diff --git a/frontend/src/app/pages/Dashboard/canvas/DashboardCardLayer.tsx b/frontend/src/app/pages/Dashboard/canvas/DashboardCardLayer.tsx
index 88dbcf8a..d225e799 100644
--- a/frontend/src/app/pages/Dashboard/canvas/DashboardCardLayer.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/app/pages/Dashboard/canvas/DashboardCardLayer.tsx
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import React, { type RefObject } from 'react';
 import { AnimatePresence } from 'framer-motion';
+import MarqueeRect from './MarqueeRect';
 import AgentCard from '../cards/AgentCard';
 import DashboardViewCard from '../cards/DashboardViewCard';
 import BrowserCard from '../cards/BrowserCard';
@@ -234,23 +235,8 @@ const DashboardCardLayer: React.FC<DashboardCardLayerProps> = ({
         onDragEnd={onDragEnd}
         onBringToFront={onBringToFront}
       />
-      {/* Marquee selection rectangle */}
-      {selection.marquee && (
-        <div
-          style={{
-            position: 'absolute',
-            left: selection.marquee.x,
-            top: selection.marquee.y,
-            width: selection.marquee.width,
-            height: selection.marquee.height,
-            border: '1.5px dashed rgba(59, 130, 246, 0.6)',
-            background: 'rgba(59, 130, 246, 0.08)',
-            borderRadius: 2,
-            pointerEvents: 'none',
-            zIndex: 9999,
-          }}
-        />
-      )}
+      {/* Marquee selection rectangle: mounted once per sweep, moved imperatively off the channel */}
+      {selection.marquee && <MarqueeRect initial={selection.marquee} />}
     </>
   );
 };
diff --git a/frontend/src/app/pages/Dashboard/canvas/MarqueeRect.tsx b/frontend/src/app/pages/Dashboard/canvas/MarqueeRect.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..4114ea0d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/src/app/pages/Dashboard/canvas/MarqueeRect.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+import React, { useEffect, useRef } from 'react';
+import { subscribeMarqueeRect, LiveMarqueeRect } from '../hooks/interaction/marqueeLiveChannel';
+
+// The selection rectangle, moved imperatively off the marquee channel: React mounts it once per
+// sweep and never re-renders it mid-drag.
+const MarqueeRect: React.FC<{ initial: LiveMarqueeRect }> = ({ initial }) => {
+  const ref = useRef<HTMLDivElement | null>(null);
+  useEffect(() => subscribeMarqueeRect((r) => {
+    const el = ref.current;
+    if (!el || !r) return;
+    el.style.left = `${r.x}px`;
+    el.style.top = `${r.y}px`;
+    el.style.width = `${r.width}px`;
+    el.style.height = `${r.height}px`;
+  }), []);
+  return (
+    <div
+      ref={ref}
+      data-marquee-rect
+      style={{
+        position: 'absolute',
+        left: initial.x,
+        top: initial.y,
+        width: initial.width,
+        height: initial.height,
+        border: '1.5px dashed rgba(59, 130, 246, 0.6)',
+        background: 'rgba(59, 130, 246, 0.08)',
+        borderRadius: 2,
+        pointerEvents: 'none',
+        zIndex: 9999,
+      }}
+    />
+  );
+};
+
+export default MarqueeRect;
diff --git a/frontend/src/app/pages/Dashboard/hooks/interaction/marqueeLiveChannel.ts b/frontend/src/app/pages/Dashboard/hooks/interaction/marqueeLiveChannel.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..3e834228
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/src/app/pages/Dashboard/hooks/interaction/marqueeLiveChannel.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+// Per-frame marquee rects travel OUTSIDE React, same pattern as liveDragChannel: a sweep at pointer
+// rate re-rendered the whole card layer per frame just to move one rectangle (measured 61% dropped
+// frames). React mounts/unmounts the rect; this channel moves it.
+
+export interface LiveMarqueeRect {
+  x: number;
+  y: number;
+  width: number;
+  height: number;
+}
+
+type Listener = (rect: LiveMarqueeRect | null) => void;
+
+const listeners = new Set<Listener>();
+
+export function publishMarqueeRect(rect: LiveMarqueeRect | null): void {
+  for (const listener of listeners) listener(rect);
+}
+
+export function subscribeMarqueeRect(listener: Listener): () => void {
+  listeners.add(listener);
+  return () => { listeners.delete(listener); };
+}
diff --git a/frontend/src/app/pages/Dashboard/hooks/state/useDashboardSelection.ts b/frontend/src/app/pages/Dashboard/hooks/state/useDashboardSelection.ts
index 009c5d38..746a4d3d 100644
--- a/frontend/src/app/pages/Dashboard/hooks/state/useDashboardSelection.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/app/pages/Dashboard/hooks/state/useDashboardSelection.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import { useState, useCallback, useMemo, useRef, useEffect, RefObject } from 'react';
 import type { CardPosition, ViewCardPosition, BrowserCardPosition, WorkflowCardPosition, WorkflowsHubPosition } from '@/shared/state/dashboardLayoutSlice';
 import { viewCardKey } from '@/shared/state/dashboardLayoutSlice';
+import { publishMarqueeRect } from '../interaction/marqueeLiveChannel';
 
 export type { CardType } from '@/shared/state/dashboardLayoutSlice';
 import type { CardType } from '@/shared/state/dashboardLayoutSlice';
@@ -26,6 +27,7 @@ interface ScreenToCanvas {
 
 const DRAG_THRESHOLD = 4;
 
+
 function rectsIntersect(
   a: { x: number; y: number; width: number; height: number },
   b: { x: number; y: number; width: number; height: number },
@@ -252,7 +254,9 @@ export function useDashboardSelection(
           width: Math.abs(end.x - start.x),
           height: Math.abs(end.y - start.y),
         };
-        setMarquee(rect);
+        // React mounts the rect once; per-frame movement rides the channel (the layer re-rendered per frame otherwise).
+        publishMarqueeRect(rect);
+        setMarquee((prev) => prev ?? rect);
         const next = computeMarqueeSelection(rect, shiftHeldRef.current);
         // Same membership = same state object, so sweeping across empty space re-renders nothing.
         setSelectedIds((prev) => {
@@ -287,6 +291,7 @@ export function useDashboardSelection(
         cancelAnimationFrame(marqueeRafRef.current);
         marqueeRafRef.current = null;
       }
+      publishMarqueeRect(null);
       setMarquee(null);
       document.body.style.userSelect = '';
       document.body.classList.remove('dashboard-marquee-active');