diff --git a/.changeset/fix-duplicate-started-session-badge.md b/.changeset/fix-duplicate-started-session-badge.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..92bd7e5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/fix-duplicate-started-session-badge.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+"@jmfederico/pi-web": patch
+---
+
+Fix a duplicate session appearing in the list when starting a new session. The `session.created` broadcast (added with the spawn_session tool) could race ahead of the start request's HTTP response in the same tab, leaving two badges with the same id — one with archive/reload actions and one with delete. The optimistic insert now replaces any entry the broadcast added, so the locally cached session (with its delete action and draft support) always wins.
diff --git a/src/client/src/controllers/sessionController.test.ts b/src/client/src/controllers/sessionController.test.ts
index 8e6dd49..6a1cc3e 100644
--- a/src/client/src/controllers/sessionController.test.ts
+++ b/src/client/src/controllers/sessionController.test.ts
@@ -174,6 +174,36 @@ describe("SessionController", () => {
     expect(state.sessions.map((session) => session.id)).toEqual(["old-session"]);
   });
 
+  it("does not duplicate a started session when its session.created broadcast races the HTTP response", async () => {
+    const storage = new MemoryStorage();
+    Object.defineProperty(globalThis, "localStorage", { value: storage, configurable: true });
+    const started: SessionInfo = { ...oldSession, id: "started-session", path: "/tmp/started-session.jsonl" };
+    let state: AppState = { ...initialAppState(), selectedWorkspace: workspace, sessions: [] };
+    const socket = new FakeSocket();
+    const api: typeof defaultApi = {
+      ...defaultApi,
+      startSession: () => {
+        // Simulate the broadcast arriving before the HTTP response resolves.
+        controller.applyGlobalEvent({ type: "session.created", session: started });
+        return Promise.resolve(started);
+      },
+      messages: () => Promise.resolve(emptyPage),
+      status: (session) => Promise.resolve(status(sessionLookupId(session))),
+    };
+    const controller = new SessionController(
+      () => state,
+      (patch) => { state = { ...state, ...patch }; },
+      () => undefined,
+      undefined,
+      { api, socket },
+    );
+
+    await controller.startSession();
+
+    expect(state.sessions.map((session) => session.id)).toEqual(["started-session"]);
+    expect(isCachedNewSessionInfo(state.sessions[0])).toBe(true);
+  });
+
   it("toggles the per-session sending state around an inline attachment send and forwards attachments", async () => {
     let resolvePrompt: (() => void) | undefined;
     let promptArgs: { attachments?: PromptAttachment[] } | undefined;
diff --git a/src/client/src/controllers/sessionController.ts b/src/client/src/controllers/sessionController.ts
index 144fc23..e4e7710 100644
--- a/src/client/src/controllers/sessionController.ts
+++ b/src/client/src/controllers/sessionController.ts
@@ -94,7 +94,10 @@ export class SessionController {
       const session = await this.api.startSession(workspace.path, machineId);
       rememberCachedNewSession(session, machineId);
       const cachedSession = markCachedNewSessionInfo(session, machineId);
-      this.setState({ sessions: [cachedSession, ...this.getState().sessions] });
+      // Drop any entry the session.created broadcast may have inserted for this
+      // same session before the HTTP response resolved, so the cached marker
+      // (and its delete action) wins instead of leaving a duplicate badge.
+      this.setState({ sessions: [cachedSession, ...this.getState().sessions.filter((candidate) => candidate.id !== cachedSession.id)] });
       await this.selectSession(cachedSession);
     } catch (error) {
       this.setState({ error: String(error) });