diff --git a/browse/src/browser-manager.ts b/browse/src/browser-manager.ts
index 1d57b3040..e89a4a7c6 100644
--- a/browse/src/browser-manager.ts
+++ b/browse/src/browser-manager.ts
@@ -307,6 +307,8 @@ export const TAB_PROBE_TIMEOUT_MS = 1_000;
  */
 const TAB_STORAGE_READ_TIMEOUT_MS = 5_000;
 
+type TabReadKind = 'probe' | 'title';
+
 /**
  * Resolve with `work`'s value, or with undefined once `ms` passes. The losing
  * read settles on its own when the renderer frees up, so callers pass a promise
@@ -391,6 +393,11 @@ export class BrowserManager {
   private extensionContext = false;
   /** Pending and recorded navigation-guard verdicts per page (D2). */
   private navigationGuards = new WeakMap<Page, { pending: Set<Promise<void>>; blocked: string | null }>();
+  /** One pending read per page and kind (#3247). A read that outlives its
+   * budget stays queued in the renderer until the page frees up, so a stuck
+   * tab reuses it instead of collecting a new one on every /health poll or
+   * `tabs` call. */
+  private pendingTabReads = new WeakMap<Page, Map<TabReadKind, Promise<unknown>>>();
   // Our own 'disconnected' listeners per browser. Detach only these: removing
   // every 'disconnected' listener also strips Playwright's internal one that
   // resolves browser.close(), so each close waited the full race timeout (and
@@ -1141,8 +1148,23 @@ export class BrowserManager {
     const id = this.activeTabId;
     const page = this.pages.get(id);
     if (!page) return null;
-    const answered = await withinTabBudget(page.evaluate('1').then(() => true, () => false), timeoutMs);
-    return { id, responsive: answered === true };
+    const probe = this.sharedTabRead(page, 'probe', () => page.evaluate('1').then(() => true, () => false));
+    return { id, responsive: (await withinTabBudget(probe, timeoutMs)) === true };
+  }
+
+  /** Join the page's pending read of this kind, or start one. `read` must not
+   * reject. */
+  private sharedTabRead<T>(page: Page, kind: TabReadKind, read: () => Promise<T>): Promise<T> {
+    let reads = this.pendingTabReads.get(page);
+    if (!reads) {
+      reads = new Map();
+      this.pendingTabReads.set(page, reads);
+    }
+    const pending = reads.get(kind);
+    if (pending) return pending as Promise<T>;
+    const started = read().finally(() => reads.delete(kind));
+    reads.set(kind, started);
+    return started;
   }
 
   // ─── Tab Management ────────────────────────────────────────
@@ -1347,7 +1369,8 @@ export class BrowserManager {
    */
   async getTabListWithTitles(): Promise<Array<{ id: number; url: string; title: string; active: boolean; busy: boolean }>> {
     return Promise.all([...this.pages].map(async ([id, page]) => {
-      const title = await withinTabBudget(page.title().catch(() => ''), TAB_PROBE_TIMEOUT_MS);
+      const title = await withinTabBudget(
+        this.sharedTabRead(page, 'title', () => page.title().catch(() => '')), TAB_PROBE_TIMEOUT_MS);
       return {
         id,
         url: page.url(),
diff --git a/browse/test/busy-active-tab.test.ts b/browse/test/busy-active-tab.test.ts
index 3d26b3f82..0d55dbe2c 100644
--- a/browse/test/busy-active-tab.test.ts
+++ b/browse/test/busy-active-tab.test.ts
@@ -6,12 +6,14 @@
  * session away, and `tabs` and `state save` hung on the tab as well.
  *
  * A real Chromium tab is held in a busy loop while a second tab stays idle;
- * each surface must answer within its bound and name the busy tab.
+ * each surface must answer within its bound and name the busy tab, without
+ * piling up reads on the stuck renderer.
  */
 import { afterAll, beforeAll, describe, expect, test } from 'bun:test';
 import * as fs from 'fs';
 import * as os from 'os';
 import * as path from 'path';
+import type { Page } from 'playwright';
 import { BrowserManager, TAB_PROBE_TIMEOUT_MS } from '../src/browser-manager';
 import { HEALTH_REQUEST_TIMEOUT_MS } from '../src/cli';
 import { handleMetaCommand } from '../src/meta-commands';
@@ -25,6 +27,7 @@ let testServer: ReturnType<typeof startTestServer>;
 let bm: BrowserManager;
 let busyId = 0;
 let idleId = 0;
+let busyPage: Page;
 let profileDir = '';
 const originalProfile = process.env.CHROMIUM_PROFILE;
 
@@ -39,7 +42,8 @@ beforeAll(async () => {
   await bm.getPage().goto(`${testServer.url}/basic.html`);
   idleId = await bm.newTab(`${testServer.url}/basic.html`);
   bm.switchTab(busyId, { bringToFront: false });
-  await bm.getPage().evaluate((ms) => {
+  busyPage = bm.getPage();
+  await busyPage.evaluate((ms) => {
     setTimeout(() => { const end = Date.now() + ms; while (Date.now() < end) { /* busy */ } }, 50);
   }, BUSY_MS);
   await Bun.sleep(300); // let the loop start
@@ -83,6 +87,19 @@ describe('busy active tab (#3247)', () => {
     expect(out).toContain(`closetab ${busyId}`);
   });
 
+  test('a stuck tab gets one pending probe, not one per poll', async () => {
+    let evaluates = 0;
+    const evaluate = busyPage.evaluate.bind(busyPage);
+    Object.assign(busyPage, { evaluate: (...args: Parameters<Page['evaluate']>) => { evaluates++; return evaluate(...args); } });
+    try {
+      for (let i = 0; i < 3; i++) expect(await bm.probeActiveTab()).toEqual({ id: busyId, responsive: false });
+    } finally {
+      delete (busyPage as { evaluate?: unknown }).evaluate; // back to the prototype method
+    }
+    // The /health check above may already hold the pending probe.
+    expect(evaluates).toBeLessThanOrEqual(1);
+  }, 10_000);
+
   test('saveState finishes with every tab, skipping only the busy tab storage', async () => {
     const state = await bm.saveState();
     expect(state.pages).toHaveLength(2);