diff --git a/packages/ui/src/components/chat/ChatContainer.tsx b/packages/ui/src/components/chat/ChatContainer.tsx
index b36c5168..f90762e3 100644
--- a/packages/ui/src/components/chat/ChatContainer.tsx
+++ b/packages/ui/src/components/chat/ChatContainer.tsx
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import React from 'react';
 import { RiArrowLeftLine } from '@remixicon/react';
-import type { Message, Part } from '@opencode-ai/sdk/v2';
+import type { Message, Part, Session } from '@opencode-ai/sdk/v2';
 
 import { ChatInput } from './ChatInput';
 import { useUIStore } from '@/stores/useUIStore';
@@ -191,7 +191,8 @@ export const ChatContainer: React.FC = () => {
 
     const handleReturnToParentSession = React.useCallback(() => {
         if (!parentSession) return;
-        setCurrentSession(parentSession.id);
+        const parentDirectory = (parentSession as Session & { directory?: string | null }).directory ?? null;
+        setCurrentSession(parentSession.id, parentDirectory);
     }, [parentSession, setCurrentSession]);
 
     const returnToParentButton = parentSession ? (
diff --git a/packages/ui/src/components/layout/Header.tsx b/packages/ui/src/components/layout/Header.tsx
index 6dce9625..11329d24 100644
--- a/packages/ui/src/components/layout/Header.tsx
+++ b/packages/ui/src/components/layout/Header.tsx
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ import { useDirectoryStore } from '@/stores/useDirectoryStore';
 import { useFilesViewTabsStore } from '@/stores/useFilesViewTabsStore';
 import { useGitStore } from '@/stores/useGitStore';
 import { useGitHubPrStatusStore } from '@/stores/useGitHubPrStatusStore';
+import { useGlobalSessionsStore } from '@/stores/useGlobalSessionsStore';
 
 import { useGitHubAuthStore } from '@/stores/useGitHubAuthStore';
 import { useRuntimeAPIs } from '@/hooks/useRuntimeAPIs';
@@ -65,6 +66,7 @@ import { ProjectActionsButton } from '@/components/layout/ProjectActionsButton';
 import { isDesktopShell, isVSCodeRuntime } from '@/lib/desktop';
 import { desktopHostsGet, locationMatchesHost, redactSensitiveUrl } from '@/lib/desktopHosts';
 import { resolveSessionDiffStats } from '@/components/session/sidebar/utils';
+import type { Session } from '@opencode-ai/sdk/v2/client';
 
 
 const isSameContextUsage = (
@@ -250,6 +252,7 @@ export const Header: React.FC<HeaderProps> = ({
   const currentSessionMessageRecords = useSessionMessageRecords(currentSessionId ?? '');
   const currentSessionMessages = currentSessionId ? (currentSessionMessageRecords.length > 0 ? currentSessionMessageRecords : undefined) : undefined;
   const sessions = useSessions();
+  const globalActiveSessions = useGlobalSessionsStore((state) => state.activeSessions);
   const activeProject = useProjectsStore((state) => {
     if (!state.activeProjectId) {
       return null;
@@ -561,16 +564,82 @@ export const Header: React.FC<HeaderProps> = ({
     });
   }, [fetchAllQuotas, isUsageRefreshSpinning]);
 
-  const currentSession = React.useMemo(() => {
+  const currentSessionLive = React.useMemo(() => {
     if (!currentSessionId) return null;
-    // Try current directory's store first, then fall back to all child stores.
-    // The sidebar loads sessions globally via SDK, but the header uses
-    // useSessions() which only has the current directory. This fallback
-    // ensures the title/directory show when the session lives elsewhere.
-    return sessions.find((s) => s.id === currentSessionId)
+    // Resolve from the global sessions snapshot first (same source as sidebar).
+    // Child-store lists are intentionally partial/truncated during bootstrap.
+    return globalActiveSessions.find((s) => s.id === currentSessionId)
+      ?? sessions.find((s) => s.id === currentSessionId)
       ?? getAllSyncSessions().find((s) => s.id === currentSessionId)
       ?? null;
-  }, [currentSessionId, sessions]);
+  }, [currentSessionId, globalActiveSessions, sessions]);
+
+  const lastResolvedSessionRef = React.useRef<{
+    sessionId: string;
+    session: Session;
+    expiresAt: number;
+  } | null>(null);
+  const [sessionFallbackVersion, setSessionFallbackVersion] = React.useState(0);
+
+  React.useEffect(() => {
+    if (!currentSessionId) {
+      if (lastResolvedSessionRef.current) {
+        lastResolvedSessionRef.current = null;
+        setSessionFallbackVersion((value) => value + 1);
+      }
+      return;
+    }
+
+    if (currentSessionLive) {
+      lastResolvedSessionRef.current = {
+        sessionId: currentSessionId,
+        session: currentSessionLive,
+        expiresAt: Date.now() + 2000,
+      };
+      return;
+    }
+
+    const cached = lastResolvedSessionRef.current;
+    if (!cached || cached.sessionId !== currentSessionId) {
+      return;
+    }
+
+    const remainingMs = cached.expiresAt - Date.now();
+    if (remainingMs <= 0) {
+      lastResolvedSessionRef.current = null;
+      setSessionFallbackVersion((value) => value + 1);
+      return;
+    }
+
+    const timeoutId = window.setTimeout(() => {
+      if (lastResolvedSessionRef.current?.sessionId === currentSessionId) {
+        lastResolvedSessionRef.current = null;
+      }
+      setSessionFallbackVersion((value) => value + 1);
+    }, remainingMs);
+
+    return () => {
+      window.clearTimeout(timeoutId);
+    };
+  }, [currentSessionId, currentSessionLive]);
+
+  void sessionFallbackVersion;
+  const currentSession = (() => {
+    if (currentSessionLive) {
+      return currentSessionLive;
+    }
+
+    if (!currentSessionId) {
+      return null;
+    }
+
+    const cached = lastResolvedSessionRef.current;
+    if (cached && cached.sessionId === currentSessionId && cached.expiresAt > Date.now()) {
+      return cached.session;
+    }
+
+    return null;
+  })();
 
   const worktreePath = useSessionUIStore((state) => {
     if (!currentSessionId) return '';
diff --git a/packages/ui/src/components/session/sidebar/hooks/useSessionActions.ts b/packages/ui/src/components/session/sidebar/hooks/useSessionActions.ts
index 210ab5a2..054ee129 100644
--- a/packages/ui/src/components/session/sidebar/hooks/useSessionActions.ts
+++ b/packages/ui/src/components/session/sidebar/hooks/useSessionActions.ts
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ type Args = {
   setDirectory: (directory: string, options?: { showOverlay?: boolean }) => void;
   setActiveMainTab: (tab: 'chat' | 'plan' | 'git' | 'diff' | 'terminal' | 'files') => void;
   setSessionSwitcherOpen: (open: boolean) => void;
-  setCurrentSession: (sessionId: string | null) => void;
+  setCurrentSession: (sessionId: string | null, directoryHint?: string | null) => void;
   updateSessionTitle: (id: string, title: string) => Promise<void>;
   shareSession: (id: string) => Promise<Session | null>;
   unshareSession: (id: string) => Promise<Session | null>;
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ export const useSessionActions = (args: Args) => {
         resetSessionSearch();
         return;
       }
-      args.setCurrentSession(sessionId);
+      args.setCurrentSession(sessionId, sessionDirectory ?? null);
       args.onSessionSelected?.(sessionId);
       resetSessionSearch();
     },
diff --git a/packages/ui/src/components/ui/CommandPalette.tsx b/packages/ui/src/components/ui/CommandPalette.tsx
index 2ae01af4..ec3ae82b 100644
--- a/packages/ui/src/components/ui/CommandPalette.tsx
+++ b/packages/ui/src/components/ui/CommandPalette.tsx
@@ -55,8 +55,8 @@ export const CommandPalette: React.FC = () => {
     handleClose();
   };
 
-  const handleOpenSession = (sessionId: string) => {
-    setCurrentSession(sessionId);
+  const handleOpenSession = (sessionId: string, directoryHint?: string | null) => {
+    setCurrentSession(sessionId, directoryHint ?? null);
     handleClose();
   };
 
@@ -289,7 +289,7 @@ export const CommandPalette: React.FC = () => {
               {currentSessions.map((session) => (
                 <CommandItem
                   key={session.id}
-                  onSelect={() => handleOpenSession(session.id)}
+                  onSelect={() => handleOpenSession(session.id, currentDirectory ?? null)}
                 >
                   <RiChatAi3Line className="mr-2 h-4 w-4" />
                   <span className="truncate">