diff --git a/.jules/bolt.md b/.jules/bolt.md
index 38d4b732..144d4f06 100644
--- a/.jules/bolt.md
+++ b/.jules/bolt.md
@@ -41,3 +41,7 @@
 ## 2025-02-15 - Replace Array.from(map.values()).map with a for...of loop
 **Learning:** Using `Array.from(map.values()).map(...)` creates an unnecessary intermediate array which wastes memory allocation and garbage collection time, particularly for frequently re-rendered components handling large collections.
 **Action:** Use a `for...of` loop over `map.values()` to iterate and push mapped elements directly into the final array for O(1) memory and avoiding intermediate array allocations.
+
+## 2023-11-20 - Early Short-Circuiting for Performance in Minimums/Maximums
+**Learning:** Using an unconditional `.reduce()` to find a minimum or maximum value iterates through all elements in an array, taking O(N) time even when the known absolute minimum or maximum bound (e.g., 'low' confidence) has already been reached.
+**Action:** Replace unconditional `.reduce()` with a `for...of` loop with an early `break` for finding minimum or maximums with a known absolute bound to optimize for short-circuitable O(N) evaluation.
diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/App.test.tsx b/apps/desktop/src/App.test.tsx
index c039dfba..0481e38e 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/src/App.test.tsx
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/App.test.tsx
@@ -293,6 +293,31 @@ describe("App", () => {
     expect(screen.getAllByText(/2 sections/i).length).toBeGreaterThan(0);
   });
 
+  it("short-circuits and summarizes confidence as low when a low-confidence section is encountered", async () => {
+    const loadedProject = succeededResult().result;
+    loadedProject.sections.push({
+      ...loadedProject.sections[0],
+      id: "bridge-1",
+      label: "bridge",
+      confidence: { level: "low", source: "model", notes: "Low confidence." }
+    });
+    loadedProject.sections.push({
+      ...loadedProject.sections[0],
+      id: "chorus-1",
+      label: "chorus",
+      confidence: { level: "high", source: "model", notes: "The chorus form is clear." }
+    });
+    mockLoadProject.mockResolvedValueOnce(loadedProject);
+    render(<App />);
+
+    fireEvent.click(screen.getByRole("button", { name: /open project/i }));
+
+    await waitFor(() => {
+      expect(screen.getByText(/^Low$/i)).toBeTruthy();
+    });
+    expect(screen.getAllByText(/3 sections/i).length).toBeGreaterThan(0);
+  });
+
   it("selects a local audio source and starts a local-audio analysis job", async () => {
     tauriInvoke
       .mockResolvedValueOnce(bootstrapResponse())
diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/App.tsx b/apps/desktop/src/App.tsx
index 24f5fb09..6b7d8514 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/src/App.tsx
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/App.tsx
@@ -180,15 +180,21 @@ function MetricCard({
 function ConfidenceMetric({ song }: { song: RehearsalSong | null }) {
   const sectionCount = song?.sections.length ?? 0;
   const confidenceOrder = { high: 3, medium: 2, low: 1 } as const;
-  const lowestConfidence = song?.sections.reduce<RehearsalSong["sections"][number]["confidence"]["level"] | null>(
-    (current, section) => {
-      if (!current || confidenceOrder[section.confidence.level] < confidenceOrder[current]) {
-        return section.confidence.level;
+
+  // Performance: Avoid unconditional O(N) .reduce() for finding minimum with an absolute bound.
+  // Use for...of loop with early break when the known absolute minimum ("low") is encountered.
+  let lowestConfidence: RehearsalSong["sections"][number]["confidence"]["level"] | null = null;
+  if (song && song.sections) {
+    for (const section of song.sections) {
+      if (!lowestConfidence || confidenceOrder[section.confidence.level] < confidenceOrder[lowestConfidence]) {
+        lowestConfidence = section.confidence.level;
       }
-      return current;
-    },
-    null
-  );
+      if (lowestConfidence === "low") {
+        break;
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
   const confidence = lowestConfidence ? `${lowestConfidence[0].toUpperCase()}${lowestConfidence.slice(1)}` : "Ready";
   const detail = sectionCount > 0 ? `${sectionCount} section${sectionCount === 1 ? "" : "s"}` : "Local analysis";