diff --git a/src/uix/soma/components/navigation-menu/navigation-menu-provider.svelte.ts b/src/uix/soma/components/navigation-menu/navigation-menu-provider.svelte.ts
index 530eb21e3..76fbb5f10 100644
--- a/src/uix/soma/components/navigation-menu/navigation-menu-provider.svelte.ts
+++ b/src/uix/soma/components/navigation-menu/navigation-menu-provider.svelte.ts
@@ -482,6 +482,27 @@ export class NavigationMenuTriggerProvider {
 
 	readonly isOpen = $derived.by(() => this.item.isOpen);
 
+	/**
+	 * Timestamp of the last `isOpen → true` transition for this trigger.
+	 * Used to suppress the "click immediately closes" race that hits users
+	 * who hover briefly then click: hover schedules an open (after
+	 * `openDelay`), the open fires, then a stray click toggles it shut.
+	 * If a click arrives within ~250ms of the open we treat it as the
+	 * same intent (commit the open) and ignore the close-toggle.
+	 *
+	 * `$effect` watches `isOpen` and stamps the time whenever it flips
+	 * from false → true, regardless of whether the open came from hover
+	 * scheduling, click, or keyboard. Tracked per-trigger because each
+	 * NavigationMenuTriggerProvider is an independent instance.
+	 */
+	private lastOpenedAt = 0;
+
+	openedAtEffect = $effect.root(() => {
+		$effect(() => {
+			if (this.isOpen) this.lastOpenedAt = Date.now();
+		});
+	});
+
 	readonly onpointerenter = () => {
 		if (this.opts.disabled.current) return;
 		if (!this.provider.opts.hoverEnabled.current) return;
@@ -495,8 +516,15 @@ export class NavigationMenuTriggerProvider {
 
 	readonly onclick = (_e: SomaMouseEvent<HTMLButtonElement>) => {
 		if (this.opts.disabled.current) return;
-		if (this.isOpen) this.provider.closeNow();
-		else this.provider.openNow(this.item.opts.value.current);
+		if (this.isOpen) {
+			// Suppress the close if the open is fresh — the user likely
+			// clicked right after hover-open, intending to commit the
+			// open rather than toggle it shut.
+			if (Date.now() - this.lastOpenedAt < 250) return;
+			this.provider.closeNow();
+		} else {
+			this.provider.openNow(this.item.opts.value.current);
+		}
 	};
 
 	readonly onkeydown = (e: SomaKeyboardEvent<HTMLButtonElement>) => {