diff --git a/esphome/components/remote_base/__init__.py b/esphome/components/remote_base/__init__.py
index dc0fd74a3c..754b8a4317 100644
--- a/esphome/components/remote_base/__init__.py
+++ b/esphome/components/remote_base/__init__.py
@@ -281,22 +281,16 @@ TRIGGER_REGISTRY = SimpleRegistry()
 DUMPER_REGISTRY = Registry()
 
 
-def _dumper_key(item: Any) -> Any:
-    """Registry key of a dump entry in either its string or its mapping form."""
-    if isinstance(item, dict) and len(item) == 1:
-        return next(iter(item))
-    return item
-
-
 def validate_dumpers(value):
     if isinstance(value, str) and value.lower() == "all":
         return validate_dumpers(list(DUMPER_REGISTRY.keys()))
-    if isinstance(value, list):
-        # a dumper listed twice would register twice; the receiver holds one secondary dumper
-        keys = [_dumper_key(item) for item in value]
-        if all(isinstance(key, str) for key in keys):
-            value = list(dict(zip(keys, value, strict=True)).values())
-    return cv.validate_registry("dumper", DUMPER_REGISTRY)(value)
+    entries = cv.validate_registry("dumper", DUMPER_REGISTRY)(value)
+    # a dumper listed twice would register twice; the receiver holds one secondary dumper
+    return list(
+        {
+            next(k for k in entry if k in DUMPER_REGISTRY): entry for entry in entries
+        }.values()
+    )
 
 
 def validate_triggers(base_schema):
diff --git a/esphome/components/remote_base/rc_switch_protocol.h b/esphome/components/remote_base/rc_switch_protocol.h
index cf39f0eae7..151294c6a2 100644
--- a/esphome/components/remote_base/rc_switch_protocol.h
+++ b/esphome/components/remote_base/rc_switch_protocol.h
@@ -68,7 +68,7 @@ class RCSwitchBase {
   uint32_t inverted_{};  // bool widened so every field is a word: the table is read from flash
 };
 
-// Constant-initialized and kept in flash on every platform; all fields are 32-bit so ESP8266 can read it in place
+// Constant-initialized and kept in flash on every platform
 inline constexpr RCSwitchBase RC_SWITCH_PROTOCOLS[] PROGMEM = {
     {0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, false},
     {350, 10850, 350, 1050, 1050, 350, false},
diff --git a/tests/component_tests/remote_receiver/test_slot_counts.py b/tests/component_tests/remote_receiver/test_slot_counts.py
index 9c80c3674f..e9bce83f03 100644
--- a/tests/component_tests/remote_receiver/test_slot_counts.py
+++ b/tests/component_tests/remote_receiver/test_slot_counts.py
@@ -54,21 +54,14 @@ def test_only_used_protocol_sources_are_compiled(
 
 
 def test_every_registry_name_maps_to_a_protocol_source() -> None:
-    sources = {
-        path.name for path in Path(remote_base.__file__).parent.glob("*_protocol.cpp")
-    }
+    """A registry name must resolve to a source file or request_protocol rejects it."""
     names = (
         set(remote_base.BINARY_SENSOR_REGISTRY)
         | set(remote_base.DUMPER_REGISTRY)
         | {key.removeprefix("on_") for key in remote_base.TRIGGER_REGISTRY}
     )
     for name in names:
-        stem = (
-            remote_base.protocol_define(name)
-            .removeprefix("USE_REMOTE_PROTOCOL_")
-            .lower()
-        )
-        assert f"{stem}_protocol.cpp" in sources, name
+        assert remote_base._protocol_stem(name) in remote_base._PROTOCOL_STEMS, name
 
 
 def test_request_protocol_rejects_unknown_names() -> None: