diff --git a/ui/src/e2e/chat-flow.e2e.test.ts b/ui/src/e2e/chat-flow.e2e.test.ts
index edb0c97ffdf1..f1b98237f271 100644
--- a/ui/src/e2e/chat-flow.e2e.test.ts
+++ b/ui/src/e2e/chat-flow.e2e.test.ts
@@ -1976,6 +1976,58 @@ describeControlUiE2e("Control UI mocked Gateway E2E", () => {
     }
   });
 
+  it("steers a restored queued message when only the session row reports the active run", async () => {
+    const context = await newBrowserContext({
+      locale: "en-US",
+      serviceWorkers: "block",
+      viewport: { height: 900, width: 1280 },
+    });
+    const page = await context.newPage();
+    const gateway = await installMockGateway(page);
+
+    try {
+      await page.goto(`${server.baseUrl}chat`);
+
+      await page.locator(".agent-chat__composer-combobox textarea").fill("keep this run active");
+      await page.getByRole("button", { name: "Send message" }).click();
+      await gateway.waitForRequest("chat.send");
+      await page.getByRole("button", { name: "Stop generating" }).waitFor({ timeout: 10_000 });
+
+      const queuedPrompt = "steer this after restoring the queue";
+      await page.locator(".agent-chat__composer-combobox textarea").fill(queuedPrompt);
+      await page.getByRole("button", { name: "Queue message" }).click();
+      await page.locator(".chat-queue").getByText(queuedPrompt).waitFor({ timeout: 10_000 });
+
+      await gateway.setMethodResponse(
+        "sessions.list",
+        chatSessionListResponse([
+          {
+            hasActiveRun: true,
+            key: "main",
+            kind: "direct",
+            label: "Main",
+            updatedAt: Date.now(),
+          },
+        ]),
+      );
+      await page.reload();
+
+      const queue = page.locator(".chat-queue");
+      await queue.getByText(queuedPrompt).waitFor({ timeout: 10_000 });
+      await queue.getByRole("button", { name: "Steer" }).click();
+
+      const steerRequest = await gateway.waitForRequest("chat.send");
+      expect(requireRecord(steerRequest.params)).toMatchObject({
+        deliver: false,
+        message: queuedPrompt,
+        sessionKey: "main",
+      });
+      await queue.getByText(queuedPrompt).waitFor({ state: "detached", timeout: 10_000 });
+    } finally {
+      await closeBrowserContext(context);
+    }
+  });
+
   it("scrolls a delayed pending send into view before the ACK resolves", async () => {
     const context = await newBrowserContext({
       locale: "en-US",
diff --git a/ui/src/pages/chat/chat-send.test.ts b/ui/src/pages/chat/chat-send.test.ts
index 9493fadf997c..93b2e4c34bba 100644
--- a/ui/src/pages/chat/chat-send.test.ts
+++ b/ui/src/pages/chat/chat-send.test.ts
@@ -6686,6 +6686,39 @@ describe("handleSendChat", () => {
     expect(host.chatQueue[0]?.pendingRunId).toBe("run-1");
   });
 
+  it("steers a queued message when only the session row reports an active run", async () => {
+    const request = vi.fn(async (method: string) => {
+      if (method === "chat.send") {
+        return { status: "started", runId: "steer-run" };
+      }
+      throw new Error(`Unexpected request: ${method}`);
+    });
+    const original = { id: "queued-1", text: "tighten the plan", createdAt: 1 };
+    const host = makeHost({
+      client: { request } as unknown as ChatHost["client"],
+      chatQueue: [original],
+      sessionKey: "agent:main:main",
+      sessionsResult: createSessionsResult([
+        row("agent:main:main", { hasActiveRun: true, status: "running" }),
+      ]),
+    });
+    expect(admitQueuedMessageForSession(host, host.sessionKey, original)).toBe(true);
+
+    await steerQueuedChatMessage(host, original.id);
+
+    expect(request).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+      "chat.send",
+      expect.objectContaining({
+        sessionKey: "agent:main:main",
+        message: "tighten the plan",
+        deliver: false,
+      }),
+    );
+    expect(host.chatRunId).toBeNull();
+    expect(host.chatQueue).toEqual([]);
+    expect(listStoredChatOutboxes(host)).toEqual([]);
+  });
+
   it("does not steer a queued message without a durable claim", async () => {
     const request = vi.fn();
     const original = { id: "memory-only-steer", text: "do not lose this", createdAt: 1 };
diff --git a/ui/src/pages/chat/chat-send.ts b/ui/src/pages/chat/chat-send.ts
index b056c70b5b17..0aefc32088cc 100644
--- a/ui/src/pages/chat/chat-send.ts
+++ b/ui/src/pages/chat/chat-send.ts
@@ -1294,7 +1294,7 @@ async function sendDetachedCommandMessage(
 }
 
 export async function steerQueuedChatMessage(host: ChatHost, id: string) {
-  if (!host.connected || !host.chatRunId) {
+  if (!host.connected || !hasAbortableSessionRun(host)) {
     return;
   }
   const activeRunId = host.chatRunId;
@@ -1333,7 +1333,7 @@ export async function steerQueuedChatMessage(host: ChatHost, id: string) {
     createdAt: item.createdAt,
     kind: "steered",
     ...(item.attachments?.length ? { attachments: item.attachments } : {}),
-    pendingRunId: activeRunId,
+    ...(activeRunId ? { pendingRunId: activeRunId } : { sendState: "steering" as const }),
   };
   const hasTransientProjection = setTransientQueuedMessageProjection(
     host,
@@ -1361,17 +1361,19 @@ export async function steerQueuedChatMessage(host: ChatHost, id: string) {
     hasAttachments ? attachments : undefined,
     () => visibleSessionMatches(host, itemSessionKey, item.agentId),
   );
-  const pendingStillVisible = host.chatQueue.some(
-    (entry) => entry.id === id && entry.pendingRunId === activeRunId,
-  );
-  replacePendingQueuedMessageProjection(
-    host,
-    itemSessionKey,
-    id,
-    activeRunId,
-    claimed,
-    item.agentId,
-  );
+  const pendingStillVisible = activeRunId
+    ? host.chatQueue.some((entry) => entry.id === id && entry.pendingRunId === activeRunId)
+    : false;
+  if (activeRunId) {
+    replacePendingQueuedMessageProjection(
+      host,
+      itemSessionKey,
+      id,
+      activeRunId,
+      claimed,
+      item.agentId,
+    );
+  }
   clearTransientQueuedMessageProjection(host, itemSessionKey, id, item.agentId);
   const itemStillVisible = visibleSessionMatches(host, itemSessionKey, item.agentId);
   if (!ack) {