diff --git a/studio/backend/main.py b/studio/backend/main.py
index f686e29bf5..48675b9539 100644
--- a/studio/backend/main.py
+++ b/studio/backend/main.py
@@ -289,6 +289,7 @@ from fastapi import Depends, FastAPI, HTTPException, Query, Request
 from fastapi.middleware.cors import CORSMiddleware
 from fastapi.staticfiles import StaticFiles
 from fastapi.responses import FileResponse, HTMLResponse, Response
+from starlette.middleware.gzip import GZipMiddleware
 from pathlib import Path
 from datetime import datetime
 
@@ -1509,6 +1510,34 @@ def _should_inject_bootstrap(request: Request) -> bool:
     return _is_local_bootstrap_request(request)
 
 
+_IMMUTABLE_ASSET_CACHE_CONTROL = "public, max-age=31536000, immutable"
+
+
+class ImmutableStaticFiles(StaticFiles):
+    """Serve Vite's content-hashed assets without browser revalidation."""
+
+    def file_response(
+        self,
+        full_path,
+        stat_result,
+        scope,
+        status_code = 200,
+    ):
+        response = super().file_response(full_path, stat_result, scope, status_code)
+        response.headers["Cache-Control"] = _IMMUTABLE_ASSET_CACHE_CONTROL
+        return response
+
+
+class _AssetGZipMiddleware(GZipMiddleware):
+    """Serve range requests uncompressed; gzip + 206 mislabels Content-Range."""
+
+    async def __call__(self, scope, receive, send):
+        if scope["type"] == "http" and any(key == b"range" for key, _ in scope["headers"]):
+            await self.app(scope, receive, send)
+            return
+        await super().__call__(scope, receive, send)
+
+
 def setup_frontend(app: FastAPI, build_path: Path):
     """Mount frontend static files (optional)"""
     if not build_path.exists():
@@ -1516,7 +1545,12 @@ def setup_frontend(app: FastAPI, build_path: Path):
 
     assets_dir = build_path / "assets"
     if assets_dir.exists():
-        app.mount("/assets", StaticFiles(directory = assets_dir), name = "assets")
+        assets_app = _AssetGZipMiddleware(
+            ImmutableStaticFiles(directory = assets_dir),
+            minimum_size = 1024,
+            compresslevel = 6,
+        )
+        app.mount("/assets", assets_app, name = "assets")
 
     def _build_index_response(request: Request) -> Response:
         content = (build_path / "index.html").read_bytes()
diff --git a/studio/backend/tests/test_middleware.py b/studio/backend/tests/test_middleware.py
index 11aeee6d77..209c6cb90a 100644
--- a/studio/backend/tests/test_middleware.py
+++ b/studio/backend/tests/test_middleware.py
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ import pytest
 from fastapi import FastAPI, HTTPException, Request
 from fastapi.responses import Response
 from fastapi.testclient import TestClient
+from starlette.middleware.gzip import GZipMiddleware
 
 
 _BACKEND_ROOT = Path(__file__).resolve().parents[1]
@@ -471,6 +472,71 @@ class TestSecurityHeadersMiddleware:
         assert b"server" in names
 
 
+class TestFrontendAssets:
+    def test_hashed_assets_are_compressed_and_cached(self, tmp_path, main_module):
+        content = b"export const value = 'responsive';\n" * 200
+        (tmp_path / "page-abc123.js").write_bytes(content)
+        app = FastAPI()
+        assets_app = GZipMiddleware(
+            main_module.ImmutableStaticFiles(directory = tmp_path),
+            minimum_size = 1024,
+            compresslevel = 6,
+        )
+        app.mount("/assets", assets_app, name = "assets")
+
+        response = TestClient(app).get(
+            "/assets/page-abc123.js",
+            headers = {"Accept-Encoding": "gzip"},
+        )
+
+        assert response.status_code == 200
+        assert response.content == content
+        assert response.headers["content-encoding"] == "gzip"
+        assert response.headers["cache-control"] == (main_module._IMMUTABLE_ASSET_CACHE_CONTROL)
+        assert "accept-encoding" in response.headers["vary"].lower()
+
+    def test_asset_revalidation_keeps_immutable_cache_header(self, tmp_path, main_module):
+        (tmp_path / "page-abc123.js").write_text("export {};", encoding = "utf-8")
+        app = FastAPI()
+        app.mount(
+            "/assets",
+            main_module.ImmutableStaticFiles(directory = tmp_path),
+            name = "assets",
+        )
+        client = TestClient(app)
+        first = client.get("/assets/page-abc123.js")
+
+        response = client.get(
+            "/assets/page-abc123.js",
+            headers = {"If-None-Match": first.headers["etag"]},
+        )
+
+        assert response.status_code == 304
+        assert response.headers["cache-control"] == (main_module._IMMUTABLE_ASSET_CACHE_CONTROL)
+
+    def test_range_request_is_not_compressed(self, tmp_path, main_module):
+        content = b"export const value = 'responsive';\n" * 200
+        (tmp_path / "page-abc123.js").write_bytes(content)
+        app = FastAPI()
+        assets_app = main_module._AssetGZipMiddleware(
+            main_module.ImmutableStaticFiles(directory = tmp_path),
+            minimum_size = 1024,
+            compresslevel = 6,
+        )
+        app.mount("/assets", assets_app, name = "assets")
+
+        response = TestClient(app).get(
+            "/assets/page-abc123.js",
+            headers = {"Accept-Encoding": "gzip", "Range": "bytes=0-99"},
+        )
+
+        assert response.status_code == 206
+        assert response.headers.get("content-encoding") != "gzip"
+        assert response.headers["content-range"] == f"bytes 0-99/{len(content)}"
+        assert response.content == content[:100]
+        assert response.headers["cache-control"] == (main_module._IMMUTABLE_ASSET_CACHE_CONTROL)
+
+
 # /api/health auth gate
 
 
diff --git a/studio/frontend/src/app/auth-guards.ts b/studio/frontend/src/app/auth-guards.ts
index 6849f380b8..a3523ac580 100644
--- a/studio/frontend/src/app/auth-guards.ts
+++ b/studio/frontend/src/app/auth-guards.ts
@@ -23,19 +23,47 @@ interface AuthStatus {
   requires_password_change: boolean;
 }
 
+const AUTH_STATUS_TTL_MS = 30_000;
+let authStatusCheckedAt = 0;
+let authStatusRequest: Promise<AuthStatus> | null = null;
+
+function hasFreshAuthStatus(): boolean {
+  return (
+    authStatusCheckedAt !== 0 &&
+    Date.now() - authStatusCheckedAt < AUTH_STATUS_TTL_MS
+  );
+}
+
 async function fetchAuthStatus(): Promise<AuthStatus> {
-  try {
-    const res = await fetch(apiUrl("/api/auth/status"));
-    if (!res.ok) return { initialized: true, requires_password_change: mustChangePassword() };
-    const status = (await res.json()) as AuthStatus;
-    // Server truth wins; keep localStorage in sync both ways.
-    if (status.requires_password_change !== mustChangePassword()) {
-      setMustChangePassword(status.requires_password_change);
+  if (authStatusRequest) return authStatusRequest;
+
+  const request = (async () => {
+    try {
+      const res = await fetch(apiUrl("/api/auth/status"));
+      if (!res.ok) {
+        return {
+          initialized: true,
+          requires_password_change: mustChangePassword(),
+        };
+      }
+      const status = (await res.json()) as AuthStatus;
+      authStatusCheckedAt = Date.now();
+      // Server truth wins; keep localStorage in sync both ways.
+      if (status.requires_password_change !== mustChangePassword()) {
+        setMustChangePassword(status.requires_password_change);
+      }
+      return status;
+    } catch {
+      return {
+        initialized: true,
+        requires_password_change: mustChangePassword(),
+      };
     }
-    return status;
-  } catch {
-    return { initialized: true, requires_password_change: mustChangePassword() };
-  }
+  })().finally(() => {
+    authStatusRequest = null;
+  });
+  authStatusRequest = request;
+  return request;
 }
 
 function authRedirect(to: "/login" | "/change-password"): never {
@@ -49,12 +77,17 @@ export async function requireAuth(): Promise<void> {
   }
 
   if (await hasActiveSession()) {
-    const { requires_password_change } = await fetchAuthStatus();
-    if (requires_password_change || mustChangePassword()) {
-      authRedirect("/change-password");
+    // Reconcile periodically so local-only routes cannot outlive a server-side
+    // password-change requirement, while nearby route switches stay local.
+    if (mustChangePassword() || !hasFreshAuthStatus()) {
+      const { requires_password_change } = await fetchAuthStatus();
+      if (requires_password_change || mustChangePassword()) {
+        authRedirect("/change-password");
+      }
     }
     return;
   }
+
   const status = await fetchAuthStatus();
   if (status.requires_password_change || mustChangePassword()) {
     authRedirect("/change-password");
diff --git a/studio/frontend/src/app/routes/__root.tsx b/studio/frontend/src/app/routes/__root.tsx
index e23892e020..57e890dd5a 100644
--- a/studio/frontend/src/app/routes/__root.tsx
+++ b/studio/frontend/src/app/routes/__root.tsx
@@ -281,7 +281,7 @@ function RootLayout() {
                     initial={{ opacity: 0 }}
                     animate={{ opacity: 1 }}
                     exit={{ opacity: 0 }}
-                    transition={{ duration: 0.15 }}
+                    transition={{ duration: 0.06 }}
                     className="flex min-h-0 min-w-0 flex-1 basis-0 flex-col overflow-visible"
                   >
                     <Suspense fallback={<RouteFallback />}>
diff --git a/studio/frontend/src/app/routes/data-recipes.tsx b/studio/frontend/src/app/routes/data-recipes.tsx
index c35e63da5f..22f87821af 100644
--- a/studio/frontend/src/app/routes/data-recipes.tsx
+++ b/studio/frontend/src/app/routes/data-recipes.tsx
@@ -1,15 +1,13 @@
 // SPDX-License-Identifier: AGPL-3.0-only
 // Copyright 2026-present the Unsloth AI Inc. team. All rights reserved. See /studio/LICENSE.AGPL-3.0
 
-import { createRoute } from "@tanstack/react-router";
-import { lazy } from "react";
+import { createRoute, lazyRouteComponent } from "@tanstack/react-router";
 import { requireAuth } from "../auth-guards";
 import { Route as rootRoute } from "./__root";
 
-const DataRecipesPage = lazy(() =>
-  import("@/features/data-recipes").then((m) => ({
-    default: m.DataRecipesPage,
-  })),
+const DataRecipesPage = lazyRouteComponent(
+  () => import("@/features/data-recipes"),
+  "DataRecipesPage",
 );
 
 export const Route = createRoute({
diff --git a/studio/frontend/src/app/routes/export.tsx b/studio/frontend/src/app/routes/export.tsx
index 40118c6a92..5a7b586f19 100644
--- a/studio/frontend/src/app/routes/export.tsx
+++ b/studio/frontend/src/app/routes/export.tsx
@@ -1,15 +1,13 @@
 // SPDX-License-Identifier: AGPL-3.0-only
 // Copyright 2026-present the Unsloth AI Inc. team. All rights reserved. See /studio/LICENSE.AGPL-3.0
 
-import { createRoute } from "@tanstack/react-router";
-import { lazy } from "react";
+import { createRoute, lazyRouteComponent } from "@tanstack/react-router";
 import { requireAuth } from "../auth-guards";
 import { Route as rootRoute } from "./__root";
 
-const ExportPage = lazy(() =>
-  import("@/features/export/export-page").then((m) => ({
-    default: m.ExportPage,
-  })),
+const ExportPage = lazyRouteComponent(
+  () => import("@/features/export/export-page"),
+  "ExportPage",
 );
 
 export type ExportSearch = {
diff --git a/studio/frontend/src/app/routes/hub.tsx b/studio/frontend/src/app/routes/hub.tsx
index c623ef9848..2207490e44 100644
--- a/studio/frontend/src/app/routes/hub.tsx
+++ b/studio/frontend/src/app/routes/hub.tsx
@@ -1,15 +1,13 @@
 // SPDX-License-Identifier: AGPL-3.0-only
 // Copyright 2026-present the Unsloth AI Inc. team. All rights reserved. See /studio/LICENSE.AGPL-3.0
 
-import { createRoute } from "@tanstack/react-router";
-import { lazy } from "react";
+import { createRoute, lazyRouteComponent } from "@tanstack/react-router";
 import { requireAuth } from "../auth-guards";
 import { Route as rootRoute } from "./__root";
 
-const ModelsPage = lazy(() =>
-  import("@/features/hub/hub-page").then((m) => ({
-    default: m.ModelsPage,
-  })),
+const ModelsPage = lazyRouteComponent(
+  () => import("@/features/hub/hub-page"),
+  "ModelsPage",
 );
 
 export interface ModelsSearch {
@@ -31,7 +29,11 @@ export const Route = createRoute({
     const model = search.model;
     if (typeof model === "string" && model.length > 0) next.model = model;
     const section = search.section;
-    if (section === "trending" || section === "latest" || section === "finetune") {
+    if (
+      section === "trending" ||
+      section === "latest" ||
+      section === "finetune"
+    ) {
       next.section = section;
     }
     const kind = search.kind;
diff --git a/studio/frontend/src/app/routes/projects.tsx b/studio/frontend/src/app/routes/projects.tsx
index c63b1d5838..17f58ef631 100644
--- a/studio/frontend/src/app/routes/projects.tsx
+++ b/studio/frontend/src/app/routes/projects.tsx
@@ -1,15 +1,13 @@
 // SPDX-License-Identifier: AGPL-3.0-only
 // Copyright 2026-present the Unsloth AI Inc. team. All rights reserved. See /studio/LICENSE.AGPL-3.0
 
-import { createRoute } from "@tanstack/react-router";
-import { lazy } from "react";
+import { createRoute, lazyRouteComponent } from "@tanstack/react-router";
 import { requireAuth } from "../auth-guards";
 import { Route as rootRoute } from "./__root";
 
-const ProjectsPage = lazy(() =>
-  import("@/features/chat/projects-page").then((m) => ({
-    default: m.ProjectsPage,
-  })),
+const ProjectsPage = lazyRouteComponent(
+  () => import("@/features/chat/projects-page"),
+  "ProjectsPage",
 );
 
 export const Route = createRoute({
diff --git a/studio/frontend/src/app/routes/studio.tsx b/studio/frontend/src/app/routes/studio.tsx
index ae7f445e94..798044bf64 100644
--- a/studio/frontend/src/app/routes/studio.tsx
+++ b/studio/frontend/src/app/routes/studio.tsx
@@ -1,15 +1,13 @@
 // SPDX-License-Identifier: AGPL-3.0-only
 // Copyright 2026-present the Unsloth AI Inc. team. All rights reserved. See /studio/LICENSE.AGPL-3.0
 
-import { createRoute } from "@tanstack/react-router";
-import { lazy } from "react";
+import { createRoute, lazyRouteComponent } from "@tanstack/react-router";
 import { requireAuth } from "../auth-guards";
 import { Route as rootRoute } from "./__root";
 
-const StudioPage = lazy(() =>
-  import("@/features/studio/studio-page").then((m) => ({
-    default: m.StudioPage,
-  })),
+const StudioPage = lazyRouteComponent(
+  () => import("@/features/studio/studio-page"),
+  "StudioPage",
 );
 
 export const Route = createRoute({
diff --git a/studio/frontend/src/components/app-sidebar.tsx b/studio/frontend/src/components/app-sidebar.tsx
index b8601b00f6..8eab03133b 100644
--- a/studio/frontend/src/components/app-sidebar.tsx
+++ b/studio/frontend/src/components/app-sidebar.tsx
@@ -93,7 +93,12 @@ import {
 import { Tooltip as TooltipPrimitive } from "radix-ui";
 import { HugeiconsIcon } from "@hugeicons/react";
 import { ChevronDown, Moon } from "lucide-react";
-import { Link, useNavigate, useRouterState } from "@tanstack/react-router";
+import {
+  Link,
+  useNavigate,
+  useRouter,
+  useRouterState,
+} from "@tanstack/react-router";
 import {
   archiveChatItem,
   ChatSearchDialog,
@@ -256,6 +261,10 @@ function createNavigationNonce(): string {
   return `${Date.now()}-${Math.random().toString(36).slice(2, 10)}`;
 }
 
+function preloadSilently(request: Promise<unknown>): void {
+  void request.catch(() => undefined);
+}
+
 function NavItem({
   icon,
   label,
@@ -267,6 +276,7 @@ function NavItem({
   className,
   spinner,
   tooltip,
+  onIntent,
 }: {
   icon: typeof ZapIcon;
   label: string;
@@ -277,6 +287,7 @@ function NavItem({
   dataTour?: string;
   className?: string;
   spinner?: boolean;
+  onIntent?: () => void;
   // Overrides the hover tooltip (defaults to `label`). Used to explain why a
   // disabled item (e.g. Train/Export on a chat-only host) is greyed out.
   tooltip?: string;
@@ -288,6 +299,8 @@ function NavItem({
           tooltip={tooltip ?? label}
           disabled={disabled}
           onClick={onClick}
+          onPointerEnter={disabled ? undefined : onIntent}
+          onFocus={disabled ? undefined : onIntent}
           isActive={active}
           data-tour={dataTour}
           className="sidebar-nav-btn h-[33px] rounded-full gap-[8.5px] pl-3 pr-2.5 font-medium group-data-[collapsible=icon]:px-2.5 group-data-[collapsible=icon]:!w-[32px] group-data-[collapsible=icon]:mx-auto"
@@ -324,6 +337,7 @@ export function AppSidebar() {
   });
   const { togglePinned, isMobile, setOpenMobile } = useSidebar();
   const navigate = useNavigate();
+  const router = useRouter();
 
   // Web update detection: `webUpdate` is non-null only when the installed
   // (PyPI) version is behind the latest release, so the card is hidden by
@@ -1218,6 +1232,9 @@ export function AppSidebar() {
                   navigate({ to: "/projects" });
                   closeMobileIfOpen();
                 }}
+                onIntent={() => {
+                  preloadSilently(router.preloadRoute({ to: "/projects" }));
+                }}
                 className="group/projects-item relative"
               >
                 <button
@@ -1248,6 +1265,9 @@ export function AppSidebar() {
                   navigate({ to: "/hub" });
                   closeMobileIfOpen();
                 }}
+                onIntent={() => {
+                  preloadSilently(router.preloadRoute({ to: "/hub" }));
+                }}
               />
               {/* Train has a labelled section when expanded; plain icon here only when collapsed. */}
               <NavItem
@@ -1264,6 +1284,9 @@ export function AppSidebar() {
                   navigate({ to: "/studio" });
                   closeMobileIfOpen();
                 }}
+                onIntent={() => {
+                  preloadSilently(router.preloadRoute({ to: "/studio" }));
+                }}
                 className="hidden group-data-[collapsible=icon]:block"
               />
             </SidebarMenu>
@@ -1293,6 +1316,9 @@ export function AppSidebar() {
                       navigate({ to: "/studio" });
                       closeMobileIfOpen();
                     }}
+                    onIntent={() => {
+                      preloadSilently(router.preloadRoute({ to: "/studio" }));
+                    }}
                   />
                   <NavItem
                     icon={ChefHatIcon}
@@ -1302,6 +1328,16 @@ export function AppSidebar() {
                       navigate({ to: "/data-recipes" });
                       closeMobileIfOpen();
                     }}
+                    onIntent={() => {
+                      preloadSilently(
+                        router.preloadRoute({ to: "/data-recipes" }),
+                      );
+                      preloadSilently(
+                        import("@/features/data-recipes").then((module) =>
+                          module.preloadRecipes(),
+                        ),
+                      );
+                    }}
                   />
                   <NavItem
                     icon={DownloadSquare01Icon}
@@ -1312,6 +1348,14 @@ export function AppSidebar() {
                       navigate({ to: "/export" });
                       closeMobileIfOpen();
                     }}
+                    onIntent={() => {
+                      preloadSilently(router.preloadRoute({ to: "/export" }));
+                      preloadSilently(
+                        import(
+                          "@/features/export/export-navigation-cache"
+                        ).then((module) => module.preloadExportData()),
+                      );
+                    }}
                   />
                 </SidebarMenu>
               </SidebarGroupContent>
diff --git a/studio/frontend/src/features/chat/api/chat-api.ts b/studio/frontend/src/features/chat/api/chat-api.ts
index 475bd0f801..631474c39a 100644
--- a/studio/frontend/src/features/chat/api/chat-api.ts
+++ b/studio/frontend/src/features/chat/api/chat-api.ts
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@ import type {
 } from "../types/api";
 
 export const CHAT_HISTORY_UPDATED_EVENT = "unsloth-chat-history-updated";
+export const CHAT_PROJECTS_UPDATED_EVENT = "unsloth-chat-projects-updated";
 
 /**
  * Thrown when the chat SSE stream ends without a terminal signal (`[DONE]` or a
@@ -55,6 +56,13 @@ export function notifyChatHistoryUpdated(): void {
   }
 }
 
+function notifyChatProjectsUpdated(): void {
+  notifyChatHistoryUpdated();
+  if (typeof window !== "undefined") {
+    window.dispatchEvent(new Event(CHAT_PROJECTS_UPDATED_EVENT));
+  }
+}
+
 function parseErrorText(status: number, body: unknown): string {
   if (body && typeof body === "object") {
     const detail = (body as { detail?: unknown }).detail;
@@ -644,7 +652,7 @@ export async function saveChatProject(
     body: JSON.stringify(project),
   });
   const saved = await parseJsonOrThrow<ProjectRecord>(response);
-  notifyChatHistoryUpdated();
+  notifyChatProjectsUpdated();
   return saved;
 }
 
@@ -661,7 +669,7 @@ export async function updateChatProject(
     },
   );
   const project = await parseJsonOrThrow<ProjectRecord>(response);
-  notifyChatHistoryUpdated();
+  notifyChatProjectsUpdated();
   return project;
 }
 
@@ -677,7 +685,7 @@ export async function deleteChatProject(
     { method: "DELETE" },
   );
   await parseJsonOrThrow<ProjectRecord>(response);
-  notifyChatHistoryUpdated();
+  notifyChatProjectsUpdated();
 }
 
 export async function listChatMessages(
diff --git a/studio/frontend/src/features/chat/hooks/use-chat-projects.ts b/studio/frontend/src/features/chat/hooks/use-chat-projects.ts
index 3f0d46982d..86f540654d 100644
--- a/studio/frontend/src/features/chat/hooks/use-chat-projects.ts
+++ b/studio/frontend/src/features/chat/hooks/use-chat-projects.ts
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 // SPDX-License-Identifier: AGPL-3.0-only
 // Copyright 2026-present the Unsloth AI Inc. team. All rights reserved. See /studio/LICENSE.AGPL-3.0
 
-import { useEffect, useState } from "react";
-import { CHAT_HISTORY_UPDATED_EVENT } from "../api/chat-api";
+import { useEffect, useState, useSyncExternalStore } from "react";
+import { CHAT_PROJECTS_UPDATED_EVENT } from "../api/chat-api";
 import type { ProjectRecord } from "../types";
 import {
   createStoredChatProject,
@@ -15,32 +15,83 @@ import {
 import type { SidebarItem } from "./use-chat-sidebar-items";
 
 let cachedProjects: ProjectRecord[] = [];
+let projectsLoaded = false;
+let projectsRequest: Promise<ProjectRecord[]> | null = null;
+let projectsRefreshPending = false;
+let lastProjectsUpdateEvent: Event | null = null;
+const projectSubscribers = new Set<() => void>();
+
+function subscribeToProjects(onStoreChange: () => void): () => void {
+  projectSubscribers.add(onStoreChange);
+  return () => projectSubscribers.delete(onStoreChange);
+}
+
+function getProjectsSnapshot(): ProjectRecord[] {
+  return cachedProjects;
+}
+
+function publishProjects(projects: ProjectRecord[]): void {
+  cachedProjects = projects;
+  projectsLoaded = true;
+  for (const onStoreChange of projectSubscribers) onStoreChange();
+}
+
+function loadProjects(
+  force = false,
+  followUpIfPending = false,
+): Promise<ProjectRecord[]> {
+  if (projectsRequest) {
+    if (followUpIfPending) projectsRefreshPending = true;
+    return projectsRequest;
+  }
+  if (!force && projectsLoaded) {
+    return Promise.resolve(cachedProjects);
+  }
+
+  async function run(): Promise<ProjectRecord[]> {
+    let nextProjects: ProjectRecord[] | null = null;
+    do {
+      projectsRefreshPending = false;
+      try {
+        const next = await listStoredChatProjects({ includeArchived: false });
+        nextProjects = Array.isArray(next) ? next : [];
+      } catch (error) {
+        if (!isExpectedBackgroundChatStorageError(error)) throw error;
+        nextProjects = null;
+      }
+    } while (projectsRefreshPending);
+    if (nextProjects !== null) publishProjects(nextProjects);
+    return cachedProjects;
+  }
+
+  const request = run().finally(() => {
+    projectsRequest = null;
+  });
+  projectsRequest = request;
+  return request;
+}
 
 export function useChatProjects(): {
   projects: ProjectRecord[];
   isLoading: boolean;
   hasLoaded: boolean;
 } {
-  // Stay null-safe even if the cache was poisoned by a bad response.
-  const cached = Array.isArray(cachedProjects) ? cachedProjects : [];
-  const [projects, setProjects] = useState<ProjectRecord[]>(cached);
-  const [isLoading, setIsLoading] = useState(cached.length === 0);
-  const [hasLoaded, setHasLoaded] = useState(cached.length > 0);
+  const projects = useSyncExternalStore(
+    subscribeToProjects,
+    getProjectsSnapshot,
+    getProjectsSnapshot,
+  );
+  const [isLoading, setIsLoading] = useState(!projectsLoaded);
+  const [hasLoaded, setHasLoaded] = useState(projectsLoaded);
 
   useEffect(() => {
     let cancelled = false;
 
-    async function load() {
-      if (!cancelled) setIsLoading(true);
+    async function refresh(force = false, followUpIfPending = false) {
+      if (!force && projectsLoaded) return;
+      if (!cancelled && !projectsLoaded) setIsLoading(true);
       try {
-        const next = await listStoredChatProjects({ includeArchived: false });
-        cachedProjects = Array.isArray(next) ? next : [];
-        if (!cancelled) setProjects(cachedProjects);
-      } catch (error) {
-        if (isExpectedBackgroundChatStorageError(error)) {
-          return;
-        }
-        if (!cancelled) throw error;
+        await loadProjects(force, followUpIfPending);
       } finally {
         if (!cancelled) {
           setHasLoaded(true);
@@ -49,15 +100,18 @@ export function useChatProjects(): {
       }
     }
 
-    const onHistoryUpdated = () => {
-      void load();
+    const onProjectsUpdated = (event: Event) => {
+      const followUpIfPending = event !== lastProjectsUpdateEvent;
+      lastProjectsUpdateEvent = event;
+      void refresh(true, followUpIfPending);
     };
-
-    void load();
-    window.addEventListener(CHAT_HISTORY_UPDATED_EVENT, onHistoryUpdated);
+    // Cached rows render immediately, then one shared request reconciles
+    // changes made by another browser tab or API client.
+    void refresh(projectsLoaded);
+    window.addEventListener(CHAT_PROJECTS_UPDATED_EVENT, onProjectsUpdated);
     return () => {
       cancelled = true;
-      window.removeEventListener(CHAT_HISTORY_UPDATED_EVENT, onHistoryUpdated);
+      window.removeEventListener(CHAT_PROJECTS_UPDATED_EVENT, onProjectsUpdated);
     };
   }, []);
 
diff --git a/studio/frontend/src/features/data-recipes/data/recipes-db.ts b/studio/frontend/src/features/data-recipes/data/recipes-db.ts
index f89707e159..3ffe09c2d2 100644
--- a/studio/frontend/src/features/data-recipes/data/recipes-db.ts
+++ b/studio/frontend/src/features/data-recipes/data/recipes-db.ts
@@ -16,11 +16,40 @@ db.version(1).stores({
 });
 
 const recentRecipeCache = new Map<string, RecipeRecord>();
+let cachedRecipeList: RecipeRecord[] = [];
+let recipeListReady = false;
+let recipeListRequest: Promise<RecipeRecord[]> | null = null;
 
 export function listRecipes(): Promise<RecipeRecord[]> {
   return db.recipes.orderBy("updatedAt").reverse().toArray();
 }
 
+function cacheRecipeList(recipes: RecipeRecord[]): RecipeRecord[] {
+  for (const recipe of recipes) {
+    writeRecipeCache(recipe);
+  }
+  cachedRecipeList = recipes;
+  recipeListReady = true;
+  return recipes;
+}
+
+export function preloadRecipes(): Promise<RecipeRecord[]> {
+  if (recipeListReady) {
+    return Promise.resolve(cachedRecipeList);
+  }
+  if (recipeListRequest) {
+    return recipeListRequest;
+  }
+
+  const request = listRecipes()
+    .then(cacheRecipeList)
+    .finally(() => {
+      recipeListRequest = null;
+    });
+  recipeListRequest = request;
+  return request;
+}
+
 export function getRecipe(id: string): Promise<RecipeRecord | undefined> {
   return db.recipes.get(id);
 }
@@ -55,12 +84,21 @@ export async function saveRecipe(
   };
   await db.recipes.put(record);
   writeRecipeCache(record);
+  if (recipeListReady) {
+    cachedRecipeList = [
+      record,
+      ...cachedRecipeList.filter((recipe) => recipe.id !== record.id),
+    ].sort((a, b) => b.updatedAt - a.updatedAt);
+  }
   return record;
 }
 
 export async function deleteRecipe(id: string): Promise<void> {
   await db.recipes.delete(id);
   recentRecipeCache.delete(id);
+  if (recipeListReady) {
+    cachedRecipeList = cachedRecipeList.filter((recipe) => recipe.id !== id);
+  }
 }
 
 export function createRecipeDraft(): Promise<RecipeRecord> {
@@ -87,15 +125,13 @@ export function useRecipes(): {
   recipes: RecipeRecord[];
   ready: boolean;
 } {
-  const [recipes, setRecipes] = useState<RecipeRecord[]>([]);
-  const [ready, setReady] = useState(false);
+  const [recipes, setRecipes] = useState<RecipeRecord[]>(cachedRecipeList);
+  const [ready, setReady] = useState(recipeListReady);
 
   useEffect(() => {
     const sub = liveQuery(() => listRecipes()).subscribe({
       next: (value) => {
-        for (const recipe of value) {
-          writeRecipeCache(recipe);
-        }
+        cacheRecipeList(value);
         setRecipes(value);
         setReady(true);
       },
diff --git a/studio/frontend/src/features/data-recipes/index.ts b/studio/frontend/src/features/data-recipes/index.ts
index d085096e0d..a75dd7075a 100644
--- a/studio/frontend/src/features/data-recipes/index.ts
+++ b/studio/frontend/src/features/data-recipes/index.ts
@@ -3,3 +3,4 @@
 
 export { DataRecipesPage } from "./pages/data-recipes-page";
 export { EditRecipePage } from "./pages/edit-recipe-page";
+export { preloadRecipes } from "./data/recipes-db";
diff --git a/studio/frontend/src/features/export/export-navigation-cache.ts b/studio/frontend/src/features/export/export-navigation-cache.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..f026f64525
--- /dev/null
+++ b/studio/frontend/src/features/export/export-navigation-cache.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,61 @@
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: AGPL-3.0-only
+// Copyright 2026-present the Unsloth AI Inc. team. All rights reserved. See /studio/LICENSE.AGPL-3.0
+
+import { type LocalModelInfo, listLocalModels } from "@/features/training";
+import { type ModelCheckpoints, fetchCheckpoints } from "./api/export-api";
+
+let cachedCheckpoints: ModelCheckpoints[] | null = null;
+let checkpointsRequest: Promise<ModelCheckpoints[]> | null = null;
+let cachedLocalModels: LocalModelInfo[] | null = null;
+let localModelsRequest: Promise<LocalModelInfo[]> | null = null;
+
+export function getCachedCheckpoints(): ModelCheckpoints[] | null {
+  return cachedCheckpoints;
+}
+
+export function getCachedLocalModels(): LocalModelInfo[] | null {
+  return cachedLocalModels;
+}
+
+export function refreshCheckpoints(): Promise<ModelCheckpoints[]> {
+  if (checkpointsRequest) {
+    return checkpointsRequest;
+  }
+  const request = fetchCheckpoints()
+    .then((data) => {
+      cachedCheckpoints = data.models;
+      return data.models;
+    })
+    .finally(() => {
+      checkpointsRequest = null;
+    });
+  checkpointsRequest = request;
+  return request;
+}
+
+export function refreshLocalModels(): Promise<LocalModelInfo[]> {
+  if (localModelsRequest) {
+    return localModelsRequest;
+  }
+  const request = listLocalModels()
+    .then((models) => {
+      cachedLocalModels = models;
+      return models;
+    })
+    .finally(() => {
+      localModelsRequest = null;
+    });
+  localModelsRequest = request;
+  return request;
+}
+
+export async function preloadExportData(): Promise<void> {
+  const requests: Promise<unknown>[] = [];
+  if (cachedCheckpoints === null) {
+    requests.push(refreshCheckpoints());
+  }
+  if (cachedLocalModels === null) {
+    requests.push(refreshLocalModels());
+  }
+  await Promise.allSettled(requests);
+}
diff --git a/studio/frontend/src/features/export/export-page.tsx b/studio/frontend/src/features/export/export-page.tsx
index 51e9f209dd..3a970713ac 100644
--- a/studio/frontend/src/features/export/export-page.tsx
+++ b/studio/frontend/src/features/export/export-page.tsx
@@ -48,7 +48,6 @@ import { prepareHfTokenForUse } from "@/features/hf-auth";
 import { GuidedTour, useGuidedTourController } from "@/features/tour";
 import {
   type LocalModelInfo,
-  listLocalModels,
   useTrainingConfigStore,
 } from "@/features/training";
 import { useDebouncedValue, useHfTokenValidation } from "@/hooks";
@@ -67,7 +66,6 @@ import { useSearch } from "@tanstack/react-router";
 import { useCallback, useEffect, useMemo, useRef, useState } from "react";
 import { useShallow } from "zustand/react/shallow";
 import type { ModelCheckpoints } from "./api/export-api";
-import { fetchCheckpoints } from "./api/export-api";
 import { ExportRunPanel } from "./components/export-run-panel";
 import { MethodPicker } from "./components/method-picker";
 import { QuantPicker } from "./components/quant-picker";
@@ -83,6 +81,12 @@ import {
   mergedFormatPayload,
 } from "./constants";
 import { useExportSizeEstimate } from "./hooks/use-export-size-estimate";
+import {
+  getCachedCheckpoints,
+  getCachedLocalModels,
+  refreshCheckpoints,
+  refreshLocalModels,
+} from "./export-navigation-cache";
 import {
   isExportPanelActive,
   useExportRuntimeStore,
@@ -172,8 +176,12 @@ export function ExportPage() {
   );
 
   // ---- API-driven checkpoint state ----
-  const [models, setModels] = useState<ModelCheckpoints[]>([]);
-  const [loadingCheckpoints, setLoadingCheckpoints] = useState(true);
+  const [models, setModels] = useState<ModelCheckpoints[]>(
+    () => getCachedCheckpoints() ?? [],
+  );
+  const [loadingCheckpoints, setLoadingCheckpoints] = useState(
+    getCachedCheckpoints() === null,
+  );
   const [checkpointError, setCheckpointError] = useState<string | null>(null);
 
   const [selectedModelIdx, setSelectedModelIdx] = useState<string | null>(null);
@@ -185,8 +193,12 @@ export function ExportPage() {
     null,
   );
   const [localModelInput, setLocalModelInput] = useState("");
-  const [localModels, setLocalModels] = useState<LocalModelInfo[]>([]);
-  const [isLoadingLocalModels, setIsLoadingLocalModels] = useState(true);
+  const [localModels, setLocalModels] = useState<LocalModelInfo[]>(
+    () => getCachedLocalModels() ?? [],
+  );
+  const [isLoadingLocalModels, setIsLoadingLocalModels] = useState(
+    getCachedLocalModels() === null,
+  );
   const [localModelsError, setLocalModelsError] = useState<string | null>(null);
   const debouncedModelQuery = useDebouncedValue(modelInput);
   const debouncedHfToken = useDebouncedValue(hfToken, 500);
@@ -295,16 +307,15 @@ export function ExportPage() {
   // ---- Fetch checkpoints on mount ----
   useEffect(() => {
     let cancelled = false;
-    setLoadingCheckpoints(true);
-    setCheckpointError(null);
-    fetchCheckpoints()
-      .then((data) => {
+    const hadCache = getCachedCheckpoints() !== null;
+    refreshCheckpoints()
+      .then((models) => {
         if (!cancelled) {
-          setModels(data.models);
+          setModels(models);
         }
       })
       .catch((err) => {
-        if (!cancelled) {
+        if (!cancelled && !hadCache) {
           setCheckpointError(
             err instanceof Error ? err.message : "Failed to load checkpoints",
           );
@@ -343,14 +354,15 @@ export function ExportPage() {
 
   // ---- Fetch local models for direct export ----
   useEffect(() => {
-    const controller = new AbortController();
-    void listLocalModels(controller.signal)
+    let cancelled = false;
+    const hadCache = getCachedLocalModels() !== null;
+    void refreshLocalModels()
       .then((models) => {
-        if (controller.signal.aborted) return;
+        if (cancelled) return;
         setLocalModels(models);
       })
       .catch((error) => {
-        if (controller.signal.aborted) return;
+        if (cancelled || hadCache) return;
         setLocalModelsError(
           error instanceof Error
             ? error.message
@@ -358,10 +370,12 @@ export function ExportPage() {
         );
       })
       .finally(() => {
-        if (controller.signal.aborted) return;
+        if (cancelled) return;
         setIsLoadingLocalModels(false);
       });
-    return () => controller.abort();
+    return () => {
+      cancelled = true;
+    };
   }, []);
 
   // ---- Derived state ----
diff --git a/studio/frontend/src/features/hub/hooks/use-hub-paginated-search.ts b/studio/frontend/src/features/hub/hooks/use-hub-paginated-search.ts
index 882c530782..d598065d17 100644
--- a/studio/frontend/src/features/hub/hooks/use-hub-paginated-search.ts
+++ b/studio/frontend/src/features/hub/hooks/use-hub-paginated-search.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 // SPDX-License-Identifier: AGPL-3.0-only
 // Copyright 2026-present the Unsloth AI Inc. team. All rights reserved. See /studio/LICENSE.AGPL-3.0
 
-import { useCallback, useEffect, useRef, useState } from "react";
+import { useCallback, useEffect, useMemo, useRef, useState } from "react";
 
 interface HfPaginatedState<T> {
   results: T[];
@@ -12,6 +12,10 @@ interface HfPaginatedState<T> {
   error: string | null;
 }
 
+interface InternalPaginatedState<T> extends HfPaginatedState<T> {
+  queryKey: object | null;
+}
+
 const INITIAL: HfPaginatedState<never> = {
   results: [],
   scannedCount: 0,
@@ -74,10 +78,15 @@ export function useHubPaginatedSearch<T>(
   options?: { enabled?: boolean },
 ): HfPaginatedState<T> & { fetchMore: () => boolean; retry: () => void } {
   const enabled = options?.enabled ?? true;
-  const [state, setState] = useState<HfPaginatedState<T>>(
-    INITIAL as HfPaginatedState<T>,
-  );
   const [retryNonce, setRetryNonce] = useState(0);
+  const queryKey = useMemo(
+    () => ({ createIter, mapItem, retryNonce }),
+    [createIter, mapItem, retryNonce],
+  );
+  const [state, setState] = useState<InternalPaginatedState<T>>({
+    ...(INITIAL as HfPaginatedState<T>),
+    queryKey: null,
+  });
   const stateRef = useRef(state);
   useEffect(() => {
     stateRef.current = state;
@@ -187,6 +196,7 @@ export function useHubPaginatedSearch<T>(
     setState({
       ...(INITIAL as HfPaginatedState<T>),
       isLoading: true,
+      queryKey,
     });
 
     const iter = createIter(controller.signal);
@@ -203,6 +213,7 @@ export function useHubPaginatedSearch<T>(
           isLoadingMore: false,
           hasMore: !done,
           error: null,
+          queryKey,
         });
       })
       .catch((err) => {
@@ -214,6 +225,7 @@ export function useHubPaginatedSearch<T>(
           isLoadingMore: false,
           hasMore: false,
           error: err instanceof Error ? err.message : "Search failed",
+          queryKey,
         });
       })
       .finally(() => {
@@ -226,7 +238,14 @@ export function useHubPaginatedSearch<T>(
     return () => {
       clearDeferredFetch();
     };
-  }, [createIter, mapItem, enabled, retryNonce, clearDeferredFetch]);
+  }, [
+    createIter,
+    mapItem,
+    enabled,
+    retryNonce,
+    queryKey,
+    clearDeferredFetch,
+  ]);
 
   const retry = useCallback(() => {
     setRetryNonce((n) => n + 1);
@@ -358,5 +377,22 @@ export function useHubPaginatedSearch<T>(
     };
   }, [enabled, fetchMore]);
 
-  return { ...state, fetchMore, retry };
+  const visibleState: InternalPaginatedState<T> =
+    state.queryKey === queryKey
+      ? state
+      : {
+          ...(INITIAL as HfPaginatedState<T>),
+          isLoading: enabled,
+          queryKey,
+        };
+  return {
+    results: visibleState.results,
+    scannedCount: visibleState.scannedCount,
+    isLoading: visibleState.isLoading,
+    isLoadingMore: visibleState.isLoadingMore,
+    hasMore: visibleState.hasMore,
+    error: visibleState.error,
+    fetchMore,
+    retry,
+  };
 }
diff --git a/studio/frontend/src/features/hub/hub-page.tsx b/studio/frontend/src/features/hub/hub-page.tsx
index d57f9636fe..29e2f3f277 100644
--- a/studio/frontend/src/features/hub/hub-page.tsx
+++ b/studio/frontend/src/features/hub/hub-page.tsx
@@ -23,6 +23,10 @@ import {
   hfApiToken,
   useHfTokenStore,
 } from "@/features/hub/stores/hf-token-store";
+import {
+  isChannelEntryFresh,
+  useHubFeedStore,
+} from "./stores/hub-feed-store";
 import {
   getInferenceStatus,
   isExternalModelId,
@@ -80,6 +84,7 @@ import {
 } from "./lib/hidden-models";
 import { inventoryRowMatches, tokenizeQuery } from "./lib/inventory-search";
 import { resolveOwnerProviderLogo } from "./lib/provider-logos";
+import { fingerprintToken } from "./lib/token-fingerprint";
 import {
   buildDiscoverRows,
   detectResultFormat,
@@ -569,6 +574,10 @@ export function ModelsPage() {
   const hfToken = useHfTokenStore((s) => s.token);
   const debouncedHfToken = useDebouncedValue(hfToken, 500);
   const apiHfToken = hfApiToken(debouncedHfToken);
+  const tokenFingerprint = useMemo(
+    () => fingerprintToken(apiHfToken),
+    [apiHfToken],
+  );
   const deferredFormatFilter = useDeferredValue(formatFilter);
   const deferredCapabilityFilter = useDeferredValue(capabilityFilter);
 
@@ -633,8 +642,22 @@ export function ModelsPage() {
     online,
   });
 
+  const cachedListEntry = useHubFeedStore((state) =>
+    liveListChannel ? state.channels[liveListChannel.id] : undefined,
+  );
+  const visibleResults =
+    results.length === 0 &&
+    liveListChannel &&
+    isChannelEntryFresh(
+      cachedListEntry,
+      liveListChannel.id,
+      tokenFingerprint,
+    )
+      ? (cachedListEntry?.results ?? results)
+      : results;
+
   useFeedWriteBack({
-    channelId: isChannelListMode ? activeChannelId : null,
+    channelId: liveListChannel?.id ?? null,
     results,
     isLoading,
     accessToken: apiHfToken,
@@ -656,8 +679,13 @@ export function ModelsPage() {
     [effectiveCachedRows, effectiveLocalRows],
   );
   const modelDiscoverRows = useMemo<DiscoverRow[]>(
-    () => buildDiscoverRows(results, effectiveCachedRows, effectiveLocalRows),
-    [results, modelDiscoveryInventorySignature],
+    () =>
+      buildDiscoverRows(
+        visibleResults,
+        effectiveCachedRows,
+        effectiveLocalRows,
+      ),
+    [visibleResults, modelDiscoveryInventorySignature],
   );
 
   const datasetDiscoverRows = useMemo<DiscoverRow[]>(() => {
@@ -784,7 +812,7 @@ export function ModelsPage() {
   const selectionFilteredDiscoverRows = isFeedMode
     ? feedRows
     : filteredDiscoverRows;
-  const selectionResults = isFeedMode ? feedResults : results;
+  const selectionResults = isFeedMode ? feedResults : visibleResults;
 
   const inventoryTokens = useMemo(
     () => (isDiscoverTab ? [] : tokenizeQuery(deferredDebouncedQuery)),