diff --git a/apps/web/src/components/chat/MessagesTimeline.tsx b/apps/web/src/components/chat/MessagesTimeline.tsx
index 8d3f88ea97b229151ccebf9d970ea3149d8beb93..d490b980e5f0005155e137228f15bb367d36722b 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/components/chat/MessagesTimeline.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/src/components/chat/MessagesTimeline.tsx
@@ -5433,8 +5433,10 @@ function remarkThoughtPreview(fallback: string) {
 function ReasoningTraceContent({ entries }: { entries: ReadonlyArray<TimelineWorkEntry> }) {
   const ctx = use(TimelineRowCtx);
   const { isWorking, latestRunId } = use(TimelineRowActivityCtx);
+  const isStreaming = (entry: TimelineWorkEntry) =>
+    isWorking && entry.runId === latestRunId && entry.toolLifecycleStatus === "inProgress";
   return (
-    <WorkLogDetails>
+    <WorkLogDetails followLive={entries.some(isStreaming)}>
       {entries.map((entry) => (
         <ChatMarkdown
           key={entry.id}
@@ -5443,9 +5445,7 @@ function ReasoningTraceContent({ entries }: { entries: ReadonlyArray<TimelineWor
           cwd={ctx.markdownCwd}
           threadRef={ctx.threadRef ?? undefined}
           skills={ctx.skills}
-          isStreaming={
-            isWorking && entry.runId === latestRunId && entry.toolLifecycleStatus === "inProgress"
-          }
+          isStreaming={isStreaming(entry)}
           headingLevelOffset={MESSAGE_HEADING_LEVEL}
           onUseArtifactTemplate={ctx.onUseArtifactTemplate}
           onImageExpand={ctx.onImageExpand}
diff --git a/apps/web/src/components/chat/WorkLog.test.tsx b/apps/web/src/components/chat/WorkLog.test.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..9a2a0a4d1cdd78c2510e0d3601d2fecb85338dbf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/web/src/components/chat/WorkLog.test.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,103 @@
+// @vitest-environment jsdom
+
+import { act } from "react";
+import { createRoot, type Root } from "react-dom/client";
+import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from "vite-plus/test";
+import { WorkLogDetails } from "./WorkLog";
+
+// jsdom has no layout, so the scroller's geometry is simulated: a 384px
+// viewport over content whose height the test grows like a streamed trace.
+const VIEWPORT = 384;
+let contentHeight = 0;
+let scrollTop = 0;
+
+let root: Root;
+let host: HTMLDivElement;
+
+function render(followLive: boolean, text: string) {
+  act(() => {
+    root.render(
+      <WorkLogDetails followLive={followLive}>
+        <p>{text}</p>
+      </WorkLogDetails>,
+    );
+  });
+}
+
+function scroller() {
+  const element = host.firstElementChild;
+  if (!(element instanceof HTMLDivElement)) throw new Error("missing scroller");
+  return element;
+}
+
+function stream(followLive: boolean, text: string) {
+  contentHeight += 200;
+  render(followLive, text);
+}
+
+function readerScrollsTo(top: number) {
+  scroller().scrollTop = top;
+  act(() => {
+    scroller().dispatchEvent(new Event("scroll"));
+  });
+}
+
+const maxScrollTop = () => contentHeight - VIEWPORT;
+
+beforeEach(() => {
+  vi.stubGlobal("IS_REACT_ACT_ENVIRONMENT", true);
+  contentHeight = 1000;
+  scrollTop = 0;
+  Object.defineProperties(HTMLDivElement.prototype, {
+    clientHeight: { configurable: true, get: () => VIEWPORT },
+    scrollHeight: { configurable: true, get: () => contentHeight },
+    scrollTop: {
+      configurable: true,
+      get: () => scrollTop,
+      set: (value: number) => {
+        scrollTop = Math.max(0, Math.min(value, maxScrollTop()));
+      },
+    },
+  });
+  host = document.createElement("div");
+  document.body.append(host);
+  root = createRoot(host);
+});
+
+afterEach(() => {
+  act(() => root.unmount());
+  host.remove();
+  for (const key of ["clientHeight", "scrollHeight", "scrollTop"]) {
+    Reflect.deleteProperty(HTMLDivElement.prototype, key);
+  }
+  vi.unstubAllGlobals();
+});
+
+describe("WorkLogDetails followLive", () => {
+  it("keeps the newest streamed text in view", () => {
+    render(true, "a");
+    expect(scrollTop).toBe(maxScrollTop());
+
+    stream(true, "ab");
+    stream(true, "abc");
+    expect(scrollTop).toBe(maxScrollTop());
+  });
+
+  it("stops following when the reader scrolls up and resumes at the end", () => {
+    render(true, "a");
+    readerScrollsTo(100);
+
+    stream(true, "ab");
+    expect(scrollTop).toBe(100);
+
+    readerScrollsTo(maxScrollTop());
+    stream(true, "abc");
+    expect(scrollTop).toBe(maxScrollTop());
+  });
+
+  it("does not move a trace that is not streaming", () => {
+    render(false, "a");
+    stream(false, "ab");
+    expect(scrollTop).toBe(0);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/apps/web/src/components/chat/WorkLog.tsx b/apps/web/src/components/chat/WorkLog.tsx
index 378387c4261ecea2b11f818ed0f25eaa73956f06..63d9fbd6b95a2c406a3d2e6cc265029a4c803f1d 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/components/chat/WorkLog.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/src/components/chat/WorkLog.tsx
@@ -1,4 +1,11 @@
-import { createContext, use, type ComponentProps, type ReactNode } from "react";
+import {
+  createContext,
+  use,
+  useLayoutEffect,
+  useRef,
+  type ComponentProps,
+  type ReactNode,
+} from "react";
 import { cn } from "../../lib/utils";
 
 const GroupedRows = createContext(false);
@@ -122,15 +129,36 @@ export function WorkLogRow({
   );
 }
 
+/** Distance from the end, in px, that still counts as reading the newest text. */
+const LIVE_EDGE_PX = 4;
+
 export function WorkLogDetails({
   children,
   kind = "text",
+  followLive = false,
 }: {
   children: ReactNode;
   kind?: "text" | "panel" | "media";
+  /** Keep streamed text in view. Scrolling up pauses this until the reader returns to the end. */
+  followLive?: boolean;
 }) {
+  const scrollerRef = useRef<HTMLDivElement>(null);
+  const atLiveEdgeRef = useRef(true);
+  // No deps: each streamed chunk re-renders this, and pinning before paint
+  // shows the new text without a visible jump.
+  useLayoutEffect(() => {
+    const scroller = scrollerRef.current;
+    if (followLive && atLiveEdgeRef.current && scroller) {
+      scroller.scrollTop = scroller.scrollHeight;
+    }
+  });
   return (
     <div
+      ref={scrollerRef}
+      onScroll={(event) => {
+        const { scrollHeight, scrollTop, clientHeight } = event.currentTarget;
+        atLiveEdgeRef.current = scrollHeight - scrollTop - clientHeight <= LIVE_EDGE_PX;
+      }}
       className={cn(
         "cursor-auto",
         kind === "text"