diff --git a/desktop/src/components/chat/MessageList.test.tsx b/desktop/src/components/chat/MessageList.test.tsx
index bdd9cf4e..874bab71 100644
--- a/desktop/src/components/chat/MessageList.test.tsx
+++ b/desktop/src/components/chat/MessageList.test.tsx
@@ -153,6 +153,39 @@ describe('MessageList nested tool calls', () => {
     expect(container.querySelector('[data-virtual-message-item]')).toBeNull()
   })
 
+  it('marks transcript items as offscreen-renderable without virtualizing variable-height rows', () => {
+    useChatStore.setState({
+      sessions: {
+        [ACTIVE_TAB]: makeSessionState({
+          messages: [
+            {
+              id: 'assistant-1',
+              type: 'assistant_text',
+              content: 'first assistant reply',
+              timestamp: 1,
+            },
+            {
+              id: 'assistant-2',
+              type: 'assistant_text',
+              content: 'second assistant reply',
+              timestamp: 2,
+            },
+          ],
+        }),
+      },
+    })
+
+    const { container } = render(<MessageList />)
+    const renderItems = container.querySelectorAll('.chat-render-item')
+
+    expect(renderItems).toHaveLength(2)
+    for (const item of renderItems) {
+      expect(item.className).toContain('[content-visibility:auto]')
+      expect(item.className).toContain('[contain-intrinsic-size:auto_180px]')
+    }
+    expect(container.querySelector('[data-virtual-message-item]')).toBeNull()
+  })
+
   it('filters duplicate unresolved AskUserQuestion cards while a matching permission is pending', () => {
     const messages: UIMessage[] = [
       {
@@ -1734,6 +1767,78 @@ describe('MessageList nested tool calls', () => {
     expect(scrollTop).toBe(600)
   })
 
+  it('keeps auto-scrolling without reading scroll geometry synchronously', async () => {
+    useChatStore.setState({
+      sessions: {
+        [ACTIVE_TAB]: makeSessionState({
+          chatState: 'streaming',
+          messages: [
+            {
+              id: 'user-1',
+              type: 'user_text',
+              content: 'latest prompt',
+              timestamp: 1,
+            },
+          ],
+          streamingText: 'streaming',
+        }),
+      },
+    })
+
+    const { container } = render(<MessageList />)
+    const scroller = container.querySelector('.overflow-y-auto') as HTMLDivElement
+    const readScrollHeight = vi.fn(() => {
+      throw new Error('scrollHeight should not be read while pinning to bottom')
+    })
+    const readClientHeight = vi.fn(() => {
+      throw new Error('clientHeight should not be read while pinning to bottom')
+    })
+    let scrollTop = 552
+    Object.defineProperty(scroller, 'scrollHeight', {
+      configurable: true,
+      get: readScrollHeight,
+    })
+    Object.defineProperty(scroller, 'clientHeight', {
+      configurable: true,
+      get: readClientHeight,
+    })
+    Object.defineProperty(scroller, 'scrollTop', {
+      configurable: true,
+      get: () => scrollTop,
+      set: (value) => {
+        scrollTop = value >= 1_000_000_000 ? 600 : value
+      },
+    })
+    Object.defineProperty(scroller, 'scrollTo', {
+      configurable: true,
+      value: vi.fn((options: ScrollToOptions | number, y?: number) => {
+        scroller.scrollTop = typeof options === 'number' ? y ?? 0 : options.top ?? 0
+      }),
+    })
+
+    await waitForProgrammaticScrollReset()
+    act(() => {
+      useChatStore.setState((state) => ({
+        sessions: {
+          ...state.sessions,
+          [ACTIVE_TAB]: {
+            ...state.sessions[ACTIVE_TAB]!,
+            streamingText: 'streaming next token',
+          },
+        },
+      }))
+    })
+
+    await waitFor(() => {
+      expect(screen.getByText('streaming next token')).toBeTruthy()
+    })
+    await waitForProgrammaticScrollReset()
+
+    expect(scrollTop).toBe(600)
+    expect(readScrollHeight).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
+    expect(readClientHeight).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
+  })
+
   it('keeps mobile H5 streaming output pinned after the transcript height grows', async () => {
     const scrollIntoView = vi.fn()
     Object.defineProperty(HTMLElement.prototype, 'scrollIntoView', {
diff --git a/desktop/src/components/chat/MessageList.tsx b/desktop/src/components/chat/MessageList.tsx
index a47b2474..237c3cc1 100644
--- a/desktop/src/components/chat/MessageList.tsx
+++ b/desktop/src/components/chat/MessageList.tsx
@@ -782,6 +782,7 @@ type MessageListProps = {
 }
 
 const AUTO_SCROLL_BOTTOM_THRESHOLD_PX = 48
+const SCROLL_BOTTOM_SENTINEL = 1_000_000_000
 const MAX_SCROLL_SNAPSHOTS = 100
 const EMPTY_MESSAGES: UIMessage[] = []
 const CHAT_SCROLL_AREA_CLASS = [
@@ -798,6 +799,11 @@ const CHAT_SCROLL_AREA_CLASS = [
   '[&::-webkit-scrollbar-thumb:hover]:border-2',
   '[&::-webkit-scrollbar-thumb:hover]:bg-[color-mix(in_srgb,var(--color-outline)_90%,transparent)]',
 ].join(' ')
+const CHAT_RENDER_ITEM_CLASS = [
+  'chat-render-item',
+  '[content-visibility:auto]',
+  '[contain-intrinsic-size:auto_180px]',
+].join(' ')
 
 type SessionScrollSnapshot = {
   scrollTop: number
@@ -827,14 +833,32 @@ function rememberSessionScroll(sessionId: string, element: HTMLElement) {
   })
 }
 
-function clampScrollTop(element: HTMLElement, scrollTop: number) {
-  return Math.max(0, Math.min(scrollTop, getBottomScrollTop(element)))
-}
-
 function getBottomScrollTop(element: HTMLElement) {
   return Math.max(0, element.scrollHeight - element.clientHeight)
 }
 
+function setScrollTopWithoutLayoutRead(element: HTMLElement, scrollTop: number) {
+  element.scrollTop = Math.max(0, scrollTop)
+}
+
+function setScrollToBottomWithoutLayoutRead(element: HTMLElement, behavior: ScrollBehavior) {
+  if (typeof element.scrollTo === 'function') {
+    try {
+      element.scrollTo({ top: SCROLL_BOTTOM_SENTINEL, behavior })
+    } catch {
+      element.scrollTo(0, SCROLL_BOTTOM_SENTINEL)
+    }
+  }
+  element.scrollTop = SCROLL_BOTTOM_SENTINEL
+
+  // Browsers clamp the large value to the true bottom without needing us to
+  // synchronously read layout metrics. JSDOM test doubles do not clamp, so keep
+  // the old numeric behavior there as a fallback.
+  if (element.scrollTop === SCROLL_BOTTOM_SENTINEL) {
+    element.scrollTop = getBottomScrollTop(element)
+  }
+}
+
 export function MessageList({ sessionId, compact = false }: MessageListProps = {}) {
   const activeTabId = useTabStore((s) => s.activeTabId)
   const resolvedSessionId = sessionId ?? activeTabId
@@ -893,21 +917,14 @@ export function MessageList({ sessionId, compact = false }: MessageListProps = {
     shouldAutoScrollRef.current = true
     isProgrammaticScrollingRef.current = true
     const container = scrollContainerRef.current
-    const targetScrollTop = container ? getBottomScrollTop(container) : null
+    let requestedScrollTop: number | null = null
     if (container) {
-      const nextScrollTop = targetScrollTop ?? 0
-      if (typeof container.scrollTo === 'function') {
-        try {
-          container.scrollTo({ top: nextScrollTop, behavior })
-        } catch {
-          container.scrollTo(0, nextScrollTop)
-        }
-      }
-      container.scrollTop = nextScrollTop
+      setScrollToBottomWithoutLayoutRead(container, behavior)
+      requestedScrollTop = container.scrollTop
     }
     if (container && resolvedSessionId) {
       sessionScrollSnapshots.set(resolvedSessionId, {
-        scrollTop: getBottomScrollTop(container),
+        scrollTop: container.scrollTop,
         wasAtBottom: true,
       })
     }
@@ -919,15 +936,14 @@ export function MessageList({ sessionId, compact = false }: MessageListProps = {
         shouldAutoScrollRef.current &&
         latestContainer &&
         (
-          targetScrollTop === null ||
-          latestContainer.scrollTop === targetScrollTop ||
-          isNearScrollBottom(latestContainer)
+          requestedScrollTop === null ||
+          latestContainer.scrollTop === requestedScrollTop
         )
       ) {
-        latestContainer.scrollTop = getBottomScrollTop(latestContainer)
+        setScrollToBottomWithoutLayoutRead(latestContainer, 'auto')
         if (resolvedSessionId) {
           sessionScrollSnapshots.set(resolvedSessionId, {
-            scrollTop: getBottomScrollTop(latestContainer),
+            scrollTop: latestContainer.scrollTop,
             wasAtBottom: true,
           })
         }
@@ -959,7 +975,7 @@ export function MessageList({ sessionId, compact = false }: MessageListProps = {
 
       const container = scrollContainerRef.current
       if (container && snapshot && !snapshot.wasAtBottom) {
-        container.scrollTop = clampScrollTop(container, snapshot.scrollTop)
+        setScrollTopWithoutLayoutRead(container, snapshot.scrollTop)
         setShowJumpToLatest(true)
       } else {
         scrollToBottom('auto')
@@ -1197,7 +1213,7 @@ export function MessageList({ sessionId, compact = false }: MessageListProps = {
             const cardsForItem = turnCardsByRenderIndex.get(index) ?? []
 
             return (
-              <div key={itemKey}>
+              <div key={itemKey} className={CHAT_RENDER_ITEM_CLASS}>
                 {item.kind === 'tool_group' ? (
                   <ToolCallGroup
                     toolCalls={item.toolCalls}
diff --git a/desktop/src/components/layout/TabBar.test.tsx b/desktop/src/components/layout/TabBar.test.tsx
index 4512cb6b..6553b41d 100644
--- a/desktop/src/components/layout/TabBar.test.tsx
+++ b/desktop/src/components/layout/TabBar.test.tsx
@@ -357,6 +357,59 @@ describe('TabBar', () => {
     expect(openProjectMenuMock.paths[openProjectMenuMock.paths.length - 1]).toBe('/repo/worktree')
   })
 
+  it('does not rerender for chat payload changes when tab running state is unchanged', async () => {
+    const { TabBar } = await import('./TabBar')
+    const { useTabStore } = await import('../../stores/tabStore')
+    const { useChatStore } = await import('../../stores/chatStore')
+    const { useSessionStore } = await import('../../stores/sessionStore')
+
+    useTabStore.setState({
+      tabs: [
+        { sessionId: 'tab-1', title: 'Workspace Session', type: 'session', status: 'idle' },
+      ],
+      activeTabId: 'tab-1',
+    })
+    useChatStore.setState({
+      sessions: {
+        'tab-1': makeChatSession('idle'),
+      },
+      disconnectSession: vi.fn(),
+    } as Partial<ReturnType<typeof useChatStore.getState>>)
+    useSessionStore.setState({
+      sessions: [{
+        id: 'tab-1',
+        title: 'Workspace Session',
+        createdAt: '2026-05-13T00:00:00.000Z',
+        modifiedAt: '2026-05-13T00:00:00.000Z',
+        messageCount: 0,
+        projectPath: '/repo',
+        workDir: '/repo/worktree',
+        workDirExists: true,
+      }],
+      activeSessionId: 'tab-1',
+    })
+
+    await act(async () => {
+      render(<TabBar />)
+    })
+    expect(openProjectMenuMock.paths[openProjectMenuMock.paths.length - 1]).toBe('/repo/worktree')
+
+    openProjectMenuMock.paths = []
+    await act(async () => {
+      useChatStore.setState((state) => ({
+        sessions: {
+          ...state.sessions,
+          'tab-1': {
+            ...state.sessions['tab-1']!,
+            streamingText: 'token churn should not affect tab chrome',
+          },
+        },
+      }))
+    })
+
+    expect(openProjectMenuMock.paths).toEqual([])
+  })
+
   it('hides the open-project control when the active session workdir is unavailable', async () => {
     const { TabBar } = await import('./TabBar')
     const { useTabStore } = await import('../../stores/tabStore')
diff --git a/desktop/src/components/layout/TabBar.tsx b/desktop/src/components/layout/TabBar.tsx
index 25495157..eec97b5c 100644
--- a/desktop/src/components/layout/TabBar.tsx
+++ b/desktop/src/components/layout/TabBar.tsx
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import { forwardRef, useMemo, useRef, useState, useEffect, useCallback } from 'react'
+import { useShallow } from 'zustand/react/shallow'
 import {
   SCHEDULED_TAB_ID,
   SETTINGS_TAB_ID,
@@ -44,7 +45,13 @@ export function TabBar() {
   const activeTabId = useTabStore((s) => s.activeTabId)
   const setActiveTab = useTabStore((s) => s.setActiveTab)
   const closeTab = useTabStore((s) => s.closeTab)
-  const chatSessions = useChatStore((s) => s.sessions)
+  const sessionTabIds = useMemo(
+    () => tabs.filter((tab) => isSessionTab(tab)).map((tab) => tab.sessionId),
+    [tabs],
+  )
+  const activeChatSessionIds = useChatStore(useShallow((s) =>
+    sessionTabIds.filter((sessionId) => s.sessions[sessionId]?.chatState !== 'idle')
+  ))
   const disconnectSession = useChatStore((s) => s.disconnectSession)
   const activeTab = tabs.find((tab) => tab.sessionId === activeTabId) ?? null
   const isActiveSessionTab = isSessionTab(activeTab) || isSessionTabId(activeTabId)
@@ -81,11 +88,11 @@ export function TabBar() {
     for (const tab of tabs) {
       if (isSessionTab(tab) && tab.status === 'running') ids.add(tab.sessionId)
     }
-    for (const [sessionId, sessionState] of Object.entries(chatSessions)) {
-      if (sessionState.chatState !== 'idle') ids.add(sessionId)
+    for (const sessionId of activeChatSessionIds) {
+      ids.add(sessionId)
     }
     return ids
-  }, [chatSessions, tabs])
+  }, [activeChatSessionIds, tabs])
 
   useEffect(() => {
     if (!isTauri) return