugins() {
+  local dir name dest
   for dir in "$LAZY_DIR"/*/; do
+    dir="${dir%/}"
     [ -d "$dir/.git" ] || continue
-    [ -n "$(git -C "$dir" ls-files -d -m 2> /dev/null)" ] || continue
-    echo "  $(basename "$dir") had local changes; stashing them so it can update."
-    git -C "$dir" stash push -q -m "Stashed by CoreDesktop's update" \
-      && git -C "$dir" submodule update -q --init --recursive --force
+    if [ -z "$(git -C "$dir" ls-files -d -m 2> /dev/null)" ] \
+        && ! git -C "$dir" stash list 2> /dev/null | grep -q "Stashed by CoreDesktop's update"; then
+      continue
+    fi
+    name="$(basename "$dir")"
+    dest="$PLUGIN_BACKUPS/$name-$(date +%Y-%m-%d-%H%M%S)"
+    mkdir -p "$PLUGIN_BACKUPS" && mv "$dir" "$dest" \
+      && echo "  $name's files didn't match its version, so it will be installed again. The old copy is in $dest"
   done
 }
 
 run_update() {
   echo "Updating Neovim plugins..."
-  restore_plugins
+  set_aside_broken_plugins
   nvim --headless "+Lazy! sync" +qa
 }