diff --git a/esphome/components/esp32/operator_new.cpp b/esphome/components/esp32/operator_new.cpp
index dbe5e576630..0291afdb445 100644
--- a/esphome/components/esp32/operator_new.cpp
+++ b/esphome/components/esp32/operator_new.cpp
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 /*
  * Replaces operator new for ESP-IDF builds without C++ exceptions. libstdc++'s nothrow forms call the
  * throwing form and catch std::bad_alloc, but the throw aborts here, so they abort instead of returning
- * nullptr. These forms return nullptr or abort directly, which also drops the exception class code.
+ * nullptr. All forms stay in this file: --undefined=_Znwj pulls it in ahead of libstdc++.
  */
 
 #include "esphome/core/defines.h"
@@ -15,14 +15,17 @@
 #include <new>
 #include "esp_system.h"
 
-namespace esphome::esp32 {}
+namespace esphome::esp32 {}  // namespace esphome::esp32
 
-void *operator new(std::size_t size, const std::nothrow_t & /*tag*/) noexcept {
+namespace {
+
+// Standard new_handler retry loop; returns nullptr once no handler is installed
+template<typename Alloc> void *alloc_or_null(std::size_t size, Alloc alloc) {
   // malloc(0) may return NULL, but operator new must return a unique pointer
   if (size == 0)
     size = 1;
   for (;;) {
-    void *ptr = std::malloc(size);  // NOLINT(cppcoreguidelines-no-malloc)
+    void *ptr = alloc(size);
     if (ptr != nullptr)
       return ptr;
     std::new_handler handler = std::get_new_handler();
@@ -32,41 +35,39 @@ void *operator new(std::size_t size, const std::nothrow_t & /*tag*/) noexcept {
   }
 }
 
-void *operator new(std::size_t size) {
-  void *ptr = ::operator new(size, std::nothrow);  // NOLINT: this is the nothrow form being fixed
+void *abort_if_null(void *ptr) {
   if (ptr == nullptr)
     esp_system_abort("std::bad_alloc");
   return ptr;
 }
 
-void *operator new[](std::size_t size) { return ::operator new(size); }
-void *operator new[](std::size_t size, const std::nothrow_t &tag) noexcept { return ::operator new(size, tag); }
-
-// Aligned forms; libstdc++'s aligned delete frees with free(), which matches memalign()
-void *operator new(std::size_t size, std::align_val_t align, const std::nothrow_t & /*tag*/) noexcept {
-  if (size == 0)
-    size = 1;
-  for (;;) {
-    void *ptr = memalign(static_cast<std::size_t>(align), size);
-    if (ptr != nullptr)
-      return ptr;
-    std::new_handler handler = std::get_new_handler();
-    if (handler == nullptr)
-      return nullptr;
-    handler();
-  }
+void *plain_alloc(std::size_t size) {
+  return alloc_or_null(size, [](std::size_t n) { return std::malloc(n); });  // NOLINT(cppcoreguidelines-no-malloc)
 }
 
+// libstdc++'s aligned delete frees with free(), which matches memalign()
+void *aligned_alloc_or_null(std::size_t size, std::align_val_t align) {
+  return alloc_or_null(size, [align](std::size_t n) { return memalign(static_cast<std::size_t>(align), n); });
+}
+
+}  // namespace
+
+void *operator new(std::size_t size) { return abort_if_null(plain_alloc(size)); }
+void *operator new[](std::size_t size) { return abort_if_null(plain_alloc(size)); }
+void *operator new(std::size_t size, const std::nothrow_t & /*tag*/) noexcept { return plain_alloc(size); }
+void *operator new[](std::size_t size, const std::nothrow_t & /*tag*/) noexcept { return plain_alloc(size); }
+
 void *operator new(std::size_t size, std::align_val_t align) {
-  void *ptr = ::operator new(size, align, std::nothrow);  // NOLINT: this is the nothrow form being fixed
-  if (ptr == nullptr)
-    esp_system_abort("std::bad_alloc");
-  return ptr;
+  return abort_if_null(aligned_alloc_or_null(size, align));
 }
-
-void *operator new[](std::size_t size, std::align_val_t align) { return ::operator new(size, align); }
-void *operator new[](std::size_t size, std::align_val_t align, const std::nothrow_t &tag) noexcept {
-  return ::operator new(size, align, tag);
+void *operator new[](std::size_t size, std::align_val_t align) {
+  return abort_if_null(aligned_alloc_or_null(size, align));
+}
+void *operator new(std::size_t size, std::align_val_t align, const std::nothrow_t & /*tag*/) noexcept {
+  return aligned_alloc_or_null(size, align);
+}
+void *operator new[](std::size_t size, std::align_val_t align, const std::nothrow_t & /*tag*/) noexcept {
+  return aligned_alloc_or_null(size, align);
 }
 
 #endif  // CONFIG_COMPILER_CXX_EXCEPTIONS
diff --git a/script/ci-custom.py b/script/ci-custom.py
index af862e54889..d28993054ab 100755
--- a/script/ci-custom.py
+++ b/script/ci-custom.py
@@ -1257,9 +1257,8 @@ def lint_no_std_bind(fname, match):
 )
 def lint_no_std_nothrow(fname, match):
     return (
-        f"Please use {highlight('RAMAllocator')} from esphome/core/helpers.h instead of "
-        f"{highlight('new (std::nothrow)')}: it returns nullptr on failure on every platform and lets you choose PSRAM "
-        f"or internal RAM.\n"
+        f"Use {highlight('RAMAllocator')} from esphome/core/helpers.h instead of {highlight('new (std::nothrow)')}; "
+        f"it returns nullptr on failure on every platform and can choose PSRAM or internal RAM.\n"
         f"  Before: {highlight('auto *buf = new (std::nothrow) uint8_t[n];')}\n"
         f"  After:  {highlight('auto buf = RAMAllocator<uint8_t>().make_unique_array_for_overwrite(n);')}\n"
         f"For one object use {highlight('RAMAllocator<T>().make_unique(args...)')}; both return empty on failure.\n"