diff --git a/esphome/core/application.cpp b/esphome/core/application.cpp
index fc865d8b93..8cf225fb74 100644
--- a/esphome/core/application.cpp
+++ b/esphome/core/application.cpp
@@ -12,13 +12,6 @@
 #endif
 #ifdef USE_LWIP_FAST_SELECT
 #include "esphome/core/lwip_fast_select.h"
-#ifdef USE_ESP32
-#include <freertos/FreeRTOS.h>
-#include <freertos/task.h>
-#else
-#include <FreeRTOS.h>
-#include <task.h>
-#endif
 #endif  // USE_LWIP_FAST_SELECT
 #include "esphome/core/version.h"
 #include "esphome/core/hal.h"
@@ -557,34 +550,11 @@ void Application::unregister_socket_fd(int fd) {
 
 #endif
 
+// When USE_LWIP_FAST_SELECT is defined, yield_with_select_ is inlined in application.h
+#if !defined(USE_SOCKET_SELECT_SUPPORT) || !defined(USE_LWIP_FAST_SELECT)
 void Application::yield_with_select_(uint32_t delay_ms) {
   // Delay while monitoring sockets. When delay_ms is 0, always yield() to ensure other tasks run.
-#if defined(USE_SOCKET_SELECT_SUPPORT) && defined(USE_LWIP_FAST_SELECT)
-  // Fast path (ESP32/LibreTiny): reads rcvevent directly from cached lwip_sock pointers.
-  // Safe because this runs on the main loop which owns socket lifetime (create, read, close).
-  if (delay_ms == 0) [[unlikely]] {
-    yield();
-    return;
-  }
-
-  // Check if any socket already has pending data before sleeping.
-  // If a socket still has unread data (rcvevent > 0) but the task notification was already
-  // consumed, ulTaskNotifyTake would block until timeout — adding up to delay_ms latency.
-  // This scan preserves select() semantics: return immediately when any fd is ready.
-  for (struct lwip_sock *sock : this->monitored_sockets_) {
-    if (esphome_lwip_socket_has_data(sock)) {
-      yield();
-      return;
-    }
-  }
-
-  // Sleep with instant wake via FreeRTOS task notification.
-  // Woken by: callback wrapper (socket data arrives), wake_loop_threadsafe() (other tasks), or timeout.
-  // Without USE_WAKE_LOOP_THREADSAFE, only hooked socket callbacks wake the task —
-  // background tasks won't call wake, so this degrades to a pure timeout (same as old select path).
-  ulTaskNotifyTake(pdTRUE, pdMS_TO_TICKS(delay_ms));
-
-#elif defined(USE_SOCKET_SELECT_SUPPORT)
+#if defined(USE_SOCKET_SELECT_SUPPORT)
   // Fallback select() path (host platform and any future platforms without fast select).
   // ESP32 and LibreTiny are excluded by the #if above — they use the fast path.
   if (!this->socket_fds_.empty()) [[likely]] {
@@ -643,6 +613,7 @@ void Application::yield_with_select_(uint32_t delay_ms) {
   delay(delay_ms);
 #endif
 }
+#endif  // !defined(USE_SOCKET_SELECT_SUPPORT) || !defined(USE_LWIP_FAST_SELECT)
 
 // App storage — asm label shares the linker symbol with "extern Application App".
 // char[] is trivially destructible, so no __cxa_atexit or destructor chain is emitted.
diff --git a/esphome/core/application.h b/esphome/core/application.h
index 5e1dd12186..9cbae42e22 100644
--- a/esphome/core/application.h
+++ b/esphome/core/application.h
@@ -27,6 +27,13 @@
 #ifdef USE_SOCKET_SELECT_SUPPORT
 #ifdef USE_LWIP_FAST_SELECT
 #include "esphome/core/lwip_fast_select.h"
+#ifdef USE_ESP32
+#include <freertos/FreeRTOS.h>
+#include <freertos/task.h>
+#else
+#include <FreeRTOS.h>
+#include <task.h>
+#endif
 #else
 #include <sys/select.h>
 #ifdef USE_WAKE_LOOP_THREADSAFE
@@ -628,7 +635,11 @@ class Application {
   void feed_wdt_arch_();
 
   /// Perform a delay while also monitoring socket file descriptors for readiness
+#if defined(USE_SOCKET_SELECT_SUPPORT) && defined(USE_LWIP_FAST_SELECT)
+  inline void ESPHOME_ALWAYS_INLINE yield_with_select_(uint32_t delay_ms);
+#else
   void yield_with_select_(uint32_t delay_ms);
+#endif
 
 #if defined(USE_SOCKET_SELECT_SUPPORT) && defined(USE_WAKE_LOOP_THREADSAFE) && !defined(USE_LWIP_FAST_SELECT)
   void setup_wake_loop_threadsafe_();       // Create wake notification socket
@@ -883,4 +894,32 @@ inline void ESPHOME_ALWAYS_INLINE Application::loop() {
   }
 }
 
+#if defined(USE_SOCKET_SELECT_SUPPORT) && defined(USE_LWIP_FAST_SELECT)
+inline void ESPHOME_ALWAYS_INLINE Application::yield_with_select_(uint32_t delay_ms) {
+  // Fast path (ESP32/LibreTiny): reads rcvevent directly from cached lwip_sock pointers.
+  // Safe because this runs on the main loop which owns socket lifetime (create, read, close).
+  if (delay_ms == 0) [[unlikely]] {
+    yield();
+    return;
+  }
+
+  // Check if any socket already has pending data before sleeping.
+  // If a socket still has unread data (rcvevent > 0) but the task notification was already
+  // consumed, ulTaskNotifyTake would block until timeout — adding up to delay_ms latency.
+  // This scan preserves select() semantics: return immediately when any fd is ready.
+  for (struct lwip_sock *sock : this->monitored_sockets_) {
+    if (esphome_lwip_socket_has_data(sock)) {
+      yield();
+      return;
+    }
+  }
+
+  // Sleep with instant wake via FreeRTOS task notification.
+  // Woken by: callback wrapper (socket data arrives), wake_loop_threadsafe() (other tasks), or timeout.
+  // Without USE_WAKE_LOOP_THREADSAFE, only hooked socket callbacks wake the task —
+  // background tasks won't call wake, so this degrades to a pure timeout (same as old select path).
+  ulTaskNotifyTake(pdTRUE, pdMS_TO_TICKS(delay_ms));
+}
+#endif  // defined(USE_SOCKET_SELECT_SUPPORT) && defined(USE_LWIP_FAST_SELECT)
+
 }  // namespace esphome