diff --git a/apps/web/src/components/ChatMarkdown.tsx b/apps/web/src/components/ChatMarkdown.tsx
index 13024a7516ff..8a39e05ab4f5 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/components/ChatMarkdown.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/src/components/ChatMarkdown.tsx
@@ -125,6 +125,11 @@ interface ChatMarkdownProps {
   parseRawHtml?: boolean;
 }
 
+interface StreamingChatMarkdownProps {
+  text: string;
+  className?: string | undefined;
+}
+
 const EMPTY_MARKDOWN_SKILLS: ReadonlyArray<Pick<ServerProviderSkill, "name" | "displayName">> = [];
 
 const CODE_FENCE_LANGUAGE_REGEX = /(?:^|\s)language-([^\s]+)/;
@@ -1442,7 +1447,44 @@ function areMarkdownFileLinkPropsEqual(
   );
 }
 
-function ChatMarkdown({
+const StreamingChatMarkdown = memo(function StreamingChatMarkdown({
+  text,
+  className,
+}: StreamingChatMarkdownProps) {
+  const [displayText, setDisplayText] = useState(text);
+
+  useEffect(() => {
+    if (typeof window === "undefined") {
+      setDisplayText(text);
+      return;
+    }
+
+    const frame = window.requestAnimationFrame(() => setDisplayText(text));
+    return () => window.cancelAnimationFrame(frame);
+  }, [text]);
+
+  return (
+    <div
+      className={cn(
+        "chat-markdown w-full min-w-0 text-sm leading-relaxed text-foreground/80 [overflow-wrap:anywhere] [word-break:break-word]",
+        className,
+      )}
+      data-streaming-markdown="true"
+    >
+      <div className="whitespace-pre-wrap">{displayText}</div>
+    </div>
+  );
+});
+
+function ChatMarkdown(props: ChatMarkdownProps) {
+  if (props.isStreaming) {
+    return <StreamingChatMarkdown text={props.text} className={props.className} />;
+  }
+
+  return <SettledChatMarkdown {...props} isStreaming={false} />;
+}
+
+function SettledChatMarkdown({
   text,
   cwd,
   threadRef,
diff --git a/apps/web/src/components/ChatMarkdown.workspace-images.test.tsx b/apps/web/src/components/ChatMarkdown.workspace-images.test.tsx
index 0b7838afa86e..26251437f046 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/components/ChatMarkdown.workspace-images.test.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/src/components/ChatMarkdown.workspace-images.test.tsx
@@ -46,6 +46,10 @@ function renderWithoutThread(markdown: string): string {
   return renderToStaticMarkup(<ChatMarkdown cwd={"C:\\Users\\shawn\\project"} text={markdown} />);
 }
 
+function renderStreaming(markdown: string): string {
+  return renderToStaticMarkup(<ChatMarkdown cwd={undefined} text={markdown} isStreaming />);
+}
+
 describe("ChatMarkdown workspace images", () => {
   beforeEach(() => {
     testState.resources = [];
@@ -132,4 +136,13 @@ describe("ChatMarkdown workspace images", () => {
     expect(html).toContain("max-h-[30rem]");
     expect(html).not.toContain("Image unavailable");
   });
+
+  it("uses lightweight text while a response is streaming", () => {
+    const html = renderStreaming("**not yet rich**\n```ts\nconst value = 1;\n```");
+
+    expect(html).toContain('data-streaming-markdown="true"');
+    expect(html).toContain("**not yet rich**");
+    expect(html).not.toContain("<strong>");
+    expect(html).not.toContain("chat-markdown-codeblock");
+  });
 });
diff --git a/apps/web/src/components/ChatView.tsx b/apps/web/src/components/ChatView.tsx
index 3c3770127e66..7f359240c820 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/components/ChatView.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/src/components/ChatView.tsx
@@ -59,6 +59,7 @@ import {
   memo,
   Suspense,
   useCallback,
+  useDeferredValue,
   useEffect,
   useLayoutEffect,
   useMemo,
@@ -1563,6 +1564,16 @@ function ChatViewContent(props: ChatViewProps) {
   // depend on which route is mounted.
   const isServerThread = activeServerThread !== null;
   const activeThread = activeServerThread ?? localDraftThread;
+  // Thread detail snapshots arrive on the stream for every message/activity
+  // update. Keep the composer and command surfaces current, but let the
+  // expensive timeline projection consume those snapshots at background
+  // priority so input, scrolling, and shell controls remain responsive.
+  const deferredTimelineThread = useDeferredValue(activeThread);
+  const timelineThread =
+    deferredTimelineThread?.id === activeThread?.id &&
+    deferredTimelineThread?.environmentId === activeThread?.environmentId
+      ? deferredTimelineThread
+      : activeThread;
   const threadError = isServerThread
     ? (localServerError ?? activeServerThread?.session?.lastError ?? null)
     : localDraftError;
@@ -2262,8 +2273,12 @@ function ChatViewContent(props: ChatViewProps) {
   const selectedProvider: ProviderDriverKind = lockedProvider ?? unlockedSelectedProvider;
   const phase = derivePhase(activeThread?.session ?? null);
   const threadActivities = activeThread?.activities ?? EMPTY_ACTIVITIES;
-  const workLogEntries = useMemo(() => deriveWorkLogEntries(threadActivities), [threadActivities]);
-  const turnPlans = useMemo(() => deriveTurnPlans(threadActivities), [threadActivities]);
+  const timelineActivities = timelineThread?.activities ?? EMPTY_ACTIVITIES;
+  const workLogEntries = useMemo(
+    () => deriveWorkLogEntries(timelineActivities),
+    [timelineActivities],
+  );
+  const turnPlans = useMemo(() => deriveTurnPlans(timelineActivities), [timelineActivities]);
   // Native subagent fold: memoized by activity-list identity, shared by the
   // Agents surface, live strip, and workflow cards. v2Projection is null
   // until orchestration-v2 lands (source precedence lives in the derive).
@@ -2276,6 +2291,9 @@ function ChatViewContent(props: ChatViewProps) {
       }),
     [agentSessionLive, threadActivities],
   );
+  const deferredAgentPanelModel = useDeferredValue(agentPanelModel);
+  const timelineAgentPanelModel =
+    timelineThread === activeThread ? agentPanelModel : deferredAgentPanelModel;
   const pendingApprovals = useMemo(
     () => derivePendingApprovals(threadActivities),
     [threadActivities],
@@ -2478,6 +2496,9 @@ function ChatViewContent(props: ChatViewProps) {
       };
     });
   }, [serverAttachmentUrlById, serverMessages]);
+  const deferredDisplayServerMessages = useDeferredValue(displayServerMessages);
+  const timelineDisplayServerMessages =
+    timelineThread === activeThread ? displayServerMessages : deferredDisplayServerMessages;
   useEffect(() => {
     if (typeof Image === "undefined" || displayServerMessages.length === 0) {
       return;
@@ -2563,7 +2584,7 @@ function ChatViewContent(props: ChatViewProps) {
     };
   }, [attachmentPreviewHandoffByMessageId, clearAttachmentPreviewHandoff, displayServerMessages]);
   const timelineMessages = useMemo(() => {
-    const messages = displayServerMessages;
+    const messages = timelineDisplayServerMessages;
     const serverMessagesWithPreviewHandoff =
       Object.keys(attachmentPreviewHandoffByMessageId).length === 0
         ? messages
@@ -2613,16 +2634,16 @@ function ChatViewContent(props: ChatViewProps) {
       return serverMessagesWithPreviewHandoff;
     }
     return [...serverMessagesWithPreviewHandoff, ...pendingMessages];
-  }, [attachmentPreviewHandoffByMessageId, displayServerMessages, optimisticUserMessages]);
+  }, [attachmentPreviewHandoffByMessageId, optimisticUserMessages, timelineDisplayServerMessages]);
   const timelineEntries = useMemo(
     () =>
       deriveTimelineEntries(
         timelineMessages,
-        activeThread?.proposedPlans ?? [],
+        timelineThread?.proposedPlans ?? [],
         workLogEntries,
         turnPlans,
       ),
-    [activeThread?.proposedPlans, timelineMessages, turnPlans, workLogEntries],
+    [timelineMessages, timelineThread?.proposedPlans, turnPlans, workLogEntries],
   );
   const [dockedDraftHeroThreadKey, setDockedDraftHeroThreadKey] = useState<string | null>(null);
   const draftHeroDockRequested =
@@ -6549,7 +6570,7 @@ function ChatViewContent(props: ChatViewProps) {
             <div className="relative flex min-h-0 flex-1 flex-col">
               {/* Messages — LegendList handles virtualization and scrolling internally */}
               <MessagesTimeline
-                agentPanelModel={agentPanelModel}
+                agentPanelModel={timelineAgentPanelModel}
                 onOpenAgents={addAgentsSurface}
                 key={activeThread.id}
                 isWorking={isWorking}
@@ -6557,7 +6578,7 @@ function ChatViewContent(props: ChatViewProps) {
                 activeTurnStartedAt={activeWorkStartedAt}
                 listRef={legendListRef}
                 timelineEntries={timelineEntries}
-                latestTurn={activeLatestTurn}
+                latestTurn={timelineThread?.latestTurn ?? null}
                 runningTurnId={
                   activeThread.session?.status === "running"
                     ? activeThread.session.activeTurnId