diff --git a/apps/web/src/features/email-view/queries/use-email-query.ts b/apps/web/src/features/email-view/queries/use-email-query.ts
index 2825811073b..d1495cac0c9 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/features/email-view/queries/use-email-query.ts
+++ b/apps/web/src/features/email-view/queries/use-email-query.ts
@@ -448,7 +448,9 @@ export function useEmailDataSource(
     // bucketed by date.
     const result: EmailDataSourceItem[] = search.isSearching()
       ? buildFlatSoupRows(listEntities())
-      : buildGroupedSoupRows(groupEmailEntitiesByDate(listEntities()));
+      : buildGroupedSoupRows(groupEmailEntitiesByDate(listEntities()), {
+          keyByEntity: true,
+        });
 
     if (hasMore()) {
       result.push(
diff --git a/apps/web/src/features/soup/collection/rows.test.ts b/apps/web/src/features/soup/collection/rows.test.ts
index 94494606003..7011c5af084 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/features/soup/collection/rows.test.ts
+++ b/apps/web/src/features/soup/collection/rows.test.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest';
-import { getSoupMenuEntities } from './rows';
+import { buildGroupedSoupRows, getSoupMenuEntities } from './rows';
 
 describe('getSoupMenuEntities', () => {
   const rows = [
@@ -20,3 +20,40 @@ describe('getSoupMenuEntities', () => {
     expect(getSoupMenuEntities(rows[0], [])).toEqual([rows[0]]);
   });
 });
+
+describe('buildGroupedSoupRows keyed by entity', () => {
+  const thread = { id: 't1', type: 'email' };
+  const other = { id: 't2', type: 'email' };
+  const rowIdOf = (rows: { kind: string; id: string }[], index: number) =>
+    rows.filter((row) => row.kind === 'entity')[index]?.id;
+
+  it('keeps a row id when its entity moves to another group', () => {
+    const before = buildGroupedSoupRows(
+      [
+        { id: 'today', label: 'Today', entities: [other] },
+        { id: 'yesterday', label: 'Yesterday', entities: [thread] },
+      ],
+      { keyByEntity: true }
+    );
+    // A reply arrives: the thread is now today's.
+    const after = buildGroupedSoupRows(
+      [{ id: 'today', label: 'Today', entities: [thread, other] }],
+      { keyByEntity: true }
+    );
+
+    expect(rowIdOf(after, 0)).toBe(rowIdOf(before, 1));
+    expect(rowIdOf(after, 1)).toBe(rowIdOf(before, 0));
+  });
+
+  it('still gives an entity listed in two groups two rows', () => {
+    const rows = buildGroupedSoupRows(
+      [
+        { id: 'today', label: 'Today', entities: [thread] },
+        { id: 'yesterday', label: 'Yesterday', entities: [thread] },
+      ],
+      { keyByEntity: true }
+    );
+
+    expect(rowIdOf(rows, 0)).not.toBe(rowIdOf(rows, 1));
+  });
+});
diff --git a/apps/web/src/features/soup/collection/rows.ts b/apps/web/src/features/soup/collection/rows.ts
index a7fd349c613..ebcfb9761e5 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/features/soup/collection/rows.ts
+++ b/apps/web/src/features/soup/collection/rows.ts
@@ -23,6 +23,8 @@ const createSoupRowId = (
 export type CreateSoupEntityRowOptions = {
   groupId?: string;
   occurrenceId?: string;
+  /** Leave the group out of the row id, so moving groups keeps the row. */
+  keyByEntity?: boolean;
 };
 
 export function createSoupEntityRow<TEntity extends SoupEntityIdentity>(
@@ -35,7 +37,7 @@ export function createSoupEntityRow<TEntity extends SoupEntityIdentity>(
       'entity',
       entity.type,
       entity.id,
-      options.groupId,
+      options.keyByEntity ? undefined : options.groupId,
       options.occurrenceId
     ),
     entity,
@@ -125,6 +127,12 @@ export function buildFlatSoupRows<TEntity extends SoupEntityIdentity>(
 }
 
 export type BuildGroupedSoupRowsOptions<TEntity extends SoupEntityIdentity> = {
+  /**
+   * Identify rows by entity alone, for lists where each entity sits in one
+   * group (date buckets). A thread moving to another group then keeps its
+   * row, its DOM and the keyboard cursor instead of becoming a new row.
+   */
+  keyByEntity?: boolean;
   getOccurrenceId?: (
     entity: TEntity,
     index: number,
@@ -137,6 +145,8 @@ export function buildGroupedSoupRows<TEntity extends SoupEntityIdentity>(
   options: BuildGroupedSoupRowsOptions<TEntity> = {}
 ): SoupRow<TEntity>[] {
   const groupIds = new Set<string>();
+  // Keyed by entity, a repeat in another group still needs its own id.
+  const listOccurrences = new Map<string, number>();
   const rows = groups.flatMap((group) => {
     if (groupIds.has(group.id)) {
       throw new Error(
@@ -146,11 +156,14 @@ export function buildGroupedSoupRows<TEntity extends SoupEntityIdentity>(
     groupIds.add(group.id);
 
     const groupRows: SoupRow<TEntity>[] = [createSoupGroupHeaderRow(group)];
-    const occurrences = new Map<string, number>();
+    const occurrences = options.keyByEntity
+      ? listOccurrences
+      : new Map<string, number>();
     group.entities.forEach((entity, index) => {
       groupRows.push(
         createSoupEntityRow(entity, {
           groupId: group.id,
+          keyByEntity: options.keyByEntity,
           occurrenceId:
             options.getOccurrenceId?.(entity, index, group) ??
             nextDuplicateOccurrence(entity, occurrences),