diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 52a8522..399f8d4 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -2,6 +2,32 @@
 
 ## [Unreleased]
 
+### sungrow 1.6.1
+
+An inverter that drops off the network no longer loses registers or its
+release. FTW's random site rig takes the inverter offline for 20 to 90 s.
+Every read and write then fails, and the driver counted those failures as the
+device refusing them.
+
+- Reads: 12999, 13000 and the PV registers were dropped for the session after
+  three failed polls. 13000 signs the battery, so FTW read a discharge as a
+  charge for the rest of the run. A failed read now counts only when the
+  device answers with a Modbus exception, or when another read in the same
+  poll returned data. The first poll that reads data after a poll that read
+  nothing starts every count over.
+- Writes: three failed writes marked the EMS block absent, so the watchdog's
+  release was reported as held without being written. The inverter kept its
+  last forced command for up to five minutes. Only a Modbus exception now
+  counts toward that, and a reconnect resets the count. Once this driver has
+  put the inverter in forced mode, the release is always written, and is never
+  reported as held, until the inverter takes it.
+
+Gateway exceptions 0x0A and 0x0B and the busy exception 0x06 do not count:
+they say the device could not answer, not that the register is missing.
+
+FTW's bundled copy does not move with this commit. Bump the pin and run
+`scripts/sync-bundled-drivers.sh`.
+
 ### easee_cloud 1.4.0
 
 Read Easee's SignalR stream when the host grants a WebSocket. Easee
diff --git a/SUPPORT_STATUS.md b/SUPPORT_STATUS.md
index 3cff62e..2285c99 100644
--- a/SUPPORT_STATUS.md
+++ b/SUPPORT_STATUS.md
@@ -158,8 +158,8 @@ Catalog source is not proof that a target can install or run a driver.
 | solis_string | 1.1.3 | blixt-l1 | not_assessed | — | not_recorded | not_assessed |
 | sonnen | 2.0.3 | ftw-core | not_assessed | — | not_recorded | not_assessed |
 | sonnen | 2.0.3 | blixt-l1 | not_assessed | — | not_recorded | not_assessed |
-| sungrow | 1.6.0 | ftw-core | not_assessed | — | not_recorded | not_assessed |
-| sungrow | 1.6.0 | blixt-l1 | not_assessed | — | not_recorded | not_assessed |
+| sungrow | 1.6.1 | ftw-core | not_assessed | — | not_recorded | not_assessed |
+| sungrow | 1.6.1 | blixt-l1 | not_assessed | — | not_recorded | not_assessed |
 | tesla_cloud | 0.2.0 | ftw-core | not_assessed | — | not_recorded | not_assessed |
 | tesla_cloud | 0.2.0 | blixt-l1 | not_assessed | — | not_recorded | not_assessed |
 | tesla_vehicle | 0.2.6 | ftw-core | not_assessed | — | not_recorded | not_assessed |
diff --git a/devices.yaml b/devices.yaml
index 478a570..723fd8b 100644
--- a/devices.yaml
+++ b/devices.yaml
@@ -1762,7 +1762,7 @@ manufacturers:
         protocols:
           - protocol: modbus
             driver: "sungrow"
-            version: "1.6.0"
+            version: "1.6.1"
             ders: [battery, meter, pv]
             control: true
         firmware_versions: ""
@@ -1773,7 +1773,7 @@ manufacturers:
         protocols:
           - protocol: modbus
             driver: "sungrow"
-            version: "1.6.0"
+            version: "1.6.1"
             ders: [battery, meter, pv]
             control: true
         firmware_versions: ""
@@ -1784,7 +1784,7 @@ manufacturers:
         protocols:
           - protocol: modbus
             driver: "sungrow"
-            version: "1.6.0"
+            version: "1.6.1"
             ders: [battery, meter, pv]
             control: true
         firmware_versions: ""
@@ -1795,7 +1795,7 @@ manufacturers:
         protocols:
           - protocol: modbus
             driver: "sungrow"
-            version: "1.6.0"
+            version: "1.6.1"
             ders: [battery, meter, pv]
             control: true
         firmware_versions: ""
@@ -1806,7 +1806,7 @@ manufacturers:
         protocols:
           - protocol: modbus
             driver: "sungrow"
-            version: "1.6.0"
+            version: "1.6.1"
             ders: [battery, meter, pv]
             control: true
         firmware_versions: ""
diff --git a/drivers/lua/sungrow.lua b/drivers/lua/sungrow.lua
index 36efb80..b035dc8 100644
--- a/drivers/lua/sungrow.lua
+++ b/drivers/lua/sungrow.lua
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ DRIVER = {
   id           = "sungrow",
   name         = "Sungrow SH Hybrid Inverter",
   manufacturer = "Sungrow",
-  version      = "1.6.0",
+  version      = "1.6.1",
   protocols    = { "modbus" },
   capabilities = { "meter", "pv", "battery", "pv-curtail" },
   description  = "Sungrow SH-series hybrid inverters with LFP battery, via Modbus TCP.",
@@ -150,6 +150,37 @@ local function known_to_have_no_battery()
     return model_family == "string"
 end
 
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------
+-- What a failure proves
+--
+-- A Modbus exception is the device itself saying no: it is up, and it does
+-- not take that register. Anything else -- a refused or reset connection, a
+-- timeout, FTW's reconnect backoff -- says only that the link is down, and
+-- proves nothing about the register.
+--
+-- FTW's random site rig showed what counting both costs (27 October 2026).
+-- An inverter offline for 20 to 90 s failed every read and every write. The
+-- driver counted those as refusals: it dropped 12999, 13000 and the PV
+-- registers for the rest of the session, so FTW read the battery with the
+-- wrong sign, and it stopped writing the EMS block, so the watchdog heard
+-- that the default held while the inverter kept its last forced discharge.
+--
+-- Codes 0x0A and 0x0B mean a gateway could not reach the device, and 0x06
+-- means it was busy. None of them says the register is absent.
+local LINK_EXCEPTION_CODES = { [0x06] = true, [0x0A] = true, [0x0B] = true }
+
+local function device_refused(why)
+    if type(why) ~= "string" then return false end
+    local text = why:lower()
+    if text:find("gateway", 1, true) or text:find("busy", 1, true) then
+        return false
+    end
+    local code = text:match("exception.-code=0x(%x+)")
+    if code then return not LINK_EXCEPTION_CODES[tonumber(code, 16)] end
+    return text:find("modbus exception", 1, true) ~= nil
+        or text:find("illegal", 1, true) ~= nil
+end
+
 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 -- The EMS control block, 13049-13051
 --
@@ -186,19 +217,26 @@ end
 local EMS_WRITE_ATTEMPTS = 3
 local ems_write_failures = 0
 
+-- Set once the device has taken forced mode from this driver, cleared once it
+-- has taken the release. While set, the device may be holding a forced state,
+-- so the release is always written and never reported as held unwritten.
+local forced_mode_written = false
+
 -- True while the EMS block is still worth writing unprompted.
 local function ems_block_worth_writing()
-    return ems_write_failures < EMS_WRITE_ATTEMPTS
+    return ems_write_failures < EMS_WRITE_ATTEMPTS or forced_mode_written
 end
 
 -- Record what the device did with one EMS operation. Counts the operation,
 -- not each of its three registers: the trio goes out together and fails
--- together, so one rejected trio is one piece of evidence.
+-- together, so one rejected trio is one piece of evidence. Only a refusal
+-- from the device counts; a write that never reached it proves nothing.
 local function note_ems_write(write_err)
     if write_err == nil then
         ems_write_failures = 0
         return
     end
+    if not device_refused(write_err) then return end
     ems_write_failures = ems_write_failures + 1
     if ems_write_failures == EMS_WRITE_ATTEMPTS then
         host.log("info", "Sungrow: the EMS control block rejected "
@@ -233,6 +271,44 @@ local function never_sent(ok, first, second)
     return type(why) == "string" and why:find("reconnect backoff", 1, true) ~= nil
 end
 
+-- A failure that is not a refusal counts only if another read in the same
+-- poll returned data: then the link was up and this register still did not
+-- answer. A poll that read nothing is an outage, and the first poll that reads
+-- again after one is a reconnect, which starts every count over.
+local poll_read_data = false
+local poll_unproved = {}
+local link_down = false
+
+local function count_miss(address)
+    local misses = (miss_counts[address] or 0) + 1
+    miss_counts[address] = misses
+    if misses >= MISSES_BEFORE_SKIP then
+        host.log("info", "Sungrow: register " .. address .. " failed "
+            .. misses .. " reads in a row; treating it as absent")
+    end
+end
+
+local function begin_poll()
+    poll_read_data = false
+    poll_unproved = {}
+end
+
+local function settle_poll()
+    if not poll_read_data then
+        link_down = true
+        return
+    end
+    if link_down then
+        link_down = false
+        miss_counts = {}
+        ems_write_failures = 0
+        host.log("info", "Sungrow: the device answers again; "
+            .. "every register and the EMS block start over")
+        return
+    end
+    for _, address in ipairs(poll_unproved) do count_miss(address) end
+end
+
 local function optional_read(address, count, kind)
     if (miss_counts[address] or 0) >= MISSES_BEFORE_SKIP then
         return nil
@@ -240,21 +316,24 @@ local function optional_read(address, count, kind)
     local ok, registers, err = pcall(host.modbus_read, address, count, kind)
     if never_sent(ok, registers, err) then return nil end
     -- Check every register asked for, not just the first. A short reply leaves
-    -- the rest nil, and arithmetic on nil ends the whole poll.
+    -- the rest nil, and arithmetic on nil ends the whole poll. The device did
+    -- reply, so a short reply counts like a refusal.
+    local short = false
     if ok and registers ~= nil then
         for i = 1, count do
-            if registers[i] == nil then ok = false break end
+            if registers[i] == nil then ok = false short = true break end
         end
     end
     if ok and registers ~= nil then
         miss_counts[address] = nil
+        poll_read_data = true
         return registers
     end
-    local misses = (miss_counts[address] or 0) + 1
-    miss_counts[address] = misses
-    if misses >= MISSES_BEFORE_SKIP then
-        host.log("info", "Sungrow: register " .. address .. " failed "
-            .. misses .. " reads in a row; treating it as absent")
+    local why = ok and err or registers
+    if short or device_refused(why) then
+        count_miss(address)
+    else
+        poll_unproved[#poll_unproved + 1] = address
     end
     return nil
 end
@@ -436,7 +515,7 @@ local function full_read_due(now_ms)
         or now_ms - last_full_read_ms >= FULL_READ_MS - POLL_MS / 2
 end
 
-function driver_poll()
+local function read_and_emit()
     local now_ms = host.millis()
     local full = full_read_due(now_ms)
     if full then last_full_read_ms = now_ms end
@@ -849,6 +928,13 @@ function driver_poll()
     return POLL_MS
 end
 
+function driver_poll()
+    begin_poll()
+    local interval = read_and_emit()
+    settle_poll()
+    return interval
+end
+
 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 -- Battery control
 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -943,6 +1029,7 @@ function set_battery_power(power_w)
     local mode_err = host.modbus_write(13049, 2)         -- 1. forced mode
     local cmd_err = host.modbus_write(13050, want_cmd)   -- 2. charge/discharge cmd
     local power_err = host.modbus_write(13051, watts)    -- 3. power setpoint
+    if mode_err == nil then forced_mode_written = true end
     local write_err = first_write_error(mode_err, cmd_err, power_err)
     -- A command always attempts, however many times the block has refused
     -- before: only the unprompted paths give up. But the outcome still counts,
@@ -987,6 +1074,7 @@ function set_battery_idle()
     local mode_err = host.modbus_write(13049, 2)     -- forced mode
     local cmd_err = host.modbus_write(13050, 0xCC)   -- stop forced charge/discharge
     local power_err = host.modbus_write(13051, 0)    -- zero power setpoint
+    if mode_err == nil then forced_mode_written = true end
     local write_err = first_write_error(mode_err, cmd_err, power_err)
     -- Reached by a zero-watt command, which 1.5.4 accepts on every family.
     -- It still attempts; the count only decides the unprompted paths.
@@ -1020,10 +1108,11 @@ end
 -- write has to be let go of.
 function set_self_consumption()
     -- Nothing to hand back on a device that has refused this block three
-    -- times: a write it rejects cannot have latched a forced state. Report the
-    -- default as held rather than failed -- the watchdog reads a false as the
-    -- safe state being unreachable and escalates, which is the wrong answer
-    -- for an inverter that was never under control to begin with.
+    -- times and never took forced mode from this driver. Report the default
+    -- as held rather than failed -- the watchdog reads a false as the safe
+    -- state being unreachable and escalates, which is the wrong answer for an
+    -- inverter that was never under control to begin with. Once forced mode
+    -- has landed, ems_block_worth_writing stays true until the release lands.
     if not ems_block_worth_writing() then
         return true
     end
@@ -1043,13 +1132,13 @@ function set_self_consumption()
     host.log("debug", "Sungrow: self-consumption mode")
 
     local ok, ems = pcall(host.modbus_read, 13049, 3, "holding")
-    if not ok or not ems then return true end
-    if ems[1] ~= 0 or ems[2] ~= 0xCC or ems[3] ~= 0 then
+    if ok and ems and (ems[1] ~= 0 or ems[2] ~= 0xCC or ems[3] ~= 0) then
         host.log("warn", string.format(
             "Sungrow: self-consumption reset not latched (mode=%d cmd=0x%02x power=%dW)",
             ems[1] or -1, ems[2] or -1, ems[3] or -1))
         return false
     end
+    forced_mode_written = false
     return true
 end
 
diff --git a/drivers/tests/test_sungrow_outage.py b/drivers/tests/test_sungrow_outage.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..09157a5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/drivers/tests/test_sungrow_outage.py
@@ -0,0 +1,297 @@
+"""An inverter that drops off the network is not an inverter without registers.
+
+FTW's random site rig takes the Sungrow offline for 20 to 90 s and brings it
+back (srcfl/ftw nightly, 27 October 2026). Every read and write fails while it
+is gone, and none of those failures came from the device. Before 1.6.1 the
+driver counted them as if they had:
+
+- reads: 12999, 13000 and the PV registers were dropped for the session. 13000
+  signs the battery, so FTW read a discharge as a charge for the rest of the
+  run (seed 207539: 105 samples).
+- writes: three failed EMS writes marked the block absent, so the release was
+  reported as held without being written, while the inverter kept the last
+  forced discharge (seed 207534: 5000 W for up to five minutes).
+
+Only a Modbus exception, the device's own refusal, proves a register absent.
+"""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import subprocess
+from pathlib import Path
+
+import pytest
+
+ROOT = Path(__file__).resolve().parents[2]
+LUA = ROOT / "lua55"
+HARNESS = ROOT / "drivers" / "tests" / "lua_harness"
+DRIVER = ROOT / "drivers" / "lua" / "sungrow.lua"
+
+pytestmark = pytest.mark.skipif(
+    not LUA.exists(), reason="run make check to build ./lua55")
+
+HEALTHY_HYBRID = '''
+host._modbus_registers.input[4999]  = {0x0E0E}
+host._modbus_registers.input[5000]  = {100}
+host._modbus_registers.input[5016]  = {4000, 0}
+host._modbus_registers.input[12999] = {0x0000}
+host._modbus_registers.input[13000] = {0x0004}   -- bit 2 set: discharging
+host._modbus_registers.input[13002] = {5000, 0}
+host._modbus_registers.input[13019] = {4800, 120, 900, 550}
+host._modbus_registers.input[13026] = {1000, 0}
+host._modbus_registers.input[13036] = {2000, 0}
+host._modbus_registers.input[13040] = {3000, 0}
+host._modbus_registers.input[13045] = {4000, 0}
+host._modbus_registers.input[5600]  = {1500, 0}
+'''
+
+# What FTW's host hands the driver while the device is gone. The first is the
+# dial error the rig logged; the last two are what a Modbus gateway answers
+# when it cannot reach the device behind it.
+LINK_ERRORS = [
+    "dial tcp 127.0.0.1:502: connect: connection refused",
+    "read after reconnect: modbus reconnect backoff active for 1.243s "
+    "(original: EOF)",
+    "modbus transport failure: i/o timeout",
+    "modbus exception function=0x03 code=0x0b",
+    "modbus exception function=0x06 code=0x0a",
+]
+
+REFUSAL = "modbus exception function=0x06 code=0x02"
+
+
+def run_lua(body: str) -> dict[str, str]:
+    script = f'''
+package.path = "{HARNESS}/?.lua;" .. package.path
+require("host_mock")
+host.reset()
+host._millis_step = 1000  -- one poll a second, a full read every five
+{HEALTHY_HYBRID}
+dofile("{DRIVER}")
+driver_init({{}})
+for _ = 1, 3 do driver_poll() end
+{body}
+'''
+    result = subprocess.run([str(LUA), "-e", script],
+                            capture_output=True, text=True, cwd=ROOT)
+    assert result.returncode == 0, result.stdout + result.stderr
+    return dict(line.split(" ", 1)
+                for line in result.stdout.strip().splitlines() if " " in line)
+
+
+def offline(err: str, polls: int = 5, defaults: int = 5) -> str:
+    return f'''
+host._modbus_read_error = "{err}"
+host._modbus_write_error = "{err}"
+for _ = 1, {polls} do driver_poll() end
+for _ = 1, {defaults} do driver_default_mode() end
+host._modbus_read_error = nil
+host._modbus_write_error = nil
+'''
+
+
+def reads_on_next_poll() -> str:
+    return '''
+local before = #host._calls
+driver_poll()
+local read = {}
+for i = before + 1, #host._calls do
+    local call = host._calls[i]
+    if call.func == "modbus_read" then read[call.args[1]] = true end
+end
+for _, addr in ipairs({12999, 13000, 5016, 5010}) do
+    print("READ_" .. addr .. " " .. tostring(read[addr] == true))
+end
+local emits = host._emitted.battery
+print("BATTERY_W " .. tostring(emits[#emits].w))
+'''
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("err", LINK_ERRORS)
+def test_an_outage_does_not_drop_registers(err: str) -> None:
+    """The device comes back; so must 13000 and the PV registers."""
+    # Five polls: one full read lands every five, so 12999 is read too.
+    out = run_lua(offline(err, polls=12, defaults=0)
+                  + "for _ = 1, 4 do driver_poll() end\n"
+                  + reads_on_next_poll())
+
+    for addr in (13000, 5016, 5010):
+        assert out[f"READ_{addr}"] == "true", (
+            f"register {addr} was not read after the device came back: the "
+            f"outage ({err!r}) was counted as proof it is absent. {out}")
+    assert out["BATTERY_W"] == "-900", (
+        f"the battery discharges at 900 W but reads {out['BATTERY_W']}: "
+        f"13000, which signs it, was dropped during the outage")
+
+
+def test_an_outage_does_not_drop_the_running_state() -> None:
+    """12999 is read on full polls only, so check it across five."""
+    out = run_lua(offline(LINK_ERRORS[0], polls=20, defaults=0) + '''
+local before = #host._calls
+for _ = 1, 6 do driver_poll() end
+local seen = false
+for i = before + 1, #host._calls do
+    local call = host._calls[i]
+    if call.func == "modbus_read" and call.args[1] == 12999 then seen = true end
+end
+print("READ_12999 " .. tostring(seen))
+''')
+    assert out["READ_12999"] == "true", out
+
+
+def test_a_refused_register_is_still_given_up_while_others_answer() -> None:
+    """The bound still works: an exception is the device saying no."""
+    out = run_lua('''
+host._modbus_read_fail_addresses[5743] = "Illegal Data Address"
+for _ = 1, 4 do driver_poll() end
+''' + '''
+local before = #host._calls
+driver_poll()
+local read = false
+for i = before + 1, #host._calls do
+    if host._calls[i].func == "modbus_read" and host._calls[i].args[1] == 5743 then
+        read = true
+    end
+end
+print("READ_5743 " .. tostring(read))
+''')
+    assert out["READ_5743"] == "false", "a refused register was read forever"
+
+
+def test_a_timeout_on_one_register_counts_while_the_rest_answer() -> None:
+    """A transport-shaped failure still counts when the link is plainly up."""
+    out = run_lua('''
+host._modbus_read_fail_addresses[5743] = "i/o timeout"
+for _ = 1, 4 do driver_poll() end
+local before = #host._calls
+driver_poll()
+local read = false
+for i = before + 1, #host._calls do
+    if host._calls[i].func == "modbus_read" and host._calls[i].args[1] == 5743 then
+        read = true
+    end
+end
+print("READ_5743 " .. tostring(read))
+''')
+    assert out["READ_5743"] == "false", (
+        "a register that times out while every other read answers was read "
+        "forever")
+
+
+def test_a_reconnect_starts_the_read_count_over() -> None:
+    """Two refusals, an outage, then one more refusal: not yet three."""
+    out = run_lua('''
+host._modbus_read_fail_addresses[5743] = "Illegal Data Address"
+driver_poll()
+driver_poll()
+host._modbus_read_error = "dial tcp 127.0.0.1:502: connect: connection refused"
+driver_poll()
+host._modbus_read_error = nil
+driver_poll()
+local before = #host._calls
+driver_poll()
+local read = false
+for i = before + 1, #host._calls do
+    if host._calls[i].func == "modbus_read" and host._calls[i].args[1] == 5743 then
+        read = true
+    end
+end
+print("READ_5743 " .. tostring(read))
+''')
+    assert out["READ_5743"] == "true", (
+        "misses counted before an outage carried over the reconnect")
+
+
+def forced_then(body: str) -> str:
+    return '''
+print("FORCED " .. tostring(driver_command("battery", -3000, {}) == true))
+''' + body + '''
+host._modbus_write_attempts = 0
+local held = driver_default_mode()
+print("RELEASE_WRITES " .. tostring(host._modbus_write_attempts))
+print("RELEASED " .. tostring(held == true))
+print("MODE " .. tostring(host._modbus_registers.holding[13049]))
+'''
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("err", LINK_ERRORS)
+def test_the_release_is_written_when_the_device_returns(err: str) -> None:
+    """Seeds 207533-207539: a forced discharge outlived the outage."""
+    out = run_lua(forced_then(offline(err)))
+
+    assert out["FORCED"] == "true"
+    assert int(out["RELEASE_WRITES"]) >= 3, (
+        f"the inverter came back holding forced discharge and the watchdog's "
+        f"release wrote {out['RELEASE_WRITES']} registers. The outage "
+        f"({err!r}) was counted as the device refusing the EMS block.")
+    assert out["MODE"] == "0", f"EMS mode left at {out['MODE']}, not 0"
+    assert out["RELEASED"] == "true"
+
+
+def test_the_release_is_never_reported_held_while_forced_mode_may_be_latched() -> None:
+    """Even three real refusals do not excuse it once forced mode landed."""
+    out = run_lua(forced_then(f'''
+host._modbus_write_error = "{REFUSAL}"
+local answers = {{}}
+for _ = 1, 5 do answers[#answers + 1] = tostring(driver_default_mode()) end
+print("DURING " .. table.concat(answers, ","))
+host._modbus_write_error = nil
+'''))
+
+    assert "true" not in out["DURING"].split(","), (
+        f"driver_default_mode reported the default held without writing it: "
+        f"{out['DURING']}. This driver put the inverter in forced mode, so "
+        f"the inverter may still be holding it.")
+    assert int(out["RELEASE_WRITES"]) >= 3
+    assert out["MODE"] == "0"
+
+
+def test_failures_during_an_outage_report_the_release_as_failed() -> None:
+    """While nothing reaches the device, the honest answer is false."""
+    out = run_lua(forced_then('''
+host._modbus_read_error = "dial tcp 127.0.0.1:502: connect: connection refused"
+host._modbus_write_error = host._modbus_read_error
+local answers = {}
+for _ = 1, 5 do answers[#answers + 1] = tostring(driver_default_mode()) end
+print("DURING " .. table.concat(answers, ","))
+host._modbus_read_error = nil
+host._modbus_write_error = nil
+'''))
+    assert out["DURING"] == ",".join(["false"] * 5), out["DURING"]
+
+
+def test_a_reconnect_starts_the_write_count_over() -> None:
+    """Two refusals, an outage, then two more: not yet three in a row."""
+    out = run_lua(f'''
+host._modbus_write_error = "{REFUSAL}"
+driver_default_mode()
+driver_default_mode()
+host._modbus_write_error = nil
+host._modbus_read_error = "dial tcp 127.0.0.1:502: connect: connection refused"
+driver_poll()
+host._modbus_read_error = nil
+driver_poll()
+host._modbus_write_error = "{REFUSAL}"
+driver_default_mode()
+driver_default_mode()
+host._modbus_write_attempts = 0
+driver_default_mode()
+print("WRITES " .. tostring(host._modbus_write_attempts))
+''')
+    assert int(out["WRITES"]) >= 3, (
+        "refusals counted before an outage carried over the reconnect")
+
+
+def test_a_device_that_refuses_the_block_still_settles() -> None:
+    """The SG12RT rule from 1.5.7 holds: never forced, three refusals, stop."""
+    out = run_lua(f'''
+host._modbus_write_error = "{REFUSAL}"
+local writes = {{}}
+for _ = 1, 6 do
+    host._modbus_write_attempts = 0
+    driver_default_mode()
+    writes[#writes + 1] = host._modbus_write_attempts
+end
+print("WRITES " .. table.concat(writes, ","))
+''')
+    assert out["WRITES"].split(",")[-3:] == ["0", "0", "0"], out["WRITES"]
diff --git a/index.yaml b/index.yaml
index e2744f1..b701ed6 100644
--- a/index.yaml
+++ b/index.yaml
@@ -710,14 +710,14 @@ drivers:
     size_bytes: 6631
     sha256: "94ae5e0065f5793051acb89b7ef04a679b2898908dfac6f4ffd6e8deb77fa2c0"
   - name: "sungrow"
-    version: "1.6.0"
+    version: "1.6.1"
     tier: core
     protocol: modbus
     connectivity: local
     ders: [battery, meter, pv]
     control: true
-    size_bytes: 52811
-    sha256: "db4e378f49f6421c93621e0f101f00c64e5459a38190171003476f9f2b2cc4c1"
+    size_bytes: 56325
+    sha256: "b89fd9cd70ea67be3c7f0089a3c6d5552d8bbc994e39b8720dbd8d4d9892261b"
   - name: "tesla_cloud"
     version: "0.2.0"
     tier: community
diff --git a/manifests/sungrow.yaml b/manifests/sungrow.yaml
index 0f32ba3..cfe3857 100644
--- a/manifests/sungrow.yaml
+++ b/manifests/sungrow.yaml
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 name: "sungrow"
-version: "1.6.0"
+version: "1.6.1"
 tier: core
 author: "Sourceful Labs AB"
 protocol: modbus
@@ -43,9 +43,9 @@ tested_devices:
     notes: "Commercial/industrial three-phase string inverter. Needs 1.5.3: 1.2.1 stopped polling the SH battery registers this family does not answer, and 1.5.3 refuses a battery dispatch instead of writing them. A zero-watt command is still written on every family from 1.5.4 -- it is the release, and on a model without the registers it fails harmlessly."
     min_driver_version: "1.5.3"
 min_host_version: "2.0.0"
-size_bytes: 52811
+size_bytes: 56325
 dkb_id: "sungrow_sh_rt"
-sha256: "db4e378f49f6421c93621e0f101f00c64e5459a38190171003476f9f2b2cc4c1"
+sha256: "b89fd9cd70ea67be3c7f0089a3c6d5552d8bbc994e39b8720dbd8d4d9892261b"
 signature: ""
 
 bytecode_sha256: ""
diff --git a/support-status.json b/support-status.json
index 054edf7..4f61ce4 100644
--- a/support-status.json
+++ b/support-status.json
@@ -1619,7 +1619,7 @@
     },
     {
       "catalog_source": true,
-      "catalog_version": "1.6.0",
+      "catalog_version": "1.6.1",
       "driver_id": "sungrow",
       "targets": {
         "blixt-l1": {