diff --git a/apps/web/src/components/WorkspaceApp.tsx b/apps/web/src/components/WorkspaceApp.tsx
index 859cc852..0b3ce9e4 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/components/WorkspaceApp.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/src/components/WorkspaceApp.tsx
@@ -1716,7 +1716,11 @@ export const WorkspaceApp = ({
     setTemplatesOpen(false);
     setMobileBottomNavActive("home");
     creatingMemoSelectionRef.current = true;
+    let resumeDesktopSync: (() => void) | null = null;
     try {
+      if (isDesktopResourceRuntime()) {
+        resumeDesktopSync = await (await import("@/lib/desktop-sync")).pauseDesktopSyncForImport();
+      }
       const preparedFile = imageCompressionEnabled ? (await compressImageForUpload(file)).file : file;
       const memo = await createScreenshotMemo({
         notebookId,
@@ -1762,6 +1766,8 @@ export const WorkspaceApp = ({
         title: t("memoList.importScreenshotFailedTitle"),
         description: t("memoList.importScreenshotFailed"),
       });
+    } finally {
+      resumeDesktopSync?.();
     }
   }, [defaultMemoNotebookId, imageCompressionEnabled, localDataScope, memoView, notebooks, repository, selectedNotebookId, t]);
 
@@ -1809,7 +1815,11 @@ export const WorkspaceApp = ({
     creatingMemoSelectionRef.current = true;
     setWeChatImportsInProgress((count) => count + 1);
     let savedMemo: MemoDetail | null = null;
+    let resumeDesktopSync: (() => void) | null = null;
     try {
+      if (isDesktopResourceRuntime()) {
+        resumeDesktopSync = await (await import("@/lib/desktop-sync")).pauseDesktopSyncForImport();
+      }
       const memo = await createWeChatChatMemo({
         notebookId,
         title: payload.title?.trim() || "",
@@ -1867,6 +1877,7 @@ export const WorkspaceApp = ({
       }
       creatingMemoSelectionRef.current = false;
     } finally {
+      resumeDesktopSync?.();
       setWeChatImportsInProgress((count) => Math.max(0, count - 1));
     }
   }, [defaultMemoNotebookId, imageCompressionEnabled, localDataScope, memoView, notebooks, repository, selectedNotebookId, t]);
diff --git a/apps/web/src/lib/desktop-sync.test.mjs b/apps/web/src/lib/desktop-sync.test.mjs
index b3ffe436..531f1b23 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/lib/desktop-sync.test.mjs
+++ b/apps/web/src/lib/desktop-sync.test.mjs
@@ -11,18 +11,37 @@ const {
   mergeMemoIdMappings,
   mergeSyncedMemos,
   normalizeDesktopMemoPayload,
+  pauseDesktopSyncForImport,
   orderBootstrapNotebooks,
   orderDesktopSyncChanges,
   resolveDesktopMemoSyncBase,
   resolveDesktopStaleMemoUpdate,
   desktopLocalRevisionWitnessesRemote,
   rewriteStagedResource,
+  syncDesktopData,
   shouldAttemptDesktopRecoveryPull,
   shouldPullDesktopChanges,
 } = await import("./desktop-sync.ts");
 const { ApiRequestError } = await import("./api.ts");
 
 describe("desktop staged resource sync", () => {
+  test("holds cloud sync until an imported screenshot is saved", async () => {
+    const originalWindow = globalThis.window;
+    const events = [];
+    globalThis.window = { dispatchEvent: (event) => { events.push(event.type); return true; } };
+    try {
+      const release = await pauseDesktopSyncForImport();
+      const result = await syncDesktopData();
+      expect(result.attempted).toBe(0);
+      expect(events).not.toContain("edgeever:sync-queue-changed");
+      release();
+      release();
+      expect(events.filter((event) => event === "edgeever:sync-queue-changed")).toHaveLength(1);
+    } finally {
+      globalThis.window = originalWindow;
+    }
+  });
+
   test("rewrites placeholders in memo JSON and markdown", () => {
     const rewrites = [{ memoId: "memo-1", placeholder: "edgeever-staged://stage-1", url: "/api/v1/resources/resource-1/blob" }];
     const value = {
diff --git a/apps/web/src/lib/desktop-sync.ts b/apps/web/src/lib/desktop-sync.ts
index 004a661e..b0e60a53 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/lib/desktop-sync.ts
+++ b/apps/web/src/lib/desktop-sync.ts
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ import { api, ApiRequestError } from "@/lib/api";
 import { isDesktopResourceRuntime, mapMarkdownResourceUrls, mapTiptapResourceUrls, toApiResourceUrl } from "@/lib/desktop-resources";
 import { readEmergencyDraft } from "@/lib/emergency-draft";
 import { notebookDeleteIdsFromPayload } from "@/lib/notebook-delete";
-import { notifyMemoIdRemapped, notifyMemoSyncAcknowledged } from "@/lib/sync-events";
+import { notifyMemoIdRemapped, notifyMemoSyncAcknowledged, notifySyncQueueChanged } from "@/lib/sync-events";
 
 type StagedResourceRewrite = { memoId: string; placeholder: string; url: string };
 
@@ -767,9 +767,33 @@ export const mergeSyncedMemos = <T>(target: Map<string, T>, source: ReadonlyMap<
 };
 
 let activeSync: Promise<DesktopSyncResult> | null = null;
+let pausedImports = 0;
+
+// Importers create a local memo before its attachment can be staged. Keep that
+// short sequence together so cloud acknowledgement cannot remap the memo ID
+// between create and update (or leave an empty cloud memo on failure).
+export const pauseDesktopSyncForImport = async () => {
+  pausedImports += 1;
+  try {
+    if (activeSync) await activeSync;
+  } catch (error) {
+    pausedImports -= 1;
+    throw error;
+  }
+  let released = false;
+  return () => {
+    if (released) return;
+    released = true;
+    pausedImports -= 1;
+    if (pausedImports === 0) notifySyncQueueChanged();
+  };
+};
 
 export const syncDesktopData = () => {
   if (activeSync) return activeSync;
+  if (pausedImports > 0) {
+    return Promise.resolve({ attempted: 0, synced: 0, failed: 0, conflicted: 0, memoIdMappings: new Map(), syncedMemos: new Map() });
+  }
   activeSync = (async () => {
     const memoIdMappings = new Map<string, string>();
     const syncedMemos = new Map<string, DesktopRpcResponses["memo.get"]["memo"]>();