diff --git a/src/app/components/read-receipt-avatars/ReadReceiptAvatars.tsx b/src/app/components/read-receipt-avatars/ReadReceiptAvatars.tsx
index 2c217fa08..6b3d12597 100644
--- a/src/app/components/read-receipt-avatars/ReadReceiptAvatars.tsx
+++ b/src/app/components/read-receipt-avatars/ReadReceiptAvatars.tsx
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
-import React, { useEffect, useState } from 'react';
-import { Room, RoomStateEvent, RoomStateEventHandlerMap } from 'matrix-js-sdk';
+import React, { useState } from 'react';
+import { Room } from 'matrix-js-sdk';
 import {
   Icon,
   Icons,
@@ -12,7 +12,6 @@ import {
   config,
 } from 'folds';
 import FocusTrap from 'focus-trap-react';
-import { useMatrixClient } from '../../hooks/useMatrixClient';
 import { useSetting } from '../../state/hooks/settings';
 import { settingsAtom } from '../../state/settings';
 import { getMemberName } from '../../utils/room';
@@ -21,8 +20,8 @@ import { StackedAvatar } from '../stacked-avatar';
 import { EventReaders } from '../event-readers';
 import { stopPropagation } from '../../utils/keyboard';
 import { useModalStyle } from '../../hooks/useModalStyle';
-import { useForceUpdate } from '../../hooks/useForceUpdate';
 import { useMemberAvatar } from '../../hooks/useMemberAvatar';
+import { useRoomMembersChange } from '../../hooks/useRoomMemberChange';
 import * as css from './ReadReceiptAvatars.css';
 
 const MAX_DISPLAY = 5;
@@ -50,32 +49,15 @@ export function ReadReceiptAvatars({
   eventId: string;
   userIds: string[];
 }) {
-  const mx = useMatrixClient();
   const [open, setOpen] = useState(false);
   const [lotusTerminal] = useSetting(settingsAtom, 'lotusTerminal');
   const modalStyle = useModalStyle(360);
-  const [, forceUpdate] = useForceUpdate();
 
-  // The avatars + names below are read from room member state at render time, so
-  // they only refresh when this component re-renders (which the timeline does on a
-  // receipt change). Re-render on a member-state change of any displayed reader so
-  // an avatar/display-name update shows live. RoomStateEvent.Members fires for name,
-  // avatar AND membership changes (RoomMemberEvent has no Avatar signal).
-  useEffect(() => {
-    const handleMembers: RoomStateEventHandlerMap[RoomStateEvent.Members] = (
-      event,
-      _state,
-      member,
-    ) => {
-      if (event.getRoomId() === room.roomId && userIds.includes(member.userId)) {
-        forceUpdate();
-      }
-    };
-    mx.on(RoomStateEvent.Members, handleMembers);
-    return () => {
-      mx.removeListener(RoomStateEvent.Members, handleMembers);
-    };
-  }, [mx, room.roomId, userIds, forceUpdate]);
+  // The tooltip names below are read from room member state at render time.
+  // Re-render on a member-state change of any displayed reader so a display-name
+  // update shows live (each avatar handles its own via useMemberAvatar). Uses the
+  // shared member-change store — one global listener for the whole app (PERF-3).
+  useRoomMembersChange(room.roomId, userIds);
 
   if (userIds.length === 0) return null;
 
diff --git a/src/app/hooks/useMemberAvatar.ts b/src/app/hooks/useMemberAvatar.ts
index e13da6087..d089e23e6 100644
--- a/src/app/hooks/useMemberAvatar.ts
+++ b/src/app/hooks/useMemberAvatar.ts
@@ -1,8 +1,7 @@
-import { useEffect } from 'react';
-import { Room, RoomStateEvent, RoomStateEventHandlerMap } from 'matrix-js-sdk';
+import { Room } from 'matrix-js-sdk';
 import { useMatrixClient } from './useMatrixClient';
 import { useMediaAuthentication } from './useMediaAuthentication';
-import { useForceUpdate } from './useForceUpdate';
+import { useRoomMemberChange } from './useRoomMemberChange';
 import { getMemberName } from '../utils/room';
 import { mxcUrlToHttp } from '../utils/matrix';
 
@@ -15,9 +14,8 @@ export type MemberAvatar = {
  * Resolve a room member's display name and avatar http url, staying reactive to
  * that member's profile (name/avatar/membership) changes.
  *
- * Mirrors the reactivity pattern in ReadReceiptAvatars (N6): subscribe to
- * `RoomStateEvent.Members` filtered to this room + userId and force a re-render,
- * since `RoomMemberEvent` has no dedicated Avatar signal.
+ * Stays reactive to this member's profile (name/avatar/membership) changes via
+ * the shared member-change store (one global listener for the whole app).
  */
 export const useMemberAvatar = (
   room: Room,
@@ -28,23 +26,8 @@ export const useMemberAvatar = (
 ): MemberAvatar => {
   const mx = useMatrixClient();
   const useAuthentication = useMediaAuthentication();
-  const [, forceUpdate] = useForceUpdate();
 
-  useEffect(() => {
-    const handleMembers: RoomStateEventHandlerMap[RoomStateEvent.Members] = (
-      event,
-      _state,
-      member,
-    ) => {
-      if (event.getRoomId() === room.roomId && member.userId === userId) {
-        forceUpdate();
-      }
-    };
-    mx.on(RoomStateEvent.Members, handleMembers);
-    return () => {
-      mx.removeListener(RoomStateEvent.Members, handleMembers);
-    };
-  }, [mx, room.roomId, userId, forceUpdate]);
+  useRoomMemberChange(room.roomId, userId);
 
   const name = getMemberName(room, userId);
   const avatarMxc = room.getMember(userId)?.getMxcAvatarUrl();
diff --git a/src/app/hooks/useRoomMemberChange.test.ts b/src/app/hooks/useRoomMemberChange.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..9e14f0a61
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/app/hooks/useRoomMemberChange.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,67 @@
+import { test } from 'node:test';
+import assert from 'node:assert/strict';
+import type { MatrixClient } from 'matrix-js-sdk';
+import { memberChangeStore } from './useRoomMemberChange';
+
+// Minimal fake client: records registered handlers and can emit a member change.
+// The store registers exactly one RoomStateEvent.Members handler; we invoke it
+// with the same (event, state, member) shape the SDK uses.
+const makeFakeMx = () => {
+  const handlers: Array<(e: unknown, s: unknown, m: unknown) => void> = [];
+  const mx = {
+    on: (_event: unknown, h: (e: unknown, s: unknown, m: unknown) => void) => {
+      handlers.push(h);
+    },
+    removeListener: (_event: unknown, h: (e: unknown, s: unknown, m: unknown) => void) => {
+      const i = handlers.indexOf(h);
+      if (i >= 0) handlers.splice(i, 1);
+    },
+  };
+  return {
+    mx: mx as unknown as MatrixClient,
+    listenerCount: () => handlers.length,
+    emit: (roomId: string, userId: string) =>
+      handlers.forEach((h) => h({ getRoomId: () => roomId }, undefined, { userId })),
+  };
+};
+
+test('fans out only to the matching roomId|userId', () => {
+  const { mx, emit } = makeFakeMx();
+  let a = 0;
+  let b = 0;
+  memberChangeStore.subscribe(mx, '!fanout', '@a', () => {
+    a += 1;
+  });
+  memberChangeStore.subscribe(mx, '!fanout', '@b', () => {
+    b += 1;
+  });
+
+  emit('!fanout', '@a');
+  assert.equal(a, 1);
+  assert.equal(b, 0);
+
+  emit('!other', '@a'); // different room, same user -> no fire
+  assert.equal(a, 1);
+});
+
+test('registers exactly one client listener regardless of subscriber count', () => {
+  const { mx, listenerCount } = makeFakeMx();
+  memberChangeStore.subscribe(mx, '!one', '@a', () => {});
+  memberChangeStore.subscribe(mx, '!one', '@b', () => {});
+  memberChangeStore.subscribe(mx, '!one2', '@c', () => {});
+  assert.equal(listenerCount(), 1);
+});
+
+test('idempotent unsubscribe does not evict a re-subscribed key', () => {
+  const { mx, emit } = makeFakeMx();
+  const unsubA = memberChangeStore.subscribe(mx, '!idem', '@a', () => {});
+  unsubA();
+
+  let count = 0;
+  memberChangeStore.subscribe(mx, '!idem', '@a', () => {
+    count += 1;
+  });
+  unsubA(); // double-invoke of the first unsub must not drop the new subscriber
+  emit('!idem', '@a');
+  assert.equal(count, 1);
+});
diff --git a/src/app/hooks/useRoomMemberChange.ts b/src/app/hooks/useRoomMemberChange.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..f79da5e00
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/app/hooks/useRoomMemberChange.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,102 @@
+import { useEffect } from 'react';
+import { MatrixClient, RoomStateEvent, RoomStateEventHandlerMap } from 'matrix-js-sdk';
+import { useMatrixClient } from './useMatrixClient';
+import { useForceUpdate } from './useForceUpdate';
+
+type MemberListener = () => void;
+
+const memberKey = (roomId: string, userId: string): string => `${roomId}|${userId}`;
+
+/**
+ * Shared room-member-change store. Previously every ReadReceiptAvatars row and
+ * every useMemberAvatar registered its own global `RoomStateEvent.Members`
+ * listener — ~6 per receipt row — each firing on ANY membership / display-name /
+ * avatar change in ANY room (PERF-3). This registers exactly ONE listener total
+ * and fans out to subscribers keyed by `roomId|userId`.
+ *
+ * (`RoomStateEvent.Members` is used rather than `RoomMemberEvent` because the
+ * latter has no dedicated avatar signal.)
+ */
+class MemberChangeStore {
+  private mx: MatrixClient | undefined;
+
+  private started = false;
+
+  private subscribers = new Map<string, Set<MemberListener>>();
+
+  private handleMembers: RoomStateEventHandlerMap[RoomStateEvent.Members] = (
+    event,
+    _state,
+    member,
+  ) => {
+    const roomId = event.getRoomId();
+    if (!roomId) return;
+    const subs = this.subscribers.get(memberKey(roomId, member.userId));
+    if (!subs) return;
+    subs.forEach((cb) => cb());
+  };
+
+  private start(mx: MatrixClient): void {
+    if (this.started && this.mx === mx) return;
+    if (this.started && this.mx) {
+      this.mx.removeListener(RoomStateEvent.Members, this.handleMembers);
+    }
+    this.mx = mx;
+    mx.on(RoomStateEvent.Members, this.handleMembers);
+    this.started = true;
+  }
+
+  subscribe(mx: MatrixClient, roomId: string, userId: string, cb: MemberListener): () => void {
+    this.start(mx);
+    const key = memberKey(roomId, userId);
+    let subs = this.subscribers.get(key);
+    if (!subs) {
+      subs = new Set();
+      this.subscribers.set(key, subs);
+    }
+    subs.add(cb);
+    return () => {
+      subs.delete(cb);
+      // Only drop the registry entry if this is still the live set for the key,
+      // keeping unsubscribe idempotent against a double-invoke / re-subscribe.
+      if (subs.size === 0 && this.subscribers.get(key) === subs) {
+        this.subscribers.delete(key);
+      }
+    };
+  }
+}
+
+export const memberChangeStore = new MemberChangeStore();
+
+/**
+ * Re-render the caller whenever the given room member's state (display name,
+ * avatar, or membership) changes, via the shared single-listener store.
+ */
+export const useRoomMemberChange = (roomId: string, userId: string): void => {
+  const mx = useMatrixClient();
+  const [, forceUpdate] = useForceUpdate();
+  useEffect(
+    () => memberChangeStore.subscribe(mx, roomId, userId, forceUpdate),
+    [mx, roomId, userId, forceUpdate],
+  );
+};
+
+/**
+ * Multi-user variant: re-render when ANY of `userIds` changes. Subscribes to
+ * each id through the shared store from a single effect (no per-id hook).
+ */
+export const useRoomMembersChange = (roomId: string, userIds: string[]): void => {
+  const mx = useMatrixClient();
+  const [, forceUpdate] = useForceUpdate();
+  // Stable, order-independent dependency for the set of ids (the array identity
+  // is unstable, and re-ordering the same members shouldn't churn subscriptions).
+  const idsKey = [...userIds].sort().join(',');
+  useEffect(() => {
+    const unsubs = userIds.map((userId) =>
+      memberChangeStore.subscribe(mx, roomId, userId, forceUpdate),
+    );
+    return () => unsubs.forEach((unsub) => unsub());
+    // `userIds` is captured via the stable `idsKey`; re-subscribes when it changes.
+    // eslint-disable-next-line react-hooks/exhaustive-deps
+  }, [mx, roomId, idsKey, forceUpdate]);
+};