diff --git a/src/screens/PostThread/index.tsx b/src/screens/PostThread/index.tsx
index 959ab4d5de..9d440dc863 100644
--- a/src/screens/PostThread/index.tsx
+++ b/src/screens/PostThread/index.tsx
@@ -116,12 +116,19 @@ export function Inner({uri}: {uri: string | undefined}) {
       // distance from top of the list (screen)
       const anchorOffsetTop = anchorElement.getBoundingClientRect().top
       const headerHeight = headerElement.getBoundingClientRect().height
-      // don't scroll past 0
-      const scrollPosition = Math.max(0, anchorOffsetTop - headerHeight)
-      listRef.current?.scrollToOffset({
-        animated: false,
-        offset: scrollPosition,
-      })
+      const scrollPosition = anchorOffsetTop - headerHeight
+      /*
+       * If scroll position is negative, it means the anchor post is above the
+       * top of the screen, meaning the user scrolled the list. In that case,
+       * we want to restore the previous scroll position by not scrolling here
+       * at all.
+       */
+      if (scrollPosition >= 0) {
+        listRef.current?.scrollToOffset({
+          animated: false,
+          offset: scrollPosition,
+        })
+      }
     }
   })
 
@@ -137,15 +144,10 @@ export function Inner({uri}: {uri: string | undefined}) {
    * scroll in onContentSizeChange instead.
    */
   const [deferParents, setDeferParents] = useState(isNative)
-  const items = useMemo(() => {
-    return (data?.items ?? []).filter(item => {
-      return !('depth' in item) || item.depth >= 0 || !deferParents
-    })
-  }, [data, deferParents])
-
   const renderItem = ({item, index}: {item: Slice; index: number}) => {
     if (item.type === 'threadPost') {
       if (item.depth < 0) {
+        if (deferParents) return null
         return (
           <ThreadPost
             item={item}
@@ -275,7 +277,7 @@ export function Inner({uri}: {uri: string | undefined}) {
         >
           <List
             ref={listRef}
-            data={items}
+            data={data?.items || []}
             renderItem={renderItem}
             keyExtractor={keyExtractor}
             onContentSizeChange={onContentSizeChangeWebOnly}
diff --git a/src/state/queries/usePostThread/index.ts b/src/state/queries/usePostThread/index.ts
index 8c4b509359..2fa1d0549c 100644
--- a/src/state/queries/usePostThread/index.ts
+++ b/src/state/queries/usePostThread/index.ts
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+import {useMemo} from 'react'
 import {useQuery, useQueryClient} from '@tanstack/react-query'
 
 import {useModerationOpts} from '#/state/preferences/moderation-opts'
@@ -5,7 +6,7 @@ import {
   createCacheMutator,
   getThreadPlaceholder,
 } from '#/state/queries/usePostThread/queryCache'
-import {flatten, sort} from '#/state/queries/usePostThread/traversal'
+import {traverse} from '#/state/queries/usePostThread/traversal'
 import {
   createPostThreadQueryKey,
   HiddenReplyKind,
@@ -69,20 +70,23 @@ export function usePostThread({
 
   // TODO map over pages, just like feeds
 
-  const items = flatten(
-    sort(query.data?.thread || [], {
+  const items = useMemo(() => {
+    return traverse(query.data?.thread || [], {
       threadgateHiddenReplies: mergeThreadgateHiddenReplies(
         query.data?.threadgate?.record,
       ),
       moderationOpts: moderationOpts!,
-    }),
-    {
       hasSession,
       showMuted: state.shownHiddenReplyKinds.has(HiddenReplyKind.Muted),
       showHidden: state.shownHiddenReplyKinds.has(HiddenReplyKind.Hidden),
-      view: params.view,
-    },
-  )
+    })
+  }, [
+    query.data,
+    mergeThreadgateHiddenReplies,
+    moderationOpts,
+    hasSession,
+    state.shownHiddenReplyKinds,
+  ])
 
   const mutator = createCacheMutator({
     params,
diff --git a/src/state/queries/usePostThread/traversal.ts b/src/state/queries/usePostThread/traversal.ts
index 4b6331a2ad..8554910422 100644
--- a/src/state/queries/usePostThread/traversal.ts
+++ b/src/state/queries/usePostThread/traversal.ts
@@ -6,7 +6,6 @@ import {
 
 import {
   HiddenReplyKind,
-  type PostThreadParams,
   type Slice,
   type TraversalMetadata,
 } from '#/state/queries/usePostThread/types'
@@ -18,88 +17,20 @@ import {
 } from '#/state/queries/usePostThread/utils'
 import * as views from '#/state/queries/usePostThread/views'
 
-export function flatten(
-  sorted: ReturnType<typeof sort>,
-  {
-    hasSession,
-    showMuted,
-    showHidden,
-  }: {
-    hasSession: boolean
-    showMuted: boolean
-    showHidden: boolean
-    view: PostThreadParams['view']
-  },
-) {
-  const flattened: Slice[] = sorted.items
-
-  for (let i = 0; i < flattened.length; i++) {
-    const item = flattened[i]
-
-    if (item.type === 'threadPost') {
-      // TODO should not insert if not found post etc
-      if (
-        item.ui.isAnchor &&
-        hasSession &&
-        !item.value.post.viewer?.replyDisabled
-      ) {
-        flattened.splice(i + 1, 0, {
-          type: 'replyComposer',
-          key: 'replyComposer',
-        })
-      }
-    }
-  }
-
-  /*
-   * Insert hidden items and buttons to show them
-   */
-
-  if (sorted.hidden.length) {
-    if (showHidden) {
-      flattened.push(...sorted.hidden)
-
-      if (sorted.muted.length) {
-        if (showMuted) {
-          flattened.push(...sorted.muted)
-        } else {
-          flattened.push({
-            type: 'showHiddenReplies',
-            key: 'showMutedReplies',
-            kind: HiddenReplyKind.Muted,
-          })
-        }
-      }
-    } else {
-      flattened.push({
-        type: 'showHiddenReplies',
-        key: 'showHiddenReplies',
-        kind: HiddenReplyKind.Hidden,
-      })
-    }
-  } else if (sorted.muted.length) {
-    if (showMuted) {
-      flattened.push(...sorted.muted)
-    } else {
-      flattened.push({
-        type: 'showHiddenReplies',
-        key: 'showMutedReplies',
-        kind: HiddenReplyKind.Muted,
-      })
-    }
-  }
-
-  return flattened
-}
-
-export function sort(
+export function traverse(
   thread: AppBskyUnspeccedGetPostThreadV2.OutputSchema['thread'],
   {
     threadgateHiddenReplies,
     moderationOpts,
+    hasSession,
+    showMuted,
+    showHidden,
   }: {
     threadgateHiddenReplies: Set<string>
     moderationOpts: ModerationOpts
+    hasSession: boolean
+    showMuted: boolean
+    showHidden: boolean
   },
 ) {
   const items: Slice[] = []
@@ -321,6 +252,18 @@ export function sort(
     const item = items[i]
 
     if (item.type === 'threadPost') {
+      if (
+        item.depth === 0 &&
+        !item.value.post.viewer?.replyDisabled &&
+        hasSession
+      ) {
+        items.splice(i + 1, 0, {
+          type: 'replyComposer',
+          key: 'replyComposer',
+        })
+        i++ // skip next iteration
+      }
+
       const metadata = metadatas.get(item.uri)
 
       if (metadata) {
@@ -429,11 +372,41 @@ export function sort(
     }
   }
 
-  return {
-    items,
-    hidden,
-    muted,
+  if (hidden.length) {
+    if (showHidden) {
+      items.push(...hidden)
+
+      if (muted.length) {
+        if (showMuted) {
+          items.push(...muted)
+        } else {
+          items.push({
+            type: 'showHiddenReplies',
+            key: 'showMutedReplies',
+            kind: HiddenReplyKind.Muted,
+          })
+        }
+      }
+    } else {
+      items.push({
+        type: 'showHiddenReplies',
+        key: 'showHiddenReplies',
+        kind: HiddenReplyKind.Hidden,
+      })
+    }
+  } else if (muted.length) {
+    if (showMuted) {
+      items.push(...muted)
+    } else {
+      items.push({
+        type: 'showHiddenReplies',
+        key: 'showMutedReplies',
+        kind: HiddenReplyKind.Muted,
+      })
+    }
   }
+
+  return items
 }
 
 /**