diff --git a/esphome/components/api/proto.h b/esphome/components/api/proto.h
index 7199e009f4..00ea587f9b 100644
--- a/esphome/components/api/proto.h
+++ b/esphome/components/api/proto.h
@@ -300,7 +300,7 @@ class ProtoWriteBuffer {
 constexpr uint32_t VARINT_MAX_1_BYTE = 1 << 7;   // 128
 constexpr uint32_t VARINT_MAX_2_BYTE = 1 << 14;  // 16384
 
-/// Static encode helpers for generated encode() functions. Each takes the write cursor by value and
+/// Static encode helpers for the generated encode bodies. Each takes the write cursor by value and
 /// returns it advanced, so outlined calls at -Os chain through the return register instead of a
 /// stack slot. Helpers without a _force suffix skip fields holding the proto3 default.
 class ProtoEncode {
@@ -318,8 +318,8 @@ class ProtoEncode {
     *pos++ = static_cast<uint8_t>(value);
     return pos;
   }
-  static inline uint8_t *ESPHOME_ALWAYS_INLINE encode_varint_raw(uint8_t *__restrict__ pos PROTO_ENCODE_DEBUG_PARAM,
-                                                                 uint32_t value) {
+  [[nodiscard]] static inline uint8_t *ESPHOME_ALWAYS_INLINE
+  encode_varint_raw(uint8_t *__restrict__ pos PROTO_ENCODE_DEBUG_PARAM, uint32_t value) {
     if (value < VARINT_MAX_1_BYTE) [[likely]] {
       PROTO_ENCODE_CHECK_BOUNDS(pos, 1);
       *pos++ = static_cast<uint8_t>(value);
@@ -343,8 +343,8 @@ class ProtoEncode {
     }
     return encode_varint_raw_loop(pos PROTO_ENCODE_DEBUG_ARG, value);
   }
-  static inline uint8_t *ESPHOME_ALWAYS_INLINE encode_varint_raw_64(uint8_t *__restrict__ pos PROTO_ENCODE_DEBUG_PARAM,
-                                                                    uint64_t value) {
+  [[nodiscard]] static inline uint8_t *ESPHOME_ALWAYS_INLINE
+  encode_varint_raw_64(uint8_t *__restrict__ pos PROTO_ENCODE_DEBUG_PARAM, uint64_t value) {
     if (value < VARINT_MAX_1_BYTE) [[likely]] {
       PROTO_ENCODE_CHECK_BOUNDS(pos, 1);
       *pos++ = static_cast<uint8_t>(value);
@@ -377,26 +377,27 @@ class ProtoEncode {
     }
     return encode_varint_raw_64(pos PROTO_ENCODE_DEBUG_ARG, value);
   }
-  static inline uint8_t *ESPHOME_ALWAYS_INLINE encode_field_raw(uint8_t *__restrict__ pos PROTO_ENCODE_DEBUG_PARAM,
-                                                                uint32_t field_id, uint32_t type) {
+  [[nodiscard]] static inline uint8_t *ESPHOME_ALWAYS_INLINE
+  encode_field_raw(uint8_t *__restrict__ pos PROTO_ENCODE_DEBUG_PARAM, uint32_t field_id, uint32_t type) {
     return encode_varint_raw(pos PROTO_ENCODE_DEBUG_ARG, (field_id << 3) | type);
   }
   /// Write a single precomputed tag byte. Tag must be < 128.
-  static inline uint8_t *ESPHOME_ALWAYS_INLINE write_raw_byte(uint8_t *__restrict__ pos PROTO_ENCODE_DEBUG_PARAM,
-                                                              uint8_t b) {
+  [[nodiscard]] static inline uint8_t *ESPHOME_ALWAYS_INLINE
+  write_raw_byte(uint8_t *__restrict__ pos PROTO_ENCODE_DEBUG_PARAM, uint8_t b) {
     PROTO_ENCODE_CHECK_BOUNDS(pos, 1);
     *pos++ = b;
     return pos;
   }
   /// Reserve one byte for later backpatch (e.g., sub-message length).
   /// Advances pos past the reserved byte without writing a value.
-  static inline uint8_t *ESPHOME_ALWAYS_INLINE reserve_byte(uint8_t *__restrict__ pos PROTO_ENCODE_DEBUG_PARAM) {
+  [[nodiscard]] static inline uint8_t *ESPHOME_ALWAYS_INLINE
+  reserve_byte(uint8_t *__restrict__ pos PROTO_ENCODE_DEBUG_PARAM) {
     PROTO_ENCODE_CHECK_BOUNDS(pos, 1);
     return pos + 1;
   }
   /// Write raw bytes to the buffer (no tag, no length prefix).
-  static inline uint8_t *ESPHOME_ALWAYS_INLINE encode_raw(uint8_t *__restrict__ pos PROTO_ENCODE_DEBUG_PARAM,
-                                                          const void *data, size_t len) {
+  [[nodiscard]] static inline uint8_t *ESPHOME_ALWAYS_INLINE
+  encode_raw(uint8_t *__restrict__ pos PROTO_ENCODE_DEBUG_PARAM, const void *data, size_t len) {
     PROTO_ENCODE_CHECK_BOUNDS(pos, len);
     std::memcpy(pos, data, len);
     return pos + len;
diff --git a/tests/unit_tests/components/api/test_api_protobuf_generator.py b/tests/unit_tests/components/api/test_api_protobuf_generator.py
index b872e300ba..c182520c5a 100644
--- a/tests/unit_tests/components/api/test_api_protobuf_generator.py
+++ b/tests/unit_tests/components/api/test_api_protobuf_generator.py
@@ -155,21 +155,6 @@ SCALAR_TYPES = [
 ]
 
 
-@pytest.mark.parametrize("field_type", SCALAR_TYPES)
-@pytest.mark.parametrize("force", [False, True])
-@pytest.mark.parametrize("repeated", [False, True])
-def test_encode_statements_assign_the_returned_cursor(
-    field_type: int, force: bool, repeated: bool
-) -> None:
-    """Every ProtoEncode call must take pos by value and store the returned cursor."""
-    content = _encode_field(field_type, force=force, repeated=repeated)
-    calls = [line.strip() for line in content.splitlines() if "ProtoEncode::" in line]
-    assert calls, content
-    for call in calls:
-        assert call.startswith("pos = ProtoEncode::"), call
-    assert ", true)" not in content, content
-
-
 @pytest.mark.parametrize("field_type", SCALAR_TYPES)
 def test_forced_fields_use_the_force_overload_or_raw_writes(field_type: int) -> None:
     content = _encode_field(field_type, force=True)