diff --git a/lib/nntp/xover_client.ts b/lib/nntp/xover_client.ts
index 0f3de19..dcf0f51 100644
--- a/lib/nntp/xover_client.ts
+++ b/lib/nntp/xover_client.ts
@@ -118,7 +118,7 @@ export class XoverClient {
       const reply = await this.command(`XOVER ${from}-${to}`)
       if (reply.startsWith('420') || reply.startsWith('423')) return deflateSync(Buffer.alloc(0))
       await this.expect(reply, ['224'])
-      if (reply.includes('COMPRESS=GZIP')) return (await this.compressedRaw()).raw
+      if (reply.includes('COMPRESS=GZIP')) return (await this.compressedRaw(false)).raw
       // Plain replies (the relay's default): compressed off the event loop, at the fastest level.
       return deflateAsync(Buffer.from(await this.plainBody()), { level: 1 })
     })
@@ -214,19 +214,36 @@ export class XoverClient {
   }
 
   private async compressedBody(): Promise<string> {
-    return (await this.compressedRaw()).text
+    return (await this.compressedRaw(true)).text
   }
 
-  /** A zlib/gzip stream followed by a "." line: complete once it ends in ".\r\n" and inflates. */
-  private async compressedRaw(): Promise<{ raw: Buffer; text: string }> {
+  /** Whether what was received so far ends in `tail`, without joining the pieces. */
+  private endsWith(tail: Buffer): boolean {
+    if (this.length < tail.length) return false
+    let need = tail.length
+    for (let i = this.chunks.length - 1; i >= 0 && need > 0; i--) {
+      const chunk = this.chunks[i]
+      const n = Math.min(need, chunk.length)
+      if (!chunk.subarray(chunk.length - n).equals(tail.subarray(need - n, need))) return false
+      need -= n
+    }
+    return need === 0
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * A zlib/gzip stream followed by a "." line: complete once it ends in
+   * ".\r\n" and inflates. The pieces are joined only then: joining them on
+   * every arrival was quadratic, ~15% of a prefetcher's time (LOG.md 2026-10-09).
+   */
+  private async compressedRaw(wantText: boolean): Promise<{ raw: Buffer; text: string }> {
     while (true) {
-      const all = this.buffer()
-      if (all.length > DOT_LINE.length && all.subarray(all.length - DOT_LINE.length).equals(DOT_LINE)) {
+      if (this.length > DOT_LINE.length && this.endsWith(DOT_LINE)) {
+        const all = this.buffer()
         const raw = all.subarray(0, all.length - DOT_LINE.length)
         try {
-          const text = unzipSync(raw).toString('utf8')
+          const inflated = unzipSync(raw)
           this.take(all.length)
-          return { raw: Buffer.from(raw), text }
+          return { raw: Buffer.from(raw), text: wantText ? inflated.toString('utf8') : '' }
         } catch {
           // ".\r\n" inside the compressed data: wait for more.
         }