diff --git a/src-tauri/Cargo.toml b/src-tauri/Cargo.toml
index 52fbb2a..486da8d 100644
--- a/src-tauri/Cargo.toml
+++ b/src-tauri/Cargo.toml
@@ -18,3 +18,24 @@ tauri-build = { version = "2", features = [] }
 
 [target.'cfg(not(any(target_os = "android", target_os = "ios")))'.dependencies]
 tauri-plugin-updater = "2"
+
+# ── Build profiles ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+# Dev: keep incremental compilation and emit only line-table debug info instead
+# of full debuginfo. This cuts link time noticeably (linking is the slow part of
+# a `tauri dev` recompile) while still giving panic backtraces with line numbers.
+[profile.dev]
+incremental = true
+debug = "line-tables-only"
+
+# Optimize third-party dependencies once (they are cached), so the running dev
+# build is snappy without slowing down rebuilds of our own crate.
+[profile.dev.package."*"]
+opt-level = 2
+
+# Release: smaller binary (also shrinks the auto-updater download) without
+# regressing runtime performance of the code-search feature.
+[profile.release]
+opt-level = 3
+lto = "thin"
+codegen-units = 1
+strip = true
diff --git a/src/App.svelte b/src/App.svelte
index 4df224f..06f28b5 100644
--- a/src/App.svelte
+++ b/src/App.svelte
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@
   import FileHistoryPanel from "./lib/components/FileHistoryPanel.svelte";
   import GlobalSearchDialog from "./lib/components/GlobalSearchDialog.svelte";
   import HistoryPanel from "./lib/components/HistoryPanel.svelte";
+  import RepoLoadingOverlay from "./lib/components/RepoLoadingOverlay.svelte";
   import ResolveDialog from "./lib/components/ResolveDialog.svelte";
   import StatusPanel from "./lib/components/StatusPanel.svelte";
   import UpdateToast from "./lib/components/UpdateToast.svelte";
@@ -133,6 +134,8 @@
 
   $: isBusy = operation.length > 0;
   $: hasRepository = activeRepoPath.length > 0 && status !== null;
+  $: openingRepo = operation === "Opening repository";
+  $: repoDisplayName = ((repoPath || activeRepoPath).split(/[\\/]/).filter(Boolean).pop()) ?? "";
   $: changedFiles = status?.files ?? [];
   $: stagedCount = status?.files.filter((f) => f.staged !== null).length ?? 0;
   $: unstagedCount = status?.files.filter((f) => f.unstaged !== null).length ?? 0;
@@ -1207,6 +1210,11 @@
   />
 {/if}
 
+<!-- Full-screen overlay while a repository is being opened -->
+{#if openingRepo}
+  <RepoLoadingOverlay repoName={repoDisplayName} />
+{/if}
+
 <!-- Conflict resolve dialog -->
 {#if resolveDialogOpen}
   <ResolveDialog
diff --git a/src/lib/components/RepoLoadingOverlay.svelte b/src/lib/components/RepoLoadingOverlay.svelte
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..108dc57
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/lib/components/RepoLoadingOverlay.svelte
@@ -0,0 +1,175 @@
+<script lang="ts">
+  export let label = "Repository wird geöffnet";
+  export let repoName = "";
+</script>
+
+<div class="repo-loading" role="status" aria-live="polite">
+  <div class="repo-loading-card">
+    <!-- Animated git graph: nodes light up in sequence while a branch draws itself -->
+    <svg class="git-graph" viewBox="0 0 120 120" aria-hidden="true">
+      <defs>
+        <linearGradient id="gl-line" x1="0" y1="0" x2="1" y2="1">
+          <stop offset="0%" stop-color="#646cff" />
+          <stop offset="100%" stop-color="#41d1ff" />
+        </linearGradient>
+      </defs>
+
+      <!-- rotating dashed ring -->
+      <circle class="ring" cx="60" cy="60" r="52" />
+
+      <!-- main trunk -->
+      <path class="trunk" d="M42 22 L42 98" />
+      <!-- branch forking off and merging back -->
+      <path class="branch" d="M42 44 C42 62, 82 58, 82 76 L82 88" />
+
+      <!-- commit nodes -->
+      <circle class="node n1" cx="42" cy="30" r="6" />
+      <circle class="node n2" cx="42" cy="60" r="6" />
+      <circle class="node n3" cx="82" cy="88" r="6" />
+      <circle class="node n4" cx="42" cy="90" r="6" />
+    </svg>
+
+    <div class="repo-loading-text">
+      <span class="repo-loading-label">{label}…</span>
+      {#if repoName}
+        <span class="repo-loading-name" title={repoName}>{repoName}</span>
+      {/if}
+    </div>
+
+    <div class="repo-loading-bar"><span></span></div>
+  </div>
+</div>
+
+<style>
+  .repo-loading {
+    position: fixed;
+    inset: 0;
+    z-index: 400;
+    display: grid;
+    place-items: center;
+    background: rgba(6, 6, 14, 0.72);
+    backdrop-filter: blur(8px);
+    animation: overlay-in 180ms ease;
+  }
+
+  .repo-loading-card {
+    display: flex;
+    flex-direction: column;
+    align-items: center;
+    gap: 20px;
+    padding: 34px 46px;
+    border: 1px solid var(--color-border);
+    border-radius: 18px;
+    background: var(--color-surface-raised);
+    box-shadow: 0 24px 70px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.55);
+  }
+
+  .git-graph {
+    width: 118px;
+    height: 118px;
+    overflow: visible;
+  }
+
+  .git-graph .ring {
+    fill: none;
+    stroke: rgba(100, 108, 255, 0.22);
+    stroke-width: 2;
+    stroke-dasharray: 26 18;
+    transform-origin: 60px 60px;
+    animation: ring-spin 5s linear infinite;
+  }
+
+  .git-graph .trunk,
+  .git-graph .branch {
+    fill: none;
+    stroke: url(#gl-line);
+    stroke-width: 4;
+    stroke-linecap: round;
+  }
+
+  .git-graph .branch {
+    stroke-dasharray: 90;
+    stroke-dashoffset: 90;
+    animation: branch-draw 2.4s ease-in-out infinite;
+  }
+
+  .git-graph .node {
+    fill: var(--color-surface-alt);
+    stroke: url(#gl-line);
+    stroke-width: 4;
+    animation: node-pulse 2.4s ease-in-out infinite;
+  }
+  .git-graph .n1 { animation-delay: 0s; }
+  .git-graph .n2 { animation-delay: 0.5s; }
+  .git-graph .n3 { animation-delay: 1s; }
+  .git-graph .n4 { animation-delay: 1.5s; }
+
+  .repo-loading-text {
+    display: flex;
+    flex-direction: column;
+    align-items: center;
+    gap: 4px;
+    text-align: center;
+  }
+
+  .repo-loading-label {
+    color: var(--color-ink);
+    font-size: 15px;
+    font-weight: 600;
+    letter-spacing: 0.01em;
+  }
+
+  .repo-loading-name {
+    max-width: 260px;
+    overflow: hidden;
+    color: var(--color-ink-faint);
+    font-family: var(--font-mono);
+    font-size: 12.5px;
+    text-overflow: ellipsis;
+    white-space: nowrap;
+  }
+
+  .repo-loading-bar {
+    position: relative;
+    width: 180px;
+    height: 3px;
+    overflow: hidden;
+    border-radius: 3px;
+    background: rgba(100, 108, 255, 0.16);
+  }
+  .repo-loading-bar span {
+    position: absolute;
+    inset: 0;
+    width: 40%;
+    border-radius: 3px;
+    background: linear-gradient(90deg, transparent, var(--color-accent), transparent);
+    animation: bar-slide 1.3s ease-in-out infinite;
+  }
+
+  @keyframes overlay-in { from { opacity: 0; } to { opacity: 1; } }
+  @keyframes ring-spin { to { transform: rotate(360deg); } }
+  @keyframes bar-slide {
+    0% { transform: translateX(-120%); }
+    100% { transform: translateX(320%); }
+  }
+  @keyframes branch-draw {
+    0% { stroke-dashoffset: 90; opacity: 0.35; }
+    45% { stroke-dashoffset: 0; opacity: 1; }
+    100% { stroke-dashoffset: 0; opacity: 1; }
+  }
+  @keyframes node-pulse {
+    0%, 100% { fill: var(--color-surface-alt); filter: none; }
+    50% {
+      fill: var(--color-primary);
+      filter: drop-shadow(0 0 6px rgba(100, 108, 255, 0.8));
+    }
+  }
+
+  @media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
+    .git-graph .ring,
+    .git-graph .branch,
+    .git-graph .node,
+    .repo-loading-bar span { animation: none; }
+    .git-graph .branch { stroke-dashoffset: 0; }
+  }
+</style>