diff --git a/studio/scripts/provision_llama_cuda.sh b/studio/scripts/provision_llama_cuda.sh
index a7fc34103c..585f0baf01 100644
--- a/studio/scripts/provision_llama_cuda.sh
+++ b/studio/scripts/provision_llama_cuda.sh
@@ -23,10 +23,36 @@ is_cuda_server() {
     return 1
 }
 
+# Functional confirmation that the server's CUDA backend actually loads, used only
+# to gate the step-0 early-skip. is_cuda_server() trusts a co-located
+# libggml-cuda.so*, but an *interrupted* build (thermal/power shutdown -- common on
+# this hardware) can leave a half-linked libggml-cuda.so beside the binary: present,
+# so is_cuda_server() matches, yet the backend fails to dlopen at runtime. The
+# post-build path already wipes+rebuilds such a partial .so, but the early-skip would
+# trust it and never rebuild. `--list-devices` enumerates backends and exits, so it's
+# a cheap probe (no server spin-up). Returns: 0 = a CUDA device is listed; 1 = the
+# flag is supported and ran but no CUDA device appeared (broken/partial backend ->
+# rebuild); 2 = inconclusive (timed out, or an old pin without --list-devices) -> keep
+# trusting the .so so we never force a needless, thermally-expensive rebuild.
+cuda_server_probe() {
+    local _to="" _out _rc
+    command -v timeout >/dev/null 2>&1 && _to="timeout 60"
+    _out="$( $_to "$1" --list-devices 2>&1 )"; _rc=$?
+    [ "$_rc" -eq 124 ] && return 2                                   # timed out
+    printf '%s\n' "$_out" | grep -qiE 'CUDA[0-9]'        && return 0 # CUDA device listed
+    printf '%s\n' "$_out" | grep -qi  'available devices' && return 1 # ran, but none is CUDA
+    return 2                                                         # flag unsupported / couldn't run
+}
+
 # 0. Already provisioned?
 if is_cuda_server "$SERVER"; then
-    log "CUDA llama-server already present: $SERVER"
-    exit 0
+    cuda_server_probe "$SERVER"; _probe=$?
+    if [ "$_probe" -ne 1 ]; then
+        log "CUDA llama-server already present: $SERVER"
+        exit 0
+    fi
+    log "existing llama-server has libggml-cuda.so but lists no CUDA device (partial/broken build); rebuilding clean"
+    rm -rf "$LLAMA_DIR/build"   # force a clean reconfigure+build below
 fi
 
 # 1. Require an NVIDIA GPU (this script is only meaningful with one).