diff --git a/crates/engine/src/lib.rs b/crates/engine/src/lib.rs
index 9f79dd37f..bf1100082 100644
--- a/crates/engine/src/lib.rs
+++ b/crates/engine/src/lib.rs
@@ -826,10 +826,17 @@ impl Session {
     /// queued a file dialog because it got no file (`file.open`, `file.saveAs`, `file.save` on a workbook with no
     /// file yet, `data.getData`) is an error instead of a silent success.
     pub fn execute_headless(&mut self, id: &str, params: Json) -> Result<Json> {
+        let recorded = self.recorder.as_ref().map(|r| (r.steps.len(), r.dropped));
         let r = self.execute(id, params);
         let requests = self.take_ui_requests();
         let asked_for_file = requests.iter().any(|q| matches!(q, UiRequest::Dialog(name, _) if name == "open" || name == "saveAs"));
         if r.is_ok() && asked_for_file {
+            // The caller gets an error, so the recording keeps no step for the command.
+            if let Some((steps, dropped)) = recorded
+                && let Some(rec) = self.recorder.as_mut()
+            {
+                rec.truncate(steps, dropped);
+            }
             let what = match id {
                 "file.open" => "`path` or `base64`",
                 "data.getData" | "data.fromTextCsv" => "`path` or `text`",
diff --git a/crates/engine/src/record.rs b/crates/engine/src/record.rs
index fefd07234..5b8100ed4 100644
--- a/crates/engine/src/record.rs
+++ b/crates/engine/src/record.rs
@@ -58,4 +58,13 @@ impl Recorder {
             self.dropped = self.dropped.saturating_add(1);
         }
     }
+
+    /// Forgets the steps after the first `steps` and puts the dropped count back to `dropped`,
+    /// for a command the caller received as failed after it was recorded.
+    pub fn truncate(&mut self, steps: usize, dropped: usize) {
+        for step in self.steps.drain(steps.min(self.steps.len())..) {
+            self.bytes = self.bytes.saturating_sub(serde_json::to_vec(&step).map_or(0, |v| v.len()));
+        }
+        self.dropped = dropped;
+    }
 }
diff --git a/crates/engine/src/tests/seams.rs b/crates/engine/src/tests/seams.rs
index dedd5c67b..8a87279d3 100644
--- a/crates/engine/src/tests/seams.rs
+++ b/crates/engine/src/tests/seams.rs
@@ -571,6 +571,19 @@ fn recorded_ids(s: &Session) -> Vec<String> {
     s.recorder.as_ref().unwrap().steps.iter().map(|st| st.id.clone()).collect()
 }
 
+#[test]
+fn a_headless_call_that_fails_for_want_of_a_file_is_not_recorded() {
+    // `file.open` with no file queues a dialog and succeeds; a headless caller gets an error for
+    // it instead, so the recording keeps no step for it either.
+    let mut s = s();
+    s.start_recording();
+    set(&mut s, "A1", "1");
+    assert!(s.execute_headless("file.open", json!({})).is_err());
+    assert_eq!(recorded_ids(&s), ["cell.set"]);
+    let rec = s.stop_recording().unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(rec.dropped, 0);
+}
+
 #[test]
 fn the_recorder_keeps_top_level_calls_with_where_they_ran() {
     let mut s = s();