diff --git a/src/gateway/server.chat.gateway-server-chat.test.ts b/src/gateway/server.chat.gateway-server-chat.test.ts
index 4e569ddf30a8..1a4433724742 100644
--- a/src/gateway/server.chat.gateway-server-chat.test.ts
+++ b/src/gateway/server.chat.gateway-server-chat.test.ts
@@ -2674,10 +2674,10 @@ describe("gateway server chat", () => {
           8_000,
         );
         blockedReply.resolve();
-        await waitForAgentRunOk(runId);
         const settledEvent = await settledSessionChange.catch(() => {
           throw new Error("Gateway did not publish settled run ownership after chat.send cleanup");
         });
+        await waitForAgentRunOk(runId);
         expectRecordFields(settledEvent.payload, {
           activeRunIds: [],
           hasActiveRun: false,
diff --git a/ui/src/components/app-sidebar-session-navigation.ts b/ui/src/components/app-sidebar-session-navigation.ts
index 55a106a3f4b7..f0e70b298136 100644
--- a/ui/src/components/app-sidebar-session-navigation.ts
+++ b/ui/src/components/app-sidebar-session-navigation.ts
@@ -231,11 +231,12 @@ export class AppSidebarSessionNavigationElement extends AppSidebarBase {
       pending.push(...session.children);
       if (
         session.childSessionKeys.length > 0 &&
-        this.isSessionChildrenExpanded(session) &&
+        (session.visuallyActive || this.isSessionChildrenExpanded(session)) &&
         !this.sessionData.loadedChildSessionKeys.has(session.key) &&
         !this.sessionData.childSessionErrorsByParent.has(session.key) &&
         !this.sessionData.loadingChildSessionKeys.has(session.key)
       ) {
+        // Selected collapsed rows need child liveness so delegated work does not look finished.
         void this.sessionData.loadChildSessions(session.key);
       }
     }
diff --git a/ui/src/components/session-attention-presentation.ts b/ui/src/components/session-attention-presentation.ts
index 5c0ecd2daa0b..1aa561699464 100644
--- a/ui/src/components/session-attention-presentation.ts
+++ b/ui/src/components/session-attention-presentation.ts
@@ -50,18 +50,22 @@ export function renderSessionRunSpinner(showTitle = true) {
   ></span>`;
 }
 
+export function sessionHasRunningWork(session: SidebarRecentSession): boolean {
+  return session.hasActiveRun || session.runningChildCount > 0;
+}
+
 export function renderSessionState(session: SidebarRecentSession, showTitle = true) {
-  if (session.hasActiveRun) {
-    if (session.status === "queued") {
-      const label = t("sessionsView.statusQueued");
-      return html`<span
-        class="sidebar-child-session__status sidebar-child-session__status--queued"
-        role="img"
-        aria-label=${label}
-        title=${showTitle ? label : nothing}
-        >${icons.hourglass}</span
-      >`;
-    }
+  if (session.hasActiveRun && session.status === "queued") {
+    const label = t("sessionsView.statusQueued");
+    return html`<span
+      class="sidebar-child-session__status sidebar-child-session__status--queued"
+      role="img"
+      aria-label=${label}
+      title=${showTitle ? label : nothing}
+      >${icons.hourglass}</span
+    >`;
+  }
+  if (sessionHasRunningWork(session)) {
     return renderSessionRunSpinner(showTitle);
   }
   if (!session.isChild) {
diff --git a/ui/src/components/session-leading-indicator.ts b/ui/src/components/session-leading-indicator.ts
index cb67965dd157..bbae39e9ce89 100644
--- a/ui/src/components/session-leading-indicator.ts
+++ b/ui/src/components/session-leading-indicator.ts
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import { icons } from "./icons.ts";
 import {
   renderSessionAttentionIcon,
   renderSessionState,
+  sessionHasRunningWork,
 } from "./session-attention-presentation.ts";
 import {
   renderSessionGlyph,
@@ -97,12 +98,14 @@ export function describeSessionTrailingState(
   session: SidebarRecentSession,
   pullRequestState: SessionPullRequestIndicatorState,
 ) {
+  const runningLabel =
+    session.hasActiveRun && session.status === "queued"
+      ? t("sessionsView.statusQueued")
+      : t("sessionsView.activeRun");
   return [
     session.forkSource ? t("sessionsView.forkedSession") : "",
     pullRequestState === "none" ? "" : pullRequestStateLabel(pullRequestState),
-    session.hasActiveRun
-      ? t(session.status === "queued" ? "sessionsView.statusQueued" : "sessionsView.activeRun")
-      : "",
+    sessionHasRunningWork(session) ? runningLabel : "",
     session.unread ? t("sessionsView.unread") : "",
   ]
     .filter(Boolean)
@@ -124,7 +127,7 @@ export function renderSessionLeadingState(
   trailingIndicator: TemplateResult | typeof nothing;
   renderedOwnerId?: string;
 } {
-  const running = session.hasActiveRun;
+  const running = sessionHasRunningWork(session);
   const trailingIndicator = session.isChild
     ? nothing
     : renderSessionTrailingState(session, pullRequestState);
diff --git a/ui/src/e2e/session-management.sidebar.e2e.test.ts b/ui/src/e2e/session-management.sidebar.e2e.test.ts
index 0b196b37bddf..77059f187535 100644
--- a/ui/src/e2e/session-management.sidebar.e2e.test.ts
+++ b/ui/src/e2e/session-management.sidebar.e2e.test.ts
@@ -166,6 +166,9 @@ suite.define(() => {
       const parent = page.locator(`[data-session-key="${parentKey}"]`);
       await parent.waitFor({ state: "visible", timeout: 10_000 });
       await expect.poll(() => page.locator(".sidebar-recent-session--child").count()).toBe(0);
+      await expect
+        .poll(() => parent.locator(".session-run-spinner").getAttribute("aria-label"))
+        .toBe("Active run");
       await captureUiProof(page, "child-sessions-collapsed.png");
 
       await parent.getByRole("button", { name: "Show 4 child sessions for Plan release" }).click();