diff --git a/apps/server/src/routes/worktree/routes/list.ts b/apps/server/src/routes/worktree/routes/list.ts
index f0d9c030..8482f62c 100644
--- a/apps/server/src/routes/worktree/routes/list.ts
+++ b/apps/server/src/routes/worktree/routes/list.ts
@@ -39,8 +39,15 @@ interface GitHubRemoteCacheEntry {
   checkedAt: number;
 }
 
+interface GitHubPRCacheEntry {
+  prs: Map<string, WorktreePRInfo>;
+  fetchedAt: number;
+}
+
 const githubRemoteCache = new Map<string, GitHubRemoteCacheEntry>();
+const githubPRCache = new Map<string, GitHubPRCacheEntry>();
 const GITHUB_REMOTE_CACHE_TTL_MS = 5 * 60 * 1000; // 5 minutes
+const GITHUB_PR_CACHE_TTL_MS = 2 * 60 * 1000; // 2 minutes - avoid hitting GitHub on every poll
 
 interface WorktreeInfo {
   path: string;
@@ -180,9 +187,24 @@ async function getGitHubRemoteStatus(projectPath: string): Promise<GitHubRemoteS
  * This also allows detecting PRs that were created outside the app.
  *
  * Uses cached GitHub remote status to avoid repeated warnings when the
- * project doesn't have a GitHub remote configured.
+ * project doesn't have a GitHub remote configured. Results are cached
+ * briefly to avoid hammering GitHub on frequent worktree polls.
  */
-async function fetchGitHubPRs(projectPath: string): Promise<Map<string, WorktreePRInfo>> {
+async function fetchGitHubPRs(
+  projectPath: string,
+  forceRefresh = false
+): Promise<Map<string, WorktreePRInfo>> {
+  const now = Date.now();
+
+  if (!forceRefresh) {
+    const cached = githubPRCache.get(projectPath);
+    if (cached && now - cached.fetchedAt < GITHUB_PR_CACHE_TTL_MS) {
+      return cached.prs;
+    }
+  } else {
+    githubPRCache.delete(projectPath);
+  }
+
   const prMap = new Map<string, WorktreePRInfo>();
 
   try {
@@ -225,6 +247,11 @@ async function fetchGitHubPRs(projectPath: string): Promise<Map<string, Worktree
         createdAt: pr.createdAt,
       });
     }
+
+    githubPRCache.set(projectPath, {
+      prs: prMap,
+      fetchedAt: Date.now(),
+    });
   } catch (error) {
     // Silently fail - PR detection is optional
     logger.warn(`Failed to fetch GitHub PRs: ${getErrorMessage(error)}`);
@@ -364,7 +391,7 @@ export function createListHandler() {
       // Only fetch GitHub PRs if includeDetails is requested (performance optimization).
       // Uses --state all to detect merged/closed PRs, limited to 1000 recent PRs.
       const githubPRs = includeDetails
-        ? await fetchGitHubPRs(projectPath)
+        ? await fetchGitHubPRs(projectPath, forceRefreshGitHub)
         : new Map<string, WorktreePRInfo>();
 
       for (const worktree of worktrees) {
diff --git a/apps/ui/src/components/views/board-view/worktree-panel/hooks/use-worktrees.ts b/apps/ui/src/components/views/board-view/worktree-panel/hooks/use-worktrees.ts
index 6a3276ec..ab3a87d0 100644
--- a/apps/ui/src/components/views/board-view/worktree-panel/hooks/use-worktrees.ts
+++ b/apps/ui/src/components/views/board-view/worktree-panel/hooks/use-worktrees.ts
@@ -95,12 +95,20 @@ export function useWorktrees({
   );
 
   // fetchWorktrees for backward compatibility - now just triggers a refetch
-  const fetchWorktrees = useCallback(async () => {
-    await queryClient.invalidateQueries({
-      queryKey: queryKeys.worktrees.all(projectPath),
-    });
-    return refetch();
-  }, [projectPath, queryClient, refetch]);
+  // The silent option is accepted but not used (React Query handles loading states)
+  // Returns removed worktrees array if any were detected, undefined otherwise
+  const fetchWorktrees = useCallback(
+    async (_options?: {
+      silent?: boolean;
+    }): Promise<Array<{ path: string; branch: string }> | undefined> => {
+      await queryClient.invalidateQueries({
+        queryKey: queryKeys.worktrees.all(projectPath),
+      });
+      const result = await refetch();
+      return result.data?.removedWorktrees;
+    },
+    [projectPath, queryClient, refetch]
+  );
 
   const currentWorktreePath = currentWorktree?.path ?? null;
   const selectedWorktree = currentWorktreePath
diff --git a/apps/ui/src/components/views/board-view/worktree-panel/worktree-panel.tsx b/apps/ui/src/components/views/board-view/worktree-panel/worktree-panel.tsx
index b1e800fe..6d376ea5 100644
--- a/apps/ui/src/components/views/board-view/worktree-panel/worktree-panel.tsx
+++ b/apps/ui/src/components/views/board-view/worktree-panel/worktree-panel.tsx
@@ -383,13 +383,13 @@ export function WorktreePanel({
 
   const isMobile = useIsMobile();
 
-  // Periodic interval check (5 seconds) to detect branch changes on disk
-  // Reduced from 1s to 5s to minimize GPU/CPU usage from frequent re-renders
+  // Periodic interval check (30 seconds) to detect branch changes on disk
+  // Reduced polling to lessen repeated worktree list calls while keeping UI reasonably fresh
   const intervalRef = useRef<NodeJS.Timeout | null>(null);
   useEffect(() => {
     intervalRef.current = setInterval(() => {
       fetchWorktrees({ silent: true });
-    }, 5000);
+    }, 30000);
 
     return () => {
       if (intervalRef.current) {