diff --git a/frontend/components/messenger/ChatPanel.tsx b/frontend/components/messenger/ChatPanel.tsx
index 8b7543ec..b223ba3a 100644
--- a/frontend/components/messenger/ChatPanel.tsx
+++ b/frontend/components/messenger/ChatPanel.tsx
@@ -37,23 +37,40 @@ export function ChatPanel({ room }: ChatPanelProps) {
   const lastMessageId = messages?.[messages.length - 1]?.id;
 
   // Scroll to bottom: sentinel scrollIntoView before paint (no visible jump)
+  // Scroll to bottom on room open / new message
   useLayoutEffect(() => {
     if (isOpen) bottomRef.current?.scrollIntoView();
   }, [selectedRoomId, lastMessageId, isOpen]);
 
-  // Second pass for async image loads
+  // ResizeObserver: re-scroll whenever content height changes (images loading, etc.)
+  const shouldAutoScrollRef = useRef(true);
   useEffect(() => {
-    if (!isOpen) return;
-    const t = setTimeout(() => { bottomRef.current?.scrollIntoView(); }, 600);
-    return () => clearTimeout(t);
-  }, [lastMessageId, selectedRoomId, isOpen]);
+    const el = scrollRef.current;
+    if (!el) return;
+    const inner = el.firstElementChild as HTMLElement | null;
+    if (!inner) return;
+    const ro = new ResizeObserver(() => {
+      if (shouldAutoScrollRef.current) {
+        bottomRef.current?.scrollIntoView();
+      }
+    });
+    ro.observe(inner);
+    return () => ro.disconnect();
+  }, [selectedRoomId]);
+
+  // Track whether user has scrolled up (disable auto-scroll while reading old messages)
+  useEffect(() => {
+    shouldAutoScrollRef.current = true;
+  }, [selectedRoomId, lastMessageId]);
 
   // Re-attach scroll listener whenever room changes (scrollRef mounts after room is set)
   useEffect(() => {
     const el = scrollRef.current;
     if (!el) return;
     const onScroll = () => {
-      setIsAtBottom(el.scrollHeight - el.scrollTop - el.clientHeight < 60);
+      const atBottom = el.scrollHeight - el.scrollTop - el.clientHeight < 60;
+      setIsAtBottom(atBottom);
+      shouldAutoScrollRef.current = atBottom;
     };
     el.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll);
     return () => el.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll);