diff --git a/mobile/src/terminal/document/document-host-seams.ts b/mobile/src/terminal/document/document-host-seams.ts
index 6eb2f799eaa..1afaac6c1a1 100644
--- a/mobile/src/terminal/document/document-host-seams.ts
+++ b/mobile/src/terminal/document/document-host-seams.ts
@@ -45,6 +45,9 @@ export type TerminalDocumentErrorReporter = (
 /** A frame from the host, as its transport delivers it: JSON text from a bridge, or the object. */
 export type TerminalDocumentHostFrame = string | Record<string, unknown> | undefined
 
+/** How a document starts, as its view mounted. */
+export type TerminalDocumentStart = { textScale: number; shown: boolean }
+
 /**
  * The ten host seams, kept apart from the state because the host sets them once when it builds
  * the scope, before the start sequence runs, and no module writes them afterwards.
@@ -68,13 +71,12 @@ export type TerminalDocumentHostSeams = {
   installHostTransport: (receive: (frame: TerminalDocumentHostFrame) => void) => () => void
   /** `message-bridge`: whether the engine is here, which is what readiness is reported on. */
   hasEngine: () => boolean
-  /** `text-scaling`: the app's text scale, so the terminal built before ready lays out at it. */
-  initialTextScale: () => number
   /**
-   * `message-bridge`: whether to build the terminal before ready. Only a document shown when its
-   * view mounted does; every terminal is a WebGL context, and a page or app holds about sixteen.
+   * How the document starts, as its view mounted: the app's text scale, which the terminal built
+   * before ready lays out at, and whether it was shown. Only a shown document builds before ready;
+   * every terminal is a WebGL context, and a page or app holds about sixteen.
    */
-  buildsTerminalBeforeReady: () => boolean
+  start: () => TerminalDocumentStart
   /** Every fit, pan, scroll and overlay bound, and every client point mapped into the grid. */
   viewportRect: () => TerminalDocumentViewportRect
   /** `fit-scale`: calls back when that box changes size or is shown again, handing back its removal. */
@@ -231,13 +233,12 @@ export function windowHasEngine() {
   return window.Terminal !== undefined
 }
 
-export function windowInitialTextScale() {
+export function windowStart(): TerminalDocumentStart {
   const scale = window.__orcaTerminalTextScale
-  return typeof scale === 'number' && scale > 0 ? scale : 1
-}
-
-export function windowBuildsTerminalBeforeReady() {
-  return window.__orcaTerminalShown !== false
+  return {
+    textScale: typeof scale === 'number' && scale > 0 ? scale : 1,
+    shown: window.__orcaTerminalShown !== false
+  }
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/mobile/src/terminal/document/document-scope.ts b/mobile/src/terminal/document/document-scope.ts
index 36194def1d2..1415f0f27f1 100644
--- a/mobile/src/terminal/document/document-scope.ts
+++ b/mobile/src/terminal/document/document-scope.ts
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+import type { TerminalCellBox } from '../terminal-cell-box'
 import { DEFAULT_TERMINAL_THEME } from '../terminal-webview-html/theme'
 import {
   createEngineTerminal,
@@ -9,8 +10,7 @@ import {
   postToReactNativeWebView,
   windowCapturedEngineErrors,
   windowHasEngine,
-  windowInitialTextScale,
-  windowBuildsTerminalBeforeReady,
+  windowStart,
   observeWindowViewport,
   windowViewportRect,
   type TerminalDocumentHost,
@@ -97,7 +97,7 @@ export type TerminalDocumentState = {
   /** `terminal-init`: whether the first live chunk since init is still pending. */
   firstDataPending: boolean
   /** `cell-metrics-probe`: the laid-out cell box last reported for the current terminal. */
-  reportedCellBox: string
+  reportedCellBox: { cellBox: TerminalCellBox; cols: number; rows: number } | null
   /** `terminal-init`: whether the replayed snapshot was an alternate screen. */
   activeAltScreenSnapshot: boolean
   /** `fit-scale`: the fit scale the document committed. */
@@ -271,7 +271,7 @@ function createTerminalDocumentState(): TerminalDocumentState {
     currentTextScale: 1,
     terminalFontFamily: '',
     firstDataPending: false,
-    reportedCellBox: '',
+    reportedCellBox: null,
     activeAltScreenSnapshot: false,
     currentScale: 1,
     userScale: 1,
@@ -357,8 +357,7 @@ function createTerminalDocumentHostSeams(): TerminalDocumentHostSeams {
     paintDocumentBackground: paintWindowDocumentBackground,
     installHostTransport: installWindowHostTransport,
     hasEngine: windowHasEngine,
-    initialTextScale: windowInitialTextScale,
-    buildsTerminalBeforeReady: windowBuildsTerminalBeforeReady,
+    start: windowStart,
     viewportRect: windowViewportRect,
     observeViewport: observeWindowViewport,
     root: null
diff --git a/mobile/src/terminal/document/laid-out-cell-box.test.ts b/mobile/src/terminal/document/laid-out-cell-box.test.ts
index 9554484f995..a9c12bac065 100644
--- a/mobile/src/terminal/document/laid-out-cell-box.test.ts
+++ b/mobile/src/terminal/document/laid-out-cell-box.test.ts
@@ -146,7 +146,7 @@ describe('a started document', () => {
   })
 
   it('reports ready with the box its own terminal laid out, at the app text scale', () => {
-    const { scope, posted, built } = started({ initialTextScale: () => 1.25 })
+    const { scope, posted, built } = started({ start: () => ({ textScale: 1.25, shown: true }) })
     try {
       expect(built).toHaveLength(1)
       expect(built[0].options.fontSize).toBe(fontPxForScale(1.25))
@@ -175,7 +175,7 @@ describe('a started document', () => {
   })
 
   it('builds nothing before ready for a view hidden when it mounted, and reports no box', () => {
-    const { scope, posted, built } = started({ buildsTerminalBeforeReady: () => false })
+    const { scope, posted, built } = started({ start: () => ({ textScale: 1, shown: false }) })
     try {
       expect(built).toHaveLength(0)
       expect(posted[0]).toEqual({ type: 'web-ready', cellBox: null })
diff --git a/mobile/src/terminal/document/laid-out-cell-box.ts b/mobile/src/terminal/document/laid-out-cell-box.ts
index d16c74e1abd..30bbe036e2e 100644
--- a/mobile/src/terminal/document/laid-out-cell-box.ts
+++ b/mobile/src/terminal/document/laid-out-cell-box.ts
@@ -28,15 +28,17 @@ export function reportLaidOutCellBox(scope: TerminalDocumentScope) {
     return
   }
   const { cols, rows } = scope.term
-  const key = `${laidOut.fontScale}:${laidOut.cellWidth}x${laidOut.cellHeight}@${cols}x${rows}`
-  if (key === scope.reportedCellBox) {
+  const last = scope.reportedCellBox
+  if (
+    last &&
+    last.cols === cols &&
+    last.rows === rows &&
+    last.cellBox.fontScale === laidOut.fontScale &&
+    last.cellBox.cellWidth === laidOut.cellWidth &&
+    last.cellBox.cellHeight === laidOut.cellHeight
+  ) {
     return
   }
-  scope.reportedCellBox = key
-  notify(scope, {
-    type: 'cell-metrics',
-    cellBox: laidOut,
-    cols,
-    rows
-  })
+  scope.reportedCellBox = { cellBox: laidOut, cols, rows }
+  notify(scope, { type: 'cell-metrics', ...scope.reportedCellBox })
 }
diff --git a/mobile/src/terminal/document/message-bridge.ts b/mobile/src/terminal/document/message-bridge.ts
index bc066efaacc..47b80f6eb15 100644
--- a/mobile/src/terminal/document/message-bridge.ts
+++ b/mobile/src/terminal/document/message-bridge.ts
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ export function startMessageBridge(scope: TerminalDocumentScope) {
   )
   if (scope.hasEngine()) {
     // Why: ready carries the cell box xterm itself laid out, so the host sizes the first subscribe.
-    if (scope.buildsTerminalBeforeReady()) {
+    if (scope.start().shown) {
       prepareTerminal(scope)
     }
     notify(scope, { type: 'web-ready', cellBox: laidOutCellBox(scope) })
diff --git a/mobile/src/terminal/document/term-observers.ts b/mobile/src/terminal/document/term-observers.ts
index 3d4684ea144..b859fb23ef8 100644
--- a/mobile/src/terminal/document/term-observers.ts
+++ b/mobile/src/terminal/document/term-observers.ts
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ export function attachTermObservers(scope: TerminalDocumentScope) {
     return
   }
   disposeTermObservers(scope)
-  scope.reportedCellBox = ''
+  scope.reportedCellBox = null
   try {
     scope.termObserverDisposables.push(
       scope.term.onLineFeed!(function () {
diff --git a/mobile/src/terminal/document/text-scaling.ts b/mobile/src/terminal/document/text-scaling.ts
index 0b0a11101de..88d7b5dd762 100644
--- a/mobile/src/terminal/document/text-scaling.ts
+++ b/mobile/src/terminal/document/text-scaling.ts
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@ export function applyTextScale(scope: TerminalDocumentScope, scale: number) {
 }
 
 export function startTextScaling(scope: TerminalDocumentScope) {
-  scope.currentTextScale = scope.initialTextScale()
+  scope.currentTextScale = scope.start().textScale
   scope.scrollIndicator = elementInRoot(scope.root, 'scroll-indicator')
   scope.scrollThumb = elementInRoot(scope.root, 'scroll-thumb')
   scope.terminalFontFamily =
diff --git a/mobile/src/terminal/terminal-web-document-mount.test.ts b/mobile/src/terminal/terminal-web-document-mount.test.ts
index 242624ebe07..ef7caedda3c 100644
--- a/mobile/src/terminal/terminal-web-document-mount.test.ts
+++ b/mobile/src/terminal/terminal-web-document-mount.test.ts
@@ -32,8 +32,8 @@ vi.mock('./document/create-terminal-document', async (importOriginal) => {
   return {
     ...actual,
     createTerminalDocument: (host: Parameters<typeof actual.createTerminalDocument>[0]) => {
-      startedScales.push(host?.initialTextScale?.() ?? 1)
-      startedBuilds.push(host?.buildsTerminalBeforeReady?.() ?? true)
+      startedScales.push(host?.start?.().textScale ?? 1)
+      startedBuilds.push(host?.start?.().shown ?? true)
       if (startThrows) {
         throw startThrows
       }
diff --git a/mobile/src/terminal/terminal-web-document-mount.ts b/mobile/src/terminal/terminal-web-document-mount.ts
index f5ae7402a4d..b16afa80095 100644
--- a/mobile/src/terminal/terminal-web-document-mount.ts
+++ b/mobile/src/terminal/terminal-web-document-mount.ts
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ import { Terminal } from '@xterm/xterm'
 import { Unicode11Addon } from '@xterm/addon-unicode11'
 import { WebglAddon } from '@xterm/addon-webgl'
 import type { TerminalDocumentTerminal } from './document/document-terminal-shape'
-import type { TerminalViewportChange } from './document/document-host-seams'
+import type { TerminalDocumentStart, TerminalViewportChange } from './document/document-host-seams'
 import { TERMINAL_DOCUMENT_ELEMENT_STYLE, TERMINAL_DOCUMENT_MARKUP } from './terminal-webview-html'
 import { scopeStyleToHost } from '../style-scoping/document-style-scoping'
 import { XTERM_ENGINE_CSS } from './terminal-webview-engine-css.generated'
@@ -99,12 +99,10 @@ function createPageWebglAddon(onFallback: (reason: string) => void) {
  * A caller's cleanup can therefore never arrive before there is something to clean up.
  */
 /** What the view fixed when it mounted, for every document it builds. */
-export type TerminalWebDocumentStart = { textScale: number; shown: boolean }
-
 export function mountTerminalWebDocument(
   host: HTMLElement,
   receive: (message: Record<string, unknown>) => void,
-  start: TerminalWebDocumentStart = { textScale: 1, shown: true }
+  start: TerminalDocumentStart = { textScale: 1, shown: true }
 ): TerminalWebDocument {
   ensureDocumentStyle()
   host.classList.add(HOST_CLASS)
@@ -138,7 +136,7 @@ export function mountTerminalWebDocument(
 function startDocumentOrGiveTheHostBack(
   host: HTMLElement,
   receive: (message: Record<string, unknown>) => void,
-  start: TerminalWebDocumentStart,
+  start: TerminalDocumentStart,
   viewport: PageViewport
 ) {
   try {
@@ -194,7 +192,7 @@ function pageViewport(host: HTMLElement) {
 function startPageDocument(
   host: HTMLElement,
   receive: (message: Record<string, unknown>) => void,
-  start: TerminalWebDocumentStart,
+  start: TerminalDocumentStart,
   viewport: PageViewport
 ) {
   // Written by this document's own reporter: `startHostNotify` installs it through the seam below,
@@ -242,8 +240,7 @@ function startPageDocument(
     // fail. Here the engine is the import above, so it is here or this module did not load.
     hasEngine: () => true,
 
-    initialTextScale: () => start.textScale,
-    buildsTerminalBeforeReady: () => start.shown,
+    start: () => start,
 
     // The window here is the whole page, header and dock included; the grid is shown in the host.
     viewportRect: viewport.rect,
diff --git a/mobile/src/terminal/terminal-webview-cell-metrics.test.ts b/mobile/src/terminal/terminal-webview-cell-metrics.test.ts
index 2f4aa221752..f37cc22f1e2 100644
--- a/mobile/src/terminal/terminal-webview-cell-metrics.test.ts
+++ b/mobile/src/terminal/terminal-webview-cell-metrics.test.ts
@@ -244,6 +244,13 @@ describe('the cell box xterm laid out', () => {
     expect(start).toBeLessThan(html.indexOf('startTerminalDocument'))
   })
 
+  it('keeps the source it mounted with across renders, so a new text scale does not reload', () => {
+    const { webView } = mount(1)
+    const source = webView().props.source
+    act(() => renderers[0]!.update(createElement(TerminalWebView, { textScale: 1.5 })))
+    expect(webView().props.source).toBe(source)
+  })
+
   it('tells a document whose view was hidden at mount not to build before ready', () => {
     let renderer: ReactTestRenderer | undefined
     act(() => {
diff --git a/mobile/src/terminal/terminal-webview-html.ts b/mobile/src/terminal/terminal-webview-html.ts
index 2e6752b0271..65bbff60d35 100644
--- a/mobile/src/terminal/terminal-webview-html.ts
+++ b/mobile/src/terminal/terminal-webview-html.ts
@@ -21,29 +21,20 @@ export const XTERM_HTML = [
   TERMINAL_HTML_DOCUMENT_CLOSE
 ].join('')
 
-const webViewSources = new Map<string, { html: string }>()
-
 /**
  * The WebView's document, starting as its view mounted: at this text scale, and whether it was
- * shown. Written into the page ahead of the document script, which reads them as it starts; one
- * object per pair, so a parent render never hands the WebView a new source and reloads it.
+ * shown. Written into the page ahead of the document script, which reads them as it starts.
  */
 export function xtermWebViewSource(start: { textScale: number; shown: boolean }) {
-  const key = `${start.textScale}:${start.shown}`
-  let source = webViewSources.get(key)
-  if (!source) {
-    const startValues =
-      `window.__orcaTerminalTextScale = ${JSON.stringify(start.textScale)};\n` +
-      `window.__orcaTerminalShown = ${JSON.stringify(start.shown)};\n`
-    source = {
-      html: [
-        TERMINAL_HTML_DOCUMENT_SHELL,
-        startValues,
-        TERMINAL_DOCUMENT_SCRIPT,
-        TERMINAL_HTML_DOCUMENT_CLOSE
-      ].join('')
-    }
-    webViewSources.set(key, source)
+  const startValues =
+    `window.__orcaTerminalTextScale = ${JSON.stringify(start.textScale)};\n` +
+    `window.__orcaTerminalShown = ${JSON.stringify(start.shown)};\n`
+  return {
+    html: [
+      TERMINAL_HTML_DOCUMENT_SHELL,
+      startValues,
+      TERMINAL_DOCUMENT_SCRIPT,
+      TERMINAL_HTML_DOCUMENT_CLOSE
+    ].join('')
   }
-  return source
 }
diff --git a/mobile/src/terminal/terminal-webview-text-zoom.test.ts b/mobile/src/terminal/terminal-webview-text-zoom.test.ts
index a1945cc07d8..20b2d2a0afd 100644
--- a/mobile/src/terminal/terminal-webview-text-zoom.test.ts
+++ b/mobile/src/terminal/terminal-webview-text-zoom.test.ts
@@ -8,10 +8,6 @@ import { startTextScaling } from './document/text-scaling'
 import { webviewPageSource } from './document/document-module-source.test-support'
 
 const terminalWebViewSource = readFileSync(join(import.meta.dirname, 'TerminalWebView.tsx'), 'utf8')
-const terminalHtmlModuleSource = readFileSync(
-  join(import.meta.dirname, 'terminal-webview-html.ts'),
-  'utf8'
-)
 const terminalHtmlDocumentShellSource = readFileSync(
   join(import.meta.dirname, 'terminal-webview-html', 'document-shell.ts'),
   'utf8'
@@ -65,10 +61,9 @@ describe('TerminalWebView text zoom', () => {
     const end = terminalWebViewSource.indexOf('/>', start)
     expect(end).toBeGreaterThan(start)
     const webViewProps = terminalWebViewSource.slice(start, end)
-    // One source object per view, and one per start pair across views.
+    // One source object per view, pinned at mount.
     expect(terminalWebViewSource).toContain('const [source] = useState(() =>')
     expect(webViewProps).toContain('source={source}')
-    expect(terminalHtmlModuleSource).toContain('webViewSources.set(key, source)')
   })
 
   it('forces the Claude status dot to text presentation before xterm writes', () => {