diff --git a/src/components/Note/MarkdownArticle/MarkdownArticle.tsx b/src/components/Note/MarkdownArticle/MarkdownArticle.tsx
index b5e1e687..e6110653 100644
--- a/src/components/Note/MarkdownArticle/MarkdownArticle.tsx
+++ b/src/components/Note/MarkdownArticle/MarkdownArticle.tsx
@@ -92,6 +92,13 @@ function resolveImetaForMarkdownImageUrl(
   return { url: cleaned, pubkey: eventPubkey }
 }
 
+/**
+ * Host for marked paragraph bodies that may include block-level nodes from {@link renderInlineTokens}
+ * (e.g. `![](https://…mp4)` → {@link MediaPlayer}). `<p>` cannot wrap `<div>`; use flow
+ * `<div role="paragraph">` so the DOM stays valid and React stops `validateDOMNesting` warnings.
+ */
+const MD_PARAGRAPH_FLOW_CLASS = 'mb-1 last:mb-0'
+
 /** Author custom emoji image URL → slide index in the note lightbox ({@link lightboxSlideFromImeta}). */
 type TInlineEmojiLightbox = {
   imageIndexMap: Map<string, number>
@@ -1925,9 +1932,13 @@ function parseMarkdownContentLegacy(
                     if (normalizedText) {
                       const textContent = parseInlineMarkdown(normalizedText, `text-${patternIdx}-para-${paraIdx}-img-${imgIdx}`, footnotes, emojiInfos, undefined, emojiLightbox)
                       parts.push(
-                        <p key={`text-${patternIdx}-para-${paraIdx}-img-${imgIdx}`} className="mb-1 last:mb-0">
+                        <div
+                          key={`text-${patternIdx}-para-${paraIdx}-img-${imgIdx}`}
+                          role="paragraph"
+                          className={MD_PARAGRAPH_FLOW_CLASS}
+                        >
                           {textContent}
-                        </p>
+                        </div>
                       )
                     }
                   }
@@ -1988,9 +1999,13 @@ function parseMarkdownContentLegacy(
                 if (normalizedText) {
                   const textContent = parseInlineMarkdown(normalizedText, `text-${patternIdx}-para-${paraIdx}-final`, footnotes, emojiInfos, undefined, emojiLightbox)
                   parts.push(
-                    <p key={`text-${patternIdx}-para-${paraIdx}-final`} className="mb-1 last:mb-0">
+                    <div
+                      key={`text-${patternIdx}-para-${paraIdx}-final`}
+                      role="paragraph"
+                      className={MD_PARAGRAPH_FLOW_CLASS}
+                    >
                       {textContent}
-                    </p>
+                    </div>
                   )
                 }
               }
@@ -2009,9 +2024,13 @@ function parseMarkdownContentLegacy(
                 const paraContent = parseInlineMarkdown(normalizedPara, `text-${patternIdx}-para-${paraIdx}`, footnotes, emojiInfos, undefined, emojiLightbox)
                 // Wrap in paragraph tag (no whitespace-pre-wrap, let normal text wrapping handle it)
                 parts.push(
-                  <p key={`text-${patternIdx}-para-${paraIdx}`} className="mb-1 last:mb-0">
+                  <div
+                    key={`text-${patternIdx}-para-${paraIdx}`}
+                    role="paragraph"
+                    className={MD_PARAGRAPH_FLOW_CLASS}
+                  >
                     {paraContent}
-                  </p>
+                  </div>
                 )
               } else if (paraIdx > 0) {
                 // Empty paragraph between non-empty paragraphs - add spacing
@@ -2446,9 +2465,13 @@ function parseMarkdownContentLegacy(
         const paragraphContent = parseInlineMarkdown(paragraphText, `blockquote-${patternIdx}-para-${paraIdx}`, footnotes, emojiInfos, undefined, emojiLightbox)
         
         return (
-          <p key={`blockquote-${patternIdx}-para-${paraIdx}`} className="mb-1 last:mb-0 whitespace-pre-line">
+          <div
+            key={`blockquote-${patternIdx}-para-${paraIdx}`}
+            role="paragraph"
+            className={cn(MD_PARAGRAPH_FLOW_CLASS, 'whitespace-pre-line')}
+          >
             {paragraphContent}
-          </p>
+          </div>
         )
       })
       
@@ -2476,12 +2499,12 @@ function parseMarkdownContentLegacy(
       })
       
       parts.push(
-        <span
+        <div
           key={`greentext-${patternIdx}`}
           className="not-prose greentext my-1 block text-[#4a7c3a] dark:text-[#8fbc8f]"
         >
           {greentextContent}
-        </span>
+        </div>
       )
     } else if (pattern.type === 'fenced-code-block') {
       const { code, language } = pattern.data
@@ -2735,9 +2758,13 @@ function parseMarkdownContentLegacy(
                   if (normalizedPara) {
                     const paraContent = parseInlineMarkdown(normalizedPara, `text-end-para-${imgIdx}-${paraIdx}`, footnotes, emojiInfos, undefined, emojiLightbox)
                     parts.push(
-                      <p key={`text-end-para-${imgIdx}-${paraIdx}`} className="mb-1 last:mb-0">
+                      <div
+                        key={`text-end-para-${imgIdx}-${paraIdx}`}
+                        role="paragraph"
+                        className={MD_PARAGRAPH_FLOW_CLASS}
+                      >
                         {paraContent}
-                      </p>
+                      </div>
                     )
                   }
                 })
@@ -2791,9 +2818,13 @@ function parseMarkdownContentLegacy(
               if (normalizedPara) {
                 const paraContent = parseInlineMarkdown(normalizedPara, `text-end-final-para-${paraIdx}`, footnotes, emojiInfos, undefined, emojiLightbox)
                 parts.push(
-                  <p key={`text-end-final-para-${paraIdx}`} className="mb-1 last:mb-0">
+                  <div
+                    key={`text-end-final-para-${paraIdx}`}
+                    role="paragraph"
+                    className={MD_PARAGRAPH_FLOW_CLASS}
+                  >
                     {paraContent}
-                  </p>
+                  </div>
                 )
               }
             })
@@ -2810,9 +2841,13 @@ function parseMarkdownContentLegacy(
             if (normalizedPara) {
               const paraContent = parseInlineMarkdown(normalizedPara, `text-end-para-${paraIdx}`, footnotes, emojiInfos, undefined, emojiLightbox)
               parts.push(
-                <p key={`text-end-para-${paraIdx}`} className="mb-1 last:mb-0">
+                <div
+                  key={`text-end-para-${paraIdx}`}
+                  role="paragraph"
+                  className={MD_PARAGRAPH_FLOW_CLASS}
+                >
                   {paraContent}
-                </p>
+                </div>
               )
             }
           })
@@ -2833,9 +2868,9 @@ function parseMarkdownContentLegacy(
       if (!normalizedPara) return null
       const paraContent = parseInlineMarkdown(normalizedPara, `text-only-para-${paraIdx}`, footnotes, emojiInfos, undefined, emojiLightbox)
       return (
-        <p key={`text-only-para-${paraIdx}`} className="mb-1 last:mb-0">
+        <div key={`text-only-para-${paraIdx}`} role="paragraph" className={MD_PARAGRAPH_FLOW_CLASS}>
           {paraContent}
-        </p>
+        </div>
       )
     }).filter(Boolean)
     return { nodes: formattedParagraphs, hashtagsInContent, footnotes, citations }
@@ -2953,9 +2988,9 @@ function parseMarkdownContentLegacy(
                 // Render the original line with inline markdown processing
                 const lineContent = parseInlineMarkdown(originalLine, `single-list-item-${partIdx}`, footnotes, emojiInfos, undefined, emojiLightbox)
                 wrappedParts.push(
-                  <span key={`list-item-content-${partIdx}`}>
+                  <div key={`list-item-content-${partIdx}`} className="inline">
                     {lineContent}
-                  </span>
+                  </div>
                 )
               } else {
                 // Fallback: render the list item content
@@ -3451,12 +3486,12 @@ function parseMarkdownContentMarked(
                 displayMode
               />
             ) : (
-              <p key={`${key}-dmt-${idx}`} className="mb-1 last:mb-0">
+              <div key={`${key}-dmt-${idx}`} role="paragraph" className={MD_PARAGRAPH_FLOW_CLASS}>
                 {renderInlineTokens(
                   lexInlineProtected(seg.text.trim()),
                   `${key}-dmt-${idx}`
                 )}
-              </p>
+              </div>
             )
           )}
         </div>
@@ -3673,9 +3708,9 @@ function parseMarkdownContentMarked(
             }
 
             return (
-              <p key={`${key}-line-${lineIdx}`} className="mb-1 last:mb-0">
+              <div key={`${key}-line-${lineIdx}`} role="paragraph" className={MD_PARAGRAPH_FLOW_CLASS}>
                 {renderInlineTokens(lexInlineProtected(line) as any[], `${key}-line-inline-${lineIdx}`)}
-              </p>
+              </div>
             )
           }
 
@@ -3704,9 +3739,9 @@ function parseMarkdownContentMarked(
           }
 
           return (
-            <p key={`${key}-line-fallback-${lineIdx}`} className="mb-1 last:mb-0">
+            <div key={`${key}-line-fallback-${lineIdx}`} role="paragraph" className={MD_PARAGRAPH_FLOW_CLASS}>
               {renderInlineTokens(lexInlineProtected(line) as any[], `${key}-line-fallback-inline-${lineIdx}`)}
-            </p>
+            </div>
           )
         })
 
@@ -3729,9 +3764,13 @@ function parseMarkdownContentMarked(
         const before = rawParagraphText.slice(cursor, start)
         if (before.trim().length > 0) {
           nodes.push(
-            <p key={`${key}-nostr-raw-segment-${segmentIdx++}`} className="mb-1 last:mb-0">
+            <div
+              key={`${key}-nostr-raw-segment-${segmentIdx++}`}
+              role="paragraph"
+              className={MD_PARAGRAPH_FLOW_CLASS}
+            >
               {parseInlineMarkdown(before, `${key}-nostr-raw-segment-${segmentIdx}`, footnotes, emojiInfos, navigateToHashtag, emojiLightbox)}
-            </p>
+            </div>
           )
         }
         if (bech32Id.startsWith('naddr') && fullCalendarInvite && bech32Id === fullCalendarInvite.naddr) {
@@ -3752,9 +3791,13 @@ function parseMarkdownContentMarked(
       const after = rawParagraphText.slice(cursor)
       if (after.trim().length > 0) {
         nodes.push(
-          <p key={`${key}-nostr-raw-segment-${segmentIdx++}`} className="mb-1 last:mb-0">
+          <div
+            key={`${key}-nostr-raw-segment-${segmentIdx++}`}
+            role="paragraph"
+            className={MD_PARAGRAPH_FLOW_CLASS}
+          >
             {parseInlineMarkdown(after, `${key}-nostr-raw-segment-${segmentIdx}`, footnotes, emojiInfos, navigateToHashtag, emojiLightbox)}
-          </p>
+          </div>
         )
       }
       if (nodes.length > 0) {
@@ -3907,9 +3950,13 @@ function parseMarkdownContentMarked(
         const flushInlineSegment = (segmentIdx: number) => {
           if (inlineSegment.length === 0) return
           nodes.push(
-            <p key={`${key}-media-inline-segment-${segmentIdx}`} className="mb-1 last:mb-0">
+            <div
+              key={`${key}-media-inline-segment-${segmentIdx}`}
+              role="paragraph"
+              className={MD_PARAGRAPH_FLOW_CLASS}
+            >
               {renderInlineTokens(inlineSegment, `${key}-media-inline-segment-${segmentIdx}`)}
-            </p>
+            </div>
           )
           inlineSegment = []
         }
@@ -4015,9 +4062,13 @@ function parseMarkdownContentMarked(
         const flushInlineSegment = (segmentIdx: number) => {
           if (inlineSegment.length === 0) return
           nodes.push(
-            <p key={`${key}-nostr-inline-segment-${segmentIdx}`} className="mb-1 last:mb-0">
+            <div
+              key={`${key}-nostr-inline-segment-${segmentIdx}`}
+              role="paragraph"
+              className={MD_PARAGRAPH_FLOW_CLASS}
+            >
               {renderInlineTokens(inlineSegment, `${key}-nostr-inline-segment-${segmentIdx}`)}
-            </p>
+            </div>
           )
           inlineSegment = []
         }
@@ -4070,9 +4121,13 @@ function parseMarkdownContentMarked(
         const flushInlineSegment = (segmentIdx: number) => {
           if (inlineSegment.length === 0) return
           nodes.push(
-            <p key={`${key}-yt-inline-segment-${segmentIdx}`} className="mb-1 last:mb-0">
+            <div
+              key={`${key}-yt-inline-segment-${segmentIdx}`}
+              role="paragraph"
+              className={MD_PARAGRAPH_FLOW_CLASS}
+            >
               {renderInlineTokens(inlineSegment, `${key}-yt-inline-segment-${segmentIdx}`)}
-            </p>
+            </div>
           )
           inlineSegment = []
         }
@@ -4118,9 +4173,13 @@ function parseMarkdownContentMarked(
         const flushInlineSegment = (segmentIdx: number) => {
           if (inlineSegment.length === 0) return
           nodes.push(
-            <p key={`${key}-direct-media-inline-segment-${segmentIdx}`} className="mb-1 last:mb-0">
+            <div
+              key={`${key}-direct-media-inline-segment-${segmentIdx}`}
+              role="paragraph"
+              className={MD_PARAGRAPH_FLOW_CLASS}
+            >
               {renderInlineTokens(inlineSegment, `${key}-direct-media-inline-segment-${segmentIdx}`)}
-            </p>
+            </div>
           )
           inlineSegment = []
         }
@@ -4182,9 +4241,9 @@ function parseMarkdownContentMarked(
         }
         if (!isImage(cleaned) || !isSafeMediaUrl(cleaned)) {
           return (
-            <p key={`${key}-img-inline-fallback`} className="mb-1 last:mb-0">
+            <div key={`${key}-img-inline-fallback`} role="paragraph" className={MD_PARAGRAPH_FLOW_CLASS}>
               {renderInlineTokens(paragraphTokens, `${key}-img-inline-fallback`)}
-            </p>
+            </div>
           )
         }
         const imageIdx = imageIndexMap.get(cleaned)
@@ -4208,7 +4267,11 @@ function parseMarkdownContentMarked(
     }
 
     const inlineNodes = renderInlineTokens(paragraphTokens, `${key}-inline`)
-    return <p key={`${key}-p`} className="mb-1 last:mb-0">{inlineNodes}</p>
+    return (
+      <div key={`${key}-p`} role="paragraph" className={MD_PARAGRAPH_FLOW_CLASS}>
+        {inlineNodes}
+      </div>
+    )
   }
 
   const renderBlockTokens = (tokens: any[], keyPrefix: string): React.ReactNode[] => {
@@ -4448,9 +4511,9 @@ function parseMarkdownContentMarked(
             nodes.push(...renderBlockTokens(token.tokens, `${key}-nested`))
           } else if (typeof token.text === 'string' && token.text.trim()) {
             nodes.push(
-              <p key={`${key}-fallback`} className="mb-1 last:mb-0">
+              <div key={`${key}-fallback`} role="paragraph" className={MD_PARAGRAPH_FLOW_CLASS}>
                 {renderInlineTokens(lexInlineProtected(String(token.text ?? token.raw ?? '')) as any[], `${key}-fallback-inline`)}
-              </p>
+              </div>
             )
           }
         }
diff --git a/src/components/NoteBoostBadges/index.tsx b/src/components/NoteBoostBadges/index.tsx
index 4f3482c9..37b318a6 100644
--- a/src/components/NoteBoostBadges/index.tsx
+++ b/src/components/NoteBoostBadges/index.tsx
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@ import { ExtendedKind } from '@/constants'
 import { useNoteStatsById } from '@/hooks/useNoteStatsById'
 import { shouldHideInteractions } from '@/lib/event-filtering'
 import { cn } from '@/lib/utils'
-import { useUserTrust } from '@/contexts/user-trust-context'
 import { Event } from 'nostr-tools'
 import { useMemo } from 'react'
 import { useTranslation } from 'react-i18next'
@@ -15,15 +14,12 @@ const MAX_VISIBLE = 28
  */
 export default function NoteBoostBadges({ event, className }: { event: Event; className?: string }) {
   const { t } = useTranslation()
-  const { hideUntrustedInteractions, isUserTrusted } = useUserTrust()
   const noteStats = useNoteStatsById(event.id)
 
   const boosters = useMemo(() => {
     if (event.kind === ExtendedKind.DISCUSSION) return []
-    return (noteStats?.reposts ?? [])
-      .filter((r) => !hideUntrustedInteractions || isUserTrusted(r.pubkey))
-      .sort((a, b) => b.created_at - a.created_at)
-  }, [noteStats, event.kind, hideUntrustedInteractions, isUserTrusted])
+    return [...(noteStats?.reposts ?? [])].sort((a, b) => b.created_at - a.created_at)
+  }, [noteStats, event.kind])
 
   if (shouldHideInteractions(event) || boosters.length === 0) {
     return null
diff --git a/src/components/NoteCard/MainNoteCard.tsx b/src/components/NoteCard/MainNoteCard.tsx
index 8a43e5e3..f0b8d38f 100644
--- a/src/components/NoteCard/MainNoteCard.tsx
+++ b/src/components/NoteCard/MainNoteCard.tsx
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-import { useNip84HighlightTargetEvents } from '@/hooks'
 import { ExtendedKind } from '@/constants'
 import { Separator } from '@/components/ui/separator'
 import { getCachedThreadContextEvents } from '@/lib/navigation-related-events'
@@ -6,7 +5,7 @@ import { toNote } from '@/lib/link'
 import { useSmartNoteNavigationOptional } from '@/PageManager'
 import client from '@/services/client.service'
 import { Pin } from 'lucide-react'
-import { Event, kinds } from 'nostr-tools'
+import { Event } from 'nostr-tools'
 import { useTranslation } from 'react-i18next'
 import Collapsible from '../Collapsible'
 import NoteBoostBadges from '../NoteBoostBadges'
@@ -41,9 +40,6 @@ export default function MainNoteCard({
 }) {
   const { t } = useTranslation()
   const { navigateToNote } = useSmartNoteNavigationOptional()
-  const nip84HighlightEvents = useNip84HighlightTargetEvents(
-    event.kind === kinds.ShortTextNote ? event : null
-  )
   const isZapFeedCard =
     event.kind === ExtendedKind.ZAP_RECEIPT || event.kind === ExtendedKind.ZAP_REQUEST
   const showNoteStatsRow = !embedded || isZapFeedCard
@@ -104,7 +100,6 @@ export default function MainNoteCard({
             hideParentNotePreview={hideParentNotePreview}
             zapPollVoteHighlightOption={zapPollVoteHighlightOption}
             showFull={showFull}
-            nip84HighlightEvents={nip84HighlightEvents}
           />
         </Collapsible>
         {!embedded ? <NoteBoostBadges event={event} className="mt-2 px-4" /> : null}
diff --git a/src/components/NoteList/VirtualizedFeedRows.tsx b/src/components/NoteList/VirtualizedFeedRows.tsx
index 7998f25d..51c0c7c9 100644
--- a/src/components/NoteList/VirtualizedFeedRows.tsx
+++ b/src/components/NoteList/VirtualizedFeedRows.tsx
@@ -37,7 +37,10 @@ const WindowRows = memo(function WindowRows({
   })
 
   return (
-    <div className="relative w-full" style={{ height: virtualizer.getTotalSize() }}>
+    <div
+      className="relative w-full overflow-hidden"
+      style={{ height: virtualizer.getTotalSize() }}
+    >
       {virtualizer.getVirtualItems().map((vi) => (
         <div
           key={vi.key}
@@ -85,7 +88,10 @@ const ElementRows = memo(function ElementRows({
   })
 
   return (
-    <div className="relative w-full" style={{ height: virtualizer.getTotalSize() }}>
+    <div
+      className="relative w-full overflow-hidden"
+      style={{ height: virtualizer.getTotalSize() }}
+    >
       {virtualizer.getVirtualItems().map((vi) => (
         <div
           key={vi.key}
diff --git a/src/components/NoteList/index.tsx b/src/components/NoteList/index.tsx
index cd25d9d7..cfaed3ca 100644
--- a/src/components/NoteList/index.tsx
+++ b/src/components/NoteList/index.tsx
@@ -217,6 +217,63 @@ function feedTimelineAlreadyRepresentsNip18Target(targetId: string | undefined,
   return false
 }
 
+const FEED_PROFILE_PREFETCH_MAX_P_TAGS = 64
+const FEED_STATS_PROFILE_REPOSTS_CAP = 48
+const FEED_STATS_PROFILE_LIKES_PER_NOTE = 8
+
+function addLowerHexPubkeyCandidate(candidates: Set<string>, raw: string | undefined) {
+  if (!raw) return
+  const t = raw.trim()
+  if (t.length === 64 && /^[0-9a-f]{64}$/i.test(t)) {
+    candidates.add(t.toLowerCase())
+  }
+}
+
+/** Kind-0 prefetch targets for feed rows: author, mentions, `e`/`E` pubkey hints, NIP-18 embedded author. */
+function collectProfilePrefetchPubkeysFromEvent(e: Event, candidates: Set<string>) {
+  addLowerHexPubkeyCandidate(candidates, e.pubkey)
+
+  let pCount = 0
+  for (const tag of e.tags) {
+    if (tag[0] === 'p' && tag[1]) {
+      addLowerHexPubkeyCandidate(candidates, tag[1])
+      pCount++
+      if (pCount >= FEED_PROFILE_PREFETCH_MAX_P_TAGS) break
+    }
+    if ((tag[0] === 'e' || tag[0] === 'E') && tag[4]) {
+      addLowerHexPubkeyCandidate(candidates, tag[4])
+    }
+  }
+
+  if (!isNip18RepostKind(e.kind)) return
+  const raw = e.content?.trim()
+  if (!raw) return
+  try {
+    const emb = JSON.parse(raw) as { pubkey?: string; pubKey?: string }
+    const pk = emb.pubkey ?? emb.pubKey
+    if (pk) addLowerHexPubkeyCandidate(candidates, pk)
+  } catch {
+    /* ignore */
+  }
+}
+
+function collectProfilePrefetchPubkeysFromNoteStats(
+  st: { reposts?: { pubkey: string }[]; likes?: { pubkey: string }[] } | undefined,
+  candidates: Set<string>
+) {
+  if (!st) return
+  if (st.reposts?.length) {
+    for (const r of st.reposts.slice(0, FEED_STATS_PROFILE_REPOSTS_CAP)) {
+      addLowerHexPubkeyCandidate(candidates, r.pubkey)
+    }
+  }
+  if (st.likes?.length) {
+    for (const l of st.likes.slice(0, FEED_STATS_PROFILE_LIKES_PER_NOTE)) {
+      addLowerHexPubkeyCandidate(candidates, l.pubkey)
+    }
+  }
+}
+
 function mergeEventBatchesById(
   prev: Event[],
   incoming: Event[],
@@ -894,30 +951,11 @@ const NoteList = forwardRef(
     /** Pending pubkeys sync with rows so useFetchProfile skips per-note fetches before the debounced batch. */
     useLayoutEffect(() => {
       const candidates = new Set<string>()
-      const addPk = (p: string | undefined) => {
-        if (!p) return
-        const t = p.trim()
-        if (t.length === 64 && /^[0-9a-f]{64}$/i.test(t)) {
-          candidates.add(t.toLowerCase())
-        }
-      }
-      const addPkFromEventTags = (e: Event) => {
-        let n = 0
-        for (const tag of e.tags) {
-          if (tag[0] === 'p' && tag[1]) {
-            addPk(tag[1])
-            n++
-            if (n >= 4) break
-          }
-        }
-      }
       for (const e of timelineEventsForFilter) {
-        addPk(e.pubkey)
-        addPkFromEventTags(e)
+        collectProfilePrefetchPubkeysFromEvent(e, candidates)
       }
       for (const e of newEvents) {
-        addPk(e.pubkey)
-        addPkFromEventTags(e)
+        collectProfilePrefetchPubkeysFromEvent(e, candidates)
       }
 
       setFeedProfileBatch((prev) => {
@@ -1286,8 +1324,34 @@ const NoteList = forwardRef(
       [showFeedClientFilter, applyClientFeedFilter, filteredEvents]
     )
 
+    /** Bumps when {@link noteStatsService} updates any visible row so profile batch can include boosters/likers. */
+    const [feedStatsProfileBump, setFeedStatsProfileBump] = useState(0)
+    const visibleNoteIdsForStatsPrefetchKey = useMemo(
+      () =>
+        clientFilteredEvents
+          .slice(0, Math.min(120, Math.max(showCount + 64, 64)))
+          .map((e) => e.id)
+          .join('\n'),
+      [clientFilteredEvents, showCount]
+    )
+
+    useEffect(() => {
+      if (!visibleNoteIdsForStatsPrefetchKey) return
+      const ids = visibleNoteIdsForStatsPrefetchKey.split('\n').filter(Boolean)
+      const bump = () => setFeedStatsProfileBump((n) => n + 1)
+      const unsubs = ids.map((id) => noteStatsService.subscribeNoteStats(id, bump))
+      return () => {
+        unsubs.forEach((u) => u())
+      }
+    }, [visibleNoteIdsForStatsPrefetchKey])
+
     const [feedVirtualScrollParent, setFeedVirtualScrollParent] = useState<HTMLElement | null>(null)
     const [feedVirtualScrollMarginTop, setFeedVirtualScrollMarginTop] = useState(0)
+    /**
+     * Resolve the scroll container once per feed / refresh — not on every {@link clientFilteredEvents} length tick.
+     * Re-running this on each timeline merge re-set scroll state and interacted badly with the virtualizer while rows
+     * were still settling (absolute rows could paint past the list bounds).
+     */
     useLayoutEffect(() => {
       const root = feedRootRef.current
       if (!root) {
@@ -1297,7 +1361,7 @@ const NoteList = forwardRef(
       }
       setFeedVirtualScrollParent(getNearestScrollableAncestor(root))
       setFeedVirtualScrollMarginTop(root.offsetTop)
-    }, [timelineSubscriptionKey, refreshCount, clientFilteredEvents.length])
+    }, [timelineSubscriptionKey, refreshCount])
 
     const clientFilteredNewEvents = useMemo(
       () =>
@@ -1350,28 +1414,14 @@ const NoteList = forwardRef(
       const handle = window.setTimeout(() => {
         const gen = feedProfileBatchGenRef.current
         const candidates = new Set<string>()
-        const addPk = (p: string | undefined) => {
-          if (p && p.length === 64 && /^[0-9a-f]{64}$/.test(p)) {
-            candidates.add(p.toLowerCase())
-          }
-        }
-        const addPkFromEventTags = (e: Event) => {
-          let n = 0
-          for (const tag of e.tags) {
-            if (tag[0] === 'p' && tag[1]) {
-              addPk(tag[1])
-              n++
-              if (n >= 4) break
-            }
-          }
-        }
         for (const e of timelineEventsForFilter) {
-          addPk(e.pubkey)
-          addPkFromEventTags(e)
+          collectProfilePrefetchPubkeysFromEvent(e, candidates)
         }
         for (const e of newEvents) {
-          addPk(e.pubkey)
-          addPkFromEventTags(e)
+          collectProfilePrefetchPubkeysFromEvent(e, candidates)
+        }
+        for (const e of clientFilteredEvents.slice(0, Math.min(120, Math.max(showCount + 64, 64)))) {
+          collectProfilePrefetchPubkeysFromNoteStats(noteStatsService.getNoteStats(e.id), candidates)
         }
 
         const need = [...candidates].filter((pk) => !feedProfileLoadedRef.current.has(pk))
@@ -1437,7 +1487,7 @@ const NoteList = forwardRef(
         })()
       }, FEED_PROFILE_BATCH_DEBOUNCE_MS)
       return () => window.clearTimeout(handle)
-    }, [timelineEventsForFilter, newEvents])
+    }, [timelineEventsForFilter, newEvents, clientFilteredEvents, showCount, feedStatsProfileBump])
 
     const scrollToTop = useCallback((behavior: ScrollBehavior = 'instant') => {
       setTimeout(() => {
@@ -3463,6 +3513,7 @@ const NoteList = forwardRef(
         ) : null}
         {clientFilteredEvents.length > 0 ? (
           <VirtualizedFeedRows
+            key={`${timelineSubscriptionKey}@@${refreshCount}`}
             events={clientFilteredEvents}
             gridLayout={gridLayout}
             filterMutedNotes={filterMutedNotes}
@@ -3502,7 +3553,13 @@ const NoteList = forwardRef(
                   : 'min-h-4'
             }
           >
-            {loading ? <NoteCardLoadingSkeleton /> : null}
+            {loading ? (
+              clientFilteredEvents.length > 0 ? (
+                <div className="mx-2 h-2 max-w-md rounded-full bg-muted/60 animate-pulse" aria-hidden />
+              ) : (
+                <NoteCardLoadingSkeleton />
+              )
+            ) : null}
           </div>
         ) : listSourceEvents.length > 0 ? (
           <div className="text-center text-sm text-muted-foreground mt-2">{t('no more notes')}</div>
diff --git a/src/constants.ts b/src/constants.ts
index 8e4a1c30..a4f34c5f 100644
--- a/src/constants.ts
+++ b/src/constants.ts
@@ -196,7 +196,12 @@ export const ACCOUNT_SESSION_NETWORK_HYDRATE_MIN_INTERVAL_MS = 24 * 60 * 60 * 10
  * Too low causes empty profiles and NIP-05 gaps when relays are slow or many URLs are queried.
  */
 export const METADATA_BATCH_QUERY_GLOBAL_TIMEOUT_MS = 16000
-export const METADATA_BATCH_QUERY_EOSE_TIMEOUT_MS = 500
+/** After all relays EOSE, wait this long before closing so slow EVENTs still land (slot queue + TLS). */
+export const METADATA_BATCH_QUERY_EOSE_TIMEOUT_MS = 2800
+/**
+ * Max `authors` per REQ for batched kind-0; large arrays are split so relays return more complete rows.
+ */
+export const METADATA_BATCH_AUTHORS_CHUNK = 22
 
 /**
  * useFetchProfile: outer Promise.race on fetchProfileEvent and wait-for-shared-promise timeouts.
diff --git a/src/hooks/useFetchProfile.tsx b/src/hooks/useFetchProfile.tsx
index 405dae67..dd7c0d48 100644
--- a/src/hooks/useFetchProfile.tsx
+++ b/src/hooks/useFetchProfile.tsx
@@ -377,6 +377,13 @@ export function useFetchProfile(id?: string, skipCache = false) {
         effectRunCountRef.current.delete(extractedPubkey)
         return
       }
+      if (fromBatch?.batchPlaceholder) {
+        initializedPubkeysRef.current.delete(extractedPubkey)
+        setProfile(fromBatch)
+        setPubkey(extractedPubkey)
+        setIsFetching(false)
+        setError(null)
+      }
       if (noteFeed.pendingPubkeys.has(extractedPubkey)) {
         const pkLower = extractedPubkey.toLowerCase()
         const sessionEv = eventService.getSessionMetadataForPubkey(pkLower)
@@ -450,7 +457,7 @@ export function useFetchProfile(id?: string, skipCache = false) {
     
     // CRITICAL: Early exit if we already have a profile for this pubkey
     // This prevents re-fetching when we already have the profile
-    if (extractedPubkey && profile && profile.pubkey === extractedPubkey) {
+    if (extractedPubkey && profile && profile.pubkey === extractedPubkey && !profile.batchPlaceholder) {
       // Ensure processingPubkeyRef is set to prevent re-fetch
       if (processingPubkeyRef.current !== extractedPubkey) {
         processingPubkeyRef.current = extractedPubkey
@@ -561,7 +568,7 @@ export function useFetchProfile(id?: string, skipCache = false) {
       processingPubkeyRef.current = extractedPubkey
     }
     
-    if (profile && profile.pubkey === extractedPubkey) {
+    if (profile && profile.pubkey === extractedPubkey && !profile.batchPlaceholder) {
       logger.debug('[useFetchProfile] Already have profile for this pubkey (safety check)', {
         extractedPubkey
       })
diff --git a/src/providers/NostrProvider/index.tsx b/src/providers/NostrProvider/index.tsx
index fa73cf8d..8441c235 100644
--- a/src/providers/NostrProvider/index.tsx
+++ b/src/providers/NostrProvider/index.tsx
@@ -1287,16 +1287,17 @@ export function NostrProvider({ children }: { children: React.ReactNode }) {
       }
     }
 
-    logger.debug('[Publish] Determining target relays...', { kind: event.kind, pubkey: event.pubkey?.substring(0, 8) })
-    const favoriteRelayUrls = favoriteRelayUrlsForPublish(favoriteRelaysEvent, account.pubkey)
-    const relays = await client.determineTargetRelays(event, {
-      ...options,
-      favoriteRelayUrls,
-      blockedRelayUrls: options.blockedRelayUrls ?? blockedRelayUrlsFromEvent(blockedRelaysEvent)
-    })
-    logger.debug('[Publish] Target relays determined', { relayCount: relays.length, relays: relays.slice(0, 5) })
-
+    noteStatsService.beginPublishPriority()
     try {
+      logger.debug('[Publish] Determining target relays...', { kind: event.kind, pubkey: event.pubkey?.substring(0, 8) })
+      const favoriteRelayUrls = favoriteRelayUrlsForPublish(favoriteRelaysEvent, account.pubkey)
+      const relays = await client.determineTargetRelays(event, {
+        ...options,
+        favoriteRelayUrls,
+        blockedRelayUrls: options.blockedRelayUrls ?? blockedRelayUrlsFromEvent(blockedRelaysEvent)
+      })
+      logger.debug('[Publish] Target relays determined', { relayCount: relays.length, relays: relays.slice(0, 5) })
+
       logger.debug('[Publish] Calling client.publishEvent()...', { relayCount: relays.length, eventId: event.id?.substring(0, 8) })
       const publishResult = await client.publishEvent(relays, event, { favoriteRelayUrls })
       logger.debug('[Publish] publishEvent completed', {
@@ -1383,6 +1384,8 @@ export function NostrProvider({ children }: { children: React.ReactNode }) {
       
       // Re-throw the error so the UI can handle it appropriately
       throw error
+    } finally {
+      noteStatsService.endPublishPriority()
     }
   }
 
diff --git a/src/services/client-replaceable-events.service.ts b/src/services/client-replaceable-events.service.ts
index cd44db8f..b8ce8268 100644
--- a/src/services/client-replaceable-events.service.ts
+++ b/src/services/client-replaceable-events.service.ts
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ import {
   FAST_READ_RELAY_URLS,
   FAST_WRITE_RELAY_URLS,
   MAX_CONCURRENT_RELAY_CONNECTIONS,
+  METADATA_BATCH_AUTHORS_CHUNK,
   METADATA_BATCH_QUERY_EOSE_TIMEOUT_MS,
   METADATA_BATCH_QUERY_GLOBAL_TIMEOUT_MS,
   PROFILE_FETCH_RELAY_URLS,
@@ -323,18 +324,31 @@ export class ReplaceableEventService {
       needsIndexedDb.push({ pubkey, index })
     }
 
-    await Promise.allSettled(
-      needsIndexedDb.map(async ({ pubkey, index }) => {
-        try {
-          const event = await indexedDb.getReplaceableEvent(pubkey, kind)
-          if (event) {
-            results[index] = event
+    if (needsIndexedDb.length > 0) {
+      try {
+        const orderedPubkeys = needsIndexedDb.map((n) => n.pubkey)
+        const fromIdb = await indexedDb.getManyReplaceableEvents(orderedPubkeys, kind)
+        fromIdb.forEach((event, i) => {
+          if (event && !shouldDropEventOnIngest(event)) {
+            const slot = needsIndexedDb[i]
+            if (slot) results[slot.index] = event
           }
-        } catch {
-          /* ignore */
-        }
-      })
-    )
+        })
+      } catch {
+        await Promise.allSettled(
+          needsIndexedDb.map(async ({ pubkey, index }) => {
+            try {
+              const event = await indexedDb.getReplaceableEvent(pubkey, kind)
+              if (event && !shouldDropEventOnIngest(event)) {
+                results[index] = event
+              }
+            } catch {
+              /* ignore */
+            }
+          })
+        )
+      }
+    }
 
     const stillMissing = needsIndexedDb.filter(({ index }) => results[index] === undefined)
     if (stillMissing.length > 0) {
@@ -521,7 +535,8 @@ export class ReplaceableEventService {
                 includeFastReadRelays: true,
                 includeFavoriteRelays: true,
                 includeLocalRelays: true,
-                includeFastWriteRelays: false,
+                /** Many users publish kind 0 to NIP-65 write relays; batch path skipped these before. */
+                includeFastWriteRelays: true,
                 includeSearchableRelays: false
               })
             } catch {
@@ -575,19 +590,40 @@ export class ReplaceableEventService {
         // (many `authors` in one filter) that stops the subscription while most profiles are still in flight.
         const useReplaceableRace =
           !isSlowReplaceableBatch || !multiAuthorBatch
-        const events = await this.queryService.query(
-          relayUrls,
-          {
-            authors: pubkeys,
-            kinds: [kind]
-          },
-          undefined,
-          {
-            replaceableRace: useReplaceableRace,
-            eoseTimeout: isSlowReplaceableBatch ? METADATA_BATCH_QUERY_EOSE_TIMEOUT_MS : 100,
-            globalTimeout: isSlowReplaceableBatch ? METADATA_BATCH_QUERY_GLOBAL_TIMEOUT_MS : 2000
+        const queryOpts = {
+          replaceableRace: useReplaceableRace,
+          eoseTimeout: isSlowReplaceableBatch ? METADATA_BATCH_QUERY_EOSE_TIMEOUT_MS : 100,
+          globalTimeout: isSlowReplaceableBatch ? METADATA_BATCH_QUERY_GLOBAL_TIMEOUT_MS : 2000
+        }
+
+        let events: NEvent[]
+        if (kind === kinds.Metadata && pubkeys.length > METADATA_BATCH_AUTHORS_CHUNK) {
+          const merged: NEvent[] = []
+          for (let off = 0; off < missingItems.length; off += METADATA_BATCH_AUTHORS_CHUNK) {
+            const slice = missingItems.slice(off, off + METADATA_BATCH_AUTHORS_CHUNK)
+            const chunkPubkeys = slice.map((m) => m.pubkey)
+            const chunkMulti = chunkPubkeys.length > 1
+            const chunkRace = !isSlowReplaceableBatch || !chunkMulti
+            const evts = await this.queryService.query(
+              relayUrls,
+              { authors: chunkPubkeys, kinds: [kind] },
+              undefined,
+              { ...queryOpts, replaceableRace: chunkRace }
+            )
+            merged.push(...evts)
           }
-        )
+          events = merged
+        } else {
+          events = await this.queryService.query(
+            relayUrls,
+            {
+              authors: pubkeys,
+              kinds: [kind]
+            },
+            undefined,
+            queryOpts
+          )
+        }
         // Only log at info level for large batches or if many events found
         if (pubkeys.length > 50 || events.length > 100) {
           logger.debug('[ReplaceableEventService] Query completed for batch', {
@@ -656,6 +692,23 @@ export class ReplaceableEventService {
             }
           }
         }
+
+        const idbFill = missingItems.filter(({ index }) => results[index] == null)
+        if (idbFill.length > 0) {
+          try {
+            const order = idbFill.map((m) => m.pubkey)
+            const late = await indexedDb.getManyReplaceableEvents(order, kind)
+            late.forEach((ev, j) => {
+              if (!ev || shouldDropEventOnIngest(ev)) return
+              const slot = idbFill[j]
+              if (!slot) return
+              results[slot.index] = ev
+              eventsMap.set(`${slot.pubkey}:${kind}`, ev)
+            })
+          } catch {
+            /* ignore */
+          }
+        }
         
         // Log when no events are found (helps debug relay failures)
         if (kind === kinds.Metadata && events.length === 0 && pubkeys.length > 0) {
@@ -1043,7 +1096,27 @@ export class ReplaceableEventService {
   async fetchProfilesForPubkeys(pubkeys: string[]): Promise<TProfile[]> {
     const deduped = Array.from(new Set(pubkeys.filter((p) => p && p.length === 64)))
     if (deduped.length === 0) return []
-    const events = await this.fetchReplaceableEventsFromProfileFetchRelays(deduped, kinds.Metadata)
+    let events = await this.fetchReplaceableEventsFromProfileFetchRelays(deduped, kinds.Metadata)
+    const gapIdx: number[] = []
+    for (let i = 0; i < deduped.length; i++) {
+      if (!events[i]) gapIdx.push(i)
+    }
+    if (gapIdx.length > 0) {
+      try {
+        const order = gapIdx.map((i) => deduped[i]!)
+        const late = await indexedDb.getManyReplaceableEvents(order, kinds.Metadata)
+        const patched = [...events]
+        gapIdx.forEach((origIdx, j) => {
+          const ev = late[j]
+          if (ev && !shouldDropEventOnIngest(ev)) {
+            patched[origIdx] = ev
+          }
+        })
+        events = patched
+      } catch {
+        /* ignore */
+      }
+    }
     const profiles: TProfile[] = []
     for (let i = 0; i < deduped.length; i++) {
       const ev = events[i]
diff --git a/src/services/client.service.ts b/src/services/client.service.ts
index 739c77fd..d9f5488b 100644
--- a/src/services/client.service.ts
+++ b/src/services/client.service.ts
@@ -1486,10 +1486,11 @@ class ClientService extends EventTarget {
       logger.debug('[PublishEvent] Starting Promise.allSettled for all relays')
       const relayPublishAllSettled = Promise.allSettled(
         uniqueRelayUrls.map(async (url, index) => {
-          const startMs = Date.now()
-          logger.debug(`[PublishEvent] Starting relay ${index + 1}/${uniqueRelayUrls.length}`, { url })
           // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-this-alias
           const that = this
+          await that.queryService.acquireGlobalRelayConnectionSlot()
+          const startMs = Date.now()
+          logger.debug(`[PublishEvent] Starting relay ${index + 1}/${uniqueRelayUrls.length}`, { url })
           const isLocal = isLocalNetworkUrl(url)
           const connectionTimeout = isLocal ? 5_000 : 8_000 // 5s for local, 8s for remote
           const publishTimeout = isLocal ? 5_000 : 8_000 // 5s for local, 8s for remote
@@ -1623,6 +1624,7 @@ class ClientService extends EventTarget {
             })
             that.recordSessionRelayFailure(url)
           } finally {
+            that.queryService.releaseGlobalRelayConnectionSlot()
             clearTimeout(relayTimeout)
             const currentFinished = ++finishedCount
             logger.debug(`[PublishEvent] Relay finished`, { 
diff --git a/src/services/indexed-db.service.ts b/src/services/indexed-db.service.ts
index bc16a12e..5a9427bf 100644
--- a/src/services/indexed-db.service.ts
+++ b/src/services/indexed-db.service.ts
@@ -1068,7 +1068,9 @@ class IndexedDbService {
   }
 
   private getReplaceableEventKey(pubkey: string, d?: string): string {
-    return d === undefined ? pubkey : `${pubkey}:${d}`
+    const trimmed = pubkey.trim()
+    const canonPk = /^[0-9a-f]{64}$/i.test(trimmed) ? trimmed.toLowerCase() : trimmed
+    return d === undefined ? canonPk : `${canonPk}:${d}`
   }
 
   private getStoreNameByKind(kind: number): string | undefined {
diff --git a/src/services/note-stats.service.ts b/src/services/note-stats.service.ts
index ad96c73f..cfb195e4 100644
--- a/src/services/note-stats.service.ts
+++ b/src/services/note-stats.service.ts
@@ -78,6 +78,8 @@ class NoteStatsService {
   private batchTimeout: NodeJS.Timeout | null = null
   /** Prevents overlapping processBatch runs (reentrant calls corrupted pendingEvents). */
   private processBatchRunning = false
+  /** While greater than zero, {@link processBatch} defers so user publishes are not starved for WebSocket pool / bandwidth. */
+  private publishPriorityDepth = 0
   private readonly BATCH_DELAY = 200
   /** Small slices so a slow batch does not block newer cards (e.g. spell feed swaps placeholder rows → discussions). */
   private readonly MAX_BATCH_SIZE = 8
@@ -236,7 +238,26 @@ class NoteStatsService {
     })
   }
 
+  /** Call around user-initiated {@link client.publishEvent} so stats REQ waves defer briefly. */
+  beginPublishPriority(): void {
+    this.publishPriorityDepth++
+  }
+
+  endPublishPriority(): void {
+    this.publishPriorityDepth = Math.max(0, this.publishPriorityDepth - 1)
+  }
+
   private async processBatch() {
+    if (this.publishPriorityDepth > 0) {
+      if (this.batchTimeout) {
+        clearTimeout(this.batchTimeout)
+      }
+      this.batchTimeout = setTimeout(() => {
+        this.batchTimeout = null
+        void this.processBatch()
+      }, 450)
+      return
+    }
     if (this.processBatchRunning) {
       logger.debug('[NoteStats] processBatch: skipped (already running)', {
         pendingForeground: this.pendingForeground.size,