diff --git a/packages/ui/src/index.ts b/packages/ui/src/index.ts
index 8cd51c8..12597e5 100644
--- a/packages/ui/src/index.ts
+++ b/packages/ui/src/index.ts
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
 export { AppShell } from "./AppShell";
 export { Pill, SegmentedToggle, ProgressBar, FloatingActionBar, CourseCover, coverFits, monogram } from "./primitives";
 export { reducedMotion, viewTransition, holdDecision, useHeldValue, type HoldDecision } from "./motion";
+export { createScrollKeeper, routeScroll, installRouteScroll, type ScrollEnv, type ScrollKeeper } from "./scroll";
diff --git a/packages/ui/src/scroll.ts b/packages/ui/src/scroll.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4a310e2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/ui/src/scroll.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,126 @@
+/** What the scroll keeper needs from the browser (a fake in tests). */
+export interface ScrollEnv {
+  getY(): number;
+  scrollTo(y: number): void;
+  maxY(): number;
+  /** Scrolls the element with this id into view; false when there is none. */
+  scrollToId(id: string): boolean;
+  /** Runs `cb` on the next frame. */
+  later(cb: () => void): void;
+  now(): number;
+  load(): string | null;
+  save(s: string): void;
+}
+
+export interface ScrollKeeper {
+  /** Records the position for the history entry on screen. */
+  onScroll(): void;
+  /** The shell calls this on every location change: top for PUSH/REPLACE, the saved position for POP. */
+  routeChanged(key: string, pop: boolean, hash?: string): void;
+  /** A page that keeps the previous content on screen while the next loads calls this before the shell's routeChanged. */
+  defer(): void;
+  /** ...and this once the new content is in place; it applies the deferred route scroll. No-op otherwise. */
+  settle(): void;
+}
+
+interface Route { key: string; pop: boolean; hash?: string }
+
+const KEEP = 60;
+const RETRY_MS = 1000;
+
+/** Scroll positions per history entry, restored on back/forward even when the page renders its content late. */
+export function createScrollKeeper(env: ScrollEnv): ScrollKeeper {
+  const saved = new Map<string, number>();
+  try {
+    const raw = JSON.parse(env.load() ?? "[]") as unknown;
+    if (Array.isArray(raw)) for (const [k, y] of raw) if (typeof k === "string" && typeof y === "number") saved.set(k, y);
+  } catch { /* unreadable: start empty */ }
+  let current: string | null = null;
+  let deferNext = false;
+  let pending: Route | null = null;
+  let run = 0;
+  let restoring = false;
+  let persistQueued = false;
+
+  const persist = () => {
+    if (persistQueued) return;
+    persistQueued = true;
+    env.later(() => {
+      persistQueued = false;
+      try { env.save(JSON.stringify([...saved].slice(-KEEP))); } catch { /* storage full or blocked */ }
+    });
+  };
+
+  const apply = (r: Route) => {
+    current = r.key;
+    const id = ++run;
+    restoring = false;
+    if (r.hash && r.hash.length > 1) {
+      let target = r.hash.slice(1);
+      try { target = decodeURIComponent(target); } catch { /* keep raw */ }
+      if (env.scrollToId(target)) return;
+    }
+    const y = r.pop ? saved.get(r.key) ?? 0 : 0;
+    const start = env.now();
+    const step = () => {
+      if (id !== run) return;
+      env.scrollTo(Math.min(y, env.maxY()));
+      restoring = env.maxY() < y && env.now() - start < RETRY_MS;
+      if (restoring) env.later(step);
+    };
+    step();
+  };
+
+  return {
+    onScroll() {
+      if (current === null || restoring) return;
+      saved.delete(current);
+      saved.set(current, env.getY());
+      persist();
+    },
+    routeChanged(key, pop, hash) {
+      if (deferNext) {
+        deferNext = false;
+        run++; // a restore still retrying for the previous entry stops
+        restoring = false;
+        pending = { key, pop, hash };
+        return;
+      }
+      pending = null;
+      apply({ key, pop, hash });
+    },
+    defer() { deferNext = true; },
+    settle() {
+      if (!pending) return;
+      const r = pending;
+      pending = null;
+      apply(r);
+    },
+  };
+}
+
+let instance: ScrollKeeper | null = null;
+
+/** The window-bound keeper shared by the shell and the pages. */
+export function routeScroll(): ScrollKeeper {
+  instance ??= createScrollKeeper({
+    getY: () => window.scrollY,
+    scrollTo: (y) => window.scrollTo(0, y),
+    maxY: () => Math.max(0, document.documentElement.scrollHeight - window.innerHeight),
+    scrollToId: (id) => { const el = document.getElementById(id); el?.scrollIntoView({ block: "start" }); return !!el; },
+    later: (cb) => { requestAnimationFrame(() => cb()); },
+    now: () => performance.now(),
+    load: () => { try { return sessionStorage.getItem("stc.scroll"); } catch { return null; } },
+    save: (s) => { try { sessionStorage.setItem("stc.scroll", s); } catch { /* private mode */ } },
+  });
+  return instance;
+}
+
+/** Takes scroll restoration over from the browser and records positions. Returns a cleanup function. */
+export function installRouteScroll(): () => void {
+  const keeper = routeScroll();
+  try { history.scrollRestoration = "manual"; } catch { /* unsupported */ }
+  const onScroll = () => keeper.onScroll();
+  window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll, { passive: true });
+  return () => window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll);
+}
diff --git a/packages/ui/test/scroll.test.ts b/packages/ui/test/scroll.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a8c94f6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/ui/test/scroll.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,114 @@
+import { expect, test } from "bun:test";
+import { createScrollKeeper } from "../src/scroll";
+
+function fakeEnv(opts: { max?: number; stored?: string | null; ids?: string[] } = {}) {
+  const e = {
+    y: 0, max: opts.max ?? 10_000, t: 0, stored: opts.stored ?? null as string | null, queue: [] as (() => void)[], intoView: [] as string[],
+    getY: () => e.y,
+    scrollTo: (y: number) => { e.y = Math.min(y, e.max); },
+    maxY: () => e.max,
+    scrollToId: (id: string) => { if (!(opts.ids ?? []).includes(id)) return false; e.intoView.push(id); return true; },
+    later: (cb: () => void) => { e.queue.push(cb); },
+    now: () => e.t,
+    load: () => e.stored,
+    save: (s: string) => { e.stored = s; },
+    flush() { const q = e.queue.splice(0); q.forEach((f) => f()); },
+  };
+  return e;
+}
+
+test("PUSH goes to the top, POP restores the saved position of that entry", () => {
+  const env = fakeEnv();
+  const k = createScrollKeeper(env);
+  k.routeChanged("a", false);
+  env.y = 640; k.onScroll();
+  k.routeChanged("b", false);
+  expect(env.y).toBe(0);
+  env.y = 120; k.onScroll();
+  k.routeChanged("a", true);
+  expect(env.y).toBe(640);
+  k.routeChanged("b", true);
+  expect(env.y).toBe(120);
+  k.routeChanged("c", true); // never seen: top
+  expect(env.y).toBe(0);
+});
+
+test("a hash scrolls its target into view", () => {
+  const env = fakeEnv({ ids: ["part 2"] });
+  const k = createScrollKeeper(env);
+  env.y = 300;
+  k.routeChanged("a", false, "#part%202");
+  expect(env.intoView).toEqual(["part 2"]);
+  k.routeChanged("b", false, "#missing");
+  expect(env.y).toBe(0);
+});
+
+test("defer() keeps the old entry until settle(), which then applies the route scroll", () => {
+  const env = fakeEnv();
+  const k = createScrollKeeper(env);
+  k.routeChanged("a", false);
+  env.y = 500; k.onScroll();
+  k.defer();
+  k.routeChanged("b", false);
+  expect(env.y).toBe(500); // the old content is still on screen
+  env.y = 520; k.onScroll(); // scrolling the old content still belongs to "a"
+  k.settle();
+  expect(env.y).toBe(0);
+  k.routeChanged("a", true);
+  expect(env.y).toBe(520);
+  k.settle(); // nothing pending: no-op
+  expect(env.y).toBe(520);
+});
+
+test("a restore beyond the current page height retries until the page is tall enough", () => {
+  const env = fakeEnv();
+  const k = createScrollKeeper(env);
+  k.routeChanged("a", false);
+  env.y = 2000; k.onScroll();
+  k.routeChanged("b", false);
+  env.max = 300; // the old page is still loading
+  k.routeChanged("a", true);
+  expect(env.y).toBe(300);
+  env.flush();
+  expect(env.y).toBe(300);
+  env.max = 5000; // content arrived
+  env.flush();
+  expect(env.y).toBe(2000);
+  expect(env.queue.length).toBe(0);
+});
+
+test("the retry gives up after a second, and a newer route change cancels it", () => {
+  const env = fakeEnv();
+  const k = createScrollKeeper(env);
+  k.routeChanged("a", false);
+  env.y = 2000; k.onScroll();
+  k.routeChanged("b", false);
+  env.max = 300;
+  k.routeChanged("a", true);
+  k.onScroll(); // our own clamped scroll must not overwrite the saved 2000
+  env.t = 1200; env.flush();
+  expect(env.queue.length).toBe(0);
+  env.max = 5000;
+  k.routeChanged("a", true);
+  expect(env.y).toBe(2000);
+
+  env.max = 300;
+  k.routeChanged("c", false);
+  k.routeChanged("a", true);
+  k.routeChanged("d", false); // cancels the restore of "a"
+  env.max = 5000; env.flush();
+  expect(env.y).toBe(0);
+});
+
+test("positions survive a reload through storage", () => {
+  const env = fakeEnv();
+  const k = createScrollKeeper(env);
+  k.routeChanged("a", false);
+  env.y = 777; k.onScroll(); env.flush();
+  const env2 = fakeEnv({ stored: env.stored });
+  createScrollKeeper(env2).routeChanged("a", true);
+  expect(env2.y).toBe(777);
+  const env3 = fakeEnv({ stored: "{not json" });
+  createScrollKeeper(env3).routeChanged("a", true);
+  expect(env3.y).toBe(0);
+});