diff --git a/packages/prosemirror-markdown/src/lib/node-ops.ts b/packages/prosemirror-markdown/src/lib/node-ops.ts
index 55aa13b2..6c7be354 100644
--- a/packages/prosemirror-markdown/src/lib/node-ops.ts
+++ b/packages/prosemirror-markdown/src/lib/node-ops.ts
@@ -705,26 +705,44 @@ function coalesceSeams(parent: any[], i: number, j: number): void {
 
   // A seam fires only when the pre-existing neighbour and the inserted boundary
   // list are mergeable AND the inserted boundary list is non-empty.
+  const singleBlock = i === j - 1;
   const leftMergeable =
     i - 1 >= 0 &&
     listsMergeable(left, boundaryLeft) &&
     boundaryLeft.content.length > 0;
-  const rightMergeable =
+  let rightMergeable =
     j < n &&
     listsMergeable(boundaryRight, right) &&
     boundaryRight.content.length > 0;
 
-  // Three-way collision: a SINGLE inserted list (i === j-1) landed exactly
-  // between two pre-existing same-type lists. The LEFT pre-existing list wins:
-  // the inserted items then the right list's items fold into it, and both the
+  // Three-way collision: a SINGLE inserted list (singleBlock) landed exactly
+  // between two pre-existing lists. The LEFT pre-existing list wins: the
+  // inserted items then the right list's items fold into it, and both the
   // inserted wrapper and the right pre-existing list are deleted (the right
   // block id is NOT preserved — rare, documented).
-  if (i === j - 1 && leftMergeable && rightMergeable) {
+  //
+  // The `listsMergeable(left, right)` guard is REQUIRED: leftMergeable and
+  // rightMergeable only check each PRE-EXISTING list against the inserted one.
+  // A default-typed inserted orderedList is compatible with BOTH neighbours
+  // even when the neighbours carry explicit DIFFERENT numbering styles, so
+  // without this guard the two would collapse transitively through the middle
+  // and the right list's style would be silently lost. When it fails we fall
+  // through to the single-seam path below (never a transitive merge).
+  if (singleBlock && leftMergeable && rightMergeable && listsMergeable(left, right)) {
     left.content.push(...boundaryLeft.content, ...right.content);
     parent.splice(i, 2);
     return;
   }
 
+  // A single inserted block can be absorbed by at most ONE neighbour. When both
+  // seams are individually valid but the neighbours are mutually incompatible
+  // (the three-way guard above failed), prefer the LEFT seam — consistent with
+  // the three-way survivor choice — and drop the right so the incompatible
+  // right list stays separate with its own style.
+  if (singleBlock && leftMergeable && rightMergeable) {
+    rightMergeable = false;
+  }
+
   // Otherwise the two seams are independent. Process the RIGHT seam FIRST so its
   // deletion at the higher indices cannot shift the left seam's [i-1, i].
   if (rightMergeable) {
diff --git a/packages/prosemirror-markdown/test/node-ops-list-coalesce.test.ts b/packages/prosemirror-markdown/test/node-ops-list-coalesce.test.ts
index 17ea1b3c..9fa0a19d 100644
--- a/packages/prosemirror-markdown/test/node-ops-list-coalesce.test.ts
+++ b/packages/prosemirror-markdown/test/node-ops-list-coalesce.test.ts
@@ -158,6 +158,31 @@ describe("#535 list seam coalescing — markdown path (insertNodesRelative)", ()
     expect(out.content[2].attrs.id).toBe("E");
   });
 
+  it("crit4b: three-way with DIFFERING explicit ordered types does NOT transitively merge through a default-typed insertion", () => {
+    // [ol(type:"a")[1], ol(type:"i")[9]] + insert ol(type:null)[5] after A.
+    // The null-typed middle is pairwise-compatible with BOTH neighbours, but the
+    // neighbours are mutually incompatible ("a" vs "i"), so they must NOT
+    // collapse. The inserted list is absorbed by the LEFT survivor; the RIGHT
+    // list stays separate and keeps its roman numbering style.
+    const doc = {
+      type: "doc",
+      content: [orderedList("A", 1, "a", 1), orderedList("C", 9, "i", 9)],
+    };
+    const { doc: out } = insertNodeRelative(doc, orderedList("B", 5, null, 5), {
+      position: "after",
+      anchorNodeId: "A",
+    });
+    expect(out.content.length).toBe(2);
+    // Left survivor absorbs the inserted item.
+    expect(out.content[0].attrs.id).toBe("A");
+    expect(out.content[0].attrs.type).toBe("a");
+    expect(labels(out.content[0])).toEqual(["1", "5"]);
+    // Right list is untouched: its explicit style survives.
+    expect(out.content[1].attrs.id).toBe("C");
+    expect(out.content[1].attrs.type).toBe("i");
+    expect(labels(out.content[1])).toEqual(["9"]);
+  });
+
   it("crit6: before for orderedList{start:5} keeps start:5 (positional survivor = pre-existing)", () => {
     const doc = { type: "doc", content: [orderedList("A", 5, null, "a", "b")] };
     const { doc: out } = insertNodesRelative(
@@ -205,6 +230,27 @@ describe("#535 list seam coalescing — markdown path (insertNodesRelative)", ()
     expect(out.content.length).toBe(2);
   });
 
+  it("footnotesList is NEVER structurally coalesced (allow-list excludes it, guarding against endsWith(\"List\"))", () => {
+    const fn = (id: string): any => ({
+      type: "footnotesList",
+      attrs: { id },
+      content: [
+        { type: "footnoteDefinition", attrs: { id: id + "d" }, content: [] },
+      ],
+    });
+    const doc = { type: "doc", content: [fn("A")] };
+    const { doc: out } = insertNodeRelative(doc, fn("B"), {
+      position: "append",
+    });
+    // Two footnotesLists must stay two separate blocks — merging them would
+    // corrupt footnotes.
+    expect(out.content.length).toBe(2);
+    expect(out.content.map((n: any) => n.type)).toEqual([
+      "footnotesList",
+      "footnotesList",
+    ]);
+  });
+
   it("taskList next to taskList coalesces, item checked attrs move with items", () => {
     const doc = {
       type: "doc",