diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/lib/markdown-table-widths.ts b/apps/desktop/src/lib/markdown-table-widths.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..86e360dbce
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/lib/markdown-table-widths.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,126 @@
+// Column widths for markdown tables in the transcript.
+//
+// A markdown table has no id — it is re-parsed from text on every render, and
+// the same table reappears when the session is reloaded or switched back to. So
+// the record is keyed by the table's own *shape*: its header cells and column
+// count. That key survives re-render, streaming, session switches, and reloads
+// without the transcript having to carry any resize state.
+//
+// Widths are stored as percentages of the table box, never pixels, so a
+// restored table stays fluid and reads the same in a narrow pane as a wide one.
+//
+// The record is deliberately disposable: a small bounded namespace under one
+// key, swept for expiry on first access. Losing it costs the user one drag.
+
+import { readJson, writeJson } from './storage'
+
+const STORAGE_KEY = 'hermes.desktop.mdTableColumns.v1'
+const STORE_VERSION = 1
+const MAX_AGE_MS = 7 * 24 * 60 * 60 * 1000
+const MAX_ENTRIES = 64
+
+interface WidthEntry {
+  /** Column widths as percentages of the table box; sums to ~100. */
+  w: number[]
+  /** Last write, epoch ms — drives expiry and LRU eviction. */
+  t: number
+}
+
+interface WidthStore {
+  e: Record<string, WidthEntry>
+  v: typeof STORE_VERSION
+}
+
+// In-memory mirror is the read path. It is seeded once from storage and stays
+// authoritative for the life of the renderer, so a drag never pays a parse and
+// a table restored mid-session sees the same value a reload would.
+let cache: null | Record<string, WidthEntry> = null
+
+function isEntry(value: unknown): value is WidthEntry {
+  if (!value || typeof value !== 'object') {
+    return false
+  }
+
+  const { t, w } = value as Partial<WidthEntry>
+
+  return (
+    typeof t === 'number' &&
+    Array.isArray(w) &&
+    w.length > 1 &&
+    w.every(part => typeof part === 'number' && Number.isFinite(part) && part > 0)
+  )
+}
+
+function load(): Record<string, WidthEntry> {
+  if (cache) {
+    return cache
+  }
+
+  const raw = readJson<Partial<WidthStore>>(STORAGE_KEY)
+  const entries: Record<string, WidthEntry> = {}
+
+  if (raw?.v === STORE_VERSION && raw.e && typeof raw.e === 'object') {
+    const cutoff = Date.now() - MAX_AGE_MS
+
+    for (const [key, entry] of Object.entries(raw.e)) {
+      if (isEntry(entry) && entry.t > cutoff) {
+        entries[key] = entry
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
+  cache = entries
+
+  return entries
+}
+
+function flush(entries: Record<string, WidthEntry>) {
+  const keys = Object.keys(entries)
+  // Bounded namespace: drop the coldest tables past MAX_ENTRIES. `Math.max`
+  // is not decoration — a negative count makes `slice` count from the END and
+  // would evict nearly the whole store every time it fits comfortably.
+  const excess = Math.max(0, keys.length - MAX_ENTRIES)
+
+  for (const key of keys.sort((a, b) => entries[a].t - entries[b].t).slice(0, excess)) {
+    delete entries[key]
+  }
+
+  writeJson(STORAGE_KEY, keys.length === excess ? null : { e: entries, v: STORE_VERSION })
+}
+
+/** Stable identity for a table, derived from its header row. Same hash shape as
+ *  `profileColor` — cheap, and collisions only ever mean two identically-headed
+ *  tables share a width record, which is the behaviour you'd want anyway. */
+export function markdownTableKey(headers: string[]): string {
+  let hash = 0
+  const joined = `${headers.length}\u0001${headers.join('\u0001')}`
+
+  for (let index = 0; index < joined.length; index += 1) {
+    hash = (hash * 31 + joined.charCodeAt(index)) >>> 0
+  }
+
+  return hash.toString(36)
+}
+
+/** Stored percentages for a table, or null when it has never been resized (or
+ *  the record no longer matches its column count). */
+export function readTableWidths(key: string, columns: number): null | number[] {
+  const entry = load()[key]
+
+  return entry && entry.w.length === columns ? entry.w : null
+}
+
+export function writeTableWidths(key: string, widths: number[]) {
+  const entries = load()
+  entries[key] = { t: Date.now(), w: widths }
+  flush(entries)
+}
+
+export function clearTableWidths(key: string) {
+  const entries = load()
+
+  if (entries[key]) {
+    delete entries[key]
+    flush(entries)
+  }
+}