diff --git a/packages/app/src/context/server-session.test.ts b/packages/app/src/context/server-session.test.ts
index 46a0dc8266..38f7ff71e5 100644
--- a/packages/app/src/context/server-session.test.ts
+++ b/packages/app/src/context/server-session.test.ts
@@ -174,7 +174,7 @@ describe("server session", () => {
     await ctx.store.sync("root")
 
     expect(ctx.get).toEqual([{ sessionID: "root" }])
-    expect(ctx.messages).toEqual([{ sessionID: "root", limit: 2, before: undefined }])
+    expect(ctx.messages).toEqual([{ sessionID: "root", limit: 20, before: undefined }])
     expect(ctx.store.data.message.root).toEqual([])
   })
 
@@ -194,7 +194,7 @@ describe("server session", () => {
 
     await store.sync("child")
 
-    expect(client.requests).toEqual([{ sessionID: "child", limit: 2, before: undefined }])
+    expect(client.requests).toEqual([{ sessionID: "child", limit: 20, before: undefined }])
     expect(client.rootRequests).toEqual([{ sessionID: "child", messageID: user.id }])
     expect(store.data.message.child).toEqual([user, ...assistants])
     expect(store.history.more("child")).toBe(true)
diff --git a/packages/app/src/context/server-session.ts b/packages/app/src/context/server-session.ts
index 6898cc2304..a440aab38f 100644
--- a/packages/app/src/context/server-session.ts
+++ b/packages/app/src/context/server-session.ts
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ import { dropSessionCaches, pickSessionCacheEvictions, SESSION_CACHE_LIMIT } fro
 const cmp = (a: string, b: string) => (a < b ? -1 : a > b ? 1 : 0)
 const cmpMessage = (a: Message, b: Message) => a.time.created - b.time.created || cmp(a.id, b.id)
 const SKIP_PARTS = new Set(["patch", "step-start", "step-finish"])
-const initialMessagePageSize = 2
+const initialMessagePageSize = 20
 const historyMessagePageSize = 200
 const sessionInfoLimit = 2_048
 const emptyIDs: ReadonlySet<string> = new Set()