diff --git a/src/NATS.Server/JetStream/Publish/JetStreamPubAckFormatter.cs b/src/NATS.Server/JetStream/Publish/JetStreamPubAckFormatter.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..565b523
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/NATS.Server/JetStream/Publish/JetStreamPubAckFormatter.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+using System.Text;
+
+namespace NATS.Server.JetStream.Publish;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// Hand-rolled UTF-8 formatter for the common success PubAck case.
+/// Avoids JsonSerializer overhead (~100-200B internal allocations + reflection).
+/// For error/duplicate/batch acks, callers fall back to JsonSerializer.
+/// </summary>
+internal static class JetStreamPubAckFormatter
+{
+    // Pre-encoded UTF-8 fragments for {"stream":"NAME","seq":N}
+    private static readonly byte[] Prefix = "{\"stream\":\""u8.ToArray();
+    private static readonly byte[] SeqField = "\",\"seq\":"u8.ToArray();
+    private static readonly byte[] Suffix = "}"u8.ToArray();
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Formats a success PubAck directly into a span. Returns bytes written.
+    /// Caller must ensure dest is large enough (256 bytes is safe for any stream name).
+    /// </summary>
+    public static int FormatSuccess(Span<byte> dest, string streamName, ulong seq)
+    {
+        var pos = 0;
+        Prefix.CopyTo(dest);
+        pos += Prefix.Length;
+        pos += Encoding.UTF8.GetBytes(streamName, dest[pos..]);
+        SeqField.CopyTo(dest[pos..]);
+        pos += SeqField.Length;
+        seq.TryFormat(dest[pos..], out var written);
+        pos += written;
+        Suffix.CopyTo(dest[pos..]);
+        pos += Suffix.Length;
+        return pos;
+    }
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Returns true if this PubAck is a simple success that can use the fast formatter.
+    /// </summary>
+    public static bool IsSimpleSuccess(PubAck ack)
+        => ack.ErrorCode == null && !ack.Duplicate && ack.BatchId == null;
+}
diff --git a/src/NATS.Server/JetStream/Publish/JetStreamPublisher.cs b/src/NATS.Server/JetStream/Publish/JetStreamPublisher.cs
index 3941499..4c4e2ad 100644
--- a/src/NATS.Server/JetStream/Publish/JetStreamPublisher.cs
+++ b/src/NATS.Server/JetStream/Publish/JetStreamPublisher.cs
@@ -37,8 +37,8 @@ public sealed class JetStreamPublisher
         }
 
         // --- Normal (non-batch) publish path ---
-        var state = stream.Store.GetStateAsync(default).GetAwaiter().GetResult();
-        if (!_preconditions.CheckExpectedLastSeq(options.ExpectedLastSeq, state.LastSeq))
+        // Use cached LastSeq property instead of GetStateAsync to avoid allocation.
+        if (!_preconditions.CheckExpectedLastSeq(options.ExpectedLastSeq, stream.Store.LastSeq))
         {
             ack = new PubAck { ErrorCode = 10071 };
             return true;
@@ -54,7 +54,8 @@ public sealed class JetStreamPublisher
             return true;
         }
 
-        var captured = _streamManager.Capture(subject, payload);
+        // Pass resolved stream to avoid double FindBySubject lookup.
+        var captured = _streamManager.Capture(stream, subject, payload);
         ack = captured ?? new PubAck();
         _preconditions.Record(options.MsgId, ack.Seq);
         _preconditions.TrimOlderThan(stream.Config.DuplicateWindowMs);
@@ -136,15 +137,14 @@ public sealed class JetStreamPublisher
             stream.Config.DuplicateWindowMs,
             staged =>
             {
-                // Check expected last sequence.
+                // Check expected last sequence using cached property.
                 if (staged.ExpectedLastSeq > 0)
                 {
-                    var st = stream.Store.GetStateAsync(default).GetAwaiter().GetResult();
-                    if (st.LastSeq != staged.ExpectedLastSeq)
+                    if (stream.Store.LastSeq != staged.ExpectedLastSeq)
                         return new PubAck { ErrorCode = 10071, Stream = stream.Config.Name };
                 }
 
-                var captured = _streamManager.Capture(staged.Subject, staged.Payload);
+                var captured = _streamManager.Capture(stream, staged.Subject, staged.Payload);
                 return captured ?? new PubAck { Stream = stream.Config.Name };
             });
 
diff --git a/src/NATS.Server/JetStream/Storage/FileStore.cs b/src/NATS.Server/JetStream/Storage/FileStore.cs
index 07c2603..373bc9d 100644
--- a/src/NATS.Server/JetStream/Storage/FileStore.cs
+++ b/src/NATS.Server/JetStream/Storage/FileStore.cs
@@ -28,7 +28,8 @@ public sealed class FileStore : IStreamStore, IAsyncDisposable, IDisposable
     // In-memory cache: keyed by sequence number. This is the primary data structure
     // for reads and queries. The blocks are the on-disk persistence layer.
     private readonly Dictionary<ulong, StoredMessage> _messages = new();
-    private readonly Dictionary<ulong, StoredMessageIndex> _messageIndexes = new();
+    // _messageIndexes removed — all lookups now use _messages directly to avoid
+    // per-message StoredMessageIndex allocation on the write path.
     private readonly Dictionary<string, ulong> _lastSequenceBySubject = new(StringComparer.Ordinal);
 
     // Block-based storage: the active (writable) block and sealed blocks.
@@ -89,6 +90,12 @@ public sealed class FileStore : IStreamStore, IAsyncDisposable, IDisposable
     public int BlockCount => _blocks.Count;
     public bool UsedIndexManifestOnStartup { get; private set; }
 
+    // IStreamStore cached state properties — O(1), maintained incrementally.
+    public ulong LastSeq => _last;
+    public ulong MessageCount => _messageCount;
+    public ulong TotalBytes => _totalBytes;
+    ulong IStreamStore.FirstSeq => _messageCount == 0 ? (_first > 0 ? _first : 0UL) : _firstSeq;
+
     public FileStore(FileStoreOptions options)
     {
         _options = options;
@@ -266,7 +273,6 @@ public sealed class FileStore : IStreamStore, IAsyncDisposable, IDisposable
     public ValueTask RestoreSnapshotAsync(ReadOnlyMemory<byte> snapshot, CancellationToken ct)
     {
         _messages.Clear();
-        _messageIndexes.Clear();
         _lastSequenceBySubject.Clear();
         _last = 0;
         _messageCount = 0;
@@ -415,7 +421,6 @@ public sealed class FileStore : IStreamStore, IAsyncDisposable, IDisposable
     {
         var count = (ulong)_messages.Count;
         _messages.Clear();
-        _messageIndexes.Clear();
         _lastSequenceBySubject.Clear();
         _generation++;
         _last = 0;
@@ -542,7 +547,6 @@ public sealed class FileStore : IStreamStore, IAsyncDisposable, IDisposable
         {
             // Truncate to nothing.
             _messages.Clear();
-            _messageIndexes.Clear();
             _lastSequenceBySubject.Clear();
             _generation++;
             _last = 0;
@@ -845,7 +849,6 @@ public sealed class FileStore : IStreamStore, IAsyncDisposable, IDisposable
     private void TrackMessage(StoredMessage message)
     {
         _messages[message.Sequence] = message;
-        _messageIndexes[message.Sequence] = message.ToIndex();
         _lastSequenceBySubject[message.Subject] = message.Sequence;
         _messageCount++;
         _totalBytes += (ulong)(message.RawHeaders.Length + message.Payload.Length);
@@ -861,8 +864,6 @@ public sealed class FileStore : IStreamStore, IAsyncDisposable, IDisposable
     {
         if (!_messages.Remove(sequence, out var message))
             return false;
-
-        _messageIndexes.Remove(sequence);
         _messageCount--;
         _totalBytes -= (ulong)(message.RawHeaders.Length + message.Payload.Length);
         UpdateLastSequenceForSubject(message.Subject, sequence);
@@ -890,7 +891,7 @@ public sealed class FileStore : IStreamStore, IAsyncDisposable, IDisposable
     private void AdvanceFirstSequence(ulong start)
     {
         var candidate = start;
-        while (!_messageIndexes.ContainsKey(candidate) && candidate <= _last)
+        while (!_messages.ContainsKey(candidate) && candidate <= _last)
             candidate++;
 
         if (candidate <= _last)
@@ -911,7 +912,7 @@ public sealed class FileStore : IStreamStore, IAsyncDisposable, IDisposable
 
         for (var seq = startExclusive - 1; ; seq--)
         {
-            if (_messageIndexes.ContainsKey(seq))
+            if (_messages.ContainsKey(seq))
                 return seq;
 
             if (seq == 0)
@@ -926,7 +927,7 @@ public sealed class FileStore : IStreamStore, IAsyncDisposable, IDisposable
 
         for (var seq = removedSequence - 1; ; seq--)
         {
-            if (_messageIndexes.TryGetValue(seq, out var candidate) && string.Equals(candidate.Subject, subject, StringComparison.Ordinal))
+            if (_messages.TryGetValue(seq, out var candidate) && string.Equals(candidate.Subject, subject, StringComparison.Ordinal))
             {
                 _lastSequenceBySubject[subject] = seq;
                 return;
@@ -941,7 +942,6 @@ public sealed class FileStore : IStreamStore, IAsyncDisposable, IDisposable
 
     private void RebuildIndexesFromMessages()
     {
-        _messageIndexes.Clear();
         _lastSequenceBySubject.Clear();
         _messageCount = 0;
         _totalBytes = 0;
@@ -2317,12 +2317,16 @@ public sealed class FileStore : IStreamStore, IAsyncDisposable, IDisposable
             if (block is null)
                 continue;
 
-            var waited = 0;
-            while (block.PendingWriteSize < CoalesceMinimum && waited < MaxFlushWaitMs)
+            // Go-style exponential backoff: 1→2→4→8ms (vs linear 1ms × 8).
+            var waitMs = 1;
+            var totalWaited = 0;
+            while (block.PendingWriteSize < CoalesceMinimum && totalWaited < MaxFlushWaitMs)
             {
-                try { await Task.Delay(1, ct); }
+                var delay = Math.Min(waitMs, MaxFlushWaitMs - totalWaited);
+                try { await Task.Delay(delay, ct); }
                 catch (OperationCanceledException) { break; }
-                waited++;
+                totalWaited += delay;
+                waitMs *= 2;
             }
 
             block.FlushPending();
diff --git a/src/NATS.Server/JetStream/Storage/IStreamStore.cs b/src/NATS.Server/JetStream/Storage/IStreamStore.cs
index a034a6f..1601897 100644
--- a/src/NATS.Server/JetStream/Storage/IStreamStore.cs
+++ b/src/NATS.Server/JetStream/Storage/IStreamStore.cs
@@ -32,6 +32,13 @@ public interface IStreamStore
     // Existing MemStore/FileStore implementations return this type.
     ValueTask<ApiStreamState> GetStateAsync(CancellationToken ct);
 
+    // Cached state properties — avoid GetStateAsync on the publish hot path.
+    // These are maintained incrementally by FileStore/MemStore and are O(1).
+    ulong LastSeq => throw new NotSupportedException("LastSeq not implemented.");
+    ulong MessageCount => throw new NotSupportedException("MessageCount not implemented.");
+    ulong TotalBytes => throw new NotSupportedException("TotalBytes not implemented.");
+    ulong FirstSeq => throw new NotSupportedException("FirstSeq not implemented.");
+
     // -------------------------------------------------------------------------
     // Go-parity sync interface — mirrors server/store.go StreamStore
     // Default implementations throw NotSupportedException so existing
diff --git a/src/NATS.Server/JetStream/Storage/MemStore.cs b/src/NATS.Server/JetStream/Storage/MemStore.cs
index b141768..750ba46 100644
--- a/src/NATS.Server/JetStream/Storage/MemStore.cs
+++ b/src/NATS.Server/JetStream/Storage/MemStore.cs
@@ -122,6 +122,12 @@ public sealed class MemStore : IStreamStore
         }
     }
 
+    // IStreamStore cached state properties — O(1), maintained incrementally.
+    public ulong LastSeq { get { lock (_gate) return _st.LastSeq; } }
+    public ulong MessageCount { get { lock (_gate) return _st.Msgs; } }
+    public ulong TotalBytes { get { lock (_gate) return _st.Bytes; } }
+    ulong IStreamStore.FirstSeq { get { lock (_gate) return _st.Msgs == 0 ? (_st.FirstSeq > 0 ? _st.FirstSeq : 0UL) : _st.FirstSeq; } }
+
     // -------------------------------------------------------------------------
     // Async helpers (used by existing JetStream layer)
     // -------------------------------------------------------------------------
diff --git a/src/NATS.Server/JetStream/StreamManager.cs b/src/NATS.Server/JetStream/StreamManager.cs
index 82699d0..e0b5a65 100644
--- a/src/NATS.Server/JetStream/StreamManager.cs
+++ b/src/NATS.Server/JetStream/StreamManager.cs
@@ -397,6 +397,11 @@ public sealed class StreamManager : IDisposable
         if (stream == null)
             return null;
 
+        return Capture(stream, subject, payload);
+    }
+
+    public PubAck? Capture(StreamHandle stream, string subject, ReadOnlyMemory<byte> payload)
+    {
         // Go: sealed stream rejects all publishes.
         // Reference: server/stream.go — processJetStreamMsg checks mset.cfg.Sealed.
         if (stream.Config.Sealed)
@@ -414,17 +419,20 @@ public sealed class StreamManager : IDisposable
         // Go: memStoreMsgSize — full message size includes subject + headers + payload + 16 bytes overhead.
         var msgSize = subject.Length + payload.Length + 16;
 
-        var stateBefore = stream.Store.GetStateAsync(default).GetAwaiter().GetResult();
+        // Use cached state properties instead of GetStateAsync to avoid allocation on hot path.
+        var currentMsgCount = stream.Store.MessageCount;
+        var currentBytes = stream.Store.TotalBytes;
+        var currentFirstSeq = stream.Store.FirstSeq;
 
         // Go: DiscardPolicy.New — reject when MaxMsgs reached.
         // Reference: server/stream.go — processJetStreamMsg checks discard new + maxMsgs.
         if (stream.Config.MaxMsgs > 0 && stream.Config.Discard == DiscardPolicy.New
-            && (long)stateBefore.Messages >= stream.Config.MaxMsgs)
+            && (long)currentMsgCount >= stream.Config.MaxMsgs)
         {
             return new PubAck { Stream = stream.Config.Name, ErrorCode = 10054 };
         }
 
-        if (stream.Config.MaxBytes > 0 && (long)stateBefore.Bytes + msgSize > stream.Config.MaxBytes)
+        if (stream.Config.MaxBytes > 0 && (long)currentBytes + msgSize > stream.Config.MaxBytes)
         {
             if (stream.Config.Discard == DiscardPolicy.New)
             {
@@ -435,10 +443,9 @@ public sealed class StreamManager : IDisposable
                 };
             }
 
-            while ((long)stateBefore.Bytes + msgSize > stream.Config.MaxBytes && stateBefore.FirstSeq > 0)
+            while ((long)stream.Store.TotalBytes + msgSize > stream.Config.MaxBytes && stream.Store.FirstSeq > 0)
             {
-                stream.Store.RemoveAsync(stateBefore.FirstSeq, default).GetAwaiter().GetResult();
-                stateBefore = stream.Store.GetStateAsync(default).GetAwaiter().GetResult();
+                stream.Store.RemoveAsync(stream.Store.FirstSeq, default).GetAwaiter().GetResult();
             }
         }
 
diff --git a/src/NATS.Server/NatsServer.cs b/src/NATS.Server/NatsServer.cs
index 87aea24..a8daf14 100644
--- a/src/NATS.Server/NatsServer.cs
+++ b/src/NATS.Server/NatsServer.cs
@@ -1399,8 +1399,19 @@ public sealed class NatsServer : IMessageRouter, ISubListAccess, IDisposable
             // Go reference: server/jetstream.go — jsPubAckResponse sent to reply.
             if (replyTo != null)
             {
-                var ackData = JsonSerializer.SerializeToUtf8Bytes(pubAck, s_jetStreamJsonOptions);
-                ProcessMessage(replyTo, null, default, ackData, sender);
+                if (JetStream.Publish.JetStreamPubAckFormatter.IsSimpleSuccess(pubAck))
+                {
+                    // Fast path: hand-rolled UTF-8 formatter avoids JsonSerializer overhead.
+                    Span<byte> ackBuf = stackalloc byte[256];
+                    var ackLen = JetStream.Publish.JetStreamPubAckFormatter.FormatSuccess(ackBuf, pubAck.Stream, pubAck.Seq);
+                    ProcessMessage(replyTo, null, default, ackBuf[..ackLen].ToArray(), sender);
+                }
+                else
+                {
+                    var ackData = JsonSerializer.SerializeToUtf8Bytes(pubAck, s_jetStreamJsonOptions);
+                    ProcessMessage(replyTo, null, default, ackData, sender);
+                }
+
                 return;
             }
         }