diff --git a/src/core/folder-counts.ts b/src/core/folder-counts.ts
index fd5d4c0..ee62754 100644
--- a/src/core/folder-counts.ts
+++ b/src/core/folder-counts.ts
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ export async function folderCounts(repo: Repository, requestedPath: unknown): Pr
   const prefix = originalPath ? originalPath + "/" : "";
   const escapedPrefix = prefix.replace(/[.*+?^${}()|[\]\\]/g, "\\$&");
   const childDepth = originalPath ? originalPath.split("/").length : 0;
-  const rows = await FileModel.aggregate<{ _id: string; count: number }>([
+  const aggregate = () => FileModel.aggregate<{ _id: string; count: number }>([
     { $match: {
       repoId: repo.repoId,
       treeGeneration: repo.model.treeGeneration || { $exists: false },
@@ -35,7 +35,19 @@ export async function folderCounts(repo: Repository, requestedPath: unknown): Pr
       { $arrayElemAt: [{ $split: ["$path", "/"] }, childDepth] },
     ] } : { $arrayElemAt: [{ $split: ["$path", "/"] }, 0] }, count: { $sum: 1 } } },
     { $limit: FILE_LISTING_LIMIT + 1 },
-  ]).option({ maxTimeMS: 2000, allowDiskUse: true }).exec();
+  ]).option({ maxTimeMS: 2000, allowDiskUse: true });
+  let rows: { _id: string; count: number }[];
+  try {
+    // The short planner trial can favor the size-first index despite its
+    // document fetches. Legacy snapshots still use the default planner.
+    rows = await aggregate().option(repo.model.treeGeneration ? { hint: "file_counts_covering" } : {}).exec();
+  } catch (error) {
+    // During an additive rollout the index may not be ready yet. Retry only
+    // the missing-hint planning error, never timeouts or execution failures.
+    if (!repo.model.treeGeneration || !(error instanceof Error) || !("code" in error) || error.code !== 2 ||
+        !/hint provided does not correspond to an existing index/.test(error.message || "")) throw error;
+    rows = await aggregate().exec();
+  }
   if (rows.length > FILE_LISTING_LIMIT) throw new AnonymousError("file_listing_too_large", { httpStatus: 413 });
   const counts: Record<string, number> = Object.create(null);
   const compiled = compileTerms(repo.options.terms || []);
diff --git a/test/folder-counts.test.js b/test/folder-counts.test.js
index 0a1d90d..52a212c 100644
--- a/test/folder-counts.test.js
+++ b/test/folder-counts.test.js
@@ -17,6 +17,22 @@ describe("folder count request validation", () => {
       expect(error.message).to.equal("invalid_path"); expect(error.httpStatus).to.equal(400);
     });
   }
+  for (const error of [Object.assign(Error("operation exceeded time limit"), { code: 50 }),
+    Object.assign(Error("unrelated bad value"), { code: 2 })]) {
+    it(`does not retry ${error.message}`, async () => {
+      const original = File.aggregate; let calls = 0;
+      File.aggregate = () => {
+        calls++;
+        return { option() { return this; }, exec: async () => { throw error; } };
+      };
+      try {
+        const caught = await folderCounts({ repoId: "fixture", model: { treeGeneration: "active" } }, "")
+          .then(() => null, error => error);
+        expect(caught).to.equal(error); expect(calls).to.equal(1);
+      } finally { File.aggregate = original; }
+    });
+  }
+
 });
 
 (uri ? describe : describe.skip)("scoped folder counts with MongoDB", function () {
@@ -50,17 +66,31 @@ describe("folder count request validation", () => {
     await insert(Array.from({ length: 2000 }, (_, i) => ({ name: `file${i}`, path: `src/folder${i % 20}`, size: i % 2 })));
     await insert([{ name: "excluded-directory", path: "" },
       { name: "old", path: "old", size: 1, treeGeneration: "retired" }]);
-    let pipeline;
+    let pipeline, query;
     const aggregate = File.aggregate;
-    File.aggregate = function (stages, ...args) { pipeline = stages; return aggregate.call(this, stages, ...args); };
+    File.aggregate = function (stages, ...args) {
+      pipeline = stages; query = aggregate.call(this, stages, ...args); return query;
+    };
     try { expect(await folderCounts(repo, "")).to.deep.equal({ "": 2000, src: 2000 }); }
     finally { File.aggregate = aggregate; }
-    const explained = await File.aggregate(pipeline).option({ hint: "file_counts_covering" }).explain("executionStats");
+    expect(query.options.hint).to.equal("file_counts_covering");
+    const explained = await File.aggregate(pipeline).option(query.options).explain("executionStats");
     const cursor = explained.stages?.find(stage => stage.$cursor)?.$cursor || explained;
     expect(cursor.executionStats.totalDocsExamined).to.equal(0);
     expect(cursor.executionStats.totalKeysExamined).to.be.at.least(2000);
   });
 
+  it("falls back before the covering index exists and uses it after creation", async () => {
+    await insert([{ name: "one", path: "src", size: 1 }]);
+    await File.collection.dropIndex("file_counts_covering");
+    try {
+      expect(await folderCounts(repo, "")).to.deep.equal({ "": 1, src: 1 });
+    } finally {
+      await File.collection.createIndex({ repoId: 1, treeGeneration: 1, path: 1, size: 1 }, { name: "file_counts_covering" });
+    }
+    expect(await folderCounts(repo, "")).to.deep.equal({ "": 1, src: 1 });
+  });
+
   it("preserves counts for legacy repositories without a generation", async () => {
     repo.model.treeGeneration = undefined; await repo.model.save();
     await File.collection.insertMany([