diff --git a/crates/redact/src/lib.rs b/crates/redact/src/lib.rs
index 41ac47357e..2bf9819c46 100644
--- a/crates/redact/src/lib.rs
+++ b/crates/redact/src/lib.rs
@@ -452,48 +452,31 @@ fn apply_within(doc: &mut Document, pages: Option<&[usize]>, images: pdfcraft_co
     let Applying { mut report, doomed_fields, doomed_xobjects, retired_properties, mut removed_everywhere, mut images, .. } = applying;
 
     // 2b. Replies and pop-ups of a removed annotation can be listed on another page than their
-    // parent: their `/IRT` or `/Parent` would keep the removed comment reachable.
-    loop {
-        let mut grew = false;
-        for p in pdfcraft_model::pages(doc) {
-            let annots = annots_of(doc, &p.dict);
-            let mut kept = Vec::with_capacity(annots.len());
-            for a in &annots {
-                let Some(r) = a.as_ref() else {
-                    kept.push(a.clone());
-                    continue;
-                };
-                let obj = doc.get(r);
-                let Some(d) = obj.as_dict() else {
-                    kept.push(a.clone());
-                    continue;
-                };
-                let is_reply =
-                    d.get(b"IRT").and_then(Object::as_ref).is_some_and(|x| removed_everywhere.contains(&x)) && d.name(b"Subtype") != Some(b"Widget");
-                let is_popup = d.get(b"Parent").and_then(Object::as_ref).is_some_and(|x| removed_everywhere.contains(&x));
-                if removed_everywhere.contains(&r) || is_reply || is_popup {
-                    if removed_everywhere.insert(r) {
-                        grew = true;
-                        if is_reply {
-                            report.annotations += 1;
-                        }
-                    }
-                } else {
-                    kept.push(a.clone());
-                }
-            }
-            if kept.len() != annots.len() {
-                doc.update_dict(p.obj, |d| {
-                    if kept.is_empty() {
-                        d.remove(b"Annots");
-                    } else {
-                        d.set(b"Annots".to_vec(), Object::Array(kept));
-                    }
-                })?;
+    // parent: their `/IRT` or `/Parent` would keep the removed comment reachable. What hangs off
+    // each annotation is indexed once and walked from the removed ones, so every link is followed
+    // once, however the pages order a chain of replies.
+    let pages = pdfcraft_model::pages(doc);
+    let hanging = hanging_annotations(doc, pages.iter().flat_map(|p| annots_of(doc, &p.dict)));
+    let mut todo: Vec<ObjRef> = removed_everywhere.iter().copied().collect();
+    while let Some(parent) = todo.pop() {
+        for &(r, reply) in hanging.get(&parent).into_iter().flatten() {
+            if removed_everywhere.insert(r) {
+                report.annotations += usize::from(reply);
+                todo.push(r);
             }
         }
-        if !grew {
-            break;
+    }
+    for p in &pages {
+        let annots = annots_of(doc, &p.dict);
+        let kept: Vec<Object> = annots.iter().filter(|a| !a.as_ref().is_some_and(|r| removed_everywhere.contains(&r))).cloned().collect();
+        if kept.len() != annots.len() {
+            doc.update_dict(p.obj, |d| {
+                if kept.is_empty() {
+                    d.remove(b"Annots");
+                } else {
+                    d.set(b"Annots".to_vec(), Object::Array(kept));
+                }
+            })?;
         }
     }
 
@@ -754,7 +737,7 @@ fn remove_page_annotations(
     let Applying { report, doomed_fields, widget_owner, removed_everywhere, .. } = applying;
     // 2. Annotations: the marks, and whatever lies under them (with their pop-ups).
     let annots = annots_of(doc, &doc.get(page.obj).as_dict().cloned().unwrap_or_default());
-    let mut removed: Vec<ObjRef> = Vec::new();
+    let mut removed: HashSet<ObjRef> = HashSet::new();
     for a in &annots {
         let Some(r) = a.as_ref() else { continue };
         let obj = doc.get(r);
@@ -762,7 +745,7 @@ fn remove_page_annotations(
         let subtype = d.name(b"Subtype").unwrap_or(b"");
         if subtype == b"Redact" {
             if page_marks.iter().any(|m| m.obj == r) {
-                removed.push(r);
+                removed.insert(r);
             }
             continue;
         }
@@ -770,7 +753,7 @@ fn remove_page_annotations(
             continue;
         }
         if rect_of(doc, d.get(b"Rect")).is_some_and(|b| rects.iter().any(|x| pdfcraft_content::overlaps(*x, b, 0.0))) {
-            removed.push(r);
+            removed.insert(r);
             if subtype == b"Widget" {
                 if let Some((_, field)) = widget_owner.iter().find(|(w, _)| *w == r)
                     && !doomed_fields.contains(field)
@@ -784,29 +767,25 @@ fn remove_page_annotations(
     }
     // Replies (`/IRT`, ISO 32000-2 §12.5.6.2) to a removed annotation go too, and replies to
     // those: a reply placed elsewhere would keep its parent — the comment and the QuadPoints
-    // of the redacted words — in the file through its `/IRT` (#2659). Each pass removes at
-    // least one more annotation of this page or stops, so it ends.
-    let replies: Vec<(ObjRef, ObjRef)> = annots
-        .iter()
-        .filter_map(Object::as_ref)
-        .filter_map(|r| {
-            let obj = doc.get(r);
-            let d = obj.as_dict()?;
-            (d.name(b"Subtype") != Some(b"Widget")).then_some(())?;
-            Some((r, d.get(b"IRT").and_then(Object::as_ref)?))
-        })
-        .collect();
-    loop {
-        let before = removed.len();
-        for (r, parent) in &replies {
-            if !removed.contains(r) && removed.contains(parent) {
-                removed.push(*r);
+    // of the redacted words — in the file through its `/IRT` (#2659). The replies are indexed by
+    // parent once and walked from the removed annotations, each reply visited once.
+    let mut replies: HashMap<ObjRef, Vec<ObjRef>> = HashMap::new();
+    for (r, parent) in annots.iter().filter_map(Object::as_ref).filter_map(|r| {
+        let obj = doc.get(r);
+        let d = obj.as_dict()?;
+        (d.name(b"Subtype") != Some(b"Widget")).then_some(())?;
+        Some((r, d.get(b"IRT").and_then(Object::as_ref)?))
+    }) {
+        replies.entry(parent).or_default().push(r);
+    }
+    let mut todo: Vec<ObjRef> = removed.iter().copied().collect();
+    while let Some(parent) = todo.pop() {
+        for &r in replies.get(&parent).into_iter().flatten() {
+            if removed.insert(r) {
                 report.annotations += 1;
+                todo.push(r);
             }
         }
-        if removed.len() == before {
-            break;
-        }
     }
     removed_everywhere.extend(removed.iter().copied());
     // Pop-ups dropped with their parent below count too: a reply on another page may answer one.
@@ -838,6 +817,25 @@ fn remove_page_annotations(
     Ok(())
 }
 
+/// What hangs off each annotation among the listed `annots`: its replies (`/IRT`, not widgets),
+/// marked `true`, and its pop-ups (`/Parent`), marked `false`.
+fn hanging_annotations(doc: &Document, annots: impl Iterator<Item = Object>) -> HashMap<ObjRef, Vec<(ObjRef, bool)>> {
+    let mut hanging: HashMap<ObjRef, Vec<(ObjRef, bool)>> = HashMap::new();
+    for r in annots.filter_map(|a| a.as_ref()) {
+        let obj = doc.get(r);
+        let Some(d) = obj.as_dict() else { continue };
+        if d.name(b"Subtype") != Some(b"Widget")
+            && let Some(parent) = d.get(b"IRT").and_then(Object::as_ref)
+        {
+            hanging.entry(parent).or_default().push((r, true));
+        }
+        if let Some(parent) = d.get(b"Parent").and_then(Object::as_ref) {
+            hanging.entry(parent).or_default().push((r, false));
+        }
+    }
+    hanging
+}
+
 /// Remove redaction marks without applying them (`None` = all), with their replies and pop-ups as
 /// deleting a comment does: a reply left behind would keep its mark in the file through `/IRT`.
 /// Returns how many marks went.
diff --git a/crates/redact/src/tests.rs b/crates/redact/src/tests.rs
index 3c170aba20..52e276bbcf 100644
--- a/crates/redact/src/tests.rs
+++ b/crates/redact/src/tests.rs
@@ -3897,3 +3897,32 @@ fn a_redacted_form_xobject_drops_the_source_text_of_added_content() {
     let bytes = write_full(&doc, &SaveOptions { object_streams: false, ..SaveOptions::default() }).unwrap();
     assert!(!bytes.windows(4).any(|w| w == b"1234"), "redacted text left in the saved file");
 }
+
+/// A chain of replies listed deepest first, across two pages: each pass of the old fixed-point
+/// loops removed one reply and searched a growing list for every reply, cubic work in the chain.
+/// The replies are indexed by parent and walked once now, and the whole chain still goes.
+#[test]
+fn a_reverse_ordered_reply_chain_is_removed_in_linear_work() {
+    const N: usize = 6_000;
+    let first = 7;
+    let half = N / 2;
+    let refs = |range: std::ops::Range<usize>| range.rev().map(|k| format!("{} 0 R ", first + k)).collect::<String>();
+    let mut objs = vec![
+        b"<< /Type /Catalog /Pages 2 0 R >>".to_vec(),
+        b"<< /Type /Pages /Kids [3 0 R 4 0 R] /Count 2 >>".to_vec(),
+        format!("<< /Type /Page /Parent 2 0 R /MediaBox [0 0 300 300] /Contents 5 0 R /Annots [{}] >>", refs(0..half + 1)).into_bytes(),
+        format!("<< /Type /Page /Parent 2 0 R /MediaBox [0 0 300 300] /Contents 6 0 R /Annots [{}] >>", refs(half + 1..N + 1)).into_bytes(),
+        stream("", b""),
+        stream("", b""),
+        b"<< /Type /Annot /Subtype /Text /Rect [10 10 20 20] /Contents (SECRET_COMMENT) >>".to_vec(),
+    ];
+    objs.extend((1..=N).map(|k| format!("<< /Type /Annot /Subtype /Text /Rect [200 200 210 210] /IRT {} 0 R >>", first + k - 1).into_bytes()));
+    let mut doc = pdf(objs);
+    mark(&mut doc, 0, &[[5.0, 5.0, 25.0, 25.0]], "");
+    let started = std::time::Instant::now();
+    assert_eq!(apply(&mut doc, None).unwrap().annotations, N + 1);
+    assert!(started.elapsed() < std::time::Duration::from_secs(60), "{:?}", started.elapsed());
+    for p in pdfcraft_model::pages(&doc) {
+        assert!(annots_of(&doc, &p.dict).is_empty(), "a reply stayed listed");
+    }
+}