diff --git a/packages/coding-agent/CHANGELOG.md b/packages/coding-agent/CHANGELOG.md
index 03a9d52ac..16697b5e5 100644
--- a/packages/coding-agent/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/packages/coding-agent/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -1,21 +1,15 @@
 # Changelog
 
 ## [Unreleased]
+### Changed
+
+- Terminal resize now repaints only the viewport while a drag is in flight and defers the full transcript replay until the drag settles. Outside a multiplexer, every SIGWINCH used to erase and replay the entire transcript at the new width — re-laying-out (and, for markdown, re-lexing) all of history on each event, work thrown away the instant the next event arrived and re-done dozens of times a second during a drag. The TUI now composes and paints only the visible tail mid-drag — a new `ViewportTailProvider` fast path that the transcript implements by rendering blocks bottom-up and skipping everything above the fold, touching no commit/scrollback state — then runs the single authoritative rewrap + native-scrollback rebuild ~120 ms after the last resize event.
 
 ### Fixed
 
 - Updated `docs/models.md` and `docs/providers.md` to reference the `omp models` subcommand (and `omp models canonical` / `omp models find`) instead of the removed top-level `--list-models` flag ([#2458](https://github.com/can1357/oh-my-pi/issues/2458))
-
-### Fixed
-
 - Fixed unknown `--`-prefixed flags being silently consumed as prompt text, which let a stale or typoed flag start a real agent session (connecting to MCP servers, waiting on the model) instead of failing fast. `parseArgs` now tracks unrecognized flag-shaped tokens and `runRootCommand` calls `reportUnrecognizedFlags` immediately after the post-extension reparse, exiting `2` with `Error: unknown flag: --…` before any session, MCP, or initial-message work runs. Extension-registered flags still pass cleanly since the validation runs after the extension-aware reparse ([#2459](https://github.com/can1357/oh-my-pi/issues/2459)).
-
-### Fixed
-
 - Fixed prompt templates discovered from `cwd/.omp/prompts/` and the agent prompts directory not appearing in the slash-command autocomplete picker. `InteractiveMode.refreshSlashCommandState()` now feeds `session.promptTemplates` into the autocomplete provider alongside builtins and file-based slash commands; templates whose names collide with an existing command are skipped to mirror the runtime expansion order (`expandSlashCommand` precedes `expandPromptTemplate`) ([#2462](https://github.com/can1357/oh-my-pi/issues/2462)).
-
-### Fixed
-
 - Fixed empty-Enter steering interrupts leaving the newest queued steer visible after aborting an auto-continued queued turn; queued turns now re-drain after every abort/settle cycle.
 - Added an agent-visible notice when the write tool auto-marks shebang files executable, so agents do not redundantly run `chmod +x`.
 
@@ -10371,4 +10365,4 @@ Initial public release.
 - Git branch display in footer
 - Message queueing during streaming responses
 - OAuth integration for Gmail and Google Calendar access
-- HTML export with syntax highlighting and collapsible sections
+- HTML export with syntax highlighting and collapsible sections
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/packages/coding-agent/src/modes/components/transcript-container.ts b/packages/coding-agent/src/modes/components/transcript-container.ts
index 6519ae393..39b526875 100644
--- a/packages/coding-agent/src/modes/components/transcript-container.ts
+++ b/packages/coding-agent/src/modes/components/transcript-container.ts
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import {
 	type NativeScrollbackCommittedRows,
 	type NativeScrollbackLiveRegion,
 	type RenderStablePrefix,
+	type ViewportTailProvider,
 } from "@oh-my-pi/pi-tui";
 
 const kSnapshot = Symbol("transcript.liveDiffSnapshot");
@@ -139,6 +140,8 @@ interface BlockSegment {
 }
 
 const EMPTY_SEGMENTS: BlockSegment[] = [];
+/** Shared empty result for an empty viewport-tail render (no allocation). */
+const EMPTY_TAIL: readonly string[] = [];
 
 interface LiveCommitState {
 	appendOnly: boolean;
@@ -415,7 +418,7 @@ function deriveLiveCommitState(
  */
 export class TranscriptContainer
 	extends Container
-	implements NativeScrollbackLiveRegion, NativeScrollbackCommittedRows, RenderStablePrefix
+	implements NativeScrollbackLiveRegion, NativeScrollbackCommittedRows, RenderStablePrefix, ViewportTailProvider
 {
 	// Bumped to retire every block's diff snapshot at once (theme change /
 	// clear); a snapshot is only honored when its stored generation matches.
@@ -520,6 +523,49 @@ export class TranscriptContainer
 		return index === children.length - 1;
 	}
 
+	/**
+	 * Render only the bottom `maxRows` rows of the transcript at `width`, walking
+	 * blocks from the last toward the first and stopping the instant enough rows
+	 * are collected — blocks above the fold are never rendered. The engine's
+	 * resize viewport fast path uses this so a drag (a SIGWINCH burst, each event
+	 * a fresh width that misses every per-width cache) re-lays-out only the
+	 * handful of visible blocks instead of the whole history every event.
+	 *
+	 * State-isolated by contract: touches none of the persistent full-compose
+	 * fields (#lines, #segments, the per-block diff snapshots, the commit/stable
+	 * bookkeeping), so the authoritative full render on settle reconciles exactly
+	 * as if this never ran. Calling each block's render() still warms its own
+	 * per-width cache, which that settle render then reuses for free.
+	 *
+	 * Consecutive visible blocks are joined by exactly one blank separator, the
+	 * same rule render() applies, so the result equals the bottom of a full
+	 * render except for an at-most-one-row separator on the topmost included
+	 * block — a transient discrepancy the settle paint overwrites.
+	 */
+	renderViewportTail(width: number, maxRows: number): readonly string[] {
+		width = Math.max(1, width);
+		if (maxRows <= 0) return EMPTY_TAIL;
+		const collected: (readonly string[])[] = [];
+		let total = 0;
+		for (let i = this.children.length - 1; i >= 0 && total < maxRows; i--) {
+			const contribution = stripPlainBlankEdges(this.children[i]!.render(width));
+			if (contribution.length === 0) continue;
+			// One blank separator sits between this block and the (already
+			// collected) visible block below it.
+			if (collected.length > 0) total += 1;
+			collected.push(contribution);
+			total += contribution.length;
+		}
+		if (collected.length === 0) return EMPTY_TAIL;
+		const rows: string[] = [];
+		for (let k = collected.length - 1; k >= 0; k--) {
+			if (rows.length > 0) rows.push("");
+			const body = collected[k]!;
+			for (let j = 0; j < body.length; j++) rows.push(body[j]!);
+		}
+		return rows.length > maxRows ? rows.slice(rows.length - maxRows) : rows;
+	}
+
 	override render(width: number): readonly string[] {
 		width = Math.max(1, width);
 		this.#nativeScrollbackLiveRegionStart = undefined;
diff --git a/packages/coding-agent/test/modes/components/transcript-container.test.ts b/packages/coding-agent/test/modes/components/transcript-container.test.ts
index 1784be14d..2b3734869 100644
--- a/packages/coding-agent/test/modes/components/transcript-container.test.ts
+++ b/packages/coding-agent/test/modes/components/transcript-container.test.ts
@@ -612,3 +612,62 @@ describe("TranscriptContainer isBlockInLiveRegion", () => {
 		expect(container.isBlockInLiveRegion(new StreamingBlock(["x"], false))).toBe(false);
 	});
 });
+
+describe("TranscriptContainer renderViewportTail", () => {
+	const W = 40;
+	// Four two-row blocks. A full render joins them with one blank separator:
+	//   b0a b0b ""  b1a b1b ""  b2a b2b ""  b3a b3b   → 11 rows.
+	function fourBlocks(): { container: TranscriptContainer; blocks: CountingFinalizedBlock[] } {
+		const blocks = [0, 1, 2, 3].map(i => new CountingFinalizedBlock([`b${i}a`, `b${i}b`]));
+		const container = new TranscriptContainer();
+		for (const b of blocks) container.addChild(b);
+		return { container, blocks };
+	}
+
+	it("returns exactly the bottom rows of a full render", () => {
+		const { container } = fourBlocks();
+		const full = [...container.render(W)];
+		expect(full).toEqual(["b0a", "b0b", "", "b1a", "b1b", "", "b2a", "b2b", "", "b3a", "b3b"]);
+		// A clean block boundary (the separator before b2) lands at the fold.
+		expect([...container.renderViewportTail(W, 5)]).toEqual(full.slice(full.length - 5));
+		// A mid-block fold still yields the exact bottom rows.
+		expect([...container.renderViewportTail(W, 4)]).toEqual(full.slice(full.length - 4));
+		expect([...container.renderViewportTail(W, 1)]).toEqual(["b3b"]);
+	});
+
+	it("renders only the blocks needed to fill the request", () => {
+		const { container, blocks } = fourBlocks();
+		container.render(W);
+		for (const b of blocks) b.renderCount = 0;
+		// Bottom 4 rows span b3 (whole) and b2 (its last row visible): blocks
+		// above the fold must never be rendered.
+		container.renderViewportTail(W, 4);
+		expect(blocks.map(b => b.renderCount)).toEqual([0, 0, 1, 1]);
+	});
+
+	it("returns the whole transcript top-aligned when it is shorter than the request", () => {
+		const { container } = fourBlocks();
+		const full = [...container.render(W)];
+		expect([...container.renderViewportTail(W, 100)]).toEqual(full);
+	});
+
+	it("never mutates persistent full-compose state", () => {
+		const { container } = fourBlocks();
+		const before = [...container.render(W)];
+		const liveBefore = container.getNativeScrollbackLiveRegionStart();
+		// Interleave tail renders at other widths and sizes.
+		container.renderViewportTail(80, 3);
+		container.renderViewportTail(20, 7);
+		container.renderViewportTail(W, 2);
+		const after = [...container.render(W)];
+		expect(after).toEqual(before);
+		expect(container.getNativeScrollbackLiveRegionStart()).toBe(liveBefore);
+	});
+
+	it("handles empty and zero-row requests", () => {
+		const empty = new TranscriptContainer();
+		expect([...empty.renderViewportTail(W, 10)]).toEqual([]);
+		const { container } = fourBlocks();
+		expect([...container.renderViewportTail(W, 0)]).toEqual([]);
+	});
+});
diff --git a/packages/tui/CHANGELOG.md b/packages/tui/CHANGELOG.md
index 74e3ef291..bc01ff5c7 100644
--- a/packages/tui/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/packages/tui/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -1,6 +1,18 @@
 # Changelog
 
 ## [Unreleased]
+### Added
+
+- Added `ViewportTailProvider` to let child components provide their visible tail rows during fast-path non-multiplexer resize rendering
+- Added `TUI.resizeViewportPaints` and `TUI.resizeViewportActive` getters to expose deferred resize viewport repaint diagnostics
+
+### Changed
+
+- Changed non-multiplexer terminal resize handling so each SIGWINCH paints only the visible viewport and defers the full rewrap and native scrollback replay until the resize settles
+
+### Fixed
+
+- Fixed issue #2088 viewport flash and repeated full rewrites during rapid terminal drags outside multiplexers by replaying the full transcript only after the resize settle window
 
 ## [15.12.4] - 2026-06-13
 
@@ -1374,4 +1386,4 @@ Initial release under @oh-my-pi scope. See previous releases at [badlogic/pi-mon
 
 ### Fixed
 
-- **Readline-style Ctrl+W**: Now skips trailing whitespace before deleting the preceding word, matching standard readline behavior. ([#306](https://github.com/badlogic/pi-mono/pull/306) by [@kim0](https://github.com/kim0))
+- **Readline-style Ctrl+W**: Now skips trailing whitespace before deleting the preceding word, matching standard readline behavior. ([#306](https://github.com/badlogic/pi-mono/pull/306) by [@kim0](https://github.com/kim0))
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/packages/tui/src/tui.ts b/packages/tui/src/tui.ts
index f16cd7473..8bc218193 100644
--- a/packages/tui/src/tui.ts
+++ b/packages/tui/src/tui.ts
@@ -239,6 +239,36 @@ function getRenderStablePrefixRows(component: Component): number | undefined {
 	return (component as Component & Partial<RenderStablePrefix>).getRenderStablePrefixRows?.();
 }
 
+/**
+ * Opt-in fast path for composing only the visible tail of a tall component
+ * during a terminal resize. A drag emits a SIGWINCH burst, and the width
+ * changes on every event: a full compose re-lays-out (and, for markdown,
+ * re-lexes) the entire transcript per event — O(history) work that is
+ * discarded the instant the next event arrives. While the resize is in flight
+ * the engine paints only the viewport, so it asks each tall root child for at
+ * most `maxRows` rows from the bottom of its render at `width` and skips
+ * composing everything above the fold. The authoritative full paint replays
+ * once the drag settles (see {@link TUI} resize handling).
+ *
+ * Contract:
+ * - Returns the BOTTOM rows of the component's full render at `width`, in
+ *   top-to-bottom order, capped at `maxRows` (fewer when the component is
+ *   shorter). The rows MUST be byte-identical to the corresponding tail of
+ *   what `render(width)` would have returned, modulo a one-row separator at
+ *   the very top edge (a transient frame the settle paint overwrites).
+ * - MUST NOT mutate any persistent full-compose state: the next `render()`
+ *   (the settle paint) has to reconcile exactly as if the tail render never
+ *   happened. Warming pure per-width render caches is fine and desirable.
+ */
+export interface ViewportTailProvider {
+	renderViewportTail(width: number, maxRows: number): readonly string[];
+}
+
+function asViewportTailProvider(component: Component): ViewportTailProvider | undefined {
+	const candidate = component as Component & Partial<ViewportTailProvider>;
+	return typeof candidate.renderViewportTail === "function" ? (candidate as ViewportTailProvider) : undefined;
+}
+
 /**
  * Interface for components that can receive focus and display a cursor.
  * When focused, the component should emit CURSOR_MARKER at the cursor position
@@ -629,6 +659,20 @@ export class TUI extends Container {
 	// arrives (issue #2088). Coalescing every SIGWINCH inside this window into
 	// a single forced render lets the multiplexer settle first.
 	static readonly #MULTIPLEXER_RESIZE_DEBOUNCE_MS = 50;
+	// Resize viewport fast path (non-multiplexer). A drag emits a SIGWINCH burst,
+	// and outside a multiplexer the host gets each new geometry atomically. The
+	// authoritative resize paint erases and replays the entire transcript so it
+	// rewraps at the new width — O(history) compose (markdown re-lexes every
+	// block, the per-width cache missing on every distinct drag width) plus an
+	// O(history) write that pushes all of it back through native scrollback. At
+	// drag rates that whole-history pass is recomputed dozens of times a second
+	// and discarded the instant the next event lands. While the drag is in
+	// flight the engine instead composes and paints ONLY the viewport (see
+	// `#renderResizeViewport`): a state-isolated, throwaway frame that never
+	// touches the commit ledger. The authoritative full replay fires once, after
+	// the drag has been quiet for this long. Multiplexer sessions keep their own
+	// debounce (`#armMultiplexerResizeTimer`, see #2088) and never take this path.
+	static readonly #RESIZE_VIEWPORT_SETTLE_MS = 120;
 	// Ghostty can drop Kitty graphics commands sent during its first post-startup
 	// settle window, leaving only Unicode placeholder cells. Hold the first image
 	// paint until that window has passed; later images render normally.
@@ -713,6 +757,19 @@ export class TUI extends Container {
 	// flag below so the settled paint still honours every caller's request.
 	#multiplexerResizeTimer: RenderTimer | undefined;
 	#deferredForcedClearScrollback = false;
+	// True from the first SIGWINCH of a non-multiplexer drag until the settle
+	// timer fires. While set, every `#doRender` short-circuits to the viewport
+	// fast path (`#renderResizeViewport`) instead of an authoritative full
+	// paint, and no commit/window/diff state is advanced.
+	#resizeViewportActive = false;
+	// Quiet-window timer that ends the drag: its callback clears the flag and
+	// drives the one authoritative full paint. Reset on every resize event so it
+	// only fires once the drag stops. Cancelled on stop().
+	#resizeViewportSettleTimer: RenderTimer | undefined;
+	// Count of transient viewport-only resize paints emitted. Distinct from
+	// `#fullRedrawCount`: these never enter native scrollback and exist only for
+	// the lifetime of the drag. Exposed for tests/diagnostics.
+	#resizeViewportPaintCount = 0;
 	#stopped = false;
 
 	// Transient alternate-screen state for a fullscreen overlay. While active, the
@@ -944,6 +1001,20 @@ export class TUI extends Container {
 		return this.#fullRedrawCount;
 	}
 
+	/**
+	 * Transient viewport-only paints emitted by the non-multiplexer resize fast
+	 * path. These never touch native scrollback or the commit ledger, so they
+	 * are counted apart from {@link fullRedraws}.
+	 */
+	get resizeViewportPaints(): number {
+		return this.#resizeViewportPaintCount;
+	}
+
+	/** Whether a non-multiplexer resize drag is currently in flight. */
+	get resizeViewportActive(): boolean {
+		return this.#resizeViewportActive;
+	}
+
 	/** Shared budget that caps how many inline images render as live graphics. */
 	get imageBudget(): ImageBudget {
 		return this.#imageBudget;
@@ -1144,6 +1215,10 @@ export class TUI extends Container {
 				// classifies as a resize.
 				this.#resizeEventPending = true;
 				if (!isMultiplexerSession()) {
+					// Enter the viewport fast path and (re)arm the settle timer, then
+					// request the cheap viewport-only paint. The authoritative full
+					// replay fires from the settle timer once the drag goes quiet.
+					this.#beginResizeViewport();
 					this.requestRender(true);
 					return;
 				}
@@ -1360,6 +1435,11 @@ export class TUI extends Container {
 			this.#multiplexerResizeTimer.cancel();
 			this.#multiplexerResizeTimer = undefined;
 		}
+		if (this.#resizeViewportSettleTimer) {
+			this.#resizeViewportSettleTimer.cancel();
+			this.#resizeViewportSettleTimer = undefined;
+		}
+		this.#resizeViewportActive = false;
 		this.#clearPostFullPaintSettle();
 		this.#deferredForcedClearScrollback = false;
 		// Place the parent shell on the first line after the rendered content. When
@@ -2093,6 +2173,20 @@ export class TUI extends Container {
 			return;
 		}
 
+		// Resize viewport fast path. While a non-multiplexer drag is in flight,
+		// paint only the viewport and skip composing the off-screen history.
+		// Strictly state-isolated: it never consumes #resizeEventPending nor
+		// advances any commit/window/diff field, so the authoritative full paint
+		// the settle timer queues reconciles as if these throwaway frames never
+		// ran. A visible overlay composites over the transcript and needs the
+		// whole window, so fall through to the normal forced paint when one is up
+		// (overlay resizes are not on the drag-cost hot path).
+		if (this.#resizeViewportActive && this.#hasEverRendered && this.#getTopmostVisibleOverlay() === undefined) {
+			this.#componentRenderTargets.clear();
+			this.#renderResizeViewport(width, height);
+			return;
+		}
+
 		// 1. Compose the frame. Bracket the render so the image budget observes
 		// every inline image in display order (overlays carry none). A
 		// component-scoped frame skips the budget pass instead — it is gated on
@@ -2679,6 +2773,101 @@ export class TUI extends Container {
 		this.#commit(frame, window, width, height, cursorControl);
 	}
 
+	/**
+	 * Enter (or extend) the non-multiplexer resize fast path. Marks the drag
+	 * active so subsequent `#doRender` calls paint viewport-only, then (re)arms
+	 * the quiet-window timer whose callback ends the drag with one authoritative
+	 * full paint. Reset on every SIGWINCH, so the full replay fires only once the
+	 * user stops dragging.
+	 */
+	#beginResizeViewport(): void {
+		this.#resizeViewportActive = true;
+		this.#resizeViewportSettleTimer?.cancel();
+		this.#resizeViewportSettleTimer = this.#renderScheduler.scheduleRender(() => {
+			this.#resizeViewportSettleTimer = undefined;
+			this.#resizeViewportActive = false;
+			if (this.#stopped) return;
+			// The drag is quiet: replay the rewrapped transcript authoritatively.
+			// #resizeEventPending was preserved across every viewport-only frame
+			// (the fast path never consumes it), so this classifies as a geometry
+			// rebuild — ED3 + full history — and the clearScrollback intent below
+			// matches the gesture-driven reset path.
+			this.#resizeEventPending = true;
+			this.requestRender(true, { clearScrollback: !isMultiplexerSession() });
+		}, TUI.#RESIZE_VIEWPORT_SETTLE_MS);
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Compose and paint only the viewport for one resize fast-path frame.
+	 * State-isolated: advances no commit/window/diff field and calls neither
+	 * `#commit` nor `#emitFullPaint`, so the settle full paint reconciles against
+	 * the pre-drag screen state.
+	 */
+	#renderResizeViewport(width: number, height: number): void {
+		if (width <= 0 || height <= 0) return;
+		// Tail renders call block.render(), which can push image ids onto the
+		// budget's in-flight pass. Reset the pass each frame so a long drag does
+		// not accumulate; never endPass() here — that mutates the demotion ledger
+		// off a partial (tail-only) walk. The settle paint's own
+		// beginPass()/endPass() is the authoritative accounting, and its
+		// beginPass() wipes whatever these frames observed.
+		this.#imageBudget.beginPass();
+		const window = this.#composeResizeViewport(width, height);
+		this.#emitResizeViewport(window, height);
+		this.#resizeViewportPaintCount += 1;
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Build the viewport window for a resize fast-path frame: the bottom
+	 * `height` rows of the would-be full frame, collected bottom-up across root
+	 * children. {@link ViewportTailProvider}s (the transcript) yield only their
+	 * tail; the small live-region children below render in full — so every child
+	 * entirely above the fold is skipped. A frame shorter than the viewport is
+	 * top-aligned with blank rows below, matching the full-paint window geometry
+	 * (windowTop = max(0, frameLength - height)). Cursor markers are stripped
+	 * (the drag hides the hardware cursor) and rows are width-fitted via the
+	 * stateless preparer, so no persistent prepared-frame cache is touched.
+	 */
+	#composeResizeViewport(width: number, height: number): string[] {
+		const tail: string[] = []; // bottom-first
+		const children = this.children;
+		for (let i = children.length - 1; i >= 0 && tail.length < height; i--) {
+			const child = children[i]!;
+			const provider = asViewportTailProvider(child);
+			const rows = provider ? provider.renderViewportTail(width, height - tail.length) : child.render(width);
+			for (let r = rows.length - 1; r >= 0 && tail.length < height; r--) {
+				tail.push(rows[r]!);
+			}
+		}
+		const count = tail.length;
+		const window: string[] = new Array(height);
+		for (let screenRow = 0; screenRow < height; screenRow++) {
+			// `tail` holds the bottom `count` frame rows, bottom-first. They fill
+			// the viewport when the frame overflows it and sit at the top (blanks
+			// below) when it underflows.
+			window[screenRow] = screenRow < count ? tail[count - 1 - screenRow]! : "";
+		}
+		this.#extractCursorMarkers(window);
+		return this.#prepareLinesArray(window, width);
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Emit a throwaway viewport repaint for the resize fast path: erase the
+	 * visible screen (ED2 — never ED3, so native scrollback survives the drag)
+	 * and write the prepared window from home with the cursor held hidden. No
+	 * scrollback push, no committed-prefix write, no `#commit` — none of the
+	 * paint accounting is advanced.
+	 */
+	#emitResizeViewport(window: readonly string[], height: number): void {
+		let buffer = `${this.#paintBeginSequence}\x1b[2J\x1b[H`;
+		for (let r = 0; r < height; r++) {
+			if (r > 0) buffer += "\r\n";
+			buffer += this.#terminalLine(window[r] ?? "");
+		}
+		buffer += this.#paintEndSequence;
+		this.terminal.write(buffer);
+	}
+
 	/** Topmost visible overlay requests the alternate-screen buffer. */
 	#wantsAltScreen(): boolean {
 		for (let i = this.overlayStack.length - 1; i >= 0; i--) {
diff --git a/packages/tui/test/deccara.test.ts b/packages/tui/test/deccara.test.ts
index b95bb1b23..e33bad5fa 100644
--- a/packages/tui/test/deccara.test.ts
+++ b/packages/tui/test/deccara.test.ts
@@ -53,6 +53,15 @@ async function settle(term: VirtualTerminal): Promise<void> {
 	await term.flush();
 }
 
+// A non-multiplexer resize paints the viewport immediately (plain rows) and
+// defers the authoritative full paint — which is where DECCARA rectangle fills
+// are planned — until the drag has been quiet for the resize settle window
+// (120 ms). Integration test against the real scheduler, so wait it out.
+async function settleResize(term: VirtualTerminal): Promise<void> {
+	await Bun.sleep(160);
+	await settle(term);
+}
+
 function captureWrites(term: VirtualTerminal): string[] {
 	const writes: string[] = [];
 	const realWrite = term.write.bind(term);
@@ -499,8 +508,8 @@ describe("TUI DECCARA integration", () => {
 			await settle(term);
 
 			const writes = captureWrites(term);
-			term.resize(40, 10); // height change, content unchanged -> viewportRepaint
-			await settle(term);
+			term.resize(40, 10); // height change, content unchanged
+			await settleResize(term); // DECCARA fills land on the deferred full paint
 			const out = writes.join("");
 
 			expect(out).toContain(DECSACE_RECT);
diff --git a/packages/tui/test/issue-2088-repro.test.ts b/packages/tui/test/issue-2088-repro.test.ts
index a19d72b85..3230cb70c 100644
--- a/packages/tui/test/issue-2088-repro.test.ts
+++ b/packages/tui/test/issue-2088-repro.test.ts
@@ -71,6 +71,18 @@ async function settle(term: VirtualTerminal): Promise<void> {
 	await term.flush();
 }
 
+// Pad the non-multiplexer resize viewport settle window (120 ms) so the test
+// reliably observes the deferred authoritative full paint. These are
+// integration tests against the real render scheduler (process.nextTick
+// immediates interleaved with setTimeout debounces), so the settle window is
+// driven with a real delay rather than fake timers.
+const RESIZE_VIEWPORT_SETTLE_WAIT_MS = 160;
+
+async function settleResize(term: VirtualTerminal): Promise<void> {
+	await Bun.sleep(RESIZE_VIEWPORT_SETTLE_WAIT_MS);
+	await settle(term);
+}
+
 function captureWrites(term: VirtualTerminal): string[] {
 	const writes: string[] = [];
 	const realWrite = term.write.bind(term);
@@ -142,7 +154,7 @@ describe("issue #2088: tmux pane-resize race produces viewport flash", () => {
 		});
 	});
 
-	it("renders immediately on resize outside a multiplexer", async () => {
+	it("paints the viewport immediately on resize outside a multiplexer, then replays on settle", async () => {
 		await withEnvPatch(NO_MULTIPLEXER_ENV, async () => {
 			const term = new VirtualTerminal(40, 10, 1000);
 			const tui = new TUI(term);
@@ -153,10 +165,21 @@ describe("issue #2088: tmux pane-resize race produces viewport flash", () => {
 				await settle(term);
 
 				const baselineRedraws = tui.fullRedraws;
+				const baselinePaints = tui.resizeViewportPaints;
+				const expectedViewport = Array.from({ length: 10 }, (_v, i) => `line-${i + 10}`);
 				term.resize(80, 10);
 				await settle(term);
+
+				// In flight: a cheap viewport-only paint lands at once (no native
+				// scrollback replay), and the authoritative full paint is deferred.
+				expect(tui.resizeViewportPaints).toBeGreaterThan(baselinePaints);
+				expect(tui.fullRedraws).toBe(baselineRedraws);
+				expect(visible(term)).toEqual(expectedViewport);
+
+				// Once the drag goes quiet the full replay fires exactly once.
+				await settleResize(term);
 				expect(tui.fullRedraws).toBeGreaterThan(baselineRedraws);
-				expect(visible(term)).toEqual(Array.from({ length: 10 }, (_v, i) => `line-${i + 10}`));
+				expect(visible(term)).toEqual(expectedViewport);
 			} finally {
 				tui.stop();
 			}
diff --git a/packages/tui/test/overlay-scroll.test.ts b/packages/tui/test/overlay-scroll.test.ts
index af85a123e..9f4ef9811 100644
--- a/packages/tui/test/overlay-scroll.test.ts
+++ b/packages/tui/test/overlay-scroll.test.ts
@@ -110,6 +110,15 @@ async function flushRender(term: VirtualTerminal): Promise<void> {
 	await term.flush();
 }
 
+// A non-multiplexer resize paints the viewport immediately and defers the
+// authoritative full replay (the native-scrollback rebuild) until the drag has
+// been quiet for the resize settle window (120 ms). Integration test against the
+// real render scheduler, so the window is driven with a real delay.
+async function settleResize(term: VirtualTerminal): Promise<void> {
+	await Bun.sleep(160);
+	await flushRender(term);
+}
+
 describe("TUI overlays", () => {
 	it("does not scroll the terminal when an overlay is shown with a large historical working area", async () => {
 		const term = new VirtualTerminal(80, 24);
@@ -383,7 +392,7 @@ describe("TUI overlays", () => {
 			expect(term.getScrollBuffer().join("\n").includes("wide-row-0")).toBeTruthy();
 
 			term.resize(20, 4);
-			await flushRender(term);
+			await settleResize(term);
 
 			const scrollback = term.getScrollBuffer().join("\n");
 			expect(scrollback.includes("narrow-row-0")).toBeTruthy();
@@ -408,6 +417,9 @@ describe("TUI overlays", () => {
 				term.resize(40, count % 2 === 0 ? 4 : 5);
 				await flushRender(term);
 			}
+			// The drag only painted the viewport; let the settle window elapse so
+			// the authoritative rebuild commits the overflow into native scrollback.
+			await settleResize(term);
 
 			const scrollbackLines = term.getScrollBuffer().map(line => line.trim());
 			expect(scrollbackLines).toContain("row-0");
diff --git a/packages/tui/test/render-regressions.test.ts b/packages/tui/test/render-regressions.test.ts
index 26d2011a8..13a6ecbae 100644
--- a/packages/tui/test/render-regressions.test.ts
+++ b/packages/tui/test/render-regressions.test.ts
@@ -129,6 +129,16 @@ async function settle(term: VirtualTerminal): Promise<void> {
 	await term.flush();
 }
 
+// Outside a multiplexer a resize paints the viewport immediately and defers the
+// authoritative full replay (rewrap + ED3 + history rebuild) until the drag has
+// been quiet for the resize settle window (120 ms). Tests asserting the settled
+// end state wait past that window. These are integration tests against the real
+// render scheduler, so the window is driven with a real delay, not fake timers.
+async function settleResize(term: VirtualTerminal): Promise<void> {
+	await Bun.sleep(160);
+	await settle(term);
+}
+
 function captureWrites(term: VirtualTerminal): string[] {
 	const writes: string[] = [];
 	const realWrite = term.write.bind(term);
@@ -509,7 +519,7 @@ describe("TUI terminal-state regressions", () => {
 				await settle(term);
 
 				term.resize(49, 5);
-				await settle(term);
+				await settleResize(term);
 
 				const buffer = term.getScrollBuffer().join("\n");
 				expect(buffer.includes("shell-")).toBeFalsy();
@@ -589,7 +599,7 @@ describe("TUI terminal-state regressions", () => {
 						expect(narrow).toContain(`L0:${"x".repeat(17)}`);
 
 						term.resize(40, 4);
-						await settle(term);
+						await settleResize(term);
 
 						const wide = term.getScrollBuffer().map(line => line.trimEnd());
 						// The resize rewraps history at the new width; the narrow fragment is gone.
@@ -647,7 +657,7 @@ describe("TUI terminal-state regressions", () => {
 				await settle(term);
 				component.setLines(["A".repeat(20), "B".repeat(20), "C".repeat(20)]);
 				tui.requestRender();
-				await settle(term);
+				await settleResize(term);
 
 				expect(term.getScrollBuffer().map(line => line.trimEnd())).toEqual([
 					"AAAAAAAAAA",
@@ -1169,7 +1179,7 @@ describe("TUI terminal-state regressions", () => {
 				const final = [...lines, "stream-0", "tail-0", "tail-1", "tail-2"];
 				component.setLines(final);
 				tui.requestRender();
-				await settle(term);
+				await settleResize(term);
 
 				// Scrolling back must show exactly the transcript: no phantom blank
 				// row, no offset rows, no duplicates.
@@ -1240,7 +1250,7 @@ describe("TUI terminal-state regressions", () => {
 					const final = [...lines, "row-12"];
 					component.setLines(final);
 					tui.requestRender();
-					await settle(term);
+					await settleResize(term);
 
 					expect(visible(term)).toEqual(final.slice(7));
 					expect(term.getScrollBuffer().map(line => line.trimEnd())).toEqual(final);
@@ -1593,6 +1603,9 @@ describe("TUI terminal-state regressions", () => {
 					tui.requestRender();
 					await settle(term);
 				}
+				// The aggressive drag only ever painted the viewport; let the settle
+				// window elapse so the authoritative rebuild commits the full history.
+				await settleResize(term);
 
 				const scrollback = term.getScrollBuffer();
 				const duplicated: number[] = [];
@@ -1631,7 +1644,7 @@ describe("TUI terminal-state regressions", () => {
 
 				// User sits at the bottom (not scrolled) and narrows the terminal.
 				term.resize(28, 5);
-				await settle(term);
+				await settleResize(term);
 
 				const scrollback = term.getScrollBuffer();
 				for (let i = 0; i < 12; i++) {
@@ -1657,7 +1670,7 @@ describe("TUI terminal-state regressions", () => {
 
 				component.setLines(rows("line-", 8));
 				term.resize(28, 5);
-				await settle(term);
+				await settleResize(term);
 
 				// A resize is a clean reset: history is rebuilt in place at the new
 				// geometry instead of deferring to keep the reader scrolled. Each line
@@ -3069,7 +3082,7 @@ describe("TUI terminal-state regressions", () => {
 
 				// Grow the terminal so it has more rows than the rendered content.
 				term.resize(40, 20);
-				await settle(term);
+				await settleResize(term);
 
 				// Regression: the cursor must follow the marker, not the bottom
 				// of the now-taller viewport.
@@ -4239,6 +4252,9 @@ describe("foreground-tool streaming on ED3-risk terminals", () => {
 				tui.requestRender();
 				await settle(term);
 			}
+			// Each drag step only repainted the viewport; let the settle window
+			// elapse so the authoritative rebuild collapses history to one copy.
+			await settleResize(term);
 			const scrollback = term.getScrollBuffer();
 			for (let i = 0; i < body.length; i++) {
 				expect(
diff --git a/packages/tui/test/resize-viewport-defer.test.ts b/packages/tui/test/resize-viewport-defer.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..8991d766f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/tui/test/resize-viewport-defer.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,276 @@
+import { afterEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from "bun:test";
+import {
+	type Component,
+	type RenderScheduler,
+	type RenderTimer,
+	TUI,
+	type ViewportTailProvider,
+} from "@oh-my-pi/pi-tui";
+import { VirtualTerminal } from "./virtual-terminal";
+
+// Outside a multiplexer a resize used to erase-and-replay the whole transcript
+// on every SIGWINCH. A drag fires a burst of those, each at a fresh width that
+// misses every per-width render cache, so the entire history is re-laid-out and
+// re-pushed through scrollback dozens of times a second and discarded the
+// instant the next event lands. The fast path instead paints ONLY the viewport
+// while the drag is in flight — composing just the visible tail and skipping
+// the off-screen history — and replays the rewrapped transcript once, after the
+// drag settles.
+
+const NO_MULTIPLEXER_ENV: Record<string, string | undefined> = { TMUX: undefined, STY: undefined, ZELLIJ: undefined };
+
+async function withEnvPatch<T>(patch: Record<string, string | undefined>, run: () => T | Promise<T>): Promise<T> {
+	const saved: Record<string, string | undefined> = {};
+	for (const key in patch) {
+		saved[key] = Bun.env[key];
+		const value = patch[key];
+		if (value === undefined) delete Bun.env[key];
+		else Bun.env[key] = value;
+	}
+	try {
+		return await run();
+	} finally {
+		for (const key in saved) {
+			const value = saved[key];
+			if (value === undefined) delete Bun.env[key];
+			else Bun.env[key] = value;
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// Deterministic scheduler so the test drives the resize settle window itself
+// instead of waiting on the wall clock. `scheduleImmediate` callbacks are the
+// per-event viewport paints; `scheduleRender` callbacks are delayed timers (the
+// settle). `flushImmediates` paints the mid-drag state without firing the
+// settle; `flushAll` fires the settle and the authoritative replay it queues.
+class DeferScheduler implements RenderScheduler {
+	#time = 0;
+	#immediates: (() => void)[] = [];
+	#renders = new Map<number, () => void>();
+	#nextId = 0;
+
+	now(): number {
+		this.#time += 20;
+		return this.#time;
+	}
+
+	scheduleImmediate(callback: () => void): void {
+		this.#immediates.push(callback);
+	}
+
+	scheduleRender(callback: () => void, _delayMs: number): RenderTimer {
+		const id = this.#nextId++;
+		this.#renders.set(id, callback);
+		return {
+			cancel: () => {
+				this.#renders.delete(id);
+			},
+		};
+	}
+
+	get pendingRenders(): number {
+		return this.#renders.size;
+	}
+
+	async flushImmediates(term: VirtualTerminal): Promise<void> {
+		let rounds = 0;
+		while (this.#immediates.length > 0) {
+			if (++rounds > 100) throw new Error("immediates did not settle");
+			const batch = this.#immediates;
+			this.#immediates = [];
+			for (const callback of batch) callback();
+		}
+		await term.flush();
+	}
+
+	async flushAll(term: VirtualTerminal): Promise<void> {
+		let rounds = 0;
+		while (this.#immediates.length > 0 || this.#renders.size > 0) {
+			if (++rounds > 100) throw new Error("scheduler did not settle");
+			const immediates = this.#immediates;
+			this.#immediates = [];
+			for (const callback of immediates) callback();
+			if (this.#immediates.length > 0) continue;
+			const renders = [...this.#renders.values()];
+			this.#renders.clear();
+			for (const callback of renders) callback();
+		}
+		await term.flush();
+	}
+}
+
+function captureWrites(term: VirtualTerminal): string[] {
+	const writes: string[] = [];
+	const realWrite = term.write.bind(term);
+	vi.spyOn(term, "write").mockImplementation((data: string) => {
+		writes.push(data);
+		realWrite(data);
+	});
+	return writes;
+}
+
+function visible(term: VirtualTerminal): string[] {
+	return term.getViewport().map(line => line.trimEnd());
+}
+
+function eraseScrollbackCount(writes: string[]): number {
+	return writes.filter(chunk => chunk.includes("\x1b[3J")).length;
+}
+
+// A transcript block that records how many times it was laid out. Whole blocks
+// render when they sit in (or partially in) the viewport tail; blocks above the
+// fold must never be rendered during the drag.
+class CountingBlock implements Component {
+	renderCount = 0;
+	#lines: string[];
+	constructor(lines: string[]) {
+		this.#lines = lines;
+	}
+	invalidate(): void {}
+	render(width: number): string[] {
+		this.renderCount++;
+		return this.#lines.map(line => line.slice(0, width));
+	}
+}
+
+// A minimal transcript: blocks concatenated with no separators, plus a bottom-up
+// tail render that touches only the blocks needed to fill the request.
+class TailTranscript implements Component, ViewportTailProvider {
+	blocks: CountingBlock[];
+	constructor(blocks: CountingBlock[]) {
+		this.blocks = blocks;
+	}
+	invalidate(): void {}
+	render(width: number): string[] {
+		const out: string[] = [];
+		for (const block of this.blocks) out.push(...block.render(width));
+		return out;
+	}
+	renderViewportTail(width: number, maxRows: number): readonly string[] {
+		const tail: string[] = [];
+		for (let i = this.blocks.length - 1; i >= 0 && tail.length < maxRows; i--) {
+			const rows = this.blocks[i]!.render(width);
+			for (let r = rows.length - 1; r >= 0 && tail.length < maxRows; r--) tail.unshift(rows[r]!);
+		}
+		return tail;
+	}
+}
+
+describe("non-multiplexer resize viewport fast path", () => {
+	afterEach(() => {
+		vi.restoreAllMocks();
+	});
+
+	// 15 two-row blocks (30 rows) over a 10-row viewport: only the last few rows
+	// are ever on screen, so a drag must not re-lay-out the rows above the fold.
+	function makeTui(term: VirtualTerminal): { tui: TUI; blocks: CountingBlock[]; scheduler: DeferScheduler } {
+		const blocks = Array.from({ length: 15 }, (_v, i) => new CountingBlock([`b${i}-x`, `b${i}-y`]));
+		const scheduler = new DeferScheduler();
+		const tui = new TUI(term, undefined, { renderScheduler: scheduler });
+		tui.addChild(new TailTranscript(blocks));
+		return { tui, blocks, scheduler };
+	}
+
+	it("paints only the viewport during a drag and never re-lays-out off-screen history", async () => {
+		await withEnvPatch(NO_MULTIPLEXER_ENV, async () => {
+			const term = new VirtualTerminal(40, 10, 1000);
+			const { tui, blocks, scheduler } = makeTui(term);
+			try {
+				tui.start();
+				await scheduler.flushImmediates(term);
+
+				const baselineFull = tui.fullRedraws;
+				const writes = captureWrites(term);
+				for (const b of blocks) b.renderCount = 0;
+
+				// A drag burst: several SIGWINCHes at intermediate widths, each
+				// followed by its viewport paint but never the settle.
+				term.resize(60, 10);
+				await scheduler.flushImmediates(term);
+				term.resize(75, 10);
+				await scheduler.flushImmediates(term);
+				term.resize(80, 10);
+				await scheduler.flushImmediates(term);
+
+				// In flight: viewport-only paints, no authoritative full redraw, and
+				// crucially no ED3 — native scrollback is left untouched.
+				expect(tui.resizeViewportActive).toBe(true);
+				expect(tui.resizeViewportPaints).toBe(3);
+				expect(tui.fullRedraws).toBe(baselineFull);
+				expect(eraseScrollbackCount(writes)).toBe(0);
+
+				// Blocks above the fold are never rendered during the drag; only the
+				// visible tail is.
+				expect(blocks.slice(0, 10).every(b => b.renderCount === 0)).toBe(true);
+				expect(blocks.at(-1)!.renderCount).toBeGreaterThan(0);
+
+				// The viewport still shows the bottom of the transcript, rewrapped
+				// at the new width.
+				expect(visible(term).at(-1)).toBe("b14-y");
+			} finally {
+				tui.stop();
+			}
+		});
+	});
+
+	it("replays the full rewrapped history once the drag settles", async () => {
+		await withEnvPatch(NO_MULTIPLEXER_ENV, async () => {
+			const term = new VirtualTerminal(40, 10, 1000);
+			const { tui, blocks, scheduler } = makeTui(term);
+			try {
+				tui.start();
+				await scheduler.flushImmediates(term);
+
+				const baselineFull = tui.fullRedraws;
+				const writes = captureWrites(term);
+
+				term.resize(60, 10);
+				await scheduler.flushImmediates(term);
+				term.resize(80, 10);
+				await scheduler.flushImmediates(term);
+
+				// Settle window elapses: exactly one authoritative full paint that
+				// erases native scrollback (ED3) and replays every block.
+				for (const b of blocks) b.renderCount = 0;
+				await scheduler.flushAll(term);
+
+				expect(tui.resizeViewportActive).toBe(false);
+				expect(tui.fullRedraws).toBeGreaterThan(baselineFull);
+				expect(eraseScrollbackCount(writes)).toBeGreaterThan(0);
+				// The full replay lays out the whole transcript, off-screen blocks
+				// included.
+				expect(blocks.every(b => b.renderCount > 0)).toBe(true);
+
+				// Scrollback holds the entire transcript exactly once — no
+				// duplication from the interleaved viewport-only frames.
+				const buffer = term.getScrollBuffer().map(line => line.trimEnd());
+				for (let i = 0; i < blocks.length; i++) {
+					expect(buffer.filter(line => line === `b${i}-x`).length).toBe(1);
+					expect(buffer.filter(line => line === `b${i}-y`).length).toBe(1);
+				}
+				expect(visible(term).at(-1)).toBe("b14-y");
+			} finally {
+				tui.stop();
+			}
+		});
+	});
+
+	it("does not leave a pending settle paint after stop()", async () => {
+		await withEnvPatch(NO_MULTIPLEXER_ENV, async () => {
+			const term = new VirtualTerminal(40, 10, 1000);
+			const { tui, scheduler } = makeTui(term);
+			tui.start();
+			await scheduler.flushImmediates(term);
+
+			const writes = captureWrites(term);
+			term.resize(80, 10);
+			tui.stop();
+
+			// stop() cancels the settle timer, so the authoritative replay never
+			// fires: no ED3 bytes land even after the scheduler is fully drained.
+			await scheduler.flushAll(term);
+			expect(eraseScrollbackCount(writes)).toBe(0);
+			expect(scheduler.pendingRenders).toBe(0);
+		});
+	});
+});
diff --git a/packages/tui/test/streaming-scrollback-defer.test.ts b/packages/tui/test/streaming-scrollback-defer.test.ts
index 221ede108..075e31803 100644
--- a/packages/tui/test/streaming-scrollback-defer.test.ts
+++ b/packages/tui/test/streaming-scrollback-defer.test.ts
@@ -71,6 +71,15 @@ async function settle(term: VirtualTerminal): Promise<void> {
 	await term.flush();
 }
 
+// The non-multiplexer resize fast path paints the viewport at once and defers
+// the authoritative full replay (the ED3 scrollback rebuild) until the drag has
+// been quiet for the resize settle window (120 ms). This is an integration test
+// against the real render scheduler, so the window is driven with a real delay.
+async function settleResize(term: VirtualTerminal): Promise<void> {
+	await Bun.sleep(160);
+	await settle(term);
+}
+
 function capture(term: VirtualTerminal): string[] {
 	const writes: string[] = [];
 	const realWrite = term.write.bind(term);
@@ -459,10 +468,11 @@ describe("streaming scrollback defer", () => {
 			expect(streamed).toEqual([...rows("stream-", 30), "prompt"].slice(0, streamed.length));
 
 			// Resize mid-stream. The terminal re-wrapped its saved lines at the old
-			// width, so the rebuild must erase them (ED 3) rather than capping to a
-			// viewport repaint that would leave the corrupt history on screen.
+			// width, so the authoritative rebuild must erase them (ED 3) rather than
+			// leaving the corrupt history on screen. That rebuild is deferred until
+			// the drag settles; while in flight only the viewport is repainted.
 			term.resize(30, 10);
-			await settle(term);
+			await settleResize(term);
 
 			expect(eraseScrollbackCount(writes)).toBeGreaterThan(0);
 			expect(term.getScrollBuffer().map(line => line.trimEnd())).toEqual([...rows("stream-", 30), "prompt"]);