diff --git a/src/db/sqlite/messages.ts b/src/db/sqlite/messages.ts
index 520b4bdd..e3e62ed0 100644
--- a/src/db/sqlite/messages.ts
+++ b/src/db/sqlite/messages.ts
@@ -79,6 +79,14 @@ export async function listMessages(conversationId: string, limit = 50, before?:
   return messages;
 }
 
+/** Oldest-first from a point onwards: the newer half of a jump to an old message, and the pages
+    below it until the window reaches the present (GRYT-1686). */
+export async function listMessagesAfter(conversationId: string, limit: number, after: Date): Promise<MessageRecord[]> {
+  const db = getSqliteDb();
+  const rows = db.prepare(`SELECT * FROM messages WHERE conversation_id = ? AND thread_id IS NULL AND created_at > ? ORDER BY created_at ASC, message_id ASC LIMIT ?`).all(conversationId, toIso(after), limit);
+  return (rows as Record<string, unknown>[]).map(rowToMessage);
+}
+
 /**
  * Newest-first, reversed on the way out: ascending with a limit took the oldest
  * N, so a thread past its page hid the new replies.
diff --git a/src/db/sqlite/messagesWindow.test.ts b/src/db/sqlite/messagesWindow.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..caf839a0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/db/sqlite/messagesWindow.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,70 @@
+import assert from "node:assert/strict";
+import { mkdtempSync, rmSync } from "node:fs";
+import { tmpdir } from "node:os";
+import { join } from "node:path";
+import { after, before, describe, it } from "node:test";
+
+import { initSqlite } from "./connection";
+import { insertMessage, listMessages, listMessagesAfter } from "./messages";
+
+/** The two halves of a jump to an old message (GRYT-1686): `listMessages` before it and
+    `listMessagesAfter` past it, which together must cover the channel with no gap or repeat. */
+
+let dir: string;
+const CONV = "channel-window";
+const START = Date.UTC(2026, 9, 1, 8, 0, 0);
+const at = (i: number) => new Date(START + i * 60_000);
+
+before(async () => {
+  dir = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), "gryt-window-"));
+  process.env.DATA_DIR = dir;
+  await initSqlite();
+  for (let i = 0; i < 30; i++) {
+    await insertMessage({ conversation_id: CONV, message_id: `m${String(i).padStart(2, "0")}`, sender_server_id: "u_a", text: `message ${i}`, attachments: null, reactions: null, created_at: at(i) });
+  }
+  // A thread reply in the middle, which neither half may return.
+  await insertMessage({ conversation_id: CONV, message_id: "reply", sender_server_id: "u_a", text: "reply", attachments: null, reactions: null, thread_id: "t1", created_at: new Date(at(12).getTime() + 1) });
+});
+
+after(() => {
+  rmSync(dir, { recursive: true, force: true });
+});
+
+describe("listMessagesAfter", () => {
+  it("returns the next messages oldest first, starting after the point", async () => {
+    const page = await listMessagesAfter(CONV, 5, at(10));
+    assert.deepEqual(page.map((m) => m.message_id), ["m11", "m12", "m13", "m14", "m15"]);
+  });
+
+  it("leaves out thread replies", async () => {
+    const page = await listMessagesAfter(CONV, 30, at(12));
+    assert.ok(!page.some((m) => m.message_id === "reply"));
+  });
+
+  it("comes back short at the newest message", async () => {
+    const page = await listMessagesAfter(CONV, 10, at(25));
+    assert.deepEqual(page.map((m) => m.message_id), ["m26", "m27", "m28", "m29"]);
+  });
+
+  it("joins with listMessages around a message without a gap or a repeat", async () => {
+    const older = await listMessages(CONV, 4, at(15));
+    const newer = await listMessagesAfter(CONV, 4, at(15));
+    assert.deepEqual(
+      [...older, ...newer].map((m) => m.message_id),
+      ["m11", "m12", "m13", "m14", "m16", "m17", "m18", "m19"],
+    );
+  });
+
+  it("walks from the oldest message to the newest in pages", async () => {
+    const seen: string[] = [];
+    let cursor = new Date(START - 1);
+    for (;;) {
+      const page = await listMessagesAfter(CONV, 7, cursor);
+      seen.push(...page.map((m) => m.message_id));
+      if (page.length < 7) break;
+      cursor = page[page.length - 1].created_at;
+    }
+    assert.equal(seen.length, 30);
+    assert.equal(new Set(seen).size, 30);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/src/socket/handlers/chat.ts b/src/socket/handlers/chat.ts
index c735ff0b..3333e652 100644
--- a/src/socket/handlers/chat.ts
+++ b/src/socket/handlers/chat.ts
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ import { socketMay } from "../utils/standing";
 import {
   insertMessage,
   listMessages,
+  listMessagesAfter,
   listServerChannels,
   getServerChannel,
   MessageRecord,
@@ -863,7 +864,7 @@ export function registerChatHandlers(ctx: HandlerContext): EventHandlerMap {
       }
     },
 
-    'chat:fetch': async (payload: { conversationId: string; limit?: number; before?: string }) => {
+    'chat:fetch': async (payload: { conversationId: string; limit?: number; before?: string; after?: string; around?: string }) => {
       try {
         const ip = getClientIp();
         const userId = clientsInfo[clientId]?.serverUserId;
@@ -899,12 +900,46 @@ export function registerChatHandlers(ctx: HandlerContext): EventHandlerMap {
           }
         }
 
-        const limit = typeof payload.limit === "number" ? payload.limit : 50;
-        const before = typeof payload.before === "string" ? new Date(payload.before) : undefined;
-        consola.info("[chat:fetch]", { conversationId: payload.conversationId, limit, before: before?.toISOString(), hasBefore: !!before });
-        const items = before
-          ? await listMessages(payload.conversationId, limit, before)
-          : await getMessagesCached(payload.conversationId, limit);
+        // Capped: one request could otherwise ask for a whole channel's history in a page.
+        const limit = Math.min(Math.max(typeof payload.limit === "number" ? Math.floor(payload.limit) : 50, 1), 100);
+        const dateOf = (v: unknown) => {
+          const d = typeof v === "string" ? new Date(v) : undefined;
+          return d && !Number.isNaN(d.getTime()) ? d : undefined;
+        };
+        const before = dateOf(payload.before);
+        const after = dateOf(payload.after);
+        const around = typeof payload.around === "string" ? payload.around : undefined;
+        consola.info("[chat:fetch]", { conversationId: payload.conversationId, limit, before: before?.toISOString(), after: after?.toISOString(), around });
+
+        /* `around` opens history at one message, half a page each side; `after` pages towards
+           the present from there. Both say whether newer pages remain (GRYT-1686). */
+        let items: MessageRecord[];
+        let hasNewer: boolean | undefined;
+        let hasOlder: boolean | undefined;
+        let anchorFound: boolean | undefined;
+        if (around) {
+          const anchor = await getMessageById(payload.conversationId, around);
+          anchorFound = !!anchor && !anchor.thread_id;
+          if (anchor && anchorFound) {
+            const half = Math.max(1, Math.floor(limit / 2));
+            const older = await listMessages(payload.conversationId, half, anchor.created_at);
+            const newer = await listMessagesAfter(payload.conversationId, half, anchor.created_at);
+            items = [...older, anchor, ...newer];
+            hasOlder = older.length >= half;
+            hasNewer = newer.length >= half;
+          } else {
+            items = [];
+            hasOlder = false;
+            hasNewer = false;
+          }
+        } else if (after) {
+          items = await listMessagesAfter(payload.conversationId, limit, after);
+          hasNewer = items.length >= limit;
+        } else {
+          items = before
+            ? await listMessages(payload.conversationId, limit, before)
+            : await getMessagesCached(payload.conversationId, limit);
+        }
         /* Before enrichment, so nothing is spent on an avatar nobody sees.
            `hasMore` counts what is left, so a page may come back short. */
         const hidden = await blockedServerIdsFor(clientsInfo[clientId]?.serverUserId ?? "");
@@ -928,12 +963,21 @@ export function registerChatHandlers(ctx: HandlerContext): EventHandlerMap {
           threads: typeof threads;
           hasMore: boolean;
           before?: string;
+          after?: string;
+          around?: string;
+          anchorFound?: boolean;
+          hasNewer?: boolean;
         } = {
           conversation_id: payload.conversationId,
           items: enrichedItems,
           threads,
-          hasMore: enrichedItems.length >= limit,
+          // An `after` page sits above the present, so older ones are known to exist.
+          hasMore: hasOlder ?? (after ? true : enrichedItems.length >= limit),
         };
+        // Only on the new requests, so an older client sees the shape it always did.
+        if (around) { response.around = around; response.anchorFound = anchorFound; }
+        if (after) response.after = payload.after;
+        if (hasNewer !== undefined) response.hasNewer = hasNewer;
         consola.info("[chat:fetch] response", { itemCount: enrichedItems.length, hasMore: response.hasMore, before: response.before });
         if (before) response.before = payload.before;
         socket.emit("chat:history", response);