diff --git a/packages/mix/lib/src/animation/style_animation_builder.dart b/packages/mix/lib/src/animation/style_animation_builder.dart
index 5a833d5cc..536a75067 100644
--- a/packages/mix/lib/src/animation/style_animation_builder.dart
+++ b/packages/mix/lib/src/animation/style_animation_builder.dart
@@ -78,6 +78,19 @@ class _StyleAnimationBuilderState<S extends Spec<S>>
     };
   }
 
+  /// The config to keep using when a style drops its animation config.
+  ///
+  /// Implicit configs (curve, spring) keep animating toward the new spec, so a
+  /// variant that removes its animation still transitions back smoothly.
+  /// Keyframe and phase configs produce their own specs and may loop forever,
+  /// so they are dropped and the new spec is applied directly.
+  static AnimationConfig? _fallbackConfig(AnimationConfig? oldConfig) {
+    return switch (oldConfig) {
+      CurveAnimationConfig() || SpringAnimationConfig() => oldConfig,
+      _ => null,
+    };
+  }
+
   @override
   void dispose() {
     animationDriver.dispose();
@@ -96,7 +109,7 @@ class _StyleAnimationBuilderState<S extends Spec<S>>
     } else {
       animationDriver.dispose();
       animationDriver = _createAnimationDriver(
-        config: config ?? oldConfig,
+        config: config ?? _fallbackConfig(oldConfig),
         initialSpec: oldWidget.spec,
       );
     }
diff --git a/packages/mix/test/src/animation/style_animation_builder_test.dart b/packages/mix/test/src/animation/style_animation_builder_test.dart
index e22cbad7e..82da21329 100644
--- a/packages/mix/test/src/animation/style_animation_builder_test.dart
+++ b/packages/mix/test/src/animation/style_animation_builder_test.dart
@@ -376,6 +376,68 @@ void main() {
       },
     );
 
+    group('dropping a looping animation config', () {
+      Color? boxColor(WidgetTester tester) {
+        final decoratedBox = tester.widget<DecoratedBox>(
+          find.descendant(
+            of: find.byType(Box),
+            matching: find.byType(DecoratedBox),
+          ),
+        );
+
+        return (decoratedBox.decoration as BoxDecoration).color;
+      }
+
+      testWidgets('stops a looping keyframe animation', (tester) async {
+        final loopingStyle = BoxStyler().keyframeAnimation(
+          timeline: [
+            KeyframeTrack<double>('t', [
+              Keyframe.linear(1, const Duration(milliseconds: 1000)),
+            ], initial: 0),
+          ],
+          styleBuilder: (values, style) => style.color(
+            Color.lerp(Colors.red, Colors.green, values.get<double>('t'))!,
+          ),
+        );
+        final plainStyle = BoxStyler().color(Colors.blue);
+
+        await tester.pumpWidget(MaterialApp(home: Box(style: loopingStyle)));
+        await tester.pump(const Duration(milliseconds: 300));
+        expect(tester.hasRunningAnimations, isTrue);
+
+        await tester.pumpWidget(MaterialApp(home: Box(style: plainStyle)));
+        await tester.pump();
+
+        expect(tester.hasRunningAnimations, isFalse);
+        expect(boxColor(tester), Colors.blue);
+
+        await tester.pump(const Duration(milliseconds: 500));
+        expect(boxColor(tester), Colors.blue);
+      });
+
+      testWidgets('stops a looping phase animation', (tester) async {
+        final loopingStyle = BoxStyler().phaseAnimation<Color>(
+          phases: const [Colors.red, Colors.green],
+          styleBuilder: (color, style) => style.color(color),
+          configBuilder: (_) => const CurveAnimationConfig(
+            duration: Duration(milliseconds: 500),
+            curve: Curves.linear,
+          ),
+        );
+        final plainStyle = BoxStyler().color(Colors.blue);
+
+        await tester.pumpWidget(MaterialApp(home: Box(style: loopingStyle)));
+        await tester.pump(const Duration(milliseconds: 300));
+        expect(tester.hasRunningAnimations, isTrue);
+
+        await tester.pumpWidget(MaterialApp(home: Box(style: plainStyle)));
+        await tester.pump();
+
+        expect(tester.hasRunningAnimations, isFalse);
+        expect(boxColor(tester), Colors.blue);
+      });
+    });
+
     testWidgets('handles null animation value gracefully', (tester) async {
       // Create spec with animation that produces null value
       const animationConfig = CurveAnimationConfig(