diff --git a/recheck_test.go b/recheck_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e4b8343
--- /dev/null
+++ b/recheck_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,129 @@
+// Copyright (c) 2026 FOSS contributors of https://github.com/tarantool/go-tail
+
+package tail
+
+import (
+	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+)
+
+const (
+	watchDelay   = time.Second
+	windowSettle = 200 * time.Millisecond
+	lineWait     = 10 * time.Second
+)
+
+func stallBeforeWatch(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Helper()
+
+	delayBeforeWatch = watchDelay
+	t.Cleanup(func() { delayBeforeWatch = 0 })
+}
+
+func startTail(t *testing.T, path string, config Config) *Tail {
+	t.Helper()
+
+	config.Logger = DiscardingLogger
+	tailer, err := TailFile(path, config)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("failed to tail %s: %v", path, err)
+	}
+	t.Cleanup(func() { tailer.Stop() })
+
+	return tailer
+}
+
+func expectLine(t *testing.T, tailer *Tail, expected string) {
+	t.Helper()
+
+	select {
+	case line, ok := <-tailer.Lines:
+		if !ok {
+			t.Fatalf("Lines channel closed while waiting for %q", expected)
+		}
+		if line.Err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("error while waiting for %q: %v", expected, line.Err)
+		}
+		if line.Text != expected {
+			t.Fatalf("got line %q, want %q", line.Text, expected)
+		}
+	case <-time.After(lineWait):
+		t.Fatalf("timeout waiting for line %q", expected)
+	}
+}
+
+func writeFile(t *testing.T, path, content string) {
+	t.Helper()
+
+	if err := os.WriteFile(path, []byte(content), 0o644); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("failed to write %s: %v", path, err)
+	}
+}
+
+func appendFile(t *testing.T, path, content string) {
+	t.Helper()
+
+	file, err := os.OpenFile(path, os.O_APPEND|os.O_WRONLY, 0o644)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("failed to open %s for append: %v", path, err)
+	}
+	defer file.Close()
+
+	if _, err := file.WriteString(content); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("failed to append to %s: %v", path, err)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestAppendWhileWatchIsNotArmed(t *testing.T) {
+	stallBeforeWatch(t)
+
+	path := filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "appended.log")
+	writeFile(t, path, "first\n")
+
+	tailer := startTail(t, path, Config{Follow: true, ReOpen: true})
+	expectLine(t, tailer, "first")
+
+	time.Sleep(windowSettle)
+	appendFile(t, path, "second\nthird\n")
+
+	expectLine(t, tailer, "second")
+	expectLine(t, tailer, "third")
+}
+
+func TestTruncateWhileWatchIsNotArmed(t *testing.T) {
+	stallBeforeWatch(t)
+
+	path := filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "truncated.log")
+	writeFile(t, path, "a long first line\n")
+
+	tailer := startTail(t, path, Config{Follow: true, ReOpen: true})
+	expectLine(t, tailer, "a long first line")
+
+	time.Sleep(windowSettle)
+	writeFile(t, path, "short\n")
+
+	expectLine(t, tailer, "short")
+}
+
+func TestReplaceWhileWatchIsNotArmed(t *testing.T) {
+	stallBeforeWatch(t)
+
+	dir := t.TempDir()
+	path := filepath.Join(dir, "rotated.log")
+	writeFile(t, path, "before rotation\n")
+
+	tailer := startTail(t, path, Config{Follow: true, ReOpen: true})
+	expectLine(t, tailer, "before rotation")
+
+	time.Sleep(windowSettle)
+	appendFile(t, path, "written just before the rename\n")
+	if err := os.Rename(path, path+".bak"); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("failed to rotate %s: %v", path, err)
+	}
+	writeFile(t, path, "after rotation\n")
+
+	expectLine(t, tailer, "written just before the rename")
+	expectLine(t, tailer, "after rotation")
+}
diff --git a/tail.go b/tail.go
index b0b51b0..27d00ef 100644
--- a/tail.go
+++ b/tail.go
@@ -106,6 +106,9 @@ type Tail struct {
 	changes *watch.FileChanges
 	// pendingDelete delays a rename/delete until the open file reaches EOF.
 	pendingDelete bool
+	// pendingReopen delays a switch to the file that took over the
+	// name while the watch was being armed.
+	pendingReopen bool
 
 	tomb.Tomb // provides: Done, Kill, Dying
 
@@ -119,6 +122,12 @@ var (
 	DiscardingLogger = log.New(ioutil.Discard, "", 0)
 )
 
+// delayBeforeWatch stalls a tailer between reaching EOF and arming the
+// watch, so that tests can reproduce writes landing in that window. It
+// is the counterpart of the TAIL_TEST_SLEEP knob of coreutils and
+// stays zero outside of tests.
+var delayBeforeWatch time.Duration
+
 // TailFile begins tailing the file. And returns a pointer to a Tail struct
 // and an error. An output stream is made available via the Tail.Lines
 // channel (e.g. to be looped and printed). To handle errors during tailing,
@@ -399,15 +408,44 @@ func (tail *Tail) waitForChanges() error {
 		return ErrStop
 	}
 
+	if tail.pendingReopen {
+		tail.pendingReopen = false
+		// The watch is already on the file that occupies the name now, so
+		// only the descriptor has to catch up with it. Keep tail.changes.
+		tail.Logger.Printf("Re-opening replaced file %s ...", tail.Filename)
+		if err := tail.reopen(); err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		tail.Logger.Printf("Successfully reopened replaced %s", tail.Filename)
+		tail.openReader()
+		return nil
+	}
+
 	if tail.changes == nil {
 		pos, err := tail.file.Seek(0, io.SeekCurrent)
 		if err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
+
+		// Widen the unwatched window on demand, the way coreutils
+		// does with its TAIL_TEST_SLEEP build knob, so that tests can
+		// hit a race that is only microseconds wide.
+		if delayBeforeWatch > 0 {
+			time.Sleep(delayBeforeWatch)
+		}
+
 		tail.changes, err = tail.watcher.ChangeEvents(&tail.Tomb, pos)
 		if err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
+
+		recheck, err := tail.recheckAfterWatch(pos)
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		if recheck {
+			return nil
+		}
 	}
 
 	// The write event should be handled first.
@@ -437,6 +475,43 @@ func (tail *Tail) waitForChanges() error {
 	}
 }
 
+// recheckAfterWatch inspects the file once the watch is in place and reports
+// whether there is something to read right away.
+func (tail *Tail) recheckAfterWatch(pos int64) (bool, error) {
+	fi, err := tail.file.Stat()
+	if err != nil {
+		return false, err
+	}
+
+	if tail.ReOpen {
+		if fs, err := os.Stat(tail.Filename); err == nil && !os.SameFile(fi, fs) {
+			tail.pendingReopen = true
+		}
+	}
+
+	if !fi.Mode().IsRegular() {
+		return tail.pendingReopen, nil
+	}
+
+	switch {
+	case fi.Size() < pos:
+		tail.Logger.Printf("Re-reading truncated file %s ...", tail.Filename)
+		if err := tail.seekTo(SeekInfo{Offset: 0, Whence: io.SeekStart}); err != nil {
+			return false, err
+		}
+		tail.lineNum = 0
+		if tail.lineBuf != nil {
+			tail.lineBuf.Reset()
+		}
+		return true, nil
+
+	case fi.Size() > pos:
+		return true, nil
+	}
+
+	return tail.pendingReopen, nil
+}
+
 func (tail *Tail) openReader() {
 	tail.lk.Lock()
 	if tail.MaxLineSize > 0 {