diff --git a/frontend/src/hooks/usePhotosQuery.ts b/frontend/src/hooks/usePhotosQuery.ts
index d8e831d..8460330 100644
--- a/frontend/src/hooks/usePhotosQuery.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/hooks/usePhotosQuery.ts
@@ -20,6 +20,19 @@ export function stripPhotosFromCache(queryClient: QueryClient, ids: string[]) {
   })
 }
 
+interface CursorPage {
+  photos: Photo[]
+  next_cursor: string | null
+}
+
+async function fetchCursorPage(
+  params: Record<string, unknown>,
+  signal?: AbortSignal,
+): Promise<CursorPage> {
+  const resp = await api.get<CursorPage>('/photos', { params, signal })
+  return resp.data
+}
+
 /**
  * Single source of truth for the timeline photos query. Both Timeline and
  * PreviewView call this so they share one cache entry — previously
@@ -70,55 +83,41 @@ export function usePhotosQuery() {
   return useQuery({
     queryKey: ['photos', filterParams],
     queryFn: async ({ signal }) => {
-      // Two-phase fetch so the timeline can paint its first thumbnails
-      // long before the entire library has finished downloading. Phase 1
-      // returns the first page synchronously (which resolves the
-      // useQuery promise so consumers exit their loading state). Phase 2
-      // walks the remaining pages in the background, appending each one
-      // into the cache via setQueryData so the grid grows as data
-      // arrives. The signal from React Query aborts the background
-      // loop if the query is invalidated or unmounts mid-stream.
+      // Two-phase fetch using cursor-based (keyset) pagination.
+      // Phase 1 returns the first page (resolves the useQuery promise
+      // so consumers exit loading state). Phase 2 chains cursors in
+      // the background — each response includes a `next_cursor` that
+      // seeks directly to the next slice via an indexed range scan,
+      // O(1) regardless of depth (no OFFSET skipping).
       const PER_PAGE = 500
       const MAX_PAGES = 200
 
-      const firstResp = await api.get<{
-        photos: Photo[]
-        total: number
-        pages: number
-      }>('/photos', {
-        params: { page: 1, per_page: PER_PAGE, ...filterParams },
+      const first = await fetchCursorPage(
+        { per_page: PER_PAGE, ...filterParams },
         signal,
-      })
-      const firstBatch = firstResp.data.photos || []
-      const totalPages = firstResp.data.pages ?? 1
+      )
+      const firstBatch = first.photos || []
+      let nextCursor: string | null = first.next_cursor
 
-      if (totalPages > 1 && firstBatch.length === PER_PAGE) {
-        // Fire-and-forget background loop. We don't await here — the
-        // first batch is already enough to render. Each subsequent
-        // page lands via setQueryData, which triggers consumers to
-        // re-render with the larger list.
+      if (nextCursor) {
+        // Fire-and-forget background loop using cursor chaining.
         void (async () => {
-          for (let page = 2; page <= Math.min(totalPages, MAX_PAGES); page++) {
+          for (let i = 0; i < MAX_PAGES && nextCursor; i++) {
             if (signal?.aborted) return
             try {
-              const resp = await api.get<{
-                photos: Photo[]
-                total: number
-                pages: number
-              }>('/photos', {
-                params: { page, per_page: PER_PAGE, ...filterParams },
+              const page = await fetchCursorPage(
+                { per_page: PER_PAGE, cursor: nextCursor, ...filterParams },
                 signal,
-              })
+              )
               if (signal?.aborted) return
-              const more = resp.data.photos || []
+              const more = page.photos || []
+              nextCursor = page.next_cursor
               queryClient.setQueryData<Photo[]>(
                 ['photos', filterParams],
                 (prev) => (prev ? [...prev, ...more] : more)
               )
-              if (more.length < PER_PAGE) return
+              if (!nextCursor || more.length < PER_PAGE) return
             } catch {
-              // Network or abort — give up the background stream. The
-              // next user-triggered refetch will start fresh.
               return
             }
           }