diff --git a/src/commands/pipelineCommands.ts b/src/commands/pipelineCommands.ts
index 8d458e9..d7e5a70 100644
--- a/src/commands/pipelineCommands.ts
+++ b/src/commands/pipelineCommands.ts
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ import * as vscode from 'vscode';
 import type { AdoClient } from '../api/adoClient';
 import type { ConfigManager } from '../config/configManager';
 import type { PipelineRunNode } from '../providers/pipelinesProvider';
-import { PipelineRunDetailsPanel } from '../views/pipelineRunDetailsPanel';
+import { loadPipelineRunDetailsPanel } from '../views/lazyPanels';
 import { showErrorMessage, showInformationMessage } from '../utils/notifications';
 import { pipelineRunUrl } from '../utils/pipelineUrls';
 
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ export async function viewPipelineRunDetails(
         return;
     }
 
+    const { PipelineRunDetailsPanel } = await loadPipelineRunDetailsPanel();
     await PipelineRunDetailsPanel.show(context, client, config, node.build.id, {
         organization: node.organization,
         project: node.project
diff --git a/src/commands/pullRequestCommands.ts b/src/commands/pullRequestCommands.ts
index 50dae0f..8f6dea1 100644
--- a/src/commands/pullRequestCommands.ts
+++ b/src/commands/pullRequestCommands.ts
@@ -7,9 +7,9 @@ import type {
 import type { AdoClient, GitPullRequest, PullRequestReviewVote } from '../api/adoClient';
 import { PullRequestReviewVotes } from '../api/adoClient';
 import type { ConfigManager } from '../config/configManager';
-import { PrDetailsPanel } from '../views/prDetailsPanel';
 import type { PrCommentController } from '../views/prCommentController';
 import type { PrDiffCache } from '../views/prContentProvider';
+import { loadPrDetailsPanel } from '../views/lazyPanels';
 import { parseAdoRemoteUrl } from '../utils/repoContext';
 import { showErrorMessage, showInformationMessage, showWarningMessage } from '../utils/notifications';
 
@@ -102,6 +102,7 @@ export async function viewPullRequestDetails(
     client: AdoClient,
     config: ConfigManager
 ): Promise<void> {
+    const { PrDetailsPanel } = await loadPrDetailsPanel();
     await PrDetailsPanel.show(context, client, config, node.pr, {
         organization: node.organization,
         project: node.project
diff --git a/src/extension.ts b/src/extension.ts
index 6f9128a..a71e4df 100644
--- a/src/extension.ts
+++ b/src/extension.ts
@@ -13,10 +13,8 @@ import {
 import { PipelinesProvider, type PipelineRunNode, type PipelineStepLogNode } from './providers/pipelinesProvider';
 import { BacklogProvider, SprintProvider, BoardProvider } from './providers/planningProviders';
 import { WorkItemIconResolver } from './providers/workItemIconResolver';
-import { PlanningPanel } from './views/planningPanel';
 import { PrCommentController, type CommentReply } from './views/prCommentController';
 import { PrDiffCache, PrDiffContentProvider, PR_DIFF_SCHEME } from './views/prContentProvider';
-import { PrDetailsPanel } from './views/prDetailsPanel';
 import { PipelineLogContentProvider, PIPELINE_LOG_SCHEME } from './views/pipelineLogContentProvider';
 import { NotificationService } from './notifications/notificationService';
 import { PrCommentHandler } from './notifications/handlers/prCommentHandler';
@@ -68,12 +66,17 @@ import {
 } from './commands/pipelineCommands';
 import { McpServerManager } from './mcp/mcpServerManager';
 import { TodoCodeActionProvider } from './views/todoCodeActionProvider';
-import { PipelineRunDetailsPanel } from './views/pipelineRunDetailsPanel';
 import { AdoCompletionProvider } from './providers/completionProvider';
 import { installNotificationMirroring, showErrorMessage, showInformationMessage, showOutputChannel, showWarningMessage } from './utils/notifications';
 import { WorkItemHoverProvider, PullRequestHoverProvider } from './providers/hoverProvider';
 import { adoErrorFingerprint, classifyAdoAuthError } from './utils/adoErrors';
 import type { AuthRecoveryResult } from './utils/authRecovery';
+import {
+    loadPlanningPanel,
+    loadedPlanningPanel,
+    loadedPrDetailsPanel,
+    loadPipelineRunDetailsPanel
+} from './views/lazyPanels';
 
 export async function activate(context: vscode.ExtensionContext): Promise<void> {
     installNotificationMirroring();
@@ -465,21 +468,21 @@ export async function activate(context: vscode.ExtensionContext): Promise<void>
     context.subscriptions.push(
         vscode.commands.registerCommand('adoext.openBacklogView', async () => {
             if (!(await ensureSignedIn())) { return; }
-            await PlanningPanel.show(context, 'backlog', client, config, refreshAllViews);
+            await (await loadPlanningPanel()).PlanningPanel.show(context, 'backlog', client, config, refreshAllViews);
         })
     );
 
     context.subscriptions.push(
         vscode.commands.registerCommand('adoext.openBoardView', async () => {
             if (!(await ensureSignedIn())) { return; }
-            await PlanningPanel.show(context, 'board', client, config, refreshAllViews);
+            await (await loadPlanningPanel()).PlanningPanel.show(context, 'board', client, config, refreshAllViews);
         })
     );
 
     context.subscriptions.push(
         vscode.commands.registerCommand('adoext.openSprintView', async () => {
             if (!(await ensureSignedIn())) { return; }
-            await PlanningPanel.show(context, 'sprint', client, config, refreshAllViews);
+            await (await loadPlanningPanel()).PlanningPanel.show(context, 'sprint', client, config, refreshAllViews);
         })
     );
 
@@ -826,7 +829,8 @@ export async function activate(context: vscode.ExtensionContext): Promise<void>
             async () => {
                 await toggleResolvedPullRequestThreads(config);
                 pullRequestProvider.refresh();
-                await PrDetailsPanel.refreshAllOpenPanels();
+                const prMod = loadedPrDetailsPanel();
+                if (prMod) { await (await prMod).PrDetailsPanel.refreshAllOpenPanels(); }
             }
         )
     );
@@ -897,7 +901,7 @@ export async function activate(context: vscode.ExtensionContext): Promise<void>
                 if (!(await ensureSignedIn())) { return; }
                 const newId = await rerunPipelineRun(node, client, config);
                 if (typeof newId === 'number' && newId > 0) {
-                    await PipelineRunDetailsPanel.show(context, client, config, newId, {
+                    await (await loadPipelineRunDetailsPanel()).PipelineRunDetailsPanel.show(context, client, config, newId, {
                         organization: node?.organization,
                         project: node?.project
                     });
@@ -1163,7 +1167,8 @@ export async function activate(context: vscode.ExtensionContext): Promise<void>
                 }
                 refreshAllViews();
                 if (e.affectsConfiguration('adoext.planningAssignedFilter')) {
-                    void PlanningPanel.refreshOpenPanels();
+                    const planningMod = loadedPlanningPanel();
+                    if (planningMod) { void planningMod.then(m => m.PlanningPanel.refreshOpenPanels()); }
                 }
                 if (
                     e.affectsConfiguration('adoext.notifyOnNewPullRequestComments') ||
diff --git a/src/views/lazyPanels.ts b/src/views/lazyPanels.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..75b80b4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/views/lazyPanels.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+// Shared lazy loaders for heavy webview panel modules.
+// Caching the import promise here ensures all callers (extension.ts and
+// command modules) observe the same loaded-or-not state, which matters for
+// static refresh methods that must no-op when the module was never opened.
+//
+// `loadX()` triggers (or reuses) the import.
+// `loadedX()` returns the cached import promise iff loadX() was ever called,
+// otherwise undefined - used to skip work on modules that were never opened.
+
+let _planning: Promise<typeof import('./planningPanel')> | undefined;
+export const loadPlanningPanel = () => (_planning ??= import('./planningPanel'));
+export const loadedPlanningPanel = () => _planning;
+
+let _prDetails: Promise<typeof import('./prDetailsPanel')> | undefined;
+export const loadPrDetailsPanel = () => (_prDetails ??= import('./prDetailsPanel'));
+export const loadedPrDetailsPanel = () => _prDetails;
+
+let _pipelineRun: Promise<typeof import('./pipelineRunDetailsPanel')> | undefined;
+export const loadPipelineRunDetailsPanel = () =>
+    (_pipelineRun ??= import('./pipelineRunDetailsPanel'));
+export const loadedPipelineRunDetailsPanel = () => _pipelineRun;