diff --git a/static/ui.js b/static/ui.js
index 90c70f5c8..236611fb2 100644
--- a/static/ui.js
+++ b/static/ui.js
@@ -1291,19 +1291,42 @@ function _rememberUserRowIntrinsicHeight(sessionMsgIdx, height){
 function _estimateUserRowIntrinsicHeight(rawText){
   const t=String(rawText||'');
   if(!t) return 96;
-  // ~48 chars/line at the mobile user-bubble width (≈90% of a phone viewport), ~22px per
-  // line + ~24px row chrome; floored at the stylesheet's 96px so a short row never reserves
-  // LESS than today (estimate can only add reserved height for tall rows, never regress).
+  // ~48 half-width chars/line at the mobile user-bubble width (≈90% of a phone viewport),
+  // ~22px per line + ~24px row chrome; floored at the stylesheet's 96px so a short row never
+  // reserves LESS than today (estimate can only add reserved height for tall rows, never
+  // regress). CJK / full-width characters occupy ~2 columns each, so a Chinese/Japanese/
+  // Korean paste wraps at ~24 chars/line — counting them as 1 badly UNDER-estimates the
+  // height (a 3k-char CJK paste is ~2x taller than the naive length/48 guess). Weight wide
+  // characters as 2 columns so the fresh-row reserve is close to reality even for a row the
+  // reader has never scrolled into view (content-visibility:auto reports only the reserve
+  // for a never-painted row, so a good estimate is the only backstop there). Uses a Unicode
+  // range test (no \p{} — keep the RegExp engine-portable across the supported browsers).
   const explicitLines=(t.match(/\n/g)||[]).length+1;
-  const wrapLines=Math.ceil(t.length/48);
+  let columns=0;
+  for(let i=0;i<t.length;i++){
+    const c=t.charCodeAt(i);
+    // CJK Unified + Ext-A, Hiragana/Katakana, Hangul, CJK symbols/punctuation, full-width forms.
+    const wide=(c>=0x1100&&c<=0x115F)||(c>=0x2E80&&c<=0xA4CF)||(c>=0xAC00&&c<=0xD7A3)||
+               (c>=0xF900&&c<=0xFAFF)||(c>=0xFE30&&c<=0xFE4F)||(c>=0xFF00&&c<=0xFF60)||(c>=0xFFE0&&c<=0xFFE6);
+    columns+=wide?2:1;
+  }
+  const wrapLines=Math.ceil(columns/48);
   const lines=Math.max(explicitLines, wrapLines);
   return Math.max(96, Math.round(lines*22+24));
 }
 function _applyUserRowIntrinsicHeight(row, rawText){
   if(!row||!row.style||!row.dataset) return;
   const key=Number(row.dataset.sessionMsgIdx);
-  let h=Number.isFinite(key)?_userRowIntrinsicHeightBySessionIdx[key]:0;
-  if(!(h>0)) h=_estimateUserRowIntrinsicHeight(rawText!=null?rawText:row.dataset.rawText);
+  const remembered=Number.isFinite(key)?Number(_userRowIntrinsicHeightBySessionIdx[key])||0:0;
+  const estimate=_estimateUserRowIntrinsicHeight(rawText!=null?rawText:row.dataset.rawText);
+  // Reserve the LARGER of the remembered measurement and the content estimate. A remembered
+  // height can be a PARTIAL paint: a user row taller than the viewport that only ever had its
+  // top slice scrolled through content-visibility:auto reports just the painted portion, not
+  // its full height — persisting that would under-reserve and let scrollHeight collapse on the
+  // next rebuild (the jump-back). Taking the max means a good estimate floors the reserve even
+  // when the measurement under-read, while a full measurement (row shorter than the viewport,
+  // fully painted) still wins when it exceeds the estimate.
+  const h=Math.max(remembered, estimate);
   if(h>0) row.style.containIntrinsicSize='auto '+Math.round(h)+'px';
 }
 function _measureMessageVirtualRow(inner, entry){
@@ -1361,6 +1384,70 @@ function _updateMessageVirtualMeasurements(renderVisWithIdx, renderVisibleIdxs,
     _markMessageVirtualMeasurementsSettled(virtualWindow);
   }
 }
+// #5638 follow-up — the non-virtualized transcript path (the #4325 opt-out, where
+// _virtualizeTranscript===false renders every row with no windowing) never runs the
+// virtualized measure pass above, so a user row's real height is never remembered.
+// content-visibility:auto on user rows then collapses a freshly-rebuilt off-screen tall
+// user row to its flat contain-intrinsic-size estimate on every renderMessages() rebuild
+// (each streaming frame does inner.innerHTML='' then rebuilds all rows as FRESH elements
+// that have never painted at full size). scrollHeight shrinks by (realHeight-estimate),
+// the browser force-clamps scrollTop, and the viewport jumps backward — the desktop/mobile
+// jump-back, with JS=none because the clamp is the browser's own.
+//
+// The reliable moment to read a user row's REAL height is JUST BEFORE the wipe: the old
+// rows are still in the DOM, laid out at full height (content-visibility:auto reports the
+// true rect height once an element has painted, at any scroll position — verified: a tall
+// off-screen user row still measures its real height pre-wipe). A POST-render read is
+// unreliable because a freshly-rebuilt off-screen row reports its collapsed reserve, not
+// its real size, so it would persist the wrong (small) value. Capture pre-wipe, keyed by
+// the stable session-relative index, so the rebuild's _applyUserRowIntrinsicHeight reserves
+// the real off-screen height and scrollHeight stays stable across the rebuild.
+// Desktop rests at content-visibility:visible (intrinsic-size ignored) → inert there.
+function _rememberRenderedUserRowIntrinsicHeights(){
+  const container=$('messages');
+  const inner=$('msgInner');
+  if(!container||!inner) return;
+  const rows=inner.querySelectorAll('.msg-row[data-role="user"][data-msg-idx]');
+  if(!rows.length) return;
+  const cRect=container.getBoundingClientRect();
+  // Only trust a row that is currently WITHIN (or straddling) the viewport: such a row has
+  // been painted at full size, so getBoundingClientRect().height is its REAL height. A row
+  // that content-visibility:auto is skipping (fully off-screen and never painted this
+  // session) reports only its contain-intrinsic-size reserve — persisting THAT would poison
+  // the remembered height with the collapsed value and defeat the estimate backstop for a
+  // never-seen row. The viewport intersection test is the reliable "has this row painted?"
+  // signal (an off-screen row that WAS painted earlier keeps its real height too, but we
+  // don't need it here — it either was captured on a prior in-view pass or the estimate
+  // covers it). Small margin so a row just above/below the fold still counts as painted.
+  const margin=Math.max(0, cRect.height||0);
+  for(let i=0;i<rows.length;i++){
+    const row=rows[i];
+    if(!row||!row.dataset||!row.style) continue;
+    const r=row.getBoundingClientRect();
+    const measured=Math.max(0, r.height||0);
+    if(!(measured>0)) continue;
+    // In-viewport (with a one-screen margin) ⇒ painted ⇒ height is trustworthy — but only
+    // for a row that FITS the viewport. A row taller than the viewport only ever paints the
+    // intersecting slice under content-visibility:auto, so its measured height is a PARTIAL
+    // value, not the full row. Floor every persisted height at the content estimate so a
+    // partial paint can never lower the reserve below a reasonable full-row guess; a full
+    // paint (short row) still wins when it exceeds the estimate.
+    const inView=(r.bottom>=cRect.top-margin)&&(r.top<=cRect.bottom+margin);
+    if(!inView) continue;
+    const estimate=(typeof _estimateUserRowIntrinsicHeight==='function')
+      ? _estimateUserRowIntrinsicHeight(row.dataset.rawText) : 0;
+    const h=Math.max(measured, estimate);
+    if(!(h>0)) continue;
+    const key=Number(row.dataset.sessionMsgIdx);
+    const remembered=Number.isFinite(key)?Number(_userRowIntrinsicHeightBySessionIdx[key])||0:0;
+    // Keep the tallest reserve seen — a row mid-collapse (rebuild transient) can report a
+    // shrunken size; never let that overwrite a good taller remembered value.
+    if(h>=remembered && typeof _rememberUserRowIntrinsicHeight==='function'){
+      _rememberUserRowIntrinsicHeight(row.dataset.sessionMsgIdx, h);
+      row.style.containIntrinsicSize='auto '+Math.round(h)+'px';
+    }
+  }
+}
 function _scheduleMessageVirtualizedRender(force){
   const container=$('messages');
   const inner=$('msgInner');
@@ -14049,6 +14136,15 @@ function renderMessages(options){
     if(!_m) return false;
     return (_m.scrollHeight-_m.scrollTop-_m.clientHeight)<=8;
   })();
+  // Pre-wipe capture: read the still-laid-out user rows' REAL heights before the wipe below
+  // destroys them, and persist so the rebuild reserves the real off-screen height. This is
+  // the non-virtualized analog of #5638's virtualized measure pass (which never runs when
+  // _virtualizeTranscript===false). Without it, a fresh off-screen tall user row reserves
+  // only the flat contain-intrinsic-size estimate, scrollHeight shrinks, and the browser
+  // clamps scrollTop → the jump-back. Reading pre-wipe (not post-render) is what makes the
+  // measurement reliable — the old elements have painted, so their rect height is real even
+  // off-screen; a post-render read of a fresh off-screen row returns its collapsed reserve.
+  if(typeof _rememberRenderedUserRowIntrinsicHeights==='function') _rememberRenderedUserRowIntrinsicHeights();
   // The DOM wipe can briefly collapse #msgInner to zero height, causing the
   // browser to clamp #messages.scrollTop to 0 and emit a scroll event.  That
   // event is a render artifact, not user intent; if the scroll listener sees it
diff --git a/tests/test_issue5744_nonvirtual_userrow_collapse_jumpback.py b/tests/test_issue5744_nonvirtual_userrow_collapse_jumpback.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..3ba047a3e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_issue5744_nonvirtual_userrow_collapse_jumpback.py
@@ -0,0 +1,354 @@
+"""Regression tests for the non-virtualized user-row content-visibility collapse
+jump-back (follow-up to #5637 / #5638).
+
+Root cause (proven in a mobile-emulated Playwright repro on an isolated debug
+instance): when a reader has transcript virtualization disabled
+(`_virtualizeTranscript === false`, the #4325 opt-out), renderMessages() renders
+every row with no windowing and NEVER runs the virtualized measure pass
+(`_updateMessageVirtualMeasurements` early-returns when
+`!virtualWindow.virtualized`). Under `@media (pointer: coarse)`,
+`.msg-row[data-role="user"]` carries `content-visibility: auto;
+contain-intrinsic-size: auto 96px`. Every renderMessages() rebuild does
+`inner.innerHTML=''` then recreates all rows as FRESH elements; a fresh,
+off-screen tall user row (e.g. a long paste measuring thousands of px) reserves
+only the flat estimate instead of its real height, so scrollHeight shrinks by
+(realHeight - estimate) and the browser force-clamps scrollTop -> the viewport
+jumps backward (`JS=none`, a browser clamp, which is why no JS scrollTop-write
+compensation catches it). Desktop rests at content-visibility:visible so
+intrinsic-size is inert there.
+
+Three coordinated pieces fix it, each covered below:
+1. `_estimateUserRowIntrinsicHeight` weights CJK / full-width characters as ~2
+   columns, so a Chinese/Japanese/Korean paste (which wraps at ~24 chars/line,
+   not 48) reserves close to its real height even before it is ever measured.
+2. `_applyUserRowIntrinsicHeight` reserves `max(remembered, estimate)`, so a
+   PARTIAL-paint remembered height (a row taller than the viewport only ever
+   paints its intersecting slice under content-visibility:auto) can never
+   under-reserve below the content estimate.
+3. `_rememberRenderedUserRowIntrinsicHeights` (called pre-wipe inside
+   renderMessages, and the non-virtualized analog of #5638's measure pass) only
+   persists a height from a row currently within the viewport (painted =>
+   trustworthy) and floors it at the estimate.
+
+Each behavioral test is written to FAIL on the known-buggy version and PASS only
+on the fixed version (mutation notes inline).
+"""
+import json
+import pathlib
+import shutil
+import subprocess
+import tempfile
+
+import pytest
+
+ROOT = pathlib.Path(__file__).parent.parent
+UI_JS_PATH = ROOT / "static" / "ui.js"
+NODE = shutil.which("node")
+
+pytestmark = pytest.mark.skipif(NODE is None, reason="node not on PATH")
+
+
+def _run_node(source: str) -> str:
+    with tempfile.NamedTemporaryFile(
+        "w", suffix=".cjs", encoding="utf-8", dir=ROOT, delete=False
+    ) as script:
+        script.write(source)
+        script_path = pathlib.Path(script.name)
+    try:
+        result = subprocess.run(
+            [NODE, str(script_path)],
+            cwd=str(ROOT),
+            capture_output=True,
+            text=True,
+            timeout=30,
+        )
+    finally:
+        script_path.unlink(missing_ok=True)
+    if result.returncode != 0:
+        raise RuntimeError(result.stderr)
+    return result.stdout.strip()
+
+
+def _extract_func_script(js: str) -> str:
+    # Brace-matches a function body while skipping braces inside string / template
+    # / regex literals and comments (same hardened extractor as the sibling #5638
+    # suite).
+    prelude = "const src = " + json.dumps(js) + ";\n"
+    body = r"""
+function extractFunc(name) {
+  const re = new RegExp('function\\s+' + name + '\\s*\\(');
+  const start = src.search(re);
+  if (start < 0) throw new Error(name + ' not found');
+  let i = src.indexOf('{', start);
+  let depth = 1; i++;
+  let str = null;
+  let inLine = false;
+  let inBlock = false;
+  let inRegex = false;
+  let prev = '';
+  while (depth > 0 && i < src.length) {
+    const c = src[i];
+    const n = src[i + 1];
+    if (inLine) { if (c === '\n') inLine = false; i++; continue; }
+    if (inBlock) { if (c === '*' && n === '/') { inBlock = false; i++; } i++; continue; }
+    if (str) {
+      if (c === '\\') { i += 2; continue; }
+      if (c === str) str = null;
+      i++; continue;
+    }
+    if (inRegex) {
+      if (c === '\\') { i += 2; continue; }
+      if (c === '/') inRegex = false;
+      i++; continue;
+    }
+    if (c === '/' && n === '/') { inLine = true; i += 2; continue; }
+    if (c === '/' && n === '*') { inBlock = true; i += 2; continue; }
+    if (c === '"' || c === "'" || c === '`') { str = c; i++; continue; }
+    if (c === '/' && !'})]0123456789'.includes(prev) && !/[A-Za-z_$]/.test(prev)) {
+      inRegex = true; i++; continue;
+    }
+    if (c === '{') depth++;
+    else if (c === '}') depth--;
+    if (c.trim()) prev = c;
+    i++;
+  }
+  return src.slice(start, i);
+}"""
+    return prelude + body
+
+
+def _dom_prelude() -> str:
+    """Fake DOM: a $('id') helper returning a fake #messages container and
+    #msgInner, plus user rows with getBoundingClientRect + dataset + style, so
+    the extracted _rememberRenderedUserRowIntrinsicHeights can run headless.
+
+    The container is 600px tall (viewport). A row's `top` is where it sits
+    relative to the container top; a row is "in view" when it straddles the
+    [0, 600] band widened by a one-screen margin.
+    """
+    return r"""
+var _userRowIntrinsicHeightBySessionIdx = Object.create(null);
+function makeRow(role, sessionMsgIdx, rectTop, rectHeight, rawText){
+  return {
+    _top: rectTop, _height: rectHeight,
+    style: { containIntrinsicSize: '' },
+    dataset: { role: role, sessionMsgIdx: String(sessionMsgIdx),
+               rawText: rawText || '', msgIdx: String(sessionMsgIdx) },
+    classList: { contains(){ return false; } },
+    getAttribute(){ return null; },
+    getBoundingClientRect(){ return { top: this._top, bottom: this._top + this._height, height: this._height }; },
+  };
+}
+var __rows = [];
+var __container = { getBoundingClientRect(){ return { top: 0, bottom: 600, height: 600 }; } };
+var __inner = { querySelectorAll(){ return __rows.slice(); } };
+function $(id){ if(id==='messages') return __container; if(id==='msgInner') return __inner; return null; }
+"""
+
+
+def test_estimate_weights_cjk_as_double_width():
+    """A CJK (full-width) paste must reserve ~2x the height a same-length latin
+    paste would, because CJK glyphs occupy ~2 columns and wrap at ~24 chars/line.
+    The pre-fix estimate counted every char as 1 column, badly under-reserving a
+    Chinese/Japanese/Korean row -> off-screen collapse -> jump-back.
+
+    Mutation: revert the per-char width weighting (count `columns += 1` for all)
+    and the CJK estimate drops to the latin value, failing the >1.7x assertion.
+    """
+    js = UI_JS_PATH.read_text(encoding="utf-8")
+    source = _extract_func_script(js) + r"""
+eval(extractFunc('_estimateUserRowIntrinsicHeight'));
+// Equal CHARACTER counts; the CJK one has ~2x the visual columns.
+const latin = 'a'.repeat(1200);
+const cjk = '\u4e2d'.repeat(1200);   // 1200 CJK ideographs
+console.log(JSON.stringify({
+  latin: _estimateUserRowIntrinsicHeight(latin),
+  cjk: _estimateUserRowIntrinsicHeight(cjk),
+}));
+"""
+    m = json.loads(_run_node(source))
+    assert m["cjk"] > m["latin"] * 1.7, (
+        "a CJK paste must reserve ~2x a same-length latin paste (full-width "
+        f"columns); got cjk={m['cjk']} latin={m['latin']}"
+    )
+
+
+def test_estimate_short_row_still_floors_at_96():
+    """No regression: a short row must never reserve less than today's 96px."""
+    js = UI_JS_PATH.read_text(encoding="utf-8")
+    source = _extract_func_script(js) + r"""
+eval(extractFunc('_estimateUserRowIntrinsicHeight'));
+console.log(JSON.stringify({
+  empty: _estimateUserRowIntrinsicHeight(''),
+  hi: _estimateUserRowIntrinsicHeight('hi'),
+  cjkShort: _estimateUserRowIntrinsicHeight('\u4f60\u597d'),
+}));
+"""
+    m = json.loads(_run_node(source))
+    assert m["empty"] == 96 and m["hi"] == 96 and m["cjkShort"] == 96, (
+        f"short rows must floor at 96px; got {m!r}"
+    )
+
+
+def test_apply_reserves_max_of_remembered_and_estimate():
+    """_applyUserRowIntrinsicHeight must reserve max(remembered, estimate). A
+    remembered height can be a PARTIAL paint (a row taller than the viewport only
+    paints its intersecting slice), so when the content estimate is LARGER it must
+    win -- otherwise a partial 1500px remembered value under-reserves a really
+    3000px row and scrollHeight collapses on the next rebuild.
+
+    Mutation: change `Math.max(remembered, estimate)` back to
+    "remembered if >0 else estimate" and this fails (the small remembered value is
+    used even though the estimate is larger).
+    """
+    js = UI_JS_PATH.read_text(encoding="utf-8")
+    source = _extract_func_script(js) + _dom_prelude() + r"""
+eval(extractFunc('_rememberUserRowIntrinsicHeight'));
+eval(extractFunc('_estimateUserRowIntrinsicHeight'));
+eval(extractFunc('_applyUserRowIntrinsicHeight'));
+// A big CJK paste whose real height >> a stale partial-paint remembered value.
+const longCjk = '\u4e2d'.repeat(1500);
+const estimate = _estimateUserRowIntrinsicHeight(longCjk);
+// Remember a PARTIAL paint far below the estimate (the viewport-slice trap).
+_rememberUserRowIntrinsicHeight(4, 900);
+const row = makeRow('user', 4, 0, 0, longCjk);
+_applyUserRowIntrinsicHeight(row, longCjk);
+console.log(JSON.stringify({ reserved: row.style.containIntrinsicSize, estimate: estimate }));
+"""
+    m = json.loads(_run_node(source))
+    reserved_px = int("".join(ch for ch in m["reserved"] if ch.isdigit()))
+    assert reserved_px == m["estimate"], (
+        "apply must reserve the larger content estimate when the remembered value "
+        f"is a smaller partial paint; got {m['reserved']!r}, estimate {m['estimate']}"
+    )
+    assert reserved_px > 900, "the small partial-paint remembered value must not win"
+
+
+def test_apply_still_prefers_a_taller_remembered_full_measurement():
+    """The max() must not regress the #5638 case: when a full measurement (taller
+    than the estimate) was remembered, the rebuild still reserves that real height.
+    """
+    js = UI_JS_PATH.read_text(encoding="utf-8")
+    source = _extract_func_script(js) + _dom_prelude() + r"""
+eval(extractFunc('_rememberUserRowIntrinsicHeight'));
+eval(extractFunc('_estimateUserRowIntrinsicHeight'));
+eval(extractFunc('_applyUserRowIntrinsicHeight'));
+_rememberUserRowIntrinsicHeight(7, 4901);
+const row = makeRow('user', 7, 0, 0, 'short at build time');
+_applyUserRowIntrinsicHeight(row, 'short at build time');
+console.log(JSON.stringify({ reserved: row.style.containIntrinsicSize }));
+"""
+    m = json.loads(_run_node(source))
+    assert m["reserved"] == "auto 4901px", (
+        f"a taller remembered full measurement must still win; got {m['reserved']!r}"
+    )
+
+
+def test_remember_persists_only_in_viewport_rows():
+    """_rememberRenderedUserRowIntrinsicHeights must persist a height ONLY for a
+    row currently within (or straddling) the viewport band. A fully off-screen row
+    reports its collapsed content-visibility reserve, not its real height;
+    persisting THAT would poison the remembered map and defeat the estimate
+    backstop for a never-seen row.
+
+    Setup: one in-view user row (top 100, height 400 -> within [0,600]) whose
+    measurement 400 exceeds its tiny estimate, and one far-off-screen user row
+    (top 9000) whose reported height is a bogus small "reserve". Only the in-view
+    row's height may be remembered.
+
+    Mutation: drop the `if(!inView) continue;` guard and the off-screen row's bogus
+    height gets persisted, failing the assertion that its key stays unset.
+    """
+    js = UI_JS_PATH.read_text(encoding="utf-8")
+    source = _extract_func_script(js) + _dom_prelude() + r"""
+eval(extractFunc('_rememberUserRowIntrinsicHeight'));
+eval(extractFunc('_estimateUserRowIntrinsicHeight'));
+eval(extractFunc('_rememberRenderedUserRowIntrinsicHeights'));
+// In-view row at session idx 1: straddles the [0,600] viewport, measured 400px.
+// Give it empty rawText so its estimate is the 96 floor and the 400 measurement wins.
+const inView = makeRow('user', 1, 100, 400, '');
+// Far off-screen row at session idx 2: top 9000 (way past the one-screen margin),
+// reports a bogus small collapsed 96px reserve.
+const offScreen = makeRow('user', 2, 9000, 96, '');
+__rows = [inView, offScreen];
+_rememberRenderedUserRowIntrinsicHeights();
+console.log(JSON.stringify({
+  inViewRemembered: _userRowIntrinsicHeightBySessionIdx[1] || 0,
+  offScreenRemembered: _userRowIntrinsicHeightBySessionIdx[2] || 0,
+  offScreenHasKey: (2 in _userRowIntrinsicHeightBySessionIdx),
+}));
+"""
+    m = json.loads(_run_node(source))
+    assert m["inViewRemembered"] == 400, (
+        f"the in-view painted row's real 400px must be remembered; got {m['inViewRemembered']}"
+    )
+    assert not m["offScreenHasKey"], (
+        "a fully off-screen row's collapsed reserve must NOT be persisted "
+        f"(poisons the map); got remembered={m['offScreenRemembered']}"
+    )
+
+
+def test_remember_floors_persisted_height_at_estimate():
+    """When an in-view row is TALLER than the viewport it only paints its slice, so
+    its measured height is a partial value. The persisted height must be floored at
+    the content estimate so a partial paint can never store a value below a
+    reasonable full-row guess.
+
+    Setup: an in-view CJK row whose measured height (500, a partial slice) is far
+    below its content estimate. The remembered value must be the estimate, not 500.
+
+    Mutation: remove the `Math.max(measured, estimate)` floor in the capture and
+    the small 500 partial paint gets stored, failing the assertion.
+    """
+    js = UI_JS_PATH.read_text(encoding="utf-8")
+    source = _extract_func_script(js) + _dom_prelude() + r"""
+eval(extractFunc('_rememberUserRowIntrinsicHeight'));
+eval(extractFunc('_estimateUserRowIntrinsicHeight'));
+eval(extractFunc('_rememberRenderedUserRowIntrinsicHeights'));
+const longCjk = '\u4e2d'.repeat(1500);
+const estimate = _estimateUserRowIntrinsicHeight(longCjk);
+// In-view but only a 500px slice painted (row is taller than the 600px viewport).
+const partial = makeRow('user', 3, 0, 500, longCjk);
+__rows = [partial];
+_rememberRenderedUserRowIntrinsicHeights();
+console.log(JSON.stringify({
+  remembered: _userRowIntrinsicHeightBySessionIdx[3] || 0,
+  estimate: estimate,
+}));
+"""
+    m = json.loads(_run_node(source))
+    assert m["remembered"] == m["estimate"], (
+        "a partial in-view paint must be floored at the content estimate; "
+        f"got remembered={m['remembered']}, estimate={m['estimate']}"
+    )
+    assert m["remembered"] > 500, "the small partial slice must not be stored as-is"
+
+
+def test_rendermessages_calls_prewipe_capture_before_wipe():
+    """The pre-wipe capture must be invoked BEFORE `inner.innerHTML=''` in
+    renderMessages, so it reads the still-laid-out old rows. A post-wipe (or
+    post-render) read would see fresh, never-painted rows reporting their collapsed
+    reserve.
+
+    Structural guard: in the renderMessages source the
+    `_rememberRenderedUserRowIntrinsicHeights()` call must appear before the first
+    `inner.innerHTML=''`. Mutation: move the call after the wipe and this fails.
+    """
+    js = UI_JS_PATH.read_text(encoding="utf-8")
+    source = _extract_func_script(js) + r"""
+eval(extractFunc('renderMessages'));
+const body = renderMessages.toString();
+const capIdx = body.indexOf('_rememberRenderedUserRowIntrinsicHeights(');
+// Match the ACTUAL wipe statement (with trailing semicolon), not the prose
+// mentions of `inner.innerHTML=''` in comments above it. Use the LAST occurrence
+// so a comment reference earlier in the body cannot shadow the real wipe.
+const wipeIdx = body.lastIndexOf("inner.innerHTML='';");
+console.log(JSON.stringify({ capIdx: capIdx, wipeIdx: wipeIdx }));
+"""
+    m = json.loads(_run_node(source))
+    assert m["capIdx"] > 0, "renderMessages must call _rememberRenderedUserRowIntrinsicHeights"
+    assert m["wipeIdx"] > 0, "renderMessages must wipe inner.innerHTML"
+    assert m["capIdx"] < m["wipeIdx"], (
+        "the pre-wipe capture must run BEFORE inner.innerHTML='' so it reads the "
+        f"still-laid-out rows; capIdx={m['capIdx']} wipeIdx={m['wipeIdx']}"
+    )