diff --git a/esphome/components/web_server/web_server.h b/esphome/components/web_server/web_server.h
index 143e9a15ea..6f08a8dc8f 100644
--- a/esphome/components/web_server/web_server.h
+++ b/esphome/components/web_server/web_server.h
@@ -531,6 +531,9 @@ class WebServer final : public Component, public AsyncWebHandler {
   bool include_internal_{false};
 
  protected:
+  // Declared here so it packs into the padding after include_internal_
+  bool expose_log_{true};
+
   void add_sorting_info_(JsonObject &root, EntityBase *entity);
 
 #ifdef USE_LIGHT
@@ -614,7 +617,6 @@ class WebServer final : public Component, public AsyncWebHandler {
 #ifdef USE_WEBSERVER_JS_INCLUDE
   const char *js_include_{nullptr};
 #endif
-  bool expose_log_{true};
 #ifdef USE_WEBSERVER_ALLOWED_ORIGINS
   // Extra origins allowed to make cross-origin browser requests ("*" means any origin).
   // Only compiled when allowed_origins is configured; same-origin is always allowed regardless.
diff --git a/esphome/components/web_server_idf/web_server_idf.cpp b/esphome/components/web_server_idf/web_server_idf.cpp
index 510b4e50f1..9798410e23 100644
--- a/esphome/components/web_server_idf/web_server_idf.cpp
+++ b/esphome/components/web_server_idf/web_server_idf.cpp
@@ -761,7 +761,7 @@ void AsyncEventSource::adopt_pending_sessions_main_loop_() {
     this->has_pending_sessions_.store(false, std::memory_order_relaxed);
   }
   for (auto *rsp : incoming) {
-    // Already disconnected? Drop it; skip on_connect_/session start on a dead session.
+    // Already disconnected? Drop it; skip session start on a dead session.
     if (rsp->safe_to_delete_()) {
       delete rsp;  // NOLINT(cppcoreguidelines-owning-memory)
       continue;
@@ -775,12 +775,7 @@ void AsyncEventSource::adopt_pending_sessions_main_loop_() {
       continue;
     }
     this->sessions_.push_back(rsp);
-    // Prime first so on_connect_ observes a session that has already sent its
-    // initial ping/config/sorting_groups, matching the pre-refactor ordering.
     rsp->start_session_main_loop_();
-    if (this->on_connect_) {
-      this->on_connect_(rsp);
-    }
   }
 }
 // NOLINTEND(clang-analyzer-cplusplus.NewDeleteLeaks)
diff --git a/esphome/components/web_server_idf/web_server_idf.h b/esphome/components/web_server_idf/web_server_idf.h
index 2b62d68790..581ba8323b 100644
--- a/esphome/components/web_server_idf/web_server_idf.h
+++ b/esphome/components/web_server_idf/web_server_idf.h
@@ -379,7 +379,6 @@ using AsyncEventSourceClient = AsyncEventSourceResponse;
 
 class AsyncEventSource : public AsyncWebHandler {
   friend class AsyncEventSourceResponse;
-  using connect_handler_t = std::function<void(AsyncEventSourceClient *)>;
 
  public:
   AsyncEventSource(StringRef url, esphome::web_server::WebServer *ws) : url_(url), web_server_(ws) {}
@@ -394,11 +393,6 @@ class AsyncEventSource : public AsyncWebHandler {
   }
   // NOLINTNEXTLINE(readability-identifier-naming)
   void handleRequest(AsyncWebServerRequest *request) override;
-  // Callback runs on the main loop (not the httpd task) after the session's
-  // initial ping/config/sorting_groups have been sent.
-  // NOLINTNEXTLINE(readability-identifier-naming)
-  void onConnect(connect_handler_t &&cb) { this->on_connect_ = std::move(cb); }
-
   void try_send_nodefer(const char *message, size_t message_len, const char *event = nullptr, uint32_t id = 0,
                         uint32_t reconnect = 0);
   void deferrable_send_state(void *source, const char *event_type, message_generator_t *message_generator);
@@ -418,7 +412,6 @@ class AsyncEventSource : public AsyncWebHandler {
   // Httpd-task intake; guarded by pending_mutex_, gated by has_pending_sessions_.
   std::vector<AsyncEventSourceResponse *> pending_sessions_;
   Mutex pending_mutex_;
-  connect_handler_t on_connect_{};
   esphome::web_server::WebServer *web_server_;
   std::atomic<bool> has_pending_sessions_{false};
 };