diff --git a/components/SessionSidebar.test.mjs b/components/SessionSidebar.test.mjs
index a4379c9ef..26c7420fe 100644
--- a/components/SessionSidebar.test.mjs
+++ b/components/SessionSidebar.test.mjs
@@ -119,7 +119,15 @@ test("lifecycle refreshes bypass the cache while cross-window polling reuses it"
 
 test("does not expose disk-backed actions for transient sessions", () => {
   assert.match(sessionItemSource, /if \(session\.transient\) return;/);
-  assert.match(sessionItemSource, /\{hovered && !session\.transient && \(/);
+  assert.match(sessionItemSource, /\{showHover && !session\.transient && \(/);
+});
+
+test("re-probes the session under a stationary pointer after the list reflows", () => {
+  assert.match(source, /data-session-id=\{family\.root\.id\}/);
+  assert.match(source, /list\.querySelectorAll\("\[data-session-id\]"\)/);
+  assert.match(source, /Removing the hovered row fires pointerleave/);
+  assert.match(source, /pointerActive=\{pointerSessionId === family\.root\.id\}/);
+  assert.match(sessionItemSource, /const showHover = hovered \|\| pointerActive/);
 });
 
 test("hides subagent rows and aggregates their state into the main session row", () => {
diff --git a/components/SessionSidebar.tsx b/components/SessionSidebar.tsx
index 60bc47ada..770ed193e 100644
--- a/components/SessionSidebar.tsx
+++ b/components/SessionSidebar.tsx
@@ -426,6 +426,45 @@ export function SessionSidebar({ selectedSessionId, onSelectSession, onNewSessio
   const [listScrollTop, setListScrollTop] = useState(0);
   const [focusedSessionId, setFocusedSessionId] = useState<string | null>(null);
   const listScrollRafRef = useRef<number | null>(null);
+  const listPointerRef = useRef<{ x: number; y: number } | null>(null);
+  const [pointerSessionId, setPointerSessionId] = useState<string | null>(null);
+  const syncPointerSession = useCallback(() => {
+    const pos = listPointerRef.current;
+    const list = listScrollRef.current;
+    if (!pos || !list) {
+      setPointerSessionId((current) => (current === null ? current : null));
+      return;
+    }
+    let id: string | null = null;
+    for (const candidate of list.querySelectorAll("[data-session-id]")) {
+      if (!(candidate instanceof HTMLElement)) continue;
+      const rect = candidate.getBoundingClientRect();
+      if (pos.x >= rect.left && pos.x <= rect.right && pos.y >= rect.top && pos.y <= rect.bottom) {
+        id = candidate.dataset.sessionId ?? null;
+        break;
+      }
+    }
+    setPointerSessionId((current) => (current === id ? current : id));
+  }, []);
+  const handleListPointerMove = useCallback((event: React.PointerEvent<HTMLDivElement> | React.MouseEvent<HTMLDivElement>) => {
+    listPointerRef.current = { x: event.clientX, y: event.clientY };
+    syncPointerSession();
+  }, [syncPointerSession]);
+  const handleListPointerLeave = useCallback((event: React.PointerEvent<HTMLDivElement> | React.MouseEvent<HTMLDivElement>) => {
+    const rect = event.currentTarget.getBoundingClientRect();
+    const inside = event.clientX >= rect.left && event.clientX <= rect.right
+      && event.clientY >= rect.top && event.clientY <= rect.bottom;
+    // Removing the hovered row fires pointerleave even though the cursor is
+    // still inside the list. Keep the last point so the row that slides under
+    // the pointer can show its actions.
+    if (inside) {
+      listPointerRef.current = { x: event.clientX, y: event.clientY };
+      syncPointerSession();
+      return;
+    }
+    listPointerRef.current = null;
+    setPointerSessionId(null);
+  }, [syncPointerSession]);
   const handleListScroll = useCallback((e: React.UIEvent<HTMLDivElement>) => {
     const top = e.currentTarget.scrollTop;
     if (listScrollRafRef.current != null) return;
@@ -445,6 +484,11 @@ export function SessionSidebar({ selectedSessionId, onSelectSession, onNewSessio
     setListScrollTop(el.scrollTop);
     return () => ro.disconnect();
   }, [sessionSearchActive]);
+  useLayoutEffect(() => {
+    syncPointerSession();
+    const id = requestAnimationFrame(() => syncPointerSession());
+    return () => cancelAnimationFrame(id);
+  }, [allSessions, syncPointerSession]);
 
   const loadSessions = useCallback(async (showLoading = false, force = false) => {
     const loadId = ++sessionLoadIdRef.current;
@@ -1677,6 +1721,10 @@ export function SessionSidebar({ selectedSessionId, onSelectSession, onNewSessio
       <div
         ref={listScrollRef}
         onScroll={handleListScroll}
+        onPointerMove={handleListPointerMove}
+        onPointerLeave={handleListPointerLeave}
+        onMouseMove={handleListPointerMove}
+        onMouseLeave={handleListPointerLeave}
         style={{ flex: explorerOpen && (selectedCwdProp || selectedCwd) ? "1 1 0" : "1 1 auto", overflowY: "auto", padding: "0", minHeight: 80 }}
       >
         {loading && (
@@ -1711,15 +1759,17 @@ export function SessionSidebar({ selectedSessionId, onSelectSession, onNewSessio
               return (
                 <div
                   key={family.root.id}
+                  data-session-id={family.root.id}
                   onFocus={() => setFocusedSessionId(family.root.id)}
                   onBlur={() => setFocusedSessionId(null)}
-                  style={{ position: "absolute", top: index * SESSION_LIST_ITEM_HEIGHT, left: 0, right: 0 }}
+                  style={{ position: "absolute", top: index * SESSION_LIST_ITEM_HEIGHT, left: 0, right: 0, height: SESSION_LIST_ITEM_HEIGHT }}
                 >
                   <SessionItem
                     session={displaySession}
                     isSelected={familySessions.some((session) => session.id === selectedSessionId)}
                     isRunning={familySessions.some((session) => runningSessionIds.has(session.id))}
                     isUnread={familySessions.some((session) => unreadSessionIds.has(session.id))}
+                    pointerActive={pointerSessionId === family.root.id}
                     onClick={() => handleSelectSessionFromList(family.root)}
                     onRenamed={loadSessions}
                     onDeleted={(id) => {
@@ -1996,6 +2046,7 @@ function SessionItem({
   isSelected,
   isRunning,
   isUnread,
+  pointerActive = false,
   onClick,
   onRenamed,
   onDeleted,
@@ -2008,6 +2059,7 @@ function SessionItem({
   isSelected: boolean;
   isRunning?: boolean;
   isUnread?: boolean;
+  pointerActive?: boolean;
   onClick: () => void;
   onRenamed?: () => void;
   onDeleted?: (id: string) => void;
@@ -2018,6 +2070,7 @@ function SessionItem({
 }) {
   const { locale, t } = useI18n();
   const [hovered, setHovered] = useState(false);
+  const showHover = hovered || pointerActive;
   const [renaming, setRenaming] = useState(false);
   const [renameValue, setRenameValue] = useState("");
   const [confirmDelete, setConfirmDelete] = useState(false);
@@ -2128,7 +2181,7 @@ function SessionItem({
         cursor: confirmDelete || renaming ? "default" : "pointer",
         background: confirmDelete
           ? "rgba(239,68,68,0.06)"
-          : isSelected ? "var(--bg-selected)" : hovered ? "var(--bg-hover)" : "transparent",
+          : isSelected ? "var(--bg-selected)" : showHover ? "var(--bg-hover)" : "transparent",
         borderLeft: confirmDelete
           ? "2px solid #ef4444"
           : isSelected ? "2px solid var(--accent)" : "2px solid transparent",
@@ -2277,8 +2330,8 @@ function SessionItem({
             </button>
           )}
 
-          {/* Action buttons — shown on hover */}
-          {hovered && !session.transient && (
+          {/* Action buttons — shown on hover, including when a row slides under a stationary pointer after delete */}
+          {showHover && !session.transient && (
             <div style={{ display: "flex", gap: 4, flexShrink: 0 }}>
               <button
                 onClick={startRename}