diff --git a/packages/viewer/src/systems/wall/wall-progressive-budget.test.ts b/packages/viewer/src/systems/wall/wall-progressive-budget.test.ts
index e97202120..a9d36ce65 100644
--- a/packages/viewer/src/systems/wall/wall-progressive-budget.test.ts
+++ b/packages/viewer/src/systems/wall/wall-progressive-budget.test.ts
@@ -53,6 +53,15 @@ describe('progressive wall budget', () => {
     expect(shouldDeferWallRebuild(heavy.id, nodes, 0, 100)).toBe(false)
   })
 
+  test('initial build drains under a 48 ms budget without the count cap; interactive tiers unchanged', () => {
+    expect(shouldDeferWallRebuild(cheap.id, nodes, 40, 30, true)).toBe(false)
+    expect(shouldDeferWallRebuild(cheap.id, nodes, 40, 48, true)).toBe(true)
+    expect(shouldDeferWallRebuild(cheap.id, nodes, 8, 0, true)).toBe(false)
+    expect(shouldDeferWallRebuild(heavy.id, nodes, 1, 0, true)).toBe(true)
+    expect(shouldDeferWallRebuild(cheap.id, nodes, 8, 0)).toBe(true)
+    expect(shouldDeferWallRebuild(cheap.id, nodes, 1, 8)).toBe(true)
+  })
+
   test('counts item cutout proxies but skips ordinary items', () => {
     const item = { id: 'item_budget-test', type: 'item' } as AnyNode
     const wall = { ...heavy, children: [...heavy.children.slice(0, 5), item.id] }
@@ -366,7 +375,7 @@ test('reattaching mid-drain preserves the hydration counters and one continuous
   try {
     hydrate(12)
     const token = useScene.getState().hydrationToken
-    rebuildCost = 4
+    rebuildCost = 24
     runWallBuildFrame()
     expect(stats().firstBuilds).toBe(2)
     unsubscribe()
@@ -379,7 +388,7 @@ test('reattaching mid-drain preserves the hydration counters and one continuous
     rebuildCost = 0
     runWallBuildFrame()
     expect(stats().firstBuilds).toBe(12)
-    expect(spans).toEqual([28])
+    expect(spans).toEqual([68])
   } finally { stop() }
 })
 
@@ -447,9 +456,9 @@ test('setScene starts initial build; more than eight cheap walls drain in one fr
   expect(stats().drainedExits).toBe(1)
 })
 
-test('checks the eight millisecond budget between walls and skips first-build neighbour invalidation across frames', () => {
+test('checks the initial-build time budget between walls and skips first-build neighbour invalidation across frames', () => {
   hydrate(12)
-  rebuildCost = 4
+  rebuildCost = 24
   runWallBuildFrame()
   expect(stats().wallsConsumedThisFrame).toBe(2)
   expect(stats().budgetExits).toBe(1)
@@ -695,7 +704,7 @@ test('canvas and live-state owner precede the lazy wall consumer; remount retain
   const nodes = Object.fromEntries([level, ...walls].map(node => [node.id, node]))
   const meshes = walls.map(wall => {
     const mesh = new Mesh(new BoxGeometry())
-    mesh.geometry.addEventListener('dispose', () => { now += 4 })
+    mesh.geometry.addEventListener('dispose', () => { now += 24 })
     sceneRegistry.nodes.set(wall.id, mesh)
     sceneRegistry.byType.wall.add(wall.id)
     return mesh
diff --git a/packages/viewer/src/systems/wall/wall-system.tsx b/packages/viewer/src/systems/wall/wall-system.tsx
index ce152367f..7e066b096 100644
--- a/packages/viewer/src/systems/wall/wall-system.tsx
+++ b/packages/viewer/src/systems/wall/wall-system.tsx
@@ -614,6 +614,12 @@ const DRAG_FLUSH_MS = 80
 const MAX_WALL_REBUILDS_PER_FRAME = 8
 const WALL_PROGRESSIVE_DIRTY_THRESHOLD = MAX_WALL_REBUILDS_PER_FRAME
 const WALL_PROGRESSIVE_TIME_BUDGET_MS = 8
+// Initial build (see wall-build-lifecycle) has no interactive gesture to protect:
+// the frame is dominated by rendering the still-unbatched scene, so every extra
+// frame spent draining walls costs a full scene render. Three display frames of
+// wall work per frame drains a 1,600-wall scene in ~1/6 of the frames while every
+// frame stays two orders of magnitude under a perceptible freeze.
+const WALL_INITIAL_BUILD_TIME_BUDGET_MS = 48
 const HEAVY_WALL_OPENINGS = 6
 let lastWallDirtyAtMs = 0
 let unmountedFrames = 0
@@ -628,7 +634,10 @@ function wallRebuildExitReason(
 ): 'cap' | 'budget' | 'heavy' | null {
   if (!initialBuild && rebuiltThisFrame >= MAX_WALL_REBUILDS_PER_FRAME) return 'cap'
   if (rebuiltThisFrame === 0) return null
-  if (elapsedMs >= WALL_PROGRESSIVE_TIME_BUDGET_MS) return 'budget'
+  const budgetMs = initialBuild
+    ? WALL_INITIAL_BUILD_TIME_BUDGET_MS
+    : WALL_PROGRESSIVE_TIME_BUDGET_MS
+  if (elapsedMs >= budgetMs) return 'budget'
   const wall = nodes[wallId as AnyNodeId]
   if (wall?.type !== 'wall') return null
   let cutouts = 0
@@ -654,8 +663,9 @@ export function shouldDeferWallRebuild(
   nodes: Record<AnyNodeId, AnyNode>,
   rebuiltThisFrame: number,
   elapsedMs: number,
+  initialBuild = false,
 ): boolean {
-  return wallRebuildExitReason(wallId, nodes, rebuiltThisFrame, elapsedMs) !== null
+  return wallRebuildExitReason(wallId, nodes, rebuiltThisFrame, elapsedMs, initialBuild) !== null
 }
 
 /** Rebuilds this system still owes — neighbours deferred during a drag. */
diff --git a/wiki/architecture/systems.md b/wiki/architecture/systems.md
index 481fc8309..f13dac05c 100644
--- a/wiki/architecture/systems.md
+++ b/wiki/architecture/systems.md
@@ -69,8 +69,9 @@ Unavailable walls do not continually postpone the pending-neighbour quiet clock.
 `isWallInitialBuildActive()` and `getPendingWallRebuildCount()` remain readable
 without `?perf`.
 
-Initial build consumes walls under the existing **8 ms budget**, checked between
-walls, without the interactive **8 walls/frame** cap. A wall with at least six
+Initial build consumes walls under a **48 ms budget** (about three display frames; the
+interactive tier keeps **8 ms**), checked between walls, without the interactive
+**8 walls/frame** cap. A wall with at least six
 opening cutouts occupies its own frame. Each wall's first build during active
 initial build skips adjacency scanning and neighbour re-invalidation because the
 hydrated inputs are stable and its neighbours are queued for their own first