diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/app/session/hooks/use-session-actions/index.ts b/apps/desktop/src/app/session/hooks/use-session-actions/index.ts
index 297e094807..46aa5f67ec 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/src/app/session/hooks/use-session-actions/index.ts
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/app/session/hooks/use-session-actions/index.ts
@@ -148,6 +148,7 @@ import {
   applyRuntimeInfo,
   applyStoredSessionPreviewRuntimeInfo,
   type BranchMessage,
+  cachedSessionRow,
   chatMessageArraysEquivalent,
   dedupeInflightUserAgainstTranscript,
   dropListedSession,
@@ -2220,9 +2221,7 @@ export function useSessionActions({
       // Same contract as branchStoredSession: the transcript read and the
       // branch RPC must both land on the backend that owns the parent, not on
       // whichever socket is active.
-      const ownerRoute = storedSessionId
-        ? sessionOwnerRouteFromRow($sessions.get().find(session => sessionMatchesStoredId(session, storedSessionId)))
-        : undefined
+      const ownerRoute = storedSessionId ? sessionOwnerRouteFromRow(cachedSessionRow(storedSessionId)) : undefined
 
       if (storedSessionId) {
         try {
@@ -2291,9 +2290,11 @@ export function useSessionActions({
       // Right-clicking a session outside the paginated sidebar window is a cache
       // miss: resolve it (cache → active backend → cross-profile) so the branch
       // is created on the parent's OWNING profile, not whichever is live (#67603).
+      // cachedSessionRow spans Recents, cron/messaging and the profile-scoped
+      // project tree, and prefers the self-describing row — an ownerless legacy
+      // Recents copy of the same id must not mask the row carrying the owner.
       const stored =
-        $sessions.get().find(session => sessionMatchesStoredId(session, storedSessionId)) ??
-        (sessionProfile ? undefined : await resolveStoredSession(storedSessionId))
+        cachedSessionRow(storedSessionId) ?? (sessionProfile ? undefined : await resolveStoredSession(storedSessionId))
 
       const profile = sessionProfile ?? stored?.profile
 
diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/app/session/hooks/use-session-actions/resolve-stored-session.test.ts b/apps/desktop/src/app/session/hooks/use-session-actions/resolve-stored-session.test.ts
index 468936f5b6..cccb323317 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/src/app/session/hooks/use-session-actions/resolve-stored-session.test.ts
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/app/session/hooks/use-session-actions/resolve-stored-session.test.ts
@@ -3,10 +3,11 @@ import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest'
 import type * as HermesModule from '@/hermes'
 import { getSession } from '@/hermes'
 import { $activeGatewayProfile, $profiles } from '@/store/profile'
+import { $projectTree } from '@/store/projects'
 import { $cronSessions, $messagingSessions, $sessions } from '@/store/session'
 import type { SessionInfo } from '@/types/hermes'
 
-import { resolveSessionProfile, resolveStoredSession } from './utils'
+import { cachedSessionRow, resolveSessionProfile, resolveStoredSession } from './utils'
 
 vi.mock('@/hermes', async importActual => ({
   ...(await importActual<typeof HermesModule>()),
@@ -24,6 +25,7 @@ describe('resolveStoredSession profile ownership', () => {
     $cronSessions.set([])
     $messagingSessions.set([])
     $sessions.set([])
+    $projectTree.set([])
     $profiles.set(profiles('default', 'meta'))
     $activeGatewayProfile.set('meta')
     mockGetSession.mockReset()
@@ -33,6 +35,7 @@ describe('resolveStoredSession profile ownership', () => {
     $cronSessions.set([])
     $messagingSessions.set([])
     $sessions.set([])
+    $projectTree.set([])
     $profiles.set([])
     $activeGatewayProfile.set('default')
   })
@@ -144,3 +147,50 @@ describe('resolveStoredSession profile ownership', () => {
     await expect(resolveSessionProfile('s1')).resolves.toBe('default')
   })
 })
+
+describe('cachedSessionRow owner preference', () => {
+  const projectNode = (sessions: SessionInfo[], preview: SessionInfo[] = []) =>
+    ({
+      previewSessions: preview,
+      repos: [{ groups: [{ sessions }] }]
+    }) as never
+
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    $cronSessions.set([])
+    $messagingSessions.set([])
+    $sessions.set([])
+    $projectTree.set([])
+    mockGetSession.mockReset()
+  })
+
+  afterEach(() => {
+    $cronSessions.set([])
+    $messagingSessions.set([])
+    $sessions.set([])
+    $projectTree.set([])
+  })
+
+  it('prefers a self-describing project-tree row over an ownerless Recents duplicate', () => {
+    // The same conversation, listed twice: a legacy Recents row with no owner
+    // and the profile-scoped project-tree row the gateway stamped. Picking the
+    // Recents copy throws away the only routing information there is, and the
+    // branch then creates its child on whichever backend is active.
+    $sessions.set([session({ cwd: '/wrong', id: 's1' })])
+    $projectTree.set([projectNode([session({ connection_id: 'pandora', cwd: '/right', id: 's1', profile: 'work' })])])
+
+    expect(cachedSessionRow('s1')).toMatchObject({ connection_id: 'pandora', cwd: '/right', profile: 'work' })
+  })
+
+  it('finds a project-tree preview row when the session is in no other list', () => {
+    $projectTree.set([projectNode([], [session({ connection_id: 'rigremote', id: 's1', profile: 'default' })])])
+
+    expect(cachedSessionRow('s1')).toMatchObject({ connection_id: 'rigremote' })
+  })
+
+  it('keeps the plain Recents row when nothing carries an owner', () => {
+    $sessions.set([session({ cwd: '/only', id: 's1' })])
+
+    expect(cachedSessionRow('s1')).toMatchObject({ cwd: '/only' })
+    expect(cachedSessionRow('missing')).toBeUndefined()
+  })
+})
diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/app/session/hooks/use-session-actions/utils.ts b/apps/desktop/src/app/session/hooks/use-session-actions/utils.ts
index 83e599b589..113539132b 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/src/app/session/hooks/use-session-actions/utils.ts
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/app/session/hooks/use-session-actions/utils.ts
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import { isMessagingSource, normalizeSessionSource } from '@/lib/session-source'
 import { reconcileApprovalModeForProfile } from '@/store/approval-mode'
 import { requestDesktopOnboardingForCredentialWarning } from '@/store/onboarding'
 import { $activeGatewayProfile, $profiles, normalizeProfileKey } from '@/store/profile'
+import { $projectTree } from '@/store/projects'
 import {
   $cronSessions,
   $currentCwd,
@@ -1387,13 +1388,43 @@ function upsertResolvedSession(session: SessionInfo, storedSessionId: string) {
   ])
 }
 
+// Every session row reachable through the profile-scoped project tree —
+// preview rows on a collapsed project plus the drill-in lane rows. These are
+// the only rows guaranteed to name their owning profile (the gateway stamps
+// the request scope onto them), so owner resolution has to see them.
+function projectTreeSessions(): SessionInfo[] {
+  return $projectTree
+    .get()
+    .flatMap(project => [
+      ...(project.previewSessions ?? []),
+      ...project.repos.flatMap(repo => repo.groups.flatMap(group => group.sessions))
+    ])
+}
+
+// The best cached row for a stored id, across every list that can hold one.
+// "Best" means self-describing: the same conversation can appear both as an
+// ownerless legacy Recents copy and as a profile-stamped project-tree row, and
+// picking the ownerless one throws away the only routing information we have.
+export function cachedSessionRow(storedSessionId: string): SessionInfo | undefined {
+  const candidates = [
+    ...$sessions.get(),
+    ...$cronSessions.get(),
+    ...$messagingSessions.get(),
+    ...projectTreeSessions()
+  ].filter(session => sessionMatchesStoredId(session, storedSessionId))
+
+  return (
+    candidates.find(session => session.connection_id?.trim()) ??
+    candidates.find(session => session.profile?.trim()) ??
+    candidates[0]
+  )
+}
+
 export async function resolveStoredSession(
   storedSessionId: string,
   ownerRoute?: SessionProfileRoute
 ): Promise<SessionInfo | undefined> {
-  const cached = [...$sessions.get(), ...$cronSessions.get(), ...$messagingSessions.get()].find(session =>
-    sessionMatchesStoredId(session, storedSessionId)
-  )
+  const cached = cachedSessionRow(storedSessionId)
 
   if (ownerRoute) {
     const scope = {