diff --git a/packages/app/src/workspaces/files/artifact.test.ts b/packages/app/src/workspaces/files/artifact.test.ts
index af6996e03622..695b50b1c211 100644
--- a/packages/app/src/workspaces/files/artifact.test.ts
+++ b/packages/app/src/workspaces/files/artifact.test.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { describe, expect, test } from "bun:test"
-import { fileContentFromBytes, MAX_MEDIA_BYTES } from "./artifact"
+import { fileContentFromBytes, MAX_MEDIA_BYTES, sameFileContent } from "./artifact"
 import { approxBytes } from "./content-cache"
 
 describe("fileContentFromBytes", () => {
@@ -45,3 +45,22 @@ describe("fileContentFromBytes", () => {
     expect(fileContentFromBytes("a.bin", new Uint8Array([1, 0, 2]))).toEqual({ type: "binary", content: "", size: 3 })
   })
 })
+
+describe("sameFileContent", () => {
+  test("matches rereads of unchanged text and media", () => {
+    const text = new TextEncoder().encode("const a = 1")
+    expect(sameFileContent(fileContentFromBytes("a.ts", text), fileContentFromBytes("a.ts", text.slice()))).toBe(true)
+
+    const png = new Uint8Array([137, 80, 78, 71])
+    expect(sameFileContent(fileContentFromBytes("a.png", png), fileContentFromBytes("a.png", png.slice()))).toBe(true)
+  })
+
+  test("detects changed content", () => {
+    const before = fileContentFromBytes("a.ts", new TextEncoder().encode("const a = 1"))
+    expect(sameFileContent(before, fileContentFromBytes("a.ts", new TextEncoder().encode("const a = 2")))).toBe(false)
+    expect(sameFileContent(undefined, before)).toBe(false)
+
+    const png = fileContentFromBytes("a.png", new Uint8Array([137, 80, 78, 71]))
+    expect(sameFileContent(png, fileContentFromBytes("a.png", new Uint8Array([137, 80, 78, 72])))).toBe(false)
+  })
+})
diff --git a/packages/app/src/workspaces/files/artifact.ts b/packages/app/src/workspaces/files/artifact.ts
index 2f769f0c98e5..f5398dd832f0 100644
--- a/packages/app/src/workspaces/files/artifact.ts
+++ b/packages/app/src/workspaces/files/artifact.ts
@@ -36,3 +36,18 @@ export function fileContentFromBytes(path: string, bytes: Uint8Array): FileConte
 
   return { type: "text", content: new TextDecoder().decode(bytes), mimeType }
 }
+
+const sameBytes = (a: Uint8Array | undefined, b: Uint8Array | undefined) =>
+  a === b || (!!a && !!b && a.length === b.length && a.every((byte, index) => byte === b[index]))
+
+/** Whether a reread found what is already shown, so the viewer can keep its content. */
+export function sameFileContent(a: FileContent | undefined, b: FileContent) {
+  return (
+    !!a &&
+    a.type === b.type &&
+    a.content === b.content &&
+    a.size === b.size &&
+    a.mimeType === b.mimeType &&
+    sameBytes(a.bytes, b.bytes)
+  )
+}
diff --git a/packages/app/src/workspaces/files/model.tsx b/packages/app/src/workspaces/files/model.tsx
index 97ba50a6becc..f2af82773bdc 100644
--- a/packages/app/src/workspaces/files/model.tsx
+++ b/packages/app/src/workspaces/files/model.tsx
@@ -4,12 +4,13 @@ import { isFileNotFoundError } from "@opencode/client/promise"
 import { createSimpleContext } from "@opencode/ui/context"
 import { showToast } from "@/shell/notifications/toast"
 import { useParams } from "@solidjs/router"
+import { debounce } from "@solid-primitives/scheduled"
 import { getDirectory, getFilename } from "@opencode/util/path"
 import { useWorkspaceLocation } from "@/workspaces/location"
 import { useLanguage } from "@/runtime/i18n/language"
 import { useExtensionAttachment } from "@/runtime/extension/host-apis"
 import { createPathHelpers } from "./path"
-import { fileContentFromBytes } from "./artifact"
+import { fileContentFromBytes, sameFileContent } from "./artifact"
 import {
   approxBytes,
   evictContentLru,
@@ -31,6 +32,8 @@ import {
   type SelectedLineRange,
 } from "./types"
 
+const REFRESH_MAX_BYTES = 8 * 1024 * 1024
+
 export type { FileSelection, SelectedLineRange, FileViewState, FileState }
 
 export { selectionFromLines }
@@ -186,7 +189,8 @@ export const { use: useFile, provider: FileProvider } = createSimpleContext({
         return pending.promise
       }
 
-      setLoading(file)
+      // A reread keeps what the file shows, its content or the missing file, until the reply lands.
+      if (!current?.loaded && !current?.notFound) setLoading(file)
 
       // Files outside the workspace are read from their own directory, like markdown images.
       // The trailing separator from getDirectory keeps "/" and "C:/" valid, like readLocalImage.
@@ -204,6 +208,9 @@ export const { use: useFile, provider: FileProvider } = createSimpleContext({
         .then((data) => {
           if (scope() !== directory) return
           const content = fileContentFromBytes(file, data)
+
+          if (store.file[file]?.loaded && sameFileContent(store.file[file]?.content, content)) return
+
           setLoaded(file, content)
           touchFileContent(file, approxBytes(content))
           evictContent(new Set([file]))
@@ -280,6 +287,27 @@ export const { use: useFile, provider: FileProvider } = createSimpleContext({
       onCleanup(stop)
     })
 
+    // Agent tools can change any open file; reread them once a burst of tool calls settles. Large media keeps what it
+    // loaded.
+    const refreshOpened = debounce(() => {
+      for (const file of extensions.files.opened()) {
+        const content = store.file[file]?.content
+
+        if (content?.type === "binary" && (content.bytes?.byteLength ?? content.size ?? 0) > REFRESH_MAX_BYTES) continue
+        void load(file, { force: true, silent: true })
+      }
+    }, 250)
+
+    createEffect(() => {
+      const event = sdk().event
+      const stops = [event.on("session.tool.success", refreshOpened), event.on("session.tool.failed", refreshOpened)]
+
+      onCleanup(() => {
+        refreshOpened.clear()
+        stops.forEach((stop) => stop())
+      })
+    })
+
     const get = (input: string) => {
       const file = path.normalize(input)
       const state = store.file[file]
diff --git a/packages/gui-extensions/src/file/view.tsx b/packages/gui-extensions/src/file/view.tsx
index 529c1db7eb63..9e7be1ffd621 100644
--- a/packages/gui-extensions/src/file/view.tsx
+++ b/packages/gui-extensions/src/file/view.tsx
@@ -16,6 +16,8 @@ import ArtifactView from "./artifact-view"
 import { useShared } from "./context"
 import { fileTabPath } from "./path"
 
+const REFRESH_MS = 2000
+
 type FileSelection = { startLine: number; endLine: number; startChar: number; endChar: number }
 
 function selectionFromLines(range: LineRange): FileSelection {
@@ -408,6 +410,32 @@ export function SessionFileView(props: { session: MountedSession; screen: Sessio
     },
   )
 
+  const [hidden, setHidden] = createSignal(document.visibilityState === "hidden")
+
+  makeEventListener(document, "visibilitychange", () => setHidden(document.visibilityState === "hidden"))
+
+  // The server does not watch workspace files, so the shown file rereads while the window is visible. Unchanged
+  // rereads keep the current content; binary files, which can be large, only reread on agent edits.
+  createKeyed(
+    () => {
+      const p = path()
+
+      if (!p || hidden() || layout.state(key(), props.session) !== "visible") return
+
+      if (current()?.content?.type === "binary") return
+
+      return { path: p }
+    },
+    (target) => {
+      const sync = () => void file.sync(target.path, { force: true, silent: true })
+      const timer = setInterval(sync, REFRESH_MS)
+
+      sync()
+      onCleanup(() => clearInterval(timer))
+    },
+    { equals: (previous, next) => previous?.path === next?.path },
+  )
+
   const previous = { loaded: false, ready: false, active: false }
 
   createKeyed(