diff --git a/amethyst/src/main/java/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/ui/screen/loggedIn/chats/feed/DmLoadMoreIndicator.kt b/amethyst/src/main/java/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/ui/screen/loggedIn/chats/feed/DmLoadMoreIndicator.kt
index 08c2f7e5fe..e408d4188d 100644
--- a/amethyst/src/main/java/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/ui/screen/loggedIn/chats/feed/DmLoadMoreIndicator.kt
+++ b/amethyst/src/main/java/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/ui/screen/loggedIn/chats/feed/DmLoadMoreIndicator.kt
@@ -162,6 +162,9 @@ private fun historySubtitle(
     relayCount: Int,
     reachedBack: Long?,
 ): String {
+    // A transient frame can carry loading=true with relayCount=0 (the count updates a beat after the
+    // spinner flips, and again as the last relay settles); don't render a nonsensical "0 relays".
+    if (relayCount <= 0) return protocolTag
     val backLabel =
         remember(reachedBack) {
             reachedBack?.let { SimpleDateFormat("MMM yyyy", Locale.getDefault()).format(Date(it * 1000)) }
diff --git a/amethyst/src/main/java/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/ui/screen/loggedIn/chats/feed/layouts/RelayReachMarker.kt b/amethyst/src/main/java/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/ui/screen/loggedIn/chats/feed/layouts/RelayReachMarker.kt
index ae1bd607ea..5152955297 100644
--- a/amethyst/src/main/java/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/ui/screen/loggedIn/chats/feed/layouts/RelayReachMarker.kt
+++ b/amethyst/src/main/java/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/ui/screen/loggedIn/chats/feed/layouts/RelayReachMarker.kt
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ import androidx.compose.ui.Alignment
 import androidx.compose.ui.Modifier
 import androidx.compose.ui.graphics.Color
 import androidx.compose.ui.text.font.FontWeight
+import androidx.compose.ui.text.style.TextOverflow
 import androidx.compose.ui.unit.dp
 import androidx.compose.ui.unit.sp
 import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.ui.theme.DividerThickness
@@ -58,6 +59,11 @@ data class RelayReach(
  * As a relay loads older history its reached cursor drops, so the caller places this marker further
  * down (older) in the stream — relays that race ahead leave their marker deep while slower relays'
  * markers trail higher up, converging as they catch up.
+ *
+ * Each state in the gap renders one compact label: a relay's host name when it is the only one of its
+ * state there (the usual converged case, where each relay sits at its own depth), or just a count when
+ * several pile up at the same depth (e.g. all nine clustered at the live-tail floor on first open) so
+ * the line can't grow into an unreadable comma list.
  */
 @Composable
 fun RelayReachMarker(entries: List<RelayReach>) {
@@ -65,20 +71,21 @@ fun RelayReachMarker(entries: List<RelayReach>) {
 
     Row(
         verticalAlignment = Alignment.CenterVertically,
-        horizontalArrangement = Arrangement.spacedBy(6.dp),
+        horizontalArrangement = Arrangement.spacedBy(10.dp),
         modifier = HalfPadding,
     ) {
         HorizontalDivider(modifier = Modifier.weight(1f), thickness = DividerThickness)
-        // Group by state so a gap shared by several relays reads as e.g. "✓ vitor, nos.lol   ↓ wine".
         entries
             .groupBy { it.state }
             .toSortedMap(compareBy { it.ordinal })
             .forEach { (state, list) ->
                 Text(
-                    text = glyph(state) + " " + list.joinToString(", ") { it.name },
+                    text = glyph(state) + " " + if (list.size == 1) list.first().name else list.size.toString(),
                     color = color(state),
                     fontSize = 11.sp,
                     fontWeight = FontWeight.Medium,
+                    maxLines = 1,
+                    overflow = TextOverflow.Ellipsis,
                 )
             }
         HorizontalDivider(modifier = Modifier.weight(1f), thickness = DividerThickness)
diff --git a/amethyst/src/main/java/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/ui/screen/loggedIn/chats/privateDM/datasource/ChatroomNip04HistorySubAssembler.kt b/amethyst/src/main/java/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/ui/screen/loggedIn/chats/privateDM/datasource/ChatroomNip04HistorySubAssembler.kt
index f35bd3bbf6..f29d7f88ac 100644
--- a/amethyst/src/main/java/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/ui/screen/loggedIn/chats/privateDM/datasource/ChatroomNip04HistorySubAssembler.kt
+++ b/amethyst/src/main/java/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/ui/screen/loggedIn/chats/privateDM/datasource/ChatroomNip04HistorySubAssembler.kt
@@ -200,6 +200,9 @@ class ChatroomNip04HistorySubAssembler(
             if (!windowActive) {
                 windowActive = true
                 windowFloor = startUntil()
+                // Populate the relay count BEFORE raising the spinner, so the status card never renders
+                // a "loading from 0 relays" frame between loadingMore flipping true and the first progress.
+                publishProgress()
                 _loadingMore.value = true
                 windowLoad.startLoading(it)
             }