diff --git a/components/comment.js b/components/comment.js
index 1c4748080..cc921aded 100644
--- a/components/comment.js
+++ b/components/comment.js
@@ -114,6 +114,8 @@ export default function Comment ({
       ? 'yep'
       : 'nope')
   const ref = useRef(null)
+  // if comment is registered with the new comments navigator
+  const didTrackRef = useRef(false)
   const { ref: readerRef, onRef: onReaderRef } = useCallbackRef()
   const router = useRouter()
   const root = useRoot()
@@ -165,6 +167,8 @@ export default function Comment ({
   useEffect(() => {
     // checking navigator because outlining should happen only on item pages
     if (!navigator || me?.id === item.user?.id) return
+    // bail if we already registered this comment
+    if (didTrackRef.current) return
 
     const itemCreatedAt = new Date(item.createdAt).getTime()
 
@@ -192,12 +196,18 @@ export default function Comment ({
       ref.current.classList.add('outline-new-comment')
     }
 
-    navigator.trackNewComment(ref, itemCreatedAt)
+    // track the new comment instantly so that a subsequent unsetOutline can remove it immediately
+    didTrackRef.current = navigator.trackNewComment(ref, itemCreatedAt)
+  }, [item.id, root.lastCommentAt, root.meCommentsViewedAt])
 
+  // untrack comment from the new comments navigator on unmount
+  useEffect(() => {
     return () => {
-      navigator.untrackNewComment(ref, { includeDescendants: true })
+      if (!didTrackRef.current) return
+      navigator?.untrackNewComment(ref, { includeDescendants: true })
+      didTrackRef.current = false
     }
-  }, [item.id, root.lastCommentAt, root.meCommentsViewedAt])
+  }, [])
 
   const bottomedOut = depth === COMMENT_DEPTH_LIMIT || (item.comments?.comments.length === 0 && item.nDirectComments > 0)
   // Don't show OP badge when anon user comments on anon user posts
diff --git a/components/use-comments-navigator.js b/components/use-comments-navigator.js
index 3e93ddc7d..e5ef2231d 100644
--- a/components/use-comments-navigator.js
+++ b/components/use-comments-navigator.js
@@ -59,35 +59,31 @@ export function useCommentsNavigator () {
     setHasNewComments(false)
   }, [])
 
-  // track a new comment
+  // track a new comment, returns true if the ref was actually inserted
   const trackNewComment = useCallback((commentRef, createdAt) => {
-    setHasNewComments(true)
-    try {
-      window.requestAnimationFrame(() => {
-        if (!commentRef?.current || !commentRef.current.isConnected) return
-
-        // dedupe
-        const existing = commentRefs.current.some(item => item.ref.current === commentRef.current)
-        if (existing) return
-
-        // find the correct insertion position to maintain sort order
-        const insertIndex = commentRefs.current.findIndex(item => item.createdAt > createdAt)
-        const newItem = { ref: commentRef, createdAt }
-
-        if (insertIndex === -1) {
-          // append if no newer comments found
-          commentRefs.current.push(newItem)
-        } else {
-          // insert at the correct position to maintain sort order
-          commentRefs.current.splice(insertIndex, 0, newItem)
-        }
-
-        throttleCountUpdate()
-      })
-    } catch {
-      // in the rare case of a ref being disconnected during RAF, ignore to avoid blocking UI
+    const node = commentRef?.current
+    if (!node || !node.isConnected) return false
+
+    // dedupe
+    const existing = commentRefs.current.some(item => item.ref.current === node)
+    if (existing) return false
+
+    // find the correct insertion position to maintain sort order
+    const insertIndex = commentRefs.current.findIndex(item => item.createdAt > createdAt)
+    const newItem = { ref: commentRef, createdAt }
+
+    if (insertIndex === -1) {
+      // append if no newer comments found
+      commentRefs.current.push(newItem)
+    } else {
+      // insert at the correct position to maintain sort order
+      commentRefs.current.splice(insertIndex, 0, newItem)
     }
-  }, [throttleCountUpdate])
+
+    setHasNewComments(true)
+    throttleCountUpdate()
+    return true
+  }, [throttleCountUpdate, setHasNewComments])
 
   // remove a comment ref from the list
   const untrackNewComment = useCallback((commentRef, options = {}) => {