diff --git a/js/services/nip71IngestService.js b/js/services/nip71IngestService.js
index 51181f60..f28e3cf7 100644
--- a/js/services/nip71IngestService.js
+++ b/js/services/nip71IngestService.js
@@ -36,6 +36,11 @@ const SUBSCRIPTION_KEY = "nip71-ingest";
 // subscribing.
 const OPEN_RETRY_DELAY_MS = 2000;
 const MAX_OPEN_ATTEMPTS = 30; // ~60s of retries
+// Defer the first subscription until the native feed has rendered (signalled by
+// the first videos:updated). Injecting foreign authors hydrates their WoT graph
+// (kind 30000), which during cold-start competes with the initial feed load; a
+// fallback covers the empty-feed case where no videos:updated ever fires.
+const FEED_READY_FALLBACK_MS = 12000;
 
 export function createNip71IngestService({
   nostrClient,
@@ -48,6 +53,7 @@ export function createNip71IngestService({
   openRetryDelayMs = OPEN_RETRY_DELAY_MS,
   maxOpenAttempts = MAX_OPEN_ATTEMPTS,
   refreshThrottleMs = REFRESH_THROTTLE_MS,
+  feedReadyFallbackMs = FEED_READY_FALLBACK_MS,
 } = {}) {
   let subscription = null;
   let buffer = [];
@@ -58,6 +64,9 @@ export function createNip71IngestService({
   let started = false;
   let lastRefreshAt = 0;
   let pendingRefreshTimer = null;
+  let deferArmed = false;
+  let deferTimer = null;
+  let offFeedReady = null;
 
   function isAvailable() {
     return (
@@ -199,6 +208,13 @@ export function createNip71IngestService({
     } catch (error) {
       logger?.warn?.("[nip71Ingest] getFilteredActiveVideos failed", error);
     }
+    // Confirm ingested videos survive the feed filter (whitelist/NSFW/etc.).
+    const foreignCount = Array.isArray(videos)
+      ? videos.filter((v) => v?.source === "nip71-ingest").length
+      : 0;
+    userLogger.info(
+      `[nip71Ingest] refresh: ${foreignCount} ingested of ${videos.length} in filtered feed`,
+    );
     if (typeof nostrService?.emit === "function") {
       nostrService.emit("videos:updated", {
         videos,
@@ -208,6 +224,35 @@ export function createNip71IngestService({
     }
   }
 
+  // Defer the first start until the native feed has rendered (first
+  // videos:updated), with a fallback timer for the empty-feed case. Keeps ingest
+  // off the cold-start critical path.
+  function startWhenFeedReady() {
+    if (started || deferArmed || !isAvailable()) {
+      return false;
+    }
+    deferArmed = true;
+
+    const begin = () => {
+      if (typeof offFeedReady === "function") {
+        offFeedReady();
+        offFeedReady = null;
+      }
+      if (deferTimer) {
+        clearTimeout(deferTimer);
+        deferTimer = null;
+      }
+      deferArmed = false;
+      start();
+    };
+
+    if (typeof nostrService?.on === "function") {
+      offFeedReady = nostrService.on("videos:updated", begin);
+    }
+    deferTimer = setTimeout(begin, feedReadyFallbackMs);
+    return true;
+  }
+
   function start() {
     if (started || !isAvailable()) {
       return false;
@@ -313,6 +358,19 @@ export function createNip71IngestService({
 
   function stop() {
     closeSubscription();
+    if (typeof offFeedReady === "function") {
+      try {
+        offFeedReady();
+      } catch (error) {
+        // best-effort
+      }
+      offFeedReady = null;
+    }
+    if (deferTimer) {
+      clearTimeout(deferTimer);
+      deferTimer = null;
+    }
+    deferArmed = false;
     if (typeof offWhitelistChange === "function") {
       try {
         offWhitelistChange();
@@ -326,6 +384,7 @@ export function createNip71IngestService({
 
   return {
     isAvailable,
+    startWhenFeedReady,
     start,
     stop,
     restart,
diff --git a/js/ui/applicationBootstrap.js b/js/ui/applicationBootstrap.js
index 5749f7d3..2f04c9f1 100644
--- a/js/ui/applicationBootstrap.js
+++ b/js/ui/applicationBootstrap.js
@@ -858,6 +858,12 @@ export default class ApplicationBootstrap {
     // Inbound NIP-71 ingest: pull video events published by other Nostr apps
     // (scoped to whitelisted authors while whitelist mode is on) and surface
     // them in the feed. Gated by FEATURE_NIP71_INGEST. Best-effort.
+    //
+    // Deferred until the native feed has rendered once: injecting foreign
+    // authors triggers the moderation/WoT stage to hydrate their social graph
+    // (kind 30000), which during cold-start competes with the initial feed load
+    // and can stall it. Starting after the first videos:updated keeps ingest off
+    // the critical path; a fallback timer covers the empty-feed case.
     const nip71IngestService = createNip71IngestService({
       nostrClient,
       nostrService: app.nostrService,
@@ -865,11 +871,7 @@ export default class ApplicationBootstrap {
     });
     app.nip71IngestService = nip71IngestService;
     if (nip71IngestService.isAvailable()) {
-      try {
-        nip71IngestService.start();
-      } catch (error) {
-        devLogger.warn("[applicationBootstrap] NIP-71 ingest start failed", error);
-      }
+      nip71IngestService.startWhenFeedReady();
       nostrUnsubscribes.push(() => nip71IngestService.stop());
     }
     nostrUnsubscribes.push(
diff --git a/tests/nip71-ingest-service.test.mjs b/tests/nip71-ingest-service.test.mjs
index f7664fea..41b7918b 100644
--- a/tests/nip71-ingest-service.test.mjs
+++ b/tests/nip71-ingest-service.test.mjs
@@ -43,10 +43,17 @@ function makeHarness({ whitelistOn = false, whitelist = [] } = {}) {
     getActiveKey: activeKey,
     getSubscriptionManager: () => manager,
   };
+  const feedListeners = new Set();
   const nostrService = {
     emit(name, detail) {
       emitted.push({ name, detail });
     },
+    on(name, fn) {
+      if (name === "videos:updated") {
+        feedListeners.add(fn);
+      }
+      return () => feedListeners.delete(fn);
+    },
     getFilteredActiveVideos: () => Array.from(activeMap.values()),
   };
   const accessControl = {
@@ -72,6 +79,7 @@ function makeHarness({ whitelistOn = false, whitelist = [] } = {}) {
     },
     fireEvent: (e) => onEvent?.(e),
     triggerWhitelistChange: () => whitelistListener?.(),
+    triggerFeedReady: () => feedListeners.forEach((fn) => fn({})),
     nostrClient,
     nostrService,
     accessControl,
@@ -218,6 +226,30 @@ test("re-subscribes when the whitelist changes", () => {
   assert.deepEqual(h.capturedFilters[0].authors, ["aa", "cc"], "subscription re-scoped after change");
 });
 
+test("startWhenFeedReady defers subscription until the native feed renders", () => {
+  const h = makeHarness({ whitelistOn: true, whitelist: ["aa"] });
+  const svc = makeService(h, { feedReadyFallbackMs: 100000 });
+
+  assert.equal(svc.startWhenFeedReady(), true);
+  assert.equal(h.capturedFilters, null, "does not subscribe during cold-start");
+
+  // Native feed renders -> first videos:updated -> ingest starts now.
+  h.triggerFeedReady();
+  assert.ok(h.capturedFilters, "subscribes once the feed is ready");
+  assert.deepEqual(h.capturedFilters[0].authors, ["aa"]);
+  svc.stop();
+});
+
+test("startWhenFeedReady falls back to starting if the feed never emits", async () => {
+  const h = makeHarness({ whitelistOn: true, whitelist: ["aa"] });
+  const svc = makeService(h, { feedReadyFallbackMs: 5 });
+  svc.startWhenFeedReady();
+  assert.equal(h.capturedFilters, null);
+  await new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, 20));
+  assert.ok(h.capturedFilters, "fallback timer started ingest");
+  svc.stop();
+});
+
 test("coalesces refresh signals so an event burst can't storm the feed", () => {
   const h = makeHarness();
   const svc = makeService(h, { refreshThrottleMs: 10000 });