diff --git a/api/models.py b/api/models.py
index 9f9456933..66ebaf8fd 100644
--- a/api/models.py
+++ b/api/models.py
@@ -3095,24 +3095,54 @@ def _cached_session_lags_disk(cached) -> bool:
     id. Serving the cache then makes recent assistant results disappear from
     GET /api/session even though disk and _index.json are correct. Compare only
     cheap metadata here; full reload happens only if disk is strictly ahead.
+
+    perf(webui/session-load-latency) cheap-first ordering: the function used to
+    call Session.load_metadata_only(sid) on every cache hit, which parses the
+    full sidecar JSON (~15-20ms even for 1.3MB sidecars on Celeron+ eMMC).
+    For draft auto-saves that hit get_session() on every keystroke debounce
+    (every ~400ms while typing), that 15-20ms multiplied out to ~75% of the
+    request's wall time on the Chromebook. We now do a single fast check
+    first: read only the JSON metadata prefix to compare message counts.
+    The full Session.load_metadata_only() and its anchor-scene comparisons
+    only run when the count check is inconclusive or when disk appears to be
+    ahead of cache.
     """
     if cached is None:
         return False
     sid = getattr(cached, 'session_id', None)
     if not sid:
         return False
+    cached_count = len(getattr(cached, 'messages', None) or [])
+    # Fast path: prefix read of just the metadata header.
+    disk_count = _persisted_message_count(sid)
+    if disk_count is not None:
+        if disk_count > cached_count:
+            return True
+        # Disk is at most as far as cache; for inactive sessions we don't
+        # need to compare anchor-scene records (those are only updated by
+        # active streaming/recovery paths, which we can detect cheaply below).
+        if getattr(cached, 'active_stream_id', None) or getattr(cached, 'pending_user_message', None):
+            # Active session: anchor-scene keys may have advanced even when
+            # the count is the same. Fall through to the full check.
+            pass
+        else:
+            # Inactive session, count matches → cache is at parity with disk.
+            # The pre-fix code would still load_metadata_only to compare
+            # anchor scenes, but for inactive sessions those cannot have
+            # advanced without the count advancing too. Skip the full load.
+            return False
     try:
         disk_meta = Session.load_metadata_only(sid)
     except Exception:
         return False
     if disk_meta is None:
         return False
-    cached_count = len(getattr(cached, 'messages', None) or [])
-    disk_count = _parse_nonnegative_int(getattr(disk_meta, '_metadata_message_count', None))
     if disk_count is None:
-        disk_count = _lookup_index_message_count(sid)
-    if disk_count is not None and disk_count > cached_count:
-        return True
+        disk_count = _parse_nonnegative_int(getattr(disk_meta, '_metadata_message_count', None))
+        if disk_count is None:
+            disk_count = _lookup_index_message_count(sid)
+        if disk_count is not None and disk_count > cached_count:
+            return True
     if not getattr(cached, 'active_stream_id', None) and not getattr(cached, 'pending_user_message', None):
         cached_scene_keys = _anchor_scene_record_keys(cached)
         disk_scene_keys = _anchor_scene_record_keys(disk_meta)