diff --git a/src/components/ReplyNoteList/index.tsx b/src/components/ReplyNoteList/index.tsx
index 0b0fac71..fb752c74 100644
--- a/src/components/ReplyNoteList/index.tsx
+++ b/src/components/ReplyNoteList/index.tsx
@@ -1079,25 +1079,23 @@ function ReplyNoteList({
             })
           )
 
-          // For URL threads: stream events as they arrive from each relay so replies appear
-          // immediately, rather than waiting up to 10 s for all relays to EOSE.
-          const urlThreadRootInfo = rootInfo.type === 'I' ? rootInfo : null
-          const urlThreadOnevent = urlThreadRootInfo
-            ? (evt: NEvent) => {
-                if (fetchGeneration !== replyFetchGenRef.current) return
-                if (isPollVoteKind(evt)) return
-                if (!isRssArticleUrlThreadInteraction(evt, urlThreadRootInfo.id)) return
-                if (shouldHideThreadResponseEvent(evt, mutePubkeySet, hideContentMentioningMutedUsers))
-                  return
-                addReplies([evt])
-                if (!hasCache) setLoading(false)
-              }
-            : undefined
+          // Stream replies as relays return them (aggr is first in the list) instead of waiting for full EOSE.
+          const streamThreadReply = (evt: NEvent) => {
+            if (fetchGeneration !== replyFetchGenRef.current) return
+            if (isPollVoteKind(evt)) return
+            if (rootInfo.type === 'I') {
+              if (!isRssArticleUrlThreadInteraction(evt, rootInfo.id)) return
+            }
+            if (shouldHideThreadResponseEvent(evt, mutePubkeySet, hideContentMentioningMutedUsers)) return
+            addReplies([evt])
+            if (!hasCache) setLoading(false)
+          }
 
-          // Use fetchEvents instead of subscribeTimeline for one-time fetching
           const allReplies = await queryService.fetchEvents(relayUrlsForThreadReq, filters, {
-            ...(urlThreadOnevent ? { onevent: urlThreadOnevent } : {}),
-            foreground: statsForeground,
+            onevent: streamThreadReply,
+            foreground: true,
+            firstRelayResultGraceMs: 900,
+            globalTimeout: 12_000,
             relayOpSource: 'ReplyNoteList.thread'
           })
 
@@ -1112,7 +1110,6 @@ function ReplyNoteList({
           // Filter and add replies (URL threads include kind 9802 highlights of this page)
           const regularReplies = allReplies.filter((evt) => {
             if (isPollVoteKind(evt)) return false
- false
             const match = replyMatchesThreadForList(evt, event, rootInfo, isDiscussionRoot, threadWalkFromBatch)
             if (!match) return false
             return !shouldHideThreadResponseEvent(
diff --git a/src/lib/relay-list-builder.ts b/src/lib/relay-list-builder.ts
index 4916d10e..f4cf8dfc 100644
--- a/src/lib/relay-list-builder.ts
+++ b/src/lib/relay-list-builder.ts
@@ -213,7 +213,7 @@ export async function buildComprehensiveRelayList(options: RelayListBuilderOptio
       try {
         const fav =
           includeFavoriteRelays && userPubkey
-            ? await client.fetchFavoriteRelays(userPubkey).catch(() => [] as string[])
+            ? await client.fetchFavoriteRelaysFromStorage(userPubkey).catch(() => [] as string[])
             : []
         effectiveIncludeFastRead = viewerUsesGlobalRelayDefaults({
           viewerPubkey: userPubkey,
@@ -295,7 +295,7 @@ export async function buildComprehensiveRelayList(options: RelayListBuilderOptio
       // Include favorite relays (kind 10012) if requested
       if (includeFavoriteRelays) {
         try {
-          const favoriteRelays = await client.fetchFavoriteRelays(userPubkey)
+          const favoriteRelays = await client.fetchFavoriteRelaysFromStorage(userPubkey)
           favoriteRelays.forEach((u) => {
             trackPersonal(u)
             addRelay(u)
@@ -330,7 +330,7 @@ export async function buildComprehensiveRelayList(options: RelayListBuilderOptio
       // Menu / feed “favorite relays” (kind 10012) — same list as the sidebar; not part of NIP-65 alone.
       if (includeFavoriteRelays) {
         try {
-          const favoriteRelays = await client.fetchFavoriteRelays(userPubkey)
+          const favoriteRelays = await client.fetchFavoriteRelaysFromStorage(userPubkey)
           favoriteRelays.forEach((u) => {
             trackPersonal(u)
             addRelay(u)
@@ -657,7 +657,7 @@ export async function buildReplyReadRelayList(
   if (userPubkey) {
     try {
       const [fav, rl] = await Promise.all([
-        client.fetchFavoriteRelays(userPubkey).catch(() => [] as string[]),
+        client.fetchFavoriteRelaysFromStorage(userPubkey).catch(() => [] as string[]),
         client.peekRelayListFromStorage(userPubkey)
       ])
       useGlobal = viewerUsesGlobalRelayDefaults({
diff --git a/src/services/client.service.ts b/src/services/client.service.ts
index 36982043..9251ee14 100644
--- a/src/services/client.service.ts
+++ b/src/services/client.service.ts
@@ -719,8 +719,8 @@ class ClientService extends EventTarget {
     return { all, httpIndexBases, cacheRelayEvent }
   }
 
-  /** Kind 10012 + embedded NIP-51 relay sets from IndexedDB only. */
-  private async fetchFavoriteRelaysFromStorage(pubkey: string): Promise<string[]> {
+  /** Kind 10012 + embedded NIP-51 relay sets from IndexedDB only (no network). */
+  async fetchFavoriteRelaysFromStorage(pubkey: string): Promise<string[]> {
     try {
       const favoriteRelaysEvent = await indexedDb.getReplaceableEvent(pubkey, ExtendedKind.FAVORITE_RELAYS)
       if (!favoriteRelaysEvent) return []