diff --git a/components/console/repository-list.tsx b/components/console/repository-list.tsx
index 9cdf6aa..b4ef82f 100644
--- a/components/console/repository-list.tsx
+++ b/components/console/repository-list.tsx
@@ -1,14 +1,31 @@
 "use client";
-import { useEffect, useState } from "react";
+
+import { useEffect, useState, useMemo } from "react";
 import { useSession } from "next-auth/react";
-import { Github, AlertCircle, PackageOpen, LayoutGrid, List } from "lucide-react";
 import { signIn } from "next-auth/react";
+import { 
+  Github, 
+  AlertCircle, 
+  PackageOpen, 
+  LayoutGrid, 
+  List, 
+  Search, 
+  ArrowUpDown 
+} from "lucide-react";
 import { RepositoryCard, type GitHubRepo } from "./repository-card";
 import { RepositoryTable } from "./repository-table";
+import { useDebounce } from "@/lib/hooks/useDebounce"; // Hook created in Step 1
+
+// ============================================================================
+// SKELETON LOADERS
+// ============================================================================
 
+/**
+ * Renders a grid-style skeleton card during initial data fetching.
+ */
 function SkeletonCard() {
   return (
-    <div className="bg-white dark:bg-zinc-900 border border-gray-200 dark:border-zinc-800 rounded-xl p-4 animate-pulse">
+    <div className="bg-white dark:bg-zinc-900 border border-gray-200 dark:border-zinc-800 rounded-xl p-4 animate-pulse shadow-sm">
       <div className="flex justify-between mb-3">
         <div className="h-4 bg-gray-200 dark:bg-zinc-700 rounded w-32" />
         <div className="h-5 bg-gray-200 dark:bg-zinc-700 rounded-full w-16" />
@@ -22,11 +39,14 @@ function SkeletonCard() {
   );
 }
 
+/**
+ * Renders a table-row skeleton during initial data fetching.
+ */
 function SkeletonRow() {
   return (
     <tr className="animate-pulse border-b border-gray-100 dark:border-zinc-800">
       <td className="px-4 py-3">
-        <div className="h-4 bg-gray-200 dark:bg-zinc-700 rounded w-32 mb-1" />
+        <div className="h-4 bg-gray-200 dark:bg-zinc-700 rounded w-32 mb-1.5" />
         <div className="h-3 bg-gray-100 dark:bg-zinc-800 rounded w-48" />
       </td>
       <td className="px-4 py-3 hidden sm:table-cell">
@@ -48,6 +68,10 @@ function SkeletonRow() {
   );
 }
 
+// ============================================================================
+// MAIN COMPONENT DEFINITION
+// ============================================================================
+
 interface RepositoryListProps {
   /** Limit how many repos to display. Defaults to all. */
   limit?: number;
@@ -59,21 +83,36 @@ interface RepositoryListProps {
   compact?: boolean;
 }
 
+export type SortOption = "updated" | "name" | "stars";
+
 export function RepositoryList({
   limit,
   showViewToggle = true,
   defaultView = "table",
   compact = false,
 }: RepositoryListProps) {
+  // Authentication & Network State
   const { data: session, status } = useSession();
   const [repos, setRepos] = useState<GitHubRepo[]>([]);
   const [loading, setLoading] = useState(false);
   const [error, setError] = useState<string | null>(null);
+  
+  // UI & Interaction State
   const [view, setView] = useState<"grid" | "table">(defaultView);
   const [deployingId, setDeployingId] = useState<number | null>(null);
   const [deployMsg, setDeployMsg] = useState<{ id: number; ok: boolean; msg: string; url?: string } | null>(null);
+  
+  // Search & Filter State
   const [search, setSearch] = useState("");
+  const [sortBy, setSortBy] = useState<SortOption>("updated");
+  
+  // ISSUE #76: Custom Debounce Implementation (300ms delay)
+  // This prevents the heavy array filtering from firing on every single keystroke.
+  const debouncedSearch = useDebounce(search, 300);
 
+  // ==========================================================================
+  // DATA FETCHING EFFECT
+  // ==========================================================================
   useEffect(() => {
     if (status !== "authenticated" || !session?.accessToken) return;
 
@@ -93,6 +132,9 @@ export function RepositoryList({
       .finally(() => setLoading(false));
   }, [status, session?.accessToken]);
 
+  // ==========================================================================
+  // ACTION HANDLERS
+  // ==========================================================================
   const handleDeploy = async (repo: GitHubRepo) => {
     setDeployingId(repo.id);
     setDeployMsg(null);
@@ -122,43 +164,80 @@ export function RepositoryList({
       setDeployMsg({ id: repo.id, ok: false, msg: "Network error during deploy" });
     } finally {
       setDeployingId(null);
-      setTimeout(() => setDeployMsg(null), 8000);
+      setTimeout(() => setDeployMsg(null), 8000); // Clear success/fail message after 8s
     }
   };
 
-  // Not signed in with GitHub
+  // ==========================================================================
+  // ISSUE #76: PERFORMANCE MEMOIZATION (SEARCH & SORT)
+  // ==========================================================================
+  
+  // 1. Memoize the filtered array so it ONLY recalculates when the debounced string or raw repos change.
+  const filteredRepos = useMemo(() => {
+    if (!debouncedSearch) return repos;
+    const lowerSearch = debouncedSearch.toLowerCase();
+    
+    return repos.filter((r) =>
+      r.name.toLowerCase().includes(lowerSearch) ||
+      (r.description?.toLowerCase() ?? "").includes(lowerSearch)
+    );
+  }, [repos, debouncedSearch]);
+
+  // 2. Memoize the sorting engine to prevent re-sorting on unrelated state changes (like deploy toggles).
+  const sortedRepos = useMemo(() => {
+    return [...filteredRepos].sort((a, b) => {
+      if (sortBy === "name") {
+        return a.name.localeCompare(b.name);
+        } else if (sortBy === "stars") {
+          return ((b as any).stargazers_count ?? 0) - ((a as any).stargazers_count ?? 0);
+      } else {
+        // Default: Sort by Recently Updated
+        return new Date(b.updated_at).getTime() - new Date(a.updated_at).getTime();
+      }
+    });
+  }, [filteredRepos, sortBy]);
+
+  // 3. Apply limits for dashboard views
+  const displayed = limit ? sortedRepos.slice(0, limit) : sortedRepos;
+
+  // ==========================================================================
+  // RENDER: UNAUTHENTICATED STATE
+  // ==========================================================================
   if (status === "unauthenticated" || (status === "authenticated" && !session?.accessToken)) {
     return (
-      <div className="flex flex-col items-center justify-center py-16 text-center bg-white dark:bg-zinc-900 border border-gray-200 dark:border-zinc-800 rounded-xl">
-        <Github className="w-10 h-10 text-gray-300 dark:text-zinc-600 mb-3" />
-        <p className="text-sm font-semibold text-gray-900 dark:text-white mb-1">
+      <div className="flex flex-col items-center justify-center py-16 text-center bg-white dark:bg-zinc-900 border border-gray-200 dark:border-zinc-800 rounded-xl shadow-sm">
+        <div className="w-16 h-16 bg-gray-50 dark:bg-zinc-800/50 rounded-full flex items-center justify-center mb-4 ring-8 ring-gray-50/50 dark:ring-zinc-800/20">
+          <Github className="w-8 h-8 text-gray-900 dark:text-white" />
+        </div>
+        <p className="text-base font-semibold text-gray-900 dark:text-white mb-1">
           Connect your GitHub account
         </p>
+        <p className="text-sm text-gray-500 dark:text-zinc-400 mb-6 max-w-sm leading-relaxed">
+          Link your GitHub profile to instantly fetch your repositories, inspect codebases, and enable one-click environment deployments.
         <p className="text-xs text-gray-500 dark:text-zinc-500 mb-4 max-w-xs">
           Connect GitHub to access your repositories and deploy both public and private projects from your account.
         </p>
         <button
           type="button"
           onClick={() => signIn("github", { callbackUrl: "/console/github" })}
-          className="px-4 py-2 text-sm font-medium text-white bg-gray-900 dark:bg-white dark:text-gray-900 hover:bg-gray-700 dark:hover:bg-gray-100 rounded-lg transition-colors"
+          className="px-5 py-2.5 text-sm font-semibold text-white bg-gray-900 dark:bg-white dark:text-gray-900 hover:bg-gray-700 dark:hover:bg-gray-100 rounded-lg transition-colors shadow-sm"
         >
-          Connect GitHub
+          Connect GitHub Integration
         </button>
       </div>
     );
   }
 
-  const filtered = repos.filter((r) =>
-    r.name.toLowerCase().includes(search.toLowerCase()) ||
-    (r.description?.toLowerCase() ?? "").includes(search.toLowerCase())
-  );
-  const displayed = limit ? filtered.slice(0, limit) : filtered;
-
+  // ==========================================================================
+  // RENDER: MAIN APPLICATION STATE
+  // ==========================================================================
   return (
     <div className="space-y-4">
-      {/* Deploy notification */}
+      {/* Dynamic Deployment Notification Banner */}
       {deployMsg && (
         <div
+          className={`flex items-center gap-2 px-4 py-3 rounded-xl text-sm font-medium border shadow-sm transition-all ${
+            deployMsg.ok
           className={`flex items-center gap-2 px-4 py-2.5 rounded-lg text-sm border ${deployMsg.ok
               ? "bg-green-50 dark:bg-green-500/10 border-green-200 dark:border-green-500/20 text-green-700 dark:text-green-400"
               : "bg-red-50 dark:bg-red-500/10 border-red-200 dark:border-red-500/20 text-red-700 dark:text-red-400"
@@ -170,16 +249,39 @@ export function RepositoryList({
               href={deployMsg.url}
               target="_blank"
               rel="noopener noreferrer"
-              className="underline font-semibold hover:opacity-80"
+              className="ml-auto underline hover:opacity-80 decoration-2 underline-offset-2"
             >
-              Open Preview
+              Open Live Preview
             </a>
           )}
         </div>
       )}
 
-      {/* Controls */}
+      {/* Control Panel: Search, Sort, and Layout Toggles */}
       {!compact && (
+        <div className="flex flex-col sm:flex-row sm:items-center gap-3 bg-white dark:bg-zinc-900 p-3 rounded-xl border border-gray-200 dark:border-zinc-800 shadow-sm">
+          
+          {/* Debounced Search Input */}
+          <div className="relative flex-1 max-w-md">
+            <Search className="absolute left-3 top-1/2 -translate-y-1/2 w-4 h-4 text-gray-400 dark:text-zinc-500" />
+            <input
+              type="text"
+              placeholder="Search repositories by name or description..."
+              value={search}
+              onChange={(e) => setSearch(e.target.value)}
+              className="w-full bg-gray-50 dark:bg-zinc-800/50 border border-gray-200 dark:border-zinc-700 rounded-lg pl-9 pr-3 py-2 text-sm text-gray-900 dark:text-white placeholder:text-gray-400 dark:placeholder:text-zinc-500 focus:outline-none focus:ring-2 focus:ring-indigo-500/20 focus:border-indigo-500 dark:focus:border-indigo-400 transition-all"
+            />
+          </div>
+
+          <div className="flex items-center gap-3 sm:ml-auto">
+            {/* Memoized Sorting Dropdown */}
+            <div className="relative flex items-center">
+              <ArrowUpDown className="absolute left-2.5 w-3.5 h-3.5 text-gray-400 dark:text-zinc-500 pointer-events-none" />
+              <select
+                value={sortBy}
+                onChange={(e) => setSortBy(e.target.value as SortOption)}
+                className="appearance-none bg-gray-50 dark:bg-zinc-800/50 border border-gray-200 dark:border-zinc-700 rounded-lg pl-8 pr-8 py-2 text-sm font-medium text-gray-700 dark:text-zinc-300 focus:outline-none focus:ring-2 focus:ring-indigo-500/20 focus:border-indigo-500 transition-all cursor-pointer"
+
         <div className="flex items-center gap-3">
           <input
             type="text"
@@ -212,21 +314,56 @@ export function RepositoryList({
                   }`}
                 title="Grid view"
               >
-                <LayoutGrid className="w-4 h-4" />
-              </button>
+                <option value="updated">Recently Updated</option>
+                <option value="name">Alphabetical</option>
+                <option value="stars">Most Stars</option>
+              </select>
             </div>
-          )}
+
+            <span className="hidden lg:inline-block text-xs font-medium text-gray-500 dark:text-zinc-500 bg-gray-100 dark:bg-zinc-800 px-2.5 py-1 rounded-md">
+              {loading ? "Syncing..." : `${filteredRepos.length} Repositories`}
+            </span>
+
+            {/* Layout Toggles */}
+            {showViewToggle && (
+              <div className="flex items-center gap-1 p-1 bg-gray-100 dark:bg-zinc-800 rounded-lg border border-gray-200 dark:border-zinc-700">
+                <button
+                  onClick={() => setView("table")}
+                  className={`p-1.5 rounded-md transition-all ${
+                    view === "table"
+                      ? "bg-white dark:bg-zinc-700 text-gray-900 dark:text-white shadow-sm ring-1 ring-gray-200 dark:ring-zinc-600"
+                      : "text-gray-400 dark:text-zinc-500 hover:text-gray-700 dark:hover:text-zinc-300 hover:bg-gray-200/50 dark:hover:bg-zinc-700/50"
+                  }`}
+                  title="List View"
+                >
+                  <List className="w-4 h-4" />
+                </button>
+                <button
+                  onClick={() => setView("grid")}
+                  className={`p-1.5 rounded-md transition-all ${
+                    view === "grid"
+                      ? "bg-white dark:bg-zinc-700 text-gray-900 dark:text-white shadow-sm ring-1 ring-gray-200 dark:ring-zinc-600"
+                      : "text-gray-400 dark:text-zinc-500 hover:text-gray-700 dark:hover:text-zinc-300 hover:bg-gray-200/50 dark:hover:bg-zinc-700/50"
+                  }`}
+                  title="Grid View"
+                >
+                  <LayoutGrid className="w-4 h-4" />
+                </button>
+              </div>
+            )}
+          </div>
         </div>
       )}
 
-      {/* Error state */}
+      {/* Network Error State */}
       {error && !loading && (
-        <div className="flex items-center gap-3 px-4 py-3 bg-red-50 dark:bg-red-500/10 border border-red-200 dark:border-red-500/20 rounded-xl text-sm text-red-700 dark:text-red-400">
-          <AlertCircle className="w-4 h-4 shrink-0" /> {error}
+        <div className="flex items-center gap-3 px-4 py-3 bg-red-50 dark:bg-red-500/10 border border-red-200 dark:border-red-500/20 rounded-xl text-sm font-medium text-red-700 dark:text-red-400">
+          <AlertCircle className="w-5 h-5 shrink-0" /> 
+          {error}
         </div>
       )}
 
-      {/* Loading skeletons */}
+      {/* Loading Skeletons */}
       {loading && (
         view === "grid" ? (
           <div className="grid grid-cols-1 sm:grid-cols-2 lg:grid-cols-3 gap-4">
@@ -235,12 +372,12 @@ export function RepositoryList({
             ))}
           </div>
         ) : (
-          <div className="overflow-x-auto rounded-xl border border-gray-200 dark:border-zinc-800">
+          <div className="overflow-x-auto rounded-xl border border-gray-200 dark:border-zinc-800 shadow-sm">
             <table className="w-full text-sm">
               <thead>
                 <tr className="bg-gray-50 dark:bg-zinc-800/60 border-b border-gray-200 dark:border-zinc-800">
                   {["Repository", "Visibility", "Language", "Updated", "Actions"].map((h) => (
-                    <th key={h} className="text-left px-4 py-3 text-xs font-semibold text-gray-500 dark:text-zinc-400 uppercase tracking-wide">
+                    <th key={h} className="text-left px-4 py-3 text-xs font-bold text-gray-500 dark:text-zinc-400 uppercase tracking-wider">
                       {h}
                     </th>
                   ))}
@@ -256,18 +393,24 @@ export function RepositoryList({
         )
       )}
 
-      {/* Empty state */}
+      {/* Empty State (No Repos or Search Miss) */}
       {!loading && !error && displayed.length === 0 && (
-        <div className="flex flex-col items-center justify-center py-16 text-center bg-white dark:bg-zinc-900 border border-gray-200 dark:border-zinc-800 rounded-xl">
-          <PackageOpen className="w-10 h-10 text-gray-300 dark:text-zinc-600 mb-3" />
-          <p className="text-sm font-semibold text-gray-900 dark:text-white mb-1">No repositories found</p>
-          <p className="text-xs text-gray-500 dark:text-zinc-500">
-            {search ? "Try a different search term." : "Create a repository on GitHub to get started."}
+        <div className="flex flex-col items-center justify-center py-20 text-center bg-white dark:bg-zinc-900 border border-dashed border-gray-300 dark:border-zinc-700 rounded-xl">
+          <div className="w-14 h-14 bg-gray-50 dark:bg-zinc-800 rounded-full flex items-center justify-center mb-4 ring-8 ring-gray-50/50 dark:ring-zinc-800/20">
+            <PackageOpen className="w-6 h-6 text-gray-400 dark:text-zinc-500" />
+          </div>
+          <p className="text-base font-semibold text-gray-900 dark:text-white mb-1">
+            {search ? "No repositories match your search" : "No repositories found"}
+          </p>
+          <p className="text-sm text-gray-500 dark:text-zinc-400 max-w-sm">
+            {search 
+              ? `We couldn't find anything matching "${search}". Try adjusting your filters.` 
+              : "Create a new repository on your GitHub account to get started with deployments."}
           </p>
         </div>
       )}
 
-      {/* Grid view */}
+      {/* Render: Grid View Layout */}
       {!loading && !error && displayed.length > 0 && view === "grid" && (
         <div className="grid grid-cols-1 sm:grid-cols-2 lg:grid-cols-3 gap-4">
           {displayed.map((repo) => (
@@ -281,13 +424,15 @@ export function RepositoryList({
         </div>
       )}
 
-      {/* Table view */}
+      {/* Render: Table View Layout */}
       {!loading && !error && displayed.length > 0 && view === "table" && (
-        <RepositoryTable
-          repos={displayed}
-          onDeploy={handleDeploy}
-          deployingId={deployingId}
-        />
+        <div className="rounded-xl border border-gray-200 dark:border-zinc-800 shadow-sm overflow-hidden">
+          <RepositoryTable
+            repos={displayed}
+            onDeploy={handleDeploy}
+            deployingId={deployingId}
+          />
+        </div>
       )}
     </div>
   );