diff --git a/packages/app/src/pages/session.tsx b/packages/app/src/pages/session.tsx
index dda77aaff..f5949620a 100644
--- a/packages/app/src/pages/session.tsx
+++ b/packages/app/src/pages/session.tsx
@@ -1200,8 +1200,17 @@ export default function Page() {
     ),
   )
 
+  // Only follow the bottom while the model is actually streaming. This was
+  // previously hard-coded to `true`, so the auto-scroller's ResizeObserver
+  // force-scrolled on *any* reflow (image load, tool accordion expand, font
+  // swap, layout settle) — which read as the chat "jumping" on its own. Gating
+  // it on the session's real working state also stops it from competing with
+  // the timeline's own bottom-lock outside of streaming.
   const autoScroll = createAutoScroll({
-    working: () => true,
+    working: () => {
+      const id = params.id
+      return id ? sync.data.session_working(id) : false
+    },
     overflowAnchor: "dynamic",
   })
 
diff --git a/packages/app/src/pages/session/message-timeline.tsx b/packages/app/src/pages/session/message-timeline.tsx
index c6329b39c..fa2325a93 100644
--- a/packages/app/src/pages/session/message-timeline.tsx
+++ b/packages/app/src/pages/session/message-timeline.tsx
@@ -568,12 +568,21 @@ export function MessageTimeline(props: {
   createEffect(
     on(
       () => [timelineRowKeys(), activeAssistantContentVersion(), sessionStatus().type] as const,
-      () => {
+      (curr, prev) => {
         if (!virtualizer) return
         if (!props.shouldAnchorBottom() && !measuredBottomAnchored) return
-        const keys = timelineRowKeys()
+        const keys = curr[0]
         if (keys.length === 0) return
-        virtualizer.scrollToIndex(keys.length - 1, { align: "end" })
+        // Only realign via virtua (an estimate-based scroll that can visibly
+        // pre-jump before item heights are measured) when the *set of rows*
+        // changes or the session status flips. Pure intra-row growth while a
+        // token streams is left to the measured-bottom rAF lock below, which
+        // pins against the real DOM height — so the two mechanisms stop landing
+        // on slightly different scroll positions frame-to-frame. `timelineRowKeys`
+        // is memoized with `equals: sameKeys`, so its reference only changes when
+        // the row set actually changes, making this comparison cheap and exact.
+        const rowsChanged = !prev || prev[0] !== keys || prev[2] !== curr[2]
+        if (rowsChanged) virtualizer.scrollToIndex(keys.length - 1, { align: "end" })
         scheduleMeasuredBottomAnchor()
       },
       { defer: true },
diff --git a/packages/ui/src/components/message-part.tsx b/packages/ui/src/components/message-part.tsx
index 71b1fa807..cd4d42705 100644
--- a/packages/ui/src/components/message-part.tsx
+++ b/packages/ui/src/components/message-part.tsx
@@ -60,6 +60,9 @@ import { useLocation } from "@solidjs/router"
 import { attached, inline, kind } from "./message-file"
 import { readPartText } from "./message-part-text"
 
+const reducedMotion = () =>
+  typeof window !== "undefined" && !!window.matchMedia?.("(prefers-reduced-motion: reduce)").matches
+
 async function writeClipboard(text: string): Promise<boolean> {
   const body = typeof document === "undefined" ? undefined : document.body
   if (body) {
@@ -90,6 +93,17 @@ function ShellSubmessage(props: { text: string; animate?: boolean }) {
 
   onMount(() => {
     if (!props.animate) return
+    // The initial render collapses width to 0 and hides the value behind a blur;
+    // if the user prefers reduced motion, snap straight to the resting state
+    // instead of animating (and instead of leaving it stuck collapsed/hidden).
+    if (reducedMotion()) {
+      if (widthRef) widthRef.style.width = "auto"
+      if (valueRef) {
+        valueRef.style.opacity = "1"
+        valueRef.style.filter = "blur(0px)"
+      }
+      return
+    }
     requestAnimationFrame(() => {
       if (widthRef) {
         animate(widthRef, { width: "auto" }, { type: "spring", visualDuration: 0.25, bounce: 0 })