diff --git a/packages/react-components/src/MasterDetailLayout.tsx b/packages/react-components/src/MasterDetailLayout.tsx
index 34cb029a..f93f3917 100644
--- a/packages/react-components/src/MasterDetailLayout.tsx
+++ b/packages/react-components/src/MasterDetailLayout.tsx
@@ -70,6 +70,10 @@ function Detail({ children }: DetailProps) {
   const nextDetailsKey = currentDetailsKey.current + 1;
   const [state, setState] = useState('idle');
   const [currentChildren, setCurrentChildren] = useState(children);
+  // The transition completion handler closes over the children from when the
+  // transition started, so read the latest ones through a ref instead.
+  const latestChildren = useRef(children);
+  latestChildren.current = children;
 
   useLayoutEffect(() => {
     const layout = currentDetailsRef.current?.closest(
@@ -92,6 +96,7 @@ function Detail({ children }: DetailProps) {
 
       // _startTransition calls the callback synchronously for add/replace,
       // and asynchronously for remove.
+      let outgoingClone: HTMLElement | undefined;
       layout
         ._startTransition(transitionType, async () => {
           if (transitionType === 'replace' && currentDetailsRef.current) {
@@ -100,6 +105,7 @@ function Detail({ children }: DetailProps) {
             // WC can animate the clone out, then hide the React-managed original
             // so the WC's post-animation cleanup won't remove it from the DOM.
             const clone = currentDetailsRef.current.cloneNode(true) as HTMLElement;
+            outgoingClone = clone;
             clone.setAttribute('slot', 'detail-outgoing');
             layout.appendChild(clone);
             currentDetailsRef.current.setAttribute('slot', 'detail-hidden');
@@ -119,8 +125,10 @@ function Detail({ children }: DetailProps) {
           layout.recalculateLayout();
         })
         .then(() => {
-          // Animation finished — sync React state to match DOM reality
-          setCurrentChildren(children);
+          // Animation finished — remove the clone the WC does not own, then
+          // sync React state to match DOM reality
+          outgoingClone?.remove();
+          setCurrentChildren(latestChildren.current);
           currentDetailsKey.current = nextDetailsKey;
           setState('idle');
         });
diff --git a/test/MasterDetailLayout.spec.tsx b/test/MasterDetailLayout.spec.tsx
index b69f3a07..1c4f2e71 100644
--- a/test/MasterDetailLayout.spec.tsx
+++ b/test/MasterDetailLayout.spec.tsx
@@ -388,4 +388,85 @@ describe('MasterDetailLayout', () => {
       );
     });
   });
+
+  describe('real transitions', () => {
+    function ViewA() {
+      return <div>View A</div>;
+    }
+
+    function ViewB() {
+      return <div>View B</div>;
+    }
+
+    function ViewC() {
+      return <div>View C</div>;
+    }
+
+    function withDetail(view: ReactNode, forceOverlay = false) {
+      return (
+        <MasterDetailLayout forceOverlay={forceOverlay}>
+          <MasterDetailLayout.Master>Master</MasterDetailLayout.Master>
+          <MasterDetailLayout.Detail>{view}</MasterDetailLayout.Detail>
+        </MasterDetailLayout>
+      );
+    }
+
+    async function untilTransitionEnds() {
+      await vi.waitFor(() => {
+        expect(layout.hasAttribute('transition')).to.be.false;
+      });
+    }
+
+    function outgoingElements() {
+      return layout.querySelectorAll('[slot="detail-outgoing"]');
+    }
+
+    beforeEach(async () => {
+      // Use the real _startTransition
+      delete (layout as any)._startTransition;
+      layout.style.width = '800px';
+
+      await result.rerender(withDetail(<ViewA />));
+      await assertDetailsVisible('View A');
+    });
+
+    it('should remove the outgoing clone after a replace transition', async () => {
+      await result.rerender(withDetail(<ViewB />));
+      await assertDetailsVisible('View B');
+      await untilTransitionEnds();
+
+      expect(outgoingElements()).to.have.length(0);
+      expect(layout.textContent).to.not.include('View A');
+
+      await result.rerender(withDetail(<ViewC />));
+      await assertDetailsVisible('View C');
+      await untilTransitionEnds();
+
+      expect(outgoingElements()).to.have.length(0);
+      expect(layout.textContent).to.not.include('View B');
+    });
+
+    it('should run one transition when the detail changes during a transition', async () => {
+      // Replace is instant in split mode, so use overlay mode where it animates
+      await result.rerender(withDetail(<ViewA />, true));
+      await vi.waitFor(() => {
+        expect(layout.hasAttribute('overlay')).to.be.true;
+      });
+      const spy = sinon.spy(layout as any, '_startTransition');
+
+      await result.rerender(withDetail(<ViewB />, true));
+      // Change the detail while the replace animation is running
+      await new Promise((resolve) => {
+        setTimeout(resolve, 50);
+      });
+      await result.rerender(withDetail(<ViewC />, true));
+
+      await assertDetailsVisible('View C');
+      await untilTransitionEnds();
+
+      expect(spy.calledOnce).to.be.true;
+      expect(outgoingElements()).to.have.length(0);
+      expect(layout.textContent).to.not.include('View B');
+    });
+  });
 });