diff --git a/apps/client/src/features/ai-chat/components/message-list.test.tsx b/apps/client/src/features/ai-chat/components/message-list.test.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..b19470a0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/client/src/features/ai-chat/components/message-list.test.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,119 @@
+import { describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
+import { render } from "@testing-library/react";
+import { MantineProvider } from "@mantine/core";
+import type { UIMessage } from "@ai-sdk/react";
+
+// Stub react-i18next (MessageList and TypingIndicator read `useTranslation`).
+// Mirrors the t-mock pattern used by the other component tests in this folder
+// (reasoning-block.test.tsx, message-item-memo.test.tsx).
+vi.mock("react-i18next", () => ({
+  useTranslation: () => ({ t: (key: string) => key }),
+}));
+
+// Spy on `renderChatMarkdown` exactly as message-item-memo.test.tsx does: keep
+// every OTHER named export of markdown.ts intact via `importActual`, and override
+// only `renderChatMarkdown` with a `vi.fn()` that returns simple HTML. This makes
+// assertions synchronous (no async marked + DOMPurify pass) and lets us count
+// parses by argument. `vi.hoisted` so the spy exists when the hoisted `vi.mock`
+// factory runs.
+const { renderChatMarkdownSpy } = vi.hoisted(() => ({
+  renderChatMarkdownSpy: vi.fn((text: string) => `<p>${text}</p>`),
+}));
+vi.mock("@/features/ai-chat/utils/markdown.ts", async () => {
+  const actual = await vi.importActual<
+    typeof import("@/features/ai-chat/utils/markdown.ts")
+  >("@/features/ai-chat/utils/markdown.ts");
+  return { ...actual, renderChatMarkdown: renderChatMarkdownSpy };
+});
+
+// IMPORTANT: do NOT mock MessageItem and do NOT mock messageSignature — exercising
+// the REAL MessageList -> real MessageItem -> real messageSignature wiring is the
+// whole point of this file (it closes the parent-side coverage gap left by the
+// memo tests, which simulate the parent by hardcoding `signature={...}` in their
+// harness). Use the relative import for the component under test, mirroring how
+// message-list.tsx itself imports `MessageItem from "./message-item"`.
+import MessageList from "./message-list";
+
+// matchMedia / localStorage / sessionStorage (read by MantineProvider and app
+// code) are stubbed globally in vitest.setup.ts — do NOT re-stub those here.
+//
+// MessageList renders Mantine's ScrollArea, which constructs a `ResizeObserver`.
+// jsdom does not implement it, so install a minimal no-op stub BEFORE rendering.
+vi.stubGlobal(
+  "ResizeObserver",
+  class {
+    observe() {}
+    unobserve() {}
+    disconnect() {}
+  },
+);
+
+// One assistant message wrapping the given `parts`. Reused across renders in the
+// regression test to model how the AI SDK hands back the SAME message object.
+const msg = (parts: UIMessage["parts"]): UIMessage =>
+  ({ id: "m1", role: "assistant", parts }) as UIMessage;
+
+describe("MessageList", () => {
+  it("wires the real MessageItem and supplies a valid signature end-to-end", () => {
+    renderChatMarkdownSpy.mockClear();
+    const { queryByText } = render(
+      <MantineProvider>
+        <MessageList
+          messages={[msg([{ type: "text", text: "hello world" }])]}
+          isStreaming={false}
+        />
+      </MantineProvider>,
+    );
+    // The assistant text renders, which proves MessageList mounted the real
+    // MessageItem and handed it a valid `signature` prop (computed from the real
+    // `messageSignature`) — the full parent -> child -> markdown path is live.
+    expect(queryByText("hello world")).not.toBeNull();
+  });
+
+  // REGRESSION (PR #224, the empty-render freeze). The AI SDK streams a turn by
+  // MUTATING the same `parts` array IN PLACE and handing back a NEW array each
+  // delta that REUSES the same message object. The fix moved the content signature
+  // to the PARENT: MessageList must recompute `messageSignature(message)` FRESH on
+  // every render and forward it as the immutable `signature` prop, so MessageItem's
+  // memo (which compares that prop snapshot) sees it change and re-renders the row.
+  //
+  // This test exercises the PARENT half that the memo tests only simulate: if
+  // MessageList ever cached/memoized the signature keyed on the message object's
+  // identity (which stays stable across deltas while its `parts` mutate in place),
+  // the snapshot would never change, MessageItem's memo would skip every delta, and
+  // the row would freeze at its empty mount — exactly the regression class. That
+  // would make this test fail. See message-item.tsx (`signature` prop +
+  // `arePropsEqual`) and message-list.tsx (the `signature={messageSignature(...)}`
+  // snapshot at render time).
+  it("reflects in-place part mutation of a reused message object across renders", () => {
+    renderChatMarkdownSpy.mockClear();
+    // Reuse ONE message object across renders (as the SDK does). The empty text
+    // part means MessageItem renders nothing visible initially.
+    const message = msg([{ type: "text", text: "" }]);
+    const { rerender, queryByText } = render(
+      <MantineProvider>
+        <MessageList messages={[message]} isStreaming />
+      </MantineProvider>,
+    );
+    // Nothing streamed yet.
+    expect(queryByText("streamed answer")).toBeNull();
+
+    // SDK delta: mutate the SAME part in place on the SAME message object...
+    (message.parts[0] as { text: string }).text = "streamed answer";
+    // ...then re-render with a NEW array literal that still holds the SAME mutated
+    // message object (this mirrors useChat handing back a fresh array of reused
+    // message objects on each delta).
+    rerender(
+      <MantineProvider>
+        <MessageList messages={[message]} isStreaming />
+      </MantineProvider>,
+    );
+
+    // The grown text now renders: MessageList re-snapshotted the signature, so the
+    // row re-rendered instead of freezing at its empty mount.
+    expect(queryByText("streamed answer")).not.toBeNull();
+    expect(
+      renderChatMarkdownSpy.mock.calls.some((c) => c[0] === "streamed answer"),
+    ).toBe(true);
+  });
+});