diff --git a/packages/ui/src/components/chat/ChatInput.tsx b/packages/ui/src/components/chat/ChatInput.tsx
index dfd79904..13a9ac65 100644
--- a/packages/ui/src/components/chat/ChatInput.tsx
+++ b/packages/ui/src/components/chat/ChatInput.tsx
@@ -2355,6 +2355,12 @@ const ChatInputComponent: React.FC<ChatInputProps> = ({ onOpenSettings, scrollTo
 
             console.error('Message send failed:', rawMessage || error);
 
+            const currentInput = textareaRef.current?.value ?? messageRef.current;
+            if (newSessionDraftOpen && inputSnapshot.message && (!currentInput || currentInput === inputSnapshot.message)) {
+                setMessage(inputSnapshot.message);
+                saveStoredDraft(null, inputSnapshot.message);
+            }
+
             const isSoftNetworkError =
                 normalized.includes('timeout') ||
                 normalized.includes('timed out') ||
diff --git a/packages/ui/src/sync/session-ui-store.test.js b/packages/ui/src/sync/session-ui-store.test.js
index 276385a0..725cc36e 100644
--- a/packages/ui/src/sync/session-ui-store.test.js
+++ b/packages/ui/src/sync/session-ui-store.test.js
@@ -283,6 +283,35 @@ describe('openNewSessionDraft project binding', () => {
   });
 });
 
+describe('createSession draft lifecycle', () => {
+  let originalCreateSession;
+
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    originalCreateSession = opencodeClient.createSession;
+    useSessionUIStore.setState({
+      currentSessionId: null,
+      currentSessionDirectory: null,
+      newSessionDraft: { open: true, directoryOverride: '/projects/alpha', parentID: null, title: 'Draft title' },
+    });
+  });
+
+  afterEach(() => {
+    opencodeClient.createSession = originalCreateSession;
+  });
+
+  test('keeps the draft open when session creation fails', async () => {
+    opencodeClient.createSession = async () => {
+      throw new Error('offline');
+    };
+
+    const session = await useSessionUIStore.getState().createSession('Draft title', '/projects/alpha');
+
+    expect(session).toBeNull();
+    expect(useSessionUIStore.getState().newSessionDraft.open).toBe(true);
+    expect(useSessionUIStore.getState().newSessionDraft.title).toBe('Draft title');
+  });
+});
+
 describe('routeMessage skill invocation', () => {
   // OpenCode registers every skill as a command (source: "skill"), so a skill
   // selected from the slash menu must be dispatched via session.command so its
diff --git a/packages/ui/src/sync/session-ui-store.ts b/packages/ui/src/sync/session-ui-store.ts
index 1a2ad75e..e4f92def 100644
--- a/packages/ui/src/sync/session-ui-store.ts
+++ b/packages/ui/src/sync/session-ui-store.ts
@@ -1196,13 +1196,14 @@ export const useSessionUIStore = create<SessionUIState>()((set, get) => ({
   createSession: async (title, directoryOverride, parentID, metadata) => {
     const draft = get().newSessionDraft
     const targetFolderId = draft.targetFolderId
-    get().closeNewSessionDraft()
 
     try {
       const dir = directoryOverride ?? opencodeClient.getDirectory()
       const session = await createSessionAction(title, dir, parentID ?? null, metadata)
       if (!session) return null
 
+      get().closeNewSessionDraft()
+
       if (targetFolderId) {
         const scopeKey = directoryOverride || get().lastLoadedDirectory || session.directory
         if (scopeKey) {