diff --git a/frontend/src/App.vue b/frontend/src/App.vue
index 53131c7..7b3d62f 100644
--- a/frontend/src/App.vue
+++ b/frontend/src/App.vue
@@ -229,9 +229,10 @@ import ResetPassword from '@/partials/ResetPassword.vue';
 import SecondaryButton from '@/elements/SecondaryButton.vue';
 import SetlistSet from '@/modals/SetlistSet.vue';
 import SongSet from '@/modals/SongSet.vue';
-import { amberClient, type AmberClient, type UserInTenant, type AmberCollections, type AmberCollection, type UserInfo } from 'amber-client';
+import { amberClient, type AmberClient, type UserInTenant, type AmberCollections, type AmberCollection, type UserInfo, type CollectionDocument } from 'amber-client';
 import { SongTag, can, UserRole } from "@backend/definitions";
 import type { Song, Setlist, SongEntity, SetlistEntity } from '@backend/models';
+import { bufferAndDefer } from '@/utils.js';
 
 // icons
 import {
@@ -397,7 +398,9 @@ const stayLoggedIn = ref(true);
 
 // Data
 const songs = ref<Song[]>([]);
+const songsById = new Map<string, Song>(); // For song existence lookup
 const setlists = ref<Setlist[]>([]);
+const setlistsById = new Map<string, Setlist>(); // For setlist existence lookup
 const users = ref<Record<string, UserInfo>>({}); // { [user id]: user info object }
 const tags = Object.values(SongTag);
 
@@ -453,29 +456,45 @@ const init = async () => {
 	songsCollection.value = collectionApi.getCollection('songs');
 	setlistCollection.value = collectionApi.getCollection('setlists');
 
-	songsCollection.value.subscribe(0, (doc) => {
-		let existing = songs.value.find(s => s.id === doc.id);
-		if (existing) {
-			existing.entity = doc.data;
-			existing.changeNumber = doc.change_number;
-		} else {
-			songs.value.push({ id: doc.id, entity: doc.data, changeNumber: doc.change_number });
+	songsCollection.value.subscribe(0, bufferAndDefer<CollectionDocument<SongEntity>>((docs) => {
+		const documentsToAdd: Song[] = [];
+		for (const doc of docs) {
+			const existing = songsById.get(doc.id);
+			if (existing) {
+				existing.entity = doc.data;
+				existing.changeNumber = doc.change_number;
+			} else {
+				const song: Song = { id: doc.id, entity: doc.data, changeNumber: doc.change_number };
+				songsById.set(doc.id, song);
+				documentsToAdd.push(song);
+			}
 		}
-
-	}, (docDeletedId) => {
+		if (documentsToAdd.length > 0) {
+			songs.value.push(...documentsToAdd);
+		}
+	}), (docDeletedId) => {
+		songsById.delete(docDeletedId);
 		songs.value = songs.value.filter(s => s.id !== docDeletedId);
 	});
 
-	setlistCollection.value.subscribe(0, (doc) => {
-		let existing = setlists.value.find(s => s.id === doc.id);
-		if (existing) {
-			existing.entity = doc.data;
-			existing.changeNumber = doc.change_number;
-		} else {
-			setlists.value.push({ id: doc.id, entity: doc.data, changeNumber: doc.change_number });
+	setlistCollection.value.subscribe(0, bufferAndDefer<CollectionDocument<SetlistEntity>>((docs) => {
+		const documentsToAdd: Setlist[] = [];
+		for (const doc of docs) {
+			const existing = setlistsById.get(doc.id);
+			if (existing) {
+				existing.entity = doc.data;
+				existing.changeNumber = doc.change_number;
+			} else {
+				const setlist: Setlist = { id: doc.id, entity: doc.data, changeNumber: doc.change_number };
+				setlistsById.set(doc.id, setlist);
+				documentsToAdd.push(setlist);
+			}
 		}
-
-	}, (docDeletedId) => {
+		if (documentsToAdd.length > 0) {
+			setlists.value.push(...documentsToAdd);
+		}
+	}), (docDeletedId) => {
+		setlistsById.delete(docDeletedId);
 		setlists.value = setlists.value.filter(s => s.id !== docDeletedId);
 	});
 
diff --git a/frontend/src/utils.ts b/frontend/src/utils.ts
index 3cd6f0a..fd0a1e1 100644
--- a/frontend/src/utils.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/utils.ts
@@ -22,6 +22,24 @@ const isChordLine = (line: string): boolean => {
 const isSlide = (entry: SetlistEntry | SetlistPresentationEntry): entry is SetlistSlide =>
 	!('id' in entry) && !('slug' in entry);
 
+// batch values arriving in quick succession into a single handler call, deferredCallDelay ms after the
+// first value of a burst arrives - collapses rapid-fire callbacks (e.g. one per network message) into one
+// downstream update per burst instead of one per value
+function bufferAndDefer<T>(handler: (buffer: T[]) => void, deferredCallDelay: number = 20): (value: T) => void {
+	let buffer: T[] = [];
+	return (value: T) => {
+		buffer.push(value);
+		if (buffer.length == 1) {
+			// only schedule one deferred call to handler if this is the first item in the buffer to avoid multiple calls
+			setTimeout(() => {
+				handler(buffer);
+				// clear buffer after handling the chunk of items
+				buffer = [];
+			}, deferredCallDelay);
+		}
+	}
+}
+
 // grow/shrink the font size of every <pre> inside every .present element as large as possible while
 // still fitting its parent's width and, per .present group, the viewport's height.
 // Non-wrapping text (songs) and wrapping text (slides) are taken into account.
@@ -503,6 +521,7 @@ export {
   keyScale,
   isChordLine,
   isSlide,
+  bufferAndDefer,
   maximizePresentFontsize,
   parsedContent,
   download,
diff --git a/frontend/tests/utils.test.ts b/frontend/tests/utils.test.ts
index ce79566..c2abf74 100644
--- a/frontend/tests/utils.test.ts
+++ b/frontend/tests/utils.test.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
-import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest';
+import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest';
 import type { SongEntity } from '@backend/models';
 import {
+	bufferAndDefer,
 	firstParam,
 	humanDate,
 	humanFileSize,
@@ -14,6 +15,68 @@ import {
 	urlify,
 } from '@/utils';
 
+describe('bufferAndDefer', () => {
+	beforeEach(() => {
+		vi.useFakeTimers();
+	});
+
+	afterEach(() => {
+		vi.useRealTimers();
+	});
+
+	it('defers the handler call until after the delay', () => {
+		const handler = vi.fn();
+		const push = bufferAndDefer(handler, 20);
+		push('a');
+		expect(handler).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+		vi.advanceTimersByTime(20);
+		expect(handler).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+	});
+
+	it('batches values arriving within the delay window into a single call', () => {
+		const handler = vi.fn();
+		const push = bufferAndDefer(handler, 20);
+		push('a');
+		push('b');
+		push('c');
+		vi.advanceTimersByTime(20);
+		expect(handler).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+		expect(handler).toHaveBeenCalledWith(['a', 'b', 'c']);
+	});
+
+	it('starts a new batch once the previous one has flushed', () => {
+		const handler = vi.fn();
+		const push = bufferAndDefer(handler, 20);
+		push('a');
+		vi.advanceTimersByTime(20);
+		push('b');
+		vi.advanceTimersByTime(20);
+		expect(handler).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2);
+		expect(handler).toHaveBeenNthCalledWith(1, ['a']);
+		expect(handler).toHaveBeenNthCalledWith(2, ['b']);
+	});
+
+	it('defaults the delay to 20ms', () => {
+		const handler = vi.fn();
+		const push = bufferAndDefer(handler);
+		push('a');
+		vi.advanceTimersByTime(19);
+		expect(handler).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+		vi.advanceTimersByTime(1);
+		expect(handler).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+	});
+
+	it('respects a custom delay', () => {
+		const handler = vi.fn();
+		const push = bufferAndDefer(handler, 100);
+		push('a');
+		vi.advanceTimersByTime(99);
+		expect(handler).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+		vi.advanceTimersByTime(1);
+		expect(handler).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+	});
+});
+
 describe('isChordLine', () => {
 	it('rejects empty and whitespace-only lines', () => {
 		expect(isChordLine('')).toBe(false);