diff --git a/src/hooks/useArticleLoader.ts b/src/hooks/useArticleLoader.ts
index 252e9df2..d2fc8ba7 100644
--- a/src/hooks/useArticleLoader.ts
+++ b/src/hooks/useArticleLoader.ts
@@ -145,6 +145,10 @@ export function useArticleLoader({
               setCurrentArticleEventId(storedEvent.id)
               setCurrentArticle?.(storedEvent)
               setReaderLoading(false)
+              
+              // If we found the content in EventStore, we can return early
+              // This prevents unnecessary relay queries when offline
+              return
             }
           } catch (err) {
             // Ignore store errors, fall through to relay query