diff --git a/glances/plugins/processlist/__init__.py b/glances/plugins/processlist/__init__.py
index 2e084490..5bd4597f 100644
--- a/glances/plugins/processlist/__init__.py
+++ b/glances/plugins/processlist/__init__.py
@@ -122,6 +122,9 @@ class ProcesslistPlugin(GlancesPluginModel):
     stats is a list
     """
 
+    # True between a refresh and the first read of the views, see update_views()
+    _views_pending = False
+
     # Default list of processes stats to be grabbed / displayed
     # Can be altered by glances_processes.disable_stats
     enable_stats = [
@@ -259,6 +262,34 @@ class ProcesslistPlugin(GlancesPluginModel):
 
         return self.stats
 
+    def update_views(self):
+        """Note that the views are out of date, without building them.
+
+        The list holds every process on the machine, while the UI shows a few dozen rows and
+        msg_curse() builds its own decorations rather than reading the views. Only the API
+        asks for them, so building them on every refresh is work nobody collects.
+        """
+        self._views_pending = True
+        self.views = {}
+        return self.views
+
+    def get_views(self, item=None, key=None, option=None):
+        """Build the views if the last refresh left them pending, then answer as usual."""
+        if self._views_pending:
+            self._views_pending = False
+            super().update_views()
+        return super().get_views(item=item, key=key, option=option)
+
+    def set_views(self, input_views):
+        """Views handed to us replace whatever a pending build would have produced."""
+        self._views_pending = False
+        super().set_views(input_views)
+
+    def reset_views(self):
+        """A reset must stay reset; without this the next read would rebuild them."""
+        self._views_pending = False
+        super().reset_views()
+
     def get_api(self):
         """Return the sorted processes list for the API."""
         return glances_processes.get_list(sorted=True)
diff --git a/tests/test_lazy_views.py b/tests/test_lazy_views.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..1815d929
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_lazy_views.py
@@ -0,0 +1,75 @@
+"""Tests for the lazily built process views."""
+
+import json
+
+import pytest
+
+
+def make_process(pid):
+    return {
+        'pid': pid,
+        'key': 'pid',
+        'name': f'proc{pid}',
+        'cmdline': [f'proc{pid}'],
+        'username': 'someone',
+        'status': 'S',
+        'nice': 0,
+        'num_threads': 1,
+        'cpu_percent': 0.0,
+        'memory_percent': 0.1,
+        'memory_info': {'rss': 1024, 'vms': 2048},
+        'cpu_times': {'user': 1.0, 'system': 1.0},
+        'io_counters': [0, 0, 0, 0, 0],
+        'time_since_update': 1.0,
+    }
+
+
+@pytest.fixture
+def plugin(glances_stats):
+    """The shared processlist plugin, fed a fixed list and put back afterwards.
+
+    Building a plugin here instead would write Mock attributes into the glances_processes
+    singleton and break every later test that reads it.
+    """
+    p = glances_stats.get_plugin('processlist')
+    saved = (p.stats, p.views, getattr(p, '_views_pending', False))
+    p.stats = [make_process(pid) for pid in range(10)]
+    yield p
+    p.stats, p.views, pending = saved
+    p._views_pending = pending
+
+
+def test_refresh_builds_nothing(plugin):
+    plugin.update_views()
+    assert plugin.views == {}
+
+
+def test_first_read_builds_the_views(plugin):
+    plugin.update_views()
+    views = plugin.get_views()
+    assert views[4]['cpu_percent']['decoration'] is not None
+    assert len(views) == 10
+
+
+def test_second_read_reuses_the_built_views(plugin):
+    plugin.update_views()
+    first = plugin.get_views()
+    assert plugin.get_views() is first
+
+
+def test_json_contains_every_process(plugin):
+    plugin.update_views()
+    assert len(json.loads(plugin.get_json_views())) == 10
+
+
+def test_reset_stays_reset(plugin):
+    """Without clearing the pending flag the next read would rebuild what was reset."""
+    plugin.update_views()
+    plugin.reset_views()
+    assert plugin.get_views() == {}
+
+
+def test_set_views_is_not_overwritten(plugin):
+    plugin.update_views()
+    plugin.set_views({'given': 'by the server'})
+    assert plugin.get_views() == {'given': 'by the server'}