diff --git a/crates/ui-egui/src/macro_editor.rs b/crates/ui-egui/src/macro_editor.rs
index 24034c76e..a225eee06 100644
--- a/crates/ui-egui/src/macro_editor.rs
+++ b/crates/ui-egui/src/macro_editor.rs
@@ -154,9 +154,38 @@ pub fn step_mut<'a>(steps: &'a mut Vec<Step>, path: &str) -> Option<&'a mut Step
     list_mut(steps, parent)?.get_mut(i)
 }
 
+/// The step list a parent key names, read-only (see [`list_mut`]).
+pub fn list_at<'a>(mut cur: &'a [Step], parent: &str) -> Option<&'a [Step]> {
+    let toks: Vec<&str> = parent.split('.').filter(|t| !t.is_empty()).collect();
+    let mut i = 0;
+    while let Some(tok) = toks.get(i) {
+        let idx = tok.parse::<usize>().ok()?.checked_sub(1)?;
+        let branch = toks.get(i + 1).copied();
+        let st = cur.get(idx)?;
+        cur = match (&st.kind, branch) {
+            (StepKind::If { then, .. }, Some("then")) => {
+                i += 2;
+                then
+            }
+            (StepKind::If { otherwise, .. }, Some("else")) => {
+                i += 2;
+                otherwise
+            }
+            (StepKind::Repeat { body, .. }, _) => {
+                i += 1;
+                body
+            }
+            _ => return None,
+        };
+    }
+    Some(cur)
+}
+
+/// A copy of the step at `path`. Reads the path in place: copying the whole list for every row
+/// made a large macro's step list quadratic.
 pub fn step_at(steps: &[Step], path: &str) -> Option<Step> {
-    let mut copy = steps.to_vec();
-    step_mut(&mut copy, path).map(|s| s.clone())
+    let (parent, i) = split_path(path)?;
+    list_at(steps, parent)?.get(i).cloned()
 }
 
 /// The paths of the steps with a breakpoint.
diff --git a/crates/ui-egui/tests/it/macro_editor.rs b/crates/ui-egui/tests/it/macro_editor.rs
index 241c652b8..d08a8d641 100644
--- a/crates/ui-egui/tests/it/macro_editor.rs
+++ b/crates/ui-egui/tests/it/macro_editor.rs
@@ -530,3 +530,20 @@ fn the_editor_fits_a_narrow_window() {
         }
     }
 }
+
+#[test]
+fn a_macro_at_the_step_limit_opens_without_freezing_the_editor() {
+    let mut h = harness();
+    let steps: Vec<_> = (0..gridcraft_engine::model::MAX_MACRO_STEPS)
+        .map(|i| json!({"command": "cell.set", "params": {"cell": format!("A{}", i + 1), "input": "x"}}))
+        .collect();
+    h.state_mut().run("macro.save", json!({"macro": {"name": "Big", "steps": steps}})).unwrap();
+    h.state_mut().open_dialog("macroEditor", json!({"macro": "Big"}));
+    h.run_steps(2);
+    // Each row used to copy the whole list: five frames took about a minute. Now well under a
+    // second; the bound leaves room for a slow machine.
+    let t = std::time::Instant::now();
+    h.run_steps(5);
+    assert!(t.elapsed() < std::time::Duration::from_secs(10), "five frames took {:?}", t.elapsed());
+    assert!(h.query_by_label_contains("Step 1: ").is_some());
+}