diff --git a/console/web/src/hooks/use-workspace-tabs.ts b/console/web/src/hooks/use-workspace-tabs.ts
index c2de1c98c..bb82501c2 100644
--- a/console/web/src/hooks/use-workspace-tabs.ts
+++ b/console/web/src/hooks/use-workspace-tabs.ts
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@
  */
 
 import { useMutation, useQuery, useQueryClient } from '@tanstack/react-query'
-import { useCallback, useState } from 'react'
+import { useCallback, useEffect, useRef, useState } from 'react'
 import {
   type ConsoleConfigValue,
   fetchConsoleConfigValue,
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ import {
   parseActiveTabId,
   parseWorkspaceTabs,
   resolveActiveTab,
+  shouldFlushPendingWrite,
   type TabScreen,
   tabColumns,
   type WorkspaceLayoutSource,
@@ -161,8 +162,22 @@ export function useWorkspaceTabs(): UseWorkspaceTabsReturn {
     },
   })
 
+  // A mutation fired before the first server answer arrives (a keyboard
+  // shortcut, a worker's panel-open) must not be lost when `tabs` flips from
+  // the local copy to the server layout. The latest such write is held and
+  // replayed through the server path once hydrated.
+  const pendingWriteRef = useRef<{
+    tabs: WorkspaceTab[]
+    activeTabId: string
+  } | null>(null)
+
   const persist = useCallback(
     (nextTabs: WorkspaceTab[], nextActiveId: string) => {
+      if (layoutSource === 'pending') {
+        pendingWriteRef.current = { tabs: nextTabs, activeTabId: nextActiveId }
+        setLocal({ tabs: nextTabs, activeTabId: nextActiveId })
+        return
+      }
       if (available) {
         const transform = (value: ConsoleConfigValue) =>
           withActiveTabId(withWorkspaceTabs(value, nextTabs), nextActiveId)
@@ -179,9 +194,16 @@ export function useWorkspaceTabs(): UseWorkspaceTabsReturn {
         persistLocal(nextState)
       }
     },
-    [available, mutation, qc],
+    [available, layoutSource, mutation, qc],
   )
 
+  useEffect(() => {
+    const pending = pendingWriteRef.current
+    if (!shouldFlushPendingWrite(layoutSource, pending !== null)) return
+    pendingWriteRef.current = null
+    if (pending !== null) persist(pending.tabs, pending.activeTabId)
+  }, [layoutSource, persist])
+
   const activateTab = useCallback(
     (id: string) => {
       setChosenTabId(id)
diff --git a/console/web/src/lib/workspace-tabs.test.ts b/console/web/src/lib/workspace-tabs.test.ts
index ba75a9408..d333c9b06 100644
--- a/console/web/src/lib/workspace-tabs.test.ts
+++ b/console/web/src/lib/workspace-tabs.test.ts
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ import {
   resolveActiveTab,
   screenForView,
   screenLabel,
+  shouldFlushPendingWrite,
   tabColumns,
   tabLabel,
   tabSizes,
@@ -450,3 +451,13 @@ describe('workspaceLayoutSource', () => {
     ])
   })
 })
+
+describe('shouldFlushPendingWrite', () => {
+  it('flushes only once hydrated and something is queued', () => {
+    expect(shouldFlushPendingWrite('pending', true)).toBe(false)
+    expect(shouldFlushPendingWrite('pending', false)).toBe(false)
+    expect(shouldFlushPendingWrite('server', false)).toBe(false)
+    expect(shouldFlushPendingWrite('server', true)).toBe(true)
+    expect(shouldFlushPendingWrite('local', true)).toBe(true)
+  })
+})
diff --git a/console/web/src/lib/workspace-tabs.ts b/console/web/src/lib/workspace-tabs.ts
index 6933be18c..02f3fe940 100644
--- a/console/web/src/lib/workspace-tabs.ts
+++ b/console/web/src/lib/workspace-tabs.ts
@@ -360,6 +360,16 @@ export function withActiveTabId(
     it is not (the localStorage copy). */
 export type WorkspaceLayoutSource = 'pending' | 'server' | 'local'
 
+/** A queued pre-hydration write should replay once the layout source is no
+    longer `pending` (server hydrated, or known unavailable) and something is
+    actually queued. */
+export function shouldFlushPendingWrite(
+  source: WorkspaceLayoutSource,
+  hasPending: boolean,
+): boolean {
+  return source !== 'pending' && hasPending
+}
+
 export function workspaceLayoutSource(
   fetched: boolean,
   available: boolean,