diff --git a/esphome/components/api/api_frame_helper.cpp b/esphome/components/api/api_frame_helper.cpp
index e3b8fd2804..7beabdcac3 100644
--- a/esphome/components/api/api_frame_helper.cpp
+++ b/esphome/components/api/api_frame_helper.cpp
@@ -138,8 +138,8 @@ APIError APIFrameHelper::write_raw_iov_(const struct iovec *iov, int iovcnt, uin
         // Partial write or -1: fall through to error check / enqueue below
       }
     }
-    // WRITE_FAILED or write above returned -1: check errno
-    if (sent == WRITE_FAILED || sent == -1) {
+    // WRITE_FAILED (-1): fast path or retry write returned -1, check errno
+    if (sent == WRITE_FAILED) {
       int err = errno;
       if (err != EWOULDBLOCK && err != EAGAIN) {
         this->state_ = State::FAILED;
diff --git a/esphome/components/api/api_frame_helper.h b/esphome/components/api/api_frame_helper.h
index 35047e68d0..812e360ea7 100644
--- a/esphome/components/api/api_frame_helper.h
+++ b/esphome/components/api/api_frame_helper.h
@@ -193,8 +193,8 @@ class APIFrameHelper {
   APIError drain_overflow_and_handle_errors_();
 
   // Sentinel values for the sent parameter in write_raw_ methods
-  static constexpr ssize_t WRITE_NOT_ATTEMPTED = -1;  // Cold path: no write attempted yet
-  static constexpr ssize_t WRITE_FAILED = -2;         // Fast path: write() returned -1
+  static constexpr ssize_t WRITE_FAILED = -1;         // Fast path: write()/writev() returned -1
+  static constexpr ssize_t WRITE_NOT_ATTEMPTED = -2;  // Cold path: no write attempted yet
 
   // Inlined write methods — used by hot paths (write_protobuf_packet, write_protobuf_messages)
   // These inline the fast path (overflow empty + full write) and tail-call the out-of-line
@@ -204,8 +204,7 @@ class APIFrameHelper {
       ssize_t sent = this->socket_->write(data, len);
       if (sent == static_cast<ssize_t>(len)) [[likely]]
         return APIError::OK;
-      if (sent == -1)
-        return this->write_raw_buf_(data, len, WRITE_FAILED);
+      // sent is -1 (WRITE_FAILED) or partial write count
       return this->write_raw_buf_(data, len, sent);
     }
     return this->write_raw_buf_(data, len, WRITE_NOT_ATTEMPTED);
@@ -216,8 +215,7 @@ class APIFrameHelper {
       ssize_t sent = this->socket_->writev(iov, iovcnt);
       if (sent == static_cast<ssize_t>(total_write_len)) [[likely]]
         return APIError::OK;
-      if (sent == -1)
-        return this->write_raw_iov_(iov, iovcnt, total_write_len, WRITE_FAILED);
+      // sent is -1 (WRITE_FAILED) or partial write count
       return this->write_raw_iov_(iov, iovcnt, total_write_len, sent);
     }
     return this->write_raw_iov_(iov, iovcnt, total_write_len, WRITE_NOT_ATTEMPTED);