diff --git a/metals/src/main/scala/scala/meta/internal/metals/Compilations.scala b/metals/src/main/scala/scala/meta/internal/metals/Compilations.scala
index 54c068d7345..875f45ff298 100644
--- a/metals/src/main/scala/scala/meta/internal/metals/Compilations.scala
+++ b/metals/src/main/scala/scala/meta/internal/metals/Compilations.scala
@@ -61,18 +61,12 @@ final class Compilations(
 
   private val isCompiling = TrieMap.empty[b.BuildTargetIdentifier, Boolean]
   private var lastCompile: collection.Set[b.BuildTargetIdentifier] = Set.empty
-  private val wasCompiled = TrieMap.empty[b.BuildTargetIdentifier, Boolean]
-
-  def wasEverCompiled(buildTarget: b.BuildTargetIdentifier): Boolean =
-    buildTargets.isInverseDependency(buildTarget, wasCompiled.keySet.toList)
 
   def currentlyCompiling: Iterable[b.BuildTargetIdentifier] = isCompiling.keys
   def isCurrentlyCompiling(buildTarget: b.BuildTargetIdentifier): Boolean =
     isCompiling.contains(buildTarget)
 
   def previouslyCompiled: Iterable[b.BuildTargetIdentifier] = lastCompile
-  def wasPreviouslyCompiled(buildTarget: b.BuildTargetIdentifier): Boolean =
-    lastCompile.contains(buildTarget)
 
   def compilationFinished(targets: Seq[BuildTargetIdentifier]): Future[Unit] =
     if (currentlyCompiling.isEmpty) {
@@ -261,7 +255,6 @@ final class Compilations(
     }
     targets.foreach { target =>
       isCompiling(target) = true
-      wasCompiled(target) = true
     }
     val compilation = connection.compile(params, timeout)
 
diff --git a/metals/src/main/scala/scala/meta/internal/metals/MetalsLspService.scala b/metals/src/main/scala/scala/meta/internal/metals/MetalsLspService.scala
index 55c1373682a..5a77a60fd4c 100644
--- a/metals/src/main/scala/scala/meta/internal/metals/MetalsLspService.scala
+++ b/metals/src/main/scala/scala/meta/internal/metals/MetalsLspService.scala
@@ -1051,6 +1051,11 @@ class MetalsLspService(
     // In some cases like peeking definition didOpen might be followed up by close
     // and we would lose the notion of the focused document
     recentlyOpenedFiles.add(path)
+    val prevBuildTarget = focusedDocumentBuildTarget.getAndUpdate { current =>
+      buildTargets
+        .inverseSources(path)
+        .getOrElse(current)
+    }
 
     // Update md5 fingerprint from file contents on disk
     fingerprints.add(path, FileIO.slurp(path, charset))
@@ -1089,7 +1094,7 @@ class MetalsLspService(
           Future
             .sequence(
               List(
-                maybeCompileOnDidFocus(path),
+                maybeCompileOnDidFocus(path, prevBuildTarget),
                 compilers.load(List(path)),
                 publishSynthetics0,
               )
@@ -1128,9 +1133,11 @@ class MetalsLspService(
       uri: String
   ): CompletableFuture[DidFocusResult.Value] = {
     val path = uri.toAbsolutePath
-    buildTargets
-      .inverseSources(path)
-      .foreach(focusedDocumentBuildTarget.set)
+    val prevBuildTarget = focusedDocumentBuildTarget.getAndUpdate { current =>
+      buildTargets
+        .inverseSources(path)
+        .getOrElse(current)
+    }
     // Don't trigger compilation on didFocus events under cascade compilation
     // because save events already trigger compile in inverse dependencies.
     if (path.isDependencySource(folder)) {
@@ -1141,45 +1148,28 @@ class MetalsLspService(
     } else {
       publishSynthetics(path)
       worksheetProvider.onDidFocus(path)
-      maybeCompileOnDidFocus(path).asJava
+      maybeCompileOnDidFocus(path, prevBuildTarget).asJava
     }
   }
 
-  private def maybeCompileOnDidFocus(path: AbsolutePath) = {
+  private def maybeCompileOnDidFocus(
+      path: AbsolutePath,
+      prevBuildTarget: b.BuildTargetIdentifier,
+  ) =
     buildTargets.inverseSources(path) match {
-      case Some(target) =>
-        val wasNeverCompiled = !compilations.wasEverCompiled(target)
-        def isAffectedByCurrentCompilation =
-          !compilations.isCurrentlyCompiling(target) && path.isWorksheet ||
-            buildTargets.isInverseDependency(
-              target,
-              compilations.currentlyCompiling.toList,
-            )
-
-        def isAffectedByLastCompilation: Boolean =
-          !compilations.wasPreviouslyCompiled(target) &&
-            buildTargets.isInverseDependency(
-              target,
-              compilations.previouslyCompiled.toList,
-            )
-
-        val needsCompile =
-          wasNeverCompiled || isAffectedByCurrentCompilation || isAffectedByLastCompilation
-        if (needsCompile) {
-          compilations
-            .compileFile(path)
-            .map(_ => DidFocusResult.Compiled)
-        } else {
-          Future.successful(DidFocusResult.AlreadyCompiled)
-        }
-      case None if path.isWorksheet =>
+      case Some(target) if prevBuildTarget != target =>
         compilations
           .compileFile(path)
           .map(_ => DidFocusResult.Compiled)
+      case _ if path.isWorksheet =>
+        compilations
+          .compileFile(path)
+          .map(_ => DidFocusResult.Compiled)
+      case Some(_) =>
+        Future.successful(DidFocusResult.AlreadyCompiled)
       case None =>
         Future.successful(DidFocusResult.NoBuildTarget)
     }
-  }
 
   def pause(): Unit = pauseables.pause()
 
diff --git a/tests/unit/src/test/scala/tests/DidFocusLspSuite.scala b/tests/unit/src/test/scala/tests/DidFocusLspSuite.scala
index 96c0ec355f2..82028556f37 100644
--- a/tests/unit/src/test/scala/tests/DidFocusLspSuite.scala
+++ b/tests/unit/src/test/scala/tests/DidFocusLspSuite.scala
@@ -51,9 +51,9 @@ class DidFocusLspSuite extends BaseLspSuite("did-focus") {
       _ = assertNoDiagnostics()
       _ = fakeTime.elapseSeconds(10)
       didCompile <- server.didFocus("a/src/main/scala/a/A2.scala")
-      _ = assert(didCompile == AlreadyCompiled)
+      _ = assert(didCompile == Compiled)
       didCompile <- server.didFocus("b/src/main/scala/b/B.scala")
-      _ = assert(didCompile == AlreadyCompiled)
+      _ = assert(didCompile == Compiled)
       didCompile <- server.didFocus("c/src/main/scala/c/C.scala")
       // fake delete the diagnostic to see that `c` won't get recompiled
       _ = client.diagnostics(server.toPath("c/src/main/scala/c/C.scala")) =
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ class DidFocusLspSuite extends BaseLspSuite("did-focus") {
       _ = fakeTime.elapseSeconds(10)
       _ = assertNoDiagnostics()
       didCompile <- server.didFocus("a/src/main/scala/a/A2.scala")
-      _ = assert(didCompile == AlreadyCompiled)
+      _ = assert(didCompile == Compiled)
       didCompile <- server.didFocus("b/src/main/scala/b/B.scala")
       _ = assert(didCompile == Compiled)
       _ = assertNoDiff(
@@ -148,7 +148,7 @@ class DidFocusWhileCompilingLspSuite
   }
 
   test(
-    "Trigger compilation by didFocus when current compile may affect focused buffer"
+    "Trigger compilation when current compile may affect the focused buffer"
   ) {
     cleanWorkspace()
     for {
@@ -199,19 +199,9 @@ class DidFocusWhileCompilingLspSuite
         client.workspaceDiagnostics,
         xMismatch,
       )
-      didSaveA = server.didSave("a/src/main/scala/a/A.scala")(
+      _ <- server.didSave("a/src/main/scala/a/A.scala")(
         _.replace("Int", "String")
       )
-      // Wait until compilation against project a is started (before we invoke didFocus on project b)
-      _ <- server.waitFor(compileDelayMillis / 2)
-      // Focus before compilation of A.scala is complete.
-      // And make sure didFocus during the compilation causes compilation against project b.
-      didCompile <- server.didFocus("b/src/main/scala/b/B.scala")
-      _ <- didSaveA
-      _ = assert(
-        didCompile == Compiled,
-        s"expect 'Compiled', actual: ${didCompile}",
-      )
       _ = assertNoDiff(
         client.workspaceDiagnostics,
         """|b/src/main/scala/b/B.scala:3:16: error: type mismatch;