diff --git a/components/mail/mail-app.tsx b/components/mail/mail-app.tsx
index c69d7c2c7..a4f6e764f 100644
--- a/components/mail/mail-app.tsx
+++ b/components/mail/mail-app.tsx
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ import { useSettingsStore } from "@/stores/settings-store";
 import { useEffectiveMailLayout } from "@/hooks/use-effective-mail-layout";
 import { useContactStore } from "@/stores/contact-store";
 import { useIdentityStore } from "@/stores/identity-store";
-import { useUIStore, SIDEBAR_MIN, SIDEBAR_MAX, EMAIL_LIST_MIN, EMAIL_LIST_MAX, EMAIL_LIST_HEIGHT_MIN, EMAIL_LIST_HEIGHT_MAX } from "@/stores/ui-store";
+import { useUIStore, listPaneCssSize, SIDEBAR_MIN, SIDEBAR_MAX, EMAIL_LIST_MIN, EMAIL_LIST_MAX, EMAIL_LIST_HEIGHT_MIN, EMAIL_LIST_HEIGHT_MAX, READING_PANE_MIN_WIDTH, READING_PANE_MIN_HEIGHT } from "@/stores/ui-store";
 import { useDeviceDetection } from "@/hooks/use-media-query";
 import { usePaneSize } from "@/hooks/use-pane-size";
 import { usePaneId } from "@/hooks/use-pane-context";
@@ -283,6 +283,7 @@ export function MailApp({ linkSegments: routeSegments }: MailAppProps = {}) {
   // Column resize state (disable transitions during drag)
   const [isResizing, setIsResizing] = useState(false);
   const dragStartWidth = useRef(0);
+  const listPaneRef = useRef<HTMLElement>(null);
   // Mobile conversation view state
   const [conversationBlobSource, setConversationBlobSource] = useState<EmailBlobContext | undefined>();
   const conversationOpenSeqRef = useRef(0);
@@ -5086,6 +5087,7 @@ export function MailApp({ linkSegments: routeSegments }: MailAppProps = {}) {
           <div className={cn("relative flex flex-1 min-h-0", isHorizontalMailLayout && "md:flex-col")}>
           {/* Email List - full width on mobile, fixed width/height on tablet/desktop */}
           <section
+            ref={listPaneRef}
             aria-labelledby={listHeadingId}
             className={cn(
               "relative flex flex-col bg-background min-w-0",
@@ -5113,8 +5115,8 @@ export function MailApp({ linkSegments: routeSegments }: MailAppProps = {}) {
               isMobile
                 ? undefined
                 : isHorizontalMailLayout
-                  ? (!shouldHideHorizontalViewerPane ? { height: emailListHeight } : undefined)
-                  : (!shouldCollapseListPane && !shouldHideViewerPane ? { width: clampEmailListWidth(emailListWidth) } : undefined)
+                  ? (!shouldHideHorizontalViewerPane ? { height: listPaneCssSize(emailListHeight, EMAIL_LIST_HEIGHT_MIN, READING_PANE_MIN_HEIGHT) } : undefined)
+                  : (!shouldCollapseListPane && !shouldHideViewerPane ? { width: listPaneCssSize(clampEmailListWidth(emailListWidth), EMAIL_LIST_MIN, READING_PANE_MIN_WIDTH) } : undefined)
             }
           >
             <h2 id={listHeadingId} className="sr-only">{t('shell.message_list')}</h2>
@@ -5498,7 +5500,7 @@ export function MailApp({ linkSegments: routeSegments }: MailAppProps = {}) {
               value={emailListWidth}
               min={EMAIL_LIST_MIN}
               max={EMAIL_LIST_MAX}
-              onResizeStart={() => { dragStartWidth.current = emailListWidth; setIsResizing(true); }}
+              onResizeStart={() => { dragStartWidth.current = listPaneRef.current?.getBoundingClientRect().width ?? emailListWidth; setIsResizing(true); }}
               onResize={(delta) => setEmailListWidth(dragStartWidth.current + delta)}
               onResizeEnd={() => { setIsResizing(false); persistColumnWidths(); }}
               onDoubleClick={resetEmailListWidth}
@@ -5511,7 +5513,7 @@ export function MailApp({ linkSegments: routeSegments }: MailAppProps = {}) {
               value={emailListHeight}
               min={EMAIL_LIST_HEIGHT_MIN}
               max={EMAIL_LIST_HEIGHT_MAX}
-              onResizeStart={() => { dragStartWidth.current = emailListHeight; setIsResizing(true); }}
+              onResizeStart={() => { dragStartWidth.current = listPaneRef.current?.getBoundingClientRect().height ?? emailListHeight; setIsResizing(true); }}
               onResize={(delta) => setEmailListHeight(dragStartWidth.current + delta)}
               onResizeEnd={() => { setIsResizing(false); persistColumnWidths(); }}
               onDoubleClick={resetEmailListHeight}
diff --git a/stores/__tests__/ui-store.test.ts b/stores/__tests__/ui-store.test.ts
index 76eef2c2f..612c73a85 100644
--- a/stores/__tests__/ui-store.test.ts
+++ b/stores/__tests__/ui-store.test.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach } from 'vitest';
-import { useUIStore } from '../ui-store';
+import { useUIStore, listPaneCssSize } from '../ui-store';
 
 describe('ui-store', () => {
   beforeEach(() => {
@@ -17,6 +17,16 @@ describe('ui-store', () => {
     localStorage.clear();
   });
 
+  describe('listPaneCssSize', () => {
+    it('keeps the saved size only while the reading pane keeps its minimum', () => {
+      expect(listPaneCssSize(600, 240, 320)).toBe('clamp(240px, calc(100% - 320px), 600px)');
+    });
+
+    it('never puts the lower limit above a saved size smaller than it', () => {
+      expect(listPaneCssSize(220, 240, 320)).toBe('clamp(220px, calc(100% - 320px), 220px)');
+    });
+  });
+
   describe('setSidebarWidth', () => {
     it('should clamp to minimum', () => {
       useUIStore.getState().setSidebarWidth(50);
diff --git a/stores/ui-store.ts b/stores/ui-store.ts
index 275474aff..2f0b5a2eb 100644
--- a/stores/ui-store.ts
+++ b/stores/ui-store.ts
@@ -16,6 +16,18 @@ const EMAIL_LIST_DEFAULT = 384;
 export const EMAIL_LIST_HEIGHT_MIN = 160;
 export const EMAIL_LIST_HEIGHT_MAX = 800;
 const EMAIL_LIST_HEIGHT_DEFAULT = 320;
+// What the reading pane keeps of the window, whatever size the list was dragged to
+export const READING_PANE_MIN_WIDTH = 320;
+export const READING_PANE_MIN_HEIGHT = 240;
+
+/**
+ * The list pane's CSS size: the size the user dragged it to, as long as that
+ * leaves the reading pane its minimum. Saved sizes outlive the window they were
+ * set in, and a smaller window would squeeze the reading pane down to nothing.
+ */
+export function listPaneCssSize(saved: number, min: number, readingPaneMin: number): string {
+  return `clamp(${Math.min(saved, min)}px, calc(100% - ${readingPaneMin}px), ${saved}px)`;
+}
 
 interface UIState {
   // Mobile view state