diff --git a/.jules/bolt.md b/.jules/bolt.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b4fe5fa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.jules/bolt.md
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+## 2026-02-02 - Heap Allocation in Hot Path (drawstatusbar)
+**Learning:** The `drawstatusbar` function allocates memory via `malloc` on every call to process the status text. Since the status text is typically small (capped at 1024 bytes by `stext`) and updated frequently (e.g., every second), this creates unnecessary heap churn.
+**Action:** Use a stack buffer (Small String Optimization) for typical sizes and fallback to heap only when necessary. This reduces allocator overhead in the rendering loop.
diff --git a/bar.c b/bar.c
index 8476144..5c63a8d 100644
--- a/bar.c
+++ b/bar.c
@@ -55,12 +55,15 @@ int drawstatusbar(Monitor *m, int bh, char *stext) {
     short isCode = 0;
     char *text;
     char *p;
+    char buf[1024];
 
     len = strlen(stext) + 1;
-    if (!(text = (char *)malloc(sizeof(char) * len))) {
+    if (len < sizeof(buf)) {
+        p = buf;
+    } else if (!(p = (char *)malloc(sizeof(char) * len))) {
         die("malloc");
     }
-    p = text;
+    text = p;
     memcpy(text, stext, len);
 
     /* compute width of the status text */
@@ -194,7 +197,9 @@ int drawstatusbar(Monitor *m, int bh, char *stext) {
     }
 
     drw_setscheme(drw, statusscheme);
-    free(p);
+    if (p != buf) {
+        free(p);
+    }
 
     return ret;
 }