diff --git a/ui/desktop/src/App.tsx b/ui/desktop/src/App.tsx
index 0aa29ff052..fbb0b71ebb 100644
--- a/ui/desktop/src/App.tsx
+++ b/ui/desktop/src/App.tsx
@@ -752,7 +752,7 @@ export default function App() {
     }
     initAttemptedRef.current = true;
 
-    console.log(`Initializing app with settings v2`);
+    console.log(`Initializing app`);
 
     const urlParams = new URLSearchParams(window.location.search);
     const viewType = urlParams.get('view');
diff --git a/ui/desktop/src/components/BaseChat.tsx b/ui/desktop/src/components/BaseChat.tsx
index 28cde204e5..633eb170b3 100644
--- a/ui/desktop/src/components/BaseChat.tsx
+++ b/ui/desktop/src/components/BaseChat.tsx
@@ -42,22 +42,20 @@
  * while remaining flexible enough to support different UI contexts (Hub vs Pair).
  */
 
-import React, { useEffect, useContext, createContext, useRef } from 'react';
+import React, { useEffect, useContext, createContext, useRef, useCallback } from 'react';
 import { useLocation } from 'react-router-dom';
-import GooseMessage from './GooseMessage';
-import UserMessage from './UserMessage';
 import { SearchView } from './conversation/SearchView';
 import { AgentHeader } from './AgentHeader';
 import LayingEggLoader from './LayingEggLoader';
 import LoadingGoose from './LoadingGoose';
 import Splash from './Splash';
 import PopularChatTopics from './PopularChatTopics';
+import ProgressiveMessageList from './ProgressiveMessageList';
 import { SessionSummaryModal } from './context_management/SessionSummaryModal';
 import {
   ChatContextManagerProvider,
   useChatContextManager,
 } from './context_management/ChatContextManager';
-import { ContextHandler } from './context_management/ContextHandler';
 import { type View, ViewOptions } from '../App';
 import { MainPanelLayout } from './Layout/MainPanelLayout';
 import ChatInput from './ChatInput';
@@ -137,8 +135,6 @@ function BaseChatContent({
     resetMessagesWithSummary,
     closeSummaryModal,
     updateSummary,
-    hasContextHandlerContent,
-    getContextHandlerType,
   } = useChatContextManager();
 
   // Use shared chat engine
@@ -298,75 +294,14 @@ function BaseChatContent({
     }
     append(text);
   };
-  const renderMessages = () => {
-    return filteredMessages.map((message, index) => {
-      const isUser = isUserMessage(message);
-
-      return (
-        <div
-          key={message.id || index}
-          className={`relative ${index === 0 ? 'mt-0' : 'mt-4'} ${isUser ? 'user' : 'assistant'}`}
-          data-testid="message-container"
-        >
-          {isUser ? (
-            <>
-              {hasContextHandlerContent(message) ? (
-                <ContextHandler
-                  messages={messages}
-                  messageId={message.id ?? message.created.toString()}
-                  chatId={chat.id}
-                  workingDir={window.appConfig.get('GOOSE_WORKING_DIR') as string}
-                  contextType={getContextHandlerType(message)}
-                  onSummaryComplete={() => {
-                    // Auto-scroll to bottom when summary is complete
-                    setTimeout(() => {
-                      if (scrollRef.current?.scrollToBottom) {
-                        scrollRef.current.scrollToBottom();
-                      }
-                    }, 100);
-                  }}
-                />
-              ) : (
-                <UserMessage message={message} />
-              )}
-            </>
-          ) : (
-            <>
-              {hasContextHandlerContent(message) ? (
-                <ContextHandler
-                  messages={messages}
-                  messageId={message.id ?? message.created.toString()}
-                  chatId={chat.id}
-                  workingDir={window.appConfig.get('GOOSE_WORKING_DIR') as string}
-                  contextType={getContextHandlerType(message)}
-                  onSummaryComplete={() => {
-                    // Auto-scroll to bottom when summary is complete
-                    setTimeout(() => {
-                      if (scrollRef.current?.scrollToBottom) {
-                        scrollRef.current.scrollToBottom();
-                      }
-                    }, 100);
-                  }}
-                />
-              ) : (
-                <GooseMessage
-                  messageHistoryIndex={chat?.messageHistoryIndex}
-                  message={message}
-                  messages={messages}
-                  append={append}
-                  appendMessage={(newMessage) => {
-                    const updatedMessages = [...messages, newMessage];
-                    setMessages(updatedMessages);
-                  }}
-                  toolCallNotifications={toolCallNotifications}
-                />
-              )}
-            </>
-          )}
-        </div>
-      );
-    });
-  };
+  // Callback to handle scroll to bottom from ProgressiveMessageList
+  const handleScrollToBottom = useCallback(() => {
+    setTimeout(() => {
+      if (scrollRef.current?.scrollToBottom) {
+        scrollRef.current.scrollToBottom();
+      }
+    }, 100);
+  }, []);
 
   return (
     <div className="h-full flex flex-col min-h-0">
@@ -443,10 +378,34 @@ function BaseChatContent({
                 <>
                   {disableSearch ? (
                     // Render messages without SearchView wrapper when search is disabled
-                    renderMessages()
+                    <ProgressiveMessageList
+                      messages={filteredMessages}
+                      chat={chat}
+                      toolCallNotifications={toolCallNotifications}
+                      append={append}
+                      appendMessage={(newMessage) => {
+                        const updatedMessages = [...messages, newMessage];
+                        setMessages(updatedMessages);
+                      }}
+                      isUserMessage={isUserMessage}
+                      onScrollToBottom={handleScrollToBottom}
+                    />
                   ) : (
                     // Render messages with SearchView wrapper when search is enabled
-                    <SearchView>{renderMessages()}</SearchView>
+                    <SearchView>
+                      <ProgressiveMessageList
+                        messages={filteredMessages}
+                        chat={chat}
+                        toolCallNotifications={toolCallNotifications}
+                        append={append}
+                        appendMessage={(newMessage) => {
+                          const updatedMessages = [...messages, newMessage];
+                          setMessages(updatedMessages);
+                        }}
+                        isUserMessage={isUserMessage}
+                        onScrollToBottom={handleScrollToBottom}
+                      />
+                    </SearchView>
                   )}
 
                   {error && (
diff --git a/ui/desktop/src/components/ProgressiveMessageList.tsx b/ui/desktop/src/components/ProgressiveMessageList.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..9749b715af
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ui/desktop/src/components/ProgressiveMessageList.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,277 @@
+/**
+ * ProgressiveMessageList Component
+ *
+ * A performance-optimized message list that renders messages progressively
+ * to prevent UI blocking when loading long chat sessions. This component
+ * renders messages in batches with a loading indicator, maintaining full
+ * compatibility with the search functionality.
+ *
+ * Key Features:
+ * - Progressive rendering in configurable batches
+ * - Loading indicator during batch processing
+ * - Maintains search functionality compatibility
+ * - Smooth user experience with responsive UI
+ * - Configurable batch size and delay
+ */
+
+import { useState, useEffect, useCallback, useRef } from 'react';
+import { Message } from '../types/message';
+import GooseMessage from './GooseMessage';
+import UserMessage from './UserMessage';
+import { ContextHandler } from './context_management/ContextHandler';
+import { useChatContextManager } from './context_management/ChatContextManager';
+import { NotificationEvent } from '../hooks/useMessageStream';
+import LoadingGoose from './LoadingGoose';
+
+interface ProgressiveMessageListProps {
+  messages: Message[];
+  chat?: { id: string; messageHistoryIndex: number }; // Make optional for session history
+  toolCallNotifications?: Map<string, NotificationEvent[]>; // Make optional
+  append?: (value: string) => void; // Make optional
+  appendMessage?: (message: Message) => void; // Make optional
+  isUserMessage: (message: Message) => boolean;
+  onScrollToBottom?: () => void;
+  batchSize?: number;
+  batchDelay?: number;
+  showLoadingThreshold?: number; // Only show loading if more than X messages
+  // Custom render function for messages
+  renderMessage?: (message: Message, index: number) => React.ReactNode | null;
+}
+
+export default function ProgressiveMessageList({
+  messages,
+  chat,
+  toolCallNotifications = new Map(),
+  append = () => {},
+  appendMessage = () => {},
+  isUserMessage,
+  onScrollToBottom,
+  batchSize = 15, // Render 15 messages per batch (reduced for better UX)
+  batchDelay = 30, // 30ms delay between batches (faster)
+  showLoadingThreshold = 30, // Only show progressive loading for 30+ messages (lower threshold)
+  renderMessage, // Custom render function
+}: ProgressiveMessageListProps) {
+  const [renderedCount, setRenderedCount] = useState(() => {
+    // Initialize with either all messages (if small) or first batch (if large)
+    return messages.length <= showLoadingThreshold
+      ? messages.length
+      : Math.min(batchSize, messages.length);
+  });
+  const [isLoading, setIsLoading] = useState(() => messages.length > showLoadingThreshold);
+  const timeoutRef = useRef<number | null>(null);
+  const mountedRef = useRef(true);
+
+  // Try to use context manager, but don't require it for session history
+  let hasContextHandlerContent: ((message: Message) => boolean) | undefined;
+  let getContextHandlerType:
+    | ((message: Message) => 'contextLengthExceeded' | 'summarizationRequested')
+    | undefined;
+
+  try {
+    const contextManager = useChatContextManager();
+    hasContextHandlerContent = contextManager.hasContextHandlerContent;
+    getContextHandlerType = contextManager.getContextHandlerType;
+  } catch (error) {
+    // Context manager not available (e.g., in session history view)
+    // This is fine, we'll just skip context handler functionality
+    hasContextHandlerContent = undefined;
+    getContextHandlerType = undefined;
+  }
+
+  // Simple progressive loading - start immediately when component mounts if needed
+  useEffect(() => {
+    console.log(
+      `ProgressiveMessageList: ${messages.length} messages, threshold: ${showLoadingThreshold}, renderedCount: ${renderedCount}`
+    );
+
+    if (messages.length <= showLoadingThreshold) {
+      // Small list - render all immediately
+      console.log('ProgressiveMessageList: Small list, rendering all immediately');
+      setRenderedCount(messages.length);
+      setIsLoading(false);
+      return;
+    }
+
+    console.log('ProgressiveMessageList: Large list, starting progressive loading');
+
+    // Large list - start progressive loading
+    const loadNextBatch = () => {
+      setRenderedCount((current) => {
+        const nextCount = Math.min(current + batchSize, messages.length);
+        console.log(
+          `ProgressiveMessageList: Loading batch, now showing ${nextCount}/${messages.length}`
+        );
+
+        if (nextCount >= messages.length) {
+          console.log('ProgressiveMessageList: All messages loaded');
+          setIsLoading(false);
+          // Trigger scroll to bottom
+          window.setTimeout(() => {
+            onScrollToBottom?.();
+          }, 100);
+        } else {
+          // Schedule next batch
+          timeoutRef.current = window.setTimeout(loadNextBatch, batchDelay);
+        }
+
+        return nextCount;
+      });
+    };
+
+    // Start loading after a short delay
+    timeoutRef.current = window.setTimeout(loadNextBatch, batchDelay);
+
+    return () => {
+      if (timeoutRef.current) {
+        window.clearTimeout(timeoutRef.current);
+        timeoutRef.current = null;
+      }
+    };
+  }, [
+    messages.length,
+    batchSize,
+    batchDelay,
+    showLoadingThreshold,
+    onScrollToBottom,
+    renderedCount,
+  ]);
+
+  // Cleanup on unmount
+  useEffect(() => {
+    mountedRef.current = true;
+    return () => {
+      mountedRef.current = false;
+      if (timeoutRef.current) {
+        window.clearTimeout(timeoutRef.current);
+      }
+    };
+  }, []);
+
+  // Force complete rendering when search is active
+  useEffect(() => {
+    const handleKeyDown = (e: KeyboardEvent) => {
+      const isMac = window.electron.platform === 'darwin';
+      const isSearchShortcut = (isMac ? e.metaKey : e.ctrlKey) && e.key === 'f';
+
+      if (isSearchShortcut && isLoading) {
+        // Immediately render all messages when search is triggered
+        setRenderedCount(messages.length);
+        setIsLoading(false);
+        if (timeoutRef.current) {
+          window.clearTimeout(timeoutRef.current);
+          timeoutRef.current = null;
+        }
+      }
+    };
+
+    window.addEventListener('keydown', handleKeyDown);
+    return () => window.removeEventListener('keydown', handleKeyDown);
+  }, [isLoading, messages.length]);
+
+  // Render messages up to the current rendered count
+  const renderMessages = useCallback(() => {
+    const messagesToRender = messages.slice(0, renderedCount);
+
+    const renderedMessages = messagesToRender
+      .map((message, index) => {
+        // Use custom render function if provided
+        if (renderMessage) {
+          return renderMessage(message, index);
+        }
+
+        // Default rendering logic (for BaseChat)
+        if (!chat) {
+          console.warn(
+            'ProgressiveMessageList: chat prop is required when not using custom renderMessage'
+          );
+          return null;
+        }
+
+        const isUser = isUserMessage(message);
+
+        const result = (
+          <div
+            key={message.id || index}
+            className={`relative ${index === 0 ? 'mt-0' : 'mt-4'} ${isUser ? 'user' : 'assistant'}`}
+            data-testid="message-container"
+          >
+            {isUser ? (
+              <>
+                {hasContextHandlerContent && hasContextHandlerContent(message) ? (
+                  <ContextHandler
+                    messages={messages}
+                    messageId={message.id ?? message.created.toString()}
+                    chatId={chat.id}
+                    workingDir={window.appConfig.get('GOOSE_WORKING_DIR') as string}
+                    contextType={getContextHandlerType!(message)}
+                    onSummaryComplete={() => {
+                      window.setTimeout(() => onScrollToBottom?.(), 100);
+                    }}
+                  />
+                ) : (
+                  <UserMessage message={message} />
+                )}
+              </>
+            ) : (
+              <>
+                {hasContextHandlerContent && hasContextHandlerContent(message) ? (
+                  <ContextHandler
+                    messages={messages}
+                    messageId={message.id ?? message.created.toString()}
+                    chatId={chat.id}
+                    workingDir={window.appConfig.get('GOOSE_WORKING_DIR') as string}
+                    contextType={getContextHandlerType!(message)}
+                    onSummaryComplete={() => {
+                      window.setTimeout(() => onScrollToBottom?.(), 100);
+                    }}
+                  />
+                ) : (
+                  <GooseMessage
+                    messageHistoryIndex={chat.messageHistoryIndex}
+                    message={message}
+                    messages={messages}
+                    append={append}
+                    appendMessage={appendMessage}
+                    toolCallNotifications={toolCallNotifications}
+                  />
+                )}
+              </>
+            )}
+          </div>
+        );
+
+        return result;
+      })
+      .filter(Boolean); // Filter out null values
+
+    return renderedMessages;
+  }, [
+    messages,
+    renderedCount,
+    renderMessage,
+    isUserMessage,
+    hasContextHandlerContent,
+    getContextHandlerType,
+    chat,
+    append,
+    appendMessage,
+    toolCallNotifications,
+    onScrollToBottom,
+  ]);
+
+  return (
+    <>
+      {renderMessages()}
+
+      {/* Loading indicator when progressively rendering */}
+      {isLoading && (
+        <div className="flex flex-col items-center justify-center py-8">
+          <LoadingGoose message={`Loading messages... (${renderedCount}/${messages.length})`} />
+          <div className="text-xs text-text-muted mt-2">
+            Press Cmd/Ctrl+F to load all messages immediately for search
+          </div>
+        </div>
+      )}
+    </>
+  );
+}
diff --git a/ui/desktop/src/components/sessions/SessionHistoryView.tsx b/ui/desktop/src/components/sessions/SessionHistoryView.tsx
index 88f91ae3f5..23d764743d 100644
--- a/ui/desktop/src/components/sessions/SessionHistoryView.tsx
+++ b/ui/desktop/src/components/sessions/SessionHistoryView.tsx
@@ -28,10 +28,47 @@ import {
   DialogHeader,
   DialogTitle,
 } from '../ui/dialog';
-import UserMessage from '../UserMessage';
-import GooseMessage from '../GooseMessage';
+import ProgressiveMessageList from '../ProgressiveMessageList';
+import { SearchView } from '../conversation/SearchView';
+import { ChatContextManagerProvider } from '../context_management/ChatContextManager';
 import { Message } from '../../types/message';
 
+// Helper function to determine if a message is a user message (same as useChatEngine)
+const isUserMessage = (message: Message): boolean => {
+  if (message.role === 'assistant') {
+    return false;
+  }
+  if (message.content.every((c) => c.type === 'toolConfirmationRequest')) {
+    return false;
+  }
+  return true;
+};
+
+// Filter messages for display (same logic as useChatEngine)
+const filterMessagesForDisplay = (messages: Message[]): Message[] => {
+  return messages.filter((message) => {
+    // Only filter out when display is explicitly false
+    if (message.display === false) return false;
+
+    // Keep all assistant messages and user messages that aren't just tool responses
+    if (message.role === 'assistant') return true;
+
+    // For user messages, check if they're only tool responses
+    if (message.role === 'user') {
+      const hasOnlyToolResponses = message.content.every((c) => c.type === 'toolResponse');
+      const hasTextContent = message.content.some((c) => c.type === 'text');
+      const hasToolConfirmation = message.content.every(
+        (c) => c.type === 'toolConfirmationRequest'
+      );
+
+      // Keep the message if it has text content or tool confirmation or is not just tool responses
+      return hasTextContent || !hasOnlyToolResponses || hasToolConfirmation;
+    }
+
+    return true;
+  });
+};
+
 interface SessionHistoryViewProps {
   session: SessionDetails;
   isLoading: boolean;
@@ -64,13 +101,16 @@ const SessionHeader: React.FC<{
   );
 };
 
-// New component for displaying session messages with chat styling
+// Session messages component that uses the same rendering as BaseChat
 const SessionMessages: React.FC<{
   messages: Message[];
   isLoading: boolean;
   error: string | null;
   onRetry: () => void;
 }> = ({ messages, isLoading, error, onRetry }) => {
+  // Filter messages for display (same as BaseChat)
+  const filteredMessages = filterMessagesForDisplay(messages);
+
   return (
     <ScrollArea className="h-full w-full">
       <div className="pb-24 pt-8">
@@ -90,35 +130,30 @@ const SessionMessages: React.FC<{
                 Try Again
               </Button>
             </div>
-          ) : messages?.length > 0 ? (
-            <div className="max-w-4xl mx-auto w-full">
-              {messages
-                .map((message) => {
-                  // Skip pure tool response messages for cleaner display
-                  const isOnlyToolResponse =
-                    message.content.length > 0 &&
-                    message.content.every((c) => c.type === 'toolResponse');
-
-                  if (isOnlyToolResponse) {
-                    return null;
-                  }
-
-                  return message.role === 'user' ? (
-                    <UserMessage key={message.id} message={message} />
-                  ) : (
-                    <GooseMessage
-                      key={message.id}
-                      messageHistoryIndex={messages.length}
-                      message={message}
-                      messages={messages}
-                      append={() => {}}
-                      appendMessage={() => {}}
-                      toolCallNotifications={new Map()}
-                    />
-                  );
-                })
-                .filter(Boolean)}
-            </div>
+          ) : filteredMessages?.length > 0 ? (
+            <ChatContextManagerProvider>
+              <div className="max-w-4xl mx-auto w-full">
+                <SearchView>
+                  <ProgressiveMessageList
+                    messages={filteredMessages}
+                    chat={{
+                      id: 'session-preview',
+                      messageHistoryIndex: filteredMessages.length,
+                    }}
+                    toolCallNotifications={new Map()}
+                    append={() => {}} // Read-only for session history
+                    appendMessage={(newMessage) => {
+                      // Read-only - do nothing
+                      console.log('appendMessage called in read-only session history:', newMessage);
+                    }}
+                    isUserMessage={isUserMessage} // Use the same function as BaseChat
+                    batchSize={15} // Same as BaseChat default
+                    batchDelay={30} // Same as BaseChat default
+                    showLoadingThreshold={30} // Same as BaseChat default
+                  />
+                </SearchView>
+              </div>
+            </ChatContextManagerProvider>
           ) : (
             <div className="flex flex-col items-center justify-center py-8 text-textSubtle">
               <MessageSquareText className="w-12 h-12 mb-4" />
diff --git a/ui/desktop/src/hooks/useRecipeManager.ts b/ui/desktop/src/hooks/useRecipeManager.ts
index 924a1723ca..6e805604af 100644
--- a/ui/desktop/src/hooks/useRecipeManager.ts
+++ b/ui/desktop/src/hooks/useRecipeManager.ts
@@ -27,33 +27,19 @@ export const useRecipeManager = (messages: Message[], locationState?: LocationSt
     // First check if we have a persisted recipe in chat context
     // We need to distinguish between null (explicitly cleared) and undefined (not set)
     if (chatContext?.chat.recipeConfig !== undefined) {
-      console.log('useRecipeManager: Using recipe from chat context:', {
-        recipeConfig: chatContext.chat.recipeConfig,
-        title: chatContext.chat.recipeConfig?.title,
-      });
       return chatContext.chat.recipeConfig; // This could be null or a Recipe
     }
 
     // Then check if recipe config is passed via navigation state
     if (locationState?.recipeConfig) {
-      console.log('useRecipeManager: Using recipe from location state:', {
-        recipeConfig: locationState.recipeConfig,
-        title: locationState.recipeConfig.title,
-      });
       return locationState.recipeConfig as Recipe;
     }
 
     // Fallback to app config (from deeplinks)
     const appRecipeConfig = window.appConfig.get('recipeConfig') as Recipe | null;
     if (appRecipeConfig) {
-      console.log('useRecipeManager: Using recipe from app config:', {
-        recipeConfig: appRecipeConfig,
-        title: appRecipeConfig.title,
-      });
       return appRecipeConfig;
     }
-
-    console.log('useRecipeManager: No recipe config found');
     return null;
   }, [chatContext, locationState]);