diff --git a/src/components/renderer/LookupButton.tsx b/src/components/renderer/LookupButton.tsx
index 61554a7d..e02a5776 100644
--- a/src/components/renderer/LookupButton.tsx
+++ b/src/components/renderer/LookupButton.tsx
@@ -7,7 +7,6 @@ import MaterialIcon from '../MaterialIcon'
 
 type Props = {
   value: unknown | undefined
-  readOnly: boolean
   validationMessage: string | undefined
   hasMarginTop?: boolean
   isInputButton?: boolean
@@ -17,15 +16,20 @@ type Props = {
 
 function LookupButton({
   value,
-  readOnly,
   validationMessage,
   hasMarginTop,
   isInputButton,
   lookupButtonConfig,
   overrideRequiredMessage,
 }: Props) {
-  const { isLookup, onLookup, isDisabled, isLoading, allowLookupOnEmptyValue } =
-    useLookupNotification(value)
+  const {
+    isLookup,
+    onLookup,
+    isLookupRequestInFlight,
+    isLoading,
+    allowLookupOnEmptyValue,
+    areLookupsDisallowed,
+  } = useLookupNotification(value)
   if (!isLookup) {
     return null
   }
@@ -46,10 +50,11 @@ function LookupButton({
       )}
       onClick={() => onLookup()}
       disabled={
-        // Element-level readOnly only disables the button. Auto-lookups still
-        // run from LookupNotification when the field is locked but has a value.
-        readOnly ||
-        isDisabled ||
+        // Deliberately not the element's own `readOnly` flag: a locked field
+        // populated by a previous lookup still needs its button to run the
+        // next lookup in the chain.
+        areLookupsDisallowed ||
+        isLookupRequestInFlight ||
         isLoading ||
         (isEmptyValue && !allowLookupOnEmptyValue) ||
         (!isEmptyValue &&
diff --git a/src/components/renderer/LookupNotification.tsx b/src/components/renderer/LookupNotification.tsx
index a498b895..29602b6a 100644
--- a/src/components/renderer/LookupNotification.tsx
+++ b/src/components/renderer/LookupNotification.tsx
@@ -59,7 +59,8 @@ function LookupNotificationComponent({
   const [hasLookupFailed, setHasLookupFailed] = React.useState(false)
   const [hasLookupSucceeded, setHasLookupSucceeded] = React.useState(false)
   const [isCancellable, setIsCancellable] = React.useState(false)
-  const [isDisabled, setIsDisabled] = React.useState(false)
+  const [isLookupRequestInFlight, setIsLookupRequestInFlight] =
+    React.useState(false)
   const [lookupErrorHTML, setLookupErrorHTML] = React.useState<string | null>(
     null,
   )
@@ -174,6 +175,15 @@ function LookupNotificationComponent({
     [element, injectPagesAfter, onLookup],
   )
 
+  // Definition-level `readOnly` must not suppress lookups for a submitter:
+  // prefills and defaults still need to populate related fields, and a locked
+  // field can still be the input to a chained lookup. Approver locks are
+  // different. Re-running a lookup from an existing submitted value could
+  // overwrite persisted answers merely by opening the review, so only approver
+  // editable elements may run one.
+  const areLookupsDisallowed =
+    formIsReadOnly || isElementReadOnlyForAudience(element, audience)
+
   const isNotStaticLookup = React.useMemo(() => {
     return (
       (formElementDataLookup && formElementDataLookup.type !== 'STATIC_DATA') ||
@@ -186,15 +196,7 @@ function LookupNotificationComponent({
     LookupNotificationContextValue['onLookup']
   >(
     async ({ newValue, abortController, continueLookupOnAbort }) => {
-      // Definition-level `readOnly` must not suppress auto-lookups for a
-      // submitter: prefills and defaults still need to populate related
-      // fields. Approver locks are different. Re-running a lookup from an
-      // existing submitted value could overwrite persisted answers merely by
-      // opening the review, so only approver-editable elements may run one.
-      if (
-        formIsReadOnly ||
-        isElementReadOnlyForAudience(element, audience)
-      ) {
+      if (areLookupsDisallowed) {
         return
       }
 
@@ -205,7 +207,7 @@ function LookupNotificationComponent({
         return
       }
 
-      setIsDisabled(true)
+      setIsLookupRequestInFlight(true)
       setIsCancellable(false)
       setHasLookupFailed(false)
       setHasLookupSucceeded(false)
@@ -290,19 +292,18 @@ function LookupNotificationComponent({
       } finally {
         clearTimeout(isCancellableTimeout)
         if (isMounted.current) {
-          setIsDisabled(false)
+          setIsLookupRequestInFlight(false)
           setOnCancelLookup(undefined)
         }
       }
     },
     [
-      audience,
       definition,
       element,
       excludeDefinition,
       formElementDataLookup,
       formElementElementLookup,
-      formIsReadOnly,
+      areLookupsDisallowed,
       isMounted,
       isNotStaticLookup,
       isOffline,
@@ -367,13 +368,21 @@ function LookupNotificationComponent({
   const contextValue = React.useMemo(
     () => ({
       isLookup: true,
-      isDisabled,
+      isLookupRequestInFlight,
       isLoading,
       onLookup: triggerLookup,
       allowLookupOnEmptyValue: runLookupOnClear,
       isLookingUp,
+      areLookupsDisallowed,
     }),
-    [isDisabled, isLoading, runLookupOnClear, triggerLookup, isLookingUp],
+    [
+      isLookupRequestInFlight,
+      isLoading,
+      runLookupOnClear,
+      triggerLookup,
+      isLookingUp,
+      areLookupsDisallowed,
+    ],
   )
 
   return (
@@ -444,7 +453,7 @@ function LookupNotificationComponent({
                             'fade-in button is-primary ob-lookup__retry-button cypress-retry-lookup-button has-margin-top-8',
                           )}
                           onClick={() => retryLookup()}
-                          disabled={isDisabled || isLoading}
+                          disabled={isLookupRequestInFlight || isLoading}
                           aria-label="lookup-retry-button"
                         >
                           <span></span>
diff --git a/src/form-elements/FormElementABN.tsx b/src/form-elements/FormElementABN.tsx
index cd2bba12..39d74d19 100644
--- a/src/form-elements/FormElementABN.tsx
+++ b/src/form-elements/FormElementABN.tsx
@@ -268,7 +268,6 @@ function FormElementABN({
             </div>
           )}
           <LookupButton
-            readOnly={readOnly}
             isInputButton
             value={value}
             validationMessage={validationMessage}
diff --git a/src/form-elements/FormElementBSB.tsx b/src/form-elements/FormElementBSB.tsx
index 4deedcd3..9a443b87 100644
--- a/src/form-elements/FormElementBSB.tsx
+++ b/src/form-elements/FormElementBSB.tsx
@@ -196,7 +196,6 @@ function FormElementBSB({
             </div>
           )}
           <LookupButton
-            readOnly={readOnly}
             isInputButton
             value={value}
             validationMessage={validationMessage}
diff --git a/src/form-elements/FormElementBarcodeScanner.tsx b/src/form-elements/FormElementBarcodeScanner.tsx
index 4a37d17d..074a7aee 100644
--- a/src/form-elements/FormElementBarcodeScanner.tsx
+++ b/src/form-elements/FormElementBarcodeScanner.tsx
@@ -163,7 +163,6 @@ function FormElementBarcodeScanner({
                 </div>
               )}
               <LookupButton
-                readOnly={readOnly}
                 isInputButton
                 value={value}
                 validationMessage={validationMessage}
diff --git a/src/form-elements/FormElementCheckBoxes.tsx b/src/form-elements/FormElementCheckBoxes.tsx
index 949f7ef5..8981606e 100644
--- a/src/form-elements/FormElementCheckBoxes.tsx
+++ b/src/form-elements/FormElementCheckBoxes.tsx
@@ -211,7 +211,6 @@ function FormElementCheckboxes({
           )}
 
           <LookupButton
-            readOnly={readOnly}
             hasMarginTop
             value={value}
             validationMessage={validationMessage}
diff --git a/src/form-elements/FormElementDate.tsx b/src/form-elements/FormElementDate.tsx
index 87be5d40..905ab3e7 100644
--- a/src/form-elements/FormElementDate.tsx
+++ b/src/form-elements/FormElementDate.tsx
@@ -131,7 +131,6 @@ function FormElementDate({
             </div>
           )}
           <LookupButton
-            readOnly={readOnly}
             isInputButton
             value={value}
             validationMessage={validationMessage}
diff --git a/src/form-elements/FormElementDateTime.tsx b/src/form-elements/FormElementDateTime.tsx
index 1485103e..d2ed2701 100644
--- a/src/form-elements/FormElementDateTime.tsx
+++ b/src/form-elements/FormElementDateTime.tsx
@@ -122,7 +122,6 @@ function FormElementDateTime({
             </div>
           )}
           <LookupButton
-            readOnly={readOnly}
             isInputButton
             value={value}
             validationMessage={validationMessage}
diff --git a/src/form-elements/FormElementEmail.tsx b/src/form-elements/FormElementEmail.tsx
index 217feba0..fe90ac34 100644
--- a/src/form-elements/FormElementEmail.tsx
+++ b/src/form-elements/FormElementEmail.tsx
@@ -81,7 +81,6 @@ function FormElementEmail({
             </div>
           )}
           <LookupButton
-            readOnly={readOnly}
             isInputButton
             value={value}
             validationMessage={validationMessage}
diff --git a/src/form-elements/FormElementLookupButton.tsx b/src/form-elements/FormElementLookupButton.tsx
index ceb44e92..d90dc13b 100644
--- a/src/form-elements/FormElementLookupButton.tsx
+++ b/src/form-elements/FormElementLookupButton.tsx
@@ -120,7 +120,6 @@ function FormElementLookupButton({
           required={false}
         >
           <LookupButton
-            readOnly={readOnly}
             value={value}
             validationMessage={validationMessage}
             lookupButtonConfig={element.lookupButton}
diff --git a/src/form-elements/FormElementNumber.tsx b/src/form-elements/FormElementNumber.tsx
index a67a160c..e60d52ef 100644
--- a/src/form-elements/FormElementNumber.tsx
+++ b/src/form-elements/FormElementNumber.tsx
@@ -116,7 +116,6 @@ function FormElementNumber({
               </div>
             )}
             <LookupButton
-              readOnly={readOnly}
               isInputButton
               value={value}
               validationMessage={validationMessage}
diff --git a/src/form-elements/FormElementSelect.tsx b/src/form-elements/FormElementSelect.tsx
index bd0b71bf..a65d5532 100644
--- a/src/form-elements/FormElementSelect.tsx
+++ b/src/form-elements/FormElementSelect.tsx
@@ -148,7 +148,6 @@ function FormElementSelect({
               </select>
 
               <LookupButton
-                readOnly={readOnly}
                 hasMarginTop
                 value={value}
                 validationMessage={validationMessage}
diff --git a/src/form-elements/FormElementTelephone.tsx b/src/form-elements/FormElementTelephone.tsx
index cbdae177..50475053 100644
--- a/src/form-elements/FormElementTelephone.tsx
+++ b/src/form-elements/FormElementTelephone.tsx
@@ -82,7 +82,6 @@ function FormElementTelephone({
             </div>
           )}
           <LookupButton
-            readOnly={readOnly}
             isInputButton
             value={value}
             validationMessage={validationMessage}
diff --git a/src/form-elements/FormElementText.tsx b/src/form-elements/FormElementText.tsx
index 979d935b..06b05439 100644
--- a/src/form-elements/FormElementText.tsx
+++ b/src/form-elements/FormElementText.tsx
@@ -78,7 +78,6 @@ function FormElementText({
             </div>
           )}
           <LookupButton
-            readOnly={readOnly}
             isInputButton
             value={value}
             validationMessage={validationMessage}
diff --git a/src/form-elements/FormElementTextarea.tsx b/src/form-elements/FormElementTextarea.tsx
index a69a116d..21c21c68 100644
--- a/src/form-elements/FormElementTextarea.tsx
+++ b/src/form-elements/FormElementTextarea.tsx
@@ -118,7 +118,6 @@ function FormElementTextarea({
             )}
             {isDisplayingLookupButton && (
               <LookupButton
-                readOnly={readOnly}
                 value={value}
                 validationMessage={validationMessage}
                 lookupButtonConfig={element.lookupButton}
diff --git a/src/form-elements/FormElementTime.tsx b/src/form-elements/FormElementTime.tsx
index 79151717..f2c82af4 100644
--- a/src/form-elements/FormElementTime.tsx
+++ b/src/form-elements/FormElementTime.tsx
@@ -107,7 +107,6 @@ function FormElementTime({
             </div>
           )}
           <LookupButton
-            readOnly={readOnly}
             isInputButton
             value={value}
             validationMessage={validationMessage}
diff --git a/src/hooks/useLookupNotification.ts b/src/hooks/useLookupNotification.ts
index a9ca5204..2e9349a9 100644
--- a/src/hooks/useLookupNotification.ts
+++ b/src/hooks/useLookupNotification.ts
@@ -2,9 +2,19 @@ import * as React from 'react'
 
 export type LookupNotificationContextValue = {
   isLookup: boolean
-  isDisabled: boolean
+  /**
+   * A lookup HTTP request is in flight. Used to disable lookup/retry buttons
+   * so a second request cannot be started until the current one finishes.
+   */
+  isLookupRequestInFlight: boolean
   isLoading: boolean
   allowLookupOnEmptyValue: boolean
+  /**
+   * Lookups must not run for this element, e.g. a read-only form or a field
+   * an approver cannot edit. The lookup button is disabled and `onLookup` is
+   * a no-op.
+   */
+  areLookupsDisallowed: boolean
   onLookup: (options: {
     newValue: unknown
     abortController: AbortController
@@ -15,9 +25,10 @@ export type LookupNotificationContextValue = {
 
 const defaultContext = {
   isLookup: false,
-  isDisabled: false,
+  isLookupRequestInFlight: false,
   isLoading: false,
   allowLookupOnEmptyValue: false,
+  areLookupsDisallowed: false,
   onLookup: async () => undefined,
   isLookingUp: false,
 }