diff --git a/esphome/components/bluetooth_connection/bluetooth_connection_rp2.cpp b/esphome/components/bluetooth_connection/bluetooth_connection_rp2.cpp
index c23a00f674..ce7d7e7af5 100644
--- a/esphome/components/bluetooth_connection/bluetooth_connection_rp2.cpp
+++ b/esphome/components/bluetooth_connection/bluetooth_connection_rp2.cpp
@@ -609,8 +609,11 @@ void RP2GattClient::release_scan_inhibit_() {
 void RP2GattClient::fail_connection_(uint8_t reason) {
   {
     // Timeout escalation can fire with the completion event lost; release the
-    // stack-wide connect slot so pending engines can proceed (a still-busy
-    // stack answers them with DISALLOWED and they keep pending).
+    // stack-wide connect slot so pending engines can proceed. Until the old
+    // completion is processed, gap_connect answers any peer with DISALLOWED
+    // (the request-level guard in hci.c); a cancel idles that request
+    // immediately, and a late addressed completion from the old procedure is
+    // then dropped by the owner-peer cross-check in the handler.
     BluetoothLock lock;
     if (connect_owner == this) {
       connect_owner = nullptr;
diff --git a/esphome/components/bluetooth_connection/btstack_memory_rp2.cpp b/esphome/components/bluetooth_connection/btstack_memory_rp2.cpp
index 508f7aa7e8..cc6c633222 100644
--- a/esphome/components/bluetooth_connection/btstack_memory_rp2.cpp
+++ b/esphome/components/bluetooth_connection/btstack_memory_rp2.cpp
@@ -70,23 +70,19 @@ extern "C" hci_connection_t *__real_btstack_memory_hci_connection_get(void);
 extern "C" void __real_btstack_memory_hci_connection_free(hci_connection_t *hci_connection);
 
 namespace {
-// Never called: the linker silently ignores --wrap for an unreferenced
-// symbol, and __real_* only resolves while --wrap is in effect — so these
-// references turn "pools compiled but a flag not emitted" into a link error
-// instead of a silent fallback to the prebuilt one-client pool. One anchor
-// per wrapped symbol, so dropping any single flag fails loudly.
-// NOLINTNEXTLINE(cppcoreguidelines-avoid-non-const-global-variables)
-[[gnu::used]] void (*const WRAP_ACTIVE_CHECKS[])() = {
-    reinterpret_cast<void (*)()>(&__real_btstack_memory_gatt_client_get),
-    reinterpret_cast<void (*)()>(&__real_btstack_memory_gatt_client_free),
-    reinterpret_cast<void (*)()>(&__real_btstack_memory_hci_connection_get),
-    reinterpret_cast<void (*)()>(&__real_btstack_memory_hci_connection_free),
-};
+// Fails the link if the corresponding --wrap flag is missing: __real_* only
+// exists while --wrap is in effect, and each wrap function anchors its own
+// symbol so dropping any single flag fails loudly. A code reference is used
+// because the framework links with --gc-sections, which discards an
+// unreferenced data anchor regardless of [[gnu::used]] (and this toolchain
+// does not emit SHF_GNU_RETAIN for [[gnu::retain]]).
+template<typename T> void anchor_wrap(T *symbol) { asm volatile("" ::"r"(symbol)); }
 }  // namespace
 
 extern "C" {
 
 gatt_client_t *__wrap_btstack_memory_gatt_client_get(void) {
+  anchor_wrap(&__real_btstack_memory_gatt_client_get);
   void *buffer = btstack_memory_pool_get(&gatt_client_pool);
   if (buffer != nullptr) {
     memset(buffer, 0, sizeof(gatt_client_t));
@@ -95,10 +91,12 @@ gatt_client_t *__wrap_btstack_memory_gatt_client_get(void) {
 }
 
 void __wrap_btstack_memory_gatt_client_free(gatt_client_t *gatt_client) {
+  anchor_wrap(&__real_btstack_memory_gatt_client_free);
   btstack_memory_pool_free(&gatt_client_pool, gatt_client);
 }
 
 hci_connection_t *__wrap_btstack_memory_hci_connection_get(void) {
+  anchor_wrap(&__real_btstack_memory_hci_connection_get);
   void *buffer = btstack_memory_pool_get(&hci_connection_pool);
   if (buffer != nullptr) {
     memset(buffer, 0, sizeof(hci_connection_t));
@@ -107,6 +105,7 @@ hci_connection_t *__wrap_btstack_memory_hci_connection_get(void) {
 }
 
 void __wrap_btstack_memory_hci_connection_free(hci_connection_t *hci_connection) {
+  anchor_wrap(&__real_btstack_memory_hci_connection_free);
   btstack_memory_pool_free(&hci_connection_pool, hci_connection);
 }
 
diff --git a/tests/components/bluetooth_proxy/test.rp2350-ard.yaml b/tests/components/bluetooth_proxy/test.rp2350-ard.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..1abc62cedb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/components/bluetooth_proxy/test.rp2350-ard.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+# Pico 2 W build of the full proxy: links the rp2350 framework archive, so
+# the pool --wrap overrides and their per-architecture layout asserts are
+# exercised for this chip too (see test.rp2040-ard.yaml for the slot shape).
+packages:
+  common: !include common.yaml
+
+rp2_ble_tracker:
+
+bluetooth_proxy: