diff --git a/src/domain/session/room/timeline/TilesCollection.js b/src/domain/session/room/timeline/TilesCollection.js
index 10062af2..23d863d4 100644
--- a/src/domain/session/room/timeline/TilesCollection.js
+++ b/src/domain/session/room/timeline/TilesCollection.js
@@ -236,6 +236,22 @@ export class TilesCollection extends BaseObservableList {
     getFirst() {
         return this._tiles[0];
     }
+
+    getTileIndex(searchTile) {
+        const idx = sortedIndex(this._tiles, searchTile, (searchTile, tile) => {
+            // negate result because we're switching the order of the params
+            return searchTile.compare(tile);
+        });
+        const foundTile = this._tiles[idx];
+        if (foundTile?.compare(searchTile) === 0) {
+            return idx;
+        }
+        return -1;
+    }
+
+    sliceIterator(start, end) {
+        return this._tiles.slice(start, end)[Symbol.iterator]();
+    }
 }
 
 import {ObservableArray} from "../../../../observable/list/ObservableArray.js";
diff --git a/src/domain/session/room/timeline/TimelineViewModel.js b/src/domain/session/room/timeline/TimelineViewModel.js
index dd115e79..0e28cb6e 100644
--- a/src/domain/session/room/timeline/TimelineViewModel.js
+++ b/src/domain/session/room/timeline/TimelineViewModel.js
@@ -42,10 +42,41 @@ export class TimelineViewModel extends ViewModel {
         const {timeline, tilesCreator} = options;
         this._timeline = this.track(timeline);
         this._tiles = new TilesCollection(timeline.entries, tilesCreator);
-        this._timeline.loadAtTop(50);
+        this._startTile = null;
+        this._endTile = null;
+        this._topLoadingPromise = null;
+        this._bottomLoadingPromise = null;
     }
 
-    setVisibleTileRange(startTile, endTile) {
+    setVisibleTileRange(startTile, endTile, isViewportFilled) {
+        // we should async batch things here?
+
+        // this will prevent a (small) inserted tile from being marked visible, won't it?
+        if (this._startTile === startTile && this._endTile === endTile) {
+            return;
+        }
+
+        // old tiles could have been removed from tilescollection once we support unloading
+        const oldStartIndex = this._startTile ? this._tiles.getTileIndex(this._startTile) : Number.MAX_SAFE_INTEGER;
+        const oldEndIndex = this._endTile ? this._tiles.getTileIndex(this._endTile) : Number.MIN_SAFE_INTEGER;
+        const newStartIndex = this._tiles.getTileIndex(startTile);
+        const newEndIndex = this._tiles.getTileIndex(endTile);
+
+        const minIndex = Math.min(oldStartIndex, newStartIndex);
+        const maxIndex = Math.max(oldEndIndex, newEndIndex);
+
+        let index = minIndex;
+        for (const tile of this._tiles.sliceIterator(minIndex, maxIndex)) {
+            const isVisible = index >= newStartIndex && index <= newEndIndex;
+            tile.setVisible(isVisible);
+            index += 1;
+        }
+
+        if (!isViewportFilled || (newStartIndex < 5 && !this._topLoadingPromise)) {
+            this._topLoadingPromise = this._timeline.loadAtTop(10).then(() => {
+                this._topLoadingPromise = null;
+            });
+        }
     }
 
     get tiles() {
diff --git a/src/domain/session/room/timeline/tiles/SimpleTile.js b/src/domain/session/room/timeline/tiles/SimpleTile.js
index 412d9737..96679c97 100644
--- a/src/domain/session/room/timeline/tiles/SimpleTile.js
+++ b/src/domain/session/room/timeline/tiles/SimpleTile.js
@@ -83,6 +83,10 @@ export class SimpleTile extends ViewModel {
         return this._entry;
     }
 
+    compare(tile) {
+        return this.upperEntry.compare(tile.upperEntry);
+    }
+
     compareEntry(entry) {
         return this._entry.compare(entry);
     }
@@ -119,6 +123,10 @@ export class SimpleTile extends ViewModel {
     
     }
 
+    setVisible(isVisible) {
+
+    }
+
     dispose() {
         this.setUpdateEmit(null);
         super.dispose();
diff --git a/src/platform/web/ui/session/room/TimelineView.ts b/src/platform/web/ui/session/room/TimelineView.ts
index 969cd254..1342d877 100644
--- a/src/platform/web/ui/session/room/TimelineView.ts
+++ b/src/platform/web/ui/session/room/TimelineView.ts
@@ -86,7 +86,7 @@ export class TimelineView extends TemplateView<TimelineViewModel> {
             tiles.style.setProperty("margin-top", `${missingTilesHeight}px`);
             // we don't have enough tiles to fill the viewport, so set all as visible
             const len = this.value.tiles.length;
-            this.updateVisibleRange(0, len - 1);
+            this.updateVisibleRange(0, len - 1, false);
         } else {
             tiles.style.removeProperty("margin-top");
             if (this.stickToBottom) {
@@ -123,14 +123,14 @@ export class TimelineView extends TemplateView<TimelineViewModel> {
             bottomNodeIndex = anchoredNodeIndex;
         }
         let topNodeIndex = findFirstNodeIndexAtOrBelow(tiles, scrollTop, bottomNodeIndex);
-        this.updateVisibleRange(topNodeIndex, bottomNodeIndex);
+        this.updateVisibleRange(topNodeIndex, bottomNodeIndex, true);
     }
 
-    private updateVisibleRange(startIndex: number, endIndex: number) {
+    private updateVisibleRange(startIndex: number, endIndex: number, isViewportFilled: boolean) {
         const firstVisibleChild = this.tilesView!.getChildInstanceByIndex(startIndex);
         const lastVisibleChild = this.tilesView!.getChildInstanceByIndex(endIndex);
         if (firstVisibleChild && lastVisibleChild) {
-            this.value.setVisibleTileRange(firstVisibleChild.value, lastVisibleChild.value);
+            this.value.setVisibleTileRange(firstVisibleChild.value, lastVisibleChild.value, isViewportFilled);
         }
     }
 }