diff --git a/.changeset/fix-thread-classic-sync.md b/.changeset/fix-thread-classic-sync.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..bb8cda0b5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/fix-thread-classic-sync.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+default: patch
+---
+
+Fix thread drawer showing no messages when using classic sync.
diff --git a/src/app/features/room/ThreadDrawer.test.ts b/src/app/features/room/ThreadDrawer.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..ef7863480
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/app/features/room/ThreadDrawer.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,155 @@
+/**
+ * Unit tests for getThreadReplyEvents — the function that decides which events
+ * to display as replies in the thread drawer.
+ *
+ * The bug these tests cover (classic-sync empty thread):
+ *   room.createThread(id, root, [], false) creates a Thread whose .events array
+ *   contains only the root event.  After filtering out the root, the old code
+ *   checked `if (fromThread.length > 0)` on the un-filtered array — which was
+ *   truthy — and returned an empty list instead of falling back to the live
+ *   timeline.  The fix: filter first, then check.
+ */
+import { describe, it, expect } from 'vitest';
+import { RelationType } from '$types/matrix-sdk';
+import { getThreadReplyEvents } from './ThreadDrawer';
+
+// ── Minimal MatrixEvent factory ───────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+type EventInit = {
+  id: string;
+  threadRootId?: string;
+  /** When set, the event is treated as a reaction/annotation */
+  relType?: string;
+};
+
+function makeEvent({ id, threadRootId, relType }: EventInit) {
+  return {
+    getId: () => id,
+    threadRootId,
+    getRelation: () => (relType ? { rel_type: relType } : null),
+    getContent: () => ({}),
+  };
+}
+
+// ── Minimal Room factory ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+type RoomInit = {
+  thread?: { events: ReturnType<typeof makeEvent>[] } | null;
+  liveEvents?: ReturnType<typeof makeEvent>[];
+};
+
+function makeRoom({ thread = null, liveEvents = [] }: RoomInit) {
+  return {
+    getThread: () => thread,
+    getUnfilteredTimelineSet: () => ({
+      getLiveTimeline: () => ({
+        getEvents: () => liveEvents,
+      }),
+    }),
+  };
+}
+
+// ── Tests ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+const ROOT_ID = '$root-event-id';
+const REPLY_ID = '$reply-event-id';
+const REACTION_ID = '$reaction-event-id';
+
+describe('getThreadReplyEvents', () => {
+  it('returns thread events minus the root when the Thread object has replies', () => {
+    const rootEvent = makeEvent({ id: ROOT_ID, threadRootId: ROOT_ID });
+    const replyEvent = makeEvent({ id: REPLY_ID, threadRootId: ROOT_ID });
+
+    const room = makeRoom({
+      thread: { events: [rootEvent, replyEvent] as any },
+      liveEvents: [],
+    });
+
+    const result = getThreadReplyEvents(room as any, ROOT_ID);
+
+    expect(result).toHaveLength(1);
+    expect(result[0].getId()).toBe(REPLY_ID);
+  });
+
+  it('excludes reactions from thread events', () => {
+    const rootEvent = makeEvent({ id: ROOT_ID, threadRootId: ROOT_ID });
+    const replyEvent = makeEvent({ id: REPLY_ID, threadRootId: ROOT_ID });
+    const reactionEvent = makeEvent({
+      id: REACTION_ID,
+      threadRootId: ROOT_ID,
+      relType: RelationType.Annotation,
+    });
+
+    const room = makeRoom({
+      thread: { events: [rootEvent, replyEvent, reactionEvent] as any },
+      liveEvents: [],
+    });
+
+    const result = getThreadReplyEvents(room as any, ROOT_ID);
+
+    expect(result).toHaveLength(1);
+    expect(result[0].getId()).toBe(REPLY_ID);
+  });
+
+  // ── Classic-sync empty-thread regression ──────────────────────────────────
+
+  it('falls back to the live timeline when thread.events contains only the root (classic-sync case)', () => {
+    // classic sync: thread created with no initialEvents → events = [rootEvent]
+    const rootEvent = makeEvent({ id: ROOT_ID, threadRootId: ROOT_ID });
+    const liveReply = makeEvent({ id: REPLY_ID, threadRootId: ROOT_ID });
+
+    const room = makeRoom({
+      thread: { events: [rootEvent] as any },
+      liveEvents: [liveReply as any],
+    });
+
+    const result = getThreadReplyEvents(room as any, ROOT_ID);
+
+    // Without the fix: `fromThread.length > 0` was truthy → returned filtered
+    // empty array.  With the fix: filtered array is empty → falls back to live.
+    expect(result).toHaveLength(1);
+    expect(result[0].getId()).toBe(REPLY_ID);
+  });
+
+  it('falls back to the live timeline when there is no Thread object at all', () => {
+    const liveReply = makeEvent({ id: REPLY_ID, threadRootId: ROOT_ID });
+
+    const room = makeRoom({
+      thread: null,
+      liveEvents: [liveReply as any],
+    });
+
+    const result = getThreadReplyEvents(room as any, ROOT_ID);
+
+    expect(result).toHaveLength(1);
+    expect(result[0].getId()).toBe(REPLY_ID);
+  });
+
+  it('excludes events from the live timeline that belong to a different thread', () => {
+    const otherReply = makeEvent({ id: '$other-reply', threadRootId: '$other-root' });
+    const ourReply = makeEvent({ id: REPLY_ID, threadRootId: ROOT_ID });
+
+    const room = makeRoom({
+      thread: null,
+      liveEvents: [otherReply as any, ourReply as any],
+    });
+
+    const result = getThreadReplyEvents(room as any, ROOT_ID);
+
+    expect(result).toHaveLength(1);
+    expect(result[0].getId()).toBe(REPLY_ID);
+  });
+
+  it('returns an empty array when neither the thread nor the live timeline has replies', () => {
+    const rootEvent = makeEvent({ id: ROOT_ID, threadRootId: ROOT_ID });
+
+    const room = makeRoom({
+      thread: { events: [rootEvent] as any },
+      liveEvents: [],
+    });
+
+    const result = getThreadReplyEvents(room as any, ROOT_ID);
+
+    expect(result).toHaveLength(0);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/src/app/features/room/ThreadDrawer.tsx b/src/app/features/room/ThreadDrawer.tsx
index 00957bc34..23ef1ff0a 100644
--- a/src/app/features/room/ThreadDrawer.tsx
+++ b/src/app/features/room/ThreadDrawer.tsx
@@ -54,6 +54,36 @@ import { RoomInput } from './RoomInput';
 import { RoomViewFollowing, RoomViewFollowingPlaceholder } from './RoomViewFollowing';
 import * as css from './ThreadDrawer.css';
 
+/**
+ * Resolve the list of reply events to show in the thread drawer.
+ *
+ * Prefers events from the SDK Thread object (authoritative, full history) but
+ * falls back to scanning the main room timeline when the Thread object was
+ * created without `initialEvents` (as happens with classic sync).  In that
+ * case `thread.events` contains only the root event, so filtering it yields an
+ * empty array — we must fall back rather than showing nothing.
+ *
+ * Exported for unit testing.
+ */
+export function getThreadReplyEvents(room: Room, threadRootId: string): MatrixEvent[] {
+  const thread = room.getThread(threadRootId);
+  const fromThread = thread?.events ?? [];
+  const filteredFromThread = fromThread.filter(
+    (ev) => ev.getId() !== threadRootId && !reactionOrEditEvent(ev)
+  );
+  if (filteredFromThread.length > 0) {
+    return filteredFromThread;
+  }
+  return room
+    .getUnfilteredTimelineSet()
+    .getLiveTimeline()
+    .getEvents()
+    .filter(
+      (ev) =>
+        ev.threadRootId === threadRootId && ev.getId() !== threadRootId && !reactionOrEditEvent(ev)
+    );
+}
+
 type ForwardedMessageProps = {
   isForwarded: boolean;
   originalTimestamp: number;
@@ -398,6 +428,33 @@ export function ThreadDrawer({ room, threadRootId, onClose, overlay }: ThreadDra
 
   const rootEvent = room.findEventById(threadRootId);
 
+  // When the drawer is opened with classic sync, room.createThread() may have
+  // been called with empty initialEvents so thread.events only has the root.
+  // Backfill events from the main room timeline into the Thread object so the
+  // authoritative source is populated for subsequent renders and receipts.
+  useEffect(() => {
+    const thread = room.getThread(threadRootId);
+    if (!thread) return;
+    const hasRepliesInThread = thread.events.some(
+      (ev) => ev.getId() !== threadRootId && !reactionOrEditEvent(ev)
+    );
+    if (hasRepliesInThread) return; // already populated, nothing to do
+
+    const liveEvents = room
+      .getUnfilteredTimelineSet()
+      .getLiveTimeline()
+      .getEvents()
+      .filter(
+        (ev) =>
+          ev.threadRootId === threadRootId &&
+          ev.getId() !== threadRootId &&
+          !reactionOrEditEvent(ev)
+      );
+    if (liveEvents.length > 0) {
+      thread.addEvents(liveEvents, false);
+    }
+  }, [room, threadRootId]);
+
   // Re-render when new thread events arrive (including reactions via ThreadEvent.Update).
   useEffect(() => {
     const isEventInThread = (mEvent: MatrixEvent): boolean => {
@@ -481,26 +538,7 @@ export function ThreadDrawer({ room, threadRootId, onClose, overlay }: ThreadDra
     markThreadAsRead();
   }, [mx, room, threadRootId, forceUpdate]);
 
-  // Use the Thread object if available (authoritative source with full history).
-  // Fall back to scanning the live room timeline for local echoes and the
-  // window before the Thread object is registered by the SDK.
-  const replyEvents: MatrixEvent[] = (() => {
-    const thread = room.getThread(threadRootId);
-    const fromThread = thread?.events ?? [];
-    if (fromThread.length > 0) {
-      return fromThread.filter((ev) => ev.getId() !== threadRootId && !reactionOrEditEvent(ev));
-    }
-    return room
-      .getUnfilteredTimelineSet()
-      .getLiveTimeline()
-      .getEvents()
-      .filter(
-        (ev) =>
-          ev.threadRootId === threadRootId &&
-          ev.getId() !== threadRootId &&
-          !reactionOrEditEvent(ev)
-      );
-  })();
+  const replyEvents = getThreadReplyEvents(room, threadRootId);
 
   replyEventsRef.current = replyEvents;