diff --git a/plugins/alignments/src/PileupRenderer/layoutFeature.test.ts b/plugins/alignments/src/PileupRenderer/layoutFeature.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..d6fb8f5a7d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/alignments/src/PileupRenderer/layoutFeature.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,94 @@
+import { PileupLayout } from '@jbrowse/core/util/layouts'
+
+import { getPileupLayoutSpan, layoutFeature } from './layoutFeature.ts'
+
+import type { Mismatch } from '../shared/types.ts'
+import type { Feature } from '@jbrowse/core/util'
+
+function makeFeature(
+  id: string,
+  start: number,
+  end: number,
+  mismatches: Mismatch[],
+): Feature {
+  return {
+    id: () => id,
+    get(name: string) {
+      if (name === 'start') {
+        return start
+      }
+      if (name === 'end') {
+        return end
+      }
+      if (name === 'mismatches') {
+        return mismatches
+      }
+      return undefined
+    },
+  } as Feature
+}
+
+test('soft clip layout expansion is capped by maxClippingSize', () => {
+  const layout = new PileupLayout({
+    featureHeight: 7,
+    spacing: 0,
+    maxHeight: 1200,
+  })
+  const feature = makeFeature('r1', 100_000, 100_100, [
+    { type: 'softclip', start: 0, cliplen: 50_000 },
+    { type: 'softclip', start: 99, cliplen: 40_000 },
+  ])
+
+  layoutFeature({
+    feature,
+    layout,
+    showSoftClip: true,
+    heightPx: 7,
+    displayMode: 'normal',
+    maxClippingSize: 10_000,
+  })
+
+  const tuple = layout.getRectangles().get('r1')
+  expect(tuple).toBeDefined()
+  const [left, , right] = tuple!
+  expect(left).toBe(90_000)
+  expect(right).toBe(110_100)
+})
+
+test('soft clip sums per side then applies cap', () => {
+  const layout = new PileupLayout({
+    featureHeight: 7,
+    spacing: 0,
+    maxHeight: 1200,
+  })
+  const feature = makeFeature('r1', 1000, 1100, [
+    { type: 'softclip', start: 0, cliplen: 3000 },
+    { type: 'softclip', start: 0, cliplen: 4000 },
+  ])
+
+  layoutFeature({
+    feature,
+    layout,
+    showSoftClip: true,
+    heightPx: 7,
+    displayMode: 'normal',
+    maxClippingSize: 5000,
+  })
+
+  const tuple = layout.getRectangles().get('r1')
+  expect(tuple).toBeDefined()
+  const [left, , right] = tuple!
+  expect(left).toBe(-4000)
+  expect(right).toBe(1100)
+})
+
+test('getPileupLayoutSpan left edge can be left of a read with lower genomic start (#4671)', () => {
+  const laterStart = makeFeature('a', 5000, 5100, [
+    { type: 'softclip', start: 0, cliplen: 6000 },
+  ])
+  const earlierStart = makeFeature('b', 1000, 2000, [])
+  const { s: sa } = getPileupLayoutSpan(laterStart, true, 10_000)
+  const { s: sb } = getPileupLayoutSpan(earlierStart, true, 10_000)
+  expect(laterStart.get('start')).toBeGreaterThan(earlierStart.get('start'))
+  expect(sa).toBeLessThan(sb)
+})
diff --git a/plugins/alignments/src/PileupRenderer/layoutFeature.ts b/plugins/alignments/src/PileupRenderer/layoutFeature.ts
index 79d2df385a..ffa06af287 100644
--- a/plugins/alignments/src/PileupRenderer/layoutFeature.ts
+++ b/plugins/alignments/src/PileupRenderer/layoutFeature.ts
@@ -3,42 +3,65 @@ import type { Mismatch } from '../shared/types.ts'
 import type { Feature } from '@jbrowse/core/util'
 import type { BaseLayout } from '@jbrowse/core/util/layouts'
 
-export function layoutFeature({
-  feature,
-  layout,
-  showSoftClip,
-  heightPx,
-  displayMode,
-}: {
-  feature: Feature
-  layout: BaseLayout<Feature>
-  showSoftClip?: boolean
-  heightPx: number
-  displayMode: string
-}): LayoutFeature | null {
-  // Cache start/end to avoid multiple get() calls
+/**
+ * Genomic interval used for pileup collision detection. When soft clipping is
+ * on, left/right edges follow mismatch clips (capped by maxClippingSize).
+ * Must match the order used when laying out features — see layoutFeats sort
+ * (#4671).
+ */
+export function getPileupLayoutSpan(
+  feature: Feature,
+  showSoftClip: boolean,
+  maxClippingSize: number,
+): { s: number; e: number } {
   const featureStart = feature.get('start')
   const featureEnd = feature.get('end')
-
   let s = featureStart
   let e = featureEnd
 
-  // Expand the start and end of feature when softclipping enabled
   if (showSoftClip) {
     const mismatches = feature.get('mismatches') as Mismatch[] | undefined
     if (mismatches) {
+      let leftExtra = 0
+      let rightExtra = 0
       for (const mismatch of mismatches) {
         if (mismatch.type === 'softclip') {
           const cliplen = mismatch.cliplen
           if (mismatch.start === 0) {
-            s -= cliplen
+            leftExtra += cliplen
           } else {
-            e += cliplen
+            rightExtra += cliplen
           }
         }
       }
+      s -= Math.min(leftExtra, maxClippingSize)
+      e += Math.min(rightExtra, maxClippingSize)
     }
   }
+  return { s, e }
+}
+
+export function layoutFeature({
+  feature,
+  layout,
+  showSoftClip,
+  heightPx,
+  displayMode,
+  maxClippingSize,
+}: {
+  feature: Feature
+  layout: BaseLayout<Feature>
+  showSoftClip?: boolean
+  heightPx: number
+  displayMode: string
+  /** Caps soft-clip expansion for layout; matches PileupRenderer region expansion (#3471). */
+  maxClippingSize: number
+}): LayoutFeature | null {
+  const { s, e } = getPileupLayoutSpan(
+    feature,
+    !!showSoftClip,
+    maxClippingSize,
+  )
 
   if (displayMode === 'compact') {
     heightPx /= 3
diff --git a/plugins/alignments/src/PileupRenderer/layoutFeatures.ts b/plugins/alignments/src/PileupRenderer/layoutFeatures.ts
index 50dbebc634..d3237e805a 100644
--- a/plugins/alignments/src/PileupRenderer/layoutFeatures.ts
+++ b/plugins/alignments/src/PileupRenderer/layoutFeatures.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import { readConfObject } from '@jbrowse/core/configuration'
 
-import { layoutFeature } from './layoutFeature.ts'
+import { getPileupLayoutSpan, layoutFeature } from './layoutFeature.ts'
 import { sortFeature } from './sortUtil.ts'
 
 import type { LayoutFeature, PreProcessedRenderArgs } from './types.ts'
@@ -14,12 +14,21 @@ export function layoutFeats(props: PreProcessedRenderArgs) {
 
   const heightPx = readConfObject(config, 'height')
   const displayMode = readConfObject(config, 'displayMode')
+  const maxClippingSize = readConfObject(config, 'maxClippingSize') as number
 
-  // Sort features by start position for PileupLayout's built-in hint optimization,
-  // but only when not using explicit sorting (which has its own order)
+  // Sort by layout left edge (expanded when soft clipping) so iteration order
+  // matches PileupLayout's row-hint optimization (#4671). Plain start order
+  // disagrees with collision intervals when clips extend reads leftward.
   const featureArr = hasSortedBy
     ? [...featureMap.values()]
-    : [...featureMap.values()].sort((a, b) => a.get('start') - b.get('start'))
+    : [...featureMap.values()].sort((a, b) => {
+        const { s: as } = getPileupLayoutSpan(a, !!showSoftClip, maxClippingSize)
+        const { s: bs } = getPileupLayoutSpan(b, !!showSoftClip, maxClippingSize)
+        if (as !== bs) {
+          return as - bs
+        }
+        return a.get('start') - b.get('start')
+      })
 
   const layoutRecords: LayoutFeature[] = []
 
@@ -30,6 +39,7 @@ export function layoutFeats(props: PreProcessedRenderArgs) {
       showSoftClip,
       heightPx,
       displayMode,
+      maxClippingSize,
     })
 
     if (result) {