diff --git a/internal/mail/bd.go b/internal/mail/bd.go
index eefb8520..3665d74d 100644
--- a/internal/mail/bd.go
+++ b/internal/mail/bd.go
@@ -39,7 +39,13 @@ func (e *bdError) ContainsError(substr string) bool {
 // beadsDir is the BEADS_DIR environment variable value.
 // extraEnv contains additional environment variables to set (e.g., "BD_IDENTITY=...").
 // Returns stdout bytes on success, or a *bdError on failure.
+//
+// Uses --no-daemon to bypass the beads daemon for direct database access.
+// This avoids 5+ second delays caused by daemon auto-import cycles (bd-xxxx).
+// Mail operations are read-heavy and don't benefit from daemon caching.
 func runBdCommand(args []string, workDir, beadsDir string, extraEnv ...string) ([]byte, error) {
+	// Prepend --no-daemon to avoid daemon auto-import delays
+	args = append([]string{"--no-daemon"}, args...)
 	cmd := exec.Command("bd", args...) //nolint:gosec // G204: bd is a trusted internal tool
 	cmd.Dir = workDir