diff --git a/inc/namespace.php b/inc/namespace.php
index 55f8917..ec9ffa8 100644
--- a/inc/namespace.php
+++ b/inc/namespace.php
@@ -823,8 +823,14 @@ function render_block_query( $block_content, $block ) {
 	$block_content = new WP_HTML_Tag_Processor( $block_content );
 	$block_content->next_tag();
 
+	// With enhanced pagination on, core sets `data-wp-interactive="core/query"`
+	// here and its pagination directives read context from that namespace.
+	// Replacing it breaks them, so only set ours when core set none.
+	if ( null === $block_content->get_attribute( 'data-wp-interactive' ) ) {
+		$block_content->set_attribute( 'data-wp-interactive', 'query-filter' );
+	}
+
 	// Always allow region updates on interactivity, use standard core region naming.
-	$block_content->set_attribute( 'data-wp-interactive', 'query-filter' );
 	$block_content->set_attribute( 'data-wp-router-region', 'query-' . ( $block['attrs']['queryId'] ?? 0 ) );
 
 	return (string) $block_content;
diff --git a/tests/e2e/README.md b/tests/e2e/README.md
index a12ee11..c057f87 100644
--- a/tests/e2e/README.md
+++ b/tests/e2e/README.md
@@ -58,6 +58,7 @@ Seeding is idempotent, guarded by the `query_filter_e2e_seeded` option.
 | `/taxonomy-hierarchy-collapsed/` | 8 | Taxonomy filter (checkboxes, `hierarchy: collapsed`) over `qf_topic` |
 | `/taxonomy-hierarchy-select/` | 9 | Taxonomy filter (select, `hierarchy: nested`) over `qf_topic` |
 | `/term-counts/` | 10 | Category and `qf_topic` filters (checkboxes, `hideEmpty` and `showCount`) and a core search block |
+| `/enhanced-pagination/` | 15 | Taxonomy filter (select) and enhanced pagination, one post to a page |
 
 Posts: `Alpha One` and `Alpha Two` in the `alpha` category, `Beta One` in
 `beta`, and `Unfiled Post` in neither — so an active filter is always
diff --git a/tests/e2e/enhanced-pagination.spec.js b/tests/e2e/enhanced-pagination.spec.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8f8147b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/e2e/enhanced-pagination.spec.js
@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
+const { test, expect, POSTS } = require( './fixtures' );
+
+test.describe( 'Enhanced pagination', () => {
+	test( 'the core/query namespace on the loop wrapper is preserved', async ( {
+		page,
+		loop,
+	} ) => {
+		const errors = [];
+		page.on( 'pageerror', ( error ) => errors.push( error.message ) );
+
+		await page.goto( '/enhanced-pagination/' );
+		await loop.expectTitles( [ 'Alpha One' ] );
+
+		// With enhanced pagination on, core owns the wrapper namespace. The
+		// plugin only adds the router region.
+		const wrapper = page.locator( '.wp-block-query' );
+		await expect( wrapper ).toHaveAttribute(
+			'data-wp-interactive',
+			'core/query'
+		);
+		await expect( wrapper ).toHaveAttribute(
+			'data-wp-router-region',
+			'query-15'
+		);
+
+		await page.locator( '.wp-block-query-pagination-next' ).click();
+		await loop.expectTitles( [ 'Alpha Two' ] );
+		expect( page.url() ).toContain( 'query-15-page=2' );
+
+		await loop.taxonomySelect().selectOption( { label: 'Beta' } );
+		await page.waitForURL( /query-15-category=beta/ );
+		await loop.expectTitles( POSTS.beta );
+
+		expect( errors ).toEqual( [] );
+	} );
+
+	test( 'the plugin namespace is applied when core sets none', async ( {
+		page,
+		loop,
+	} ) => {
+		await page.goto( '/search-pagination/' );
+		await loop.expectTitles( POSTS.alpha );
+
+		const wrapper = page.locator( '.wp-block-query' );
+		await expect( wrapper ).toHaveAttribute(
+			'data-wp-interactive',
+			'query-filter'
+		);
+		await expect( wrapper ).toHaveAttribute(
+			'data-wp-router-region',
+			'query-5'
+		);
+	} );
+} );
diff --git a/tests/seed.php b/tests/seed.php
index f70ec99..8c99c82 100644
--- a/tests/seed.php
+++ b/tests/seed.php
@@ -355,6 +355,28 @@ function query_loop_markup( int $query_id, string $filters ) : string {
 HTML,
 ] );
 
+// Page 15: enhanced pagination, one post to a page, with a taxonomy filter.
+// Core puts the loop wrapper in the `core/query` namespace and the plugin
+// must leave it there to avoid breaking core pagination directives (#72).
+seed_post( 'Enhanced Pagination', 'page', [
+	'post_name' => 'enhanced-pagination',
+	'post_content' => <<<HTML
+<!-- wp:query {"queryId":15,"enhancedPagination":true,"query":{"perPage":1,"pages":0,"offset":0,"postType":"post","order":"asc","orderBy":"title","inherit":false}} -->
+<div class="wp-block-query">
+<!-- wp:query-filter/taxonomy {"taxonomy":"category"} /-->
+<!-- wp:post-template -->
+<!-- wp:post-title /-->
+<!-- /wp:post-template -->
+<!-- wp:query-pagination -->
+<!-- wp:query-pagination-previous /-->
+<!-- wp:query-pagination-numbers /-->
+<!-- wp:query-pagination-next /-->
+<!-- /wp:query-pagination -->
+</div>
+<!-- /wp:query -->
+HTML,
+] );
+
 update_option( 'query_filter_e2e_seeded', 1 );
 
 echo "Seeded query filter e2e fixtures.\n";