diff --git a/ui/src/components/panel-tab-strip.test.ts b/ui/src/components/panel-tab-strip.test.ts
index dcf0455e27bd..2d0bff8aab6b 100644
--- a/ui/src/components/panel-tab-strip.test.ts
+++ b/ui/src/components/panel-tab-strip.test.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 /* @vitest-environment jsdom */
 
 import { render } from "lit";
-import { describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
+import { afterEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
 import {
   panelTabStripStyles,
   renderPanelTabStrip,
@@ -15,18 +15,30 @@ const TAB: PanelTabStripTab = {
   closeLabel: "Close tab: First tab",
 };
 
+type RenderedTab = HTMLElement & {
+  active: boolean;
+  panel: string;
+};
+
+type RenderedTabGroup = HTMLElement & {
+  active: string;
+};
+
 function renderStrip(options: {
   tabs?: PanelTabStripTab[];
+  activeId?: string | null;
   onClose?: (id: string) => void;
   onNew?: () => void;
+  onSelect?: (id: string) => void;
+  container?: HTMLDivElement;
 }) {
-  const container = document.createElement("div");
+  const container = options.container ?? document.createElement("div");
   render(
     renderPanelTabStrip({
       tabs: options.tabs ?? [],
-      activeId: options.tabs?.[0]?.id ?? null,
+      activeId: options.activeId ?? options.tabs?.[0]?.id ?? null,
       ariaControls: "test-tab-panel",
-      onSelect: vi.fn(),
+      onSelect: options.onSelect ?? vi.fn(),
       onClose: options.onClose ?? vi.fn(),
       onNew: options.onNew ?? vi.fn(),
       newLabel: "New tab",
@@ -36,6 +48,22 @@ function renderStrip(options: {
   return container;
 }
 
+function readTabStrip(container: ParentNode): {
+  group: RenderedTabGroup;
+  tabs: RenderedTab[];
+} {
+  const group = container.querySelector<RenderedTabGroup>("wa-tab-group");
+  if (!group) {
+    throw new Error("expected rendered tab group");
+  }
+  const tabs = [...container.querySelectorAll<RenderedTab>("wa-tab")];
+  return { group, tabs };
+}
+
+afterEach(() => {
+  document.body.replaceChildren();
+});
+
 describe("renderPanelTabStrip", () => {
   it("keeps the new-tab control from shrinking when the strip overflows", () => {
     expect(panelTabStripStyles.cssText).toMatch(/\.tabstrip-new\s*\{[^}]*flex:\s*none/u);
@@ -76,4 +104,65 @@ describe("renderPanelTabStrip", () => {
     container.querySelector("wa-tab")?.dispatchEvent(new MouseEvent("auxclick", { button: 1 }));
     expect(onClose).toHaveBeenCalledWith(TAB.id);
   });
+
+  it("keeps the controlled active tab coherent when stateful tab elements reorder", async () => {
+    const first: PanelTabStripTab = {
+      ...TAB,
+      id: "a",
+      domId: "test-tab-a",
+      label: "Alpha",
+      title: "https://example.com/a",
+    };
+    const second: PanelTabStripTab = {
+      ...TAB,
+      id: "b",
+      domId: "test-tab-b",
+      label: "Beta",
+      title: "https://example.com/b",
+    };
+    const container = renderStrip({ tabs: [first, second], activeId: first.id });
+    document.body.append(container);
+    const initial = readTabStrip(container);
+    const firstElement = initial.tabs.find((tab) => tab.panel === first.id);
+    const secondElement = initial.tabs.find((tab) => tab.panel === second.id);
+    if (!firstElement || !secondElement) {
+      throw new Error("expected initial active tab");
+    }
+    firstElement.active = true;
+    firstElement.setAttribute("active", "");
+    firstElement.setAttribute("aria-selected", "true");
+    firstElement.tabIndex = 0;
+    secondElement.active = false;
+    secondElement.removeAttribute("active");
+    secondElement.setAttribute("aria-selected", "false");
+    secondElement.tabIndex = -1;
+
+    renderStrip({
+      container,
+      tabs: [
+        { ...second, label: "Beta navigated", title: "https://example.com/b/next" },
+        { ...first, label: "Alpha navigated", title: "https://example.com/a/next" },
+      ],
+      activeId: first.id,
+    });
+
+    await vi.waitFor(() => {
+      const reordered = readTabStrip(container);
+      const active = reordered.tabs.filter(
+        (tab) =>
+          tab.active || tab.hasAttribute("active") || tab.getAttribute("aria-selected") === "true",
+      );
+      const reorderedFirst = reordered.tabs.find((tab) => tab.panel === first.id);
+
+      expect(reorderedFirst).toBe(firstElement);
+      expect(reordered.group.active).toBe(first.id);
+      expect(active).toEqual([firstElement]);
+      expect(firstElement.getAttribute("aria-selected")).toBe("true");
+      expect(firstElement.tabIndex).toBe(0);
+      expect(reordered.tabs.find((tab) => tab.panel === second.id)).toMatchObject({
+        active: false,
+        tabIndex: -1,
+      });
+    });
+  });
 });
diff --git a/ui/src/components/panel-tab-strip.ts b/ui/src/components/panel-tab-strip.ts
index 55e495db7aaa..176dd3c80b70 100644
--- a/ui/src/components/panel-tab-strip.ts
+++ b/ui/src/components/panel-tab-strip.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import { css, html, nothing, svg, type TemplateResult } from "lit";
+import { repeat } from "lit/directives/repeat.js";
 import "./web-awesome-tabs.ts";
 
 export type PanelTabStripTab = {
@@ -53,41 +54,49 @@ export function renderPanelTabStrip(params: {
       without-scroll-controls
       @wa-tab-show=${(event: CustomEvent<{ name: string }>) => params.onSelect(event.detail.name)}
     >
-      ${params.tabs.map(
-        (tab) => html`
-          <wa-tab
-            id=${tab.domId}
-            class=${`tabstrip-tab ${tab.className ?? ""}`}
-            panel=${tab.id}
-            aria-controls=${params.ariaControls}
-            title=${tab.title || nothing}
-            @auxclick=${(event: MouseEvent) => {
-              if (event.button === 1) {
-                event.preventDefault();
-                params.onClose(tab.id);
-              }
-            }}
-          >
-            ${tab.icon == null || tab.icon === nothing
-              ? nothing
-              : html`<span class="tabstrip-tab__icon" aria-hidden="true">${tab.icon}</span>`}
-            <span class="tabstrip-tab__label">${tab.label}</span>
-            ${tab.badge ? html`<span class="tabstrip-tab__badge">${tab.badge}</span>` : nothing}
-            ${tab.statusLabel
-              ? html`<span class="tabstrip-tab__status">${tab.statusLabel}</span>`
-              : nothing}
-          </wa-tab>
-          <button
-            slot="nav"
-            class="tabstrip-tab__close"
-            type="button"
-            title=${tab.closeLabel}
-            aria-label=${tab.closeLabel}
-            @click=${() => params.onClose(tab.id)}
-          >
-            <span class="tabstrip-tab__close-box">${CLOSE_GLYPH}</span>
-          </button>
-        `,
+      ${repeat(
+        params.tabs,
+        (tab) => tab.id,
+        (tab) => {
+          const selected = tab.id === params.activeId;
+          return html`
+            <wa-tab
+              id=${tab.domId}
+              class=${`tabstrip-tab ${tab.className ?? ""}`}
+              panel=${tab.id}
+              aria-controls=${params.ariaControls}
+              aria-selected=${selected ? "true" : "false"}
+              title=${tab.title || nothing}
+              ?active=${selected}
+              .tabIndex=${selected ? 0 : -1}
+              @auxclick=${(event: MouseEvent) => {
+                if (event.button === 1) {
+                  event.preventDefault();
+                  params.onClose(tab.id);
+                }
+              }}
+            >
+              ${tab.icon == null || tab.icon === nothing
+                ? nothing
+                : html`<span class="tabstrip-tab__icon" aria-hidden="true">${tab.icon}</span>`}
+              <span class="tabstrip-tab__label">${tab.label}</span>
+              ${tab.badge ? html`<span class="tabstrip-tab__badge">${tab.badge}</span>` : nothing}
+              ${tab.statusLabel
+                ? html`<span class="tabstrip-tab__status">${tab.statusLabel}</span>`
+                : nothing}
+            </wa-tab>
+            <button
+              slot="nav"
+              class="tabstrip-tab__close"
+              type="button"
+              title=${tab.closeLabel}
+              aria-label=${tab.closeLabel}
+              @click=${() => params.onClose(tab.id)}
+            >
+              <span class="tabstrip-tab__close-box">${CLOSE_GLYPH}</span>
+            </button>
+          `;
+        },
       )}
       ${newButton(true)}
     </wa-tab-group>