diff --git a/frontend/src/app/canvas/CanvasPage.tsx b/frontend/src/app/canvas/CanvasPage.tsx
index 624bb4d..ba4b1e1 100644
--- a/frontend/src/app/canvas/CanvasPage.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/app/canvas/CanvasPage.tsx
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@ import { CanvasContextMenuContent } from '@/app/canvas/CanvasContextMenuContent'
 import { useCanvasConnectionPath } from '@/app/canvas/useCanvasConnectionPath'
 import { CanvasMenubar } from '@/app/canvas/CanvasMenubar'
 import { createContextualNode } from '@/app/canvas/ContextualZoomNode'
+import { ViewportDisplayProvider } from '@/app/canvas/ViewportDisplayContext'
 import { FlowKeyboardShortcuts } from '@/components/graph/FlowKeyboardShortcuts'
 import {
   Empty,
@@ -247,24 +248,22 @@ export function CanvasPage({ projectId }: CanvasPageProps) {
     [setEdges]
   )
 
-  const isValidConnection = useCallback(
-    (connection: Connection | AppEdge) => {
-      const src = 'source' in connection ? connection.source : undefined
-      const tgt = 'target' in connection ? connection.target : undefined
-      if (typeof src !== 'string' || typeof tgt !== 'string') return false
-      const sourceNode = nodes.find((n) => n.id === src)
-      const targetNode = nodes.find((n) => n.id === tgt)
-      const sourceType = sourceNode?.type
-      const targetType = targetNode?.type
-      if (!sourceType || !targetType) return false
-      if (sourceType === 'render' && targetType === 'config') {
-        const targetData = targetNode?.data as { configType?: string } | undefined
-        if (targetData?.configType !== 'markdown') return false
-      }
-      return isConnectionAllowed(sourceType, targetType, src, tgt)
-    },
-    [nodes]
-  )
+  const isValidConnection = useCallback((connection: Connection | AppEdge) => {
+    const src = 'source' in connection ? connection.source : undefined
+    const tgt = 'target' in connection ? connection.target : undefined
+    if (typeof src !== 'string' || typeof tgt !== 'string') return false
+    const currentNodes = nodesRef.current
+    const sourceNode = currentNodes.find((n) => n.id === src)
+    const targetNode = currentNodes.find((n) => n.id === tgt)
+    const sourceType = sourceNode?.type
+    const targetType = targetNode?.type
+    if (!sourceType || !targetType) return false
+    if (sourceType === 'render' && targetType === 'config') {
+      const targetData = targetNode?.data as { configType?: string } | undefined
+      if (targetData?.configType !== 'markdown') return false
+    }
+    return isConnectionAllowed(sourceType, targetType, src, tgt)
+  }, [])
 
   const onConnectStart = useCallback(
     (
@@ -655,9 +654,10 @@ export function CanvasPage({ projectId }: CanvasPageProps) {
                     </div>
                   )}
                   <ReactFlowProvider initialNodes={nodes} initialEdges={edges} fitView>
-                    <FlowFitViewOnLoad />
-                    <FlowKeyboardShortcuts />
-                    <ReactFlow
+                    <ViewportDisplayProvider>
+                      <FlowFitViewOnLoad />
+                      <FlowKeyboardShortcuts />
+                      <ReactFlow
                       className={isPanning ? 'react-flow--panning' : isSelecting ? 'react-flow--selecting' : undefined}
                       nodes={nodesForFlow}
                       edges={edgesForFlow}
@@ -684,6 +684,8 @@ export function CanvasPage({ projectId }: CanvasPageProps) {
                       fitView
                       onInit={onInit}
                       nodeDragThreshold={1}
+                      onlyRenderVisibleElements
+                      nodeOrigin={[0, 0]}
                       nodesDraggable
                       nodesConnectable
                       elementsSelectable
@@ -698,12 +700,13 @@ export function CanvasPage({ projectId }: CanvasPageProps) {
                       <div role="group" aria-label="Canvas controls: zoom and fit view">
                         <Controls />
                       </div>
-                      {showMinimap && (
+                      {showMinimap && nodes.length > 5 && (
                         <div role="region" aria-label="Minimap: overview of the graph">
                           <MiniMap />
                         </div>
                       )}
                     </ReactFlow>
+                    </ViewportDisplayProvider>
                   </ReactFlowProvider>
                 </div>
               </ContextMenuTrigger>
diff --git a/frontend/src/app/canvas/ContextualZoomNode.tsx b/frontend/src/app/canvas/ContextualZoomNode.tsx
index 3b1822e..426aac2 100644
--- a/frontend/src/app/canvas/ContextualZoomNode.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/app/canvas/ContextualZoomNode.tsx
@@ -4,9 +4,9 @@
  * @see https://reactflow.dev/examples/interaction/contextual-zoom
  */
 
-import React from 'react'
-import { useViewport } from '@xyflow/react'
+import React, { useContext } from 'react'
 import { getNodeType, getDefaultStyle } from '@/lib/graph/nodeRegistry'
+import { ViewportDisplayContext } from '@/app/canvas/ViewportDisplayContext'
 import { InputHandle, OutputHandle } from '@/components/graph/NodeHandles'
 import { cn } from '@/lib/utils'
 
@@ -86,8 +86,8 @@ export function createContextualNode<P extends NodeProps>(
   Inner: React.ComponentType<P>
 ): React.ComponentType<P> {
   function ContextualZoomNode(props: P) {
-    const { zoom } = useViewport()
-    const showCompact = zoom <= CONTEXTUAL_ZOOM_THRESHOLD
+    const displayMode = useContext(ViewportDisplayContext)
+    const showCompact = displayMode === 'compact'
     const p = props as NodeProps
     const type = p.type
     const defaultStyle = type ? getDefaultStyle(type) : { width: 320, height: 320 }
diff --git a/frontend/src/app/canvas/ViewportDisplayContext.tsx b/frontend/src/app/canvas/ViewportDisplayContext.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ce98809
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/src/app/canvas/ViewportDisplayContext.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
+/**
+ * Single subscriber for viewport zoom: one component (ViewportDisplayProvider)
+ * subscribes to useViewport() and provides displayMode so contextual nodes
+ * don't each subscribe to viewport and re-render on every pan/zoom.
+ */
+
+import React, { useLayoutEffect, useRef, useState } from 'react'
+import { useViewport } from '@xyflow/react'
+import { CONTEXTUAL_ZOOM_THRESHOLD } from '@/app/canvas/ContextualZoomNode'
+
+export type ViewportDisplayMode = 'compact' | 'full'
+
+const HYSTERESIS = 0.02
+
+const ViewportDisplayContext = React.createContext<ViewportDisplayMode>('full')
+export { ViewportDisplayContext }
+
+/**
+ * Must be rendered inside ReactFlowProvider. Subscribes to viewport once,
+ * maps zoom to displayMode with hysteresis, and provides it to descendants.
+ */
+export function ViewportDisplayProvider({ children }: { children: React.ReactNode }) {
+  const { zoom } = useViewport()
+  const [displayMode, setDisplayMode] = useState<ViewportDisplayMode>(() =>
+    zoom <= CONTEXTUAL_ZOOM_THRESHOLD ? 'compact' : 'full'
+  )
+  const lastRef = useRef(displayMode)
+
+  useLayoutEffect(() => {
+    const low = CONTEXTUAL_ZOOM_THRESHOLD - HYSTERESIS
+    const high = CONTEXTUAL_ZOOM_THRESHOLD + HYSTERESIS
+    let next: ViewportDisplayMode = lastRef.current
+    if (zoom <= low) next = 'compact'
+    else if (zoom >= high) next = 'full'
+    if (next !== lastRef.current) {
+      lastRef.current = next
+      setDisplayMode(next)
+    }
+  }, [zoom])
+
+  return (
+    <ViewportDisplayContext.Provider value={displayMode}>
+      {children}
+    </ViewportDisplayContext.Provider>
+  )
+}
diff --git a/frontend/src/app/canvas/useCanvasConnectionPath.ts b/frontend/src/app/canvas/useCanvasConnectionPath.ts
index 0748fce..6d0e4d5 100644
--- a/frontend/src/app/canvas/useCanvasConnectionPath.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/app/canvas/useCanvasConnectionPath.ts
@@ -7,6 +7,11 @@
 import { useCallback, useEffect, useMemo, useRef, useState } from 'react'
 import { getPathNodeIds, getPausedSegmentNodeIds } from '@/lib/graph/graphPath'
 
+/** Serialize set to a stable string for equality. */
+function setToStableKey(s: Set<string>): string {
+  return Array.from(s).sort().join(',')
+}
+
 export type EdgeLike = { source: string; target: string }
 
 /** Minimum time (ms) the connection ant trail runs when a path update is in progress. */
@@ -111,7 +116,7 @@ export function useCanvasConnectionPath(edges: EdgeLike[]): UseCanvasConnectionP
     []
   )
 
-  const connectionPathNodeIds = useMemo(
+  const connectionPathNodeIdsRaw = useMemo(
     () =>
       getPathNodeIds(
         edges,
@@ -121,8 +126,18 @@ export function useCanvasConnectionPath(edges: EdgeLike[]): UseCanvasConnectionP
       ),
     [edges, connectionPathUpdatingNodeIds, connectionPathTriggerNodeIds, connectionPathPausedNodeIds]
   )
+  const connectionPathNodeIdsRef = useRef<Set<string>>(connectionPathNodeIdsRaw)
+  const connectionPathNodeIdsKeyRef = useRef<string>('')
+  const connectionPathNodeIds =
+    setToStableKey(connectionPathNodeIdsRaw) === connectionPathNodeIdsKeyRef.current
+      ? connectionPathNodeIdsRef.current
+      : (() => {
+          connectionPathNodeIdsKeyRef.current = setToStableKey(connectionPathNodeIdsRaw)
+          connectionPathNodeIdsRef.current = connectionPathNodeIdsRaw
+          return connectionPathNodeIdsRaw
+        })()
 
-  const connectionPathPausedSegmentNodeIds = useMemo(
+  const connectionPathPausedSegmentNodeIdsRaw = useMemo(
     () =>
       getPausedSegmentNodeIds(
         edges,
@@ -132,12 +147,42 @@ export function useCanvasConnectionPath(edges: EdgeLike[]): UseCanvasConnectionP
       ),
     [edges, connectionPathNodeIds, connectionPathTriggerNodeIds, connectionPathPausedNodeIds]
   )
+  const connectionPathPausedSegmentNodeIdsRef = useRef<Set<string>>(
+    connectionPathPausedSegmentNodeIdsRaw
+  )
+  const connectionPathPausedSegmentNodeIdsKeyRef = useRef<string>('')
+  const connectionPathPausedSegmentNodeIds =
+    setToStableKey(connectionPathPausedSegmentNodeIdsRaw) ===
+    connectionPathPausedSegmentNodeIdsKeyRef.current
+      ? connectionPathPausedSegmentNodeIdsRef.current
+      : (() => {
+          connectionPathPausedSegmentNodeIdsKeyRef.current = setToStableKey(
+            connectionPathPausedSegmentNodeIdsRaw
+          )
+          connectionPathPausedSegmentNodeIdsRef.current = connectionPathPausedSegmentNodeIdsRaw
+          return connectionPathPausedSegmentNodeIdsRaw
+        })()
 
-  const connectionPathActiveSegmentNodeIds = useMemo(() => {
+  const connectionPathActiveSegmentNodeIdsRaw = useMemo(() => {
     const active = new Set(connectionPathNodeIds)
     connectionPathPausedSegmentNodeIds.forEach((id) => active.delete(id))
     return active
   }, [connectionPathNodeIds, connectionPathPausedSegmentNodeIds])
+  const connectionPathActiveSegmentNodeIdsRef = useRef<Set<string>>(
+    connectionPathActiveSegmentNodeIdsRaw
+  )
+  const connectionPathActiveSegmentNodeIdsKeyRef = useRef<string>('')
+  const connectionPathActiveSegmentNodeIds =
+    setToStableKey(connectionPathActiveSegmentNodeIdsRaw) ===
+    connectionPathActiveSegmentNodeIdsKeyRef.current
+      ? connectionPathActiveSegmentNodeIdsRef.current
+      : (() => {
+          connectionPathActiveSegmentNodeIdsKeyRef.current = setToStableKey(
+            connectionPathActiveSegmentNodeIdsRaw
+          )
+          connectionPathActiveSegmentNodeIdsRef.current = connectionPathActiveSegmentNodeIdsRaw
+          return connectionPathActiveSegmentNodeIdsRaw
+        })()
 
   const addConnectionPathPausedNode = useCallback((nodeId: string) => {
     setConnectionPathPausedNodeIds((prev) => (prev.includes(nodeId) ? prev : [...prev, nodeId]))