diff --git a/packages/compiler/src/core/visibility/core.ts b/packages/compiler/src/core/visibility/core.ts
index 2d62cc8bf4..796705a878 100644
--- a/packages/compiler/src/core/visibility/core.ts
+++ b/packages/compiler/src/core/visibility/core.ts
@@ -207,23 +207,7 @@ function groupModifiersByVisibilityClass(modifiers: EnumMember[]): Map<Enum, Set
 const [getLegacyVisibility, setLegacyVisibilityModifiers, getLegacyVisibilityStateMap] =
   useStateMap<ModelProperty, string[]>("legacyVisibility");
 
-// const [getLegacyVisibilityIsExplicit, _setLegacyVisibilityIsExplicit] = useStateSet<ModelProperty>(
-//   "legacyVisibilityIsExplicit",
-// );
-
-// /**
-//  * Sets a flag indicating that legacy visibility modifiers should be considered "explicitly initialized."
-//  *
-//  * This is used to differentiate between legacy visibility cases where visibility is _not_ set, and legacy
-//  * `getVisibility` should return `undefined` and cases where visibility is set to an empty array, and legacy
-//  * visibility should return `[]`.
-//  *
-//  * @param context - the decorator context to use
-//  * @param property - the property to set the flag for
-//  */
-// export function setLegacyVisibilityIsExplicit(program: Program, property: ModelProperty) {
-//   _setLegacyVisibilityIsExplicit(program, property);
-// }
+export { getLegacyVisibility };
 
 /**
  * Sets the legacy visibility modifiers for a property.
@@ -243,26 +227,23 @@ export function setLegacyVisibility(
   visibilities: string[],
 ) {
   const { program } = context;
-  compilerAssert(
-    getLegacyVisibility(program, property) === undefined,
-    "Legacy visibility modifiers have already been set for this property.",
-  );
 
   setLegacyVisibilityModifiers(program, property, visibilities);
 
   const lifecycleClass = getLifecycleVisibilityEnum(program);
 
-  if (visibilities.length === 0 || (visibilities.length === 1 && visibilities[0] === "none")) {
-    clearVisibilityModifiersForClass(program, property, lifecycleClass, context);
-  } else {
+  clearVisibilityModifiersForClass(program, property, lifecycleClass, context);
+
+  const isEmpty =
+    visibilities.length === 0 || (visibilities.length === 1 && visibilities[0] === "none");
+
+  if (!isEmpty) {
     const lifecycleVisibilities = visibilities
       .map((v) => normalizeLegacyLifecycleVisibilityString(program, v))
       .filter((v) => !!v);
 
     addVisibilityModifiers(program, property, lifecycleVisibilities);
   }
-
-  sealVisibilityModifiers(program, property, lifecycleClass);
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/packages/compiler/src/lib/visibility.ts b/packages/compiler/src/lib/visibility.ts
index 3fb13c2b07..b9821c6059 100644
--- a/packages/compiler/src/lib/visibility.ts
+++ b/packages/compiler/src/lib/visibility.ts
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ import {
   clearLegacyVisibility,
   clearVisibilityModifiersForClass,
   GeneratedVisibilityFilter,
+  getLegacyVisibility,
   getVisibility,
   isVisible,
   removeVisibilityModifiers,
@@ -256,6 +257,12 @@ export const $visibility: VisibilityDecorator = (
     // assertion will fail inside the legacy visibility management API.
     if (isUnique) setLegacyVisibility(context, target, legacyVisibilities);
   } else {
+    if (getLegacyVisibility(context.program, target)) {
+      reportDiagnostic(context.program, {
+        code: "visibility-mixed-legacy",
+        target: context.decoratorTarget,
+      });
+    }
     addVisibilityModifiers(context.program, target, modifiers, context);
   }
 };
diff --git a/packages/compiler/test/decorators/visibility.test.ts b/packages/compiler/test/decorators/visibility.test.ts
index 8f83793101..af06ede963 100644
--- a/packages/compiler/test/decorators/visibility.test.ts
+++ b/packages/compiler/test/decorators/visibility.test.ts
@@ -3,9 +3,9 @@
 
 import { deepStrictEqual, ok, strictEqual } from "assert";
 import { beforeEach, describe, it } from "vitest";
-import { Enum, Model, ModelProperty } from "../../src/core/types.js";
+import { DecoratorContext, Enum, Model, ModelProperty } from "../../src/core/types.js";
 import { getVisibility, getVisibilityForClass } from "../../src/core/visibility/core.js";
-import { getLifecycleVisibilityEnum } from "../../src/index.js";
+import { $visibility, getLifecycleVisibilityEnum } from "../../src/index.js";
 import { BasicTestRunner, createTestRunner } from "../../src/testing/index.js";
 
 function assertSetsEqual<T>(a: Set<T>, b: Set<T>): void {
@@ -100,5 +100,24 @@ describe("visibility (legacy)", function () {
         "update",
       ]);
     });
+
+    it("allows overriding legacy visibility", async () => {
+      const { Example } = (await runner.compile(`
+        @test model Example {
+          @visibility("read")
+          name: string
+        }
+        `)) as { Example: Model };
+
+      const name = Example.properties.get("name")!;
+
+      const decCtx = {
+        program: runner.program,
+      } as DecoratorContext;
+
+      $visibility(decCtx, name, "create");
+
+      deepStrictEqual(getVisibility(runner.program, name), ["create"]);
+    });
   });
 });
diff --git a/packages/compiler/test/visibility.test.ts b/packages/compiler/test/visibility.test.ts
index 031eaa8a95..837464c1fe 100644
--- a/packages/compiler/test/visibility.test.ts
+++ b/packages/compiler/test/visibility.test.ts
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import {
   $visibility,
   addVisibilityModifiers,
   clearVisibilityModifiersForClass,
+  DecoratorContext,
   Enum,
   getLifecycleVisibilityEnum,
   getVisibilityForClass,
@@ -668,6 +669,52 @@ describe("compiler: visibility core", () => {
 
       deepStrictEqual(legacyVisibility, []);
     });
+
+    it("correctly coerces visibility modifiers after rewriting", async () => {
+      const { Example } = (await runner.compile(`
+        @test model Example {
+          @visibility("create")
+          x: string;
+        }
+      `)) as { Example: Model };
+
+      const x = Example.properties.get("x")!;
+
+      const LifecycleEnum = getLifecycleVisibilityEnum(runner.program);
+
+      const visibility = getVisibilityForClass(runner.program, x, LifecycleEnum);
+
+      strictEqual(visibility.size, 1);
+
+      const Lifecycle = {
+        Create: LifecycleEnum.members.get("Create")!,
+        Read: LifecycleEnum.members.get("Read")!,
+        Update: LifecycleEnum.members.get("Update")!,
+      };
+
+      ok(visibility.has(Lifecycle.Create));
+      ok(!visibility.has(Lifecycle.Read));
+      ok(!visibility.has(Lifecycle.Update));
+
+      const legacyVisibility = getVisibility(runner.program, x);
+
+      deepStrictEqual(legacyVisibility, ["create"]);
+
+      // Now change the visibility imperatively using the legacy API
+      $visibility({ program: runner.program } as DecoratorContext, x, "read");
+
+      const updatedVisibility = getVisibilityForClass(runner.program, x, LifecycleEnum);
+
+      strictEqual(updatedVisibility.size, 1);
+
+      ok(!updatedVisibility.has(Lifecycle.Create));
+      ok(updatedVisibility.has(Lifecycle.Read));
+      ok(!updatedVisibility.has(Lifecycle.Update));
+
+      const updatedLegacyVisibility = getVisibility(runner.program, x);
+
+      deepStrictEqual(updatedLegacyVisibility, ["read"]);
+    });
   });
 
   describe("lifecycle transforms", () => {