diff --git a/studio/backend/tests/test_hf_xet_fallback.py b/studio/backend/tests/test_hf_xet_fallback.py
index a037ea2579..c0b624e27b 100644
--- a/studio/backend/tests/test_hf_xet_fallback.py
+++ b/studio/backend/tests/test_hf_xet_fallback.py
@@ -307,6 +307,51 @@ def test_degrades_when_shared_helper_import_raises_importerror():
             sys.modules["utils.hf_xet_fallback"] = saved_shim
 
 
+def test_no_light_gpu_init_retry_on_an_accelerator_host(monkeypatch):
+    """The UNSLOTH_ZOO_DISABLE_GPU_INIT retry makes unsloth_zoo take its MLX/CPU path, which injects
+    triton and bitsandbytes STUBS into sys.modules for the whole process. On a GPU host whose
+    unsloth_zoo import failed for an unrelated reason (a bitsandbytes/CUDA mismatch, say), those
+    stubs raise "called on Apple Silicon / MLX" from the first CUDA-only kernel a later GGUF or
+    compiled diffusion generation touches, so a healthy GPU starts 500ing. The shim must degrade
+    instead of retrying there."""
+    import importlib
+    import os
+
+    monkeypatch.delenv("UNSLOTH_ZOO_DISABLE_GPU_INIT", raising = False)
+    attempts = []
+
+    class _Blocker:
+        def find_spec(self, name, path = None, target = None):
+            if name == "unsloth_zoo":
+                attempts.append(os.environ.get("UNSLOTH_ZOO_DISABLE_GPU_INIT"))
+                raise RuntimeError("CUDA Setup failed despite GPU being available")
+            return None
+
+    finder = _Blocker()
+    saved = {
+        k: v
+        for k, v in list(sys.modules.items())
+        if k == "unsloth_zoo" or k.startswith("unsloth_zoo.")
+    }
+    for k in saved:
+        del sys.modules[k]
+    saved_shim = sys.modules.pop("utils.hf_xet_fallback", None)
+    sys.meta_path.insert(0, finder)
+    try:
+        shim = importlib.import_module("utils.hf_xet_fallback")
+        monkeypatch.setattr(shim, "_gpu_present", lambda: True)
+        assert shim._load_shared() is False
+        # Exactly ONE attempt, made without the light-init flag.
+        assert attempts == [None], attempts
+        assert os.environ.get("UNSLOTH_ZOO_DISABLE_GPU_INIT") is None
+    finally:
+        sys.meta_path.remove(finder)
+        sys.modules.pop("utils.hf_xet_fallback", None)
+        sys.modules.update(saved)
+        if saved_shim is not None:
+            sys.modules["utils.hf_xet_fallback"] = saved_shim
+
+
 def test_retries_under_light_gpu_init_when_import_fails(monkeypatch):
     """GPU detection in unsloth_zoo's __init__ raises NotImplementedError on a GPU-less host. The shim
     retries under UNSLOTH_ZOO_DISABLE_GPU_INIT=1, restores the env, and degrades if the retry fails.
@@ -345,6 +390,9 @@ def test_retries_under_light_gpu_init_when_import_fails(monkeypatch):
     sys.meta_path.insert(0, finder)
     try:
         degraded = importlib.import_module("utils.hf_xet_fallback")
+        # The retry only applies to a host with no accelerator (see _gpu_present); pin that on the
+        # freshly imported module so this keeps exercising the light-init path.
+        monkeypatch.setattr(degraded, "_gpu_present", lambda: False)
         # Import is light (lazy backend); unsloth_zoo not loaded yet.
         assert seen_env == [], seen_env
         # First use of a heavy helper triggers the load (attempt without the light env, then a retry
diff --git a/studio/backend/utils/hf_xet_fallback.py b/studio/backend/utils/hf_xet_fallback.py
index 49872f371e..f2a96d4490 100644
--- a/studio/backend/utils/hf_xet_fallback.py
+++ b/studio/backend/utils/hf_xet_fallback.py
@@ -38,6 +38,29 @@ _shared_import_error: Optional[BaseException] = None
 _load_lock = threading.Lock()
 
 
+def _gpu_present() -> bool:
+    """Whether this host has a usable accelerator, decided WITHOUT importing unsloth_zoo.
+
+    Only torch is consulted (already imported by the time any download helper runs), and any
+    failure answers False so a genuinely torch-less host keeps the light-init retry below.
+    """
+    try:
+        import torch
+    except Exception:  # noqa: BLE001 -- no torch at all: the light path is the right one
+        return False
+    for probe in (
+        lambda: torch.cuda.is_available(),
+        lambda: torch.backends.mps.is_available(),
+        lambda: torch.xpu.is_available(),
+    ):
+        try:
+            if probe():
+                return True
+        except Exception:  # noqa: BLE001 -- a missing backend is just "not this one"
+            continue
+    return False
+
+
 def _load_shared() -> bool:
     """Import ``unsloth_zoo.hf_xet_fallback`` on demand; return True if available. Deferred so
     importing this module at worker startup does not pull transformers in before the sidecar is
@@ -61,6 +84,26 @@ def _load_shared() -> bool:
             _shared_import_error = exc
             import os as _os
 
+            # ...but ONLY on a host that really has no accelerator. That flag makes unsloth_zoo take
+            # its MLX/CPU path, which injects triton and bitsandbytes STUBS into sys.modules for the
+            # rest of the process. On a working GPU box (where the import failed for an unrelated
+            # reason, e.g. a bitsandbytes/CUDA mismatch) those stubs then raise
+            # "called on Apple Silicon / MLX" from the first CUDA-only kernel a later GGUF or
+            # compiled diffusion generation touches, turning a healthy GPU into 500s. The Xet
+            # watchdog is optional; a poisoned process is not, so degrade instead.
+            if _gpu_present():
+                _shared_available = False
+                import logging as _logging
+
+                _logging.getLogger(__name__).warning(
+                    "unsloth_zoo.hf_xet_fallback unavailable (%s); the Xet stall watchdog is "
+                    "disabled. Not retrying under UNSLOTH_ZOO_DISABLE_GPU_INIT because this host "
+                    "has an accelerator and that path would stub out triton/bitsandbytes for the "
+                    "whole process.",
+                    exc,
+                )
+                return False
+
             _prev_gpu_init = _os.environ.get("UNSLOTH_ZOO_DISABLE_GPU_INIT")
             _os.environ["UNSLOTH_ZOO_DISABLE_GPU_INIT"] = "1"
             try: