diff --git a/components/app/chat-view.tsx b/components/app/chat-view.tsx
index 9c585a53c..8dc32b463 100644
--- a/components/app/chat-view.tsx
+++ b/components/app/chat-view.tsx
@@ -445,12 +445,38 @@ export function ChatView({
 
   // Opening a chat lands on its latest message; only new messages in the open chat glide in.
   const shownChat = useRef<string | null>(null);
+  // Whether the reader is at the latest message, so the chat follows it.
+  const follow = useRef(true);
   useLayoutEffect(() => {
     const el = scroller.current;
     if (!el) return;
+    follow.current = true;
     el.scrollTo({ top: el.scrollHeight, behavior: shownChat.current === c.id && !matchMedia("(prefers-reduced-motion: reduce)").matches ? "smooth" : "instant" });
     shownChat.current = c.id;
   }, [messages.length, c.typing.length, c.id]);
+  // A reader at the bottom stays there when the column changes size (the side panel opening makes every bubble
+  // taller): they never land on old messages. One who scrolled up keeps their place. The chat only ever scrolls
+  // itself down, so moving up away from the bottom is always the reader's own.
+  useEffect(() => {
+    const el = scroller.current;
+    if (!el || typeof ResizeObserver !== "function") return;
+    let top = el.scrollTop;
+    const onScroll = () => {
+      if (el.scrollHeight - el.scrollTop - el.clientHeight < 40) follow.current = true;
+      else if (el.scrollTop < top) follow.current = false;
+      top = el.scrollTop;
+    };
+    const ro = new ResizeObserver(() => {
+      if (follow.current) el.scrollTop = el.scrollHeight;
+    });
+    ro.observe(el);
+    for (const child of Array.from(el.children)) ro.observe(child);
+    el.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll, { passive: true });
+    return () => {
+      ro.disconnect();
+      el.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll);
+    };
+  }, [c.id]);
 
   // Marked read only when there's something unread: each mark is a state change every open page reloads.
   const lastAt = messages.at(-1)?.at ?? 0;