diff --git a/hermes_state_messages.py b/hermes_state_messages.py
index 3842054f83..b3de077cf3 100644
--- a/hermes_state_messages.py
+++ b/hermes_state_messages.py
@@ -674,37 +674,49 @@ class SessionMessagesMixin:
         """
         if not carried_messages:
             return []
-        rows = conn.execute(
-            "SELECT id, role, content, tool_call_id, tool_calls, timestamp FROM messages "
-            "WHERE session_id = ? AND active = 1 ORDER BY id",
-            (session_id,),
-        ).fetchall()
-        by_id: Dict[int, Tuple[Any, ...]] = {}
-        by_key: Dict[Tuple[Any, ...], List[int]] = {}
-        for row in rows:
-            row_id = int(row["id"])
-            identity = self._row_identity(
-                row["role"], self._decode_content(row["content"]), row["tool_call_id"],
-                _parse_tool_calls(row["tool_calls"]))
-            by_id[row_id] = identity
-            timestamp = coerce_epoch(row["timestamp"], field="message timestamp")
-            if timestamp is not None:
-                by_key.setdefault((*identity, timestamp), []).append(row_id)
-
-        resolved: List[int] = []
+        carried: List[Tuple[Tuple[Any, ...], Any, Any]] = []
         for message in carried_messages:
             if not isinstance(message, dict):
                 continue
-            role = message.get("role", "unknown")
             identity = self._row_identity(
-                role, message.get("content"), message.get("tool_call_id"),
+                message.get("role", "unknown"), message.get("content"), message.get("tool_call_id"),
                 _parse_tool_calls(message.get("tool_calls")))
             row_id = message.get("_row_id")
-            if (isinstance(row_id, int) and not isinstance(row_id, bool)
-                    and row_id > 0 and by_id.get(row_id) == identity):
+            if not (isinstance(row_id, int) and not isinstance(row_id, bool) and row_id > 0):
+                row_id = None
+            carried.append((identity, row_id, message.get("timestamp")))
+
+        def _index(ids: Optional[List[int]]):
+            by_id: Dict[int, Tuple[Any, ...]] = {}
+            by_key: Dict[Tuple[Any, ...], List[int]] = {}
+            narrow = f" AND id IN ({_placeholders(ids)})" if ids else ""
+            for row in conn.execute(
+                "SELECT id, role, content, tool_call_id, tool_calls, timestamp FROM messages "
+                f"WHERE session_id = ? AND active = 1{narrow} ORDER BY id",
+                (session_id, *(ids or ())),
+            ).fetchall():
+                rid = int(row["id"])
+                by_id[rid] = self._row_identity(
+                    row["role"], self._decode_content(row["content"]), row["tool_call_id"],
+                    _parse_tool_calls(row["tool_calls"]))
+                ts = coerce_epoch(row["timestamp"], field="message timestamp")
+                if ts is not None:
+                    by_key.setdefault((*by_id[rid], ts), []).append(rid)
+            return by_id, by_key
+
+        # The common micro pass carries dicts that all hold a matching _row_id, so the identity
+        # check only needs those rows; a full active-row scan is reserved for the fallbacks.
+        row_ids = [row_id for _, row_id, _ in carried if row_id is not None]
+        by_id, by_key = _index(row_ids if len(row_ids) == len(carried) else None)
+        if len(row_ids) == len(carried) and any(by_id.get(rid) != ident for ident, rid, _ in carried):
+            by_id, by_key = _index(None)
+
+        resolved: List[int] = []
+        for identity, row_id, raw_timestamp in carried:
+            if row_id is not None and by_id.get(row_id) == identity:
                 resolved.append(row_id)
                 continue
-            timestamp = coerce_epoch(message.get("timestamp"), field="message timestamp")
+            timestamp = coerce_epoch(raw_timestamp, field="message timestamp")
             if timestamp is None:
                 continue
             matches = by_key.get((*identity, timestamp), [])