diff --git a/ILSpy.Tests/Views/DebugStepsTests.cs b/ILSpy.Tests/Views/DebugStepsTests.cs
index 4c26dadb0..1413e30ac 100644
--- a/ILSpy.Tests/Views/DebugStepsTests.cs
+++ b/ILSpy.Tests/Views/DebugStepsTests.cs
@@ -172,15 +172,13 @@ public class DebugStepsTests
 		var replayStep = transformGroupWithChanges.Children.First();
 		var tab = vm.DockWorkspace.ActiveDecompilerTab!;
 
-		tab.RestartDecompileWithStepLimit(replayStep.BeginStep, isDebug: false, replayStep.BeginStep);
-		tab = await vm.DockWorkspace.WaitForDecompiledTextAsync();
+		await tab.RestartDecompileWithStepLimit(replayStep.BeginStep, isDebug: false, replayStep.BeginStep);
 		tab.Text.Should().NotBeNullOrWhiteSpace("C# replay before a selected AST mutation step must still emit code");
 		tab.DebugStepHighlight.Should().NotBeNull("C# replay before a selected AST mutation step must locate the changed node");
 		debugStepsVm.Steps.Should().BeSameAs(collectedSteps,
 			"a step-limited C# replay must not replace the full step tree shown by the pane");
 
-		tab.RestartDecompileWithStepLimit(replayStep.EndStep, isDebug: false, replayStep.BeginStep);
-		tab = await vm.DockWorkspace.WaitForDecompiledTextAsync();
+		await tab.RestartDecompileWithStepLimit(replayStep.EndStep, isDebug: false, replayStep.BeginStep);
 		tab.Text.Should().NotBeNullOrWhiteSpace("C# replay after a selected AST mutation step must still emit code");
 		tab.DebugStepHighlight.Should().NotBeNull("C# replay after a selected AST mutation step must locate the changed node");
 		debugStepsVm.Steps.Should().BeSameAs(collectedSteps,
@@ -226,15 +224,13 @@ public class DebugStepsTests
 		var collectedSteps = debugStepsVm.Steps;
 		var tab = vm.DockWorkspace.ActiveDecompilerTab!;
 
-		tab.RestartDecompileWithStepLimit(replayStep!.BeginStep, isDebug: false, replayStep.BeginStep);
-		tab = await vm.DockWorkspace.WaitForDecompiledTextAsync();
+		await tab.RestartDecompileWithStepLimit(replayStep!.BeginStep, isDebug: false, replayStep.BeginStep);
 		tab.Text.Should().NotBeNullOrWhiteSpace("ILAst replay before a selected step must still emit IL");
 		tab.DebugStepHighlight.Should().NotBeNull("ILAst replay before a selected step must locate the changed instruction");
 		debugStepsVm.Steps.Should().BeSameAs(collectedSteps,
 			"a step-limited ILAst replay must not replace the full step tree shown by the pane");
 
-		tab.RestartDecompileWithStepLimit(replayStep.EndStep, isDebug: false, replayStep.BeginStep);
-		tab = await vm.DockWorkspace.WaitForDecompiledTextAsync();
+		await tab.RestartDecompileWithStepLimit(replayStep.EndStep, isDebug: false, replayStep.BeginStep);
 		tab.Text.Should().NotBeNullOrWhiteSpace("ILAst replay after a selected step must still emit IL");
 		tab.DebugStepHighlight.Should().NotBeNull("ILAst replay after a selected step must locate the changed instruction");
 
diff --git a/ILSpy/TextView/DecompilerTabPageModel.cs b/ILSpy/TextView/DecompilerTabPageModel.cs
index 4091e3012..34376996e 100644
--- a/ILSpy/TextView/DecompilerTabPageModel.cs
+++ b/ILSpy/TextView/DecompilerTabPageModel.cs
@@ -401,12 +401,12 @@ namespace ICSharpCode.ILSpy.TextView
 		/// is <see cref="int.MaxValue"/>). <paramref name="isDebug"/> toggles the transforms'
 		/// verbose-debug emission. No-op when there's nothing currently being decompiled.
 		/// </summary>
-		public void RestartDecompileWithStepLimit(int stepLimit, bool isDebug, int? highlightStep = null)
+		public Task RestartDecompileWithStepLimit(int stepLimit, bool isDebug, int? highlightStep = null)
 		{
 			pendingStepLimit = stepLimit;
 			pendingHighlightStep = highlightStep;
 			pendingIsDebug = isDebug;
-			StartDecompile();
+			return StartDecompile();
 		}
 
 		/// <summary>Re-runs the current decompile with a larger output-length limit (the "Display code
@@ -463,16 +463,20 @@ namespace ICSharpCode.ILSpy.TextView
 			ICSharpCode.ILSpy.Commands.SaveCodeHelper.SaveNodeAsync(node, languageService, dockWorkspace).HandleExceptions();
 		}
 
-		// Fire-and-forget wrapper around DecompileAsync that observes the resulting Task.
-		// Without this, exceptions raised by the dispatched property setters (e.g. the
-		// PropertyChanged subscribers in DecompilerTextView) become UnobservedTaskException
-		// faults that the finalizer thread rethrows much later, hiding the originating bug.
-		void StartDecompile()
+		// Starts a decompile and returns the Task that completes once the output has been applied,
+		// so callers (e.g. the Debug Steps replay, and tests) can await completion deterministically
+		// instead of polling IsDecompiling/Text. A fault-observing continuation is attached so that
+		// exceptions raised by the dispatched property setters (e.g. the PropertyChanged subscribers
+		// in DecompilerTextView) don't become UnobservedTaskException faults the finalizer thread
+		// rethrows much later, hiding the originating bug.
+		Task StartDecompile()
 		{
-			pendingDecompile = DecompileAsync().ContinueWith(t => {
+			var decompile = DecompileAsync();
+			pendingDecompile = decompile.ContinueWith(t => {
 				if (t.Exception is { } ex)
 					System.Diagnostics.Debug.WriteLine($"DecompileAsync faulted: {ex.Flatten()}");
 			}, TaskContinuationOptions.OnlyOnFaulted | TaskContinuationOptions.ExecuteSynchronously);
+			return decompile;
 		}
 
 		/// <summary>