diff --git a/plugins/host_agent/templates/_host_charts.html b/plugins/host_agent/templates/_host_charts.html
index 96bc142..72899ee 100644
--- a/plugins/host_agent/templates/_host_charts.html
+++ b/plugins/host_agent/templates/_host_charts.html
@@ -1,70 +1,6 @@
-{# History-charts fragment for the full-metrics page — lazy-loaded via HTMX so
-   the date_bin history query never blocks the page shell, and refreshed on a
-   slow cadence / range change. #}
-<div style="display:grid;grid-template-columns:repeat(auto-fit,minmax(340px,1fr));gap:1rem;">
-  <div class="card" style="margin-bottom:0;">
-    <div class="section-title" style="margin-bottom:0.5rem;">Utilization % — last {{ range_key }}</div>
-    <div style="height:220px;"><canvas id="chart-util"></canvas></div>
-  </div>
-  <div class="card" style="margin-bottom:0;">
-    <div class="section-title" style="margin-bottom:0.5rem;">Throughput (B/s) — last {{ range_key }}</div>
-    <div style="height:220px;"><canvas id="chart-net"></canvas></div>
-  </div>
-  <div class="card" style="margin-bottom:0;">
-    <div class="section-title" style="margin-bottom:0.5rem;">Load &amp; pressure — last {{ range_key }}</div>
-    <div style="height:220px;"><canvas id="chart-pressure"></canvas></div>
-  </div>
-</div>
-
+{# History data-only fragment. Swapped into the hidden #hm-charts-data poller;
+   the script runs and feeds the persistent charts created by host_detail.html,
+   updating them in place (no canvas swap → no flicker / no re-animation). #}
 <script>
-(function () {
-  const series = {{ series|tojson }};
-  // This fragment is re-swapped on poll / range change. Destroy the previous
-  // chart instances first so Chart.js doesn't leak detached canvases.
-  (window._hostCharts || []).forEach(function (c) { try { c.destroy(); } catch (e) {} });
-  window._hostCharts = [];
-  const fmtTime = (v) => { const d = new Date(v); return ("0" + d.getHours()).slice(-2) + ":" + ("0" + d.getMinutes()).slice(-2); };
-  const baseOpts = (ymax) => ({
-    responsive: true, maintainAspectRatio: false,
-    interaction: { mode: "index", intersect: false },
-    elements: { point: { radius: 0 } },
-    scales: {
-      x: { type: "linear", ticks: { callback: (v) => fmtTime(v), maxTicksLimit: 8, color: "#8a8a92", font: { size: 10 } }, grid: { color: "#30303a" } },
-      y: { beginAtZero: true, max: ymax, ticks: { color: "#8a8a92", font: { size: 10 } }, grid: { color: "#30303a" } },
-    },
-    plugins: {
-      legend: { labels: { color: "#b8b8b0", boxWidth: 10, font: { size: 11 } } },
-      tooltip: { callbacks: { title: function (items) { return items.length ? fmtTime(items[0].parsed.x) : ""; } } },
-    },
-  });
-  const mk = (id, datasets, ymax) => {
-    const el = document.getElementById(id);
-    if (!el) return;
-    window._hostCharts.push(new Chart(el.getContext("2d"), {
-      type: "line",
-      data: { datasets: datasets.map((d) => ({
-        label: d.label,
-        data: (series[d.key] || []).map((p) => ({ x: p[0], y: p[1] })),
-        borderColor: d.color, backgroundColor: d.color, borderWidth: 1.5, tension: 0.25,
-      })) },
-      options: baseOpts(ymax),
-    }));
-  };
-  mk("chart-util", [
-    { key: "cpu_pct", label: "CPU %", color: "#c8a840" },
-    { key: "mem_used_pct", label: "Mem %", color: "#4aa86a" },
-    { key: "disk_used_pct_worst", label: "Disk % (worst)", color: "#c87840" },
-  ], 100);
-  mk("chart-net", [
-    { key: "net_rx_bps", label: "Net RX", color: "#4aa86a" },
-    { key: "net_tx_bps", label: "Net TX", color: "#c84048" },
-    { key: "disk_read_bps", label: "Disk read", color: "#6aa0d0" },
-    { key: "disk_write_bps", label: "Disk write", color: "#c8a840" },
-  ], undefined);
-  mk("chart-pressure", [
-    { key: "load_1m", label: "Load 1m", color: "#c8a840" },
-    { key: "psi_mem_some_avg10", label: "Mem PSI %", color: "#c84048" },
-    { key: "temp_c_max", label: "Temp °C", color: "#c87840" },
-  ], undefined);
-})();
+  if (window.applyHostSeries) window.applyHostSeries({{ series|tojson }}, {{ range_key|tojson }});
 </script>
diff --git a/plugins/host_agent/templates/host_detail.html b/plugins/host_agent/templates/host_detail.html
index 44b4bb2..359b1fc 100644
--- a/plugins/host_agent/templates/host_detail.html
+++ b/plugins/host_agent/templates/host_detail.html
@@ -3,15 +3,17 @@
 {% block title %}{{ host.name }} — Metrics — Steward{% endblock %}
 {% block breadcrumb %}{{ crumbs([("Hosts", "/hosts/"), (host.name, "/hosts/" ~ host.id), ("Metrics", "")]) }}{% endblock %}
 {% block content %}
-{# Shell only: the current-state and history-chart sections stream in via HTMX
-   below, so the heavy history query never blocks first paint and the data
-   refreshes live (≈ the agent's push cadence) without a full reload. #}
+{# Shell only: current-state + history data stream in via HTMX so the heavy
+   history query never blocks first paint and the data refreshes live (≈ the
+   agent's push cadence). The chart CANVASES live here permanently — only their
+   data is polled and applied in place, so refreshes never re-create/flicker. #}
 <div style="display:flex;align-items:center;justify-content:space-between;gap:1rem;flex-wrap:wrap;margin-bottom:0.75rem;">
   <h1 class="page-title" style="margin-bottom:0;">{{ host.name }}</h1>
   {% include "_time_range.html" %}
 </div>
 
-{# Current state — lazy + polled live (latest snapshot the server holds). #}
+{# Current state — lazy + polled live. Atomic innerHTML swap of fixed-height
+   cards, so values update without a layout jump. #}
 <div id="hm-current"
      hx-get="/plugins/host_agent/{{ host.id }}/metrics"
      hx-trigger="load, every {{ poll_seconds }}s"
@@ -19,14 +21,88 @@
   <div class="card empty">Loading metrics…</div>
 </div>
 
-{# History charts — lazy (never blocks paint), refreshed on a slow cadence and
-   on range change; range comes from the shared #time-range input. #}
-<div id="hm-charts"
+{# History charts — persistent canvases (created once below); only data is polled. #}
+<div style="display:grid;grid-template-columns:repeat(auto-fit,minmax(340px,1fr));gap:1rem;margin-top:1rem;">
+  <div class="card" style="margin-bottom:0;">
+    <div class="section-title" style="margin-bottom:0.5rem;">Utilization % — last <span class="hm-chart-range">{{ current_range }}</span></div>
+    <div style="height:220px;"><canvas id="chart-util"></canvas></div>
+  </div>
+  <div class="card" style="margin-bottom:0;">
+    <div class="section-title" style="margin-bottom:0.5rem;">Throughput (B/s) — last <span class="hm-chart-range">{{ current_range }}</span></div>
+    <div style="height:220px;"><canvas id="chart-net"></canvas></div>
+  </div>
+  <div class="card" style="margin-bottom:0;">
+    <div class="section-title" style="margin-bottom:0.5rem;">Load &amp; pressure — last <span class="hm-chart-range">{{ current_range }}</span></div>
+    <div style="height:220px;"><canvas id="chart-pressure"></canvas></div>
+  </div>
+</div>
+{# Hidden poller: fetches the history series and applies it to the charts above
+   (no visible swap). Lazy on load → never blocks paint; refreshed slowly + on
+   range change. #}
+<div id="hm-charts-data" style="display:none;"
      hx-get="/plugins/host_agent/{{ host.id }}/charts"
      hx-trigger="load, every {{ chart_poll_seconds }}s, rangeChange from:body"
      hx-include="#time-range"
-     hx-swap="innerHTML"
-     style="margin-top:1rem;">
-  <div class="card empty">Loading charts…</div>
-</div>
+     hx-swap="innerHTML"></div>
+
+<script>
+(function () {
+  const fmtTime = (v) => { const d = new Date(v); return ("0" + d.getHours()).slice(-2) + ":" + ("0" + d.getMinutes()).slice(-2); };
+  const baseOpts = (ymax) => ({
+    responsive: true, maintainAspectRatio: false,
+    animation: false,                       // no grow-in / re-animate on refresh
+    interaction: { mode: "index", intersect: false },
+    elements: { point: { radius: 0 } },
+    scales: {
+      x: { type: "linear", ticks: { callback: (v) => fmtTime(v), maxTicksLimit: 8, color: "#8a8a92", font: { size: 10 } }, grid: { color: "#30303a" } },
+      y: { beginAtZero: true, max: ymax, ticks: { color: "#8a8a92", font: { size: 10 } }, grid: { color: "#30303a" } },
+    },
+    plugins: {
+      legend: { labels: { color: "#b8b8b0", boxWidth: 10, font: { size: 11 } } },
+      tooltip: { callbacks: { title: (items) => items.length ? fmtTime(items[0].parsed.x) : "" } },
+    },
+  });
+  const defs = {
+    "chart-util": { ymax: 100, ds: [
+      { key: "cpu_pct", label: "CPU %", color: "#c8a840" },
+      { key: "mem_used_pct", label: "Mem %", color: "#4aa86a" },
+      { key: "disk_used_pct_worst", label: "Disk % (worst)", color: "#c87840" },
+    ] },
+    "chart-net": { ymax: undefined, ds: [
+      { key: "net_rx_bps", label: "Net RX", color: "#4aa86a" },
+      { key: "net_tx_bps", label: "Net TX", color: "#c84048" },
+      { key: "disk_read_bps", label: "Disk read", color: "#6aa0d0" },
+      { key: "disk_write_bps", label: "Disk write", color: "#c8a840" },
+    ] },
+    "chart-pressure": { ymax: undefined, ds: [
+      { key: "load_1m", label: "Load 1m", color: "#c8a840" },
+      { key: "psi_mem_some_avg10", label: "Mem PSI %", color: "#c84048" },
+      { key: "temp_c_max", label: "Temp °C", color: "#c87840" },
+    ] },
+  };
+  const charts = {};
+  for (const id of Object.keys(defs)) {
+    const el = document.getElementById(id);
+    if (!el) continue;
+    charts[id] = new Chart(el.getContext("2d"), {
+      type: "line",
+      data: { datasets: defs[id].ds.map((d) => ({ label: d.label, data: [], borderColor: d.color, backgroundColor: d.color, borderWidth: 1.5, tension: 0.25 })) },
+      options: baseOpts(defs[id].ymax),
+    });
+  }
+  // Called by the polled /charts data fragment. Updates data in place (no
+  // re-create, no animation), so refreshes never flicker or shift layout.
+  window.applyHostSeries = function (series, rangeKey) {
+    for (const id of Object.keys(defs)) {
+      const ch = charts[id];
+      if (!ch) continue;
+      defs[id].ds.forEach((d, i) => {
+        ch.data.datasets[i].data = (series[d.key] || []).map((p) => ({ x: p[0], y: p[1] }));
+      });
+      ch.update("none");
+    }
+    if (rangeKey) document.querySelectorAll(".hm-chart-range").forEach((s) => { s.textContent = rangeKey; });
+  };
+})();
+</script>
 {% endblock %}