diff --git a/napi/angular-compiler/test/hmr-hot-update.test.ts b/napi/angular-compiler/test/hmr-hot-update.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..9a34e5c99
--- /dev/null
+++ b/napi/angular-compiler/test/hmr-hot-update.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,276 @@
+/**
+ * Tests for handleHotUpdate behavior (Issue #185).
+ *
+ * The plugin's handleHotUpdate hook must distinguish between:
+ * 1. Component resource files (templates/styles) → handled by custom fs.watch, return []
+ * 2. Non-component files (global CSS, etc.) → let Vite handle normally
+ *
+ * Previously, the plugin returned [] for ALL .css/.html files, which swallowed
+ * HMR updates for global stylesheets and prevented PostCSS/Tailwind from
+ * processing changes.
+ */
+import { mkdirSync, mkdtempSync, rmSync, writeFileSync } from 'node:fs'
+import { tmpdir } from 'node:os'
+import { join } from 'node:path'
+
+import type { Plugin, ModuleNode, HmrContext } from 'vite'
+import { normalizePath } from 'vite'
+import { afterAll, beforeAll, describe, it, expect, vi } from 'vitest'
+
+import { angular } from '../vite-plugin/index.js'
+
+let tempDir: string
+let appDir: string
+let templatePath: string
+let stylePath: string
+
+beforeAll(() => {
+  tempDir = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), 'hmr-test-'))
+  appDir = join(tempDir, 'src', 'app')
+  mkdirSync(appDir, { recursive: true })
+
+  templatePath = join(appDir, 'app.component.html')
+  stylePath = join(appDir, 'app.component.css')
+
+  writeFileSync(templatePath, '<h1>Hello</h1>')
+  writeFileSync(stylePath, 'h1 { color: red; }')
+})
+
+afterAll(() => {
+  rmSync(tempDir, { recursive: true, force: true })
+})
+
+function getAngularPlugin() {
+  const plugin = angular({ liveReload: true }).find(
+    (candidate) => candidate.name === '@oxc-angular/vite',
+  )
+
+  if (!plugin) {
+    throw new Error('Failed to find @oxc-angular/vite plugin')
+  }
+
+  return plugin
+}
+
+function createMockServer() {
+  const wsMessages: any[] = []
+  const unwatchedFiles = new Set<string>()
+
+  return {
+    watcher: {
+      unwatch(file: string) {
+        unwatchedFiles.add(file)
+      },
+      on: vi.fn(),
+      emit: vi.fn(),
+    },
+    ws: {
+      send(msg: any) {
+        wsMessages.push(msg)
+      },
+      on: vi.fn(),
+    },
+    moduleGraph: {
+      getModuleById: vi.fn(() => null),
+      invalidateModule: vi.fn(),
+    },
+    middlewares: {
+      use: vi.fn(),
+    },
+    config: {
+      root: tempDir,
+    },
+    _wsMessages: wsMessages,
+    _unwatchedFiles: unwatchedFiles,
+  }
+}
+
+function createMockHmrContext(
+  file: string,
+  modules: Partial<ModuleNode>[] = [],
+  server?: any,
+): HmrContext {
+  return {
+    file,
+    timestamp: Date.now(),
+    modules: modules as ModuleNode[],
+    read: async () => '',
+    server: server ?? createMockServer(),
+  } as HmrContext
+}
+
+async function callHandleHotUpdate(
+  plugin: Plugin,
+  ctx: HmrContext,
+): Promise<ModuleNode[] | void | undefined> {
+  if (typeof plugin.handleHotUpdate === 'function') {
+    return (plugin.handleHotUpdate as Function).call(plugin, ctx)
+  }
+  return undefined
+}
+
+async function callPluginHook<TArgs extends unknown[], TResult>(
+  hook:
+    | {
+        handler: (...args: TArgs) => TResult
+      }
+    | ((...args: TArgs) => TResult)
+    | undefined,
+  ...args: TArgs
+): Promise<TResult | undefined> {
+  if (!hook) return undefined
+  if (typeof hook === 'function') return hook(...args)
+  return hook.handler(...args)
+}
+
+/**
+ * Set up a plugin through the full Vite lifecycle so that internal state
+ * (watchMode, viteServer, resourceToComponent, componentIds) is populated.
+ */
+async function setupPluginWithServer(plugin: Plugin) {
+  const mockServer = createMockServer()
+
+  // config() sets watchMode = true when command === 'serve'
+  await callPluginHook(
+    plugin.config as Plugin['config'],
+    {} as any,
+    {
+      command: 'serve',
+      mode: 'development',
+    } as any,
+  )
+
+  // configResolved() stores the resolved config
+  await callPluginHook(
+    plugin.configResolved as Plugin['configResolved'],
+    {
+      build: {},
+      isProduction: false,
+    } as any,
+  )
+
+  // configureServer() sets up the custom watcher and stores viteServer
+  if (typeof plugin.configureServer === 'function') {
+    await (plugin.configureServer as Function)(mockServer)
+  }
+
+  // Replace the real fs.watch-based watcher with a no-op to avoid EPERM
+  // errors on Windows when temp files are cleaned up. resourceToComponent
+  // is populated in transform *before* watchFn is called, so the map is
+  // still correctly populated for handleHotUpdate tests.
+  ;(mockServer as any).__angularWatchTemplate = () => {}
+
+  return mockServer
+}
+
+/**
+ * Transform a component that references external template + style files,
+ * populating resourceToComponent and componentIds.
+ */
+async function transformComponent(plugin: Plugin) {
+  const componentFile = join(appDir, 'app.component.ts')
+  const componentSource = `
+    import { Component } from '@angular/core';
+
+    @Component({
+      selector: 'app-root',
+      templateUrl: './app.component.html',
+      styleUrls: ['./app.component.css'],
+    })
+    export class AppComponent {}
+  `
+
+  if (!plugin.transform || typeof plugin.transform === 'function') {
+    throw new Error('Expected plugin transform handler')
+  }
+
+  await plugin.transform.handler.call(
+    { error() {}, warn() {} } as any,
+    componentSource,
+    componentFile,
+  )
+}
+
+describe('handleHotUpdate - Issue #185', () => {
+  it('should let non-component CSS files pass through to Vite HMR', async () => {
+    const plugin = getAngularPlugin()
+    await setupPluginWithServer(plugin)
+
+    // A global CSS file (not referenced by any component's styleUrls)
+    const globalCssFile = normalizePath(join(tempDir, 'src', 'styles.css'))
+    const mockModules = [{ id: globalCssFile }]
+    const ctx = createMockHmrContext(globalCssFile, mockModules)
+
+    const result = await callHandleHotUpdate(plugin, ctx)
+
+    // Non-component CSS should NOT be swallowed — either undefined (pass through)
+    // or the original modules array, but NOT an empty array
+    if (result !== undefined) {
+      expect(result).toEqual(mockModules)
+    }
+  })
+
+  it('should return [] for component CSS files managed by custom watcher', async () => {
+    const plugin = getAngularPlugin()
+    const mockServer = await setupPluginWithServer(plugin)
+    await transformComponent(plugin)
+
+    // The component's CSS file IS in resourceToComponent
+    const componentCssFile = normalizePath(stylePath)
+    const mockModules = [{ id: componentCssFile }]
+    const ctx = createMockHmrContext(componentCssFile, mockModules, mockServer)
+
+    const result = await callHandleHotUpdate(plugin, ctx)
+
+    // Component resources MUST be swallowed (return [])
+    expect(result).toEqual([])
+  })
+
+  it('should return [] for component template HTML files managed by custom watcher', async () => {
+    const plugin = getAngularPlugin()
+    const mockServer = await setupPluginWithServer(plugin)
+    await transformComponent(plugin)
+
+    // The component's HTML template IS in resourceToComponent
+    const componentHtmlFile = normalizePath(templatePath)
+    const ctx = createMockHmrContext(componentHtmlFile, [{ id: componentHtmlFile }], mockServer)
+
+    const result = await callHandleHotUpdate(plugin, ctx)
+
+    // Component templates MUST be swallowed (return [])
+    expect(result).toEqual([])
+  })
+
+  it('should not swallow non-resource HTML files', async () => {
+    const plugin = getAngularPlugin()
+    await setupPluginWithServer(plugin)
+
+    // index.html is NOT a component template
+    const indexHtml = normalizePath(join(tempDir, 'index.html'))
+    const mockModules = [{ id: indexHtml }]
+    const ctx = createMockHmrContext(indexHtml, mockModules)
+
+    const result = await callHandleHotUpdate(plugin, ctx)
+
+    // Non-component HTML should pass through, not be swallowed
+    if (result !== undefined) {
+      expect(result).toEqual(mockModules)
+    }
+  })
+
+  it('should pass through non-style/template files unchanged', async () => {
+    const plugin = getAngularPlugin()
+    await setupPluginWithServer(plugin)
+
+    const utilFile = normalizePath(join(tempDir, 'src', 'utils.ts'))
+    const mockModules = [{ id: utilFile }]
+    const ctx = createMockHmrContext(utilFile, mockModules)
+
+    const result = await callHandleHotUpdate(plugin, ctx)
+
+    // Non-Angular .ts files should pass through with their modules
+    if (result !== undefined) {
+      expect(result).toEqual(mockModules)
+    }
+  })
+})
diff --git a/napi/angular-compiler/vite-plugin/index.ts b/napi/angular-compiler/vite-plugin/index.ts
index 067345cc0..ae3ece188 100644
--- a/napi/angular-compiler/vite-plugin/index.ts
+++ b/napi/angular-compiler/vite-plugin/index.ts
@@ -577,6 +577,20 @@ export function angular(options: PluginOptions = {}): Plugin[] {
           // gated by componentIds, which are only populated for client transforms.
           if (watchMode && viteServer) {
             const watchFn = (viteServer as any).__angularWatchTemplate
+
+            // Prune stale entries: if this component previously referenced
+            // different resources (e.g., templateUrl was renamed), remove the
+            // old reverse mappings so handleHotUpdate no longer swallows those files.
+            // Re-add pruned files to Vite's watcher so they can be processed as
+            // normal assets if used elsewhere (e.g., as a global stylesheet).
+            const newDeps = new Set(dependencies.map(normalizePath))
+            for (const [resource, owner] of resourceToComponent) {
+              if (owner === actualId && !newDeps.has(resource)) {
+                resourceToComponent.delete(resource)
+                viteServer.watcher.add(resource)
+              }
+            }
+
             for (const dep of dependencies) {
               const normalizedDep = normalizePath(dep)
               // Track reverse mapping for HMR: resource → component
@@ -640,13 +654,24 @@ export function angular(options: PluginOptions = {}): Plugin[] {
           ctx.modules.map((m) => m.id).join(', '),
         )
 
-        // Template/style files are handled by our custom fs.watch in configureServer.
-        // We dynamically unwatch them from Vite's watcher during transform, so they shouldn't
-        // normally trigger handleHotUpdate. If they do appear here (e.g., file not yet transformed
-        // or from another plugin), return [] to prevent Vite's default handling.
+        // Component resource files (templates/styles referenced via templateUrl/styleUrls)
+        // are handled by our custom fs.watch in configureServer. We dynamically unwatch them
+        // from Vite's watcher during transform, so they shouldn't normally trigger handleHotUpdate.
+        // If they do appear here (e.g., file not yet transformed or from another plugin),
+        // return [] to prevent Vite's default handling.
+        //
+        // However, non-component files (e.g., global stylesheets imported in main.ts) are NOT
+        // managed by our custom watcher and must flow through Vite's normal HMR pipeline so that
+        // PostCSS/Tailwind and other plugins can process them correctly.
         if (/\.(html?|css|scss|sass|less)$/.test(ctx.file)) {
-          debugHmr('ignoring resource file in handleHotUpdate (handled by custom watcher)')
-          return []
+          const normalizedFile = normalizePath(ctx.file)
+          if (resourceToComponent.has(normalizedFile)) {
+            debugHmr(
+              'ignoring component resource file in handleHotUpdate (handled by custom watcher)',
+            )
+            return []
+          }
+          debugHmr('letting non-component resource file through to Vite HMR: %s', normalizedFile)
         }
 
         // Handle component file changes