diff --git a/packages/ui/src/components/message-block-list.tsx b/packages/ui/src/components/message-block-list.tsx
index 8e0c8159..4ea4d828 100644
--- a/packages/ui/src/components/message-block-list.tsx
+++ b/packages/ui/src/components/message-block-list.tsx
@@ -8,11 +8,9 @@ export function getMessageAnchorId(messageId: string) {
 }
 
 const VIRTUAL_ITEM_MARGIN_PX = 800
-const ESTIMATED_MESSAGE_HEIGHT = 320
-const INITIAL_FORCE_MIN_ITEMS = 12
-const INITIAL_FORCE_OVERSCAN = 6
 
 interface MessageBlockListProps {
+
   instanceId: string
   sessionId: string
   store: () => InstanceMessageStore
@@ -31,50 +29,10 @@ interface MessageBlockListProps {
 }
 
 export default function MessageBlockList(props: MessageBlockListProps) {
-  const [initialForceActive, setInitialForceActive] = createSignal(true)
-  const [initialForceInitialized, setInitialForceInitialized] = createSignal(false)
-  const [initialForceStartIndex, setInitialForceStartIndex] = createSignal(0)
-  const [, setInitialForceRemaining] = createSignal(0)
-
-  createEffect(() => {
-    props.instanceId
-    props.sessionId
-    setInitialForceActive(true)
-    setInitialForceInitialized(false)
-    setInitialForceStartIndex(0)
-    setInitialForceRemaining(0)
-  })
-
-  createEffect(() => {
-    if (!initialForceActive() || initialForceInitialized()) return
-    const ids = props.messageIds()
-    if (ids.length === 0) return
-    const viewportHeight = props.scrollContainer()?.clientHeight ?? (typeof window !== "undefined" ? window.innerHeight : 800)
-    const estimatedCount = Math.min(
-      ids.length,
-      Math.max(INITIAL_FORCE_MIN_ITEMS, Math.ceil(viewportHeight / ESTIMATED_MESSAGE_HEIGHT) + INITIAL_FORCE_OVERSCAN),
-    )
-    setInitialForceStartIndex(Math.max(0, ids.length - estimatedCount))
-    setInitialForceRemaining(estimatedCount)
-    setInitialForceInitialized(true)
-  })
-
   return (
     <>
       <Index each={props.messageIds()}>
         {(messageId) => {
-          const messageIndex = () => props.messageIndexMap().get(messageId()) ?? 0
-          const forceVisible = () => initialForceActive() && messageIndex() >= initialForceStartIndex()
-          const handleMeasured = () => {
-            if (!forceVisible()) return
-            setInitialForceRemaining((value) => {
-              const next = value > 0 ? value - 1 : 0
-              if (next === 0) {
-                setInitialForceActive(false)
-              }
-              return next
-            })
-          }
           return (
             <VirtualItem
                id={getMessageAnchorId(messageId())}
@@ -83,8 +41,6 @@ export default function MessageBlockList(props: MessageBlockListProps) {
                threshold={VIRTUAL_ITEM_MARGIN_PX}
                placeholderClass="message-stream-placeholder"
                virtualizationEnabled={() => !props.loading}
-               forceVisible={forceVisible}
-               onMeasured={handleMeasured}
              >
 
               <MessageBlock
diff --git a/packages/ui/src/components/virtual-item.tsx b/packages/ui/src/components/virtual-item.tsx
index 6612bc20..3537d0f1 100644
--- a/packages/ui/src/components/virtual-item.tsx
+++ b/packages/ui/src/components/virtual-item.tsx
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { JSX, Show, Accessor, children as resolveChildren, createEffect, createMemo, createSignal, onCleanup } from "solid-js"
+import { JSX, Accessor, children as resolveChildren, createEffect, createMemo, createSignal, onCleanup } from "solid-js"
 
 const sizeCache = new Map<string, number>()
 const DEFAULT_MARGIN_PX = 600
@@ -133,8 +133,14 @@ export default function VirtualItem(props: VirtualItemProps) {
     })
   }
   const virtualizationEnabled = () => (props.virtualizationEnabled ? props.virtualizationEnabled() : true)
+  const shouldHideContent = createMemo(() => {
+    if (props.forceVisible?.()) return false
+    if (!virtualizationEnabled()) return false
+    return !isIntersecting()
+  })
+ 
+   let wrapperRef: HTMLDivElement | undefined
 
-  let wrapperRef: HTMLDivElement | undefined
   let contentRef: HTMLDivElement | undefined
   let resizeObserver: ResizeObserver | undefined
   let intersectionCleanup: (() => void) | undefined
@@ -213,6 +219,7 @@ export default function VirtualItem(props: VirtualItemProps) {
     contentRef = element ?? undefined
     if (contentRef) {
       queueMicrotask(() => {
+        if (shouldHideContent()) return
         updateMeasuredHeight()
         setupResizeObserver()
       })
@@ -220,9 +227,21 @@ export default function VirtualItem(props: VirtualItemProps) {
       cleanupResizeObserver()
     }
   }
-
+ 
+  createEffect(() => {
+    if (shouldHideContent()) {
+      cleanupResizeObserver()
+    } else if (contentRef) {
+      queueMicrotask(() => {
+        updateMeasuredHeight()
+        setupResizeObserver()
+      })
+    }
+  })
+ 
   createEffect(() => {
     const key = props.cacheKey
+
     const cached = sizeCache.get(key)
     if (cached !== undefined) {
       setMeasuredHeight(cached)
@@ -238,13 +257,8 @@ export default function VirtualItem(props: VirtualItemProps) {
     refreshIntersectionObserver(root ?? null)
   })
 
-  const shouldHideContent = createMemo(() => {
-    if (props.forceVisible?.()) return false
-    if (!virtualizationEnabled()) return false
-    return !isIntersecting()
-  })
- 
   const placeholderHeight = createMemo(() => {
+
     const seenHeight = measuredHeight()
     if (seenHeight > 0) {
       return seenHeight
@@ -267,6 +281,14 @@ export default function VirtualItem(props: VirtualItemProps) {
     return classes.filter(Boolean).join(" ")
   }
   const placeholderClass = () => ["virtual-item-placeholder", props.placeholderClass].filter(Boolean).join(" ")
+  const lazyContent = createMemo<JSX.Element | null>(() => {
+    if (shouldHideContent()) return null
+    if (import.meta.env?.DEV) {
+      console.debug("rendering virtual item", props.cacheKey)
+    }
+    return resolved()
+  })
+
  
   return (
     <div ref={setWrapperRef} id={props.id} class={wrapperClass()} style={{ width: "100%" }}>
@@ -278,7 +300,7 @@ export default function VirtualItem(props: VirtualItemProps) {
         }}
       >
         <div ref={setContentRef} class={contentClass()}>
-          {resolved()}
+          {lazyContent()}
         </div>
       </div>
     </div>