diff --git a/irc/caps/constants.go b/irc/caps/constants.go
index 2b6a38e4..9eb2624d 100644
--- a/irc/caps/constants.go
+++ b/irc/caps/constants.go
@@ -63,8 +63,9 @@ const (
 	// BOT mode: https://ircv3.net/specs/extensions/bot-mode
 	BotTagName = "bot"
 	// https://ircv3.net/specs/extensions/chathistory
-	ChathistoryTargetsBatchType = "draft/chathistory-targets"
-	ExtendedISupportBatchType   = "draft/isupport"
+	ChathistoryTargetsBatchType   = "draft/chathistory-targets"
+	ExtendedISupportBatchType     = "draft/isupport"
+	ChathistoryEndOfPaginationTag = "draft/chathistory-end"
 )
 
 func init() {
diff --git a/irc/channel.go b/irc/channel.go
index e745c5a2..60ed4a52 100644
--- a/irc/channel.go
+++ b/irc/channel.go
@@ -979,7 +979,7 @@ func (channel *Channel) autoReplayHistory(client *Client, rb *ResponseBuffer, sk
 		}
 	}
 	if 0 < numItems {
-		channel.replayHistoryItems(rb, items, false)
+		channel.replayHistoryItems(rb, items, false, false)
 		rb.Flush(true)
 	}
 }
@@ -1069,7 +1069,7 @@ func (channel *Channel) Part(client *Client, message string, rb *ResponseBuffer)
 	client.server.logger.Debug("channels", fmt.Sprintf("%s left channel %s", details.nick, chname))
 }
 
-func (channel *Channel) replayHistoryItems(rb *ResponseBuffer, items []history.Item, chathistoryCommand bool) {
+func (channel *Channel) replayHistoryItems(rb *ResponseBuffer, items []history.Item, chathistoryCommand, endOfPagination bool) {
 	// send an empty batch if necessary, as per the CHATHISTORY spec
 	chname := channel.Name()
 	client := rb.target
@@ -1089,7 +1089,11 @@ func (channel *Channel) replayHistoryItems(rb *ResponseBuffer, items []history.I
 		}
 	}
 
-	batchID := rb.StartNestedBatch("chathistory", chname)
+	var batchTags map[string]string
+	if chathistoryCommand && endOfPagination {
+		batchTags = endOfPaginationTag
+	}
+	batchID := rb.StartNestedBatch(batchTags, "chathistory", chname)
 	defer rb.EndNestedBatch(batchID)
 
 	for _, item := range items {
diff --git a/irc/client.go b/irc/client.go
index bf150d82..913f4ffd 100644
--- a/irc/client.go
+++ b/irc/client.go
@@ -939,14 +939,18 @@ func (session *Session) Ping() {
 	session.Send(nil, "", "PING", session.client.Nick())
 }
 
-func (client *Client) replayPrivmsgHistory(rb *ResponseBuffer, items []history.Item, target string, chathistoryCommand bool) {
+func (client *Client) replayPrivmsgHistory(rb *ResponseBuffer, items []history.Item, target string, chathistoryCommand, endOfPagination bool) {
 	var batchID string
 	details := client.Details()
 	nick := details.nick
 	if target == "" {
 		target = nick
 	}
-	batchID = rb.StartNestedBatch("chathistory", target)
+	var batchTags map[string]string
+	if chathistoryCommand && endOfPagination {
+		batchTags = endOfPaginationTag
+	}
+	batchID = rb.StartNestedBatch(batchTags, "chathistory", target)
 
 	isSelfMessage := func(item *history.Item) bool {
 		// XXX: Params[0] is the message target. if the source of this message is an in-memory
diff --git a/irc/handlers.go b/irc/handlers.go
index b7e174cb..92baa845 100644
--- a/irc/handlers.go
+++ b/irc/handlers.go
@@ -38,6 +38,12 @@ import (
 	"github.com/ergochat/ergo/irc/webpush"
 )
 
+var (
+	endOfPaginationTag = map[string]string{
+		caps.ChathistoryEndOfPaginationTag: "",
+	}
+)
+
 // helper function to parse ACC callbacks, e.g., mailto:person@example.com, tel:16505551234
 func parseCallback(spec string, config *Config) (callbackNamespace string, callbackValue string, err error) {
 	// XXX if we don't require verification, ignore any callback that was passed here
@@ -702,6 +708,7 @@ func chathistoryHandler(server *Server, client *Client, msg ircmsg.Message, rb *
 	var err error
 	var disabled, listTargets bool
 	var targets []history.TargetListing
+	var endOfPagination bool
 	defer func() {
 		// errors are sent either without a batch, or in a draft/labeled-response batch as usual
 		if disabled {
@@ -715,7 +722,11 @@ func chathistoryHandler(server *Server, client *Client, msg ircmsg.Message, rb *
 		} else {
 			// successful responses are sent as a chathistory or history batch
 			if listTargets {
-				batchID := rb.StartNestedBatch(caps.ChathistoryTargetsBatchType)
+				var batchTags map[string]string
+				if endOfPagination {
+					batchTags = endOfPaginationTag
+				}
+				batchID := rb.StartNestedBatch(batchTags, caps.ChathistoryTargetsBatchType)
 				defer rb.EndNestedBatch(batchID)
 				for _, target := range targets {
 					name := server.UnfoldName(target.CfName)
@@ -723,9 +734,9 @@ func chathistoryHandler(server *Server, client *Client, msg ircmsg.Message, rb *
 						target.Time.Format(utils.IRCv3TimestampFormat))
 				}
 			} else if channel != nil {
-				channel.replayHistoryItems(rb, items, true)
+				channel.replayHistoryItems(rb, items, true, endOfPagination)
 			} else {
-				client.replayPrivmsgHistory(rb, items, target, true)
+				client.replayPrivmsgHistory(rb, items, target, true, endOfPagination)
 			}
 		}
 	}()
@@ -850,6 +861,12 @@ func chathistoryHandler(server *Server, client *Client, msg ircmsg.Message, rb *
 			return
 		}
 		targets, err = client.listTargets(start.Time, end.Time, limit)
+		// adding the end-of-pagination tag is best effort; it's OK if we omit it
+		// in the edge case where we're at the end of the window but we coincidentally
+		// filled the whole limit (the client will just incur an additional roundtrip
+		// to page one more time). in contrast, a false positive would be problematic
+		// because the client would stop paging.
+		endOfPagination = (err == nil) && len(targets) < limit
 	} else {
 		channel, sequence, err = server.GetHistorySequence(nil, client, target)
 		if err != nil || sequence == nil {
@@ -860,6 +877,7 @@ func chathistoryHandler(server *Server, client *Client, msg ircmsg.Message, rb *
 		} else {
 			items, err = sequence.Between(start, end, limit)
 		}
+		endOfPagination = (err == nil) && len(items) < limit
 	}
 	return
 }
@@ -1246,9 +1264,9 @@ func historyHandler(server *Server, client *Client, msg ircmsg.Message, rb *Resp
 
 	if len(items) != 0 {
 		if channel != nil {
-			channel.replayHistoryItems(rb, items, true)
+			channel.replayHistoryItems(rb, items, true, false)
 		} else {
-			client.replayPrivmsgHistory(rb, items, "", true)
+			client.replayPrivmsgHistory(rb, items, "", true, false)
 		}
 	}
 	return false
@@ -3285,7 +3303,7 @@ func metadataRegisteredHandler(client *Client, config *Config, subcommand string
 			return
 		}
 
-		batchId := rb.StartNestedBatch("metadata", target)
+		batchId := rb.StartNestedBatch(nil, "metadata", target)
 		defer rb.EndNestedBatch(batchId)
 
 		for _, key := range params[2:] {
@@ -3429,7 +3447,7 @@ func metadataSubsHandler(client *Client, subcommand string, params []string, rb
 
 		subs := rb.session.MetadataSubscriptions()
 
-		batchID := rb.StartNestedBatch("metadata-subs")
+		batchID := rb.StartNestedBatch(nil, "metadata-subs")
 		defer rb.EndNestedBatch(batchID)
 
 		chunked := utils.ChunkifyParams(maps.Keys(subs), lineLength)
diff --git a/irc/metadata.go b/irc/metadata.go
index 80b0b063..737bf705 100644
--- a/irc/metadata.go
+++ b/irc/metadata.go
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ func broadcastMetadataUpdate(server *Server, sessions iter.Seq[*Session], origin
 }
 
 func syncClientMetadata(server *Server, rb *ResponseBuffer, target *Client) {
-	batchId := rb.StartNestedBatch("metadata", target.Nick())
+	batchId := rb.StartNestedBatch(nil, "metadata", target.Nick())
 	defer rb.EndNestedBatch(batchId)
 
 	subs := rb.session.MetadataSubscriptions()
@@ -81,7 +81,7 @@ func syncClientMetadata(server *Server, rb *ResponseBuffer, target *Client) {
 }
 
 func syncChannelMetadata(server *Server, rb *ResponseBuffer, channel *Channel) {
-	batchId := rb.StartNestedBatch("metadata", channel.Name())
+	batchId := rb.StartNestedBatch(nil, "metadata", channel.Name())
 	defer rb.EndNestedBatch(batchId)
 
 	subs := rb.session.MetadataSubscriptions()
@@ -107,7 +107,7 @@ func syncChannelMetadata(server *Server, rb *ResponseBuffer, channel *Channel) {
 }
 
 func playMetadataList(rb *ResponseBuffer, nick, target string, values map[string]string) {
-	batchId := rb.StartNestedBatch("metadata", target)
+	batchId := rb.StartNestedBatch(nil, "metadata", target)
 	defer rb.EndNestedBatch(batchId)
 
 	for key, val := range values {
@@ -117,7 +117,7 @@ func playMetadataList(rb *ResponseBuffer, nick, target string, values map[string
 }
 
 func playMetadataVerbBatch(rb *ResponseBuffer, target string, values map[string]string) {
-	batchId := rb.StartNestedBatch("metadata", target)
+	batchId := rb.StartNestedBatch(nil, "metadata", target)
 	defer rb.EndNestedBatch(batchId)
 
 	for key, val := range values {
diff --git a/irc/responsebuffer.go b/irc/responsebuffer.go
index 6dfeade8..cb59db89 100644
--- a/irc/responsebuffer.go
+++ b/irc/responsebuffer.go
@@ -192,7 +192,7 @@ func (rb *ResponseBuffer) sendBatchEnd(blocking bool) {
 
 // Starts a nested batch (see the ResponseBuffer struct definition for a description of
 // how this works)
-func (rb *ResponseBuffer) StartNestedBatch(batchType string, params ...string) (batchID string) {
+func (rb *ResponseBuffer) StartNestedBatch(tags map[string]string, batchType string, params ...string) (batchID string) {
 	if !rb.session.capabilities.Has(caps.Batch) {
 		return
 	}
@@ -201,7 +201,7 @@ func (rb *ResponseBuffer) StartNestedBatch(batchType string, params ...string) (
 	msgParams[0] = "+" + batchID
 	msgParams[1] = batchType
 	copy(msgParams[2:], params)
-	rb.AddMessage(ircmsg.MakeMessage(nil, rb.target.server.name, "BATCH", msgParams...))
+	rb.AddMessage(ircmsg.MakeMessage(tags, rb.target.server.name, "BATCH", msgParams...))
 	rb.nestedBatches = append(rb.nestedBatches, batchID)
 	return
 }
diff --git a/irc/server.go b/irc/server.go
index e81c0373..adc77018 100644
--- a/irc/server.go
+++ b/irc/server.go
@@ -535,7 +535,7 @@ func (server *Server) RplISupport(client *Client, rb *ResponseBuffer) {
 
 func (server *Server) sendRplISupportLines(client *Client, rb *ResponseBuffer, lines [][]string) {
 	if rb.session.capabilities.Has(caps.ExtendedISupport) {
-		batchID := rb.StartNestedBatch(caps.ExtendedISupportBatchType)
+		batchID := rb.StartNestedBatch(nil, caps.ExtendedISupportBatchType)
 		defer rb.EndNestedBatch(batchID)
 	}
 	finalText := "are supported by this server"
diff --git a/irc/znc.go b/irc/znc.go
index 27c4df2c..71bc49e6 100644
--- a/irc/znc.go
+++ b/irc/znc.go
@@ -203,7 +203,7 @@ func zncPlayPrivmsgsFrom(client *Client, rb *ResponseBuffer, target string, star
 	zncMax := client.server.Config().History.ZNCMax
 	items, err := sequence.Between(history.Selector{Time: start}, history.Selector{Time: end}, zncMax)
 	if err == nil && len(items) != 0 {
-		client.replayPrivmsgHistory(rb, items, target, false)
+		client.replayPrivmsgHistory(rb, items, target, false, false)
 	}
 }
 
@@ -211,7 +211,7 @@ func zncPlayPrivmsgsFromAll(client *Client, rb *ResponseBuffer, start, end time.
 	zncMax := client.server.Config().History.ZNCMax
 	items, err := client.privmsgsBetween(start, end, maxDMTargetsForAutoplay, zncMax)
 	if err == nil && len(items) != 0 {
-		client.replayPrivmsgHistory(rb, items, "", false)
+		client.replayPrivmsgHistory(rb, items, "", false, false)
 	}
 }
 
diff --git a/irctest b/irctest
index 17fac53c..c85b5747 160000
--- a/irctest
+++ b/irctest
@@ -1 +1 @@
-Subproject commit 17fac53c5cdfe78caecb601399512574f242cc85
+Subproject commit c85b574765d67a0270d9c7b35f37ab57e7f95774