diff --git a/src/app/features/room/message/Reactions.tsx b/src/app/features/room/message/Reactions.tsx
index b03ab2d6d..89f59bc2b 100644
--- a/src/app/features/room/message/Reactions.tsx
+++ b/src/app/features/room/message/Reactions.tsx
@@ -69,8 +69,15 @@ export const Reactions = as<'div', ReactionsProps>(
     const measure = useCallback(() => {
       const container = containerRef.current;
       if (!container) return;
-      const rowWidth = container.getBoundingClientRect().width;
-      const gap = parseFloat(getComputedStyle(container).columnGap) || 8;
+      // [Gitea #305] The width the chips actually get (content box). The border
+      // box grows by 4 px while collapsed (margin -2 / padding 2), and measuring
+      // it made a row within 4 px of fitting flip collapsed↔expanded every frame.
+      const cs = getComputedStyle(container);
+      const rowWidth =
+        container.clientWidth -
+        (parseFloat(cs.paddingLeft) || 0) -
+        (parseFloat(cs.paddingRight) || 0);
+      const gap = parseFloat(cs.columnGap) || 8;
       const chips = keys ? keys.split('\u0000').map((k) => chipRefs.current.get(k)) : [];
       const widths = chips.map((el) => el?.getBoundingClientRect().width ?? 0);
       const moreWidth = moreRef.current?.getBoundingClientRect().width ?? 48;
@@ -110,8 +117,21 @@ export const Reactions = as<'div', ReactionsProps>(
         style={{
           ...props.style,
           ...(collapsed && rowHeight
-            ? // 2px breathing room so row-1 focus outlines are not clipped.
-              { maxHeight: rowHeight + 4, overflow: 'hidden', padding: 2, margin: -2 }
+            ? // 2px breathing room so row-1 focus outlines are not clipped. Longhand
+              // margins so the timeline's marginTop survives (Gitea #305: the
+              // `margin` shorthand overrode it and, once removed, cleared it).
+              {
+                maxHeight: rowHeight + 4,
+                overflow: 'hidden',
+                padding: 2,
+                marginLeft: -2,
+                marginRight: -2,
+                marginBottom: -2,
+                marginTop:
+                  props.style?.marginTop !== undefined
+                    ? `calc(${typeof props.style.marginTop === 'number' ? `${props.style.marginTop}px` : props.style.marginTop} - 2px)`
+                    : -2,
+              }
             : {}),
         }}
         ref={(el) => {