diff --git a/esphome/build_gen/espidf.py b/esphome/build_gen/espidf.py
index f5965c0a27..ba6daed1ec 100644
--- a/esphome/build_gen/espidf.py
+++ b/esphome/build_gen/espidf.py
@@ -322,6 +322,8 @@ def prepare_pch() -> None:
     """Build the .gch right before ninja, after every reconfigure, so the
     compile_commands.json flags and the sdkconfig are the settled ones."""
     if not pch_enabled():
+        # Self-cleaning escape hatch: drop any previously built .gch
+        pch.discard_pch(CORE.relative_build_path("build"))
         return
     sdkconfig_path = CORE.relative_build_path(f"sdkconfig.{CORE.name}")
     try:
diff --git a/esphome/build_helpers/pch.py b/esphome/build_helpers/pch.py
index aa3a65cd3b..6060b62a61 100644
--- a/esphome/build_helpers/pch.py
+++ b/esphome/build_helpers/pch.py
@@ -156,9 +156,13 @@ _PCH_STRIP_FLAGS_WITH_ARG = frozenset({"-o", "-c", "-MT", "-MF", "-MQ"})
 _PCH_STRIP_FLAGS = frozenset({"-MD", "-MMD", "-MP", "-MM", "-M"})
 
 
-def pch_compile_command(build_dir: Path, header: Path, gch: Path) -> list[str] | None:
-    """The exact src C++ flags from compile_commands.json, retargeted at
-    the header; None (logged) when no configured C++ TU is available yet."""
+def pch_compile_command(
+    build_dir: Path, header: Path, gch: Path
+) -> tuple[list[str], Path] | None:
+    """The exact src C++ flags from compile_commands.json retargeted at the
+    header, with the directory they resolve against (relative -I paths must
+    be expanded and executed from the same root); None (logged) when no
+    configured C++ TU is available yet."""
     from esphome.core import CORE
 
     try:
@@ -187,9 +191,8 @@ def pch_compile_command(build_dir: Path, header: Path, gch: Path) -> list[str] |
     if entry is None:
         _LOGGER.warning("No src C++ entry in the compile database, skipping pch")
         return None
-    tokens = expand_response_files(
-        split_command(entry.get("command", "")), Path(entry.get("directory", build_dir))
-    )
+    cmd_dir = Path(entry.get("directory", build_dir))
+    tokens = expand_response_files(split_command(entry.get("command", "")), cmd_dir)
     # A DB recorded with ccache enabled prefixes the compiler with the
     # launcher; the .gch must be compiled directly
     if tokens and is_launcher(tokens[0]):
@@ -215,7 +218,7 @@ def pch_compile_command(build_dir: Path, header: Path, gch: Path) -> list[str] |
                 args.extend(("-include", inc))
             continue
         args.append(tok)
-    return [*args, "-x", "c++-header", "-c", str(header), "-o", str(gch)]
+    return [*args, "-x", "c++-header", "-c", str(header), "-o", str(gch)], cmd_dir
 
 
 def discard_pch(build_dir: Path) -> None:
@@ -247,14 +250,18 @@ def prepare_pch(
     """
     from esphome.core import CORE
 
+    _LOGGER.info(
+        "Compiling with a precompiled header (set ESPHOME_PCH_ENABLE=0 to disable)"
+    )
     header = build_dir / PCH_HEADER_NAME
     gch = Path(f"{header}.gch")
     sum_path = Path(f"{gch}.sum")
-    cmd = pch_compile_command(build_dir, header, gch)
-    if cmd is None:
+    cmd_and_dir = pch_compile_command(build_dir, header, gch)
+    if cmd_and_dir is None:
         # Freshness cannot be validated; a leftover .gch must not be consumed
         discard_pch(build_dir)
         return
+    cmd, cmd_dir = cmd_and_dir
     # Stripped like ccache's own rewriting (a user CCACHE_BASEDIR wins) so
     # identical configs hash identically across devices; the raw build path
     # covers unresolved spellings in the compile DB
@@ -291,7 +298,7 @@ def prepare_pch(
         return
     try:
         result = subprocess.run(
-            cmd, cwd=build_dir, capture_output=True, text=True, check=False, timeout=300
+            cmd, cwd=cmd_dir, capture_output=True, text=True, check=False, timeout=300
         )
         error = None
         if result.returncode != 0:
diff --git a/tests/unit_tests/build_gen/test_espidf.py b/tests/unit_tests/build_gen/test_espidf.py
index ad520b9190..d8d3725804 100644
--- a/tests/unit_tests/build_gen/test_espidf.py
+++ b/tests/unit_tests/build_gen/test_espidf.py
@@ -492,6 +492,12 @@ def test_get_component_cmakelists_no_compile_features() -> None:
     assert "target_compile_features" not in content
 
 
+@pytest.fixture(autouse=True)
+def _pch_default_on(monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch) -> None:
+    """Pin the knob so a developer's ESPHOME_PCH_ENABLE=0 cannot fail these."""
+    monkeypatch.setenv("ESPHOME_PCH_ENABLE", "1")
+
+
 def _make_pch_device(tmp_path: Path, name: str) -> Path:
     """A device dir with the pch source headers and a stub compile_commands."""
     from esphome.build_helpers.pch import PCH_DEFAULT_HEADERS
@@ -634,7 +640,8 @@ def test_pch_compile_command_variants(tmp_path: Path) -> None:
         )
     )
     # Launcher stripped; -include/-o/-c and depfile flags removed
-    assert pch_compile_command(build, header, gch) == [
+    cmd, cmd_dir = pch_compile_command(build, header, gch)
+    assert cmd == [
         "g++",
         "-DX=1",
         "-x",
@@ -644,6 +651,8 @@ def test_pch_compile_command_variants(tmp_path: Path) -> None:
         "-o",
         str(gch),
     ]
+    # The compile must run where the flags were resolved
+    assert cmd_dir == build
 
 
 def test_pch_compile_command_rejects_unusable_entries(tmp_path: Path) -> None:
@@ -947,6 +956,6 @@ def test_prepare_pch_keeps_user_force_includes(tmp_path: Path) -> None:
             ]
         )
     )
-    cmd = pch_compile_command(build, build / "esphome_pch.h", build / "x.gch")
+    cmd, _ = pch_compile_command(build, build / "esphome_pch.h", build / "x.gch")
     assert "user.h" in cmd
     assert "esphome_pch.h" not in " ".join(cmd[:-3])
diff --git a/tests/unit_tests/test_espidf_framework.py b/tests/unit_tests/test_espidf_framework.py
index 7e48593ad3..67e0aa8c29 100644
--- a/tests/unit_tests/test_espidf_framework.py
+++ b/tests/unit_tests/test_espidf_framework.py
@@ -1582,6 +1582,9 @@ def test_ccache_env_default_enabled_when_available(tmp_path: Path) -> None:
     assert env["CCACHE_NOHASHDIR"] == "true"
     assert env["CCACHE_DEPEND"] == "1"
     assert env["CCACHE_BASEDIR"] == str((tmp_path / "build").resolve())
+    # The pch cannot cache under ccache without these
+    assert env["CCACHE_SLOPPINESS"] == "pch_defines,time_macros"
+    assert env["CCACHE_PCH_EXTSUM"] == "true"
 
 
 def test_ccache_env_disabled_when_binary_missing(tmp_path: Path) -> None:
@@ -1991,12 +1994,3 @@ def test_ccache_env_opt_in_with_usable_binary(
         env = _ccache_env()
     assert env["IDF_CCACHE_ENABLE"] == "1"
     assert not [r for r in caplog.records if r.levelno >= logging.WARNING]
-
-
-def test_ccache_env_exports_pch_settings(tmp_path: Path) -> None:
-    # The pch cannot cache under ccache without these
-    p1, p2, p3 = _ccache_patches(tmp_path, "/usr/bin/ccache", tmp_path / "build")
-    with patch.dict("os.environ", {}, clear=True), p1, p2, p3:
-        env = _ccache_env()
-    assert env["CCACHE_SLOPPINESS"] == "pch_defines,time_macros"
-    assert env["CCACHE_PCH_EXTSUM"] == "true"