diff --git a/include/cst_version.h b/include/cst_version.h
index 0c6e982..55b281a 100644
--- a/include/cst_version.h
+++ b/include/cst_version.h
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 
 #define CST_VERSION_MAJOR 0
 #define CST_VERSION_MINOR 9
-#define CST_VERSION_PATCH 26
+#define CST_VERSION_PATCH 27
 
 #define CST_VERSION_STR_(x) #x
 #define CST_VERSION_STR(x) CST_VERSION_STR_(x)
diff --git a/src/tui.c b/src/tui.c
index b0b82a0..259d04c 100644
--- a/src/tui.c
+++ b/src/tui.c
@@ -339,7 +339,10 @@ typedef struct {
   char *md_live;
   size_t md_len;
   size_t md_cap;
-  size_t md_rendered;   /* md_len at the last live_render */
+  size_t md_shown;      /* bytes of md_live revealed on screen (drip buffer) */
+  size_t md_rendered;   /* md_shown at the last live_render */
+  double drip_carry;    /* fractional codepoints awaiting reveal */
+  struct timespec drip_at;
   char *md_prefix_ansi; /* rendered md_live[0, md_prefix) for long replies */
   size_t md_prefix;
   struct timespec md_render_at;
@@ -855,7 +858,9 @@ static void live_end_cleanup(tui_t *t) {
   t->md_live = NULL;
   t->md_len = 0;
   t->md_cap = 0;
+  t->md_shown = 0;
   t->md_rendered = 0;
+  t->drip_carry = 0;
   free(t->md_prefix_ansi);
   t->md_prefix_ansi = NULL;
   t->md_prefix = 0;
@@ -915,12 +920,13 @@ static char *md_render_part(const char *md, size_t n, int close_fence) {
 }
 
 /* Markdown → ANSI while streaming: unfinished fences are closed for display,
- * and long replies keep the finished prefix rendered once. Caller locks. */
+ * and long replies keep the finished prefix rendered once. Renders only the
+ * dripped prefix [0, md_shown). Caller locks. */
 static void live_render(tui_t *t) {
-  if (!t->as_live || !t->md_live || t->md_rendered == t->md_len)
+  if (!t->as_live || !t->md_live || t->md_rendered == t->md_shown)
     return;
   const char *md = t->md_live;
-  size_t n = t->md_len, stable = 0;
+  size_t n = t->md_shown, stable = 0;
   if (n >= LIVE_PREFIX_MIN) {
     md_scan(md, t->md_prefix, n, &stable);
     if (stable > t->md_prefix + 4096) {
@@ -1057,11 +1063,130 @@ static char *glitch_stream_frontier(const char *src, int spin) {
   return out;
 }
 
+static size_t utf8_codepoints(const char *s, size_t n) {
+  size_t i = 0, c = 0;
+  while (i < n) {
+    wchar_t wc;
+    size_t eaten;
+    utf8_decode(s + i, n - i, &wc, &eaten);
+    if (eaten == 0)
+      break;
+    i += eaten;
+    c++;
+  }
+  return c;
+}
+
+static size_t utf8_advance_n(const char *s, size_t n, size_t max_chars) {
+  size_t i = 0, c = 0;
+  while (i < n && c < max_chars) {
+    wchar_t wc;
+    size_t eaten;
+    utf8_decode(s + i, n - i, &wc, &eaten);
+    if (eaten == 0)
+      break;
+    i += eaten;
+    c++;
+  }
+  return i;
+}
+
+static int isqrt_sz(size_t n) {
+  if (n <= 1)
+    return (int)n;
+  size_t x = n, y = (x + 1) / 2;
+  while (y < x) {
+    x = y;
+    y = (x + n / x) / 2;
+  }
+  return (int)x;
+}
+
+/* Non-linear drip: slow and readable near the tip; accelerates with backlog
+ * so a fast model never leaves us many seconds behind. */
+static double drip_cps(size_t backlog_chars) {
+  if (backlog_chars == 0)
+    return 0;
+  if (backlog_chars <= 6)
+    return 14.0; /* ~one glyph / tick — glitch is visible */
+  if (backlog_chars <= 40)
+    return 18.0 + (double)backlog_chars * 0.9;
+  /* ~ 22 + 14*sqrt(backlog) */
+  double cps = 22.0 + 14.0 * (double)isqrt_sz(backlog_chars);
+  if (backlog_chars > 600)
+    cps = (double)backlog_chars * 8.0; /* drain hard */
+  if (cps > 900.0)
+    cps = 900.0;
+  return cps;
+}
+
+static int live_apply_shown(tui_t *t) {
+  free(t->live.body);
+  t->live.body = t->md_shown ? xstrndup(t->md_live, t->md_shown) : xstrdup("");
+  t->md_rendered = 0; /* force live_render */
+  live_render(t);
+  return 1;
+}
+
+/* Advance md_shown toward md_len. Returns 1 if the display changed. */
+static int live_drip(tui_t *t) {
+  if (!t->as_live || !t->md_live || t->md_shown >= t->md_len)
+    return 0;
+  long dt = ms_since(&t->drip_at);
+  if (dt < 12)
+    return 0;
+  if (dt > 200)
+    dt = 200;
+  clock_gettime(CLOCK_MONOTONIC, &t->drip_at);
+
+  size_t backlog =
+      utf8_codepoints(t->md_live + t->md_shown, t->md_len - t->md_shown);
+  if (backlog == 0) {
+    t->md_shown = t->md_len;
+    return live_apply_shown(t);
+  }
+  t->drip_carry += drip_cps(backlog) * ((double)dt / 1000.0);
+  size_t want = (size_t)t->drip_carry;
+  if (want < 1) {
+    if (dt >= 70 && backlog > 0) {
+      want = 1; /* guarantee tip motion */
+      t->drip_carry = 0;
+    } else {
+      return 0;
+    }
+  } else {
+    t->drip_carry -= (double)want;
+  }
+  if (want > backlog)
+    want = backlog;
+  if (want > 64)
+    want = 64; /* hard per-frame cap for readability */
+  size_t adv =
+      utf8_advance_n(t->md_live + t->md_shown, t->md_len - t->md_shown, want);
+  if (adv == 0)
+    return 0;
+  t->md_shown += adv;
+  return live_apply_shown(t);
+}
+
+static void live_flush(tui_t *t) {
+  if (!t->as_live || !t->md_live)
+    return;
+  if (t->md_shown >= t->md_len)
+    return;
+  t->md_shown = t->md_len;
+  t->drip_carry = 0;
+  (void)live_apply_shown(t);
+}
+
 static void live_begin(tui_t *t) {
   live_end_cleanup(t);
   t->md_cap = MD_INIT;
   t->md_live = calloc(1, t->md_cap);
   t->md_len = 0;
+  t->md_shown = 0;
+  t->drip_carry = 0;
+  clock_gettime(CLOCK_MONOTONIC, &t->drip_at);
   t->live.kind = BLK_ASSISTANT;
   block_set_title(&t->live, "Assistant");
   t->live.expanded = 1;
@@ -1084,17 +1209,13 @@ static void live_feed(tui_t *t, const char *text, size_t len) {
   memcpy(t->md_live + t->md_len, text, len);
   t->md_len += len;
   t->md_live[t->md_len] = 0;
-  /* The last render stays on screen until the next throttled live_render;
-   * before the first one the raw text shows. */
-  free(t->live.body);
-  t->live.body = xstrndup(t->md_live, t->md_len);
-  if (!t->live.render || ms_since(&t->md_render_at) >= LIVE_RENDER_MS)
-    live_render(t);
+  /* Network buffer only — screen catch-up is live_drip on the UI tick. */
 }
 
 static void live_seal(tui_t *t) {
   if (!t->as_live)
     return;
+  live_flush(t);
   block_t *b = blocks_push(&t->hist);
   if (b) {
     b->kind = BLK_ASSISTANT;
@@ -7533,10 +7654,14 @@ int cst_tui_run(cst_agent_t *agent) {
     }
     if (busy) {
       tui_lock(&t);
-      if (t.as_live && t.md_rendered != t.md_len &&
-          ms_since(&t.md_render_at) >= LIVE_RENDER_MS) {
-        live_render(&t);
-        dirty = 1;
+      if (t.as_live) {
+        if (live_drip(&t))
+          dirty = 1;
+        else if (t.md_rendered != t.md_shown &&
+                 ms_since(&t.md_render_at) >= LIVE_RENDER_MS) {
+          live_render(&t);
+          dirty = 1;
+        }
       }
       if (t.think_timing && t.think_idx >= 0 && t.think_idx < t.hist.n) {
         char title[64];