diff --git a/src/components/Skeleton.tsx b/src/components/Skeleton.tsx
index 11cd63d0e8..14c3177c54 100644
--- a/src/components/Skeleton.tsx
+++ b/src/components/Skeleton.tsx
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+import {type ReactNode} from 'react'
 import {View} from 'react-native'
 
 import {
@@ -44,14 +45,17 @@ export function Text({blend, style}: TextStyleProp & SkeletonProps) {
 }
 
 export function Circle({
+  children,
   size,
   blend,
   style,
-}: ViewStyleProp & {size: number} & SkeletonProps) {
+}: ViewStyleProp & {children?: ReactNode; size: number} & SkeletonProps) {
   const t = useTheme()
   return (
     <View
       style={[
+        a.justify_center,
+        a.align_center,
         a.rounded_full,
         t.atoms.bg_contrast_25,
         {
@@ -60,8 +64,9 @@ export function Circle({
           opacity: blend ? 0.6 : 1,
         },
         style,
-      ]}
-    />
+      ]}>
+      {children}
+    </View>
   )
 }
 
diff --git a/src/screens/PostThread/components/ThreadItemAnchorNoUnauthenticated.tsx b/src/screens/PostThread/components/ThreadItemAnchorNoUnauthenticated.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..ef62cd6869
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/screens/PostThread/components/ThreadItemAnchorNoUnauthenticated.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+import {View} from 'react-native'
+import {Trans} from '@lingui/macro'
+
+import {atoms as a, useTheme} from '#/alf'
+import {Lock_Stroke2_Corner0_Rounded as LockIcon} from '#/components/icons/Lock'
+import * as Skele from '#/components/Skeleton'
+import {Text} from '#/components/Typography'
+
+export function ThreadItemAnchorNoUnauthenticated() {
+  const t = useTheme()
+
+  return (
+    <View style={[a.p_lg, a.gap_md]}>
+      <Skele.Row style={[a.align_center, a.gap_md]}>
+        <Skele.Circle size={42}>
+          <LockIcon size="md" fill={t.atoms.text_contrast_medium.color} />
+        </Skele.Circle>
+
+        <Skele.Col>
+          <Skele.Text style={[a.text_lg, {width: '20%'}]} />
+          <Skele.Text blend style={[a.text_md, {width: '40%'}]} />
+        </Skele.Col>
+      </Skele.Row>
+
+      <View style={[a.py_sm]}>
+        <Text style={[a.text_xl, a.italic, t.atoms.text_contrast_medium]}>
+          <Trans>You must sign-in to view this post.</Trans>
+        </Text>
+      </View>
+    </View>
+  )
+}
diff --git a/src/screens/PostThread/components/ThreadItemPostNoUnauthenticated.tsx b/src/screens/PostThread/components/ThreadItemPostNoUnauthenticated.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..1e87497156
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/screens/PostThread/components/ThreadItemPostNoUnauthenticated.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,74 @@
+import {View} from 'react-native'
+import {Trans} from '@lingui/macro'
+
+import {type ThreadItem} from '#/state/queries/usePostThread/types'
+import {
+  LINEAR_AVI_WIDTH,
+  OUTER_SPACE,
+  REPLY_LINE_WIDTH,
+} from '#/screens/PostThread/const'
+import {atoms as a, useTheme} from '#/alf'
+import {Lock_Stroke2_Corner0_Rounded as LockIcon} from '#/components/icons/Lock'
+import * as Skele from '#/components/Skeleton'
+import {Text} from '#/components/Typography'
+
+export function ThreadItemPostNoUnauthenticated({
+  item,
+}: {
+  item: Extract<ThreadItem, {type: 'threadPostNoUnauthenticated'}>
+}) {
+  const t = useTheme()
+
+  return (
+    <View style={[{paddingHorizontal: OUTER_SPACE}]}>
+      <View style={[a.flex_row, {height: 12}]}>
+        <View style={{width: LINEAR_AVI_WIDTH}}>
+          {item.ui.showParentReplyLine && (
+            <View
+              style={[
+                a.mx_auto,
+                a.flex_1,
+                a.mb_xs,
+                {
+                  width: REPLY_LINE_WIDTH,
+                  backgroundColor: t.atoms.border_contrast_low.borderColor,
+                },
+              ]}
+            />
+          )}
+        </View>
+      </View>
+      <Skele.Row style={[a.align_center, a.gap_md]}>
+        <Skele.Circle size={LINEAR_AVI_WIDTH}>
+          <LockIcon size="md" fill={t.atoms.text_contrast_medium.color} />
+        </Skele.Circle>
+
+        <Text style={[a.text_md, a.italic, t.atoms.text_contrast_medium]}>
+          <Trans>You must sign-in to view this post.</Trans>
+        </Text>
+      </Skele.Row>
+      <View
+        style={[
+          a.flex_row,
+          a.justify_center,
+          {
+            height: OUTER_SPACE / 1.5,
+            width: LINEAR_AVI_WIDTH,
+          },
+        ]}>
+        {item.ui.showChildReplyLine && (
+          <View
+            style={[
+              a.mt_xs,
+              a.h_full,
+              {
+                width: REPLY_LINE_WIDTH,
+                backgroundColor: t.atoms.border_contrast_low.borderColor,
+              },
+            ]}
+          />
+        )}
+      </View>
+    </View>
+  )
+}
diff --git a/src/screens/PostThread/index.tsx b/src/screens/PostThread/index.tsx
index 7dc3a0fffc..f067dd3e33 100644
--- a/src/screens/PostThread/index.tsx
+++ b/src/screens/PostThread/index.tsx
@@ -20,10 +20,12 @@ import {
   ThreadAnchorSkeleton,
 } from '#/screens/PostThread/components/ThreadAnchor'
 import {ThreadError} from '#/screens/PostThread/components/ThreadError'
+import {ThreadItemAnchorNoUnauthenticated} from '#/screens/PostThread/components/ThreadItemAnchorNoUnauthenticated'
 import {
   ThreadItemPost,
   ThreadItemPostSkeleton,
 } from '#/screens/PostThread/components/ThreadItemPost'
+import {ThreadItemPostNoUnauthenticated} from '#/screens/PostThread/components/ThreadItemPostNoUnauthenticated'
 import {ThreadItemPostTombstone} from '#/screens/PostThread/components/ThreadItemPostTombstone'
 import {ThreadItemReadMore} from '#/screens/PostThread/components/ThreadItemReadMore'
 import {ThreadItemReadMoreUp} from '#/screens/PostThread/components/ThreadItemReadMoreUp'
@@ -400,6 +402,12 @@ export function Inner({uri}: {uri: string | undefined}) {
             )
           }
         }
+      } else if (item.type === 'threadPostNoUnauthenticated') {
+        if (item.depth < 0) {
+          return <ThreadItemPostNoUnauthenticated item={item} />
+        } else if (item.depth === 0) {
+          return <ThreadItemAnchorNoUnauthenticated />
+        }
       } else if (item.type === 'readMore') {
         return (
           <ThreadItemReadMore
diff --git a/src/state/queries/usePostThread/traversal.ts b/src/state/queries/usePostThread/traversal.ts
index 73f464caed..b2c1c0ce32 100644
--- a/src/state/queries/usePostThread/traversal.ts
+++ b/src/state/queries/usePostThread/traversal.ts
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import {
 } from '#/state/queries/usePostThread/types'
 import {
   getPostRecord,
+  getThreadPostNoUnauthenticatedUI,
   getThreadPostUI,
   getTraversalMetadata,
   storeTraversalMetadata,
@@ -59,7 +60,7 @@ export function sortAndAnnotateThreadItems(
 
     if (item.depth < 0) {
       /*
-       * Parents are ignored until we find the highlighted post, then we walk
+       * Parents are ignored until we find the anchor post, then we walk
        * _up_ from there.
        */
     } else if (item.depth === 0) {
@@ -85,8 +86,14 @@ export function sortAndAnnotateThreadItems(
           if (
             AppBskyUnspeccedDefs.isThreadItemNoUnauthenticated(parent.value)
           ) {
-            threadItems.unshift(views.threadPostNoUnauthenticated(parent))
-            break parentTraversal
+            const post = views.threadPostNoUnauthenticated(parent)
+            post.ui = getThreadPostNoUnauthenticatedUI({
+              depth: parent.depth,
+              prevItemDepth: thread[pi - 1]?.depth,
+              nextItemDepth: thread[pi + 1]?.depth,
+            })
+            threadItems.unshift(post)
+            // break parentTraversal
           } else if (AppBskyUnspeccedDefs.isThreadItemNotFound(parent.value)) {
             threadItems.unshift(views.threadPostNotFound(parent))
             break parentTraversal
@@ -105,6 +112,8 @@ export function sortAndAnnotateThreadItems(
             )
           }
         }
+
+        console.log(threadItems)
       }
     } else if (item.depth > 0) {
       /*
diff --git a/src/state/queries/usePostThread/types.ts b/src/state/queries/usePostThread/types.ts
index 223df7577a..fee9216ca0 100644
--- a/src/state/queries/usePostThread/types.ts
+++ b/src/state/queries/usePostThread/types.ts
@@ -68,6 +68,10 @@ export type ThreadItem =
       uri: string
       depth: number
       value: AppBskyUnspeccedDefs.ThreadItemNoUnauthenticated
+      ui: {
+        showParentReplyLine: boolean
+        showChildReplyLine: boolean
+      }
     }
   | {
       type: 'threadPostNotFound'
diff --git a/src/state/queries/usePostThread/utils.ts b/src/state/queries/usePostThread/utils.ts
index 2e5a8e2521..423a063f8e 100644
--- a/src/state/queries/usePostThread/utils.ts
+++ b/src/state/queries/usePostThread/utils.ts
@@ -154,3 +154,23 @@ export function getThreadPostUI({
     precedesChildReadMore: precedesChildReadMore ?? false,
   }
 }
+
+export function getThreadPostNoUnauthenticatedUI({
+  depth,
+  prevItemDepth,
+  nextItemDepth,
+}: {
+  depth: number
+  prevItemDepth?: number
+  nextItemDepth?: number
+}): Extract<ThreadItem, {type: 'threadPostNoUnauthenticated'}>['ui'] {
+  console.log('getThreadPostNoUnauthenticatedUI', {
+    depth,
+    prevItemDepth,
+    nextItemDepth,
+  })
+  return {
+    showChildReplyLine: depth < 0,
+    showParentReplyLine: Boolean(prevItemDepth && prevItemDepth < depth),
+  }
+}
diff --git a/src/state/queries/usePostThread/views.ts b/src/state/queries/usePostThread/views.ts
index 1028cd847e..71acfc77bc 100644
--- a/src/state/queries/usePostThread/views.ts
+++ b/src/state/queries/usePostThread/views.ts
@@ -27,6 +27,8 @@ export function threadPostNoUnauthenticated({
     uri,
     depth,
     value: value as AppBskyUnspeccedDefs.ThreadItemNoUnauthenticated,
+    // @ts-ignore populated by the traversal
+    ui: {},
   }
 }
 
diff --git a/src/view/screens/PostThread.tsx b/src/view/screens/PostThread.tsx
index 430194e311..8c50f17f46 100644
--- a/src/view/screens/PostThread.tsx
+++ b/src/view/screens/PostThread.tsx
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ export function PostThreadScreen({route}: Props) {
 
   return (
     <Layout.Screen testID="postThreadScreen">
-      {gate('post_threads_v2_unspecced') ? (
+      {gate('post_threads_v2_unspecced') || __DEV__ ? (
         <Inner uri={uri} />
       ) : (
         <PostThreadComponent uri={uri} />