diff --git a/packages/ui/src/components/chat/CommandAutocomplete.tsx b/packages/ui/src/components/chat/CommandAutocomplete.tsx
index 6cf85536..355eca35 100644
--- a/packages/ui/src/components/chat/CommandAutocomplete.tsx
+++ b/packages/ui/src/components/chat/CommandAutocomplete.tsx
@@ -1,8 +1,9 @@
 import React from 'react';
 import { cn, fuzzyMatch } from '@/lib/utils';
 import { useSessionUIStore } from '@/sync/session-ui-store';
-import { useCommandsStore } from '@/stores/useCommandsStore';
-import { useSkillsStore } from '@/stores/useSkillsStore';
+import { selectCommandsForDirectory, useCommandsStore } from '@/stores/useCommandsStore';
+import { selectSkillsForDirectory, useSkillsStore } from '@/stores/useSkillsStore';
+import { useEffectiveDirectory } from '@/hooks/useEffectiveDirectory';
 import { ScrollableOverlay } from '@/components/ui/ScrollableOverlay';
 import { Icon } from "@/components/icon/Icon";
 import { useI18n } from '@/lib/i18n';
@@ -73,10 +74,16 @@ export const CommandAutocomplete = React.forwardRef<CommandAutocompleteHandle, C
 
   const [commands, setCommands] = React.useState<CommandInfo[]>([]);
   const [loading, setLoading] = React.useState(false);
-  const commandsWithMetadata = useCommandsStore((s) => s.commands);
-  const refreshCommands = useCommandsStore((s) => s.loadCommands);
-  const skills = useSkillsStore((s) => s.skills);
-  const refreshSkills = useSkillsStore((s) => s.loadSkills);
+  // Commands and skills belong to the directory the composer sends to — the
+  // session's own directory, or the Chats root for a chat draft — not to the
+  // project the app was on last.
+  const effectiveDirectory = useEffectiveDirectory();
+  const commandsWithMetadata = useCommandsStore((s) => selectCommandsForDirectory(s, effectiveDirectory));
+  const loadCommandsForDirectory = useCommandsStore((s) => s.loadCommands);
+  const skills = useSkillsStore((s) => selectSkillsForDirectory(s, effectiveDirectory));
+  const loadSkillsForDirectory = useSkillsStore((s) => s.loadSkills);
+  const refreshCommands = React.useCallback(() => loadCommandsForDirectory(effectiveDirectory), [effectiveDirectory, loadCommandsForDirectory]);
+  const refreshSkills = React.useCallback(() => loadSkillsForDirectory(effectiveDirectory), [effectiveDirectory, loadSkillsForDirectory]);
   const [selectedIndex, setSelectedIndex] = React.useState(0);
   const selectedIndexRef = React.useRef(0);
   const keyboardNavigationRef = React.useRef(false);
diff --git a/packages/ui/src/components/chat/SkillAutocomplete.tsx b/packages/ui/src/components/chat/SkillAutocomplete.tsx
index a5d05e4a..9a8d6088 100644
--- a/packages/ui/src/components/chat/SkillAutocomplete.tsx
+++ b/packages/ui/src/components/chat/SkillAutocomplete.tsx
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import React from 'react';
 import { cn, fuzzyMatch } from '@/lib/utils';
-import { useSkillsStore } from '@/stores/useSkillsStore';
+import { selectSkillsForDirectory, useSkillsStore } from '@/stores/useSkillsStore';
+import { useEffectiveDirectory } from '@/hooks/useEffectiveDirectory';
 import { useUIStore } from '@/stores/useUIStore';
 import { ScrollableOverlay } from '@/components/ui/ScrollableOverlay';
 import { useMobileAutocompleteMaxHeight } from './useMobileAutocompleteMaxHeight';
@@ -38,13 +39,16 @@ export const SkillAutocomplete = React.forwardRef<SkillAutocompleteHandle, Skill
   const keyboardNavigationRef = React.useRef(false);
   const [filteredSkills, setFilteredSkills] = React.useState<SkillInfo[]>([]);
   const itemRefs = React.useRef<(HTMLDivElement | null)[]>([]);
-  const skills = useSkillsStore((s) => s.skills);
+  // Skills of the directory the composer sends to (session directory, or the
+  // Chats root for a chat draft), not of the project the app was on last.
+  const effectiveDirectory = useEffectiveDirectory();
+  const skills = useSkillsStore((s) => selectSkillsForDirectory(s, effectiveDirectory));
   const loadSkills = useSkillsStore((s) => s.loadSkills);
 
   React.useEffect(() => {
-    // Always trigger loadSkills when autocomplete opens to ensure project context is fresh
-    void loadSkills();
-  }, [loadSkills]);
+    // Always trigger loadSkills when autocomplete opens to ensure the directory's skills are fresh
+    void loadSkills(effectiveDirectory);
+  }, [effectiveDirectory, loadSkills]);
 
   React.useEffect(() => {
     const normalizedQuery = searchQuery.trim();
diff --git a/packages/ui/src/hooks/useEffectiveDirectory.ts b/packages/ui/src/hooks/useEffectiveDirectory.ts
index 1b783536..d5c6de23 100644
--- a/packages/ui/src/hooks/useEffectiveDirectory.ts
+++ b/packages/ui/src/hooks/useEffectiveDirectory.ts
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ import { useSessionWorktreeStore } from '@/sync/session-worktree-store';
 import { getAttachedSessionDirectory } from '@/sync/session-worktree-contract';
 import { useSessionDirectory } from '@/sync/sync-context';
 import { useDirectoryStore } from '@/stores/useDirectoryStore';
+import { getChatsRootForHome } from '@/lib/chatDirectories';
 
 /**
  * Hook that resolves the effective working directory for tabs (Git, Diff, Files, Terminal).
@@ -11,7 +12,10 @@ import { useDirectoryStore } from '@/stores/useDirectoryStore';
  * 1. Worktree metadata path (for worktree sessions)
  * 2. Session directory (for active sessions)
  * 3. Draft session directoryOverride (when creating a new session)
- * 4. Fallback directory from DirectoryStore
+ * 4. For a Chat draft, the prepared chat directory or the managed Chats root —
+ *    never the project the app was on before, which would leak that
+ *    project's files, commands, and skills into the chat
+ * 5. Fallback directory from DirectoryStore
  *
  * This ensures that tabs show content from the correct project directory
  * even when a draft session is being created.
@@ -23,6 +27,7 @@ export const useEffectiveDirectory = (): string | undefined => {
     const worktreeAttachment = useSessionWorktreeStore((s) => currentSessionId ? s.getAttachment(currentSessionId) : undefined);
     const worktreeMap = useSessionUIStore((s) => s.worktreeMetadata);
     const fallbackDirectory = useDirectoryStore((s) => s.currentDirectory);
+    const homeDirectory = useDirectoryStore((s) => s.homeDirectory);
 
     // If we have an active session, use its directory
     if (currentSessionId) {
@@ -44,6 +49,11 @@ export const useEffectiveDirectory = (): string | undefined => {
         return (newSessionDraft.bootstrapPendingDirectory || newSessionDraft.directoryOverride) ?? undefined;
     }
 
+    if (newSessionDraft?.open && newSessionDraft.target === 'chat') {
+        const chatDirectory = newSessionDraft.preparedChatDirectory ?? getChatsRootForHome(homeDirectory);
+        if (chatDirectory) return chatDirectory;
+    }
+
     // Fall back to the global directory
     return fallbackDirectory ?? undefined;
 };