diff --git a/src/jsc/VirtualMachine.rs b/src/jsc/VirtualMachine.rs
index ca925367b68a..0888dc086c74 100644
--- a/src/jsc/VirtualMachine.rs
+++ b/src/jsc/VirtualMachine.rs
@@ -1195,7 +1195,7 @@ impl VirtualMachine {
                 + self.active_tasks
                 + el.tasks.readable_length()
                 + el.yield_tasks.len()
-                + (!el.concurrent_tasks.is_empty() as usize)
+                + (el.has_concurrent_tasks() as usize)
                 + (el.has_pending_refs() as usize)
                 > 0)
     }
diff --git a/src/jsc/VmHandle.rs b/src/jsc/VmHandle.rs
index c8a03dc8db22..b5a3f748999d 100644
--- a/src/jsc/VmHandle.rs
+++ b/src/jsc/VmHandle.rs
@@ -74,6 +74,8 @@ enum State {
 #[derive(Clone, Copy, Debug, PartialEq, Eq)]
 pub enum LoopKind {
     Regular,
+    /// Once the macro has returned, the regular loop services this loop's
+    /// queue and keep-alive deltas too (`EventLoop::finished_macro_loop`).
     Macro,
 }
 
diff --git a/src/jsc/event_loop.rs b/src/jsc/event_loop.rs
index 6437e63f9456..621fc211c666 100644
--- a/src/jsc/event_loop.rs
+++ b/src/jsc/event_loop.rs
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ use core::ptr::NonNull;
 use core::sync::atomic::{AtomicI32, AtomicPtr, Ordering};
 
 use bun_io::{self as Async, Waker};
+use bun_threading::unbounded_queue::Batch;
 use bun_uws as uws;
 
 use crate::js_promise::Status as PromiseStatus;
@@ -479,9 +480,12 @@ impl EventLoop {
     }
 
     /// Whether a keep-alive delta (`ref_keep_alive`, here or through a
-    /// `VmHandle`) has been queued but not yet applied to the loop's `active` count.
+    /// `Ticket`) has been queued but not yet applied to the loop's `active` count.
     pub fn has_pending_refs(&self) -> bool {
         self.concurrent_ref.load(Ordering::SeqCst) > 0
+            || self
+                .finished_macro_loop()
+                .is_some_and(|macro_loop| macro_loop.concurrent_ref.load(Ordering::SeqCst) > 0)
     }
 
     pub fn run_imminent_gc_timer(&mut self) {
@@ -513,47 +517,51 @@ impl EventLoop {
 
         self.run_imminent_gc_timer();
 
-        let concurrent = self.concurrent_tasks.pop_batch();
-        let count = concurrent.count;
-        if count == 0 {
-            return 0;
-        }
-
-        let mut iter = concurrent.iterator();
         let start_count = self.tasks.readable_length();
-        let _ = self.tasks.ensure_unused_capacity(count);
-
-        // Defer destruction of the ConcurrentTask to avoid issues with pointer aliasing
-        let mut to_destroy: Option<*mut ConcurrentTaskItem> = None;
-
-        loop {
-            let task = iter.next();
-            if task.is_null() {
-                break;
-            }
-            if let Some(dest) = to_destroy.take() {
-                // SAFETY: dest was returned by iterator and marked auto_delete; uniquely owned here
-                let _ = unsafe { bun_core::heap::take(dest) };
-            }
-
-            // SAFETY: `task` is non-null (checked above) and owned by this
-            // batch; only shared reads follow (`auto_delete`, the `task` copy).
-            let task_ref = unsafe { &*task };
-            if task_ref.auto_delete() {
-                to_destroy = Some(task);
-            }
-
-            // LinearFifo's fields are private — `write_item` is the
-            // public path (single-slot copy, same complexity).
-            let _ = self.tasks.write_item(task_ref.task);
+        let posted = self.concurrent_tasks.pop_batch();
+        self.take_concurrent_batch(posted);
+        if let Some(macro_loop) = self.finished_macro_loop() {
+            macro_loop.apply_concurrent_ref_delta();
+            let posted = macro_loop.concurrent_tasks.pop_batch();
+            self.take_concurrent_batch(posted);
         }
+        self.tasks.readable_length() - start_count
+    }
 
-        if let Some(dest) = to_destroy {
-            // SAFETY: see above
-            let _ = unsafe { bun_core::heap::take(dest) };
+    /// Move a popped batch into `self.tasks`, freeing the heap `ConcurrentTask` carriers.
+    fn take_concurrent_batch(&mut self, batch: Batch<ConcurrentTaskItem>) {
+        if batch.count == 0 {
+            return;
+        }
+        let _ = self.tasks.ensure_unused_capacity(batch.count);
+        let mut iter = batch.iterator();
+        while let Some(node) = NonNull::new(iter.next()) {
+            // SAFETY: a node of the popped batch; the iterator has already moved past it.
+            let task = unsafe { ConcurrentTaskItem::into_task(node) };
+            let _ = self.tasks.write_item(task);
         }
+    }
 
-        self.tasks.readable_length() - start_count
+    /// The macro loop, when this is the regular loop and no macro is running.
+    /// Work a macro started posts its completion and its keep-alive release
+    /// there (`LoopKind::Macro`), but that loop only ticks while a macro is
+    /// being waited on, so whatever finishes after the macro returned would
+    /// otherwise sit there forever, and the platform loop both loops share
+    /// would stay alive for it.
+    fn finished_macro_loop(&self) -> Option<&EventLoop> {
+        let vm = self.vm_ref();
+        (vm.has_enabled_macro_mode
+            && !vm.macro_mode
+            && core::ptr::eq(self, &raw const vm.regular_event_loop))
+        .then_some(&vm.macro_event_loop)
+    }
+
+    /// Other threads have posted work that this loop's next drain will pick up.
+    pub(crate) fn has_concurrent_tasks(&self) -> bool {
+        !self.concurrent_tasks.is_empty()
+            || self
+                .finished_macro_loop()
+                .is_some_and(|macro_loop| !macro_loop.concurrent_tasks.is_empty())
     }
 
     /// Fold refs/unrefs queued through `ref_keep_alive`/`unref_keep_alive`
@@ -643,7 +651,7 @@ impl EventLoop {
     /// Work is queued that the next `tick()` will run: the poll before it must
     /// not block.
     pub fn has_pending_tasks(&self) -> bool {
-        self.tasks.readable_length() > 0 || !self.concurrent_tasks.is_empty()
+        self.tasks.readable_length() > 0 || self.has_concurrent_tasks()
     }
 
     pub fn tick(&mut self) {
@@ -730,27 +738,6 @@ impl EventLoop {
         let _ = self.tasks.write_item(task);
     }
 
-    /// Move whatever other threads posted (`concurrent_tasks`) into
-    /// `self.tasks`, freeing the heap `ConcurrentTask` carriers, so one pass
-    /// over `self.tasks` releases everything. Called by `release_queued_tasks`
-    /// in teardown, after `join_child_workers()` (every child has posted its
-    /// close task by then) and before the JSC VM is destroyed (so captured
-    /// `Ref<>`s in queued C++ lambdas drop against a live heap).
-    fn take_concurrent_tasks(&mut self) {
-        let mut iter = self.concurrent_tasks.pop_batch().iterator();
-        loop {
-            let node = iter.next();
-            if node.is_null() {
-                break;
-            }
-            // SAFETY: `node` is non-null and owned by the popped batch; the
-            // iterator advanced past it before returning.
-            let task =
-                unsafe { ConcurrentTask::ConcurrentTask::into_task(NonNull::new_unchecked(node)) };
-            let _ = self.tasks.write_item(task);
-        }
-    }
-
     /// Release, without running, every task still queued — what other
     /// threads posted and what this thread enqueued — through each type's
     /// `Taskable::release_unrun`, and refuse (release on arrival) anything
@@ -759,7 +746,8 @@ impl EventLoop {
     /// once more after `Closed`.
     pub fn release_queued_tasks(&mut self) {
         self.closed_for_tasks = true;
-        self.take_concurrent_tasks();
+        let posted = self.concurrent_tasks.pop_batch();
+        self.take_concurrent_batch(posted);
         let _ = self.promote_yield_tasks();
         while let Some(task) = self.tasks.read_item() {
             // SAFETY: JS thread, heap alive; `task` just left the queue.
diff --git a/test/bundler/transpiler/macro-test.test.ts b/test/bundler/transpiler/macro-test.test.ts
index 50bac3b40ede..3d68a40d32ae 100644
--- a/test/bundler/transpiler/macro-test.test.ts
+++ b/test/bundler/transpiler/macro-test.test.ts
@@ -182,6 +182,85 @@ test("object destructuring of a macro result keeps every bound property regardle
   expect(exitCode).toBe(0);
 });
 
+// Async work a macro starts without awaiting it posts its completion (and, for WebCrypto, the release
+// of its keep-alive) to the loop that was current when the work started, the macro loop, which stops
+// ticking as soon as the macro returns. Work that is still pending at that point (always the case for
+// work started inside the macro call itself) has to be picked up by the regular event loop from there.
+// When it was not, the work kept the process alive forever: `bun run` printed the value and then never
+// exited, which here shows up as the child never exiting. The top-level case usually finishes while
+// the macro module is still being loaded and covers the continuation running from the macro loop
+// itself.
+describe("work a macro starts without awaiting it", () => {
+  const cases: [name: string, macroSource: string][] = [
+    [
+      "an fs.promises call inside the macro",
+      [
+        `import { promises as fs } from "node:fs";`,
+        `export function m() {`,
+        `  fs.stat(import.meta.dir).then(() => console.log("settled"));`,
+        `  return 1;`,
+        `}`,
+      ].join("\n"),
+    ],
+    [
+      "an fs.promises call at the macro module's top level",
+      [
+        `import { promises as fs } from "node:fs";`,
+        `fs.stat(import.meta.dir).then(() => console.log("settled"));`,
+        `export function m() {`,
+        `  return 1;`,
+        `}`,
+      ].join("\n"),
+    ],
+    [
+      "a fetch() inside the macro",
+      [
+        `export function m() {`,
+        `  fetch(process.env.MACRO_TEST_URL!).then(res => res.text()).then(body => console.log(body));`,
+        `  return 1;`,
+        `}`,
+      ].join("\n"),
+    ],
+    [
+      // Inputs of 64 bytes or more are hashed on the WebCrypto work queue, which releases its keep-alive
+      // through the macro loop rather than completing through a thread-pool job like the cases above.
+      "a crypto.subtle.digest() inside the macro",
+      [
+        `export function m() {`,
+        `  crypto.subtle.digest("SHA-256", new Uint8Array(4096)).then(() => console.log("settled"));`,
+        `  return 1;`,
+        `}`,
+      ].join("\n"),
+    ],
+  ];
+
+  test.concurrent.each(cases)("%s still lets the process exit", async (_name, macroSource) => {
+    await using server = Bun.serve({ port: 0, fetch: () => new Response("settled") });
+    using dir = tempDir("macro-unawaited-work", {
+      "m.ts": macroSource,
+      "index.ts": `import { m } from "./m.ts" with { type: "macro" };\nconsole.log("value", m());\n`,
+    });
+    await using proc = Bun.spawn({
+      cmd: [bunExe(), "run", "index.ts"],
+      env: { ...bunEnv, MACRO_TEST_URL: server.url.href },
+      cwd: String(dir),
+      stdout: "pipe",
+      stderr: "pipe",
+    });
+    const [stdout, stderr, exitCode] = await Promise.all([proc.stdout.text(), proc.stderr.text(), proc.exited]);
+    // Debug builds also print "[macro] call m". The continuation runs on the macro loop if the work
+    // finishes while the macro is still being waited on, and on the regular loop otherwise, so its
+    // position relative to the entry module's own output varies; hence the sort.
+    const lines = stdout
+      .trim()
+      .split("\n")
+      .filter(line => !line.startsWith("[macro]"))
+      .sort();
+    expect({ lines, stderr }).toEqual({ lines: ["settled", "value 1"], stderr: "" });
+    expect(exitCode).toBe(0);
+  });
+});
+
 describe("--no-macros", () => {
   const files = {
     "macro.ts": `