diff --git a/desktop/src/features/channels/ui/ChannelPane.tsx b/desktop/src/features/channels/ui/ChannelPane.tsx
index 531a13724b..784d4d7fbc 100644
--- a/desktop/src/features/channels/ui/ChannelPane.tsx
+++ b/desktop/src/features/channels/ui/ChannelPane.tsx
@@ -84,6 +84,7 @@ export const ChannelPane = React.memo(function ChannelPane({
   header,
   idleAuxiliaryPanel = null,
   idleAuxiliaryHeaderActions,
+  idleAuxiliaryOverridesThread = false,
   idleAuxiliaryTitle = "",
   hasOlderMessages,
   historyExhausted,
@@ -487,11 +488,15 @@ export const ChannelPane = React.memo(function ChannelPane({
     hasThreadSurface: Boolean(threadHeadMessage) || shouldShowThreadSkeleton,
     useSplitAuxiliaryPane,
   });
+  const priorityIdleAuxiliary =
+    idleAuxiliaryOverridesThread && useFocusIdleDrawer;
   const { channelIsCovered, markExitComplete } = useFocusDrawerPresence(
     useFocusThreadDrawer || useFocusIdleDrawer,
-    useFocusThreadDrawer
-      ? onCloseThread
-      : (onCloseIdleAuxiliaryPanel ?? onCloseThread),
+    priorityIdleAuxiliary
+      ? (onCloseIdleAuxiliaryPanel ?? onCloseThread)
+      : useFocusThreadDrawer
+        ? onCloseThread
+        : (onCloseIdleAuxiliaryPanel ?? onCloseThread),
   );
   const { changeThreadViewMode, layoutScrollTargetId, resolveScrollTarget } =
     useThreadViewModeSwitch({
@@ -551,6 +556,25 @@ export const ChannelPane = React.memo(function ChannelPane({
     ) : (
       wrapAux(panel, "idle-auxiliary-panel")
     );
+  const idleAuxiliarySurface =
+    idleAuxiliaryPanel && onCloseIdleAuxiliaryPanel
+      ? wrapIdlePanel(
+          <IdleAuxiliaryPanel
+            canResetWidth={canResetThreadPanelWidth}
+            headerControls={idleAuxiliaryHeaderActions}
+            isFocusDrawer={useFocusIdleDrawer}
+            isSinglePanelView={isSinglePanelView}
+            onClose={onCloseIdleAuxiliaryPanel}
+            onResetWidth={onResetThreadPanelWidth}
+            onResizeStart={onThreadPanelResizeStart}
+            title={idleAuxiliaryTitle}
+            useSplitAuxiliaryPane={useSplitAuxiliaryPane}
+            widthPx={threadPanelWidthPx}
+          >
+            {idleAuxiliaryPanel}
+          </IdleAuxiliaryPanel>,
+        )
+      : null;
   const threadHeaderLeading = useSplitAuxiliaryPane ? (
     <ThreadViewModeToggle onChange={changeThreadViewMode} />
   ) : undefined;
@@ -799,14 +823,7 @@ export const ChannelPane = React.memo(function ChannelPane({
         </section>
       ) : null}
 
-      {/*
-       * `AnimatePresence` keeps the focus thread drawer mounted through its exit
-       * animation — without it the drawer's own existence condition
-       * (`useFocusThreadDrawer`, which is derived from `threadHeadMessage`) goes
-       * false on the same frame as the close, and there is nothing left to
-       * animate. It can hold the real thread through the exit rather than a
-       * frozen snapshot because the panel is fully prop-driven.
-       */}
+      {/* Keep focus drawers mounted until their exit animation finishes. */}
       <AnimatePresence onExitComplete={markExitComplete}>
         {channelManagementOpen && activeChannel ? (
           <ChannelManagementAuxiliaryPanel
@@ -824,6 +841,8 @@ export const ChannelPane = React.memo(function ChannelPane({
             useSplitAuxiliaryPane={useSplitAuxiliaryPane}
             transparentChrome={hasSplitAuxiliaryPane}
           />
+        ) : priorityIdleAuxiliary && idleAuxiliarySurface ? (
+          idleAuxiliarySurface
         ) : threadHeadMessage ? (
           (() => {
             const panel = (
@@ -975,24 +994,9 @@ export const ChannelPane = React.memo(function ChannelPane({
             );
             return wrapAux(panel, "user-profile-panel");
           })()
-        ) : idleAuxiliaryPanel && onCloseIdleAuxiliaryPanel ? (
-          wrapIdlePanel(
-            <IdleAuxiliaryPanel
-              canResetWidth={canResetThreadPanelWidth}
-              headerControls={idleAuxiliaryHeaderActions}
-              isFocusDrawer={useFocusIdleDrawer}
-              isSinglePanelView={isSinglePanelView}
-              onClose={onCloseIdleAuxiliaryPanel}
-              onResetWidth={onResetThreadPanelWidth}
-              onResizeStart={onThreadPanelResizeStart}
-              title={idleAuxiliaryTitle}
-              useSplitAuxiliaryPane={useSplitAuxiliaryPane}
-              widthPx={threadPanelWidthPx}
-            >
-              {idleAuxiliaryPanel}
-            </IdleAuxiliaryPanel>,
-          )
-        ) : null}
+        ) : (
+          idleAuxiliarySurface
+        )}
       </AnimatePresence>
     </div>
   );
diff --git a/desktop/src/features/channels/ui/ChannelPane.types.ts b/desktop/src/features/channels/ui/ChannelPane.types.ts
index 3295113306..83a9794e5a 100644
--- a/desktop/src/features/channels/ui/ChannelPane.types.ts
+++ b/desktop/src/features/channels/ui/ChannelPane.types.ts
@@ -49,11 +49,13 @@ export type ChannelPaneProps = {
   header?: React.ReactNode;
   /**
    * Idle-state body for the right auxiliary pane (project extras, etc.).
-   * Shown only when no thread, profile, agent session, or channel-management
-   * panel is open — the same slot as those panels.
+   * Uses the same slot as thread, profile, agent-session, and management panels.
+   * By default it yields to those surfaces; callers may opt into thread override.
    */
   idleAuxiliaryPanel?: React.ReactNode;
   idleAuxiliaryHeaderActions?: IdleAuxiliaryHeaderControls;
+  /** Show the idle auxiliary surface ahead of an already-open thread. */
+  idleAuxiliaryOverridesThread?: boolean;
   idleAuxiliaryTitle?: string;
   hasOlderMessages?: boolean;
   /** True when the loaded window provably starts at the channel's beginning. */
diff --git a/desktop/src/features/channels/ui/ChannelScreen.tsx b/desktop/src/features/channels/ui/ChannelScreen.tsx
index 795647ec2f..1a92135e9c 100644
--- a/desktop/src/features/channels/ui/ChannelScreen.tsx
+++ b/desktop/src/features/channels/ui/ChannelScreen.tsx
@@ -91,6 +91,7 @@ export function ChannelScreen({
   headerEndActions,
   idleAuxiliaryPanel,
   idleAuxiliaryHeaderActions,
+  idleAuxiliaryOverridesThread,
   idleAuxiliaryTitle,
   onAddFiles,
   onCloseIdleAuxiliaryPanel,
@@ -855,6 +856,7 @@ export function ChannelScreen({
                   header={channelHeader}
                   idleAuxiliaryPanel={idleAuxiliaryPanel}
                   idleAuxiliaryHeaderActions={idleAuxiliaryHeaderActions}
+                  idleAuxiliaryOverridesThread={idleAuxiliaryOverridesThread}
                   idleAuxiliaryTitle={idleAuxiliaryTitle}
                   hasOlderMessages={hasOlderMessages}
                   historyExhausted={historyExhausted}
diff --git a/desktop/src/features/channels/ui/ChannelScreen.types.ts b/desktop/src/features/channels/ui/ChannelScreen.types.ts
index 33ac2375ce..e555066704 100644
--- a/desktop/src/features/channels/ui/ChannelScreen.types.ts
+++ b/desktop/src/features/channels/ui/ChannelScreen.types.ts
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ export type ChannelScreenProps = {
   currentProfile?: Profile;
   idleAuxiliaryPanel?: ReactNode;
   idleAuxiliaryHeaderActions?: IdleAuxiliaryHeaderControls;
+  idleAuxiliaryOverridesThread?: boolean;
   idleAuxiliaryTitle?: string;
   headerEndActions?: ReactNode;
   onAddFiles?: () => void;
diff --git a/desktop/src/features/projects/ui/ProjectChannelHome.tsx b/desktop/src/features/projects/ui/ProjectChannelHome.tsx
index e259ca2487..7d4619096e 100644
--- a/desktop/src/features/projects/ui/ProjectChannelHome.tsx
+++ b/desktop/src/features/projects/ui/ProjectChannelHome.tsx
@@ -352,6 +352,7 @@ export function ProjectChannelHome({
                   backLabel: workspaceDetail?.backLabel,
                   onBack: workspaceDetail?.onBack,
                 }}
+                idleAuxiliaryOverridesThread={workspaceSheetOpen}
                 idleAuxiliaryTitle={
                   workspaceSheetTab
                     ? projectHomeWorkspaceSheetTitle(workspaceSheetTab)
diff --git a/desktop/tests/e2e/project-commit-detail.spec.ts b/desktop/tests/e2e/project-commit-detail.spec.ts
index 5064527d4a..dd5501dbf2 100644
--- a/desktop/tests/e2e/project-commit-detail.spec.ts
+++ b/desktop/tests/e2e/project-commit-detail.spec.ts
@@ -791,6 +791,14 @@ test("commit detail opens from the commits feed with a diff", async ({
     .first();
   await expect(projectEntry).toBeVisible({ timeout: 10_000 });
   await projectEntry.click();
+  const rootMessage = page
+    .getByTestId("message-timeline")
+    .getByTestId("message-row")
+    .first();
+  await expect(rootMessage).toBeVisible();
+  await rootMessage.hover();
+  await rootMessage.getByRole("button", { name: "Reply" }).click();
+  await expect(page.getByTestId("focus-thread-drawer")).toBeVisible();
   await page.getByTestId("project-home-context-tasks").click();
   await expect(page.getByTestId("project-home-workspace-sheet")).toBeVisible();
   const workspaceSheet = page.getByTestId("project-home-workspace-sheet");