diff --git a/libs/ui/playback/src/lib/embedded-mpv-player/embedded-mpv-player.component.ts b/libs/ui/playback/src/lib/embedded-mpv-player/embedded-mpv-player.component.ts
index e9001a79b..3c907b858 100644
--- a/libs/ui/playback/src/lib/embedded-mpv-player/embedded-mpv-player.component.ts
+++ b/libs/ui/playback/src/lib/embedded-mpv-player/embedded-mpv-player.component.ts
@@ -295,12 +295,18 @@ export class EmbeddedMpvPlayerComponent implements OnDestroy {
             if (!session) {
                 return;
             }
-            this.volume.set(session.volume);
-            this.timeUpdate.emit({
-                currentTime: session.positionSeconds,
-                duration: session.durationSeconds ?? 0,
+            // Side effects must not pull in transitive signal deps via
+            // scheduleControlsHide — otherwise opening a popover, pausing, or
+            // hovering would re-run this body and re-emit timeUpdate (which
+            // could feed back into playback inputs and restart the stream).
+            untracked(() => {
+                this.volume.set(session.volume);
+                this.timeUpdate.emit({
+                    currentTime: session.positionSeconds,
+                    duration: session.durationSeconds ?? 0,
+                });
+                this.scheduleControlsHide();
             });
-            this.scheduleControlsHide();
         });
     }
 
diff --git a/libs/ui/playback/src/lib/embedded-mpv-player/embedded-mpv-session-controller.ts b/libs/ui/playback/src/lib/embedded-mpv-player/embedded-mpv-session-controller.ts
index 9a9757099..0038f45c5 100644
--- a/libs/ui/playback/src/lib/embedded-mpv-player/embedded-mpv-session-controller.ts
+++ b/libs/ui/playback/src/lib/embedded-mpv-player/embedded-mpv-session-controller.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import {
     DestroyRef,
     Injectable,
+    computed,
     effect,
     inject,
     signal,
@@ -26,6 +27,10 @@ export class EmbeddedMpvSessionController {
     readonly stalled = signal(false);
     readonly retryToken = signal(0);
 
+    private readonly sessionStatus = computed(
+        () => this.session()?.status ?? null
+    );
+
     private readonly destroyRef = inject(DestroyRef);
     private readonly unsubscribeSessionUpdate?: () => void;
 
@@ -54,8 +59,11 @@ export class EmbeddedMpvSessionController {
             });
         }
 
+        // Track the narrowest possible signal — status only — so this effect
+        // does not re-run on every position-poll snapshot (~2 Hz during play)
+        // even though handleStalledTracking would be a no-op for those.
         effect(() => {
-            const status = this.session()?.status ?? null;
+            const status = this.sessionStatus();
             untracked(() => this.handleStalledTracking(status));
         });