diff --git a/.changeset/release-reloaded-review-renders.md b/.changeset/release-reloaded-review-renders.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..49a32e3ea
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/release-reloaded-review-renders.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+"hunkdiff": patch
+---
+
+Fix a memory leak in `--watch` and other live reloads where every reload kept the previous review's files and render state alive, so long-running sessions grew without bound.
diff --git a/packages/hunk/src/ui/hooks/useTerminalReview.test.tsx b/packages/hunk/src/ui/hooks/useTerminalReview.test.tsx
index f9e31cfd3..a1f60b990 100644
--- a/packages/hunk/src/ui/hooks/useTerminalReview.test.tsx
+++ b/packages/hunk/src/ui/hooks/useTerminalReview.test.tsx
@@ -514,6 +514,37 @@ describe("useTerminalReview", () => {
     }
   });
 
+  test("releases files from earlier reloads once later reloads replace them", async () => {
+    const { controllerRef, setFilesRef, setup } = await renderTerminalReview([createTwoHunkFile()]);
+    const reloadedFiles: WeakRef<DiffFile>[] = [];
+
+    try {
+      await flush(setup);
+
+      // Each reload replaces the files first and the measured stops one render later, which is the
+      // staggered update order that let memoized callbacks chain every earlier render together.
+      for (let reload = 0; reload < 12; reload += 1) {
+        const file = reload % 2 === 0 ? createSingleHunkFile() : createTwoHunkFile();
+        reloadedFiles.push(new WeakRef(file));
+        await act(async () => {
+          expectValue(setFilesRef.current)([file]);
+        });
+        await flush(setup);
+      }
+
+      expect(expectValue(controllerRef.current).visibleFiles).toHaveLength(1);
+      Bun.gc(true);
+      const retainedEarlyReloads = reloadedFiles
+        .slice(0, -4)
+        .filter((reference) => reference.deref() !== undefined);
+      expect(retainedEarlyReloads).toHaveLength(0);
+    } finally {
+      await act(async () => {
+        setup.renderer.destroy();
+      });
+    }
+  });
+
   test("moves through visible files with clamped file-header alignment", async () => {
     const controllerRef: { current: TerminalReview | null } = { current: null };
     const setup = await testRender(
diff --git a/packages/hunk/src/ui/hooks/useTerminalReview.ts b/packages/hunk/src/ui/hooks/useTerminalReview.ts
index f23ea8b62..3a88607f1 100644
--- a/packages/hunk/src/ui/hooks/useTerminalReview.ts
+++ b/packages/hunk/src/ui/hooks/useTerminalReview.ts
@@ -881,17 +881,24 @@ export function useTerminalReview({
     [applyLineCursor, keyByFileId, runIntent],
   );
 
+  // Read stops through a ref so this callback stays stable across reloads. Closures from one
+  // render share its scope, so a callback rebuilt when stops change would retain the render that
+  // rebuilt `resolveCommentRequest` for new files, and through it every earlier review generation.
+  const reviewVerticalStopsRef = useRef(reviewVerticalStops);
+  reviewVerticalStopsRef.current = reviewVerticalStops;
+
   /** Read the exact rendered stop that currently owns keyboard focus. */
   const currentReviewVerticalStop = useCallback((): ReviewVerticalStop | null => {
     const activeNoteId = selectActiveStoredReviewNote(store.getSnapshot())?.note.id;
     if (activeNoteId) {
       return (
-        reviewVerticalStops.find((stop) => stop.kind === "note" && stop.noteId === activeNoteId) ??
-        null
+        reviewVerticalStopsRef.current.find(
+          (stop) => stop.kind === "note" && stop.noteId === activeNoteId,
+        ) ?? null
       );
     }
     return lineCursorRef.current ? { kind: "line", cursor: lineCursorRef.current } : null;
-  }, [reviewVerticalStops, store]);
+  }, [store]);
 
   /** Focus one measured note stop through its current semantic owner. */
   const focusReviewNoteStop = useCallback(