diff --git a/docs/timeline-sync.md b/docs/timeline-sync.md
index 79e85d0b8..2beddbb96 100644
--- a/docs/timeline-sync.md
+++ b/docs/timeline-sync.md
@@ -67,11 +67,11 @@ The app chooses one delivery policy from `server_info.features.selectiveAgentTim
 
 - Selective daemons receive the union of agents visible in every pane. Additions subscribe and
   catch up immediately. Every visibility-driven removal, including app backgrounding, stays
-  subscribed for a short grace period so brief tab, pane, route, and app switches do not repeatedly
+  subscribed for a 30-second grace period so brief tab, pane, route, and app switches do not repeatedly
   unsubscribe and catch up. Losing window keyboard focus does not make a selected pane invisible.
   Disconnecting and disposal clear pending grace because the subscription itself no longer exists.
-  After grace has expired, a retained timeline stays covered when revisited until authoritative
-  catch-up completes; cached partial output is never presented as current history.
+  After grace has expired, revisiting a retained timeline displays its cached state immediately and
+  authoritative catch-up advances it to the current tail.
 - Legacy daemons keep globally streaming agent timelines. Visibility still triggers the existing
   authoritative catch-up, but the app does not issue selective-subscription RPCs.
 
diff --git a/packages/app/e2e/helpers/timeline-delivery.ts b/packages/app/e2e/helpers/timeline-delivery.ts
index 1ac692b56..b84331852 100644
--- a/packages/app/e2e/helpers/timeline-delivery.ts
+++ b/packages/app/e2e/helpers/timeline-delivery.ts
@@ -7,6 +7,10 @@ interface SessionMessage {
   payload?: unknown;
 }
 
+interface TimelineSubscriptionWaitOptions {
+  timeout?: number;
+}
+
 function readSessionMessage(message: WebSocketMessage): SessionMessage | null {
   if (typeof message !== "string") return null;
   try {
@@ -36,72 +40,16 @@ export function observeTimelineSubscriptions(page: Page) {
   });
 
   return {
-    async waitForSubscribedAgents(agentIds: string[]): Promise<void> {
+    async waitForSubscribedAgents(
+      agentIds: string[],
+      options: TimelineSubscriptionWaitOptions = {},
+    ): Promise<void> {
       const expected = [...new Set(agentIds)].sort();
       await expect
-        .poll(() => acknowledgedAgentIds?.slice().sort() ?? null, { timeout: 15_000 })
+        .poll(() => acknowledgedAgentIds?.slice().sort() ?? null, {
+          timeout: options.timeout ?? 15_000,
+        })
         .toEqual(expected);
     },
   };
 }
-
-interface AssistantFrameState {
-  active: boolean;
-  lastText: string | null;
-  snapshots: string[];
-}
-
-export async function observeLastAssistantFrames(page: Page) {
-  await page.evaluate(() => {
-    const state: AssistantFrameState = {
-      active: true,
-      lastText: null,
-      snapshots: [],
-    };
-    const sample = () => {
-      const hasPaintedHistoryOverlay = Array.from(
-        document.querySelectorAll('[data-testid="agent-history-overlay"]'),
-      ).some((element) => {
-        const rect = element.getBoundingClientRect();
-        return rect.width > 0 && rect.height > 0;
-      });
-      if (!hasPaintedHistoryOverlay) {
-        const messages = Array.from(
-          document.querySelectorAll('[data-testid="assistant-message"]'),
-        ).filter((element) => {
-          const rect = element.getBoundingClientRect();
-          return rect.width > 0 && rect.height > 0;
-        });
-        const text = messages.at(-1)?.textContent?.trim() ?? "";
-        if (text && text !== state.lastText) {
-          state.lastText = text;
-          state.snapshots.push(text);
-        }
-      }
-      if (state.active) requestAnimationFrame(sample);
-    };
-    Object.assign(window, { __assistantFrameState: state });
-    requestAnimationFrame(sample);
-  });
-
-  return {
-    async stop(): Promise<string[]> {
-      return page.evaluate(
-        () =>
-          new Promise<string[]>((resolve) => {
-            requestAnimationFrame(() => {
-              const state = (
-                window as typeof window & { __assistantFrameState?: AssistantFrameState }
-              ).__assistantFrameState;
-              if (!state) {
-                resolve([]);
-                return;
-              }
-              state.active = false;
-              resolve([...state.snapshots]);
-            });
-          }),
-      );
-    },
-  };
-}
diff --git a/packages/app/e2e/viewed-agent-timelines.spec.ts b/packages/app/e2e/viewed-agent-timelines.spec.ts
index 67f5b3289..385dc5486 100644
--- a/packages/app/e2e/viewed-agent-timelines.spec.ts
+++ b/packages/app/e2e/viewed-agent-timelines.spec.ts
@@ -3,10 +3,7 @@ import { buildHostAgentDetailRoute } from "@/utils/host-routes";
 import { test } from "./fixtures";
 import { seedWorkspace, type SeedDaemonClient } from "./helpers/seed-client";
 import { getServerId } from "./helpers/server-id";
-import {
-  observeLastAssistantFrames,
-  observeTimelineSubscriptions,
-} from "./helpers/timeline-delivery";
+import { observeTimelineSubscriptions } from "./helpers/timeline-delivery";
 import { waitForWorkspaceTabsVisible } from "./helpers/workspace-tabs";
 import { installDaemonWebSocketGate } from "./helpers/daemon-websocket-gate";
 import {
@@ -75,47 +72,41 @@ async function commitMessage(scenario: ViewedTimelineScenario, agentId: string,
 }
 
 test.describe("Viewed agent timelines", () => {
-  test("a focused turn streams live and resumes its hidden remainder atomically", async ({
-    page,
-  }) => {
+  test("an unsubscribed hidden chat catches up when shown", async ({ page }) => {
     test.setTimeout(90_000);
     const subscriptions = observeTimelineSubscriptions(page);
     const scenario = await seedViewedTimelineScenario();
     try {
       await openAgent(page, scenario, scenario.firstAgentId);
       await subscriptions.waitForSubscribedAgents([scenario.firstAgentId]);
-
-      await scenario.client.sendAgentMessage(
-        scenario.firstAgentId,
-        "Stream while focused, then finish while hidden.",
-      );
-      await expect(page.getByRole("button", { name: /stop|cancel/i }).first()).toBeVisible();
-      await expect(
-        page.getByTestId("assistant-message").filter({ hasText: "Cycle 1" }).first(),
-      ).toBeVisible();
-      await expect(page.getByText("(end of synthetic stream)", { exact: true })).toHaveCount(0);
-
       await selectAgent(page, "Second viewed chat");
-      await subscriptions.waitForSubscribedAgents([scenario.secondAgentId]);
-      const finish = await scenario.client.waitForFinish(scenario.firstAgentId, 30_000);
-      expect(finish.status).toBe("idle");
-
-      const assistantFrames = await observeLastAssistantFrames(page);
+      await subscriptions.waitForSubscribedAgents([scenario.secondAgentId], { timeout: 45_000 });
+      await commitMessage(
+        scenario,
+        scenario.firstAgentId,
+        "Committed after the first chat unsubscribed.",
+      );
+      await expect(
+        page.getByText("Committed after the first chat unsubscribed.", { exact: true }),
+      ).toHaveCount(0);
       await selectAgent(page, "First viewed chat");
+      await expect(
+        page.getByText("Committed after the first chat unsubscribed.", { exact: true }),
+      ).toBeVisible();
       await expect(page.getByText("(end of synthetic stream)", { exact: true })).toBeVisible();
-      const snapshots = await assistantFrames.stop();
-
-      expect(snapshots[0]).toContain("(end of synthetic stream)");
     } finally {
       await scenario.cleanup();
     }
   });
 
-  test("a hidden retained chat catches up when shown", async ({ page }) => {
+  test("a hidden retained chat stays current during unsubscribe grace", async ({ page }) => {
+    test.setTimeout(60_000);
+    const subscriptions = observeTimelineSubscriptions(page);
     const scenario = await seedViewedTimelineScenario();
     try {
       await openAgent(page, scenario, scenario.firstAgentId);
       await selectAgent(page, "Second viewed chat");
+      await subscriptions.waitForSubscribedAgents([scenario.firstAgentId, scenario.secondAgentId]);
       await commitMessage(
         scenario,
         scenario.firstAgentId,
@@ -128,6 +119,7 @@ test.describe("Viewed agent timelines", () => {
       await expect(
         page.getByText("Committed while the first chat is hidden.", { exact: true }),
       ).toBeVisible();
+      await expect(page.getByText("(end of synthetic stream)", { exact: true })).toBeVisible();
     } finally {
       await scenario.cleanup();
     }
diff --git a/packages/app/src/timeline/viewed-timeline-sync.test.ts b/packages/app/src/timeline/viewed-timeline-sync.test.ts
index d600a98d0..307680aa3 100644
--- a/packages/app/src/timeline/viewed-timeline-sync.test.ts
+++ b/packages/app/src/timeline/viewed-timeline-sync.test.ts
@@ -174,6 +174,10 @@ class TimelineWorld {
   }
 }
 
+test("keeps hidden agents subscribed for thirty seconds", () => {
+  expect(VIEWED_TIMELINE_UNSUBSCRIBE_GRACE_MS).toBe(30_000);
+});
+
 test("uses a tail fetch when a live cursor is not authoritative", async () => {
   const world = new TimelineWorld();
   world.setLiveCursor("agent-a", 9);
diff --git a/packages/app/src/timeline/viewed-timeline-sync.ts b/packages/app/src/timeline/viewed-timeline-sync.ts
index d928d032c..a7151b4e7 100644
--- a/packages/app/src/timeline/viewed-timeline-sync.ts
+++ b/packages/app/src/timeline/viewed-timeline-sync.ts
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ export interface ViewedTimelineSync extends ViewedTimelineUiBridge {
 }
 
 const RETRY_DELAY_MS = 1_000;
-export const VIEWED_TIMELINE_UNSUBSCRIBE_GRACE_MS = 5_000;
+export const VIEWED_TIMELINE_UNSUBSCRIBE_GRACE_MS = 30_000;
 
 type CatchUpStatus = "running" | "complete" | "error";