diff --git a/packages/core/src/compiler/compositionScoping.test.ts b/packages/core/src/compiler/compositionScoping.test.ts
index ddd9a1ab60..c4472ca5c7 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/compiler/compositionScoping.test.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/compiler/compositionScoping.test.ts
@@ -32,6 +32,33 @@ body { margin: 0; }
     expect(scoped).toContain("body { margin: 0; }");
   });
 
+  it("rewrites prefix/substring composition-id selectors (^= *= $=) in place, not by prepending", () => {
+    // Sub-comps commonly ship `[data-composition-id^="scene"]` (an authoring
+    // pipeline rewrites `="scene"` to `^="scene"` so the rule survives the
+    // duplicate-instance rename scene -> scene__hf2). With a runtime scope
+    // override (the renamed instance), the prefix form MUST be rewritten in
+    // place to that scope — exactly like the exact form. If it were instead
+    // prepended, it would become `${scope} [data-composition-id^="scene"] …`,
+    // which needs a NESTED composition-id element; the loader strips the inner
+    // root's composition-id at mount, so nothing matches and the rule drops.
+    const scope = '[data-composition-id="scene__hf2"]';
+    const scoped = scopeCssToComposition(
+      `[data-composition-id^="scene"] .gas { stroke: red; }
+[data-composition-id="scene"] { --accent: red; }
+[data-composition-id*="scene"] .bar { fill: blue; }`,
+      "scene",
+      scope,
+    );
+
+    expect(scoped).toContain('[data-composition-id="scene__hf2"] .gas { stroke: red; }');
+    expect(scoped).toContain('[data-composition-id="scene__hf2"] { --accent: red; }');
+    expect(scoped).toContain('[data-composition-id="scene__hf2"] .bar { fill: blue; }');
+    // The prefix/substring forms must be consumed in place — never left intact
+    // behind a prepended scope (that is the bug this guards against).
+    expect(scoped).not.toContain('[data-composition-id^="scene"]');
+    expect(scoped).not.toContain('[data-composition-id*="scene"]');
+  });
+
   it("wraps classic scripts without render-loop requestAnimationFrame waits", () => {
     const wrapped = wrapScopedCompositionScript("window.__ran = true;", "scene");
 
diff --git a/packages/core/src/compiler/compositionScoping.ts b/packages/core/src/compiler/compositionScoping.ts
index 876ab59bc2..e0a3eada01 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/compiler/compositionScoping.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/compiler/compositionScoping.ts
@@ -112,8 +112,19 @@ function scopeSelector(
   const trimmed = selectorWithoutRootTiming.trim();
   if (!trimmed) return selector;
   if (/^(html|body|:root|\*)$/i.test(trimmed)) return selector;
+  // Match the composition-root attribute whether the author used an exact
+  // (`=`) or a substring operator (`^=`, `*=`, `$=`) with the authored id.
+  // Sub-comps often ship prefix-match selectors — e.g. authoring pipelines
+  // rewrite `[data-composition-id="x"]` to `[data-composition-id^="x"]` so
+  // rules survive the duplicate-instance rename (x -> x__hf2). Those must be
+  // rewritten IN PLACE to the instance scope, exactly like the exact form.
+  // Otherwise they fall through to the prepend branch below and become a
+  // two-level `${scope} [data-composition-id^="x"] …` selector that needs a
+  // NESTED composition-id element — but the loader strips the inner root's
+  // composition-id at mount, so nothing matches and the rules silently drop
+  // (class-styled elements render unstyled).
   const compositionIdPattern = new RegExp(
-    `\\[\\s*data-composition-id\\s*=\\s*(["'])${escapeRegExp(compositionId)}\\1\\s*\\]`,
+    `\\[\\s*data-composition-id\\s*[\\^\\*\\$]?=\\s*(["'])${escapeRegExp(compositionId)}\\1\\s*\\]`,
     "g",
   );
   if (compositionIdPattern.test(trimmed)) {