diff --git a/backend/app/gateway/routers/thread_runs.py b/backend/app/gateway/routers/thread_runs.py
index 42e8ead23..a8e6cb94c 100644
--- a/backend/app/gateway/routers/thread_runs.py
+++ b/backend/app/gateway/routers/thread_runs.py
@@ -646,18 +646,23 @@ async def list_thread_messages(
     event_store = get_run_event_store(request)
     messages = await event_store.list_messages(thread_id, limit=limit, before_seq=before_seq, after_seq=after_seq)
 
-    # Attach feedback to the last AI message of each run
-    feedback_repo = get_feedback_repo(request)
-    user_id = await get_current_user(request)
-    feedback_map = await feedback_repo.list_by_thread_grouped(thread_id, user_id=user_id)
-
-    # Find the last ai_message per run_id
+    # Find the last AI message per run_id. AI messages are persisted by
+    # RunJournal with event_type "llm.ai.response" (see runtime/journal.py);
+    # the event store returns that value verbatim, so match on it here.
     last_ai_per_run: dict[str, int] = {}  # run_id -> index in messages list
     for i, msg in enumerate(messages):
-        if msg.get("event_type") == "ai_message":
+        if msg.get("event_type") == "llm.ai.response":
             last_ai_per_run[msg["run_id"]] = i
 
-    # Attach feedback field
+    # Attach feedback to the last AI message of each run. Only query when there
+    # is an AI message to attach it to — threads with no completed AI turn yet
+    # would otherwise pay for a grouped feedback lookup whose result is unused.
+    feedback_map: dict[str, dict] = {}
+    if last_ai_per_run:
+        feedback_repo = get_feedback_repo(request)
+        user_id = await get_current_user(request)
+        feedback_map = await feedback_repo.list_by_thread_grouped(thread_id, user_id=user_id)
+
     last_ai_indices = set(last_ai_per_run.values())
     for i, msg in enumerate(messages):
         if i in last_ai_indices:
diff --git a/backend/tests/test_thread_messages_feedback.py b/backend/tests/test_thread_messages_feedback.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b539a5912
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/tests/test_thread_messages_feedback.py
@@ -0,0 +1,76 @@
+"""Regression for the thread-messages feedback attachment.
+
+GET /api/threads/{thread_id}/messages attaches user feedback to the last AI
+message of each run. AI messages are stored by RunJournal with event_type
+"llm.ai.response"; the endpoint previously matched the non-existent
+"ai_message", so feedback was never attached and the grouped-feedback query
+ran on every request for nothing.
+"""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+from unittest.mock import AsyncMock, MagicMock
+
+from _router_auth_helpers import make_authed_test_app
+from fastapi.testclient import TestClient
+
+from app.gateway.routers import thread_runs
+
+
+def _make_app(messages, feedback_grouped):
+    app = make_authed_test_app()
+    app.include_router(thread_runs.router)
+
+    event_store = MagicMock()
+    event_store.list_messages = AsyncMock(return_value=messages)
+    app.state.run_event_store = event_store
+
+    feedback_repo = MagicMock()
+    feedback_repo.list_by_thread_grouped = AsyncMock(return_value=feedback_grouped)
+    app.state.feedback_repo = feedback_repo
+
+    return app, feedback_repo
+
+
+def _ai(run_id: str, seq: int, content: str) -> dict:
+    return {"seq": seq, "run_id": run_id, "event_type": "llm.ai.response", "category": "message", "content": content}
+
+
+def _human(run_id: str, seq: int) -> dict:
+    return {"seq": seq, "run_id": run_id, "event_type": "llm.human.input", "category": "message", "content": "hi"}
+
+
+def test_feedback_attached_to_last_ai_message_per_run():
+    messages = [
+        _human("r1", 1),
+        _ai("r1", 2, "first"),
+        _ai("r1", 3, "final answer"),  # last AI of r1 -> should get feedback
+        _ai("r2", 4, "other run"),  # last AI of r2 -> no feedback row
+    ]
+    grouped = {"r1": {"feedback_id": "fb-1", "rating": "up", "comment": "nice"}}
+    app, feedback_repo = _make_app(messages, grouped)
+
+    resp = TestClient(app).get("/api/threads/t1/messages")
+    assert resp.status_code == 200
+    data = resp.json()
+
+    by_seq = {m["seq"]: m for m in data}
+    # The bug: this used to be None for every message.
+    assert by_seq[3]["feedback"] == {"feedback_id": "fb-1", "rating": "up", "comment": "nice"}
+    # Earlier AI message of the same run and the human message get no feedback.
+    assert by_seq[2]["feedback"] is None
+    assert by_seq[1]["feedback"] is None
+    # r2's last AI message has no feedback row.
+    assert by_seq[4]["feedback"] is None
+    feedback_repo.list_by_thread_grouped.assert_awaited_once()
+
+
+def test_no_feedback_query_when_thread_has_no_ai_message():
+    messages = [_human("r1", 1)]
+    app, feedback_repo = _make_app(messages, {})
+
+    resp = TestClient(app).get("/api/threads/t1/messages")
+    assert resp.status_code == 200
+    assert resp.json()[0]["feedback"] is None
+    # No AI message -> the grouped feedback query must not run.
+    feedback_repo.list_by_thread_grouped.assert_not_awaited()