diff --git a/src/main/java/puzzle/Export.java b/src/main/java/puzzle/Export.java
index 1de8d19..60a310e 100644
--- a/src/main/java/puzzle/Export.java
+++ b/src/main/java/puzzle/Export.java
@@ -100,7 +100,7 @@ public record Export() {
       public String[] clue() { return lemma.clue(); }
    }
    
-   public record ExportedPuzzle(List<String> gridv2, WordOut[] words, int difficulty, Rewards rewards) { }
+   public record ExportedPuzzle(String[] gridv2, WordOut[] words, int difficulty, Rewards rewards) { }
    
    public record PuzzleResult(SwedishGenerator swe, Dict dict, Gridded mask, FillResult filled) {
       
@@ -154,13 +154,14 @@ public record Export() {
          
          // If nothing placed: return full grid mapped to letters/# only
          if (placed.isEmpty()) {
-            var gridv2 = new ArrayList<String>(R);
+            var gridv2 = new String[R];
             for (var r = 0; r < R; r++) {
                var sb = new StringBuilder(C);
                for (var c = 0; c < C; c++) {
-                  sb.append(g.isLetterSet(r, c) ? (char) g.byteAt(Grid.offset(r, c)) : '#');
+                  int idx = Grid.offset(r, c);
+                  sb.append(g.isLetterSet(idx) ? (char) g.byteAt(idx) : '#');
                }
-               gridv2.add(sb.toString());
+               gridv2[r] = sb.toString();
             }
             return new ExportedPuzzle(gridv2, new WordOut[0], difficulty, rewards);
          }
@@ -187,8 +188,8 @@ public record Export() {
          var letterAt = new HashMap<Long, Character>();
          for (var p : placed) {
             for (var c : p.cells) {
-               int rr = Grid.r(c), cc = Grid.c(c);
-               int idx = Grid.offset(rr,cc);
+               int rr  = Grid.r(c), cc = Grid.c(c);
+               int idx = Grid.offset(rr, cc);
                if (inBounds(rr, cc) && g.isLetterSet(idx)) {
                   letterAt.put(Bit.pack(rr, cc), (char) g.byteAt(idx));
                }
@@ -196,13 +197,13 @@ public record Export() {
          }
          
          // 4) render gridv2 over cropped bounds (out-of-bounds become '#')
-         var gridv2 = new ArrayList<String>(Math.max(0, maxR - minR + 1));
-         for (var r = minR; r <= maxR; r++) {
+         var gridv2 = new String[Math.max(0, maxR - minR + 1)];
+         for (int r = minR, i = 0; r <= maxR; r++, i++) {
             var row = new StringBuilder(Math.max(0, maxC - minC + 1));
             for (var c = minC; c <= maxC; c++) {
                row.append(letterAt.getOrDefault(Bit.pack(r, c), '#'));
             }
-            gridv2.add(row.toString());
+            gridv2[i] = row.toString();
          }
          
          // 5) words output with cropped coordinates
diff --git a/src/main/java/puzzle/Main.java b/src/main/java/puzzle/Main.java
index 5794184..5d08a37 100644
--- a/src/main/java/puzzle/Main.java
+++ b/src/main/java/puzzle/Main.java
@@ -387,9 +387,9 @@ public class Main {
       sb.append("    \"hints\": ").append(puzzle.rewards().hints()).append("\n");
       sb.append("  },\n");
       sb.append("  \"gridv2\": [\n");
-      for (var i = 0; i < puzzle.gridv2().size(); i++) {
-         sb.append("    \"").append(escapeJson(puzzle.gridv2().get(i))).append("\"");
-         if (i < puzzle.gridv2().size() - 1) sb.append(",");
+      for (var i = 0; i < puzzle.gridv2().length; i++) {
+         sb.append("    \"").append(escapeJson(puzzle.gridv2()[i])).append("\"");
+         if (i < puzzle.gridv2().length - 1) sb.append(",");
          sb.append("\n");
       }
       sb.append("  ],\n");
diff --git a/src/test/java/puzzle/ExportFormatTest.java b/src/test/java/puzzle/ExportFormatTest.java
index 291bc24..0d0571d 100644
--- a/src/test/java/puzzle/ExportFormatTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/puzzle/ExportFormatTest.java
@@ -71,8 +71,8 @@ public class ExportFormatTest {
       // letterAt only contains letters from placed words.
       // arrow cells are NOT in letterAt unless they are also part of a word (unlikely).
       // So (0,0) should be '#'
-      assertEquals(1, exported.gridv2().size());
-      assertEquals("#TEST", exported.gridv2().get(0));
+      assertEquals(1, exported.gridv2().length);
+      assertEquals("#TEST", exported.gridv2()[0]);
    }
    
    @Test
@@ -87,7 +87,7 @@ public class ExportFormatTest {
       assertNotNull(exported);
       assertEquals(0, exported.words().length);
       // Should return full grid with '#'
-      assertEquals(R, exported.gridv2().size());
+      assertEquals(R, exported.gridv2().length);
       for (var row : exported.gridv2()) {
          assertEquals(C, row.length());
          assertTrue(row.matches("#+"));