<p>This study examines how teacher digital technology anxiety influences digital literacy development through cognitive appraisal mechanisms. Employing a three-wave longitudinal design spanning one academic year, we surveyed 1,247 in-service teachers across urban, suburban, and rural schools in China at six-month intervals. Cross-lagged panel modeling revealed that digital technology anxiety significantly predicted subsequent decreases in digital literacy development, with this relationship demonstrating temporal precedence over reverse pathways. Mediation analyses grounded in cognitive appraisal theory indicated that approximately 65% of anxiety’s total effect operated through interpretive mechanisms, specifically threat appraisals and resource appraisals, which subsequently shaped coping strategies. Teachers experiencing heightened anxiety more readily interpreted technological demands as threatening to professional competence while perceiving fewer available coping resources, ultimately constraining skill acquisition. These findings extend cognitive appraisal theory into technology acceptance contexts and illuminate affective-cognitive mechanisms often overlooked in digital literacy development models. Practical implications suggest multilevel interventions targeting cognitive reappraisal training, resource provision, and psychologically safe organizational environments to support teachers’ digital professional development.</p>