diff --git a/src/ClaudeDo.Ui/Views/Controls/DiffTextView.axaml.cs b/src/ClaudeDo.Ui/Views/Controls/DiffTextView.axaml.cs
index b6670ebc..79786c49 100644
--- a/src/ClaudeDo.Ui/Views/Controls/DiffTextView.axaml.cs
+++ b/src/ClaudeDo.Ui/Views/Controls/DiffTextView.axaml.cs
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 using System;
 using System.Collections.Generic;
 using System.Globalization;
+using System.Threading.Tasks;
 using Avalonia;
 using Avalonia.Controls;
 using Avalonia.Media;
@@ -60,6 +61,24 @@ public partial class DiffTextView : UserControl
 
     private bool _renderersInstalled;
 
+    // Above this many raw diff lines, DiffAlignment.Build moves to a background thread instead
+    // of running inline in ReloadFile. Build is O(lines) plus one word-diff LCS per 1:1 changed
+    // pair, and each LCS is up to MaxWordDiffTokens² (400² = 160k int cells, ~640KB) — a diff
+    // this size can plausibly stack up enough such pairs to blow a 16ms frame, and Planning mode
+    // instantiates one DiffTextView per changed file in an ItemsControl, so several can hit this
+    // at once. A line-count threshold was chosen over chunked/incremental alignment because Build
+    // is already pure and side-effect-free (safe to run on Task.Run as-is), whereas incremental
+    // construction would need to fragment its LCS/gap-detection state across calls for no benefit
+    // to the common case. Below the threshold, staying synchronous avoids a placeholder frame
+    // (there is nothing to show until the first build completes) for the overwhelming majority of
+    // diffs, which finish well under a frame either way.
+    private const int AsyncBuildLineThreshold = 500;
+
+    // Bumped by every ReloadFile call; a background build only applies its result if this is
+    // still the generation that started it, so a fast File-to-File switch during a slow build
+    // can't overwrite the newer file's rows with a stale AlignedDiff.
+    private int _buildGeneration;
+
     public DiffTextView()
     {
         InitializeComponent();
@@ -97,9 +116,29 @@ public partial class DiffTextView : UserControl
 
     /// Recomputes the alignment (word-diff LCS) for the current <see cref="File"/> and then
     /// refreshes everything downstream of it. Only ever needed when the file actually changes.
+    /// Small diffs build inline; large ones move to a background thread (see
+    /// <see cref="AsyncBuildLineThreshold"/>) and keep showing the previous file's rows until
+    /// the new build lands, rather than flashing an empty frame.
     private void ReloadFile()
     {
-        _aligned = DiffAlignment.Build(File?.Lines);
+        var lines = File?.Lines;
+        var generation = ++_buildGeneration;
+
+        if (lines is null || lines.Count <= AsyncBuildLineThreshold)
+        {
+            _aligned = DiffAlignment.Build(lines);
+            RefreshLayout();
+            return;
+        }
+
+        _ = BuildAsync(lines, generation);
+    }
+
+    private async Task BuildAsync(IReadOnlyList<DiffLineViewModel> lines, int generation)
+    {
+        var aligned = await Task.Run(() => DiffAlignment.Build(lines));
+        if (generation != _buildGeneration) return; // superseded by a newer File in the meantime.
+        _aligned = aligned;
         RefreshLayout();
     }