diff --git a/java/cuvs-java/src/main/java/com/nvidia/cuvs/CagraIndex.java b/java/cuvs-java/src/main/java/com/nvidia/cuvs/CagraIndex.java
index 51403982dd..96e31431f8 100644
--- a/java/cuvs-java/src/main/java/com/nvidia/cuvs/CagraIndex.java
+++ b/java/cuvs-java/src/main/java/com/nvidia/cuvs/CagraIndex.java
@@ -336,6 +336,23 @@ static CagraIndex merge(CagraIndex[] indexes, CagraIndexParams mergeParams) thro
     return CuVSProvider.provider().mergeCagraIndexes(indexes, mergeParams);
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Reports whether the rows of {@code dataset} already sit at the row stride CAGRA requires, which
+   * is the row length in bytes rounded up to a 16 byte boundary.
+   *
+   * <p>Use it to pick between the two padded dataset factories: a matrix that is already padded has
+   * to go through {@link #makePaddedDatasetView(CuVSMatrix)}, because cuVS rejects a request to
+   * copy it into padded storage it already occupies, and one that is not has to go through
+   * {@link #makePaddedDataset(CuVSMatrix)}.
+   *
+   * @param dataset the matrix to inspect
+   * @return true when the rows are already padded the way CAGRA requires
+   */
+  static boolean isPaddedDataset(CuVSMatrix dataset) {
+    Objects.requireNonNull(dataset);
+    return CuVSProvider.provider().isCagraPaddedDataset(dataset);
+  }
+
   /**
    * Builder helps configure and create an instance of {@link CagraIndex}.
    */
diff --git a/java/cuvs-java/src/main/java/com/nvidia/cuvs/spi/CuVSProvider.java b/java/cuvs-java/src/main/java/com/nvidia/cuvs/spi/CuVSProvider.java
index 05bbc4ab0f..670f44eda6 100644
--- a/java/cuvs-java/src/main/java/com/nvidia/cuvs/spi/CuVSProvider.java
+++ b/java/cuvs-java/src/main/java/com/nvidia/cuvs/spi/CuVSProvider.java
@@ -188,6 +188,25 @@ default CagraIndex mergeCagraIndexes(CagraIndex[] indexes, CagraIndexParams merg
     return mergeCagraIndexes(indexes);
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Reports whether the rows of {@code dataset} already sit at the row stride CAGRA requires, which
+   * is the row length in bytes rounded up to a 16 byte boundary.
+   *
+   * <p>This is the question that decides which of the two padded dataset factories a caller has to
+   * use: {@link CagraIndex#makePaddedDatasetView(CuVSMatrix)} for a device matrix that is already at
+   * that stride, and {@link CagraIndex#makePaddedDataset(CuVSMatrix)} for one that is not. Asking
+   * for the wrong one is an error rather than an inefficiency, and the stride of a matrix is not
+   * visible outside this library, so callers cannot answer it for themselves.
+   *
+   * @param dataset the matrix to inspect
+   * @return true when the rows are already padded the way CAGRA requires
+   * @throws UnsupportedOperationException if this provider cannot answer
+   */
+  default boolean isCagraPaddedDataset(CuVSMatrix dataset) {
+    throw new UnsupportedOperationException(
+        "Padded layout detection is not supported by " + getClass().getName());
+  }
+
   /**
    * Creates a device-backed multi-partition filter handle from the pre-packed combined bitset.
    * Per-partition bit offsets are recomputed inside cuVS from the index sizes.
diff --git a/java/cuvs-java/src/main/java/com/nvidia/cuvs/spi/UnsupportedProvider.java b/java/cuvs-java/src/main/java/com/nvidia/cuvs/spi/UnsupportedProvider.java
index 2a9f9ac738..66b0b8cc47 100644
--- a/java/cuvs-java/src/main/java/com/nvidia/cuvs/spi/UnsupportedProvider.java
+++ b/java/cuvs-java/src/main/java/com/nvidia/cuvs/spi/UnsupportedProvider.java
@@ -85,6 +85,11 @@ public CagraIndex mergeCagraIndexes(CagraIndex[] indexes) {
     throw new UnsupportedOperationException(reasons);
   }
 
+  @Override
+  public boolean isCagraPaddedDataset(CuVSMatrix dataset) {
+    throw new UnsupportedOperationException(reasons);
+  }
+
   @Override
   public CuVSMatrix.Builder<CuVSHostMatrix> newHostMatrixBuilder(
       long size, long dimensions, CuVSMatrix.DataType dataType) {
diff --git a/java/cuvs-java/src/main/java22/com/nvidia/cuvs/internal/CagraIndexImpl.java b/java/cuvs-java/src/main/java22/com/nvidia/cuvs/internal/CagraIndexImpl.java
index 691c99e93f..9506b130cd 100644
--- a/java/cuvs-java/src/main/java22/com/nvidia/cuvs/internal/CagraIndexImpl.java
+++ b/java/cuvs-java/src/main/java22/com/nvidia/cuvs/internal/CagraIndexImpl.java
@@ -263,6 +263,19 @@ private static int elementSizeBytes(CuVSMatrix.DataType dataType) {
     };
   }
 
+  /**
+   * True when the matrix row width matches CAGRA's required padded width for its logical column
+   * count and element type. The stride lives on the internal matrix type, so this is the only place
+   * that can answer the question; {@link com.nvidia.cuvs.CagraIndex#isPaddedDataset} routes here
+   * through the provider.
+   */
+  public static boolean isPaddedDataset(CuVSMatrix dataset) {
+    if (!(dataset instanceof CuVSMatrixInternal datasetInternal)) {
+      throw new IllegalArgumentException("dataset must be a CuVSMatrixInternal matrix");
+    }
+    return isCagraPaddedLayout(datasetInternal);
+  }
+
   /**
    * True when the matrix row width matches CAGRA's required padded width for its
    * logical column count and element type.
diff --git a/java/cuvs-java/src/main/java22/com/nvidia/cuvs/spi/JDKProvider.java b/java/cuvs-java/src/main/java22/com/nvidia/cuvs/spi/JDKProvider.java
index 4d1dbecf0f..9cc4a5499c 100644
--- a/java/cuvs-java/src/main/java22/com/nvidia/cuvs/spi/JDKProvider.java
+++ b/java/cuvs-java/src/main/java22/com/nvidia/cuvs/spi/JDKProvider.java
@@ -317,6 +317,11 @@ public CagraIndex mergeCagraIndexes(CagraIndex[] indexes, CagraIndexParams merge
     return CagraIndexImpl.merge(indexes, mergeParams);
   }
 
+  @Override
+  public boolean isCagraPaddedDataset(CuVSMatrix dataset) {
+    return CagraIndexImpl.isPaddedDataset(dataset);
+  }
+
   @Override
   public GPUInfoProvider gpuInfoProvider() {
     return new GPUInfoProviderImpl();
diff --git a/java/cuvs-lucene/src/main/java/com/nvidia/cuvs/lucene/CuVS2510GPUVectorsWriter.java b/java/cuvs-lucene/src/main/java/com/nvidia/cuvs/lucene/CuVS2510GPUVectorsWriter.java
index 97fedf924f..aead683dc4 100644
--- a/java/cuvs-lucene/src/main/java/com/nvidia/cuvs/lucene/CuVS2510GPUVectorsWriter.java
+++ b/java/cuvs-lucene/src/main/java/com/nvidia/cuvs/lucene/CuVS2510GPUVectorsWriter.java
@@ -206,6 +206,14 @@ private void writeFieldInternal(FieldInfo fieldInfo, List<float[]> vectors) thro
           writeCagraIndex(cagraIndexOutputStream, cagraDataset);
         } catch (Throwable t) {
           // Fallback to brute force in a few cases, for now.
+          // Log it to make it more obvious that this is what is happening.
+          info(
+              infoStream,
+              COMPONENT,
+              "CAGRA build failed for field \""
+                  + fieldInfo.name
+                  + "\", falling back to a brute force index: "
+                  + t);
           Utils.handleThrowableWithIgnore(t, t.getMessage());
           indexType = IndexType.BRUTE_FORCE;
         }
@@ -248,10 +256,23 @@ private void writeCagraIndex(OutputStream os, CuVSMatrix dataset) throws Throwab
                 .withDataset(dataset)
                 .withIndexParams(params)
                 .build();
-        var deviceVectors = dataset.toDevice(getCuVSResourcesInstance());
-        var indexDataset = index.makePaddedDataset(deviceVectors)) {
-      index.updateDataset(indexDataset);
-      index.serialize(os);
+        var deviceVectors = dataset.toDevice(getCuVSResourcesInstance())) {
+      /*
+       * cuVS rejects makePaddedDataset for a device matrix whose rows already sit at the required
+       * stride, and asks for a view over that storage instead. Copying would be pointless there
+       * anyway, so pick the factory that matches the layout.
+       */
+      if (CagraIndex.isPaddedDataset(deviceVectors)) {
+        try (var indexDatasetView = index.makePaddedDatasetView(deviceVectors)) {
+          index.updateDataset(indexDatasetView);
+          index.serialize(os);
+        }
+      } else {
+        try (var indexDataset = index.makePaddedDataset(deviceVectors)) {
+          index.updateDataset(indexDataset);
+          index.serialize(os);
+        }
+      }
     }
   }
 
diff --git a/java/cuvs-lucene/src/main/java/com/nvidia/cuvs/lucene/FilterCuVSProvider.java b/java/cuvs-lucene/src/main/java/com/nvidia/cuvs/lucene/FilterCuVSProvider.java
index b24d35ffa7..1c74649843 100644
--- a/java/cuvs-lucene/src/main/java/com/nvidia/cuvs/lucene/FilterCuVSProvider.java
+++ b/java/cuvs-lucene/src/main/java/com/nvidia/cuvs/lucene/FilterCuVSProvider.java
@@ -85,6 +85,11 @@ public CagraIndex mergeCagraIndexes(CagraIndex[] arg0) throws Throwable {
     return delegate.mergeCagraIndexes(arg0);
   }
 
+  @Override
+  public boolean isCagraPaddedDataset(CuVSMatrix arg0) {
+    return delegate.isCagraPaddedDataset(arg0);
+  }
+
   @Override
   public GPUInfoProvider gpuInfoProvider() {
     return delegate.gpuInfoProvider();
diff --git a/java/cuvs-lucene/src/test/java/com/nvidia/cuvs/lucene/TestCagraIndexAtAlignedDimensions.java b/java/cuvs-lucene/src/test/java/com/nvidia/cuvs/lucene/TestCagraIndexAtAlignedDimensions.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..89d58aa682
--- /dev/null
+++ b/java/cuvs-lucene/src/test/java/com/nvidia/cuvs/lucene/TestCagraIndexAtAlignedDimensions.java
@@ -0,0 +1,115 @@
+/*
+ * SPDX-FileCopyrightText: Copyright (c) 2026, NVIDIA CORPORATION & AFFILIATES. All rights reserved.
+ * SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+ */
+package com.nvidia.cuvs.lucene;
+
+import static com.nvidia.cuvs.lucene.ThreadLocalCuVSResourcesProvider.isSupported;
+
+import com.nvidia.cuvs.lucene.CuVS2510GPUVectorsWriter.IndexType;
+import java.io.IOException;
+import java.util.ArrayList;
+import java.util.Collections;
+import java.util.List;
+import org.apache.lucene.document.Document;
+import org.apache.lucene.document.KnnFloatVectorField;
+import org.apache.lucene.index.IndexWriter;
+import org.apache.lucene.index.IndexWriterConfig;
+import org.apache.lucene.index.VectorSimilarityFunction;
+import org.apache.lucene.store.Directory;
+import org.apache.lucene.tests.util.LuceneTestCase;
+import org.apache.lucene.tests.util.LuceneTestCase.SuppressSysoutChecks;
+import org.apache.lucene.tests.util.TestUtil;
+import org.apache.lucene.util.InfoStream;
+import org.junit.Assume;
+import org.junit.Test;
+
+/**
+ * A CAGRA row is padded to a 16 byte boundary, so a device matrix whose dimension is already a
+ * multiple of four sits at the required stride. cuVS refuses to build an owning padded copy of such
+ * a matrix and asks for a view instead, and the writer swallows a failed CAGRA build by falling
+ * back to a brute force index. The two together are silent: search keeps returning correct results
+ * while nothing on the GPU is a CAGRA index any more.
+ *
+ * <p>These tests pin the dimensions on both sides of that boundary.
+ */
+@SuppressSysoutChecks(bugUrl = "")
+public class TestCagraIndexAtAlignedDimensions extends LuceneTestCase {
+
+  @Test
+  public void testCagraIsBuiltAtAnAlignedDimension() throws IOException {
+    // 128 floats is 512 bytes, an exact multiple of the 16 byte CAGRA row alignment.
+    assertCagraIsBuilt(128);
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  public void testCagraIsBuiltAtAnUnalignedDimension() throws IOException {
+    // 127 floats is not, so the writer has to fall back to an owning padded copy.
+    assertCagraIsBuilt(127);
+  }
+
+  /** Indexes a segment of the given dimension and fails if the CAGRA build did not survive it. */
+  private void assertCagraIsBuilt(int dimension) throws IOException {
+    Assume.assumeTrue("Requires a GPU", isSupported());
+
+    RecordingInfoStream infoStream = new RecordingInfoStream();
+    try (Directory directory = newDirectory()) {
+      IndexWriterConfig config =
+          new IndexWriterConfig()
+              .setCodec(
+                  TestUtil.alwaysKnnVectorsFormat(
+                      new CuVS2510GPUVectorsFormat(
+                          new GPUSearchParams.Builder().withIndexType(IndexType.CAGRA).build())))
+              .setInfoStream(infoStream);
+
+      try (IndexWriter writer = new IndexWriter(directory, config)) {
+        for (int i = 0; i < 64; i++) {
+          float[] vector = new float[dimension];
+          for (int d = 0; d < dimension; d++) {
+            vector[d] = random().nextFloat();
+          }
+          Document doc = new Document();
+          doc.add(new KnnFloatVectorField("vector", vector, VectorSimilarityFunction.EUCLIDEAN));
+          writer.addDocument(doc);
+        }
+        writer.commit();
+      }
+    }
+
+    assertTrue(
+        "The CAGRA build fell back to brute force at dimension "
+            + dimension
+            + ", messages: "
+            + infoStream.messages(),
+        infoStream.cagraBuildFailures().isEmpty());
+  }
+
+  /** An InfoStream that keeps the messages, so that a test can tell which index type was built. */
+  private static class RecordingInfoStream extends InfoStream {
+
+    private final List<String> messages = Collections.synchronizedList(new ArrayList<>());
+
+    @Override
+    public void message(String component, String message) {
+      messages.add(component + ": " + message);
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public boolean isEnabled(String component) {
+      return true;
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public void close() {}
+
+    List<String> messages() {
+      synchronized (messages) {
+        return List.copyOf(messages);
+      }
+    }
+
+    List<String> cagraBuildFailures() {
+      return messages().stream().filter(message -> message.contains("CAGRA build failed")).toList();
+    }
+  }
+}