diff --git a/apps/web/src/components/settings/SettingsSidebarNav.tsx b/apps/web/src/components/settings/SettingsSidebarNav.tsx
index 9547a14c8bdd..6cd1acaae63d 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/components/settings/SettingsSidebarNav.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/src/components/settings/SettingsSidebarNav.tsx
@@ -45,8 +45,9 @@ import {
 import { SidebarUtilityMenu } from "../sidebar/SidebarChrome";
 import { scrollToSettingsTarget } from "./settingsLayout";
 import {
-  getVisibleSettingsSectionIds,
+  getActiveSettingsSectionId,
   observeSettingsSectionVisibility,
+  type SettingsSectionVisibilityScope,
   type SettingsSectionVisibilityState,
 } from "./settingsSectionVisibility";
 import {
@@ -154,6 +155,10 @@ export function SettingsSidebarNav({ pathname }: { pathname: string }) {
   const [sectionVisibility, setSectionVisibility] = useState<SettingsSectionVisibilityState | null>(
     null,
   );
+  const [preferredSection, setPreferredSection] = useState<{
+    scope: SettingsSectionVisibilityScope | null;
+    targetId: string;
+  } | null>(null);
   const searchableItems = useAvailableSettingsSearchItems();
   const results = useMemo(() => searchSettings(query, searchableItems), [query, searchableItems]);
   const isSearching = query.trim().length > 0;
@@ -169,10 +174,11 @@ export function SettingsSidebarNav({ pathname }: { pathname: string }) {
     const pageSections = path ? SETTINGS_PAGE_SECTIONS[path] : undefined;
     return path && pageSections ? { path, pageSections } : null;
   }, [resolvedPathname]);
-  const visiblePageSectionIds = getVisibleSettingsSectionIds({
+  const activePageSectionId = getActiveSettingsSectionId({
     activePath: activeSettingsPath,
     scope: observedVisibilityScope,
     visibility: sectionVisibility,
+    preferredSection,
   });
 
   useEffect(() => {
@@ -249,6 +255,7 @@ export function SettingsSidebarNav({ pathname }: { pathname: string }) {
   );
   const handlePageSectionClick = useCallback(
     (to: SettingsPath, targetId: string) => {
+      setPreferredSection({ scope: observedVisibilityScope, targetId });
       if (isMobile) {
         setOpenMobile(false);
       }
@@ -263,7 +270,7 @@ export function SettingsSidebarNav({ pathname }: { pathname: string }) {
         state: { settingsTargetHighlight: false },
       });
     },
-    [isMobile, navigate, pathname, setOpenMobile],
+    [isMobile, navigate, observedVisibilityScope, pathname, setOpenMobile],
   );
   const clearSearch = useCallback(() => {
     setQuery("");
@@ -435,10 +442,12 @@ export function SettingsSidebarNav({ pathname }: { pathname: string }) {
                               <SidebarMenuSubButton
                                 render={<button type="button" />}
                                 size="sm"
-                                data-visible={visiblePageSectionIds.has(section.targetId)}
+                                aria-current={
+                                  activePageSectionId === section.targetId ? "location" : undefined
+                                }
                                 className={cn(
                                   "w-full text-sidebar-muted-foreground/65",
-                                  visiblePageSectionIds.has(section.targetId) &&
+                                  activePageSectionId === section.targetId &&
                                     "font-medium text-sidebar-foreground",
                                 )}
                                 onClick={() => handlePageSectionClick(item.to, section.targetId)}
diff --git a/apps/web/src/components/settings/settingsLayout.test.tsx b/apps/web/src/components/settings/settingsLayout.test.tsx
index 714a77dbb562..45408ac2faa4 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/components/settings/settingsLayout.test.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/src/components/settings/settingsLayout.test.tsx
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ describe("settings search targets", () => {
     expect(markup).not.toContain("settings-search-target-pulse");
   });
 
-  it("scrolls directly to a section header and restarts the destination pulse", () => {
+  it.each([true, false])("scrolls to a section header with highlight=%s", (highlight) => {
     const sectionScrollIntoView = vi.fn();
     const headerScrollIntoView = vi.fn();
     const focus = vi.fn();
@@ -48,16 +48,21 @@ describe("settings search targets", () => {
       matchMedia: vi.fn(() => ({ matches: false })),
     });
 
-    expect(scrollToSettingsTarget("providers")).toBe(true);
+    expect(scrollToSettingsTarget("providers", { highlight })).toBe(true);
     expect(headerScrollIntoView).toHaveBeenCalledWith({
       behavior: "smooth",
-      block: "center",
+      block: highlight ? "center" : "start",
     });
     expect(sectionScrollIntoView).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
     expect(focus).toHaveBeenCalledWith({ preventScroll: true });
     expect(remove).toHaveBeenCalledWith("settings-search-target-pulse");
-    expect(add).toHaveBeenCalledWith("settings-search-target-pulse");
-    expect(addEventListener).toHaveBeenCalledWith("blur", expect.any(Function), { once: true });
+    if (highlight) {
+      expect(add).toHaveBeenCalledWith("settings-search-target-pulse");
+      expect(addEventListener).toHaveBeenCalledWith("blur", expect.any(Function), { once: true });
+    } else {
+      expect(add).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+      expect(addEventListener).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    }
   });
 
   it("does not animate the destination when reduced motion is requested", () => {
diff --git a/apps/web/src/components/settings/settingsLayout.tsx b/apps/web/src/components/settings/settingsLayout.tsx
index 246607340751..cedb774dd6ad 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/components/settings/settingsLayout.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/src/components/settings/settingsLayout.tsx
@@ -71,7 +71,7 @@ function scrollAndFocusSettingsTarget(target: HTMLElement, highlight = true): vo
 
   scrollTarget.scrollIntoView({
     behavior: prefersReducedMotion ? "auto" : "smooth",
-    block: "center",
+    block: highlight ? "center" : "start",
   });
   target.focus({ preventScroll: true });
   target.classList.remove("settings-search-target-pulse");
diff --git a/apps/web/src/components/settings/settingsSectionVisibility.test.ts b/apps/web/src/components/settings/settingsSectionVisibility.test.ts
index 90656ad7073a..8e50334c2b8b 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/components/settings/settingsSectionVisibility.test.ts
+++ b/apps/web/src/components/settings/settingsSectionVisibility.test.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import { describe, expect, it, vi } from "vite-plus/test";
 
 import {
-  getVisibleSettingsSectionIds,
+  getActiveSettingsSectionId,
   observeSettingsSectionVisibility,
   type SettingsSectionVisibilityEnvironment,
 } from "./settingsSectionVisibility";
@@ -83,28 +83,54 @@ describe("settings section visibility", () => {
     };
 
     expect(
-      getVisibleSettingsSectionIds({
+      getActiveSettingsSectionId({
         activePath: "/settings/general",
         scope: firstGeneralVisit,
         visibility: firstVisibility,
       }),
-    ).toEqual(new Set(["text-generation"]));
+    ).toBe("text-generation");
     expect(
-      getVisibleSettingsSectionIds({
+      getActiveSettingsSectionId({
         activePath: "/settings/providers",
         scope: null,
         visibility: firstVisibility,
       }),
-    ).toEqual(new Set());
+    ).toBeUndefined();
 
     const secondGeneralVisit = { path: "/settings/general" };
     expect(
-      getVisibleSettingsSectionIds({
+      getActiveSettingsSectionId({
         activePath: "/settings/general",
         scope: secondGeneralVisit,
         visibility: firstVisibility,
       }),
-    ).toEqual(new Set());
+    ).toBeUndefined();
+  });
+
+  it("selects one visible section, preferring the clicked destination within the current visit", () => {
+    const scope = { path: "/settings/general" };
+    const state = {
+      activePath: scope.path,
+      scope,
+      visibility: {
+        scope,
+        targetIds: new Set(["behavior", "projects-and-threads", "confirmations"]),
+      },
+    };
+    const preferredSection = { scope, targetId: "projects-and-threads" };
+
+    expect(getActiveSettingsSectionId(state)).toBe("behavior");
+    expect(getActiveSettingsSectionId({ ...state, preferredSection })).toBe("projects-and-threads");
+    expect(
+      getActiveSettingsSectionId({
+        ...state,
+        preferredSection: { ...preferredSection, scope: { path: scope.path } },
+      }),
+    ).toBe("behavior");
+    state.visibility.targetIds.delete("projects-and-threads");
+    expect(getActiveSettingsSectionId({ ...state, preferredSection })).toBe("behavior");
+    state.visibility.targetIds.clear();
+    expect(getActiveSettingsSectionId({ ...state, preferredSection })).toBeUndefined();
   });
 
   it("accumulates visible sections and emits them in sidebar order", () => {
diff --git a/apps/web/src/components/settings/settingsSectionVisibility.ts b/apps/web/src/components/settings/settingsSectionVisibility.ts
index 76b1fc943256..5bc6b3f177af 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/components/settings/settingsSectionVisibility.ts
+++ b/apps/web/src/components/settings/settingsSectionVisibility.ts
@@ -12,21 +12,27 @@ export type SettingsSectionVisibilityState = {
   readonly targetIds: ReadonlySet<string>;
 };
 
-const EMPTY_VISIBLE_SETTINGS_SECTION_IDS: ReadonlySet<string> = new Set();
-
-export function getVisibleSettingsSectionIds({
+export function getActiveSettingsSectionId({
   activePath,
   scope,
   visibility,
+  preferredSection,
 }: {
   readonly activePath: string | undefined;
   readonly scope: SettingsSectionVisibilityScope | null;
   readonly visibility: SettingsSectionVisibilityState | null;
-}): ReadonlySet<string> {
+  readonly preferredSection?: {
+    readonly scope: SettingsSectionVisibilityScope | null;
+    readonly targetId: string;
+  } | null;
+}): string | undefined {
   if (!scope || activePath !== scope.path || visibility?.scope !== scope) {
-    return EMPTY_VISIBLE_SETTINGS_SECTION_IDS;
+    return undefined;
+  }
+  if (preferredSection?.scope === scope && visibility.targetIds.has(preferredSection.targetId)) {
+    return preferredSection.targetId;
   }
-  return visibility.targetIds;
+  return visibility.targetIds.values().next().value;
 }
 
 type ElementObserver = {