diff --git a/internal/provider/account.go b/internal/provider/account.go
index 309ad699..fa37458d 100644
--- a/internal/provider/account.go
+++ b/internal/provider/account.go
@@ -124,7 +124,8 @@ func (p Provider) ListedAPIs(model string) []Protocol {
 	if p.IsPlugin() {
 		return p.pluginAPIs(model)
 	}
-	ms, _, _ := catalog.Live(p.ID)
+	// asked for every model of every agent: read once while a request holds
+	ms := heldOf("live:"+p.ID, func() []catalog.Model { ms, _, _ := catalog.Live(p.ID); return ms })
 	for _, m := range ms {
 		if m.ID == model && len(m.APIs) > 0 {
 			out := make([]Protocol, len(m.APIs))
diff --git a/internal/provider/hold.go b/internal/provider/hold.go
index 2806330b..a5c7f8d9 100644
--- a/internal/provider/hold.go
+++ b/internal/provider/hold.go
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import (
 
 	"github.com/yetone/magpie/internal/catalog"
 	"github.com/yetone/magpie/internal/plugin"
+	"github.com/yetone/magpie/internal/settings"
 )
 
 // The catalog is rebuilt from every provider's files on each Resolve (tens
@@ -96,3 +97,8 @@ func heldEntries(build func() []Entry) []Entry {
 func heldPlugins() []plugin.Provider {
 	return heldOf("plugins", func() []plugin.Provider { return slices.Clip(plugin.Cached()) })
 }
+
+// heldSettings is the settings, read once while a request holds the
+// catalog: a look at the agents asks them for every model of every agent.
+// Only for reading — what it gives is shared by the request's look-ups.
+func heldSettings() settings.Settings { return heldOf("settings", settings.Load) }
diff --git a/internal/provider/hold_test.go b/internal/provider/hold_test.go
index da1cc0b9..7afc1e4b 100644
--- a/internal/provider/hold_test.go
+++ b/internal/provider/hold_test.go
@@ -7,6 +7,8 @@ import (
 	"slices"
 	"strings"
 	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/yetone/magpie/internal/settings"
 )
 
 // A request that only reads builds the catalog once for all its look-ups
@@ -40,6 +42,31 @@ func TestHoldBuildsOnce(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+// The settings are read once while a request holds the catalog (a look at
+// the agents read settings.json for every model of every agent), and a
+// setting saved meanwhile is seen at once.
+func TestHoldReadsSettingsOnce(t *testing.T) {
+	defer Hold()()
+	if _, ok := VisibleTo("held-agent"); ok {
+		t.Fatal("a visibility before any was set")
+	}
+	// written by something else: the held read stands
+	path := settings.Path()
+	os.MkdirAll(filepath.Dir(path), 0o755)
+	os.WriteFile(path, []byte(`{"visible":{"held-agent":["a"]}}`), 0o600)
+	if _, ok := VisibleTo("held-agent"); ok {
+		t.Fatal("settings.json read again while held")
+	}
+	s := settings.Load()
+	s.Visible = map[string][]string{"held-agent": {"b"}}
+	if err := settings.Save(s); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if names, ok := VisibleTo("held-agent"); !ok || len(names) != 1 || names[0] != "b" {
+		t.Fatalf("a setting saved while held: %v %v", names, ok)
+	}
+}
+
 // A provider saved while a request holds the catalog is in it at once.
 func TestHoldSeesWrites(t *testing.T) {
 	if err := Save(Provider{ID: "held", Name: "Held", Chat: "https://held.example/v1", Key: "k", Models: []string{"a"}}); err != nil {
diff --git a/internal/provider/modelprefs.go b/internal/provider/modelprefs.go
index bb1e60ac..93e6859c 100644
--- a/internal/provider/modelprefs.go
+++ b/internal/provider/modelprefs.go
@@ -415,7 +415,7 @@ func (p Provider) ModelAPI(model string) (Protocol, bool) {
 	if len(p.Speaks()) < 2 {
 		return "", false
 	}
-	proto := Protocol(settings.Load().ModelAPIs[p.ID+"/"+model])
+	proto := Protocol(heldSettings().ModelAPIs[p.ID+"/"+model])
 	if proto == "" || !slices.Contains(Protocols, proto) || p.Base(proto) == "" {
 		return "", false
 	}
@@ -612,7 +612,7 @@ func (e Entry) Label() string {
 // is that name just as they wrote it, and the vendor's keep Label's.
 func Labels(es []Entry) []string {
 	out := make([]string, len(es))
-	s := settings.Load()
+	s := heldSettings()
 	plain := s.PlainNames
 	own := !plain && s.PlainOwnNames
 	same := map[string]int{}
diff --git a/internal/provider/visible.go b/internal/provider/visible.go
index afd315ad..cc99f87f 100644
--- a/internal/provider/visible.go
+++ b/internal/provider/visible.go
@@ -31,8 +31,8 @@ func (e Entry) Names() []string {
 
 // VisibleTo is what agent's lists are narrowed to, and whether they are.
 func VisibleTo(agent string) ([]string, bool) {
-	names, ok := settings.Load().Visible[strings.ToLower(agent)]
-	return names, ok
+	names, ok := heldSettings().Visible[strings.ToLower(agent)]
+	return slices.Clone(names), ok
 }
 
 // Shows reports whether a visibility shows e.
@@ -91,7 +91,7 @@ func ListedFor(agent string) (listed, kept []Entry) {
 
 // HiddenModels are the ids of the entries taken out of agent's lists.
 func HiddenModels(agent string) map[string]bool {
-	ids := settings.Load().HiddenModels[strings.ToLower(agent)]
+	ids := heldSettings().HiddenModels[strings.ToLower(agent)]
 	out := make(map[string]bool, len(ids))
 	for _, id := range ids {
 		out[id] = true
diff --git a/internal/settings/settings.go b/internal/settings/settings.go
index 50a31eca..81edaf4f 100644
--- a/internal/settings/settings.go
+++ b/internal/settings/settings.go
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/yetone/magpie/internal/appdir"
 	"github.com/yetone/magpie/internal/catalog"
 	"github.com/yetone/magpie/internal/edit"
+	"github.com/yetone/magpie/internal/filememo"
 	"github.com/yetone/magpie/internal/redact"
 	"github.com/yetone/magpie/internal/steady"
 )
@@ -591,7 +592,10 @@ func Load() Settings {
 	fileMu.RLock()
 	defer fileMu.RUnlock()
 	var s Settings
-	if b, err := steady.ReadFile(Path()); err == nil {
+	// read again only once the file changed: a look at the agents asks for
+	// the settings for every model of every agent (hundreds of reads, a
+	// fifth of the Agents page's wait)
+	if b, err := filememo.Read("settings", Path(), func(b []byte) ([]byte, error) { return b, nil }); err == nil {
 		_ = json.Unmarshal(bytes.TrimPrefix(b, []byte("\xef\xbb\xbf")), &s)
 	}
 	return s.normal()
@@ -740,7 +744,14 @@ func Save(s Settings) error {
 	if err := f.Close(); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
-	return edit.WriteAtomic(Path(), append(b, '\n'))
+	if err := edit.WriteAtomic(Path(), append(b, '\n')); err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	// a request holding the catalog holds the settings too: it sees these
+	if catalog.Forget != nil {
+		catalog.Forget()
+	}
+	return nil
 }
 
 func (s Settings) normal() Settings {