diff --git a/src/term-commands/serve.ts b/src/term-commands/serve.ts
index deb25eeb5..dafed1157 100644
--- a/src/term-commands/serve.ts
+++ b/src/term-commands/serve.ts
@@ -110,39 +110,6 @@ function isTmuxServerRunning(socket: string, conf: string): boolean {
   }
 }
 
-/** Start the genie agent tmux server and create sessions for all agents */
-function startAgentTmuxServer(agents: string[]): void {
-  const conf = genieTmuxConf();
-
-  // Start server with a bootstrap session (tmux needs at least one)
-  if (!isTmuxServerRunning(GENIE_SOCKET, conf)) {
-    execSync(genieTmux('new-session -d -s _bootstrap'), { stdio: 'ignore' });
-  }
-
-  // Create a session per agent
-  for (const agent of agents) {
-    try {
-      execSync(genieTmux(`has-session -t '${agent}'`), { stdio: 'ignore' });
-    } catch {
-      // Session doesn't exist — create it
-      try {
-        execSync(genieTmux(`new-session -d -s '${agent}'`), { stdio: 'ignore' });
-      } catch {
-        // race or naming conflict
-      }
-    }
-  }
-
-  // Kill the bootstrap session if we have real agent sessions
-  if (agents.length > 0) {
-    try {
-      execSync(genieTmux('kill-session -t _bootstrap'), { stdio: 'ignore' });
-    } catch {
-      // already gone or was the only session
-    }
-  }
-}
-
 const NAV_WIDTH = 30;
 const KEY_TABLE = 'genie-tui';
 
@@ -170,32 +137,22 @@ function applyTuiStyle(): void {
 
 /** Set up keybindings in a dedicated key table for TUI */
 function setupTuiKeybindings(): void {
-  try {
-    execSync(
-      tuiTmux(`bind-key -T ${KEY_TABLE} Tab select-pane -t ${TUI_SESSION}:0.1 \\; switch-client -T ${KEY_TABLE}`),
-      { stdio: 'ignore' },
-    );
-    execSync(
-      tuiTmux(
-        `bind-key -T ${KEY_TABLE} C-b if-shell "[ $(tmux -L ${TUI_SOCKET} display-message -p '#\\{pane_width\\}' -t ${TUI_SESSION}:0.0) -gt 5 ]" "resize-pane -t ${TUI_SESSION}:0.0 -x 0" "resize-pane -t ${TUI_SESSION}:0.0 -x ${NAV_WIDTH}" \\; switch-client -T ${KEY_TABLE}`,
-      ),
-      { stdio: 'ignore' },
-    );
-    execSync(
-      tuiTmux(`bind-key -T ${KEY_TABLE} C-t send-keys -t ${TUI_SESSION}:0.1 C-b c \\; switch-client -T ${KEY_TABLE}`),
-      { stdio: 'ignore' },
-    );
-    execSync(tuiTmux(`bind-key -T ${KEY_TABLE} C-q run-shell "tmux -L ${TUI_SOCKET} kill-session -t ${TUI_SESSION}"`), {
-      stdio: 'ignore',
-    });
-    execSync(
-      tuiTmux(`bind-key -T ${KEY_TABLE} 'C-\\\\' run-shell "tmux -L ${TUI_SOCKET} kill-session -t ${TUI_SESSION}"`),
-      { stdio: 'ignore' },
-    );
-    execSync(tuiTmux(`set-hook -t ${TUI_SESSION} client-session-changed "switch-client -T ${KEY_TABLE}"`), {
-      stdio: 'ignore',
-    });
-  } catch {}
+  const bindings = [
+    // Tab: toggle focus between left nav (pane 0) and right terminal (pane 1)
+    `bind-key -T ${KEY_TABLE} Tab if-shell "[ '#{pane_index}' = '0' ]" "select-pane -t ${TUI_SESSION}:0.1" "select-pane -t ${TUI_SESSION}:0.0" \\; switch-client -T ${KEY_TABLE}`,
+    // Ctrl+B: toggle sidebar width (collapse/expand)
+    `bind-key -T ${KEY_TABLE} C-b if-shell "[ $(tmux -L ${TUI_SOCKET} display-message -p '#\\{pane_width\\}' -t ${TUI_SESSION}:0.0) -gt 5 ]" "resize-pane -t ${TUI_SESSION}:0.0 -x 0" "resize-pane -t ${TUI_SESSION}:0.0 -x ${NAV_WIDTH}" \\; switch-client -T ${KEY_TABLE}`,
+    // Ctrl+Q: detach from TUI (don't kill — serve owns the session)
+    `bind-key -T ${KEY_TABLE} C-q detach-client`,
+    `bind-key -T ${KEY_TABLE} 'C-\\\\' detach-client`,
+    // Activate key table on session attach
+    `set-hook -t ${TUI_SESSION} client-session-changed "switch-client -T ${KEY_TABLE}"`,
+  ];
+  for (const cmd of bindings) {
+    try {
+      execSync(tuiTmux(cmd), { stdio: 'ignore' });
+    } catch {}
+  }
 }
 
 /**
@@ -343,18 +300,6 @@ export function ensureTuiSession(workspaceRoot?: string): void {
 // Workspace agent scanning
 // ============================================================================
 
-/** Scan for agents from workspace.json and filesystem */
-function discoverAgents(): string[] {
-  try {
-    const { findWorkspace, scanAgents } = require('../lib/workspace.js') as typeof import('../lib/workspace.js');
-    const ws = findWorkspace();
-    if (!ws) return [];
-    return scanAgents(ws.root);
-  } catch {
-    return [];
-  }
-}
-
 // ============================================================================
 // Service management
 // ============================================================================
@@ -421,12 +366,14 @@ async function startForeground(): Promise<void> {
     console.error(`  pgserve failed: ${msg}`);
   }
 
-  // 2. Start genie agent tmux server + agent sessions
-  const agents = discoverAgents();
-  console.log(`  Starting tmux -L ${GENIE_SOCKET} server...`);
-  startAgentTmuxServer(agents);
+  // 2. Report agent tmux server state (don't create empty sessions —
+  // sessions are created on-demand by `genie spawn`).
   const sessions = listAgentSessions();
-  console.log(`  Agent sessions: ${sessions.length > 0 ? sessions.join(', ') : '(none)'}`);
+  if (sessions.length > 0) {
+    console.log(`  Agent server (-L ${GENIE_SOCKET}): ${sessions.length} sessions`);
+  } else {
+    console.log(`  Agent server (-L ${GENIE_SOCKET}): no sessions yet (created on first spawn)`);
+  }
 
   // 2b. Sync agent directory + start watcher
   handles.agentWatcher = await startAgentSync();
diff --git a/src/tui/components/Nav.tsx b/src/tui/components/Nav.tsx
index 6b0d50b79..d04099be7 100644
--- a/src/tui/components/Nav.tsx
+++ b/src/tui/components/Nav.tsx
@@ -162,10 +162,11 @@ export function Nav({ onTmuxSessionSelect, workspaceRoot, initialAgent }: NavPro
     const node = flatNodes[selectedIndex]?.node;
     if (!node) return;
 
-    // Stopped agent: spawn it and attach to the session
-    if (node.type === 'agent' && node.wsAgentState === 'stopped') {
-      spawnAgent(node.label);
-      // Attach immediately — ensureAgentSession in tmux.ts creates the session if needed
+    // Agent node: spawn if not running, then attach
+    if (node.type === 'agent') {
+      if (node.wsAgentState !== 'running') {
+        spawnAgent(node.label);
+      }
       const target = getSessionTarget(node);
       if (target) onTmuxSessionSelect(target.sessionName, target.windowIndex);
       return;