diff --git a/desktop/src/shared/ui/markdown.tsx b/desktop/src/shared/ui/markdown.tsx
index 61e498f9e..2259d8f4c 100644
--- a/desktop/src/shared/ui/markdown.tsx
+++ b/desktop/src/shared/ui/markdown.tsx
@@ -51,6 +51,7 @@ import {
   classifyChildren,
   hasBlockMedia,
   isImageOnlyParagraph,
+  reservedImageSize,
   shallowArrayEqual,
 } from "./markdownUtils";
 import { resolveFileCard } from "./markdownFileCard";
@@ -246,10 +247,12 @@ type MarkdownVariant = "default" | "compact" | "tight";
  */
 function ImageBlock({
   alt,
+  dim,
   resolvedSrc,
   src,
 }: {
   alt: string | undefined;
+  dim?: string;
   resolvedSrc: string | undefined;
   src: string | undefined;
 }) {
@@ -299,13 +302,22 @@ function ImageBlock({
     });
   };
 
+  const reserved = reservedImageSize(dim);
+
   return (
     <>
       {/* biome-ignore lint/a11y/useKeyWithClickEvents: image opens lightbox on click; keyboard equivalent handled by lightbox close button */}
       <img
         alt={alt}
-        className="mt-1 block max-h-64 max-w-sm cursor-pointer rounded-xl object-contain"
+        className="mt-1 block h-auto max-h-64 max-w-sm cursor-pointer rounded-xl object-contain"
+        // Reserve the rendered box from imeta `dim` so the row's height is
+        // stable BEFORE the image loads — no zero-then-grow reflow thrashing the
+        // virtualized list. width/height stay within the max-h-64/max-w-sm caps
+        // (reservedImageSize pre-scales to them), so the caps never shrink it
+        // further. Falls back to natural load when `dim` is absent.
+        height={reserved?.height}
         src={resolvedSrc}
+        width={reserved?.width}
         onClick={() => setLightboxOpen(true)}
         onContextMenuCapture={handleContextMenu}
       />
@@ -911,7 +923,12 @@ function createMarkdownComponents(
       }
       return (
         <span data-block-media="" className="block">
-          <ImageBlock alt={alt} resolvedSrc={resolvedSrc} src={src} />
+          <ImageBlock
+            alt={alt}
+            dim={src ? imetaByUrl?.get(src)?.dim : undefined}
+            resolvedSrc={resolvedSrc}
+            src={src}
+          />
         </span>
       );
     },
diff --git a/desktop/src/shared/ui/markdownUtils.ts b/desktop/src/shared/ui/markdownUtils.ts
index dab951285..886813102 100644
--- a/desktop/src/shared/ui/markdownUtils.ts
+++ b/desktop/src/shared/ui/markdownUtils.ts
@@ -65,3 +65,46 @@ export function shallowArrayEqual(a?: string[], b?: string[]): boolean {
   }
   return true;
 }
+
+// Display caps for inline message images — must mirror the `max-h-64 max-w-sm`
+// (256×384px) Tailwind classes on the rendered <img>.
+export const INLINE_IMAGE_MAX_WIDTH = 384;
+export const INLINE_IMAGE_MAX_HEIGHT = 256;
+
+/**
+ * Compute the exact rendered box for an inline image from its imeta `dim`
+ * ("WIDTHxHEIGHT"), scaled to fit the display caps (same fit as `object-contain`
+ * within `max-w-sm`/`max-h-64`). Used to reserve the row's height via the <img>
+ * width/height attributes BEFORE the bytes load — without it, image rows paint
+ * at height 0 then grow when the image arrives, thrashing the virtualized list
+ * (every late image re-measures and shifts its neighbors).
+ *
+ * Returns undefined when `dim` is missing/malformed/non-positive — we can't
+ * reserve what we don't know, so the natural load is the correct fallback.
+ */
+export function reservedImageSize(
+  dim: string | undefined,
+): { width: number; height: number } | undefined {
+  if (!dim) return undefined;
+  const match = dim.match(/^(\d+)x(\d+)$/i);
+  if (!match) return undefined;
+  const width = Number(match[1]);
+  const height = Number(match[2]);
+  if (
+    !Number.isFinite(width) ||
+    !Number.isFinite(height) ||
+    width <= 0 ||
+    height <= 0
+  ) {
+    return undefined;
+  }
+  const scale = Math.min(
+    1,
+    INLINE_IMAGE_MAX_WIDTH / width,
+    INLINE_IMAGE_MAX_HEIGHT / height,
+  );
+  return {
+    width: Math.round(width * scale),
+    height: Math.round(height * scale),
+  };
+}
diff --git a/desktop/src/shared/ui/reservedImageSize.dom.test.tsx b/desktop/src/shared/ui/reservedImageSize.dom.test.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..2a021fb55
--- /dev/null
+++ b/desktop/src/shared/ui/reservedImageSize.dom.test.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+import assert from "node:assert/strict";
+import { test } from "node:test";
+
+// Imported through the DOM lane (esbuild) so we can pull from markdownUtils.ts
+// directly even though it imports React — no stale inlined copy. Pure-math
+// helper, but it lives in a React module, hence the .dom lane.
+import {
+  INLINE_IMAGE_MAX_HEIGHT,
+  INLINE_IMAGE_MAX_WIDTH,
+  reservedImageSize,
+} from "./markdownUtils";
+
+test("returns undefined when dim is missing or malformed", () => {
+  assert.equal(reservedImageSize(undefined), undefined);
+  assert.equal(reservedImageSize(""), undefined);
+  assert.equal(reservedImageSize("800"), undefined);
+  assert.equal(reservedImageSize("800x"), undefined);
+  assert.equal(reservedImageSize("axb"), undefined);
+  assert.equal(reservedImageSize("0x600"), undefined);
+  assert.equal(reservedImageSize("800x0"), undefined);
+});
+
+test("small image within caps is reserved at its natural size", () => {
+  // 200x100 fits inside 384x256 → no scaling.
+  assert.deepEqual(reservedImageSize("200x100"), { width: 200, height: 100 });
+});
+
+test("wide image scales down to the width cap, preserving aspect ratio", () => {
+  // 800x400 (2:1). Width cap 384 → scale 0.48 → 384x192.
+  assert.deepEqual(reservedImageSize("800x400"), { width: 384, height: 192 });
+});
+
+test("tall image scales down to the height cap, preserving aspect ratio", () => {
+  // 400x800 (1:2). Height cap 256 → scale 0.32 → 128x256.
+  assert.deepEqual(reservedImageSize("400x800"), { width: 128, height: 256 });
+});
+
+test("reserved box never exceeds the display caps", () => {
+  const r = reservedImageSize("4000x3000");
+  assert.ok(r);
+  assert.ok(r.width <= INLINE_IMAGE_MAX_WIDTH);
+  assert.ok(r.height <= INLINE_IMAGE_MAX_HEIGHT);
+  // 4:3 → constrained by height (256) → 341x256.
+  assert.deepEqual(r, { width: 341, height: 256 });
+});