diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/app/chat/sidebar/index.tsx b/apps/desktop/src/app/chat/sidebar/index.tsx
index e8a2c3827e3..23f97e4c1ef 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/src/app/chat/sidebar/index.tsx
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/app/chat/sidebar/index.tsx
@@ -49,6 +49,7 @@ import {
   $sidebarOpen,
   $sidebarPinsOpen,
   $sidebarRecentsOpen,
+  $sidebarRevealed,
   pinSession,
   reorderPinnedSession,
   SESSION_SEARCH_FOCUS_EVENT,
@@ -247,6 +248,10 @@ export function ChatSidebar({
   const { t } = useI18n()
   const s = t.sidebar
   const sidebarOpen = useStore($sidebarOpen)
+  // When collapsed but hover-revealed (floated over content), render the full
+  // sidebar — search field, pinned + recents — not just the nav rail.
+  const sidebarRevealed = useStore($sidebarRevealed)
+  const contentVisible = sidebarOpen || sidebarRevealed
   const panesFlipped = useStore($panesFlipped)
   const agentsGrouped = useStore($sidebarAgentsGrouped)
   const pinnedSessionIds = useStore($pinnedSessionIds)
@@ -629,7 +634,7 @@ export function ChatSidebar({
                       type="button"
                     >
                       <item.icon className="size-4 shrink-0 text-[color-mix(in_srgb,currentColor_72%,transparent)]" />
-                      {sidebarOpen && (
+                      {contentVisible && (
                         <>
                           <span className="min-w-0 flex-1 truncate max-[46.25rem]:hidden">
                             {s.nav[item.id] ?? item.label}
@@ -650,7 +655,7 @@ export function ChatSidebar({
           </SidebarGroupContent>
         </SidebarGroup>
 
-        {sidebarOpen && showSessionSections && (
+        {contentVisible && showSessionSections && (
           <div className="shrink-0 px-2 pb-1 pt-1">
             <SearchField
               aria-label={s.searchAria}
@@ -662,7 +667,7 @@ export function ChatSidebar({
           </div>
         )}
 
-        {sidebarOpen && showSessionSections && trimmedQuery && (
+        {contentVisible && showSessionSections && trimmedQuery && (
           <SidebarSessionsSection
             activeSessionId={activeSidebarSessionId}
             contentClassName="flex min-h-0 flex-1 flex-col gap-px overflow-y-auto overscroll-contain pb-1.75"
@@ -686,7 +691,7 @@ export function ChatSidebar({
           />
         )}
 
-        {sidebarOpen && showSessionSections && !trimmedQuery && (
+        {contentVisible && showSessionSections && !trimmedQuery && (
           <SidebarSessionsSection
             activeSessionId={activeSidebarSessionId}
             contentClassName="flex min-h-10 shrink-0 flex-col gap-px rounded-lg pb-2 pt-1"
@@ -708,7 +713,7 @@ export function ChatSidebar({
           />
         )}
 
-        {sidebarOpen && showSessionSections && !trimmedQuery && (
+        {contentVisible && showSessionSections && !trimmedQuery && (
           <SidebarSessionsSection
             activeSessionId={activeSidebarSessionId}
             contentClassName={cn(
@@ -781,7 +786,7 @@ export function ChatSidebar({
           />
         )}
 
-        {sidebarOpen && !trimmedQuery && cronJobs.length > 0 && (
+        {contentVisible && !trimmedQuery && cronJobs.length > 0 && (
           <SidebarCronJobsSection
             jobs={cronJobs}
             label={s.cronJobs}
@@ -793,9 +798,9 @@ export function ChatSidebar({
           />
         )}
 
-        {sidebarOpen && !showSessionSections && <div className="min-h-0 flex-1" />}
+        {contentVisible && !showSessionSections && <div className="min-h-0 flex-1" />}
 
-        {sidebarOpen && (
+        {contentVisible && (
           <div className="shrink-0 px-0.5 pb-1 pt-0.5">
             <ProfileRail />
           </div>
diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/app/desktop-controller.tsx b/apps/desktop/src/app/desktop-controller.tsx
index c0a8d4809c0..27ce9a013c4 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/src/app/desktop-controller.tsx
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/app/desktop-controller.tsx
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ import {
   FILE_BROWSER_MAX_WIDTH,
   FILE_BROWSER_MIN_WIDTH,
   pinSession,
+  setSidebarRevealed,
   SIDEBAR_DEFAULT_WIDTH,
   SIDEBAR_MAX_WIDTH,
   SIDEBAR_SESSIONS_PAGE_SIZE,
@@ -300,6 +301,7 @@ export function DesktopController() {
       // with few recent sessions isn't windowed out of the cross-profile
       // recency page — the empty-history-on-profile-switch bug.
       const sessionProfile = profileScope === ALL_PROFILES ? 'all' : profileScope
+
       const result = await listAllProfileSessions(limit, 1, 'exclude', 'recent', sessionProfile, {
         excludeSources: ['cron']
       })
@@ -877,6 +879,7 @@ export function DesktopController() {
         id="chat-sidebar"
         maxWidth={SIDEBAR_MAX_WIDTH}
         minWidth={SIDEBAR_DEFAULT_WIDTH}
+        onHoverRevealChange={setSidebarRevealed}
         resizable
         side={sidebarSide}
         width={`${SIDEBAR_DEFAULT_WIDTH}px`}
diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/components/pane-shell/pane-shell.tsx b/apps/desktop/src/components/pane-shell/pane-shell.tsx
index 2a34638e49f..284c64476d0 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/src/components/pane-shell/pane-shell.tsx
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/components/pane-shell/pane-shell.tsx
@@ -39,6 +39,8 @@ export interface PaneProps {
    * track stays at 0px.
    */
   hoverReveal?: boolean
+  /** Called with the reveal state whenever a collapsed hoverReveal pane floats in/out. */
+  onHoverRevealChange?: (revealed: boolean) => void
   id: string
   maxWidth?: WidthValue
   minWidth?: WidthValue
@@ -205,6 +207,7 @@ export function Pane({
   id,
   maxWidth,
   minWidth,
+  onHoverRevealChange,
   resizable = false,
   width
 }: PaneProps) {
@@ -248,6 +251,12 @@ export function Pane({
     }
   }, [overlayActive, hoverRevealed])
 
+  // Surface the effective reveal state to consumers (e.g. so the sidebar can
+  // render its full content while floated, not just while the track is open).
+  useEffect(() => {
+    onHoverRevealChange?.(overlayActive && hoverRevealed)
+  }, [onHoverRevealChange, overlayActive, hoverRevealed])
+
   const startResize = useCallback(
     (event: ReactPointerEvent<HTMLDivElement>) => {
       const paneWidth = paneRef.current?.getBoundingClientRect().width ?? 0
diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/store/layout.ts b/apps/desktop/src/store/layout.ts
index c01d8b58bd3..ae279ec1728 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/src/store/layout.ts
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/store/layout.ts
@@ -54,6 +54,10 @@ export const $sidebarWidth: ReadableAtom<number> = computed($paneStates, states
 
 export const $pinnedSessionIds = atom(storedStringArray(SIDEBAR_PINNED_STORAGE_KEY))
 export const $sidebarPinsOpen = atom(true)
+// Set by the PaneShell hover-reveal overlay while the collapsed sidebar is
+// floated over content. ChatSidebar treats `sidebarOpen || sidebarRevealed` as
+// "show my full self" so session rows render in the overlay too.
+export const $sidebarRevealed = atom(false)
 export const $sidebarRecentsOpen = atom(true)
 // Cron-job sessions live in their own section below recents, collapsed by
 // default (it only renders at all when cron sessions exist) so the
@@ -116,6 +120,12 @@ export function setSidebarPinsOpen(open: boolean) {
   $sidebarPinsOpen.set(open)
 }
 
+export function setSidebarRevealed(revealed: boolean) {
+  if ($sidebarRevealed.get() !== revealed) {
+    $sidebarRevealed.set(revealed)
+  }
+}
+
 export function setSidebarRecentsOpen(open: boolean) {
   $sidebarRecentsOpen.set(open)
 }