diff --git a/.nextchanges/bundles/app-delete-idempotent.md b/.nextchanges/bundles/app-delete-idempotent.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..72ca7a3f4da
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.nextchanges/bundles/app-delete-idempotent.md
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Fixed `bundle deploy`/`bundle destroy` failing when an app is still in the transient DELETING state; the delete is now treated as complete instead of erroring (direct engine only).
diff --git a/acceptance/bundle/invariant/delete_idempotent/out.test.toml b/acceptance/bundle/invariant/delete_idempotent/out.test.toml
index 357ff82e029..1b0b5d6585a 100644
--- a/acceptance/bundle/invariant/delete_idempotent/out.test.toml
+++ b/acceptance/bundle/invariant/delete_idempotent/out.test.toml
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ RequiresUnityCatalog = true
 EnvMatrix.DATABRICKS_BUNDLE_ENGINE = ["direct"]
 EnvMatrix.INPUT_CONFIG = [
   "alert.yml.tmpl",
+  "app.yml.tmpl",
   "catalog.yml.tmpl",
   "cluster.yml.tmpl",
   "cluster_apply_policy_default_values.yml.tmpl",
diff --git a/acceptance/bundle/invariant/delete_idempotent/test.toml b/acceptance/bundle/invariant/delete_idempotent/test.toml
index dfdc44ebf96..3f5bb92afad 100644
--- a/acceptance/bundle/invariant/delete_idempotent/test.toml
+++ b/acceptance/bundle/invariant/delete_idempotent/test.toml
@@ -3,20 +3,3 @@ EnvMatrix.READPLAN = ["", "1"]
 # Snapshot of pre-delete state used to re-run the delete on state that still
 # references the (now-gone) resources; may linger if the test fails mid-run.
 Ignore = [".databricks.backup"]
-
-# Badness: apps DoDelete is fire-and-forget (bundle/direct/dresources/app.go): after the
-# first DELETE the app sits in ComputeState=DELETING for up to ~20 minutes, and
-# a second DELETE against it returns 400 rather than 404. The CLI's plan/apply
-# does not special-case this transient state -- DoRead sees DELETING (not 404),
-# entry.Gone stays false, apply calls DoDelete, and the deploy errors out with:
-#
-#   Error: cannot delete resources.apps.foo: deleting id=app-<uuid>: Cannot
-#   delete app app-<uuid> as it is not terminal with state DELETING, and was
-#   updated less than 20 minutes ago. Please wait before trying again.
-#   (400 BAD_REQUEST)
-#
-# Reproduces 100% on aws-prod-ucws / azure-prod-ucws / gcp-prod-ucws and
-# locally with the DELETING transition modeled in libs/testserver/apps.go.
-# Re-enable once app delete becomes idempotent (either WaitAfterDelete polls to
-# terminal, or the plan/apply layer treats DELETING as effectively-Gone).
-EnvMatrixExclude.no_app = ["INPUT_CONFIG=app.yml.tmpl"]
diff --git a/acceptance/bundle/invariant/destroy_idempotent/out.test.toml b/acceptance/bundle/invariant/destroy_idempotent/out.test.toml
index 357ff82e029..1b0b5d6585a 100644
--- a/acceptance/bundle/invariant/destroy_idempotent/out.test.toml
+++ b/acceptance/bundle/invariant/destroy_idempotent/out.test.toml
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ RequiresUnityCatalog = true
 EnvMatrix.DATABRICKS_BUNDLE_ENGINE = ["direct"]
 EnvMatrix.INPUT_CONFIG = [
   "alert.yml.tmpl",
+  "app.yml.tmpl",
   "catalog.yml.tmpl",
   "cluster.yml.tmpl",
   "cluster_apply_policy_default_values.yml.tmpl",
diff --git a/acceptance/bundle/invariant/destroy_idempotent/test.toml b/acceptance/bundle/invariant/destroy_idempotent/test.toml
index f578e26ff69..16cf0797a77 100644
--- a/acceptance/bundle/invariant/destroy_idempotent/test.toml
+++ b/acceptance/bundle/invariant/destroy_idempotent/test.toml
@@ -3,20 +3,3 @@ EnvMatrix.READPLAN = ["", "1"]
 # Snapshot of pre-destroy state used to re-run destroy on state that still
 # references the (now-gone) resources; may linger if the test fails mid-run.
 Ignore = [".databricks.backup"]
-
-# apps DoDelete is fire-and-forget (bundle/direct/dresources/app.go): after the
-# first DELETE the app sits in ComputeState=DELETING for up to ~20 minutes, and
-# a second DELETE against it returns 400 rather than 404. The CLI's plan/apply
-# does not special-case this transient state -- DoRead sees DELETING (not 404),
-# entry.Gone stays false, apply calls DoDelete, and destroy errors out with:
-#
-#   Error: cannot delete resources.apps.foo: deleting id=app-<uuid>: Cannot
-#   delete app app-<uuid> as it is not terminal with state DELETING, and was
-#   updated less than 20 minutes ago. Please wait before trying again.
-#   (400 BAD_REQUEST)
-#
-# Reproduces 100% on all clouds and locally with the DELETING transition
-# modeled in libs/testserver/apps.go.
-# Re-enable once app delete becomes idempotent (either WaitAfterDelete polls to
-# terminal, or the plan/apply layer treats DELETING as effectively-Gone).
-EnvMatrixExclude.no_app = ["INPUT_CONFIG=app.yml.tmpl"]
diff --git a/bundle/direct/bundle_plan.go b/bundle/direct/bundle_plan.go
index 139012423ea..fda8180cfc4 100644
--- a/bundle/direct/bundle_plan.go
+++ b/bundle/direct/bundle_plan.go
@@ -191,6 +191,11 @@ func (b *DeploymentBundle) CalculatePlan(ctx context.Context, client *databricks
 					log.Warnf(ctx, "reading %s id=%q: %s", resourceKey, id, err)
 					// This is not an error during deletion, so don't return false here
 				}
+			} else if adapter.IsGone(remoteState) {
+				// The resource is in a transient terminal-teardown state (e.g. an app in
+				// DELETING) that a GET still returns but a second delete would reject.
+				// Treat it as gone: apply cleans up state without re-issuing the delete.
+				entry.Gone = true
 			}
 
 			entry.RemoteState = remoteState
diff --git a/bundle/direct/dresources/adapter.go b/bundle/direct/dresources/adapter.go
index 70a9f1f5e3d..fdaa15bfcea 100644
--- a/bundle/direct/dresources/adapter.go
+++ b/bundle/direct/dresources/adapter.go
@@ -83,6 +83,13 @@ type IResource interface {
 	// [Optional] KeyedSlices returns a map from path patterns to KeyFunc for comparing slices by key instead of by index.
 	// Example: func (*ResourcePermissions) KeyedSlices(state *PermissionsState) map[string]any
 	KeyedSlices() map[string]any
+
+	// [Optional] IsGone reports whether a remote resource should be treated as
+	// already-deleted when planning a delete. Use for backends whose DELETE is
+	// asynchronous and leaves the resource in a transient terminal-teardown state
+	// (returned by GET, not 404) that rejects a second DELETE.
+	// Example: func (*ResourceApp) IsGone(remote *AppRemote) bool
+	IsGone(remoteState any) bool
 }
 
 // Adapter wraps resource implementation, validates signatures and type consistency across methods
@@ -103,6 +110,7 @@ type Adapter struct {
 	waitAfterDelete    *calladapt.BoundCaller
 	overrideChangeDesc *calladapt.BoundCaller
 	doResize           *calladapt.BoundCaller
+	isGone             *calladapt.BoundCaller
 
 	resourceConfig          *ResourceLifecycleConfig
 	generatedResourceConfig *ResourceLifecycleConfig
@@ -135,6 +143,7 @@ func NewAdapter(typedNil any, resourceType string, client *databricks.WorkspaceC
 		waitAfterUpdate:         nil,
 		waitAfterDelete:         nil,
 		overrideChangeDesc:      nil,
+		isGone:                  nil,
 		resourceConfig:          GetResourceConfig(resourceType),
 		generatedResourceConfig: GetGeneratedResourceConfig(resourceType),
 		keyedSlices:             nil,
@@ -231,6 +240,11 @@ func (a *Adapter) initMethods(resource any) error {
 		return err
 	}
 
+	a.isGone, err = calladapt.PrepareCall(resource, reflect.TypeFor[IResource](), "IsGone")
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
 	keyedSlicesCall, err := calladapt.PrepareCall(resource, reflect.TypeFor[IResource](), "KeyedSlices")
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
@@ -312,6 +326,10 @@ func (a *Adapter) validate() error {
 		validations = append(validations, "DoResize newState", a.doResize.InTypes[2], stateType)
 	}
 
+	if a.isGone != nil {
+		validations = append(validations, "IsGone remoteState", a.isGone.InTypes[0], remoteType)
+	}
+
 	if a.doUpdateWithID != nil {
 		validations = append(validations, "DoUpdateWithID newState", a.doUpdateWithID.InTypes[2], stateType)
 		// DoUpdateWithID must return (string, remoteType, error)
@@ -564,6 +582,19 @@ func (a *Adapter) KeyedSlices() map[string]any {
 	return a.keyedSlices
 }
 
+// IsGone reports whether the remote state represents an already-deleted resource
+// for planning purposes. Resources that don't implement IsGone are never gone.
+func (a *Adapter) IsGone(remoteState any) bool {
+	if a.isGone == nil {
+		return false
+	}
+	outs, err := a.isGone.Call(remoteState)
+	if err != nil {
+		return false
+	}
+	return outs[0].(bool)
+}
+
 // prepareCallRequired prepares a call and ensures the method is found.
 func prepareCallRequired(resource any, methodName string) (*calladapt.BoundCaller, error) {
 	caller, err := calladapt.PrepareCall(resource, reflect.TypeFor[IResource](), methodName)
diff --git a/bundle/direct/dresources/all_test.go b/bundle/direct/dresources/all_test.go
index 80e186ca9b8..54541d94ba9 100644
--- a/bundle/direct/dresources/all_test.go
+++ b/bundle/direct/dresources/all_test.go
@@ -1079,18 +1079,24 @@ func testCRUD(t *testing.T, group string, adapter *Adapter, client *databricks.W
 	// Apps DoDelete is fire-and-forget: the API returns success while the app
 	// sits in DELETING state for up to ~20 minutes before the record is removed.
 	// A GET on the DELETING app returns the app, not 404 -- the testserver
-	// mirrors that in libs/testserver/apps.go. The CLI does not yet special-case
-	// this transient state (see acceptance/bundle/invariant/{delete,destroy}
-	// _idempotent tests for the resulting idempotency gap).
+	// mirrors that in libs/testserver/apps.go. DoRead therefore still succeeds
+	// here; the planner treats this transient state as gone via ResourceApp.IsGone
+	// so delete/destroy stay idempotent (acceptance/bundle/invariant/{delete,destroy}_idempotent).
 	deleteLeavesDeleting := group == "apps"
 
 	remoteAfterDelete, err := adapter.DoRead(ctx, createdID)
 	switch {
 	case deleteIsNoop:
 		require.NoError(t, err)
+		// The resource genuinely still exists, so it must not report as gone.
+		assert.False(t, adapter.IsGone(remoteAfterDelete))
 	case deleteLeavesDeleting:
 		require.NoError(t, err)
 		require.NotNil(t, remoteAfterDelete)
+		// IsGone lets the planner short-circuit the second delete on this
+		// transient DELETING state; this is what keeps the delete/destroy
+		// invariant tests idempotent, so assert the contract directly.
+		assert.True(t, adapter.IsGone(remoteAfterDelete))
 	default:
 		require.Error(t, err)
 		require.Nil(t, remoteAfterDelete)
diff --git a/bundle/direct/dresources/app.go b/bundle/direct/dresources/app.go
index c3928755818..1e8a92dd88c 100644
--- a/bundle/direct/dresources/app.go
+++ b/bundle/direct/dresources/app.go
@@ -308,6 +308,18 @@ func (r *ResourceApp) DoDelete(ctx context.Context, id string, _ *AppState) erro
 	return err
 }
 
+// IsGone treats a DELETING app as already-deleted when planning a delete. The
+// Apps DELETE is fire-and-forget: it returns success while the app sits in
+// ComputeState=DELETING for up to ~20 minutes, and a GET during that window
+// returns the app (not 404), so the planner cannot rely on IsMissing. A second
+// DELETE while DELETING is rejected with 400, so without this the delete/destroy
+// path is not idempotent (acceptance/bundle/invariant/{delete,destroy}_idempotent).
+// This only covers the delete path; a DELETING app hit during a normal deploy still
+// produces a spurious update/skip because plan/apply do not special-case it there.
+func (*ResourceApp) IsGone(remote *AppRemote) bool {
+	return remote.ComputeStatus != nil && remote.ComputeStatus.State == apps.ComputeStateDeleting
+}
+
 func (r *ResourceApp) WaitAfterCreate(ctx context.Context, id string, config *AppState) (*AppRemote, error) {
 	remote, err := r.waitForApp(ctx, r.client, config.Name)
 	if err != nil {