diff --git a/_FiveSql2/src/TSqlExecutor.prg b/_FiveSql2/src/TSqlExecutor.prg
index be0c090..1f0b7d8 100644
--- a/_FiveSql2/src/TSqlExecutor.prg
+++ b/_FiveSql2/src/TSqlExecutor.prg
@@ -18,6 +18,11 @@
 STATIC s_aOuterStack := {}
 STATIC s_hAutoInc := NIL
 STATIC s_nRCJSeq := 0
+/* Set .T. the first time CTE cleanup sees a legacy __cte_<name>.dbf
+ * file on disk, or the legacy DBFNTX open path fires. Profile showed
+ * the stat loop at ~20% of total CPU otherwise — MEMRDD is the norm
+ * for CTEs so the .dbf doesn't exist and the stat is pure overhead. */
+STATIC s_lCteDiskSeen := .F.
 
 /* Per-plan DML pcode cache. Keyed by the plan-cache key that TFiveSQL
  * uses (template key or cSQL text); value is a hash:
@@ -1245,6 +1250,7 @@ METHOD RunSelect() CLASS TSqlExecutor
                nWA := 0
             END SEQUENCE
             IF nWA == 0 .AND. hb_FileExists( "__cte_" + Lower( cTable ) + ".dbf" )
+               s_lCteDiskSeen := .T.
                BEGIN SEQUENCE
                   dbUseArea( .T., "DBFNTX", "__cte_" + Lower( cTable ) + ".dbf", ;
                      cAlias, .T., .T. )
@@ -1640,9 +1646,14 @@ METHOD RunSelect() CLASS TSqlExecutor
             dbSelectArea( nWA )
             dbCloseArea()
          ENDIF
-         cTable := "__cte_" + Lower( ::hQuery[ "cte" ][ i ][ 1 ] )
-         IF hb_FileExists( cTable + ".dbf" )
-            FErase( cTable + ".dbf" )
+         /* Legacy disk fallback cleanup — only runs when a __cte_*.dbf
+          * has actually been seen (either from a prior crash or a
+          * MEMRDD-failure legacy open). MEMRDD-only runs skip the stat. */
+         IF s_lCteDiskSeen
+            cTable := "__cte_" + Lower( ::hQuery[ "cte" ][ i ][ 1 ] )
+            IF hb_FileExists( cTable + ".dbf" )
+               FErase( cTable + ".dbf" )
+            ENDIF
          ENDIF
       NEXT
    ENDIF