diff --git a/src/app/update/mod.rs b/src/app/update/mod.rs
index 62ab2c13c..be766631c 100644
--- a/src/app/update/mod.rs
+++ b/src/app/update/mod.rs
@@ -3687,8 +3687,8 @@ impl OpenCADStudio {
                 let i = self.active_tab;
                 let types = self.tabs[i].scene.entity_type_names_in_layout();
                 let f = &mut self.tabs[i].scene.selection_filter;
-                for t in types {
-                    f.insert(t.to_string());
+                for t in types.iter() {
+                    f.insert(t.clone());
                 }
                 Task::none()
             }
diff --git a/src/app/view/mod.rs b/src/app/view/mod.rs
index 0e6e3c4e3..ec566dc3a 100644
--- a/src/app/view/mod.rs
+++ b/src/app/view/mod.rs
@@ -1932,9 +1932,8 @@ impl OpenCADStudio {
                         selection_types: tab
                             .scene
                             .entity_type_names_in_layout()
-                            .into_iter()
-                            .map(|name| name.to_string())
-                            .collect(),
+                            .as_ref()
+                            .clone(),
                         selection_filter: &tab.scene.selection_filter,
                         tooltip_hidden: self.status_menu_tooltip_hidden,
                     };
diff --git a/src/scene/mod.rs b/src/scene/mod.rs
index dc16aac6b..abbacd6ca 100644
--- a/src/scene/mod.rs
+++ b/src/scene/mod.rs
@@ -1789,6 +1789,11 @@ pub struct Scene {
     /// Reverse map: entity_handle → block_record_handle, built from entity_handles lists.
     /// Keyed by geometry_epoch. Eliminates the O(B) fallback scan in belongs_to_visible_block.
     entity_block_map_cache: RefCell<Option<(u64, HashMap<Handle, Handle>)>>,
+    /// Distinct entity type names present in a layout, keyed by
+    /// (geometry_epoch, layout block). The status bar asks for this on every
+    /// frame to populate the selection-filter menu, but the answer only
+    /// changes when entities are added or removed.
+    layout_type_names_cache: RefCell<Option<(u64, Handle, std::sync::Arc<Vec<String>>)>>,
     /// Reverse dependencies from layer/style/block definitions to the top-level
     /// entities whose resident wire runs actually change. Kept independent from
     /// `geometry_epoch`: a layer colour toggle can reuse the index, invalidate
@@ -2024,6 +2029,7 @@ impl Scene {
             annotation_affects_wires: std::cell::Cell::new(None),
             model_extents_cache: RefCell::new(None),
             entity_block_map_cache: RefCell::new(None),
+            layout_type_names_cache: RefCell::new(None),
             dependency_index_cache: RefCell::new(None),
             associative_hatch_source_cache: RefCell::new(None),
             block_defn_cache: RefCell::new(HashMap::default()),
diff --git a/src/scene/selection.rs b/src/scene/selection.rs
index f2cc33654..8f83f4ab8 100644
--- a/src/scene/selection.rs
+++ b/src/scene/selection.rs
@@ -363,16 +363,50 @@ impl Scene {
     /// Returns the sorted set of entity-type names present in the active
     /// layout. Used to populate the Quick Select "Object type" dropdown
     /// with only the types that actually exist in the drawing.
-    pub fn entity_type_names_in_layout(&self) -> Vec<String> {
+    /// Distinct entity type names in the current layout, for the
+    /// selection-filter menu.
+    ///
+    /// The status bar rebuilds on every frame, so this used to run once per
+    /// mouse move over the canvas: a full clone of the layout's handle list
+    /// (1.16 M handles, ~9 MB, on the reproducer), then a lookup, a `String`
+    /// allocation and a `BTreeSet` insert for each one — about 107 ms of a
+    /// 110 ms frame, to produce roughly twenty names.
+    ///
+    /// The answer only changes when entities are added or removed, so it is
+    /// cached against `geometry_epoch` and the layout block. The scan itself
+    /// now borrows the handle list instead of cloning it and collects
+    /// `&str`, allocating only for the names it actually returns.
+    pub fn entity_type_names_in_layout(&self) -> std::sync::Arc<Vec<String>> {
         use crate::entities::traits::entity_type_name;
-        let mut names: std::collections::BTreeSet<String> =
-            std::collections::BTreeSet::new();
-        for h in self.current_layout_entity_handles() {
-            if let Some(e) = self.document.get_entity(h) {
-                names.insert(entity_type_name(e).to_string());
+        let block = self.current_layout_block_handle();
+        {
+            let cache = self.layout_type_names_cache.borrow();
+            if let Some((epoch, cached_block, names)) = cache.as_ref() {
+                if *epoch == self.geometry_epoch && *cached_block == block {
+                    return std::sync::Arc::clone(names);
+                }
             }
         }
-        names.into_iter().collect()
+        let mut names: std::collections::BTreeSet<&str> =
+            std::collections::BTreeSet::new();
+        if let Some(record) = self
+            .document
+            .block_records
+            .iter()
+            .find(|record| record.handle == block)
+        {
+            for &handle in &record.entity_handles {
+                if let Some(entity) = self.document.get_entity(handle) {
+                    names.insert(entity_type_name(entity));
+                }
+            }
+        }
+        let names: std::sync::Arc<Vec<String>> = std::sync::Arc::new(
+            names.into_iter().map(str::to_string).collect(),
+        );
+        *self.layout_type_names_cache.borrow_mut() =
+            Some((self.geometry_epoch, block, std::sync::Arc::clone(&names)));
+        names
     }
 
     /// True when `handle`'s entity type is allowed by the selection filter.