diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 61463f8..bd89aeb 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -2,6 +2,10 @@
 
 What changed in each RustBox release, written for the people who use and run it. Technical details are in the [documentation](docs/).
 
+## 0.2.29
+
+- An open message thread now updates automatically when a new message for that thread arrives via realtime events; reopening the thread is no longer required.
+
 ## 0.2.28
 
 - Replying to a message you sent no longer addresses the reply back to yourself; RustBox chooses the other thread participant(s), including when aliases/identities are used.
diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index f140d3c..49845f1 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -3506,7 +3506,7 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "rustbox"
-version = "0.2.28"
+version = "0.2.29"
 dependencies = [
  "aes-gcm",
  "async-imap",
diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index 0fea221..603b383 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 [package]
 name = "rustbox"
-version = "0.2.28"
+version = "0.2.29"
 edition = "2024"
 rust-version = "1.99.1"
 license = "AGPL-3.0-only"
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index f4f8dbd..7a218b3 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-# RustBox 0.2.28
+# RustBox 0.2.29
 
 **Fast, self-hosted webmail written in Rust.** RustBox connects to any IMAP/SMTP server and ships as one executable with the whole interface built in, so there is no Node.js, PHP or separate frontend to deploy.
 
diff --git a/RELEASE-MANIFEST.txt b/RELEASE-MANIFEST.txt
index fff964c..380e295 100644
--- a/RELEASE-MANIFEST.txt
+++ b/RELEASE-MANIFEST.txt
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
-RustBox 0.2.28 release manifest
+RustBox 0.2.29 release manifest
 
-0.2.28 release changes:
+0.2.29 release changes:
+- open message thread refreshes automatically after realtime NewMessages events, without requiring the user to reopen it
 - replies to own sent messages target the other participant(s), with account aliases/identities treated as own addresses
 - mailbox toolbar toggles between grouped threads and individual messages using the persisted mailbox `thread_mode` preference; thread rows expand/collapse and use Message-ID/In-Reply-To/References metadata
 - legacy Polish text repair covers common UTF-8/Windows-1252 and ISO-8859-2/Western-Latin mojibake in headers, bodies and cached summaries/details; exact ISO-8859-2 folded-subject coverage added
@@ -131,14 +132,14 @@ Docker examples:
 
 Operations/docs:
 - standalone `scripts/migrate_roundcube.py` imports Roundcube contacts/identities using RustBox config.toml and supports SQLite/MySQL/PostgreSQL targets
-- README.md documents 0.2.28 configuration
+- README.md documents 0.2.29 configuration
 - docker/README.md documents Compose variants
 - docs/STORAGE_SEARCH_OPERATIONS.md documents failure modes, shared-storage requirements and migration behavior
 - TODO.md leaves live SILO/MinIO/AWS/Ceph and real multi-node acceptance validation explicitly pending
 
 Build/release metadata:
 - `scripts/package-release.sh` runs the full Rust release gate before creating ZIP/SHA256 artifacts
-- Cargo.toml version = 0.2.28
+- Cargo.toml version = 0.2.29
 - rust-toolchain.toml pins Rust 1.99.1
 - Cargo.lock is retained for reproducible application builds; the release gate generates it only when missing
 - CI and scripts/build-release.sh use the retained Cargo.lock (generating it only if missing), then run locked tests/Clippy/release build
diff --git a/RELEASE-VALIDATION.txt b/RELEASE-VALIDATION.txt
index aa4bb21..8ea3aff 100644
--- a/RELEASE-VALIDATION.txt
+++ b/RELEASE-VALIDATION.txt
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
-RustBox 0.2.28 - final source validation
+RustBox 0.2.29 - final source validation
 
-0.2.28 scope:
+0.2.29 scope:
+- realtime refresh of the currently open message thread when NewMessages arrives
 - correct reply recipients for own sent messages in threads, Roundcube-style mailbox thread/flat list toggle (compact icon-button matching Select messages, with an icon reflecting the active mode), and stronger Polish legacy-encoding/mojibake repair, plus the 0.2.27 mail-list and appearance baseline
 
 0.2.25 scope:
@@ -67,7 +68,7 @@ RustBox 0.2.28 - final source validation
 - Composing shows only compact attachment/message size-limit values on one line
 - 0.2.9 realtime notification gating, browser shortcut preservation and 300-message defaults remain intact
 - V047-V052 are consolidated into compatibility baseline V052; V053 adds `skin_depth` and `skin_gradients`; V054 adds the theme schedule and account colour; V055 is next
-- version metadata identifies 0.2.28
+- version metadata identifies 0.2.29
 
 Completed in this environment:
 - offline release validator: scripts/validate-release-static.py (458/458 checks passed)
@@ -78,7 +79,7 @@ Completed in this environment:
 - all JSON files parse successfully
 - Python helper scripts compile successfully
 - shell scripts pass `bash -n`
-- release metadata consistently identifies 0.2.28
+- release metadata consistently identifies 0.2.29
 - V052 baseline consolidation plus the V053 skin-depth migration are validated offline
 - 0.2.25 filter UI (apply now, run now, always move from sender), context submenus and preset editing exercised in Playwright against a mocked API; the 0.2.24 styles rendered at standard and immersive depth with gradients on and off; earlier: all 37 interface styles rendered in light and dark at the immersive depth against a mocked API (Playwright), with no page errors
 
diff --git a/docs/IMPLEMENTATION_STATUS.md b/docs/IMPLEMENTATION_STATUS.md
index 1d92f75..e7ffcc5 100644
--- a/docs/IMPLEMENTATION_STATUS.md
+++ b/docs/IMPLEMENTATION_STATUS.md
@@ -1,7 +1,11 @@
-# RustBox 0.2.28 - implementation status
+# RustBox 0.2.29 - implementation status
 
 - Draft saves are realtime-silent: Drafts folder/list updates continue, but saving a draft does not surface as a new-mail notification.
-This file tracks the `0.2.28` source snapshot. Storage/search scope and outstanding acceptance work are tracked in `TODO.md`. A feature is only listed as implemented when working code exists in this source tree; partial items are called out explicitly.
+This file tracks the `0.2.29` source snapshot. Storage/search scope and outstanding acceptance work are tracked in `TODO.md`. A feature is only listed as implemented when working code exists in this source tree; partial items are called out explicitly.
+
+## 0.2.29 realtime open-thread refresh
+
+- When realtime reports `NewMessages`, the currently open message detail is re-fetched and its thread is re-rendered if the user is still viewing the same message.
 
 ## 0.2.28 thread replies and legacy Polish mail decoding
 
diff --git a/src/web/js/80-settings-realtime.js b/src/web/js/80-settings-realtime.js
index 8ef4d1e..ba57e6a 100644
--- a/src/web/js/80-settings-realtime.js
+++ b/src/web/js/80-settings-realtime.js
@@ -662,6 +662,19 @@ async function resyncRealtimeState() {
   return state.realtimeSyncPromise;
 }
 
+async function refreshOpenThread() {
+  const current = state.currentDetail;
+  if (!current) return;
+  const folder = current.folder;
+  const uid = current.uid;
+  try {
+    const fresh = await request(`/messages/${encodeURIComponent(folder)}/${uid}`, { method: "GET" });
+    if (!state.currentDetail || state.currentDetail.folder !== folder || Number(state.currentDetail.uid) !== Number(uid)) return;
+    state.currentDetail.thread = fresh.thread || [];
+    renderThread(state.currentDetail);
+  } catch (_) { }
+}
+
 function scheduleRealtimeRefresh(event, accountId) {
   if (accountId !== state.accountId) return;
   state.realtimeRefreshEvents.push(event);
@@ -669,6 +682,7 @@ function scheduleRealtimeRefresh(event, accountId) {
   state.realtimeRefreshTimer = setTimeout(async () => {
     const events = state.realtimeRefreshEvents.splice(0);
     const folderTreeChanged = events.some((item) => item.type === "FolderUpdated");
+    const hasNewMessages = events.some((item) => item.type === "NewMessages");
     const newInCurrent = events.some((item) => item.type === "NewMessages" && item.data?.folder === state.folder);
     const structuralFlagsInCurrent = events.some((item) => item.type === "FlagsChanged" && item.data?.folder === state.folder && !(item.data?.changes || []).length);
     const tasks = [];
@@ -678,6 +692,7 @@ function scheduleRealtimeRefresh(event, accountId) {
       else tasks.push(loadMessages(true, { background: true }));
     }
     if (tasks.length) await Promise.all(tasks);
+    if (hasNewMessages && state.currentDetail) await refreshOpenThread();
   }, 80);
 }