diff --git a/api/server/controllers/FavoritesController.js b/api/server/controllers/FavoritesController.js
index ea268fe1fb..e3a9f77ae3 100644
--- a/api/server/controllers/FavoritesController.js
+++ b/api/server/controllers/FavoritesController.js
@@ -1,5 +1,8 @@
 const { updateUser, getUserById } = require('~/models');
 
+const MAX_FAVORITES = 50;
+const MAX_STRING_LENGTH = 256;
+
 const updateFavoritesController = async (req, res) => {
   try {
     const { favorites } = req.body;
@@ -13,10 +16,30 @@ const updateFavoritesController = async (req, res) => {
       return res.status(400).json({ message: 'Favorites must be an array' });
     }
 
+    if (favorites.length > MAX_FAVORITES) {
+      return res.status(400).json({ message: `Maximum ${MAX_FAVORITES} favorites allowed` });
+    }
+
     for (const fav of favorites) {
       const hasAgent = !!fav.agentId;
       const hasModel = !!(fav.model && fav.endpoint);
 
+      if (fav.agentId && fav.agentId.length > MAX_STRING_LENGTH) {
+        return res
+          .status(400)
+          .json({ message: `agentId exceeds maximum length of ${MAX_STRING_LENGTH}` });
+      }
+      if (fav.model && fav.model.length > MAX_STRING_LENGTH) {
+        return res
+          .status(400)
+          .json({ message: `model exceeds maximum length of ${MAX_STRING_LENGTH}` });
+      }
+      if (fav.endpoint && fav.endpoint.length > MAX_STRING_LENGTH) {
+        return res
+          .status(400)
+          .json({ message: `endpoint exceeds maximum length of ${MAX_STRING_LENGTH}` });
+      }
+
       if (!hasAgent && !hasModel) {
         return res.status(400).json({
           message: 'Each favorite must have either agentId or model+endpoint',
diff --git a/client/src/components/Chat/Menus/Endpoints/components/EndpointModelItem.tsx b/client/src/components/Chat/Menus/Endpoints/components/EndpointModelItem.tsx
index cdd88d6799..5ba4e4985a 100644
--- a/client/src/components/Chat/Menus/Endpoints/components/EndpointModelItem.tsx
+++ b/client/src/components/Chat/Menus/Endpoints/components/EndpointModelItem.tsx
@@ -3,8 +3,8 @@ import { EarthIcon, Pin, PinOff } from 'lucide-react';
 import { isAgentsEndpoint, isAssistantsEndpoint } from 'librechat-data-provider';
 import { useModelSelectorContext } from '../ModelSelectorContext';
 import { CustomMenuItem as MenuItem } from '../CustomMenu';
+import { useFavorites, useLocalize } from '~/hooks';
 import type { Endpoint } from '~/common';
-import { useFavorites } from '~/hooks';
 import { cn } from '~/utils';
 
 interface EndpointModelItemProps {
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ interface EndpointModelItemProps {
 }
 
 export function EndpointModelItem({ modelId, endpoint, isSelected }: EndpointModelItemProps) {
+  const localize = useLocalize();
   const { handleSelectModel } = useModelSelectorContext();
   const { isFavoriteModel, toggleFavoriteModel, isFavoriteAgent, toggleFavoriteAgent } =
     useFavorites();
@@ -94,6 +95,7 @@ export function EndpointModelItem({ modelId, endpoint, isSelected }: EndpointMod
       </div>
       <button
         onClick={handleFavoriteClick}
+        aria-label={isFavorite ? localize('com_ui_unpin') : localize('com_ui_pin')}
         className={cn(
           'rounded-md p-1 hover:bg-surface-hover',
           isFavorite ? 'visible' : 'invisible group-hover:visible',
diff --git a/client/src/components/Conversations/Conversations.tsx b/client/src/components/Conversations/Conversations.tsx
index 45c6e7f08f..e7429ca4ed 100644
--- a/client/src/components/Conversations/Conversations.tsx
+++ b/client/src/components/Conversations/Conversations.tsx
@@ -1,19 +1,21 @@
 import { useMemo, memo, type FC, useCallback, useEffect, useRef } from 'react';
 import throttle from 'lodash/throttle';
 import { ChevronRight } from 'lucide-react';
-import { TConversation } from 'librechat-data-provider';
+import { useRecoilValue } from 'recoil';
 import { Spinner, useMediaQuery } from '@librechat/client';
+import { TConversation, PermissionTypes, Permissions } from 'librechat-data-provider';
 import { List, AutoSizer, CellMeasurer, CellMeasurerCache } from 'react-virtualized';
+import { useLocalize, TranslationKeys, useFavorites, useHasAccess } from '~/hooks';
 import FavoritesList from '~/components/Nav/Favorites/FavoritesList';
-import { useLocalize, TranslationKeys, useFavorites } from '~/hooks';
 import { groupConversationsByDate, cn } from '~/utils';
 import Convo from './Convo';
+import store from '~/store';
 
 interface ConversationsProps {
   conversations: Array<TConversation | null>;
   moveToTop: () => void;
   toggleNav: () => void;
-  containerRef: React.RefObject<HTMLDivElement | List>;
+  containerRef: React.RefObject<List>;
   loadMoreConversations: () => void;
   isLoading: boolean;
   isSearchLoading: boolean;
@@ -88,10 +90,27 @@ const Conversations: FC<ConversationsProps> = ({
   setIsChatsExpanded,
 }) => {
   const localize = useLocalize();
+  const search = useRecoilValue(store.search);
   const { favorites, isLoading: isFavoritesLoading } = useFavorites();
   const isSmallScreen = useMediaQuery('(max-width: 768px)');
   const convoHeight = isSmallScreen ? 44 : 34;
 
+  const hasAccessToAgents = useHasAccess({
+    permissionType: PermissionTypes.AGENTS,
+    permission: Permissions.USE,
+  });
+
+  const hasAccessToMarketplace = useHasAccess({
+    permissionType: PermissionTypes.MARKETPLACE,
+    permission: Permissions.USE,
+  });
+
+  const showAgentMarketplace = hasAccessToAgents && hasAccessToMarketplace;
+
+  // Determine if FavoritesList will render content
+  const shouldShowFavorites =
+    !search.query && (isFavoritesLoading || favorites.length > 0 || showAgentMarketplace);
+
   const filteredConversations = useMemo(
     () => rawConversations.filter(Boolean) as TConversation[],
     [rawConversations],
@@ -104,7 +123,10 @@ const Conversations: FC<ConversationsProps> = ({
 
   const flattenedItems = useMemo(() => {
     const items: FlattenedItem[] = [];
-    items.push({ type: 'favorites' });
+    // Only include favorites row if FavoritesList will render content
+    if (shouldShowFavorites) {
+      items.push({ type: 'favorites' });
+    }
     items.push({ type: 'chats-header' });
 
     if (isChatsExpanded) {
@@ -118,7 +140,7 @@ const Conversations: FC<ConversationsProps> = ({
       }
     }
     return items;
-  }, [groupedConversations, isLoading, isChatsExpanded]);
+  }, [groupedConversations, isLoading, isChatsExpanded, shouldShowFavorites]);
 
   // Store flattenedItems in a ref for keyMapper to access without recreating cache
   const flattenedItemsRef = useRef(flattenedItems);
@@ -214,7 +236,11 @@ const Conversations: FC<ConversationsProps> = ({
           </button>
         );
       } else if (item.type === 'header') {
-        rendering = <DateLabel groupName={item.groupName} isFirst={index === 2} />;
+        // First date header index depends on whether favorites row is included
+        // With favorites: [favorites, chats-header, first-header] → index 2
+        // Without favorites: [chats-header, first-header] → index 1
+        const firstHeaderIndex = shouldShowFavorites ? 2 : 1;
+        rendering = <DateLabel groupName={item.groupName} isFirst={index === firstHeaderIndex} />;
       } else if (item.type === 'convo') {
         rendering = (
           <MemoizedConvo conversation={item.convo} retainView={moveToTop} toggleNav={toggleNav} />
@@ -230,7 +256,18 @@ const Conversations: FC<ConversationsProps> = ({
         </CellMeasurer>
       );
     },
-    [cache, flattenedItems, moveToTop, toggleNav, clearFavoritesCache, isSmallScreen],
+    [
+      cache,
+      flattenedItems,
+      moveToTop,
+      toggleNav,
+      clearFavoritesCache,
+      isSmallScreen,
+      isChatsExpanded,
+      localize,
+      setIsChatsExpanded,
+      shouldShowFavorites,
+    ],
   );
 
   const getRowHeight = useCallback(
@@ -264,7 +301,7 @@ const Conversations: FC<ConversationsProps> = ({
           <AutoSizer>
             {({ width, height }) => (
               <List
-                ref={containerRef as React.RefObject<List>}
+                ref={containerRef}
                 width={width}
                 height={height}
                 deferredMeasurementCache={cache}
diff --git a/client/src/components/Nav/Nav.tsx b/client/src/components/Nav/Nav.tsx
index e2423bf83d..60486f96c8 100644
--- a/client/src/components/Nav/Nav.tsx
+++ b/client/src/components/Nav/Nav.tsx
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import { useCallback, useEffect, useState, useMemo, memo, lazy, Suspense, useRef } from 'react';
 import { useRecoilValue } from 'recoil';
+import { List } from 'react-virtualized';
 import { AnimatePresence, motion } from 'framer-motion';
 import { Skeleton, useMediaQuery } from '@librechat/client';
 import { PermissionTypes, Permissions } from 'librechat-data-provider';
@@ -100,7 +101,7 @@ const Nav = memo(
     }, [data?.pages]);
 
     const outerContainerRef = useRef<HTMLDivElement>(null);
-    const conversationsRef = useRef<HTMLDivElement>(null);
+    const conversationsRef = useRef<List | null>(null);
 
     const { moveToTop } = useNavScrolling<ConversationListResponse>({
       setShowLoading,
diff --git a/client/src/hooks/useFavorites.ts b/client/src/hooks/useFavorites.ts
index d3d1b560e8..3decc8ef33 100644
--- a/client/src/hooks/useFavorites.ts
+++ b/client/src/hooks/useFavorites.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,11 @@
-import { useEffect } from 'react';
+import { useEffect, useCallback } from 'react';
 import { useRecoilState } from 'recoil';
-import store from '~/store';
+import { useToastContext } from '@librechat/client';
+import type { Favorite } from '~/store/favorites';
 import { useGetFavoritesQuery, useUpdateFavoritesMutation } from '~/data-provider';
+import { useLocalize } from '~/hooks';
+import { logger } from '~/utils';
+import store from '~/store';
 
 /**
  * Hook for managing user favorites (pinned agents and models).
@@ -14,7 +18,24 @@ import { useGetFavoritesQuery, useUpdateFavoritesMutation } from '~/data-provide
  * @returns Object containing favorites state and helper methods for
  * adding, removing, toggling, reordering, and checking favorites.
  */
+
+/**
+ * Cleans favorites array to only include canonical shapes (agentId or model+endpoint).
+ */
+const cleanFavorites = (favorites: Favorite[]): Favorite[] =>
+  favorites.map((f) => {
+    if (f.agentId) {
+      return { agentId: f.agentId };
+    }
+    if (f.model && f.endpoint) {
+      return { model: f.model, endpoint: f.endpoint };
+    }
+    return f;
+  });
+
 export default function useFavorites() {
+  const localize = useLocalize();
+  const { showToast } = useToastContext();
   const [favorites, setFavorites] = useRecoilState(store.favorites);
   const getFavoritesQuery = useGetFavoritesQuery();
   const updateFavoritesMutation = useUpdateFavoritesMutation();
@@ -29,15 +50,21 @@ export default function useFavorites() {
     }
   }, [getFavoritesQuery.data, setFavorites]);
 
-  const saveFavorites = (newFavorites: typeof favorites) => {
-    const cleaned = newFavorites.map((f) => {
-      if (f.agentId) return { agentId: f.agentId };
-      if (f.model && f.endpoint) return { model: f.model, endpoint: f.endpoint };
-      return f;
-    });
-    setFavorites(cleaned);
-    updateFavoritesMutation.mutate(cleaned);
-  };
+  const saveFavorites = useCallback(
+    async (newFavorites: typeof favorites) => {
+      const cleaned = cleanFavorites(newFavorites);
+      setFavorites(cleaned);
+      try {
+        await updateFavoritesMutation.mutateAsync(cleaned);
+      } catch (error) {
+        logger.error('Error updating favorites:', error);
+        showToast({ message: localize('com_ui_error'), status: 'error' });
+        // Refetch to resync state with server
+        getFavoritesQuery.refetch();
+      }
+    },
+    [setFavorites, updateFavoritesMutation, showToast, localize, getFavoritesQuery],
+  );
 
   const addFavoriteAgent = (agentId: string) => {
     if (favorites.some((f) => f.agentId === agentId)) return;
@@ -89,25 +116,27 @@ export default function useFavorites() {
   };
 
   /**
-   * Reorder favorites and persist the new order to the server.
+   * Reorder favorites and optionally persist the new order to the server.
    * This combines state update and persistence to avoid race conditions
    * where the closure captures stale state.
    */
-  const reorderFavorites = (newFavorites: typeof favorites, persist = false) => {
-    const cleaned = newFavorites.map((f) => {
-      if (f.agentId) {
-        return { agentId: f.agentId };
+  const reorderFavorites = useCallback(
+    async (newFavorites: typeof favorites, persist = false) => {
+      const cleaned = cleanFavorites(newFavorites);
+      setFavorites(cleaned);
+      if (persist) {
+        try {
+          await updateFavoritesMutation.mutateAsync(cleaned);
+        } catch (error) {
+          console.error('Error reordering favorites:', error);
+          showToast({ message: localize('com_ui_error'), status: 'error' });
+          // Refetch to resync state with server
+          getFavoritesQuery.refetch();
+        }
       }
-      if (f.model && f.endpoint) {
-        return { model: f.model, endpoint: f.endpoint };
-      }
-      return f;
-    });
-    setFavorites(cleaned);
-    if (persist) {
-      updateFavoritesMutation.mutate(cleaned);
-    }
-  };
+    },
+    [setFavorites, updateFavoritesMutation, showToast, localize, getFavoritesQuery],
+  );
 
   return {
     favorites,