diff --git a/web/src/message_fetch.ts b/web/src/message_fetch.ts
index d9f58383ed..b6b1fae7fc 100644
--- a/web/src/message_fetch.ts
+++ b/web/src/message_fetch.ts
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ import type {MessageListData} from "./message_list_data.ts";
 import * as message_lists from "./message_lists.ts";
 import {raw_message_schema} from "./message_store.ts";
 import * as message_util from "./message_util.ts";
+import * as message_viewport from "./message_viewport.ts";
 import * as narrow_banner from "./narrow_banner.ts";
 import {page_params} from "./page_params.ts";
 import * as people from "./people.ts";
@@ -176,7 +177,7 @@ function process_result(data: MessageFetchResponse, opts: MessageFetchOptions):
         // the messages we requested, and all of them are in muted
         // topics, but there are older messages for this stream that
         // we need to ask the server for.
-        message_lists.current.visibly_empty()
+        (message_lists.current.visibly_empty() || !message_viewport.can_scroll())
     ) {
         const looking_for_new_msgs = opts.num_after > 0;
         const looking_for_old_msgs = opts.num_before > 0;
diff --git a/web/src/message_viewport.ts b/web/src/message_viewport.ts
index c921242e10..f534169319 100644
--- a/web/src/message_viewport.ts
+++ b/web/src/message_viewport.ts
@@ -542,6 +542,11 @@ export function maybe_scroll_to_selected(): void {
     }
 }
 
+export function can_scroll(): boolean {
+    const full_height = util.the($scroll_container).scrollHeight;
+    return full_height > window.innerHeight;
+}
+
 export function initialize(): void {
     // This handler must be placed before all resize handlers in our application
     $(window).on("resize", () => {