diff --git a/Bagnon/components/item.lua b/Bagnon/components/item.lua
index 9bded9a..7016d31 100644
--- a/Bagnon/components/item.lua
+++ b/Bagnon/components/item.lua
@@ -286,17 +286,26 @@ function ItemSlot:Update()
 	if not self:IsVisible() then return end
 
 	local texture, count, locked, quality, readable, lootable, link = self:GetItemSlotInfo()
+	local now = GetTime()
 
-	-- If the slot was occupied at our last good draw and the live read just
-	-- returned nil within the grace window, keep the previous draw and queue
-	-- a single re-check. No retry storm.
-	if (not link) and self.hasItem and (self.lastGoodTime or 0) + GRACE_WINDOW > GetTime() then
-		scheduleVerify(self)
-		return
-	end
-
-	if link then
-		self.lastGoodTime = GetTime()
+	-- Any nil read might be a lag race (server hasn't delivered item data
+	-- yet). Arm a single re-check so a late arrival redraws correctly. The
+	-- flag stays armed until we see a valid link, so a genuinely empty slot
+	-- doesn't keep re-scheduling.
+	if not link then
+		if not self.verifyArmed then
+			self.verifyArmed = true
+			scheduleVerify(self)
+		end
+		-- If we had a confirmed item recently, also suppress the empty draw
+		-- so the slot doesn't flash. After the grace window we let the empty
+		-- through (genuine moves still resolve at ~0.5s).
+		if self.hasItem and (self.lastGoodTime or 0) + GRACE_WINDOW > now then
+			return
+		end
+	else
+		self.lastGoodTime = now
+		self.verifyArmed = nil
 	end
 
 	self:SetItem(link)