diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/stores/runtime/transcript-reading-runtime.ts b/apps/desktop/src/stores/runtime/transcript-reading-runtime.ts
index cd4db240ba..da87c800f7 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/src/stores/runtime/transcript-reading-runtime.ts
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/stores/runtime/transcript-reading-runtime.ts
@@ -70,10 +70,21 @@ export function createTranscriptReadingRuntime({ get, set }: StoreAccess, read:
       if (signal.aborted || get().activeSessionId !== sessionId || !position.messageId) return false;
       const previous = get().transcriptViews[sessionId];
       const range = currentView(sessionId);
-      if (get().selectingSessionId !== sessionId &&
-        range.messages.some((message) => message.id === position.messageId)) return true;
       // A user navigation already in flight always wins over automatic restore.
       if (range.focus || range.loading) return false;
+      if (range.messages.some((message) => message.id === position.messageId)) {
+        // The page already holds the bookmark, so a bounded read around it would
+        // only narrow the transcript. Re-selecting a retained session commits
+        // that page while `selectingSessionId` is still set and then swaps
+        // `messages` for the revalidated window, so publish the page as the
+        // reading range: that keeps the bookmarked row, and the reader's
+        // offset, across the swap. Skipping the read also matters because a
+        // window around a bookmark in a tail page reports `hasMoreAfter`, which
+        // paints the load-later affordance on a conversation nobody left.
+        if (get().selectingSessionId === sessionId && !previous?.restored)
+          publish(sessionId, { ...range, restored: true });
+        return true;
+      }
       const pending: TranscriptView = { ...range, restored: true, loading: "target" };
       const rollback = () => {
         if (get().transcriptViews[sessionId] !== pending) return;
diff --git a/apps/desktop/test/transcript-reading.test.mjs b/apps/desktop/test/transcript-reading.test.mjs
index 575d353897..e9c1cfc24a 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/test/transcript-reading.test.mjs
+++ b/apps/desktop/test/transcript-reading.test.mjs
@@ -611,3 +611,36 @@ test("a restored range already at the tail uses canonical updates without adding
   assert.deepEqual(transcriptViewMessages(live, search).map((row) => [row.id, row.content]),
     [["tail", "persisted"]], "explicit search keeps its selected snapshot");
 });
+
+test("a bookmark inside the page being revalidated keeps that page instead of a narrower window", async () => {
+  // Returning to a retained session commits its page while `selectingSessionId`
+  // is still set and then swaps `messages` for the revalidated window. The
+  // bookmarked row is already in that page, so restoration must publish the page
+  // itself: reading a range around the anchor would both narrow the transcript
+  // and report `hasMoreAfter`, which paints the load-later affordance on a
+  // conversation nobody left.
+  const r = reader(async () => { throw new Error("unexpected read"); }, {
+    messages: [message("old"), message("tail")], selectingSessionId: "s",
+  });
+  assert.equal(await r.restoreTranscriptReading("s", bookmark, new AbortController().signal), true);
+  assert.deepEqual(r.visible().map((row) => row.id), ["old", "tail"]);
+  assert.equal(r.view().restored, true);
+  assert.equal(r.view().hasMoreAfter, false);
+});
+
+test("a saved anchor does not supersede in-flight navigation when both rows are loaded", async () => {
+  const focused = {
+    ...transcriptViewFromSession(page([message("old"), message("target")]).session, {
+      ...target("target"), requestId: 7,
+    }),
+    loading: "target",
+  };
+  const r = reader(async () => { throw new Error("automatic restore must not read"); }, {
+    messages: [message("old"), message("target")],
+    selectingSessionId: "s",
+    transcriptViews: { s: focused },
+  });
+
+  assert.equal(await r.restoreTranscriptReading("s", bookmark, new AbortController().signal), false);
+  assert.equal(r.view(), focused, "explicit navigation keeps ownership of the reading view");
+});
diff --git a/docs/spec/06-delivery/04-e2e-test-plan.md b/docs/spec/06-delivery/04-e2e-test-plan.md
index f5dd1e4d52..422678c89c 100644
--- a/docs/spec/06-delivery/04-e2e-test-plan.md
+++ b/docs/spec/06-delivery/04-e2e-test-plan.md
@@ -6157,7 +6157,9 @@ must keep splitting are covered by `markdown-blocks.test.mjs`.
   an error toast, or a blank chat area.
 - **Expected**: Only the visible pane and the two most recently visited ones are
   retained; visiting beyond that budget evicts the oldest pane. A warm return
-  paints the retained frame and offset immediately. Returning to an evicted
+  paints the retained frame and offset immediately. The returned pane keeps the
+  page that already holds its anchor, so a warm return never offers to load later
+  messages for rows that page already had. Returning to an evicted
   session restores the message and viewport offset recorded before eviction,
   including explicit expanded content, using a bounded historical read if the
   latest page no longer contains the anchor. If the anchor is already loaded but
diff --git a/scripts/e2e/session-reading-position.tsx b/scripts/e2e/session-reading-position.tsx
index 928952260f..f146ad0b69 100644
--- a/scripts/e2e/session-reading-position.tsx
+++ b/scripts/e2e/session-reading-position.tsx
@@ -122,6 +122,11 @@ globalThis.sessionReadingPositionProbe = async () => {
     await select("A");
     await until(() => Boolean(row(id)) && Math.abs(offset(id) - expectedOffset) < 2,
       "warm production pane preserves reading through revalidation");
+    // Revalidation must not narrow the retained page to a window around the
+    // bookmark: that window reports newer rows and paints the load-later
+    // affordance on a conversation the reader never left.
+    assert(!host.querySelector('[data-visible="true"] .transcript-load-later'),
+      "warm return must not offer to load later messages");
     for (const id of ["B", "C", "D", "E"]) await select(id);
     assert(!host.querySelector('[data-session-pane="real-A"]'), "A was not evicted");
     await select("A");