diff --git a/mobile/src/browser/MobileBrowserPane.tsx b/mobile/src/browser/MobileBrowserPane.tsx
index 0771c2a3643..787e069618f 100644
--- a/mobile/src/browser/MobileBrowserPane.tsx
+++ b/mobile/src/browser/MobileBrowserPane.tsx
@@ -22,6 +22,11 @@ import {
 } from './mobile-browser-frame-state'
 import { displayBrowserUrl, normalizeBrowserUrl } from './browser-url'
 import { resolveMobileBrowserAddressSync } from './mobile-browser-address-sync'
+import {
+  resolveMobileBrowserNavigationState,
+  type MobileBrowserNavigationRefinement,
+  type MobileBrowserNavigationState
+} from './mobile-browser-navigation-state'
 import { MobileBrowserPaneView } from './MobileBrowserPaneView'
 import { useMobileBrowserInteractions } from './use-mobile-browser-interactions'
 import { useMobileBrowserPaneLayers } from './use-mobile-browser-pane-layers'
@@ -84,10 +89,21 @@ export function MobileBrowserPane({
   const cachedInitialFrame = peekCachedBrowserFrame(cacheKey)
   const [addressValue, setAddressValue] = useState(displayBrowserUrl(tab.url))
   const [addressFocused, setAddressFocused] = useState(false)
-  const [navigationState, setNavigationState] = useState({
-    canGoBack: tab.canGoBack,
-    canGoForward: tab.canGoForward
-  })
+  // A host `navigation` event refines the tab's navigability until the tab itself republishes;
+  // an older host that never emits it leaves the tab props in charge. Derived in render so a tab
+  // update never lags one commit behind.
+  const [navigationRefinement, setNavigationRefinement] =
+    useState<MobileBrowserNavigationRefinement | null>(null)
+  const navigationState = resolveMobileBrowserNavigationState(tab, navigationRefinement)
+  const setNavigationState = useCallback(
+    (next: MobileBrowserNavigationState) => {
+      setNavigationRefinement({
+        ...next,
+        base: { canGoBack: tab.canGoBack, canGoForward: tab.canGoForward }
+      })
+    },
+    [tab.canGoBack, tab.canGoForward]
+  )
   const [addressSyncState, setAddressSyncState] = useState({
     focused: false,
     url: tab.url
@@ -177,12 +193,6 @@ export function MobileBrowserPane({
     focused: addressFocused,
     url: tab.url
   })
-  // The screencast `navigation` event is a newer-host refinement; the tab props stay
-  // the baseline so an older host that never emits it does not freeze Back/Forward.
-  useEffect(() => {
-    setNavigationState({ canGoBack: tab.canGoBack, canGoForward: tab.canGoForward })
-  }, [tab.canGoBack, tab.canGoForward])
-
   useEffect(() => {
     if (addressSync.nextState === addressSyncState) {
       return
diff --git a/mobile/src/browser/mobile-browser-navigation-state.ts b/mobile/src/browser/mobile-browser-navigation-state.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..2a7b446ecdb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/mobile/src/browser/mobile-browser-navigation-state.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+export type MobileBrowserNavigationState = { canGoBack: boolean; canGoForward: boolean }
+
+/** A host `navigation` refinement plus the tab props it refined, so a later tab update wins. */
+export type MobileBrowserNavigationRefinement = MobileBrowserNavigationState & {
+  base: MobileBrowserNavigationState
+}
+
+// Why: the tab props are the baseline every host publishes; the screencast `navigation` event is
+// a newer-host refinement that only stands until the tab itself republishes navigability.
+export function resolveMobileBrowserNavigationState(
+  tab: MobileBrowserNavigationState,
+  refinement: MobileBrowserNavigationRefinement | null
+): MobileBrowserNavigationState {
+  if (
+    refinement &&
+    refinement.base.canGoBack === tab.canGoBack &&
+    refinement.base.canGoForward === tab.canGoForward
+  ) {
+    return { canGoBack: refinement.canGoBack, canGoForward: refinement.canGoForward }
+  }
+  return { canGoBack: tab.canGoBack, canGoForward: tab.canGoForward }
+}
diff --git a/mobile/src/browser/use-mobile-browser-stream.ts b/mobile/src/browser/use-mobile-browser-stream.ts
index e44d061969f..21aab6338d5 100644
--- a/mobile/src/browser/use-mobile-browser-stream.ts
+++ b/mobile/src/browser/use-mobile-browser-stream.ts
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ type MobileBrowserStreamArgs = {
   setError: Dispatch<SetStateAction<string | null>>
   setFrameMetadata: Dispatch<SetStateAction<BrowserScreencastFrameMetadata | null>>
   setFrameUri: Dispatch<SetStateAction<string | null>>
-  setNavigationState?: Dispatch<SetStateAction<{ canGoBack: boolean; canGoForward: boolean }>>
+  setNavigationState?: (next: { canGoBack: boolean; canGoForward: boolean }) => void
   setZoom: Dispatch<SetStateAction<BrowserZoomState>>
   streamGenerationRef: { current: number }
   tab: MobileBrowserTab
diff --git a/mobile/src/components/MobileSyntaxSegments.tsx b/mobile/src/components/MobileSyntaxSegments.tsx
index 8f63e4bdade..0da9fe1d438 100644
--- a/mobile/src/components/MobileSyntaxSegments.tsx
+++ b/mobile/src/components/MobileSyntaxSegments.tsx
@@ -6,9 +6,8 @@ export function MobileSyntaxSegments({ segments }: { segments: MobileSyntaxSegme
   let sourceOffset = 0
   return (
     <>
-      {segments.map((segment, index) => {
-        // The index keeps two adjacent zero-length segments of the same kind distinct.
-        const key = `${index}:${sourceOffset}:${segment.kind}`
+      {segments.map((segment) => {
+        const key = `${sourceOffset}:${segment.kind}`
         sourceOffset += segment.text.length
         return (
           <Text key={key} style={[webSyntaxTextStyle, syntaxTokenStyles[segment.kind]]}>