diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index c29b4b690..b2fdd2855 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0
 
 ### Fixed
 
+- Branch, changes and pull request on the cards and the footer catch up within a second of a commit, checkout or edit made outside a turn, where they could lag up to three seconds, and selecting a card reads its checkout at once instead of showing what the last read found.
 - Kiro CLI sessions follow `KIRO_HOME`. With it set, lich read Kiro's conversations, cost and context from `~/.kiro` while Kiro kept them under `KIRO_HOME`, so they showed nothing and History listed none; the agent that carries lich's hooks was installed where Kiro never looked, and a sandboxed session was not given the directory it writes into.
 
 ## [0.78.0] - 2026-10-22
diff --git a/native/cmd/lich-native/cardstate_test.go b/native/cmd/lich-native/cardstate_test.go
index e28942263..2f65e1389 100644
--- a/native/cmd/lich-native/cardstate_test.go
+++ b/native/cmd/lich-native/cardstate_test.go
@@ -73,7 +73,8 @@ func fakeUnread(t *testing.T, calls chan<- []any) *backend.Client {
 			_ = json.NewEncoder(w).Encode("")
 		case "/rpc/project.Home":
 			_ = json.NewEncoder(w).Encode(backend.Project{ID: "home", Path: "/home/me"})
-		case "/rpc/store.AddProject", "/rpc/store.AddSession":
+		case "/rpc/store.AddProject", "/rpc/store.AddSession",
+			"/rpc/project.Diff", "/rpc/project.BaseStatus", "/rpc/project.PullRequest":
 			_ = json.NewEncoder(w).Encode(nil)
 		case "/rpc/store.SetSessionUnread":
 			var args []api.SessionUnreadOptions
diff --git a/native/cmd/lich-native/model.go b/native/cmd/lich-native/model.go
index b7d851801..7cd45f7f2 100644
--- a/native/cmd/lich-native/model.go
+++ b/native/cmd/lich-native/model.go
@@ -15,8 +15,10 @@ import (
 )
 
 // gitPoll is how often each shown path's branch and changes are re-read. The
-// backend pushes no git events.
-const gitPoll = 3 * time.Second
+// backend pushes no git events. One second because a read is a few
+// milliseconds per checkout (measured 3-35ms), while 3s left a commit made in a
+// terminal off the card for long enough to read as lag.
+const gitPoll = time.Second
 
 // lastScreenKey is the global setting the last route is saved under, the one
 // record of which project the user was on.
@@ -591,7 +593,14 @@ func (m *model) setActive(ctx context.Context, id string) {
 	}
 	readLeft := left != id && m.status.markSeen(left)
 	readNew := m.focused && m.status.markSeen(id)
+	shown := ""
+	if p, i := m.sessionAt(id); p != nil {
+		shown = m.shownPath(*p, p.Sessions[i])
+	}
 	m.mu.Unlock()
+	if shown != "" {
+		go m.refreshPath(ctx, shown)
+	}
 	if refocused {
 		m.saveLayouts()
 	}
diff --git a/native/cmd/lich-native/stores_events_test.go b/native/cmd/lich-native/stores_events_test.go
index 2b10f0d71..b238c710c 100644
--- a/native/cmd/lich-native/stores_events_test.go
+++ b/native/cmd/lich-native/stores_events_test.go
@@ -93,6 +93,33 @@ func TestSessionTouchedReadsGitNowAndNudgesTheDiff(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestSelectingACardReadsItsGitWithoutATick(t *testing.T) {
+	var mu sync.Mutex
+	head := "h1"
+	stub := &rpcStub{answer: func(method string, _ []json.RawMessage) (any, int) {
+		mu.Lock()
+		defer mu.Unlock()
+		switch method {
+		case "project.Diff":
+			return backend.DiffStats{Branch: "main", Head: head}, http.StatusOK
+		case "project.BaseStatus", "project.PullRequest":
+			return nil, http.StatusOK
+		}
+		return failing("unexpected " + method)
+	}}
+	m := newTestModel(stub.client(t))
+	m.refreshGit(context.Background())
+
+	mu.Lock()
+	head = "h2"
+	mu.Unlock()
+	m.setActive(context.Background(), "s1")
+
+	eventually(t, "the selected card reads the new head without a tick", func() bool {
+		return cardOf(t, m).git.Head == "h2"
+	})
+}
+
 func TestSessionTouchedOfAnotherProjectWaitsForItsScreen(t *testing.T) {
 	stub := &rpcStub{answer: func(string, []json.RawMessage) (any, int) { return failing("unexpected") }}
 	m := newModel(stub.client(t), func() {})