diff --git a/src/app/components/ChatMessage.svelte b/src/app/components/ChatMessage.svelte
index 09f53bfc..2e036a74 100644
--- a/src/app/components/ChatMessage.svelte
+++ b/src/app/components/ChatMessage.svelte
@@ -56,11 +56,12 @@
     if (popoverIsVisible) {
       popover?.hide()
     } else {
-      popover?.show()
+      showPopover()
     }
   }
 
   let popover: Instance | undefined = $state()
+  let showPopover: () => void = $state(() => {})
   let popoverIsVisible = $state(false)
 </script>
 
@@ -71,6 +72,7 @@
   {#if !isMobile}
     <Tippy
       bind:popover
+      bind:show={showPopover}
       component={ChatMessageMenu}
       props={{event, pubkeys, popover, replyTo, edit}}
       params={{
diff --git a/src/app/components/CurrencyInput.svelte b/src/app/components/CurrencyInput.svelte
index 0d6af28e..ffea2edb 100644
--- a/src/app/components/CurrencyInput.svelte
+++ b/src/app/components/CurrencyInput.svelte
@@ -55,11 +55,12 @@
 
   let wrapper: Element | undefined = $state()
   let popover: Instance | undefined = $state()
+  let showPopover: () => void = $state(() => {})
   let instance: any = $state()
 
   $effect(() => {
     if ($term) {
-      popover?.show()
+      showPopover()
     } else {
       popover?.hide()
     }
@@ -82,6 +83,7 @@
   {/if}
   <Tippy
     bind:popover
+    bind:show={showPopover}
     bind:instance
     component={Suggestions}
     props={{
diff --git a/src/app/components/EventActions.svelte b/src/app/components/EventActions.svelte
index 6f3bce2e..9786a5f3 100644
--- a/src/app/components/EventActions.svelte
+++ b/src/app/components/EventActions.svelte
@@ -28,8 +28,6 @@
 
   const shouldProtect = $relays.hasNip(url, 70)
 
-  const showPopover = () => popover?.show()
-
   const hidePopover = () => popover?.hide()
 
   const onEmoji = async (emoji: NativeEmoji) => {
@@ -48,6 +46,7 @@
   }
 
   let popover: Instance | undefined = $state()
+  let showPopover: () => void = $state(() => {})
 </script>
 
 <div class="items-center join">
@@ -62,6 +61,7 @@
   <Button onclick={showPopover} class="flex join-item button button-neutral button-xs">
     <Tippy
       bind:popover
+      bind:show={showPopover}
       component={EventMenu}
       props={{url, noun, event, customActions, onClick: hidePopover}}
       params={{trigger: "manual", interactive: true}}>
diff --git a/src/app/components/ProfileMenu.svelte b/src/app/components/ProfileMenu.svelte
index 5b6c82ca..47e9d1de 100644
--- a/src/app/components/ProfileMenu.svelte
+++ b/src/app/components/ProfileMenu.svelte
@@ -15,16 +15,16 @@
 
   const {pubkey, url, customActions}: Props = $props()
 
-  const showPopover = () => popover?.show()
-
   const hidePopover = () => popover?.hide()
 
   let popover: Instance | undefined = $state()
+  let showPopover: () => void = $state(() => {})
 </script>
 
 <Button onclick={showPopover} class="button button-circle button-ghost button-sm">
   <Tippy
     bind:popover
+    bind:show={showPopover}
     component={ProfileMenuList}
     props={{pubkey, url, customActions, onClick: hidePopover}}
     params={{trigger: "manual", interactive: true, placement: "bottom-end"}}>
diff --git a/src/app/components/ProfileMultiSelect.svelte b/src/app/components/ProfileMultiSelect.svelte
index 2a74bcf0..98911451 100644
--- a/src/app/components/ProfileMultiSelect.svelte
+++ b/src/app/components/ProfileMultiSelect.svelte
@@ -55,6 +55,7 @@
 
   let label: Element | undefined = $state()
   let popover: Instance | undefined = $state()
+  let showPopover: () => void = $state(() => {})
   let instance: any = $state()
 
   $effect(() => {
@@ -62,7 +63,7 @@
     oninput?.($term)
 
     if ($term) {
-      popover?.show()
+      showPopover()
     } else {
       popover?.hide()
     }
@@ -97,6 +98,7 @@
   </label>
   <Tippy
     bind:popover
+    bind:show={showPopover}
     bind:instance
     component={Suggestions}
     props={{
diff --git a/src/app/components/RoomCompose.svelte b/src/app/components/RoomCompose.svelte
index 69ffcc78..b26916b4 100644
--- a/src/app/components/RoomCompose.svelte
+++ b/src/app/components/RoomCompose.svelte
@@ -52,8 +52,6 @@
 
   const uploadFiles = () => editor.then(ed => ed.chain().selectFiles().run())
 
-  const showPopover = () => popover?.show()
-
   const hidePopover = () => popover?.hide()
 
   const submit = async () => {
@@ -70,6 +68,7 @@
   }
 
   let popover: Instance | undefined = $state()
+  let showPopover: () => void = $state(() => {})
   let content = $state(
     initialValues?.type === "text" ? initialValues.value : (draftKey?.get()?.content ?? ""),
   )
@@ -126,6 +125,7 @@
       class="join-item h-10 w-10 min-w-10 button button-neutral">
       <Tippy
         bind:popover
+        bind:show={showPopover}
         component={ComposeMenu}
         props={{url, h, onClick: hidePopover}}
         params={{trigger: "manual", interactive: true}}>
diff --git a/src/app/components/RoomItemMenuButton.svelte b/src/app/components/RoomItemMenuButton.svelte
index 9a3bb937..1d142fed 100644
--- a/src/app/components/RoomItemMenuButton.svelte
+++ b/src/app/components/RoomItemMenuButton.svelte
@@ -9,8 +9,6 @@
 
   const {url, event} = $props()
 
-  const open = () => popover?.show()
-
   const onClick = () => popover?.hide()
 
   const onShow = () => {
@@ -32,6 +30,7 @@
   }
 
   let popover: Instance | undefined = $state()
+  let open: () => void = $state(() => {})
   let visible = $state(false)
 </script>
 
@@ -40,6 +39,7 @@
 <Button onclick={open} class="button button-xs button-neutral join-item">
   <Tippy
     bind:popover
+    bind:show={open}
     component={RoomItemMenu}
     props={{url, event, onClick}}
     params={{trigger: "manual", interactive: true, onShow, onHidden}}>
diff --git a/src/app/components/TopicMultiSelect.svelte b/src/app/components/TopicMultiSelect.svelte
index 618c1d9a..54d370cd 100644
--- a/src/app/components/TopicMultiSelect.svelte
+++ b/src/app/components/TopicMultiSelect.svelte
@@ -67,11 +67,12 @@
 
   let label: Element | undefined = $state()
   let popover: Instance | undefined = $state()
+  let showPopover: () => void = $state(() => {})
   let instance: any = $state()
 
   $effect(() => {
     if ($term.trim()) {
-      popover?.show()
+      showPopover()
     } else {
       popover?.hide()
     }
@@ -101,6 +102,7 @@
   </label>
   <Tippy
     bind:popover
+    bind:show={showPopover}
     bind:instance
     component={Suggestions}
     props={{
diff --git a/src/lib/components/EmojiButton.svelte b/src/lib/components/EmojiButton.svelte
index 4e4e10de..baef9b48 100644
--- a/src/lib/components/EmojiButton.svelte
+++ b/src/lib/components/EmojiButton.svelte
@@ -8,8 +8,6 @@
 
   const {tippyParams = {}, ...props} = $props()
 
-  const open = () => popover?.show()
-
   const onClick = (emoji: NativeEmoji) => {
     props.onEmoji(emoji)
     popover?.hide()
@@ -34,6 +32,7 @@
   })
 
   let popover: Instance | undefined = $state()
+  let open: () => void = $state(() => {})
   let visible = $state(false)
 </script>
 
@@ -42,6 +41,7 @@
 <Button onclick={open} class={props.class}>
   <Tippy
     bind:popover
+    bind:show={open}
     class="flex"
     component={EmojiPicker}
     props={{onClick}}
diff --git a/src/lib/components/IconPickerButton.svelte b/src/lib/components/IconPickerButton.svelte
index e393ecd9..f3dcf7f5 100644
--- a/src/lib/components/IconPickerButton.svelte
+++ b/src/lib/components/IconPickerButton.svelte
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@
     if (isMobile) {
       pushModal(IconPickerModal, {onSelect: onClick}, {nested: true})
     } else {
-      popover?.show()
+      showPopover()
     }
   }
 
@@ -42,12 +42,14 @@
   })
 
   let popover: Instance | undefined = $state()
+  let showPopover: () => void = $state(() => {})
 </script>
 
 <svelte:document onmousemove={onMouseMove} />
 
 <Tippy
   bind:popover
+  bind:show={showPopover}
   component={IconPickerPopover}
   props={{onSelect: onClick}}
   params={{trigger: "manual", interactive: true, placement: "top-end"}}>
diff --git a/src/lib/components/MenuButton.svelte b/src/lib/components/MenuButton.svelte
index cd436f9b..aa944e2a 100644
--- a/src/lib/components/MenuButton.svelte
+++ b/src/lib/components/MenuButton.svelte
@@ -22,16 +22,16 @@
     "aria-label": ariaLabel,
   }: Props = $props()
 
-  const showPopover = () => popover?.show()
-
   const hidePopover = () => popover?.hide()
 
   let popover: Instance | undefined = $state()
+  let showPopover: () => void = $state(() => {})
 </script>
 
 <Button class={className} aria-label={ariaLabel} onclick={showPopover}>
   <Tippy
     bind:popover
+    bind:show={showPopover}
     {component}
     props={{...componentProps, onClick: hidePopover}}
     params={{trigger: "manual", interactive: true, placement: "bottom-end"}}>
diff --git a/src/lib/components/Tippy.svelte b/src/lib/components/Tippy.svelte
index 675065b7..555f6961 100644
--- a/src/lib/components/Tippy.svelte
+++ b/src/lib/components/Tippy.svelte
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
   import tippy from "tippy.js"
   import type {Instance} from "tippy.js"
   import {onMount, mount, unmount} from "svelte"
-  import {isMobile} from "@lib/html"
+  import {getTippyTarget, isMobile} from "@lib/html"
 
   let {
     component,
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@
     params = {},
     popover = $bindable(),
     instance = $bindable(),
+    show = $bindable(),
     ...restProps
   } = $props()
 
@@ -23,17 +24,14 @@
   // the props it was first mounted with, showing stale data after the source updates.
   const mountedProps = $state({...props})
 
-  $effect(() => {
-    Object.assign(mountedProps, props)
-  })
-
-  onMount(() => {
-    const target = document.createElement("div")
-
-    popover = tippy(element, {
+  // Building a tippy costs a popper element and a set of listeners, which is wasted on the
+  // hover menus of a chat row nobody ever opens. Only a real trigger needs the instance up
+  // front — tippy is the one listening for it. A manual one can wait for `show`.
+  const create = () => {
+    popover ??= tippy(element, {
       content: target,
       animation: "shift-away",
-      appendTo: document.querySelector(".tippy-target")!,
+      appendTo: getTippyTarget(),
       trigger: isMobile ? "click" : "mouseenter focus",
       ...params,
       onShow: (tippyInstance: Instance) => {
@@ -43,6 +41,22 @@
       },
     })
 
+    return popover
+  }
+
+  const target = document.createElement("div")
+
+  show = () => create().show()
+
+  $effect(() => {
+    Object.assign(mountedProps, props)
+  })
+
+  onMount(() => {
+    if (params.trigger !== "manual") {
+      create()
+    }
+
     return () => {
       popover?.destroy()
 
diff --git a/src/lib/components/Tooltip.svelte b/src/lib/components/Tooltip.svelte
index 30b79069..fd91824d 100644
--- a/src/lib/components/Tooltip.svelte
+++ b/src/lib/components/Tooltip.svelte
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@
 
   import tippy from "tippy.js"
   import {onMount} from "svelte"
-  import {isMobile} from "@lib/html"
+  import {getTippyTarget, isMobile} from "@lib/html"
 
   let {
     content,
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@
       interactive,
       animation: "shift-away",
       theme: "tooltip",
-      appendTo: document.querySelector(".tippy-target")!,
+      appendTo: getTippyTarget(),
       trigger: isMobile ? "click" : "mouseenter focus",
     })
 
diff --git a/src/lib/html.ts b/src/lib/html.ts
index d59e4b58..133747dd 100644
--- a/src/lib/html.ts
+++ b/src/lib/html.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import {readable} from "svelte/store"
 import {sleep, randomId} from "@welshman/lib"
+import type {Maybe} from "@welshman/lib"
 import {Capacitor} from "@capacitor/core"
 export {preventDefault, stopPropagation} from "svelte/legacy"
 
@@ -152,6 +153,18 @@ export const createScroller = ({
 
 export const isMobile = "ontouchstart" in document.documentElement
 
+// The layout's single popover host. Cached, because with a couple of popovers per chat row
+// this runs thousands of times against a document that is itself thousands of nodes.
+let tippyTarget: Maybe<Element>
+
+export const getTippyTarget = () => {
+  if (!tippyTarget?.isConnected) {
+    tippyTarget = document.querySelector(".tippy-target")!
+  }
+
+  return tippyTarget
+}
+
 export const downloadText = async (filename: string, text: string) => {
   // The <a download> blob trick is a no-op in native WebViews (Android in
   // particular never triggers a download), so on device we write the file and