diff --git a/src/app/server/[ip]/page.tsx b/src/app/server/[ip]/page.tsx
index 9e0991a..1ad9a43 100644
--- a/src/app/server/[ip]/page.tsx
+++ b/src/app/server/[ip]/page.tsx
@@ -1,34 +1,45 @@
 "use client";
 
-import { useEffect, useRef, useState } from "react";
+import { useRef, useState } from "react";
 import { useParams } from "next/navigation";
 import MessageBox from "@/components/MessageBox";
 import AppSidebar from "@/components/Sidebar";
-import { Message, Server as ServerType } from "@/types/types";
-import { UserProfile } from "@/hooks/get-user";
-import { StringMap } from "@/types/typeUtils";
+import { Server as ServerType } from "@/types/types";
 import auth from "@/lib/auth";
-import { useMessages } from "@/hooks/use-messages";
+import { useServerMessages } from "@/hooks/use-messages";
 import useApp from "@/hooks/use-app";
+import { useEffectOnceWhenReady } from "@/hooks/use-once";
 
 export default function Server() {
   const { ip } = useParams<{ ip: string }>();
   const serverRef = useRef<WebSocket | null>(null);
   const [server, setServer] = useState<undefined | ServerType>();
   const app = useApp();
+  const { messages, addMessage } = useServerMessages();
 
-  useEffect(() => {
-    if (!ip) return;
-    auth(ip, serverRef, setServer, app.addMessage);
-  }, [ip]);
+  useEffectOnceWhenReady(
+    () => {
+      if (!ip) return;
+      const msgs = messages[ip];
+      auth(
+        ip,
+        serverRef,
+        setServer,
+        (m) => addMessage(ip, m),
+        () => {},
+        msgs ? msgs[msgs.length - 1]?.id : undefined
+      );
+    },
+    [ip, messages],
+    [undefined, (v) => v[ip]]
+  );
 
   return (
     <AppSidebar app={app} server={server}>
       <MessageBox
         app={app}
         channelName="General"
-        messages={app.messages
-          .filter((m) => m.channel_id === "general")}
+        messages={messages[ip]?.filter((m) => m.channel_id === "general") || []}
         sendMessage={(message) => {
           serverRef.current?.send(
             JSON.stringify({
diff --git a/src/hooks/use-app.ts b/src/hooks/use-app.ts
index 801203e..fa4af8d 100644
--- a/src/hooks/use-app.ts
+++ b/src/hooks/use-app.ts
@@ -7,8 +7,7 @@ import useUser, { UserProfile } from "./get-user";
 export default function useApp(): App {
   const node = useRef<WebSocket | null>(null);
   const [profiles, setProfiles] = useState<StringMap<UserProfile>>({});
-  const messages = useMessages((s) => s.messages);
-  const addMessage = useMessages((s) => s.addMessage);
+  const { messages, addMessage } = useMessages();
   const [sidebarOpen, setSidebarOpen] = useState(true);
   const profile = useUser();
 
diff --git a/src/hooks/use-messages.ts b/src/hooks/use-messages.ts
index 6d5ab5e..77b7756 100644
--- a/src/hooks/use-messages.ts
+++ b/src/hooks/use-messages.ts
@@ -9,6 +9,13 @@ interface MessageStore {
   clearMessages: () => void;
 }
 
+type ServerMessageStore = {
+  messages: Record<string, Message[]>; // server_id → messages
+  setMessages: (serverId: string, msgs: Message[]) => void;
+  addMessage: (serverId: string, msg: Message) => void;
+  clearMessages: (serverId?: string) => void;
+};
+
 export const useMessages = create<MessageStore>()(
   persist(
     (set) => ({
@@ -25,3 +32,44 @@ export const useMessages = create<MessageStore>()(
     { name: "chat-messages" }
   )
 );
+
+export const useServerMessages = create<ServerMessageStore>()(
+  persist(
+    (set) => ({
+      messages: {},
+
+      setMessages: (serverId, msgs) =>
+        set((state) => ({
+          messages: { ...state.messages, [serverId]: msgs },
+        })),
+
+      addMessage: (serverId, msg) =>
+        set((state) => {
+          const serverMsgs = state.messages[serverId] || [];
+
+          // avoid duplicates
+          if (serverMsgs.some((m) => m.id === msg.id)) return state;
+
+          return {
+            messages: {
+              ...state.messages,
+              [serverId]: [...serverMsgs, msg],
+            },
+          };
+        }),
+
+      clearMessages: (serverId) =>
+        set((state) =>
+          serverId
+            ? {
+                messages: {
+                  ...state.messages,
+                  [serverId]: [],
+                },
+              }
+            : { messages: {} }
+        ),
+    }),
+    { name: "server-messages" }
+  )
+);
diff --git a/src/hooks/use-once.ts b/src/hooks/use-once.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4dcc853
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/hooks/use-once.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+import { useEffect, useRef } from "react";
+
+export function useEffectOnceWhenReady(
+  effect: () => void,
+  deps: any[],
+  testers: (undefined | ((m: any) => boolean))[]
+) {
+  const hasRun = useRef(false);
+
+  useEffect(() => {
+    const allReady = deps.every(
+      (d, i) => d !== undefined && d !== null && (!testers[i] || testers[i](d))
+    );
+    if (!allReady || hasRun.current) return;
+    hasRun.current = true;
+    effect();
+  }, deps);
+}