diff --git a/rts/Game/UI/KeyBindings.cpp b/rts/Game/UI/KeyBindings.cpp
index 9bafd6ca54..b9f89bba16 100644
--- a/rts/Game/UI/KeyBindings.cpp
+++ b/rts/Game/UI/KeyBindings.cpp
@@ -269,6 +269,7 @@ void CKeyBindings::Init()
 	keyChainTimeout = 750;
 
 	buildHotkeyMap = true;
+	hotkeysDirty = false;
 	debugEnabled = false;
 
 	codeBindings.reserve(32);
@@ -611,6 +612,7 @@ void CKeyBindings::AddActionToKeyMap(KeyMap& bindings, Action& action)
 		ActionList& al = bindings[ks];
 		action.bindingIndex = ++bindingsCount;
 		al.push_back(action);
+		hotkeysDirty = true;
 	} else {
 		ActionList& al = it->second;
 		assert(it->first == ks);
@@ -624,6 +626,7 @@ void CKeyBindings::AddActionToKeyMap(KeyMap& bindings, Action& action)
 			// not yet bound, push it
 			action.bindingIndex = ++bindingsCount;
 			al.push_back(action);
+			hotkeysDirty = true;
 		}
 	}
 }
@@ -683,6 +686,9 @@ bool CKeyBindings::UnBind(const std::string& keystr, const std::string& command)
 	if (al.empty())
 		bindings.erase(it);
 
+	if (success)
+		hotkeysDirty = true;
+
 	return success;
 }
 
@@ -707,6 +713,7 @@ bool CKeyBindings::UnBindKeyset(const std::string& keystr)
 		return false;
 
 	bindings.erase(it);
+	hotkeysDirty = true;
 	return true;
 }
 
@@ -740,7 +747,12 @@ bool CKeyBindings::UnBindAction(const std::string& command)
 	RECOIL_DETAILED_TRACY_ZONE;
 	if (debugEnabled)
 		LOG("[CKeyBindings::%s] command=%s", __func__, command.c_str());
-	return RemoveActionFromKeyMap(command, codeBindings) || RemoveActionFromKeyMap(command, scanBindings);
+	const bool changed = RemoveActionFromKeyMap(command, codeBindings) || RemoveActionFromKeyMap(command, scanBindings);
+
+	if (changed)
+		hotkeysDirty = true;
+
+	return changed;
 }
 
 
@@ -824,6 +836,7 @@ void CKeyBindings::LoadDefaults()
 	}
 
 	buildHotkeyMap = tmpBuildHotkeyMap;
+	MaybeRebuildHotkeyMap();
 }
 
 
@@ -930,6 +943,7 @@ bool CKeyBindings::ExecuteCommand(const std::string& line)
 		keyCodes.Reset();
 		scanCodes.Reset();
 		bindingsCount = 0;
+		hotkeysDirty = true;
 		Bind("enter", "chat"); // bare minimum
 
 		if (debugEnabled)
@@ -939,8 +953,7 @@ bool CKeyBindings::ExecuteCommand(const std::string& line)
 		return false;
 	}
 
-	if (buildHotkeyMap)
-		BuildHotkeyMap();
+	MaybeRebuildHotkeyMap();
 
 	return false;
 }
@@ -979,11 +992,25 @@ bool CKeyBindings::Load(const std::string& filename)
 	loadStack.pop_back();
 
 	buildHotkeyMap = tmpBuildHotkeyMap;
+	MaybeRebuildHotkeyMap();
 
 	return true;
 }
 
 
+void CKeyBindings::MaybeRebuildHotkeyMap()
+{
+	RECOIL_DETAILED_TRACY_ZONE;
+	// buildHotkeyMap is false only while suppressed inside a batch load, so the
+	// outermost op rebuilds once; hotkeysDirty skips ops that changed nothing.
+	if (!buildHotkeyMap || !hotkeysDirty)
+		return;
+
+	BuildHotkeyMap();
+	hotkeysDirty = false;
+}
+
+
 void CKeyBindings::BuildHotkeyMap()
 {
 	RECOIL_DETAILED_TRACY_ZONE;
diff --git a/rts/Game/UI/KeyBindings.h b/rts/Game/UI/KeyBindings.h
index 04260a7993..24eb62ca5f 100644
--- a/rts/Game/UI/KeyBindings.h
+++ b/rts/Game/UI/KeyBindings.h
@@ -58,6 +58,9 @@ class CKeyBindings : public CommandReceiver
 
 	protected:
 		void BuildHotkeyMap();
+		// Rebuilds the reverse cache once per outermost op, and only if bindings
+		// actually changed (buildHotkeyMap gates batch nesting, hotkeysDirty the change).
+		void MaybeRebuildHotkeyMap();
 		void DebugActionList(const ActionList& actionList) const;
 
 		void AddActionToKeyMap(KeyMap& bindings, Action& action);
@@ -91,6 +94,7 @@ class CKeyBindings : public CommandReceiver
 		int keyChainTimeout = 750;
 
 		bool buildHotkeyMap = true;
+		bool hotkeysDirty = false;
 		bool debugEnabled = false;
 };