diff --git a/desktop/src/features/messages/lib/channelWindowStore.ts b/desktop/src/features/messages/lib/channelWindowStore.ts
index 467a80449e..91f9fea346 100644
--- a/desktop/src/features/messages/lib/channelWindowStore.ts
+++ b/desktop/src/features/messages/lib/channelWindowStore.ts
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ export const emptyChannelWindowStore = (): ChannelWindowStore => ({
   liveSummaries: {},
 });
 
-function cursorsEqual(
+export function cursorsEqual(
   left: ChannelWindowCursor | null,
   right: ChannelWindowCursor | null,
 ) {
diff --git a/desktop/src/features/messages/lib/pageOlderMessages.test.mjs b/desktop/src/features/messages/lib/pageOlderMessages.test.mjs
index 1542ffe60f..467120915a 100644
--- a/desktop/src/features/messages/lib/pageOlderMessages.test.mjs
+++ b/desktop/src/features/messages/lib/pageOlderMessages.test.mjs
@@ -75,6 +75,116 @@ test("commits one page and stages exactly one successor outside projection", asy
   );
 });
 
+test("trigger during successor staging awaits the same request", async () => {
+  const channelId = "await-in-flight-stage";
+  const { queryClient, head } = harness(channelId);
+  const older = page(head.nextCursor, [event("older", 200)]);
+  const successor = page(older.nextCursor, [event("successor", 100)], false);
+  let releaseSuccessor;
+  const successorPending = new Promise((resolve) => {
+    releaseSuccessor = () => resolve(successor);
+  });
+  const calls = [];
+  const fetchPage = async (_channelId, requestCursor) => {
+    calls.push(requestCursor);
+    return calls.length === 1 ? older : successorPending;
+  };
+
+  await pageOlderMessagesUntilRowFloor(
+    queryClient,
+    channelId,
+    () => true,
+    fetchPage,
+  );
+  const secondPass = pageOlderMessagesUntilRowFloor(
+    queryClient,
+    channelId,
+    () => true,
+    fetchPage,
+  );
+  await flush();
+
+  assert.deepEqual(calls, [head.nextCursor, older.nextCursor]);
+  releaseSuccessor();
+  await secondPass;
+  assert.equal(
+    queryClient.getQueryData(channelWindowKey(channelId)).pages.length,
+    3,
+  );
+});
+
+test("replaced tail does not reuse its stale in-flight stage", async () => {
+  const channelId = "reject-stale-in-flight-stage";
+  const { queryClient, head } = harness(channelId);
+  const older = page(head.nextCursor, [event("older", 200)]);
+  const staleSuccessor = page(
+    older.nextCursor,
+    [event("stale-successor", 100)],
+    false,
+  );
+  const freshSuccessor = page(
+    older.nextCursor,
+    [event("fresh-successor", 90)],
+    false,
+  );
+  let releaseStaleSuccessor;
+  const staleSuccessorPending = new Promise((resolve) => {
+    releaseStaleSuccessor = () => resolve(staleSuccessor);
+  });
+  const calls = [];
+  const fetchPage = async (_channelId, requestCursor) => {
+    calls.push(requestCursor);
+    if (calls.length === 1) return older;
+    if (calls.length === 2) return staleSuccessorPending;
+    return freshSuccessor;
+  };
+
+  await pageOlderMessagesUntilRowFloor(
+    queryClient,
+    channelId,
+    () => true,
+    fetchPage,
+  );
+  const replacementHead = page(null, [older.rows[0].event]);
+  queryClient.setQueryData(
+    channelWindowKey(channelId),
+    replaceNewestChannelWindow(
+      queryClient.getQueryData(channelWindowKey(channelId)),
+      replacementHead,
+    ),
+  );
+
+  const replacementPass = pageOlderMessagesUntilRowFloor(
+    queryClient,
+    channelId,
+    () => true,
+    fetchPage,
+  );
+  try {
+    await flush();
+    assert.deepEqual(calls, [
+      head.nextCursor,
+      older.nextCursor,
+      replacementHead.nextCursor,
+    ]);
+  } finally {
+    releaseStaleSuccessor();
+  }
+  await replacementPass;
+  assert.deepEqual(
+    queryClient
+      .getQueryData(channelMessagesKey(channelId))
+      .map((item) => item.content),
+    ["fresh-successor", "older"],
+  );
+
+  await flush();
+  assert.equal(
+    queryClient.getQueryData(channelWindowKey(channelId)).stagedPage,
+    null,
+  );
+});
+
 test("next paging pass consumes the staged page without network wait", async () => {
   const channelId = "consume-staged";
   const { queryClient, head } = harness(channelId);
diff --git a/desktop/src/features/messages/lib/pageOlderMessages.ts b/desktop/src/features/messages/lib/pageOlderMessages.ts
index e9b021c5c2..8ea86ce9aa 100644
--- a/desktop/src/features/messages/lib/pageOlderMessages.ts
+++ b/desktop/src/features/messages/lib/pageOlderMessages.ts
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import {
   type ChannelWindowCursor,
   type ChannelWindowPage,
   type ChannelWindowStore,
+  cursorsEqual,
   stageOlderChannelWindow,
 } from "@/features/messages/lib/channelWindowStore";
 import { projectChannelWindowMessages } from "@/features/messages/lib/projectChannelWindow";
@@ -15,6 +16,12 @@ import { getChannelWindowEvents } from "@/shared/api/channelWindow";
 const CHANNEL_WINDOW_PAGE_SIZE = 50;
 export type PageOlderResult = { hasOlderMessages: boolean };
 const inFlightPasses = new Map<string, Promise<PageOlderResult>>();
+type StagedFetch = {
+  cursor: ChannelWindowCursor;
+  fromPage: ChannelWindowPage;
+  page: Promise<ChannelWindowPage>;
+};
+const inFlightStagedPages = new Map<string, StagedFetch>();
 type FetchPage = (
   channelId: string,
   requestCursor: ChannelWindowCursor,
@@ -53,8 +60,15 @@ async function fetchPage(
   return parseChannelWindowResponse(events, channelId, requestCursor);
 }
 
-function cursorsEqual(left: ChannelWindowCursor, right: ChannelWindowCursor) {
-  return left.createdAt === right.createdAt && left.eventId === right.eventId;
+function retainedTailIs(
+  queryClient: QueryClient,
+  channelId: string,
+  page: ChannelWindowPage,
+) {
+  const store = queryClient.getQueryData<ChannelWindowStore>(
+    channelWindowKey(channelId),
+  );
+  return store?.pages[store.pages.length - 1] === page;
 }
 
 async function runPage(
@@ -73,11 +87,20 @@ async function runPage(
 
   const requestCursor = tail.nextCursor;
   const matchingStagedPage = store.stagedPage;
+  const staging = inFlightStagedPages.get(channelId);
+  const matchingStaging =
+    staging &&
+    retainedTailIs(queryClient, channelId, staging.fromPage) &&
+    cursorsEqual(staging.cursor, requestCursor)
+      ? staging
+      : null;
   const page =
     matchingStagedPage?.startCursor &&
     cursorsEqual(matchingStagedPage.startCursor, requestCursor)
       ? matchingStagedPage
-      : await fetchPageFn(channelId, requestCursor);
+      : matchingStaging
+        ? await matchingStaging.page
+        : await fetchPageFn(channelId, requestCursor);
   if (!shouldContinue()) return { hasOlderMessages: true };
   const retained = queryClient.getQueryData<ChannelWindowStore>(
     channelWindowKey(channelId),
@@ -90,7 +113,13 @@ async function runPage(
   if (!page.hasMore || !page.nextCursor || !shouldContinue()) {
     return { hasOlderMessages: false };
   }
-  void fetchPageFn(channelId, page.nextCursor)
+  const stagedFetch = fetchPageFn(channelId, page.nextCursor);
+  inFlightStagedPages.set(channelId, {
+    cursor: page.nextCursor,
+    fromPage: page,
+    page: stagedFetch,
+  });
+  void stagedFetch
     .then((staged) => {
       if (!shouldContinue()) return;
       queryClient.setQueryData<ChannelWindowStore>(
@@ -101,6 +130,11 @@ async function runPage(
     })
     .catch((error) => {
       console.error("Failed to stage older messages", channelId, error);
+    })
+    .finally(() => {
+      if (inFlightStagedPages.get(channelId)?.page === stagedFetch) {
+        inFlightStagedPages.delete(channelId);
+      }
     });
   return { hasOlderMessages: true };
 }
diff --git a/desktop/src/features/messages/ui/MessageTimeline.tsx b/desktop/src/features/messages/ui/MessageTimeline.tsx
index 21dcd1664a..5e96b5e11b 100644
--- a/desktop/src/features/messages/ui/MessageTimeline.tsx
+++ b/desktop/src/features/messages/ui/MessageTimeline.tsx
@@ -214,7 +214,6 @@ const MessageTimelineBase = React.forwardRef<
   const internalScrollRef = React.useRef<HTMLDivElement>(null);
   const scrollContainerRef = externalScrollRef ?? internalScrollRef;
   const contentRef = React.useRef<HTMLDivElement>(null);
-  const topSentinelRef = React.useRef<HTMLDivElement>(null);
   const [virtualizerScrollParent, setVirtualizerScrollParent] =
     React.useState<HTMLDivElement | null>(null);
   const [virtualizerRenderVersion, bumpVirtualizerRenderVersion] =
@@ -768,9 +767,7 @@ const MessageTimelineBase = React.forwardRef<
               )}
               ref={contentRef}
             >
-              {omitHistoryLeadIn ? null : (
-                <div ref={topSentinelRef} aria-hidden className="h-px" />
-              )}
+              {omitHistoryLeadIn ? null : <div aria-hidden className="h-px" />}
 
               {/* Fixed-height history slot keeps the virtual spacer's offset
                   stable across load-older fetches. The intro-only state has no
diff --git a/desktop/src/features/messages/ui/TimelineMessageList.tsx b/desktop/src/features/messages/ui/TimelineMessageList.tsx
index 5ebaae403b..89f63dabf7 100644
--- a/desktop/src/features/messages/ui/TimelineMessageList.tsx
+++ b/desktop/src/features/messages/ui/TimelineMessageList.tsx
@@ -720,6 +720,8 @@ function VirtualizedTimelineRows({
       updatePinnedDayLabel(offset);
       if (offset <= list.viewportSize * 1.5) {
         // Begin loading before momentum reaches the retained history boundary.
+        // Arming here also prevents layout-only near-top scrolls from poisoning
+        // the reader's next upward wheel input.
         armUpwardMomentum(onStartReached?.() ?? false);
       }
     },
diff --git a/desktop/tests/e2e/virtualization.spec.ts b/desktop/tests/e2e/virtualization.spec.ts
index 2764b603c7..7d40794882 100644
--- a/desktop/tests/e2e/virtualization.spec.ts
+++ b/desktop/tests/e2e/virtualization.spec.ts
@@ -251,9 +251,9 @@ test.describe("list virtualization", () => {
     // reproduce Chromium/WebKit's native wheel → scroll callback ordering. The
     // old boundary rollback moved the viewport back down before the fetch
     // committed; keep that pre-prepend reversal below the same 5px frame bar.
-    // A 300ms relay delay leaves the input boundary and prepend commit as two
-    // distinct phases so this assertion cannot accidentally measure only the
-    // later anchor correction.
+    // Start outside the history lookahead and let native wheel input cross it.
+    // This preserves the pre-prepend rollback measurement whether the page is
+    // already staged locally or still incurs the configured relay delay.
     await installMockBridge(page, {
       deepHistoryMessageCount: 1_800,
       channelWindowDelayMs: 300,
@@ -284,6 +284,7 @@ test.describe("list virtualization", () => {
               id: row.dataset.messageId ?? "",
               top: row.getBoundingClientRect().top - scrollerTop,
               scrollHeight: s.scrollHeight,
+              clientHeight: s.clientHeight,
               bottomDistance: s.scrollHeight - s.clientHeight - s.scrollTop,
             };
           }
@@ -306,7 +307,7 @@ test.describe("list virtualization", () => {
       });
       await page.waitForTimeout(300);
       await timeline.evaluate((element) => {
-        element.scrollTop = 180;
+        element.scrollTop = element.clientHeight * 2;
       });
       await page.waitForTimeout(150);
       const before = await sampleVisibleAnchor();
@@ -353,12 +354,14 @@ test.describe("list virtualization", () => {
       const box = await timeline.boundingBox();
       if (!box) throw new Error("timeline has no bounding box");
       await page.mouse.move(box.x + box.width / 2, box.y + box.height / 2);
-      for (const deltaY of [-60, -30, -20, -15]) {
+      for (const deltaY of [-before.clientHeight * 0.75]) {
         await page.mouse.wheel(0, deltaY);
         await page.waitForTimeout(12);
       }
       const wheelTrace = await wheelTracePromise;
-      expect(wheelTrace.minScrollTop).toBeLessThanOrEqual(350);
+      expect(wheelTrace.minScrollTop).toBeLessThanOrEqual(
+        before.clientHeight * 1.5,
+      );
       expect(wheelTrace.maxBoundaryRollback).toBeLessThan(5);
       // Linux Chromium delivers CDP wheel input with more latency than macOS,
       // so the burst's final delta can land AFTER the anchor baseline sample