diff --git a/packages/ui/src/components/chat/ChatContainer.tsx b/packages/ui/src/components/chat/ChatContainer.tsx
index 6fc96c59..4451a41e 100644
--- a/packages/ui/src/components/chat/ChatContainer.tsx
+++ b/packages/ui/src/components/chat/ChatContainer.tsx
@@ -522,10 +522,17 @@ export const ChatContainer: React.FC<ChatContainerProps> = ({ autoOpenDraft = tr
     // History metadata — use sync's hasMore/isLoading
     const historyMeta = React.useMemo(() => {
         if (!currentSessionId) return null;
-        const prefetchHasMore = Boolean(sessionPrefetchInfo?.cursor) && sessionPrefetchInfo?.complete !== true;
+        // Sync's meta is authoritative once a fetch has confirmed the history
+        // is fully loaded — a stale prefetch-cache entry (cursor recorded at
+        // the initial page) must not keep the "load older" affordance alive
+        // after the user has already reached the top.
+        const syncComplete = sync.isComplete(currentSessionId);
+        const prefetchHasMore = !syncComplete
+            && Boolean(sessionPrefetchInfo?.cursor)
+            && sessionPrefetchInfo?.complete !== true;
         return {
             limit: sessionMessages.length,
-            complete: !(sync.hasMore(currentSessionId) || prefetchHasMore),
+            complete: syncComplete || !(sync.hasMore(currentSessionId) || prefetchHasMore),
             loading: sync.isLoading(currentSessionId),
         };
     }, [currentSessionId, sessionMessages.length, sessionPrefetchInfo, sync]);
diff --git a/packages/ui/src/sync/use-sync.ts b/packages/ui/src/sync/use-sync.ts
index 4f741d68..66d3f788 100644
--- a/packages/ui/src/sync/use-sync.ts
+++ b/packages/ui/src/sync/use-sync.ts
@@ -555,6 +555,14 @@ export function useSync() {
     [getMetaFor],
   )
 
+  // True only when a fetch has positively confirmed the history is fully
+  // loaded (no next cursor). Distinct from !hasMore(), which is also true for
+  // sessions whose meta simply hasn't been populated yet.
+  const isComplete = useCallback(
+    (sessionID: string) => getMetaFor(sessionID).complete,
+    [getMetaFor],
+  )
+
   // Optimistic add (for prompt submission)
   const optimisticAdd = useCallback(
     (input: { sessionID: string; directory?: string | null; message: Message; parts: Part[] }) => {
@@ -610,11 +618,12 @@ export function useSync() {
       loadMore,
       hasMore,
       isLoading,
+      isComplete,
       optimistic: {
         add: optimisticAdd,
         remove: optimisticRemove,
       },
     }),
-    [syncSession, loadMore, hasMore, isLoading, optimisticAdd, optimisticRemove],
+    [syncSession, loadMore, hasMore, isLoading, isComplete, optimisticAdd, optimisticRemove],
   )
 }