diff --git a/main-settings/src/main/scala/sbt/PromiseWrap.scala b/main-settings/src/main/scala/sbt/PromiseWrap.scala
index 8fa3d6aa3..ba485cfc7 100644
--- a/main-settings/src/main/scala/sbt/PromiseWrap.scala
+++ b/main-settings/src/main/scala/sbt/PromiseWrap.scala
@@ -17,6 +17,11 @@ final class PromiseWrap[A]:
       case Result.Inc(cause)   => underlying.failure(cause)
       case Result.Value(value) => underlying.success(value)
     }
+  def tryComplete(result: Result[A]): Boolean =
+    result match {
+      case Result.Inc(cause)   => underlying.tryFailure(cause)
+      case Result.Value(value) => underlying.trySuccess(value)
+    }
   def success(value: A): Unit = underlying.success(value)
   def failure(cause: Throwable): Unit = underlying.failure(cause)
   def isCompleted: Boolean = underlying.isCompleted
diff --git a/main/src/main/scala/sbt/Defaults.scala b/main/src/main/scala/sbt/Defaults.scala
index f5a080bb8..b3bed8b3f 100644
--- a/main/src/main/scala/sbt/Defaults.scala
+++ b/main/src/main/scala/sbt/Defaults.scala
@@ -2259,8 +2259,13 @@ object Defaults extends BuildCommon with DefExtra {
         val ci = (compile / compileInputs).value
         val c = fileConverter.value
         val dir = c.toPath(backendOutput.value).toFile
+        val ping = (TaskZero / earlyOutputPing).value
         result match
           case Result.Value(res) =>
+            // Zinc completes the ping during a real compile; on an action-cache hit
+            // zinc never runs, so complete it from the pickle jar. tryComplete is
+            // atomic: zinc's own completion always wins when it ran.
+            ping.tryComplete(Result.Value(c.toPath(earlyOutput.value).toFile.exists))
             val af = compileAnalysisFile.value
             val store = analysisStore(af.toPath(), c)
             if !af.exists then sys.error(s"${af} is missing")
@@ -2269,6 +2274,7 @@ object Defaults extends BuildCommon with DefExtra {
             bspTask.notifySuccess(analysis)
             res
           case Result.Inc(cause) =>
+            ping.tryComplete(Result.Value(false))
             val compileFailed = cause.directCause.collect { case c: CompileFailed => c }
             reporter.sendFailureReport(ci.options.sources, compileFailed)
             bspTask.notifyFailure(compileFailed)
diff --git a/notes/2.0.0/pipelining-cache-hit-hang.md b/notes/2.0.0/pipelining-cache-hit-hang.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b4d9f6438
--- /dev/null
+++ b/notes/2.0.0/pipelining-cache-hit-hang.md
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+### Fixes
+
+- Don't hang on `earlyOutputPing` when pipelining is enabled and a compile resolves from the action cache or fails. The ping was completed only as a side effect of zinc running, so a cache-hit or failed compile left downstream pipelined compiles waiting on it forever (`compile;compile` on a warm build hung indefinitely). The compile task now completes the ping on every resolution path: zinc's own completion still wins when zinc runs, a cache hit completes it from the pickle jar's presence, and a failure completes it false so waiters fall back to a full compile. Fixes [#9486](https://github.com/sbt/sbt/issues/9486).
diff --git a/sbt-app/src/sbt-test/source-dependencies/pipelining/build.sbt b/sbt-app/src/sbt-test/source-dependencies/pipelining/build.sbt
index 25dfae396..b37cf7cc0 100644
--- a/sbt-app/src/sbt-test/source-dependencies/pipelining/build.sbt
+++ b/sbt-app/src/sbt-test/source-dependencies/pipelining/build.sbt
@@ -12,11 +12,12 @@ lazy val dep = project
 lazy val use = project
   .dependsOn(dep)
   .settings(
-    TaskKey[Unit]("checkPickle") := {
+    TaskKey[Unit]("checkPickle") := Def.uncached {
       val s = streams.value
       val x = (dep / Compile / compile).value
       val picklePath = (Compile / internalDependencyPicklePath).value
       assert(picklePath.size == 1 &&
-        picklePath.head.data.name == "early.jar", s"picklePath = ${picklePath}")
+        picklePath.head.data.name.endsWith(".jar") &&
+        picklePath.head.data.toString.contains("early"), s"picklePath = ${picklePath}")
     },
   )
diff --git a/sbt-app/src/sbt-test/source-dependencies/pipelining/disabled b/sbt-app/src/sbt-test/source-dependencies/pipelining/test
similarity index 100%
rename from sbt-app/src/sbt-test/source-dependencies/pipelining/disabled
rename to sbt-app/src/sbt-test/source-dependencies/pipelining/test