diff --git a/packages/tui/src/app.tsx b/packages/tui/src/app.tsx
index 26ad36db955e..f98129c2d1e0 100644
--- a/packages/tui/src/app.tsx
+++ b/packages/tui/src/app.tsx
@@ -646,7 +646,10 @@ function App(props: { pair?: DialogPairCredentials }) {
         run: () => {
           route.navigate({
             type: "home",
-            location: route.data.type === "session" ? data.session.get(route.data.sessionID)?.location : undefined,
+            location:
+              route.data.type === "session"
+                ? (data.session.get(route.data.sessionID)?.location ?? location.ref)
+                : undefined,
           })
           dialog.clear()
         },
diff --git a/packages/tui/src/component/dialog-open.tsx b/packages/tui/src/component/dialog-open.tsx
index 2ee57aa03bda..bfef6d54c784 100644
--- a/packages/tui/src/component/dialog-open.tsx
+++ b/packages/tui/src/component/dialog-open.tsx
@@ -84,6 +84,7 @@ export function DialogOpen() {
         value: { type: "session", sessionID: session.id } as OpenTarget,
         category: "Sessions",
         footer: `${name ? `${Locale.truncate(name, 20)} · ` : ""}${timeAgo(session.time.updated)}`,
+        onSelect: () => location.set(session.location),
         gutter: running
           ? () => <Spinner />
           : tabs.has(session.id)
diff --git a/packages/tui/src/routes/session/index.tsx b/packages/tui/src/routes/session/index.tsx
index 79c36ee4c8fe..bffa7cf15c1f 100644
--- a/packages/tui/src/routes/session/index.tsx
+++ b/packages/tui/src/routes/session/index.tsx
@@ -143,8 +143,8 @@ export function Session() {
   const promptRef = usePromptRef()
   const session = createMemo(() => data.session.get(route.sessionID))
   const messages = () => data.session.message.list(route.sessionID)
-  const location = createMemo(() => session()?.location)
   const currentLocation = useLocation()
+  const location = createMemo(() => session()?.location ?? currentLocation.ref)
 
   createEffect(() => currentLocation.set(location()))
 
diff --git a/packages/tui/test/cli/tui/dialog-open.test.tsx b/packages/tui/test/cli/tui/dialog-open.test.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..14ec4c7ec88d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/tui/test/cli/tui/dialog-open.test.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,106 @@
+/** @jsxImportSource @opentui/solid */
+import { expect, test } from "bun:test"
+import { testRender } from "@opentui/solid"
+import { mkdtempSync, rmSync } from "fs"
+import { tmpdir } from "os"
+import path from "path"
+import { onMount } from "solid-js"
+import { DialogOpen } from "../../../src/component/dialog-open"
+import { ConfigProvider } from "../../../src/config"
+import { ClientProvider } from "../../../src/context/client"
+import { DataProvider, useData } from "../../../src/context/data"
+import { Keymap } from "../../../src/context/keymap"
+import { LocationProvider, useLocation } from "../../../src/context/location"
+import { RouteProvider, useRoute } from "../../../src/context/route"
+import { TuiAppProvider } from "../../../src/context/runtime"
+import { SessionTabsProvider } from "../../../src/context/session-tabs"
+import { StorageProvider } from "../../../src/context/storage"
+import { ThemeProvider } from "../../../src/context/theme"
+import { DialogProvider, useDialog } from "../../../src/ui/dialog"
+import { ToastProvider } from "../../../src/ui/toast"
+import { createApi, createEventStream, createFetch, json } from "../../fixture/tui-client"
+import { TestTuiContexts } from "../../fixture/tui-environment"
+import { createTuiResolvedConfig } from "../../fixture/tui-runtime"
+
+test("selecting an unhydrated session preserves its location", async () => {
+  const state = mkdtempSync(path.join(tmpdir(), "opencode-dialog-open-"))
+  const events = createEventStream()
+  const remote = { directory: "/tmp/opencode/remote", workspaceID: "ws_remote" }
+  const calls = createFetch((url) => {
+    if (url.pathname !== "/api/session") return
+    return json({
+      data: [
+        {
+          id: "ses_remote",
+          projectID: "proj_remote",
+          cost: 0,
+          tokens: { input: 0, output: 0, reasoning: 0, cache: { read: 0, write: 0 } },
+          time: { created: 1, updated: 2 },
+          title: "Remote session",
+          location: remote,
+        },
+      ],
+      cursor: {},
+    })
+  }, events)
+  let route!: ReturnType<typeof useRoute>
+  let location!: ReturnType<typeof useLocation>
+  let data!: ReturnType<typeof useData>
+
+  function Probe() {
+    const dialog = useDialog()
+    route = useRoute()
+    location = useLocation()
+    data = useData()
+    onMount(() => dialog.replace(() => <DialogOpen />))
+    return null
+  }
+
+  const app = await testRender(
+    () => (
+      <TestTuiContexts paths={{ state }}>
+        <TuiAppProvider value={{ name: "test", version: "test", channel: "test" }}>
+          <StorageProvider>
+            <ConfigProvider config={createTuiResolvedConfig()}>
+              <Keymap.Provider>
+                <ToastProvider>
+                  <RouteProvider>
+                    <ClientProvider api={createApi(calls.fetch)}>
+                      <DataProvider>
+                        <LocationProvider>
+                          <SessionTabsProvider>
+                            <ThemeProvider mode="dark" source={{ discover: () => Promise.resolve({}) }}>
+                              <DialogProvider>
+                                <Probe />
+                              </DialogProvider>
+                            </ThemeProvider>
+                          </SessionTabsProvider>
+                        </LocationProvider>
+                      </DataProvider>
+                    </ClientProvider>
+                  </RouteProvider>
+                </ToastProvider>
+              </Keymap.Provider>
+            </ConfigProvider>
+          </StorageProvider>
+        </TuiAppProvider>
+      </TestTuiContexts>
+    ),
+    { width: 100, height: 30, kittyKeyboard: true },
+  )
+  app.renderer.start()
+
+  try {
+    await app.waitForFrame((frame) => frame.includes("Remote session"))
+    expect(data.session.get("ses_remote")).toBeUndefined()
+
+    app.mockInput.pressEnter()
+    await app.waitFor(() => route.data.type === "session")
+
+    expect(route.data).toEqual({ type: "session", sessionID: "ses_remote" })
+    expect(location.ref).toEqual(remote)
+  } finally {
+    app.renderer.destroy()
+    rmSync(state, { recursive: true, force: true })
+  }
+})