diff --git a/eslint.config.js b/eslint.config.js
index 52c52e7e..5584a937 100644
--- a/eslint.config.js
+++ b/eslint.config.js
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ export default [
     },
   },
   {
-    files: ["**/*.svelte"],
+    files: ["**/*.svelte", "**/*.svelte.ts"],
     languageOptions: {
       parserOptions: {
         parser: ts.parser,
diff --git a/src/app/components/AppContainer.svelte b/src/app/components/AppContainer.svelte
index 3d20af0f..d76ed1e5 100644
--- a/src/app/components/AppContainer.svelte
+++ b/src/app/components/AppContainer.svelte
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
   import SpeechBanner from "@app/components/SpeechBanner.svelte"
   import PrimaryNav from "@app/components/PrimaryNav.svelte"
   import {app} from "@app/core"
-  import {modal} from "@app/modal"
+  import {getModal} from "@app/modal.svelte"
 
   type Props = {
     children: Snippet
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@
       <PrimaryNav>
         {@render children?.()}
       </PrimaryNav>
-    {:else if !$modal}
+    {:else if !getModal()}
       <Dialog noEscape children={{component: Landing, props: {}}} />
     {/if}
   </div>
diff --git a/src/app/components/ModalContainer.svelte b/src/app/components/ModalContainer.svelte
index bc1aa93c..e1d8b1e8 100644
--- a/src/app/components/ModalContainer.svelte
+++ b/src/app/components/ModalContainer.svelte
@@ -1,11 +1,14 @@
 <script lang="ts">
-  import {onMount, mount, unmount} from "svelte"
+  import {mount, unmount, untrack} from "svelte"
   import Drawer from "@lib/components/Drawer.svelte"
   import Dialog from "@lib/components/Dialog.svelte"
-  import {modal, modalStack, popModal} from "@app/modal"
+  import {popModal} from "@app/modal"
+  import {getModal, getModalStack} from "@app/modal.svelte"
 
   const closeModal = () => {
-    if ($modal && !$modal.options.noEscape) {
+    const modal = getModal()
+
+    if (modal && !modal.options.noEscape) {
       popModal()
     }
   }
@@ -25,9 +28,11 @@
   let element: HTMLElement
   const instances: Record<string, any> = {}
 
-  onMount(() => {
-    return modalStack.subscribe($modalStack => {
-      const ids = $modalStack.map(({id}) => id)
+  $effect(() => {
+    const stack = getModalStack()
+
+    untrack(() => {
+      const ids = stack.map(({id}) => id)
 
       for (const [id, instance] of Object.entries(instances)) {
         if (!ids.includes(id)) {
@@ -36,7 +41,7 @@
         }
       }
 
-      for (const item of $modalStack) {
+      for (const item of stack) {
         if (instances[item.id]) {
           continue
         }
diff --git a/src/app/components/PrimaryNav.svelte b/src/app/components/PrimaryNav.svelte
index 22dd1827..1ca4b7a4 100644
--- a/src/app/components/PrimaryNav.svelte
+++ b/src/app/components/PrimaryNav.svelte
@@ -15,7 +15,8 @@
   import Search from "@app/components/Search.svelte"
   import SpaceMenuDrawer from "@app/components/SpaceMenuDrawer.svelte"
   import {PLATFORM_RELAYS} from "@app/env"
-  import {modal, popModal, pushModal} from "@app/modal"
+  import {popModal, pushModal} from "@app/modal"
+  import {getModal} from "@app/modal.svelte"
   import {notifications} from "@app/notifications"
   import {userSpaceUrls} from "@app/rooms"
   import {goToChat, lastSpaceUrl, makeSpacePath} from "@app/routes"
@@ -39,7 +40,7 @@
   // they were in when they're somewhere else.
   const spaceUrl = $derived($lastSpaceUrl ?? PLATFORM_RELAYS[0] ?? $userSpaceUrls[0])
 
-  const spaceMenuIsOpen = $derived($modal?.component === SpaceMenuDrawer)
+  const spaceMenuIsOpen = $derived(getModal()?.component === SpaceMenuDrawer)
 
   const spaceMenuLabel = $derived(spaceMenuIsOpen ? "Close space menu" : "Open space menu")
 
diff --git a/src/app/modal.svelte.ts b/src/app/modal.svelte.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..57e01a63
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/app/modal.svelte.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+import type {Component} from "svelte"
+import {last} from "@welshman/lib"
+import {page} from "$app/state"
+import type {DialogSize} from "@lib/components/Dialog.svelte"
+
+export type ModalOptions = {
+  drawer?: boolean
+  nested?: boolean
+  noEscape?: boolean
+  fullscreen?: boolean
+  size?: DialogSize
+  replaceState?: boolean
+  path?: string
+}
+
+export type Modal = {
+  id: string
+  component: Component
+  props: Record<string, any>
+  options: ModalOptions
+}
+
+export const modals = $state<Record<string, Modal>>({})
+
+// Open modal ids live in SvelteKit's page state (shallow routing): each modal owns a history entry
+// without a navigation, and any `goto` that doesn't pass `state` along closes them.
+const modalStack = $derived((page.state.modals ?? []).map(id => modals[id]).filter(Boolean))
+
+export const getModalStack = () => modalStack
+
+export const getModal = () => last(modalStack)
diff --git a/src/app/modal.ts b/src/app/modal.ts
index 6796d5d0..f00b7b15 100644
--- a/src/app/modal.ts
+++ b/src/app/modal.ts
@@ -1,78 +1,34 @@
 import type {Component} from "svelte"
-import {get, writable} from "svelte/store"
-import {randomId, last, always, assoc, Emitter} from "@welshman/lib"
-import {deriveDeduplicated} from "@welshman/store"
+import {randomId, Emitter} from "@welshman/lib"
 import {goto, pushState, replaceState} from "$app/navigation"
-import {page} from "$app/stores"
-import type {DialogSize} from "@lib/components/Dialog.svelte"
-
-export type ModalOptions = {
-  drawer?: boolean
-  nested?: boolean
-  noEscape?: boolean
-  fullscreen?: boolean
-  size?: DialogSize
-  replaceState?: boolean
-  path?: string
-}
-
-export type Modal = {
-  id: string
-  component: Component
-  props: Record<string, any>
-  options: ModalOptions
-}
+import {page} from "$app/state"
+import {modals, type ModalOptions} from "@app/modal.svelte"
 
 export const emitter = new Emitter()
 
-export const modals = writable<Record<string, Modal>>({})
-
-// Open modal ids live in SvelteKit's page state (shallow routing): each modal owns a history entry
-// without a navigation, and any `goto` that doesn't pass `state` along closes them.
-export const modalStack = deriveDeduplicated([page, modals], ([$page, $modals]) =>
-  ($page.state?.modals ?? []).map(id => $modals[id]).filter(Boolean),
-)
-
-export const modal = deriveDeduplicated(modalStack, last)
-
 export type NavigateOptions = Parameters<typeof goto>[1] & {keepModal?: boolean}
 
 // An open modal owns the current history entry, so a navigation that drops it takes that entry over
 export const navigate = (path: string, {keepModal, ...options}: NavigateOptions = {}) => {
-  const {state} = get(page)
-  const modalIsOpen = Boolean(state.modals?.length)
+  const ids = page.state.modals ?? []
+  const modalIsOpen = ids.length > 0
 
   if (keepModal && modalIsOpen) {
-    return goto(path, {...options, state, replaceState: true})
+    return goto(path, {...options, state: {modals: ids}, replaceState: true})
   }
 
   return goto(path, {...options, replaceState: options.replaceState || modalIsOpen})
 }
 
-export const pop = () => history.back()
-
-export const popPath = async () => {
-  while (get(modal)) {
-    const popped = new Promise(resolve =>
-      window.addEventListener("popstate", resolve, {once: true}),
-    )
-
-    history.back()
-
-    await popped
-  }
-}
-
 export const pushModal = (
   component: Component<any>,
   props: Record<string, any> = {},
   options: ModalOptions = {},
 ) => {
   const id = randomId()
-  const existingIds = get(page).state.modals ?? []
-  const ids = options.nested ? [...existingIds, id] : [id]
+  const ids = options.nested ? [...(page.state.modals ?? []), id] : [id]
 
-  modals.update(assoc(id, {id, component, props, options}))
+  modals[id] = {id, component, props, options}
 
   if (options.replaceState) {
     replaceState("", {modals: ids})
@@ -84,7 +40,7 @@ export const pushModal = (
 }
 
 export const popModal = () => {
-  const ids = get(page).state.modals ?? []
+  const ids = page.state.modals ?? []
 
   if (ids.length > 0) {
     replaceState("", {modals: ids.slice(0, -1)})
@@ -93,6 +49,10 @@ export const popModal = () => {
 
 export const clearModals = () => {
   replaceState("", {})
-  modals.update(always({}))
+
+  for (const id of Object.keys(modals)) {
+    delete modals[id]
+  }
+
   emitter.emit("close")
 }
diff --git a/src/routes/join/+page.svelte b/src/routes/join/+page.svelte
index eb932b6c..91f196e6 100644
--- a/src/routes/join/+page.svelte
+++ b/src/routes/join/+page.svelte
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
   import Dialog from "@lib/components/Dialog.svelte"
   import SpaceInviteAccept from "@app/components/SpaceInviteAccept.svelte"
   import {goToHome} from "@app/routes"
-  import {modal} from "@app/modal"
+  import {getModal} from "@app/modal.svelte"
 
   const children = {
     component: SpaceInviteAccept,
@@ -15,6 +15,6 @@
   }
 </script>
 
-{#if !$modal}
+{#if !getModal()}
   <Dialog {children} onClose={goToHome} />
 {/if}
diff --git a/src/routes/spaces/[relay]/+layout.svelte b/src/routes/spaces/[relay]/+layout.svelte
index b027429d..3c809860 100644
--- a/src/routes/spaces/[relay]/+layout.svelte
+++ b/src/routes/spaces/[relay]/+layout.svelte
@@ -21,7 +21,8 @@
   import {deriveRelayAuthError} from "@app/access"
   import {relays, roomLists, user} from "@app/core"
   import {userSpaceUrls} from "@app/rooms"
-  import {modal, pushModal} from "@app/modal"
+  import {pushModal} from "@app/modal"
+  import {getModal} from "@app/modal.svelte"
   import {relaysPendingTrust} from "@app/policies"
   import {decodeRelay} from "@app/relays"
   import {makeSpacePath} from "@app/routes"
@@ -81,7 +82,7 @@
   // Watch for relay errors and notify the user
   // Direct links skip Discover — prompt to join when relay is not in the user's space list.
   $effect(() => {
-    if ($modal) return
+    if (getModal()) return
 
     if (redirectUrl && redirectUrl !== url && !redirectPrompted.has(url)) {
       redirectPrompted.add(url)