fix(sessions): centralize global polling

packages/ui/src/App.tsx

@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ import { ErrorBoundary } from '@/components/ui/ErrorBoundary';
 import { useMenuActions } from '@/hooks/useMenuActions';
 import { useSessionStatusBootstrap } from '@/hooks/useSessionStatusBootstrap';
 import { useTraySync } from '@/hooks/useTraySync';
+import { useGlobalSessionsPolling } from '@/hooks/useGlobalSessionsPolling';
 import { useRouter } from '@/hooks/useRouter';
 import { usePushVisibilityBeacon } from '@/hooks/usePushVisibilityBeacon';
 import { useWebNotificationStream } from '@/hooks/useWebNotificationStream';
@@ -719,6 +720,7 @@ function App({ apis }: AppProps) {
   useMenuActions(handleToggleMemoryDebug);
 
   useTraySync();
+  useGlobalSessionsPolling(!embeddedSessionChat);
 
   useSessionStatusBootstrap({ enabled: embeddedBackgroundWorkEnabled });
 

packages/ui/src/apps/VSCodeApp.tsx

@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ import { ErrorBoundary } from '@/components/ui/ErrorBoundary';
 import { OpenCodeUpdateToast } from '@/components/update/OpenCodeUpdateToast';
 import { VSCodeLayout } from '@/components/layout/VSCodeLayout';
 import { usePushVisibilityBeacon } from '@/hooks/usePushVisibilityBeacon';
+import { useGlobalSessionsPolling } from '@/hooks/useGlobalSessionsPolling';
 import { useRouter } from '@/hooks/useRouter';
 import { useWindowTitle } from '@/hooks/useWindowTitle';
 import { opencodeClient } from '@/lib/opencode/client';
@@ -56,6 +57,7 @@ export function VSCodeApp({ apis }: VSCodeAppProps) {
   usePushVisibilityBeacon({ enabled: true });
   useWindowTitle();
   useRouter();
+  useGlobalSessionsPolling(panelType !== 'agentManager');
 
   React.useEffect(() => {
     document.documentElement.classList.toggle('wide-chat-layout', wideChatLayoutEnabled);

packages/ui/src/components/session/SessionSidebar.tsx

@@ -543,22 +543,6 @@ const SessionSidebarComponent: React.FC<SessionSidebarProps> = ({
   const isWorktreeTopologyLoading = !isVSCode && resolvedWorktreeTopologyKey !== projectWorktreeDiscoveryKey;
   const [unresolvedWorktreeProjectPaths, setUnresolvedWorktreeProjectPaths] = React.useState<ReadonlySet<string>>(new Set());
 
-  const initialGlobalSessionsRefreshStartedRef = React.useRef(false);
-  React.useEffect(() => {
-    if (initialGlobalSessionsRefreshStartedRef.current) {
-      return;
-    }
-    initialGlobalSessionsRefreshStartedRef.current = true;
-    void refreshGlobalSessions(syncSessionsSnapshotRef.current);
-  }, []);
-
-  React.useEffect(() => {
-    const interval = window.setInterval(() => {
-      void refreshGlobalSessions();
-    }, 45_000);
-    return () => window.clearInterval(interval);
-  }, []);
-
   React.useEffect(() => {
     let cancelled = false;
 

packages/ui/src/hooks/useGlobalSessionsPolling.test.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+import { describe, expect, test } from 'bun:test';
+import {
+  GLOBAL_SESSIONS_REFRESH_INTERVAL_MS,
+  startGlobalSessionsPolling,
+} from './useGlobalSessionsPolling';
+
+describe('global sessions polling lifecycle', () => {
+  test('loads immediately, owns one interval, and clears it on disposal', () => {
+    let initialLoads = 0;
+    let refreshes = 0;
+    let scheduledCallback = () => {};
+    let scheduledIntervals = 0;
+    let scheduledDelay = 0;
+    let clearedIntervalId: number | null = null;
+
+    const dispose = startGlobalSessionsPolling(
+      () => { initialLoads += 1; },
+      () => { refreshes += 1; },
+      (callback, delay) => {
+        scheduledIntervals += 1;
+        scheduledCallback = callback;
+        scheduledDelay = delay;
+        return 42;
+      },
+      (intervalId) => { clearedIntervalId = intervalId; },
+    );
+
+    expect(initialLoads).toBe(1);
+    expect(refreshes).toBe(0);
+    expect(scheduledIntervals).toBe(1);
+    expect(scheduledDelay).toBe(GLOBAL_SESSIONS_REFRESH_INTERVAL_MS);
+
+    scheduledCallback();
+    expect(refreshes).toBe(1);
+
+    dispose();
+    expect(clearedIntervalId).toBe(42);
+  });
+});

packages/ui/src/hooks/useGlobalSessionsPolling.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+import React from 'react';
+import { getAllSyncSessions } from '@/sync/sync-refs';
+import {
+  ensureGlobalSessionsLoaded,
+  refreshGlobalSessions,
+} from '@/stores/useGlobalSessionsStore';
+
+export const GLOBAL_SESSIONS_REFRESH_INTERVAL_MS = 45_000;
+
+type ScheduleInterval = (callback: () => void, delay: number) => number;
+type ClearInterval = (intervalId: number) => void;
+
+export const startGlobalSessionsPolling = (
+  initialLoad: () => void,
+  refresh: () => void,
+  scheduleInterval: ScheduleInterval = window.setInterval.bind(window),
+  clearScheduledInterval: ClearInterval = window.clearInterval.bind(window),
+): (() => void) => {
+  initialLoad();
+  const intervalId = scheduleInterval(refresh, GLOBAL_SESSIONS_REFRESH_INTERVAL_MS);
+  return () => clearScheduledInterval(intervalId);
+};
+
+/** Owns the one global-session polling lifecycle for the main app runtime. */
+export const useGlobalSessionsPolling = (enabled: boolean): void => {
+  React.useEffect(() => {
+    if (!enabled) return;
+
+    return startGlobalSessionsPolling(
+      () => { void ensureGlobalSessionsLoaded(getAllSyncSessions()); },
+      () => { void refreshGlobalSessions(); },
+    );
+  }, [enabled]);
+};

packages/ui/src/hooks/useTraySync.ts

@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ import type { Session } from '@opencode-ai/sdk/v2';
 import { canUseElectronDesktopIPC, invokeDesktop, isDesktopLocalOriginActive } from '@/lib/desktop';
 import { getRuntimeApiBaseUrl } from '@/lib/runtime-switch';
 import { desktopHostsGet, getDesktopHostApiUrl, locationMatchesHost, redactSensitiveUrl } from '@/lib/desktopHosts';
-import { getSyncChildStores, getAllSyncSessions } from '@/sync/sync-refs';
+import { getSyncChildStores } from '@/sync/sync-refs';
 import { opencodeClient } from '@/lib/opencode/client';
 import { useGlobalSessionStatusStore, applyGlobalSessionStatusSnapshot } from '@/sync/global-session-status';
 import { compareSessionsByLifecycleOrder, useSessionOrderingStore } from '@/sync/session-ordering';
@@ -12,8 +12,6 @@ import { useSessionPinnedStore } from '@/stores/useSessionPinnedStore';
 import { respondToPermission } from '@/sync/session-actions';
 import {
   useGlobalSessionsStore,
-  ensureGlobalSessionsLoaded,
-  refreshGlobalSessions,
   resolveGlobalSessionDirectory,
 } from '@/stores/useGlobalSessionsStore';
 import { useQuotaStore } from '@/stores/useQuotaStore';
@@ -40,10 +38,6 @@ const TRAY_ACTION_EVENT = 'openchamber:tray-action';
 // Event-driven updates do the real work; this is just a slow safety net.
 const POLL_INTERVAL_MS = 5000;
 const FLUSH_DEBOUNCE_MS = 500;
-// Pull the full cross-project session list periodically. SSE keeps the active
-// directory instant; this catches sessions created in directories this client
-// never opened (other worktrees, other projects, the TUI, …).
-const GLOBAL_REFRESH_MS = 45000;
 const MAX_SESSIONS = 20;
 
 type TraySessionStatus = 'idle' | 'busy' | 'retry';
@@ -535,12 +529,6 @@ export const useTraySync = (): void => {
     const unsubscribeSessionOrder = useSessionOrderingStore.subscribe(() => scheduleFlush());
     const unsubscribePinnedSessions = useSessionPinnedStore.subscribe(() => scheduleFlush());
 
-    // Make the tray self-sufficient: load the full cross-project list now
-    // (independent of the sidebar) and refresh it periodically so sessions from
-    // directories this client never opened still show up and stay current.
-    void ensureGlobalSessionsLoaded(getAllSyncSessions());
-    const refreshInterval = window.setInterval(() => { void refreshGlobalSessions(); }, GLOBAL_REFRESH_MS);
-
     // Global busy/retry status: fetch now and poll, so unsynced sessions don't
     // sit looking idle. Synced directories stay instant via their SSE stores.
     void refreshGlobalStatus();
@@ -567,7 +555,6 @@ export const useTraySync = (): void => {
       disposed = true;
       if (flushTimer !== null) window.clearTimeout(flushTimer);
       window.clearInterval(interval);
-      window.clearInterval(refreshInterval);
       window.clearInterval(globalStatusInterval);
       unsubscribeNotif();
       unsubscribeGlobal();

packages/ui/src/sync/DOCUMENTATION.md

@@ -113,6 +113,16 @@ Session materialization recency is keyed by runtime and directory. Foreground lo
 
 Use `useGlobalSessionsStore` when the UI needs a **shared global session cache**.
 
+Each full app root owns one global polling lifecycle through
+`useGlobalSessionsPolling`. The web/desktop root and VS Code chat root load once
+when mounted and refresh every 45 seconds so sessions created by another
+OpenCode process are discovered without relying on the sidebar or native tray
+being visible. Embedded chats and the VS Code agent-manager panel do not poll.
+The sidebar and tray consume the same store and must not start their own
+full-list timers. Surface-specific refreshes, such as opening the mobile session
+sheet or returning from suspension, may still request freshness at their
+explicit lifecycle edge; the store coalesces an overlapping in-flight load.
+
 Current consumers:
 
 - `useSessionAutoCleanup.ts`