diff --git a/frontend/src/v2/__tests__/V2ApprovalCardAction.test.tsx b/frontend/src/v2/__tests__/V2ApprovalCardAction.test.tsx
index a8b7f296e..cc24f8ec5 100644
--- a/frontend/src/v2/__tests__/V2ApprovalCardAction.test.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/v2/__tests__/V2ApprovalCardAction.test.tsx
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import React from 'react';
-import { fireEvent, render, screen, waitFor, within } from '@testing-library/react';
+import { act, fireEvent, render, screen, waitFor, within } from '@testing-library/react';
 import { MemoryRouter, useLocation } from 'react-router-dom';
 import V2ApprovalCard from '../components/V2ApprovalCard';
 import en from '../../i18n/locales/en.json';
@@ -203,6 +203,26 @@ describe('tool-call approval details stay owner-scoped', () => {
     expect(screen.getByText(en.approvalCard.decline)).toBeDisabled();
   });
 
+  test('a parked call that expires while the card is on screen stops being decidable at that moment', () => {
+    jest.useFakeTimers();
+    // The owner's card reads the pending index while the call is live.
+    mockGet.mockReturnValue(new Promise(() => {}));
+    try {
+      renderCard({
+        kind: 'approval-card', approvalId: 'tool-expiring', status: 'flagged',
+        ownerUserId: 'viewer-1', actionType: 'tool_call', toolCall: { tool: 'github.create_issue' },
+        expiresAt: new Date(Date.now() + 60_000).toISOString(),
+      });
+      expect(screen.queryByText(en.approvalCard.toolCall.expiredPending)).not.toBeInTheDocument();
+      act(() => { jest.advanceTimersByTime(60_001); });
+      expect(screen.getByText(en.approvalCard.toolCall.expiredPending)).toBeInTheDocument();
+      expect(screen.getByText(en.approvalCard.approve)).toBeDisabled();
+      expect(screen.getByText(en.approvalCard.decline)).toBeDisabled();
+    } finally {
+      jest.useRealTimers();
+    }
+  });
+
   test('a resolved tool call renders its broker ending and code instead of generic success', () => {
     renderCard({
       kind: 'approval-card', approvalId: 'tool-failed', status: 'resolved', decision: 'approved',
diff --git a/frontend/src/v2/__tests__/V2TranscriptArrivalRender.test.tsx b/frontend/src/v2/__tests__/V2TranscriptArrivalRender.test.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..d7cc709e6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/src/v2/__tests__/V2TranscriptArrivalRender.test.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,80 @@
+// @ts-nocheck
+// A live message appends one row. The rows already on screen get the same
+// props, so they must not render again: re-rendering the whole transcript cost
+// one 84-107ms frame per arrival on a phone (4x CPU, 2026-11-01).
+import React from 'react';
+import { render } from '@testing-library/react';
+import { MemoryRouter } from 'react-router-dom';
+import V2Thread from '../components/V2Thread';
+import { AuthContext } from '../../context/AuthContext';
+
+const mockAvatarRenders = [];
+jest.mock('../../context/SocketContext', () => ({ useSocket: () => ({ socket: null, connected: false }) }));
+jest.mock('../components/V2Avatar', () => {
+  const MockAvatar = ({ name }) => { mockAvatarRenders.push(name); return <span data-testid="avatar" />; };
+  MockAvatar.displayName = 'MockAvatar';
+  return MockAvatar;
+});
+jest.mock('../utils/avatars', () => ({ initialsFor: (name: string) => name.slice(0, 2) }));
+const mockApi = {
+  get: jest.fn(() => Promise.resolve({})),
+  post: jest.fn(() => Promise.resolve({})),
+  put: jest.fn(() => Promise.resolve({})),
+  patch: jest.fn(() => Promise.resolve({})),
+  del: jest.fn(() => Promise.resolve({})),
+};
+jest.mock('../hooks/useV2Api', () => ({ useV2Api: () => mockApi }));
+beforeAll(() => { Element.prototype.scrollIntoView = jest.fn(); });
+
+const authValue = {
+  currentUser: { _id: 'u1', username: 'viewer' },
+  user: { _id: 'u1', username: 'viewer' },
+  token: 't',
+  loading: false,
+  isAuthenticated: true,
+  error: null,
+  register: jest.fn(), login: jest.fn(), logout: jest.fn(), updateProfile: jest.fn(),
+};
+
+// Different authors an hour apart, so no row groups with the one before it.
+const message = (id, author, hour) => ({
+  id, pod_id: 'p1', user_id: `id-${author}`, content: `from ${author}`, message_type: 'text',
+  created_at: `2026-10-19T${String(hour).padStart(2, '0')}:00:00Z`, user: { username: author },
+});
+const history = [message('m1', 'ada', 9), message('m2', 'brook', 10), message('m3', 'cass', 11)];
+
+const detail = {
+  pod: { _id: 'p1', name: 'Pod', type: 'chat' },
+  members: [{ _id: 'u1', username: 'viewer', isBot: false }],
+  messages: history,
+  agents: [],
+  sendMessage: jest.fn(() => Promise.resolve({})),
+  loading: false,
+  error: null,
+  sendError: null,
+  hasMore: false,
+  loadingOlder: false,
+  loadOlder: jest.fn(() => Promise.resolve()),
+  refresh: jest.fn(),
+  initialLoadComplete: true,
+};
+
+const node = (d) => (
+  <AuthContext.Provider value={authValue}>
+    <MemoryRouter initialEntries={['/v2/pods/p1']}>
+      <V2Thread detail={d} />
+    </MemoryRouter>
+  </AuthContext.Provider>
+);
+
+test('a live arrival renders only the new row; the rows already shown stay as they are', () => {
+  const view = render(node(detail));
+  const seen = (names) => mockAvatarRenders.filter((name) => names.includes(name)).length;
+  const before = seen(['ada', 'brook', 'cass']);
+  expect(before).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(3);
+
+  view.rerender(node({ ...detail, messages: [...history, { ...message('m4', 'dev', 12), liveArrivedAt: Date.now() }] }));
+
+  expect(seen(['dev'])).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(1);
+  expect(seen(['ada', 'brook', 'cass'])).toBe(before);
+});
diff --git a/frontend/src/v2/components/V2ApprovalCard.tsx b/frontend/src/v2/components/V2ApprovalCard.tsx
index 9e0f4f9f8..e82dfb89e 100644
--- a/frontend/src/v2/components/V2ApprovalCard.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/v2/components/V2ApprovalCard.tsx
@@ -103,8 +103,18 @@ const V2ApprovalCard: React.FC<V2ApprovalCardProps> = ({ message, authorLabel, t
   const status = payload.status || 'flagged';
   const isOwner = !!currentUser?._id && String(currentUser._id) === String(payload.ownerUserId || '');
   const isToolCall = payload.actionType === 'tool_call';
-  const aged = status === 'flagged' && !!payload.expiresAt
-    && new Date(payload.expiresAt).getTime() < Date.now();
+  // The card re-renders itself at the expiry moment. Its row is memoized, so
+  // nothing else is guaranteed to render it again while the pod stays open.
+  const expiresMs = status === 'flagged' && payload.expiresAt ? new Date(payload.expiresAt).getTime() : NaN;
+  const [expiryTick, setExpiryTick] = useState(0);
+  useEffect(() => {
+    const wait = expiresMs - Date.now();
+    if (!Number.isFinite(wait) || wait < 0) return undefined;
+    // setTimeout caps near 24.8 days; a longer wait re-arms on the tick.
+    const timer = window.setTimeout(() => setExpiryTick((n) => n + 1), Math.min(wait + 1, 2 ** 31 - 1));
+    return () => window.clearTimeout(timer);
+  }, [expiresMs, expiryTick]);
+  const aged = Number.isFinite(expiresMs) && expiresMs < Date.now();
   const needsToolCall = isOwner && status === 'flagged' && isToolCall && !aged;
   const [pendingToolCall, setPendingToolCall] = useState<ToolCallEnvelope | null>(null);
   const [toolCallLoading, setToolCallLoading] = useState(false);
diff --git a/frontend/src/v2/components/V2MessageRow.tsx b/frontend/src/v2/components/V2MessageRow.tsx
index ac8c06223..2c3573009 100644
--- a/frontend/src/v2/components/V2MessageRow.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/v2/components/V2MessageRow.tsx
@@ -954,4 +954,7 @@ const V2MessageRow: React.FC<V2MessageRowProps> = ({ message, sourceMessageId, d
   );
 };
 
-export default V2MessageRow;
+// Memoized: a live message appends one row, and every other row's props are
+// unchanged, so only the new row renders. Callers keep the callbacks and maps
+// they pass here stable (V2Thread's aimAtMessageThread reads messages by ref).
+export default React.memo(V2MessageRow);
diff --git a/frontend/src/v2/components/V2Thread.tsx b/frontend/src/v2/components/V2Thread.tsx
index 76721dd1d..293bff802 100644
--- a/frontend/src/v2/components/V2Thread.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/v2/components/V2Thread.tsx
@@ -340,14 +340,19 @@ const V2Thread: React.FC<V2ThreadProps> = ({ detail, firstRunVisible = false, in
     setReplyTarget(m);
     composerInputRef.current?.focus();
   }, []);
+  // Read through a ref so the callback stays the same object while messages
+  // arrive: every message row receives it, and a new one each time would
+  // re-render the whole transcript for one new message.
+  const messagesRef = useRef(messages);
+  useLayoutEffect(() => { messagesRef.current = messages; }, [messages]);
   const aimAtMessageThread = useCallback((m: import('../hooks/useV2PodDetail').V2Message) => {
     // The action is available on every visible message, including replies.
     // Explicit roots may not themselves be inside a thread (#1128), so a
     // reply joins its existing root while a standalone message starts one.
     const rootId = String(m.thread_root_id ?? m.id);
-    const root = messages.find((candidate) => String(candidate.id) === rootId);
+    const root = messagesRef.current.find((candidate) => String(candidate.id) === rootId);
     aimAtThread(rootId, String(root?.content || m.content || ''));
-  }, [aimAtThread, messages]);
+  }, [aimAtThread]);
 
   // Memoized: it was called in the render body, so every keystroke in the
   // composer re-folded the whole message list. @sprint-review on #1150.