diff --git a/apps/lightcraft-web/src/wire.rs b/apps/lightcraft-web/src/wire.rs
index 4796740e..a06d3ab2 100644
--- a/apps/lightcraft-web/src/wire.rs
+++ b/apps/lightcraft-web/src/wire.rs
@@ -332,11 +332,46 @@ impl CacheWatch {
     }
 }
 
+/// Hands out the positions that render workers will have in the main thread's worker list.
+/// A worker that fails to start gets no position, so the position a callback captures stays the
+/// index of its own worker in that list (#229).
+#[derive(Debug, Default)]
+pub struct WorkerSlots {
+    next: usize,
+}
+
+impl WorkerSlots {
+    /// The position the worker being started will have, if it comes up.
+    pub fn peek(&self) -> usize {
+        self.next
+    }
+
+    /// The worker at [`Self::peek`] came up and was added to the list.
+    pub fn commit(&mut self) {
+        self.next += 1;
+    }
+}
+
 #[cfg(test)]
 mod tests {
     use super::*;
     use lightcraft_engine::Session;
 
+    // Issue #229: a failed worker attempt must not shift the positions of the workers after it
+    #[test]
+    fn a_failed_worker_attempt_leaves_no_gap_in_the_slots() {
+        let mut slots = WorkerSlots::default();
+        let mut taken = Vec::new();
+        for attempt_ok in [false, true, true, true] {
+            let i = slots.peek();
+            if attempt_ok {
+                taken.push(i);
+                slots.commit();
+            }
+        }
+        assert_eq!(taken, vec![0, 1, 2]);
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn clearing_index_changes_disk_namespace_and_survives_restart() {
         let key = lightcraft_preview::hash_bytes(b"thumbnail");
diff --git a/apps/lightcraft-web/src/workers.rs b/apps/lightcraft-web/src/workers.rs
index f321bdb9..3ba58d37 100644
--- a/apps/lightcraft-web/src/workers.rs
+++ b/apps/lightcraft-web/src/workers.rs
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ use wasm_bindgen::JsCast;
 use wasm_bindgen::prelude::*;
 
 use crate::backend::Backend;
-use crate::wire::{CacheWatch, ThumbIndex, WireJob, WorkerCore, thumb_storage_key};
+use crate::wire::{CacheWatch, ThumbIndex, WireJob, WorkerCore, WorkerSlots, thumb_storage_key};
 
 /// Storage key of the thumbnail index.
 pub const THUMB_INDEX: &str = "thumbs/index.json";
@@ -245,14 +245,17 @@ impl Workers {
             log::warn!("render workers: no compiled module on the page (window.lightcraftModule); rendering on the main thread");
             return w;
         }
-        for i in 0..n {
+        let mut slots = WorkerSlots::default();
+        for attempt in 0..n {
+            // The callbacks name their worker by its place in `workers`; a failed attempt takes none.
+            let i = slots.peek();
             let opts = web_sys::WorkerOptions::new();
             opts.set_type(web_sys::WorkerType::Module);
-            opts.set_name(&format!("lightcraft-render-{i}"));
+            opts.set_name(&format!("lightcraft-render-{attempt}"));
             let worker = match web_sys::Worker::new_with_options("./worker.js", &opts) {
                 Ok(x) => x,
                 Err(e) => {
-                    log::warn!("render worker {i}: {e:?}");
+                    log::warn!("render worker {attempt}: {e:?}");
                     continue;
                 }
             };
@@ -268,10 +271,15 @@ impl Workers {
             set(&init, "module", &module);
             set(&init, "store", &store.into());
             if let Err(e) = worker.post_message(&init) {
-                log::warn!("render worker {i}: {e:?}");
+                log::warn!("render worker {attempt}: {e:?}");
+                // It never joins the list, so it must not answer to the index of the next worker.
+                worker.set_onmessage(None);
+                worker.set_onerror(None);
+                worker.terminate();
                 continue;
             }
             w.0.borrow_mut().workers.push(W { worker, ready: false, dead: false, busy: None });
+            slots.commit();
         }
         w
     }