diff --git a/apps/client/src/views/teleprompter/Teleprompter.tsx b/apps/client/src/views/teleprompter/Teleprompter.tsx
index 4df93e69d..747700704 100644
--- a/apps/client/src/views/teleprompter/Teleprompter.tsx
+++ b/apps/client/src/views/teleprompter/Teleprompter.tsx
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { OntimeView } from 'ontime-types';
-import { type CSSProperties, useEffect, useState } from 'react';
+import { type CSSProperties, useState } from 'react';
 
 import EmptyPage from '../../common/components/state/EmptyPage';
 import ViewParamsEditor from '../../common/components/view-params-editor/ViewParamsEditor';
@@ -46,19 +46,25 @@ function Teleprompter({ rundown, rundownMetadata, customFields }: TeleprompterDa
   const isMirrored = useViewOptionsStore((state) => state.mirror);
 
   const [fontScale, setFontScale] = useState(1);
-  const [flipH, setFlipH] = useState(options.flipH);
-  const [flipV, setFlipV] = useState(options.flipV);
   const [showHelp, setShowHelp] = useState(false);
 
   /**
-   * The flip params seed the local state, which the F key then owns.
-   * Without this the params would only ever apply on mount, so changing them in
-   * the view options, or from another device by redirecting this client to the
-   * same view with a different query, would silently do nothing.
-   * The speed option is kept live the same way, inside useTeleprompterScroll.
+   * The flip params seed the local state, which the F key then owns until the
+   * params change again. Without that the params would only apply on mount, so
+   * editing them in the view options, or redirecting this client to the same
+   * view with a different query, would silently do nothing.
+   *
+   * The reset happens during render rather than in an effect so React can throw
+   * the stale render away before it reaches the screen. An effect would let a
+   * frame of the previous orientation paint first, which on a prompter reads as
+   * a flash. The speed option is kept live the same way, in useTeleprompterScroll.
    */
-  useEffect(() => setFlipH(options.flipH), [options.flipH]);
-  useEffect(() => setFlipV(options.flipV), [options.flipV]);
+  const [flip, setFlip] = useState({ h: options.flipH, v: options.flipV });
+  const [flipFromParams, setFlipFromParams] = useState({ h: options.flipH, v: options.flipV });
+  if (flipFromParams.h !== options.flipH || flipFromParams.v !== options.flipV) {
+    setFlipFromParams({ h: options.flipH, v: options.flipV });
+    setFlip({ h: options.flipH, v: options.flipV });
+  }
 
   const viewOptions = getTeleprompterOptions(customFields);
 
@@ -88,13 +94,7 @@ function Teleprompter({ rundown, rundownMetadata, customFields }: TeleprompterDa
     blocks,
   });
 
-  const handleFlip = (axis: 'h' | 'v') => {
-    if (axis === 'h') {
-      setFlipH((current) => !current);
-    } else {
-      setFlipV((current) => !current);
-    }
-  };
+  const handleFlip = (axis: 'h' | 'v') => setFlip((current) => ({ ...current, [axis]: !current[axis] }));
 
   const handleFontSize = (delta: number) => setFontScale((current) => clampFontScale(current + delta));
   const handleResetFontSize = () => setFontScale(1);
@@ -111,7 +111,7 @@ function Teleprompter({ rundown, rundownMetadata, customFields }: TeleprompterDa
   const hasScriptSource = options.scriptSource !== 'none';
 
   // Flip Screen is a flip on both axes, so it folds into the per view flips
-  const flip = composeFlip(flipH, flipV, isMirrored);
+  const effectiveFlip = composeFlip(flip.h, flip.v, isMirrored);
 
   const viewStyles = {
     '--tp-font-size': `${options.fontSize * fontScale}px`,
@@ -129,7 +129,11 @@ function Teleprompter({ rundown, rundownMetadata, customFields }: TeleprompterDa
 
   return (
     <div
-      className={cx(['teleprompter', flip.flipH && 'teleprompter--flip-h', flip.flipV && 'teleprompter--flip-v'])}
+      className={cx([
+        'teleprompter',
+        effectiveFlip.flipH && 'teleprompter--flip-h',
+        effectiveFlip.flipV && 'teleprompter--flip-v',
+      ])}
       style={viewStyles}
       data-testid='teleprompter-view'
     >
diff --git a/apps/client/src/views/teleprompter/useTeleprompterControls.ts b/apps/client/src/views/teleprompter/useTeleprompterControls.ts
index af98d265a..a6a1f51d4 100644
--- a/apps/client/src/views/teleprompter/useTeleprompterControls.ts
+++ b/apps/client/src/views/teleprompter/useTeleprompterControls.ts
@@ -23,8 +23,13 @@ const ignoredTags = new Set(['INPUT', 'TEXTAREA', 'SELECT']);
  * suppressSpaceHotkey to ViewNavigationMenu so the menu stands down.
  */
 export function useTeleprompterControls(args: UseTeleprompterControlsArgs) {
+  // the listener is installed once and reads the current handlers through a ref.
+  // Updated in an effect rather than during render, which would be a side effect
+  // in a place React is free to run more than once or throw away
   const argsRef = useRef(args);
-  argsRef.current = args;
+  useEffect(() => {
+    argsRef.current = args;
+  });
 
   useEffect(() => {
     function applyAction(action: TeleprompterAction) {
diff --git a/apps/client/src/views/teleprompter/useTeleprompterScroll.ts b/apps/client/src/views/teleprompter/useTeleprompterScroll.ts
index 298492e4e..ed53f344f 100644
--- a/apps/client/src/views/teleprompter/useTeleprompterScroll.ts
+++ b/apps/client/src/views/teleprompter/useTeleprompterScroll.ts
@@ -136,10 +136,15 @@ export function useTeleprompterScroll({
       }
     }
 
-    posRef.current = clamp(next, 0, Math.max(maxScrollRef.current, 0));
-    // a fractional value is intentional, the browser rounds it for us while we
-    // keep the remainder, which is what makes slow speeds move at all
-    el.scrollTop = posRef.current;
+    const clamped = clamp(next, 0, Math.max(maxScrollRef.current, 0));
+    // touch the DOM only when the position actually moved, so a paused prompter
+    // costs arithmetic rather than a scroll write on every frame
+    if (clamped !== posRef.current) {
+      posRef.current = clamped;
+      // a fractional value is intentional, the browser rounds it for us while we
+      // keep the remainder, which is what makes slow speeds move at all
+      el.scrollTop = clamped;
+    }
   }, []);
 
   useEffect(() => {
@@ -184,10 +189,14 @@ export function useTeleprompterScroll({
     speedPxSecRef.current = linesPerMinuteToPxPerSecond(speed, lineHeightRef.current);
   }, [speed]);
 
-  // the configured speed is the starting point, live changes win afterwards
-  useEffect(() => {
+  // the configured speed seeds the live one, and reclaims it whenever the option
+  // changes. Adjusted during render rather than in an effect so the readout never
+  // commits the stale value first
+  const [speedFromOption, setSpeedFromOption] = useState(initialSpeed);
+  if (speedFromOption !== initialSpeed) {
+    setSpeedFromOption(initialSpeed);
     setSpeed(clampSpeed(initialSpeed));
-  }, [initialSpeed]);
+  }
 
   // the observer covers every reflow that matters, script edits included, so
   // nothing else needs to ask for a remeasure