diff --git a/scarf/Packages/ScarfCore/Sources/ScarfCore/ViewModels/RichChatViewModel.swift b/scarf/Packages/ScarfCore/Sources/ScarfCore/ViewModels/RichChatViewModel.swift
index 1fc69ef..60905a9 100644
--- a/scarf/Packages/ScarfCore/Sources/ScarfCore/ViewModels/RichChatViewModel.swift
+++ b/scarf/Packages/ScarfCore/Sources/ScarfCore/ViewModels/RichChatViewModel.swift
@@ -641,11 +641,23 @@ public final class RichChatViewModel {
     }
 
     private func appendMessageChunk(text: String) {
+        // ScarfMon "first byte" — fires once per turn, on the first
+        // visible message chunk. Splits "user tap → first byte"
+        // (network + Hermes thinking) from "first byte → turn end"
+        // (streaming + Scarf rendering) so we can attribute slow-feel
+        // bugs to the right side. `bytes` carries the first chunk's
+        // size, not the full turn.
+        if streamingAssistantText.isEmpty && currentTurnStart != nil {
+            ScarfMon.event(.chatStream, "firstByte", count: 1, bytes: text.utf8.count)
+        }
         streamingAssistantText += text
         upsertStreamingMessage()
     }
 
     private func appendThoughtChunk(text: String) {
+        if streamingThinkingText.isEmpty && currentTurnStart != nil {
+            ScarfMon.event(.chatStream, "firstThoughtByte", count: 1, bytes: text.utf8.count)
+        }
         streamingThinkingText += text
         upsertStreamingMessage()
     }
@@ -858,6 +870,12 @@ public final class RichChatViewModel {
 
     /// Convert the streaming message (id=0) into a permanent message and reset streaming state.
     private func finalizeStreamingMessage() {
+        ScarfMon.measure(.chatStream, "finalizeStreamingMessage") {
+            _finalizeStreamingMessageImpl()
+        }
+    }
+
+    private func _finalizeStreamingMessageImpl() {
         guard let idx = messages.firstIndex(where: { $0.id == Self.streamingId }) else { return }
 
         // Only finalize if there's actual content
diff --git a/scarf/scarf/Core/Services/HermesFileService.swift b/scarf/scarf/Core/Services/HermesFileService.swift
index 246daf0..bfd9abf 100644
--- a/scarf/scarf/Core/Services/HermesFileService.swift
+++ b/scarf/scarf/Core/Services/HermesFileService.swift
@@ -18,11 +18,24 @@ struct HermesFileService: Sendable {
 
     nonisolated func loadConfig() -> HermesConfig {
         ScarfMon.measure(.diskIO, "loadConfig") {
+            // ScarfMon — when Full mode is on, log the first stack
+            // frame above this call to the perf Logger channel so
+            // mystery callers (e.g. config reads with no user action)
+            // can be identified by tailing
+            //   `log stream --predicate 'subsystem == "com.scarf.mon"'`.
+            // Symbol-only — no addresses, no PII. Backtrace alloc is
+            // gated on isActive so it's free outside Full mode.
+            if ScarfMon.isActive {
+                let caller = Thread.callStackSymbols.dropFirst(2).first ?? "<unknown>"
+                Self.perfLogger.debug("loadConfig caller: \(caller, privacy: .public)")
+            }
             guard let content = readFile(context.paths.configYAML) else { return .empty }
             return parseConfig(content)
         }
     }
 
+    private static let perfLogger = Logger(subsystem: "com.scarf.mon", category: "HermesFileService")
+
     /// Error-surfacing config load. Used by Dashboard to show the user a
     /// specific reason when config.yaml can't be read on a remote host
     /// (permission denied, missing file, sqlite3 not installed, etc.)
diff --git a/scarf/scarf/Features/Chat/Views/RichChatMessageList.swift b/scarf/scarf/Features/Chat/Views/RichChatMessageList.swift
index 850f947..14241ce 100644
--- a/scarf/scarf/Features/Chat/Views/RichChatMessageList.swift
+++ b/scarf/scarf/Features/Chat/Views/RichChatMessageList.swift
@@ -41,7 +41,12 @@ struct RichChatMessageList: View {
     /// we can reintroduce lazy with a preference-key-based height
     /// measurement, but that's a much larger change.
     var body: some View {
-        ScrollViewReader { proxy in
+        // ScarfMon — confirms whether the parent re-issues the
+        // ForEach. If this fires once and we still see RichMessageBubble.body
+        // burst N times, churn lives inside the bubbles (or in their inputs).
+        // If this fires N times, the ForEach itself is being rebuilt.
+        let _: Void = ScarfMon.event(.chatRender, "mac.RichChatMessageList.body")
+        return ScrollViewReader { proxy in
             ScrollView {
                 VStack(alignment: .leading, spacing: 16) {
                     if groups.isEmpty && !isWorking {