diff --git a/src/client/src/controllers/workspaceController.test.ts b/src/client/src/controllers/workspaceController.test.ts
index ea92d88..4cb98f2 100644
--- a/src/client/src/controllers/workspaceController.test.ts
+++ b/src/client/src/controllers/workspaceController.test.ts
@@ -220,6 +220,59 @@ describe("WorkspaceController.refreshSelectedProjectTopology", () => {
     expect(test.backgroundErrors).toEqual([{ message: `Failed to refresh workspaces for project ${repo.id} on local`, error: failure }]);
   });
 
+  it("re-points the selected workspace at refreshed metadata when its branch changed outside PI WEB", async () => {
+    const repo = project("p1", "/repo");
+    const main = workspace(repo.id, repo.path, { isMain: true });
+    const selected = { ...workspace(repo.id, "/repo-feature"), label: "feature-a", branch: "feature-a" };
+    const switched = { ...selected, label: "feature-b", branch: "feature-b" };
+    const loadWorkspaces = vi.fn().mockResolvedValue([main, switched]);
+    const test = harness(
+      {
+        selectedMachine: machine("local"),
+        projects: [repo],
+        selectedProject: repo,
+        selectedWorkspace: selected,
+        workspaces: [main, selected],
+        workspacesByProjectId: { [repo.id]: [main, selected] },
+        selectedSession: session(selected.path),
+      },
+      loadWorkspaces,
+    );
+
+    await test.controller.refreshSelectedProjectTopology();
+
+    // Same workspace (same id/path), so the session must survive; only the stale label moves.
+    expect(test.state().selectedWorkspace).toEqual(switched);
+    expect(test.state().selectedWorkspace?.id).toBe(selected.id);
+    expect(test.state().selectedSession).toBeDefined();
+    expect(test.clearActiveSession).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
+  it("leaves the selected workspace object untouched when the refresh returns identical metadata", async () => {
+    const repo = project("p1", "/repo");
+    const main = workspace(repo.id, repo.path, { isMain: true });
+    const selected = workspace(repo.id, "/repo-feature");
+    // A fresh, equal object, exactly what a real HTTP response produces every resume.
+    const loadWorkspaces = vi.fn().mockResolvedValue([{ ...main }, { ...selected }]);
+    const test = harness(
+      {
+        selectedMachine: machine("local"),
+        projects: [repo],
+        selectedProject: repo,
+        selectedWorkspace: selected,
+        workspaces: [main, selected],
+        workspacesByProjectId: { [repo.id]: [main, selected] },
+      },
+      loadWorkspaces,
+    );
+
+    await test.controller.refreshSelectedProjectTopology();
+
+    // Identity preserved: an unchanged resume must not churn selected-workspace identity
+    // into state, or every focus would re-render surfaces keyed on this object.
+    expect(test.state().selectedWorkspace).toBe(selected);
+  });
+
   it("does not request anything when no project is selected", async () => {
     const loadWorkspaces = vi.fn();
     const test = harness({ selectedMachine: machine("local") }, loadWorkspaces);
diff --git a/src/client/src/controllers/workspaceController.ts b/src/client/src/controllers/workspaceController.ts
index 581da29..6a067c8 100644
--- a/src/client/src/controllers/workspaceController.ts
+++ b/src/client/src/controllers/workspaceController.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { api as defaultApi, type Project, type Workspace } from "../api";
-import { resetWorkspaceScopedState } from "../appState";
+import { resetWorkspaceScopedState, type AppState } from "../appState";
 import { mergeCachedNewSessions } from "../cachedNewSessions";
 import { machineProjectKey } from "../machineKeys";
 import { selectedMachineId, type GetState, type RouteTarget, type SetState, type UpdateUrl } from "./types";
@@ -122,8 +122,26 @@ export class WorkspaceController {
   private applyProjectWorkspaces(projectId: string, workspaces: Workspace[]): void {
     const state = this.getState();
     const workspacesByProjectId = { ...state.workspacesByProjectId, [projectId]: workspaces };
-    if (state.selectedProject?.id === projectId) this.setState({ workspaces, workspacesByProjectId });
-    else this.setState({ workspacesByProjectId });
+    if (state.selectedProject?.id !== projectId) {
+      this.setState({ workspacesByProjectId });
+      return;
+    }
+    this.setState({ workspaces, workspacesByProjectId, ...this.refreshedSelection(state.selectedWorkspace, workspaces) });
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Re-points `selectedWorkspace` at its refreshed entry when metadata changed outside PI WEB
+   * (a branch switched in the worktree, say), so the workspace list and the surfaces that read
+   * the selected workspace cannot disagree. Keyed by id, which is derived from the path, so
+   * this never changes *which* workspace is selected and never triggers the session/terminal
+   * teardown in `handleWorkspaceChange`. Returns nothing when the entry is gone or unchanged,
+   * so an unchanged refresh does not churn object identity into state.
+   */
+  private refreshedSelection(selected: Workspace | undefined, workspaces: Workspace[]): Pick<AppState, "selectedWorkspace"> | undefined {
+    if (selected === undefined) return undefined;
+    const refreshed = workspaces.find((candidate) => candidate.id === selected.id);
+    if (refreshed === undefined || sameWorkspaceMetadata(selected, refreshed)) return undefined;
+    return { selectedWorkspace: refreshed };
   }
 }
 
@@ -135,3 +153,12 @@ function selectFallbackWorkspace(workspaces: Workspace[]): Workspace | undefined
   return workspaces.find((workspace) => workspace.isMain) ?? workspaces[0];
 }
 
+function sameWorkspaceMetadata(left: Workspace, right: Workspace): boolean {
+  return left.path === right.path
+    && left.label === right.label
+    && left.branch === right.branch
+    && left.isMain === right.isMain
+    && left.isGitRepo === right.isGitRepo
+    && left.isGitWorktree === right.isGitWorktree;
+}
+