diff --git a/packages/ui/src/components/views/FilesView.tsx b/packages/ui/src/components/views/FilesView.tsx
index 63a6e0c9..d788584d 100644
--- a/packages/ui/src/components/views/FilesView.tsx
+++ b/packages/ui/src/components/views/FilesView.tsx
@@ -811,9 +811,10 @@ export const FilesView: React.FC<FilesViewProps> = ({ mode = 'full' }) => {
   const selectedPath = useFilesViewTabsStore((state) => (root ? (state.byRoot[root]?.selectedPath ?? null) : null));
   const expandedPaths = useFilesViewTabsStore((state) => (root ? (state.byRoot[root]?.expandedPaths ?? EMPTY_PATHS) : EMPTY_PATHS));
   const addOpenPath = useFilesViewTabsStore((state) => state.addOpenPath);
-  const removeOpenPath = useFilesViewTabsStore((state) => state.removeOpenPath);
-  const removeOpenPathsByPrefix = useFilesViewTabsStore((state) => state.removeOpenPathsByPrefix);
-  const setSelectedPath = useFilesViewTabsStore((state) => state.setSelectedPath);
+  const removeOpenPath = useFilesViewTabsStore((state) => state.removeOpenPath);
+  const removeOpenPathsByPrefix = useFilesViewTabsStore((state) => state.removeOpenPathsByPrefix);
+  const removeExpandedPathsByPrefix = useFilesViewTabsStore((state) => state.removeExpandedPathsByPrefix);
+  const setSelectedPath = useFilesViewTabsStore((state) => state.setSelectedPath);
   const toggleExpandedPath = useFilesViewTabsStore((state) => state.toggleExpandedPath);
   const expandPaths = useFilesViewTabsStore((state) => state.expandPaths);
 
@@ -1203,12 +1204,22 @@ export const FilesView: React.FC<FilesViewProps> = ({ mode = 'full' }) => {
           return;
         }
 
-        const message = error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error ?? '');
-        console.error('Failed to load files directory:', error);
-        setLoadErrorsByDir((prev) => ({
-          ...prev,
-          [normalizedDir]: message,
-        }));
+        const message = error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error ?? '');
+        if (message === 'Directory not found' && root && normalizedDir !== root) {
+          removeExpandedPathsByPrefix(root, normalizedDir);
+          setLoadErrorsByDir((prev) => {
+            if (!prev[normalizedDir]) return prev;
+            const next = { ...prev };
+            delete next[normalizedDir];
+            return next;
+          });
+          return;
+        }
+        console.error('Failed to load files directory:', error);
+        setLoadErrorsByDir((prev) => ({
+          ...prev,
+          [normalizedDir]: message,
+        }));
       })
       .finally(() => {
         if (!isCurrentRequest()) {
@@ -1220,7 +1231,7 @@ export const FilesView: React.FC<FilesViewProps> = ({ mode = 'full' }) => {
         inFlightDirsRef.current = new Set(inFlightDirsRef.current);
         inFlightDirsRef.current.delete(normalizedDir);
       });
-  }, [files, mapDirectoryEntries]);
+  }, [files, mapDirectoryEntries, removeExpandedPathsByPrefix, root]);
 
   const refreshRoot = React.useCallback(async () => {
     if (!root) {
diff --git a/packages/ui/src/stores/useFilesViewTabsStore.test.ts b/packages/ui/src/stores/useFilesViewTabsStore.test.ts
index 11472c07..d08df0f6 100644
--- a/packages/ui/src/stores/useFilesViewTabsStore.test.ts
+++ b/packages/ui/src/stores/useFilesViewTabsStore.test.ts
@@ -28,4 +28,23 @@ describe('useFilesViewTabsStore', () => {
 
     expect(useFilesViewTabsStore.getState().byRoot[root]?.expandedPaths).toEqual(['/repo/src']);
   });
+
+  test('removes stale expanded paths by prefix without closing files', () => {
+    const root = '/repo';
+    const store = useFilesViewTabsStore.getState();
+
+    store.addOpenPath(root, '/repo/src/index.ts');
+    store.expandPaths(root, [
+      '/repo/src',
+      '/repo/bun test packages',
+      '/repo/bun test packages/web',
+      '/repo/other',
+    ]);
+
+    store.removeExpandedPathsByPrefix(root, '/repo/bun test packages');
+
+    const state = useFilesViewTabsStore.getState().byRoot[root];
+    expect(state?.openPaths).toEqual(['/repo/src/index.ts']);
+    expect(state?.expandedPaths).toEqual(['/repo/src', '/repo/other']);
+  });
 });
diff --git a/packages/ui/src/stores/useFilesViewTabsStore.ts b/packages/ui/src/stores/useFilesViewTabsStore.ts
index 66e43c59..1f391cf0 100644
--- a/packages/ui/src/stores/useFilesViewTabsStore.ts
+++ b/packages/ui/src/stores/useFilesViewTabsStore.ts
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ type FilesViewTabsActions = {
   addOpenPath: (root: string, path: string, options?: { allowOutsideRoot?: boolean }) => void;
   removeOpenPath: (root: string, path: string) => void;
   removeOpenPathsByPrefix: (root: string, prefixPath: string) => void;
+  removeExpandedPathsByPrefix: (root: string, prefixPath: string) => void;
   setSelectedPath: (root: string, path: string | null, options?: { allowOutsideRoot?: boolean }) => void;
   ensureSelectedPath: (root: string) => void;
   toggleExpandedPath: (root: string, path: string) => void;
@@ -270,6 +271,43 @@ export const useFilesViewTabsStore = create<FilesViewTabsStore>()(
           });
         },
 
+        removeExpandedPathsByPrefix: (root, prefixPath) => {
+          const normalizedRoot = normalizePath((root || '').trim());
+          const normalizedPrefix = normalizePath((prefixPath || '').trim());
+          if (!normalizedRoot || !normalizedPrefix) {
+            return;
+          }
+
+          set((state) => {
+            const current = state.byRoot[normalizedRoot];
+            if (!current) {
+              return state;
+            }
+
+            const comparablePrefix = toComparablePath(normalizedPrefix);
+            const comparablePrefixWithSlash = comparablePrefix.endsWith('/') ? comparablePrefix : `${comparablePrefix}/`;
+            const expandedPaths = current.expandedPaths.filter((candidate) => {
+              const comparablePath = toComparablePath(candidate);
+              return comparablePath !== comparablePrefix && !comparablePath.startsWith(comparablePrefixWithSlash);
+            });
+
+            if (expandedPaths.length === current.expandedPaths.length) {
+              return state;
+            }
+
+            const byRoot = {
+              ...state.byRoot,
+              [normalizedRoot]: {
+                ...current,
+                expandedPaths,
+                touchedAt: Date.now(),
+              },
+            };
+
+            return { byRoot: clampRoots(byRoot, 20) };
+          });
+        },
+
         setSelectedPath: (root, path, options) => {
           const normalizedRoot = normalizePath((root || '').trim());
           const normalizedPath = path ? normalizePath(path.trim()) : null;
diff --git a/packages/ui/src/sync/session-actions.test.ts b/packages/ui/src/sync/session-actions.test.ts
index 4c462bd5..a9115409 100644
--- a/packages/ui/src/sync/session-actions.test.ts
+++ b/packages/ui/src/sync/session-actions.test.ts
@@ -220,6 +220,21 @@ function createChildStores(entries: Array<[string, StoreApi<DirectoryStore>]>) {
   } as unknown as import("./child-store").ChildStoreManager
 }
 
+describe("fetchMessagesForSession startup race", () => {
+  test("does not reject before sync action refs are initialized", async () => {
+    const { fetchMessagesForSession } = await import("./session-actions")
+
+    let error: unknown = null
+    try {
+      await fetchMessagesForSession("session-a", "/test/project")
+    } catch (err) {
+      error = err
+    }
+
+    expect(error).toBe(null)
+  })
+})
+
 describe("shareSession live state", () => {
   beforeEach(() => {
     replyCalls.length = 0
diff --git a/packages/ui/src/sync/session-actions.ts b/packages/ui/src/sync/session-actions.ts
index 3055f336..66789135 100644
--- a/packages/ui/src/sync/session-actions.ts
+++ b/packages/ui/src/sync/session-actions.ts
@@ -1126,19 +1126,19 @@ export async function fetchMessagesForSession(sessionID: string, directory?: str
   const resolvedDir = directory ?? dir()
   if (!resolvedDir) return
 
-  const s = sdk()
-  const store = directory
-    ? dirStoreForDirectory(directory)
-    : dirStore()
-
-  if (getSessionMaterializationStatus(store.getState(), sessionID).renderable) return
-
   const loadingKey = `${resolvedDir}:${sessionID}`
   if (FETCH_MESSAGES_LOADING.has(loadingKey)) return
 
   FETCH_MESSAGES_LOADING.add(loadingKey)
 
   try {
+    const s = sdk()
+    const store = directory
+      ? dirStoreForDirectory(directory)
+      : dirStore()
+
+    if (getSessionMaterializationStatus(store.getState(), sessionID).renderable) return
+
     const result = await retry(async () => {
       const response = await s.session.messages({
         sessionID,