diff --git a/src/components/AvatarBubbles.tsx b/src/components/AvatarBubbles.tsx
index 2f3fb8b15d..e068bc0ec5 100644
--- a/src/components/AvatarBubbles.tsx
+++ b/src/components/AvatarBubbles.tsx
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import {useEffect, useMemo} from 'react'
+import {useEffect} from 'react'
 import {View} from 'react-native'
 import Animated, {
   Easing,
@@ -8,12 +8,10 @@ import Animated, {
   withDelay,
   withTiming,
 } from 'react-native-reanimated'
-import {
-  moderateProfile,
-  type ModerationOpts,
-  type ModerationUI,
-} from '@atproto/api'
+import {moderateProfile} from '@atproto/api'
 
+import {useProfileShadow} from '#/state/cache/profile-shadow'
+import {useModerationOpts} from '#/state/preferences/moderation-opts'
 import {useSession} from '#/state/session'
 import {UserAvatar} from '#/view/com/util/UserAvatar'
 import {atoms as a, useTheme} from '#/alf'
@@ -33,7 +31,6 @@ export function AvatarBubbles({
   profiles: allProfiles,
   self = false,
   size = 120,
-  moderationOpts,
 }: {
   animate?: boolean
   profiles: (bsky.profile.AnyProfileView | undefined)[]
@@ -45,19 +42,12 @@ export function AvatarBubbles({
    */
   self?: boolean
   size?: number
-  moderationOpts?: ModerationOpts
 }) {
   const {currentAccount} = useSession()
   const profiles =
     !self && allProfiles.length > 2
       ? allProfiles.filter(p => !p || p.did !== currentAccount?.did)
       : allProfiles
-  const moderations = useMemo(() => {
-    if (!moderationOpts) return []
-    return profiles.map(p => {
-      return p && moderateProfile(p, moderationOpts)
-    })
-  }, [profiles, moderationOpts])
 
   const scale = size / 120
   const marginOffset = size < 120 ? -2 : 0
@@ -100,45 +90,50 @@ export function AvatarBubbles({
           transform: [{scale}],
           transformOrigin: 'top left',
         }}>
-        {layouts.map((layout, i) => (
-          <AvatarBubble
-            key={i}
-            profile={profiles[i]}
-            scale={scales[i]}
-            size={layout.size}
-            x={layout.x}
-            y={layout.y}
-            zIndex={layout.zIndex}
-            includeProfileBorder={layout.border}
-            moderation={moderations[i]?.ui('avatar')}
-          />
-        ))}
+        {layouts.map((layout, i) => {
+          const profile = profiles[i]
+          if (!profile) return null
+          return (
+            <AvatarBubble
+              key={i}
+              profile={profile}
+              scale={scales[i]}
+              size={layout.size}
+              x={layout.x}
+              y={layout.y}
+              zIndex={layout.zIndex}
+              includeProfileBorder={layout.border}
+            />
+          )
+        })}
       </View>
     </Animated.View>
   )
 }
 
 function AvatarBubble({
-  profile,
+  profile: profileUnshadowed,
   scale,
   size,
   x,
   y,
   zIndex,
   includeProfileBorder,
-  moderation,
 }: {
-  profile?: bsky.profile.AnyProfileView
+  profile: bsky.profile.AnyProfileView
   scale: SharedValue<number>
   size: number
   x: number
   y: number
   zIndex?: number
   includeProfileBorder?: boolean
-  moderation?: ModerationUI
 }) {
   const t = useTheme()
-
+  const profile = useProfileShadow(profileUnshadowed)
+  const moderationOpts = useModerationOpts()
+  const moderation = moderationOpts
+    ? moderateProfile(profile, moderationOpts)
+    : undefined
   const animatedStyle = useAnimatedStyle(() => ({
     transform: [{translateX: x}, {translateY: y}, {scale: scale.get()}],
   }))
@@ -163,7 +158,7 @@ function AvatarBubble({
           type="user"
           hideLiveBadge
           noBorder
-          moderation={moderation}
+          moderation={moderation?.ui('avatar')}
         />
       ) : (
         <AvatarPlaceholder size={size} />
diff --git a/src/components/dms/MessagesListHeader.tsx b/src/components/dms/MessagesListHeader.tsx
index 82b00645d2..a76dbab65b 100644
--- a/src/components/dms/MessagesListHeader.tsx
+++ b/src/components/dms/MessagesListHeader.tsx
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ export function MessagesListHeader({convo}: {convo?: ConvoWithDetails | null}) {
           convo.kind === 'direct' ? (
             <ProfileHeaderReady convo={convo} moderationOpts={moderationOpts} />
           ) : (
-            <GroupHeaderReady convo={convo} moderationOpts={moderationOpts} />
+            <GroupHeaderReady convo={convo} />
           )
         ) : (
           <>
@@ -152,10 +152,8 @@ function ProfileHeaderReady({
 
 function GroupHeaderReady({
   convo,
-  moderationOpts,
 }: {
   convo: Extract<ConvoWithDetails, {kind: 'group'}>
-  moderationOpts: ModerationOpts
 }) {
   const {t: l} = useLingui()
 
@@ -178,11 +176,7 @@ function GroupHeaderReady({
                   },
                 }
           }>
-          <AvatarBubbles
-            size={40}
-            profiles={convo.members}
-            moderationOpts={moderationOpts}
-          />
+          <AvatarBubbles size={40} profiles={convo.members} />
           <View style={[a.flex_row, a.flex_1, a.align_center]}>
             <Text
               style={[a.text_lg, a.font_semi_bold, a.flex_shrink]}
diff --git a/src/state/messages/convo/agent.ts b/src/state/messages/convo/agent.ts
index 1126c7a7b1..a39e4b075f 100644
--- a/src/state/messages/convo/agent.ts
+++ b/src/state/messages/convo/agent.ts
@@ -132,14 +132,6 @@ export class Convo {
   recipients: ChatBskyActorDefs.ProfileViewBasic[] | undefined
   snapshot: ConvoState | undefined
 
-  mergeProfileShadow(did: string, shadow: Partial<ProfileShadow>) {
-    const related = this.relatedProfiles.get(did)
-    if (related) {
-      this.relatedProfiles.set(did, mergeShadow(related, shadow))
-      this.commit()
-    }
-  }
-
   constructor(params: ConvoParams) {
     this.id = nanoid(3)
     this.convoId = params.convoId
@@ -1494,4 +1486,12 @@ export class Convo {
       throw error
     }
   }
+
+  mergeProfileShadow(did: string, shadow: Partial<ProfileShadow>) {
+    const related = this.relatedProfiles.get(did)
+    if (related) {
+      this.relatedProfiles.set(did, mergeShadow(related, shadow))
+      this.commit()
+    }
+  }
 }