diff --git a/src/components/Layout.tsx b/src/components/Layout.tsx
index 7c3d89b..b169c87 100644
--- a/src/components/Layout.tsx
+++ b/src/components/Layout.tsx
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ import { Avatar, AvatarImage, AvatarFallback } from '@/components/ui/avatar';
 import { useAuthor } from '@/hooks/useAuthor';
 import { genUserName } from '@/lib/genUserName';
 import { NewsletterOverlay } from '@/components/NewsletterOverlay';
-import { NotificationBell } from '@/components/NotificationBell';
+import { NotificationBellLazy } from '@/components/NotificationBellLazy';
 import { OsNotificationBridge } from '@/components/OsNotificationBridge';
 
 // Cashu balance widget is lazy — see components/wallet/CashuBalance.tsx for why
@@ -781,7 +781,7 @@ export function Layout({ children, noPadding }: LayoutProps) {
               </Button>
             )}
             {/* Notifications (crew invites & membership requests) */}
-            {user && <NotificationBell />}
+            {user && <NotificationBellLazy />}
             {/* Offline Indicator */}
             <OfflineIndicator />
             {/* Language Toggle */}
@@ -825,7 +825,7 @@ export function Layout({ children, noPadding }: LayoutProps) {
 
           <div className="flex items-center gap-1 flex-shrink-0">
             {/* Notifications (crew invites & membership requests) */}
-            {user && <NotificationBell />}
+            {user && <NotificationBellLazy />}
             {/* User menu when logged in / Login button when not.
                 IMPORTANT: LoginArea hosts the SignupDialog. The signup flow logs
                 the user in at the *first* step (to publish their profile), then
diff --git a/src/components/NotificationBell.tsx b/src/components/NotificationBell.tsx
index 9966838..2be5a04 100644
--- a/src/components/NotificationBell.tsx
+++ b/src/components/NotificationBell.tsx
@@ -209,9 +209,15 @@ function EmptyState({ label }: { label: string }) {
  * Unread state is tracked by a per-account "last read" timestamp; opening the
  * bell (or hitting "mark all read") clears the badge. Only renders when logged in.
  */
-export function NotificationBell({ className }: { className?: string }) {
+export function NotificationBell({
+  className,
+  defaultOpen = false,
+}: {
+  className?: string;
+  defaultOpen?: boolean;
+}) {
   const { t } = useTranslation();
-  const [open, setOpen] = useState(false);
+  const [open, setOpen] = useState(defaultOpen);
   const { user, invites, listedCrews, joinRequests, collectiveRequests, isLoading: crewLoading } =
     useCrewNotifications();
   const { notifications: activity, isLoading: activityLoading } = useActivityNotifications();
diff --git a/src/components/NotificationBellLazy.tsx b/src/components/NotificationBellLazy.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c530de9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/components/NotificationBellLazy.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,72 @@
+import { Suspense, useEffect, useState } from 'react';
+import { Bell } from 'lucide-react';
+import { Button } from '@/components/ui/button';
+import { useTranslation } from '@/contexts/language';
+import { lazyWithRetry } from '@/lib/lazyWithRetry';
+import { cn } from '@/lib/utils';
+
+type BellProps = { className?: string; defaultOpen?: boolean };
+
+// Keep the whole notification center (and its five data sources) out of the
+// entry bundle. It loads after first paint on idle, or immediately if the user
+// taps the bell. The placeholder is the same footprint as the real button.
+const LazyBell = lazyWithRetry(() =>
+  import('@/components/NotificationBell').then((m) => ({
+    default: m.NotificationBell as unknown as React.ComponentType<object>,
+  })),
+) as React.LazyExoticComponent<React.ComponentType<BellProps>>;
+
+function scheduleIdle(callback: () => void): () => void {
+  const win = window as Window & {
+    requestIdleCallback?: (cb: () => void, opts?: { timeout: number }) => number;
+    cancelIdleCallback?: (id: number) => void;
+  };
+  if (win.requestIdleCallback) {
+    const id = win.requestIdleCallback(callback, { timeout: 1800 });
+    return () => win.cancelIdleCallback?.(id);
+  }
+  const id = window.setTimeout(callback, 1200);
+  return () => window.clearTimeout(id);
+}
+
+/**
+ * Deferred notification bell. The bell icon is present immediately; the data
+ * hooks and lazy chunk arrive once the map/app has had its first paint.
+ */
+export function NotificationBellLazy({ className }: { className?: string }) {
+  const { t } = useTranslation();
+  const [armed, setArmed] = useState(false);
+  const [openOnMount, setOpenOnMount] = useState(false);
+
+  useEffect(() => {
+    if (armed) return;
+    return scheduleIdle(() => setArmed(true));
+  }, [armed]);
+
+  const placeholder = (
+    <Button
+      variant="ghost"
+      size="icon"
+      className={cn(
+        'group relative text-gray-300 transition-colors hover:text-[#ccff00] hover:bg-[#ccff00]/10',
+        className,
+      )}
+      title={t('socialUi.bell.notifications')}
+      aria-label={t('socialUi.bell.notifications')}
+      onClick={() => {
+        setOpenOnMount(true);
+        setArmed(true);
+      }}
+    >
+      <Bell className="h-5 w-5" />
+    </Button>
+  );
+
+  if (!armed) return placeholder;
+
+  return (
+    <Suspense fallback={placeholder}>
+      <LazyBell className={className} defaultOpen={openOnMount} />
+    </Suspense>
+  );
+}