diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/pages/ConversationPage.tsx b/apps/desktop/src/pages/ConversationPage.tsx
index b3c151b..4598d94 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/src/pages/ConversationPage.tsx
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/pages/ConversationPage.tsx
@@ -304,7 +304,6 @@ export function ConversationPage() {
   const fileInputRef = useRef<HTMLInputElement>(null);
   const composerRef = useRef<HTMLTextAreaElement>(null);
 
-
   useEffect(() => {
     if (firstUnreadComputedRef.current) return;
     if (!id || messages.length === 0) return;
@@ -719,7 +718,12 @@ export function ConversationPage() {
   // now, so we have to call it explicitly. Tracked via a ref so we only
   // scroll when the count actually grew (not on every render where it
   // happens to be > 0).
-  const lastPendingCountRef = useRef(0);
+  // Initialize from the current pending count rather than 0 so we don't
+  // fire scrollToIndex(LAST) on the very first render of a chat that
+  // already has outbox-queued items. Only growth of `pending.length`
+  // across renders should trigger the snap-to-bottom (i.e., the user
+  // just submitted something new).
+  const lastPendingCountRef = useRef(pending.length);
   useEffect(() => {
     if (pending.length > lastPendingCountRef.current) {
       virtuosoRef.current?.scrollToIndex({