lib/PublicInbox/View.pm | 18 +++++++++---------
 t/psgi_v2.t             |  2 +-

diff --git a/lib/PublicInbox/View.pm b/lib/PublicInbox/View.pm
index 1aa014fdd2397c6f508c4316ce83c3938d7e5bb0..855ad017a6bfd8f4243a778a5401eadff0aabd47 100644
--- a/lib/PublicInbox/View.pm
+++ b/lib/PublicInbox/View.pm
@@ -630,7 +630,6 @@ 	my $over = $ctx->{-inbox}->over;
 	my $obfs_ibx = $ctx->{-obfs_ibx};
 	my $rv = '';
 	my $mids = mids($hdr);
-	my $multiple = scalar(@$mids) > 1; # zero, one, infinity
 	if ($nr == 0) {
 		if ($more) {
 			$rv .=
@@ -686,18 +685,19 @@ 		obfuscate_addrs($obfs_ibx, $v) if $obfs_ibx; # possible :P
 		$rv .= "Date: $v\n";
 	}
 	$ctx->{-title_html} = join(' - ', @title);
-	foreach (@$mids) {
-		my $mid = PublicInbox::Hval->new_msgid($_) ;
+	if (scalar(@$mids) == 1) { # common case
+		my $mid = PublicInbox::Hval->new_msgid($mids->[0]);
 		my $mhtml = $mid->as_html;
-		if ($multiple) {
+		$rv .= "Message-ID: <$mhtml> ";
+		$rv .= "(<a\nhref=\"raw\">raw</a>)\n";
+	} else {
+		foreach (@$mids) {
+			my $mid = PublicInbox::Hval->new_msgid($_);
+			my $mhtml = $mid->as_html;
 			my $href = $mid->{href};
 			$rv .= "Message-ID: ";
-			$rv .= "<a\nhref=\"../$href/\">";
-			$rv .= "&lt;$mhtml&gt;</a> ";
+			$rv .= "&lt;<a\nhref=\"../$href/\">$mhtml</a>&gt; ";
 			$rv .= "(<a\nhref=\"../$href/raw\">raw</a>)\n";
-		} else {
-			$rv .= "Message-ID: &lt;$mhtml&gt; ";
-			$rv .= "(<a\nhref=\"raw\">raw</a>)\n";
 		}
 	}
 	$rv .= _parent_headers($hdr, $over);
diff --git a/t/psgi_v2.t b/t/psgi_v2.t
index cb5ece638b1d79f334ab96f90ff30ba7585f62d9..c7550e2d1e84355e6cc17c41e5ec3af80f98b2b1 100644
--- a/t/psgi_v2.t
+++ b/t/psgi_v2.t
@@ -168,7 +168,7 @@ 	like($raw, qr/^hello ghosts$/m, 'got third message');
 	@from_ = ($raw =~ m/>From: /mg);
 	is(scalar(@from_), 3, 'three From: lines');
 	foreach my $mid ('a-mid@b', $new_mid, $third) {
-		like($raw, qr/&lt;\Q$mid\E&gt;/s, "Message-ID $mid shown");
+		like($raw, qr!>\Q$mid\E</a>!s, "Message-ID $mid shown");
 	}
 	like($raw, qr/\b3\+ messages\b/, 'thread overview shown');