diff --git a/packages/ui/src/sync/DOCUMENTATION.md b/packages/ui/src/sync/DOCUMENTATION.md
index 710127c5..efa5934d 100644
--- a/packages/ui/src/sync/DOCUMENTATION.md
+++ b/packages/ui/src/sync/DOCUMENTATION.md
@@ -164,6 +164,7 @@ Rules:
 4. Async commits are generation-checked. Runtime switches, forced refreshes, eviction, and disposal must reject stale completion.
 5. Prefetch coverage and persisted directory data are runtime-scoped. Legacy persisted directory entries may seed startup continuity, but they are not live truth.
 6. Message and part materialization preserves references for unchanged records and maintains direct message-to-parts lookup. Consumers subscribe to the selected session's records rather than broad message/part containers.
+7. The ref-stable loader is disposed only after the current task when its provider unmounts. This lets React Strict Mode's development setup → cleanup → setup probe retain a usable loader for child effects, while real disposal still invalidates the preceding lifecycle's work.
 
 Initial loads use smaller pages on constrained VS Code/mobile surfaces. Older pages are fetched through the same loader and merged with optimistic records before publication.
 
diff --git a/packages/ui/src/sync/session-message-loader-lifecycle.test.ts b/packages/ui/src/sync/session-message-loader-lifecycle.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..92addd1e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/ui/src/sync/session-message-loader-lifecycle.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+import { expect, test } from 'bun:test'
+import { createStore } from 'zustand/vanilla'
+
+import { SessionMessageLoader } from './session-message-loader'
+
+test('loads messages after a Strict Mode cleanup and effect setup', async () => {
+  const store = createStore(() => ({ message: {}, part: {} }))
+  const childStores = { ensureChild: () => store, getChild: () => store }
+  let messageRequests = 0
+  let resolveFirstRequest: ((value: { data: []; response: { headers: { get: () => null } } }) => void) | undefined
+  const sdk = { session: { messages: async () => {
+    messageRequests += 1
+    if (messageRequests === 1) return new Promise((resolve) => { resolveFirstRequest = resolve })
+    return { data: [], response: { headers: { get: () => null } } }
+  } } }
+  const loader = new SessionMessageLoader(childStores as never, { sdk: sdk as never, runtimeKey: 'runtime' })
+  const firstLoad = loader.ensure({ directory: '/project', sessionID: 'session-1' })
+  loader.dispose(); loader.activate(); await loader.ensure({ directory: '/project', sessionID: 'session-1' })
+  resolveFirstRequest?.({ data: [], response: { headers: { get: () => null } } }); await firstLoad
+  expect(messageRequests).toBe(2)
+  expect(loader.getSnapshot({ directory: '/project', sessionID: 'session-1' }).status).toBe('ready')
+})
diff --git a/packages/ui/src/sync/session-message-loader.ts b/packages/ui/src/sync/session-message-loader.ts
index 1b423c4a..644d9782 100644
--- a/packages/ui/src/sync/session-message-loader.ts
+++ b/packages/ui/src/sync/session-message-loader.ts
@@ -161,6 +161,18 @@ export class SessionMessageLoader {
     }
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Re-enable a loader which was disposed by a transient React effect cleanup.
+   *
+   * React Strict Mode runs effect setup, cleanup, then setup again in
+   * development. The provider owns one ref-stable loader across that sequence,
+   * so the second setup must be able to accept new work after the first cleanup
+   * invalidated its in-flight requests.
+   */
+  activate(): void {
+    this.disposed = false
+  }
+
   ensure(
     target: SessionMessageTarget,
     options?: { force?: boolean; reason?: "navigation" | "reactive" | "prefetch" },
diff --git a/packages/ui/src/sync/sync-context.tsx b/packages/ui/src/sync/sync-context.tsx
index 5a5bb100..465c64ae 100644
--- a/packages/ui/src/sync/sync-context.tsx
+++ b/packages/ui/src/sync/sync-context.tsx
@@ -1781,6 +1781,7 @@ export function SyncProvider(props: {
     })
   }
   const messageLoader = messageLoaderRef.current
+  const messageLoaderDisposalTimerRef = useRef<ReturnType<typeof setTimeout> | null>(null)
   messageLoader.configure({ sdk: props.sdk, runtimeKey })
   const routingIndexRef = useRef<EventRoutingIndex | null>(null)
   if (!routingIndexRef.current) routingIndexRef.current = createEventRoutingIndex()
@@ -2242,9 +2243,22 @@ export function SyncProvider(props: {
     }
   }, [props.sdk, props.directory, childStores, messageLoader, routingIndex])
 
-  useEffect(() => () => {
-    messageLoader.dispose()
-    childStores.disposeAll()
+  useEffect(() => {
+    if (messageLoaderDisposalTimerRef.current) {
+      clearTimeout(messageLoaderDisposalTimerRef.current)
+      messageLoaderDisposalTimerRef.current = null
+    }
+    messageLoader.activate()
+    return () => {
+      // Strict Mode probes effects with setup → cleanup → setup in one task.
+      // Deferring destruction lets child effects issue their second setup load
+      // before this provider is installed again and cancels the cleanup.
+      messageLoaderDisposalTimerRef.current = setTimeout(() => {
+        messageLoaderDisposalTimerRef.current = null
+        messageLoader.dispose()
+        childStores.disposeAll()
+      }, 0)
+    }
   }, [childStores, messageLoader])
 
   // Subscribe to child store for streaming state derivation