diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/app/session/hooks/use-session-actions.test.tsx b/apps/desktop/src/app/session/hooks/use-session-actions.test.tsx
index c0b0ec63591e3..3a46e8b62d61a 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/src/app/session/hooks/use-session-actions.test.tsx
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/app/session/hooks/use-session-actions.test.tsx
@@ -1402,12 +1402,23 @@ describe('branchStoredSession desktop source tagging', () => {
     vi.restoreAllMocks()
   })
 
-  it('opens the branch as a new tab and leaves the parent chat selected', async () => {
+  it('opens the branch as the primary session in the main workspace (#93444)', async () => {
     const requestGateway = vi.fn(async (method: string) => {
       if (method === 'session.create') {
         return { session_id: 'branch-runtime', stored_session_id: 'branch-stored' } as never
       }
 
+      if (method === 'session.resume') {
+        return {
+          info: {},
+          message_count: 0,
+          messages: [],
+          resumed: 'branch-stored',
+          session_id: 'branch-runtime',
+          session_key: 'branch-stored'
+        } as never
+      }
+
       return {} as never
     })
 
@@ -1426,17 +1437,69 @@ describe('branchStoredSession desktop source tagging', () => {
         navigate={navigate}
         onReady={branch => (branchStoredSession = branch)}
         requestGateway={requestGateway}
+        selectedStoredSessionId="stored-parent"
+      />
+    )
+    await waitFor(() => expect(branchStoredSession).not.toBeNull())
+
+    await expect(branchStoredSession!('stored-parent')).resolves.toBe(true)
+
+    // The branch becomes the primary session — this is what routes the main
+    // workspace area to it, not just a new sidebar row.
+    expect($selectedStoredSessionId.get()).toBe('branch-stored')
+    // It must not ALSO exist as a tile: a session is either the main thread or
+    // a tile, never both (resumeSession closes any tile with the same id).
+    expect($sessionTiles.get().some(tile => tile.storedSessionId === 'branch-stored')).toBe(false)
+  })
+
+  it('keeps the current view when branching a different session from the sidebar (does not reintroduce #69750)', async () => {
+    const requestGateway = vi.fn(async (method: string) => {
+      if (method === 'session.create') {
+        return { session_id: 'branch-runtime', stored_session_id: 'branch-stored' } as never
+      }
+
+      if (method === 'session.resume') {
+        return {
+          info: {},
+          message_count: 0,
+          messages: [],
+          resumed: 'branch-stored',
+          session_id: 'branch-runtime',
+          session_key: 'branch-stored'
+        } as never
+      }
+
+      return {} as never
+    })
+
+    // The user is looking at "stored-other" and right-clicks a DIFFERENT,
+    // unrelated session ("stored-parent") in the sidebar to branch it.
+    setSessions([storedSession({ id: 'stored-parent', message_count: 1 })])
+    setSelectedStoredSessionId('stored-other')
+    vi.mocked(getAllSessionMessages).mockResolvedValue({
+      messages: [{ content: 'branch me', role: 'user', timestamp: 1 }],
+      session_id: 'stored-parent'
+    } as never)
+
+    const navigate = vi.fn()
+    let branchStoredSession: ((storedSessionId: string) => Promise<boolean>) | null = null
+    render(
+      <BranchHarness
+        navigate={navigate}
+        onReady={branch => (branchStoredSession = branch)}
+        requestGateway={requestGateway}
+        selectedStoredSessionId="stored-other"
       />
     )
     await waitFor(() => expect(branchStoredSession).not.toBeNull())
 
     await expect(branchStoredSession!('stored-parent')).resolves.toBe(true)
 
-    // The branch opened as its own tab...
+    // Branching a session that is not the one currently open must not steal
+    // the user's active view — "stored-other" stays selected.
+    expect($selectedStoredSessionId.get()).toBe('stored-other')
+    // The branch instead opens as its own tile.
     expect($sessionTiles.get().some(tile => tile.storedSessionId === 'branch-stored')).toBe(true)
-    // ...without stealing the primary selection or navigating away from the parent.
-    expect($selectedStoredSessionId.get()).toBe('stored-parent')
-    expect(navigate).not.toHaveBeenCalledWith(sessionRoute('branch-stored'))
   })
 
   it('tags desktop branch sessions as desktop sessions', async () => {
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 540058dc53773..cf913713f037b 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
@@ -1649,8 +1649,6 @@ export function useSessionActions({
           routedSessionId
         )
 
-        // The branch opens as its own tile in the parent's worktree, not as the
-        // primary session — keep its runtime out of the main composer atoms.
         const runtimeInfo = applyRuntimeInfo(branched.info, { foreground: false })
         patchSessionWorkspace(routedSessionId, runtimeInfo?.cwd)
 
@@ -1658,13 +1656,20 @@ export function useSessionActions({
           updateSessionState(branched.session_id, state => ({ ...state, ...runtimeInfo }), routedSessionId)
         }
 
-        // Open the branch as its own tab and switch to it, leaving the parent
-        // chat exactly where it is. Prime the tile with the create runtime so it
-        // skips a redundant resume. Do NOT select it as the primary session
-        // first — openSessionTile no-ops when the id is already primary.
-        openSessionTile(routedSessionId, 'center')
-        patchSessionTile(routedSessionId, { runtimeId: branched.session_id })
-        revealTreePane(`session-tile:${routedSessionId}`)
+        // Only take over the main pane when the chat being branched is the one
+        // already open there — branching a background/sidebar session must
+        // not yank the user's current view away from what they're looking at
+        // (the #69750 focus-stealing bug, reintroduced if this fires
+        // unconditionally). resumeSession reuses the runtime warm-cached above
+        // (ensureSessionState/updateSessionState) instead of an extra resume RPC.
+        if (parentStoredId !== null && selectedStoredSessionIdRef.current === parentStoredId) {
+          await resumeSession(routedSessionId)
+        } else {
+          openSessionTile(routedSessionId, 'center')
+          patchSessionTile(routedSessionId, { runtimeId: branched.session_id })
+          revealTreePane(`session-tile:${routedSessionId}`)
+        }
+
         broadcastSessionsChanged()
 
         return true
@@ -1678,7 +1683,15 @@ export function useSessionActions({
         }, 0)
       }
     },
-    [copy, creatingSessionRef, ensureSessionState, requestGateway, updateSessionState]
+    [
+      copy,
+      creatingSessionRef,
+      ensureSessionState,
+      requestGateway,
+      resumeSession,
+      selectedStoredSessionIdRef,
+      updateSessionState
+    ]
   )
 
   // Branch the open chat — optionally from a specific message — off its live transcript.