diff --git a/node/events.test.ts b/node/events.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..dac24c5f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/node/events.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,209 @@
+import { EventEmitter } from "node:events";
+import { describe, it } from "@effectionx/vitest";
+import { type Operation, race, scoped, spawn, withResolvers } from "effection";
+import { expect } from "expect";
+
+import { type EventTargetLike, once } from "./events.ts";
+
+/**
+ * A spawned task does not start until its parent suspends, so anything that
+ * has to happen while another task is registering its listener must run from
+ * inside a task of its own.
+ */
+function* observe<T>(read: () => T): Operation<T> {
+  const task = yield* spawn(function* () {
+    return read();
+  });
+  return yield* task;
+}
+
+/**
+ * `EventTarget` has no listener count, so count registrations ourselves.
+ */
+function createEventTarget(): EventTargetLike & {
+  listenerCount(): number;
+  dispatch(eventName: string): void;
+} {
+  const target = new EventTarget();
+  const listeners = new Set<(event: unknown) => void>();
+
+  return {
+    addEventListener(eventName, listener) {
+      listeners.add(listener);
+      target.addEventListener(eventName, listener as EventListener);
+    },
+    removeEventListener(eventName, listener) {
+      listeners.delete(listener);
+      target.removeEventListener(eventName, listener as EventListener);
+    },
+    listenerCount: () => listeners.size,
+    dispatch: (eventName) => void target.dispatchEvent(new Event(eventName)),
+  };
+}
+
+describe("once", () => {
+  describe("with an EventEmitter", () => {
+    it("registers nothing until it is interpreted", function* () {
+      const emitter = new EventEmitter();
+
+      once(emitter, "done");
+
+      expect(emitter.listenerCount("done")).toBe(0);
+    });
+
+    it("registers one listener and yields the event arguments", function* () {
+      const emitter = new EventEmitter();
+
+      const task = yield* spawn(function* () {
+        return yield* once<[number, string]>(emitter, "exit");
+      });
+
+      expect(yield* observe(() => emitter.listenerCount("exit"))).toBe(1);
+
+      emitter.emit("exit", 42, "SIGTERM");
+
+      expect(yield* task).toEqual([42, "SIGTERM"]);
+    });
+
+    it("removes the listener before its owner continues", function* () {
+      const emitter = new EventEmitter();
+
+      const task = yield* spawn(function* () {
+        yield* once(emitter, "done");
+        return emitter.listenerCount("done");
+      });
+
+      yield* observe(() => emitter.emit("done"));
+
+      expect(yield* task).toBe(0);
+    });
+
+    it("removes the listener when the interpreting task is halted", function* () {
+      const emitter = new EventEmitter();
+
+      const task = yield* spawn(function* () {
+        yield* once(emitter, "done");
+      });
+
+      expect(yield* observe(() => emitter.listenerCount("done"))).toBe(1);
+
+      yield* task.halt();
+
+      expect(emitter.listenerCount("done")).toBe(0);
+
+      emitter.emit("done");
+
+      expect(emitter.listenerCount("done")).toBe(0);
+    });
+
+    it("removes the listener when its owning scope fails", function* () {
+      const emitter = new EventEmitter();
+      const failure = withResolvers<never>();
+      let registered = 0;
+      let caught: unknown;
+
+      try {
+        yield* scoped(function* () {
+          yield* spawn(function* () {
+            yield* once(emitter, "done");
+          });
+          yield* spawn(function* () {
+            registered = emitter.listenerCount("done");
+            failure.reject(new Error("boom"));
+          });
+          yield* failure.operation;
+        });
+      } catch (error) {
+        caught = error;
+      }
+
+      expect((caught as Error).message).toBe("boom");
+      expect(registered).toBe(1);
+      expect(emitter.listenerCount("done")).toBe(0);
+    });
+
+    it("ignores an event redelivered before its owner resumes", function* () {
+      const emitter = new EventEmitter();
+
+      const task = yield* spawn(function* () {
+        return yield* once<[string]>(emitter, "done");
+      });
+
+      yield* observe(() => {
+        let reentered = false;
+        emitter.on("done", () => {
+          if (!reentered) {
+            reentered = true;
+            emitter.emit("done", "second");
+          }
+        });
+        emitter.emit("done", "first");
+      });
+
+      expect(yield* task).toEqual(["first"]);
+    });
+
+    it("deregisters the losing branch of a race", function* () {
+      const emitter = new EventEmitter();
+      let racing = 0;
+
+      const value = yield* race([
+        once<[string]>(emitter, "loser"),
+        {
+          *[Symbol.iterator]() {
+            racing = emitter.listenerCount("loser");
+            return "won";
+          },
+        },
+      ]);
+
+      expect(value).toBe("won");
+      expect(racing).toBe(1);
+      expect(emitter.listenerCount("loser")).toBe(0);
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe("with an EventTarget", () => {
+    it("registers nothing until it is interpreted", function* () {
+      const target = createEventTarget();
+
+      once(target, "done");
+
+      expect(target.listenerCount()).toBe(0);
+    });
+
+    it("registers one listener and yields the event", function* () {
+      const target = createEventTarget();
+
+      const task = yield* spawn(function* () {
+        return yield* once<[Event]>(target, "done");
+      });
+
+      expect(yield* observe(() => target.listenerCount())).toBe(1);
+
+      target.dispatch("done");
+
+      const [event] = yield* task;
+      expect(event.type).toBe("done");
+      expect(target.listenerCount()).toBe(0);
+    });
+
+    it("removes the listener when the interpreting task is halted", function* () {
+      const target = createEventTarget();
+
+      const task = yield* spawn(function* () {
+        yield* once(target, "done");
+      });
+
+      expect(yield* observe(() => target.listenerCount())).toBe(1);
+
+      yield* task.halt();
+
+      expect(target.listenerCount()).toBe(0);
+
+      target.dispatch("done");
+
+      expect(target.listenerCount()).toBe(0);
+    });
+  });
+});
diff --git a/node/events.ts b/node/events.ts
index 2e702cc4..7bd67bb2 100644
--- a/node/events.ts
+++ b/node/events.ts
@@ -109,6 +109,11 @@ export function on<T extends unknown[]>(
  * For EventEmitters, returns an array of arguments.
  * For EventTargets, returns a single-element array containing the event object.
  *
+ * The listener's lifetime is bound to the scope that interprets this operation,
+ * never to the event firing: constructing the operation registers nothing, and
+ * the listener is removed when the event arrives, the operation fails, or the
+ * scope is halted first.
+ *
  * @example
  * ```ts
  * import { once } from "@effectionx/node/events";
@@ -126,25 +131,31 @@ export function once<TArgs extends unknown[] = unknown[]>(
   target: EventSourceLike | null,
   eventName: string,
 ): Operation<TArgs> {
-  const result = withResolvers<TArgs>();
+  return {
+    *[Symbol.iterator]() {
+      const result = withResolvers<TArgs>();
 
-  if (target) {
-    if (isEventTarget(target)) {
-      // EventTarget style (DOM, web-worker self)
-      const listener = (event: unknown) => {
-        result.resolve([event] as TArgs);
-        target.removeEventListener(eventName, listener);
-      };
-      target.addEventListener(eventName, listener);
-    } else {
-      // EventEmitter style (Node.js)
-      const listener = (...args: unknown[]) => {
-        result.resolve(args as TArgs);
-        target.off(eventName, listener);
-      };
-      target.on(eventName, listener);
-    }
-  }
+      if (!target) {
+        return yield* result.operation;
+      }
 
-  return result.operation;
+      if (isEventTarget(target)) {
+        const listener = (event: unknown) => result.resolve([event] as TArgs);
+        target.addEventListener(eventName, listener);
+        try {
+          return yield* result.operation;
+        } finally {
+          target.removeEventListener(eventName, listener);
+        }
+      }
+
+      const listener = (...args: unknown[]) => result.resolve(args as TArgs);
+      target.on(eventName, listener);
+      try {
+        return yield* result.operation;
+      } finally {
+        target.off(eventName, listener);
+      }
+    },
+  };
 }
diff --git a/node/package.json b/node/package.json
index 7106e7fe..e084c548 100644
--- a/node/package.json
+++ b/node/package.json
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 {
   "name": "@effectionx/node",
   "description": "Node.js stream and event emitter adapters for Effection",
-  "version": "0.2.4",
+  "version": "0.2.5",
   "keywords": ["io", "streams"],
   "type": "module",
   "main": "./dist/mod.js",
diff --git a/process/package.json b/process/package.json
index 6215178a..9a8e72cf 100644
--- a/process/package.json
+++ b/process/package.json
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 {
   "name": "@effectionx/process",
   "description": "Spawn and manage child processes with structured concurrency",
-  "version": "0.8.2",
+  "version": "0.8.3",
   "keywords": ["process"],
   "type": "module",
   "main": "./dist/mod.js",
diff --git a/watch/package.json b/watch/package.json
index 63003039..d570c046 100644
--- a/watch/package.json
+++ b/watch/package.json
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 {
   "name": "@effectionx/watch",
   "description": "Run commands and restart them gracefully when source files change",
-  "version": "0.4.6",
+  "version": "0.4.7",
   "keywords": ["process"],
   "type": "module",
   "main": "./dist/main.js",