diff --git a/esphome/components/api/api_connection.h b/esphome/components/api/api_connection.h
index 2f685b0b8a..4be5a73e81 100644
--- a/esphome/components/api/api_connection.h
+++ b/esphome/components/api/api_connection.h
@@ -276,6 +276,7 @@ class APIConnection final : public APIServerConnectionBase {
       App.schedule_dump_config();
 #ifdef USE_ESP32_CRASH_HANDLER
     esp32::crash_handler_log();
+    esp32::crash_handler_clear();
 #endif
 #ifdef USE_RP2040_CRASH_HANDLER
     rp2040::crash_handler_log();
diff --git a/esphome/components/esp32/crash_handler.cpp b/esphome/components/esp32/crash_handler.cpp
index ecf30d7878..05be0e1408 100644
--- a/esphome/components/esp32/crash_handler.cpp
+++ b/esphome/components/esp32/crash_handler.cpp
@@ -101,12 +101,17 @@ void crash_handler_read_and_clear() {
     if (s_raw_crash_data.pseudo_excause > 1)
       s_raw_crash_data.pseudo_excause = 0;
   }
-  // Clear magic regardless so we don't re-report on next normal reboot
-  s_raw_crash_data.magic = 0;
+  // Don't clear magic here — crash data must survive OTA rollback reboots.
+  // Magic is cleared by crash_handler_clear() after an API client receives the data.
 }
 
 bool crash_handler_has_data() { return s_crash_data_valid; }
 
+void crash_handler_clear() {
+  s_raw_crash_data.magic = 0;
+  s_crash_data_valid = false;
+}
+
 // Look up the exception cause as a human-readable string.
 // Tables mirror ESP-IDF's panic_arch_fill_info() which uses local static arrays
 // not exposed via any public API.
diff --git a/esphome/components/esp32/crash_handler.h b/esphome/components/esp32/crash_handler.h
index 97a4d4e116..c5e7d145ec 100644
--- a/esphome/components/esp32/crash_handler.h
+++ b/esphome/components/esp32/crash_handler.h
@@ -4,12 +4,18 @@
 
 namespace esphome::esp32 {
 
-/// Read crash data from NOINIT memory and clear the magic marker.
+/// Read and validate crash data from NOINIT memory.
+/// Does not clear the magic marker — call crash_handler_clear() after
+/// the data has been delivered to an API client so it survives OTA rollback reboots.
 void crash_handler_read_and_clear();
 
 /// Log crash data if a crash was detected on previous boot.
 void crash_handler_log();
 
+/// Clear the magic marker and mark crash data as consumed.
+/// Call after the data has been delivered to an API client.
+void crash_handler_clear();
+
 /// Returns true if crash data was found this boot.
 bool crash_handler_has_data();