diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/main/services/chat/agentChatService.test.ts b/apps/desktop/src/main/services/chat/agentChatService.test.ts
index 0ce548b80..e92bc8922 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/src/main/services/chat/agentChatService.test.ts
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/main/services/chat/agentChatService.test.ts
@@ -3181,6 +3181,83 @@ describe("createAgentChatService", () => {
       }, { timeout: 2000, interval: 50 });
     });
 
+    it("sends Codex brief handoff text before syncing the inherited goal", async () => {
+      const { service, sessionService } = createService();
+      const source = await service.createSession({
+        laneId: "lane-1",
+        provider: "codex",
+        model: "gpt-5.5",
+        modelId: "openai/gpt-5.5",
+      });
+      sessionService.updateMeta({
+        sessionId: source.id,
+        goal: "No Machine State Polish",
+      });
+      const sourceRow = mockState.sessions.get(source.id);
+      if (sourceRow) {
+        sourceRow.summary = "Fix the iPhone 17 simulator chat layout handoff.";
+      }
+
+      const handoffStart = mockState.codexRequestPayloads.length;
+      const result = await service.handoffSession({
+        sourceSessionId: source.id,
+        targetModelId: "openai/gpt-5.5",
+      });
+
+      expect(result.session.provider).toBe("codex");
+      expect(mockState.sessions.get(result.session.id)?.goal).toBe("No Machine State Polish");
+
+      const handoffPayloads = mockState.codexRequestPayloads.slice(handoffStart);
+      const requestMethods = handoffPayloads.map((payload) => String(payload.method ?? ""));
+      const turnStartIndex = requestMethods.indexOf("turn/start");
+      const goalSetIndex = requestMethods.indexOf("thread/goal/set");
+      expect(turnStartIndex).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(0);
+      expect(goalSetIndex).toBeGreaterThan(turnStartIndex);
+
+      const turnStartRequest = handoffPayloads[turnStartIndex] as {
+        params?: { input?: Array<{ text?: unknown }> };
+      };
+      const inputText = turnStartRequest.params?.input?.map((entry) => String(entry.text ?? "")).join("\n") ?? "";
+      expect(inputText).toContain("This message was injected automatically by ADE during a chat handoff.");
+      expect(inputText).toContain("No Machine State Polish");
+
+      const goalSetRequest = handoffPayloads[goalSetIndex] as {
+        params?: { objective?: unknown };
+      };
+      expect(goalSetRequest.params?.objective).toBe("No Machine State Polish");
+    });
+
+    it("keeps Codex brief handoff successful when deferred goal seeding throws", async () => {
+      const { service, sessionService } = createService();
+      const source = await service.createSession({
+        laneId: "lane-1",
+        provider: "codex",
+        model: "gpt-5.5",
+        modelId: "openai/gpt-5.5",
+      });
+      sessionService.updateMeta({
+        sessionId: source.id,
+        goal: "No Machine State Polish",
+      });
+      mockState.codexResponseOverrides.set("thread/goal/set", () => {
+        throw new Error("goal seed unavailable");
+      });
+
+      const handoffStart = mockState.codexRequestPayloads.length;
+      const result = await service.handoffSession({
+        sourceSessionId: source.id,
+        targetModelId: "openai/gpt-5.5",
+      });
+
+      expect(result.session.provider).toBe("codex");
+      expect(mockState.sessions.get(result.session.id)?.goal).toBe("No Machine State Polish");
+      const handoffMethods = mockState.codexRequestPayloads
+        .slice(handoffStart)
+        .map((payload) => String(payload.method ?? ""));
+      expect(handoffMethods).toContain("turn/start");
+      expect(handoffMethods).toContain("thread/goal/set");
+    });
+
     it("uses the selected Claude handoff permission instead of the source interaction mode", async () => {
       const send = vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(undefined);
       const setPermissionMode = vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(undefined);
diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/main/services/chat/agentChatService.ts b/apps/desktop/src/main/services/chat/agentChatService.ts
index eb33ec304..4be2e56c8 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/src/main/services/chat/agentChatService.ts
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/main/services/chat/agentChatService.ts
@@ -19970,27 +19970,51 @@ export function createAgentChatService(args: {
     const inheritedGoal = trimLine(sourceSession.goal)
       ?? trimLine(sourceSession.summary)
       ?? trimLine(sourceSession.title);
-    if (inheritedGoal) {
+    const applyInheritedGoal = (): void => {
+      if (!inheritedGoal) return;
       createdManaged.session.goal = inheritedGoal;
       sessionService.updateMeta({
         sessionId: created.id,
         goal: inheritedGoal,
       });
+    };
+    const deferInheritedGoalUntilHandoffDispatch =
+      handoffMode === "brief" && createdManaged.session.provider === "codex";
+    if (!deferInheritedGoalUntilHandoffDispatch) {
+      applyInheritedGoal();
     }
     persistChatState(createdManaged);
 
     if (handoffMode === "brief") {
-      await sendMessage({
-        sessionId: created.id,
-        text: buildHandoffPrompt(brief),
-        displayText: "Chat handoff from previous session",
-        metadata: { kind: "handoff", hideFullPrompt: true },
-        reasoningEffort: targetReasoningEffort,
-        executionMode: createdManaged.session.executionMode ?? null,
-        interactionMode: createdManaged.session.interactionMode ?? null,
-      }, {
-        awaitDispatch: true,
-      });
+      try {
+        await sendMessage({
+          sessionId: created.id,
+          text: buildHandoffPrompt(brief),
+          displayText: "Chat handoff from previous session",
+          metadata: { kind: "handoff", hideFullPrompt: true },
+          reasoningEffort: targetReasoningEffort,
+          executionMode: createdManaged.session.executionMode ?? null,
+          interactionMode: createdManaged.session.interactionMode ?? null,
+        }, {
+          awaitDispatch: true,
+        });
+      } finally {
+        if (deferInheritedGoalUntilHandoffDispatch) {
+          applyInheritedGoal();
+          persistChatState(createdManaged);
+          if (createdManaged.runtime?.kind === "codex") {
+            try {
+              await seedCodexThreadGoalFromSessionGoal(createdManaged, createdManaged.runtime);
+            } catch (error) {
+              logger.warn("agent_chat.codex_goal_seed_after_handoff_failed", {
+                sessionId: createdManaged.session.id,
+                error: error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error),
+              });
+              persistChatState(createdManaged);
+            }
+          }
+        }
+      }
     }
 
     return {
diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/renderer/components/files/v2/EditorGroup.test.tsx b/apps/desktop/src/renderer/components/files/v2/EditorGroup.test.tsx
index a86cc5f55..cee341de4 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/src/renderer/components/files/v2/EditorGroup.test.tsx
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/renderer/components/files/v2/EditorGroup.test.tsx
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ const registry = {
 } as unknown as MonacoModelRegistry;
 
 const tabId = editorTabId("workspace-1", "src/file.ts");
+const otherLaneTabId = editorTabId("workspace-2", "src/other.ts");
 
 const baseProps: EditorGroupProps = {
   group: {
@@ -108,6 +109,36 @@ describe("EditorGroup", () => {
     expect(screen.getByTestId("viewer-button")).toBeTruthy();
   });
 
+  it("marks the visible fallback tab active when lane scope hides the stored active tab", () => {
+    render(
+      <EditorGroup
+        {...baseProps}
+        tabScope="lane"
+        group={{
+          ...baseProps.group,
+          activeTabId: otherLaneTabId,
+          tabs: [
+            ...baseProps.group.tabs,
+            {
+              id: otherLaneTabId,
+              workspaceId: "workspace-2",
+              laneId: "lane-2",
+              path: "src/other.ts",
+              title: "other.ts",
+              viewerKind: "code",
+              languageId: "typescript",
+              preview: false,
+              pinned: false,
+            },
+          ],
+        }}
+      />,
+    );
+
+    expect(screen.getByRole("tab", { name: /file\.ts/i }).getAttribute("aria-selected")).toBe("true");
+    expect(screen.queryByRole("tab", { name: /other\.ts/i })).toBeNull();
+  });
+
   it("does not steal Cmd+S from focused text inputs", () => {
     render(<EditorGroup {...baseProps} />);
     const input = screen.getByTestId("viewer-input");
diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/renderer/components/files/v2/EditorGroup.tsx b/apps/desktop/src/renderer/components/files/v2/EditorGroup.tsx
index c019748eb..27a933e1a 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/src/renderer/components/files/v2/EditorGroup.tsx
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/renderer/components/files/v2/EditorGroup.tsx
@@ -178,7 +178,7 @@ export function EditorGroup(props: EditorGroupProps) {
             <TabButton
               key={tab.id}
               tab={tab}
-              active={tab.id === group.activeTabId}
+              active={tab.id === activeTab?.id}
               dirty={dirtyTabIds.has(tab.id)}
               laneAccent={props.tabScope === "all" ? laneAccentForTab(tab, props.lanes) : undefined}
               showLaneDivider={props.tabScope === "all" && isLaneGroupBoundary(displayTabs, index)}