diff --git a/frontend/app/src/components/home/AggregateCommonEvents.svelte b/frontend/app/src/components/home/AggregateCommonEvents.svelte
index e256a81c8e..f9705a57ba 100644
--- a/frontend/app/src/components/home/AggregateCommonEvents.svelte
+++ b/frontend/app/src/components/home/AggregateCommonEvents.svelte
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 
 <script lang="ts">
     import type { ChatIdentifier, Level, OpenChat, UserLookup, UserSummary } from "openchat-client";
-    import { afterUpdate, getContext, onDestroy, onMount } from "svelte";
+    import { getContext, onDestroy, onMount } from "svelte";
     import { _ } from "svelte-i18n";
     import Markdown from "./Markdown.svelte";
     import { interpolateLevel } from "../../utils/i18n";
@@ -28,12 +28,6 @@
                 : $_("nMessagesDeleted", { values: { number: messagesDeleted.length } })
             : undefined;
 
-    afterUpdate(() => {
-        if (readByMe && observer && deletedMessagesElement) {
-            observer.unobserve(deletedMessagesElement);
-        }
-    });
-
     onMount(() => {
         if (!readByMe && deletedMessagesElement) {
             observer?.observe(deletedMessagesElement);
diff --git a/frontend/app/src/components/home/ChatEventList.svelte b/frontend/app/src/components/home/ChatEventList.svelte
index 1965a138ba..6c4659c363 100644
--- a/frontend/app/src/components/home/ChatEventList.svelte
+++ b/frontend/app/src/components/home/ChatEventList.svelte
@@ -184,6 +184,7 @@
                         const timer = window.setTimeout(() => {
                             if (messageContextsEqual(context, messageContext)) {
                                 client.markMessageRead(messageContext, idx, id);
+                                messageObserver.unobserve(entry.target);
                             }
                             delete messageReadTimers[idx];
                         }, MESSAGE_READ_THRESHOLD);
diff --git a/frontend/app/src/components/home/ChatMessage.svelte b/frontend/app/src/components/home/ChatMessage.svelte
index 32b8b266ca..df2c2f1cd4 100644
--- a/frontend/app/src/components/home/ChatMessage.svelte
+++ b/frontend/app/src/components/home/ChatMessage.svelte
@@ -29,7 +29,6 @@
     import { rtlStore } from "../../stores/rtl";
     import { now } from "../../stores/time";
     import {
-        afterUpdate,
         createEventDispatcher,
         getContext,
         onDestroy,
@@ -138,12 +137,6 @@
     $: messageContext = { chatId, threadRootMessageIndex };
     $: tips = msg.tips ? Object.entries(msg.tips) : [];
 
-    afterUpdate(() => {
-        if (readByMe && observer && msgElement) {
-            observer.unobserve(msgElement);
-        }
-    });
-
     onMount(() => {
         if (!readByMe) {
             tick().then(() => {
diff --git a/frontend/openchat-client/src/openchat.ts b/frontend/openchat-client/src/openchat.ts
index 2dcdc0ffea..c8626db83f 100644
--- a/frontend/openchat-client/src/openchat.ts
+++ b/frontend/openchat-client/src/openchat.ts
@@ -782,6 +782,10 @@ export class OpenChat extends OpenChatAgentWorker {
         messageIndex: number,
         messageId: bigint | undefined,
     ): void {
+        if (this.messagesRead.isRead(context, messageIndex, messageId)) {
+            return;
+        }
+
         this.messagesRead.markMessageRead(context, messageIndex, messageId);
 
         const selectedChat = this._liveState.selectedChat;
@@ -1209,29 +1213,25 @@ export class OpenChat extends OpenChatAgentWorker {
         });
     }
 
-    followThread(
-        chatId: ChatIdentifier,
-        message: Message,
-        follow: boolean
-    ): Promise<boolean> {
+    followThread(chatId: ChatIdentifier, message: Message, follow: boolean): Promise<boolean> {
         // Assume it will succeed
         localMessageUpdates.markThreadSummaryUpdated(message.messageId, {
-            followedByMe: follow
+            followedByMe: follow,
         });
 
         return this.sendRequest({
             kind: "followThread",
             chatId,
             threadRootMessageIndex: message.messageIndex,
-            follow
+            follow,
         }).then((resp) => {
             if (resp === "failed") {
                 localMessageUpdates.markThreadSummaryUpdated(message.messageId, {
-                    followedByMe: !follow
+                    followedByMe: !follow,
                 });
                 return false;
             } else {
-                return true
+                return true;
             }
         });
     }