diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/app/chat/sidebar/projects/workspace-groups.test.ts b/apps/desktop/src/app/chat/sidebar/projects/workspace-groups.test.ts
index f4ca8424d2f..213bff09ba5 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/src/app/chat/sidebar/projects/workspace-groups.test.ts
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/app/chat/sidebar/projects/workspace-groups.test.ts
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ import {
   mergeRepoWorktreeGroups,
   overlayLiveLanes,
   overlayLivePreviews,
+  sessionProjectColor,
   type SidebarProjectTree,
   type SidebarSessionGroup,
   sortWorktreeGroups
@@ -519,6 +520,46 @@ describe('liveSessionProjectId', () => {
   })
 })
 
+describe('sessionProjectColor', () => {
+  const colored = (id: string, folders: string[], color: string): ProjectInfo => ({
+    ...makeProject(id, folders),
+    color
+  })
+
+  it('inherits the color of the explicit project the session belongs to', () => {
+    const session = makeSession('/www/app/src', { git_repo_root: '/www/app' })
+
+    expect(sessionProjectColor(session, [colored('p_app', ['/www/app'], '#4a9eff')])).toBe('#4a9eff')
+  })
+
+  it('returns null when the owning project has no color set', () => {
+    const session = makeSession('/www/app/src', { git_repo_root: '/www/app' })
+
+    expect(sessionProjectColor(session, [makeProject('p_app', ['/www/app'])])).toBeNull()
+  })
+
+  it('returns null for a session that only maps to an auto repo root (no explicit project)', () => {
+    // liveSessionProjectId falls back to the repo root id, which is not a
+    // project row and therefore carries no color.
+    expect(sessionProjectColor(makeSession('/www/app'), [])).toBeNull()
+  })
+
+  it('returns null for an unplaceable (cwd-less) session', () => {
+    expect(sessionProjectColor(makeSession(null), [colored('p_app', ['/www/app'], '#4a9eff')])).toBeNull()
+  })
+
+  it('uses the longest-prefix project when nested projects both match', () => {
+    const session = makeSession('/www/app/packages/api/src', { git_repo_root: '/www/app' })
+
+    const projects = [
+      colored('p_root', ['/www/app'], '#111111'),
+      colored('p_api', ['/www/app/packages/api'], '#222222')
+    ]
+
+    expect(sessionProjectColor(session, projects)).toBe('#222222')
+  })
+})
+
 describe('overlayLiveLanes', () => {
   it('injects a live session into the matching main lane instantly', () => {
     const project = projectNode({
diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/app/chat/sidebar/projects/workspace-groups.ts b/apps/desktop/src/app/chat/sidebar/projects/workspace-groups.ts
index 04e18f7c7b9..afeb230c59f 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/src/app/chat/sidebar/projects/workspace-groups.ts
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/app/chat/sidebar/projects/workspace-groups.ts
@@ -396,6 +396,26 @@ export function liveSessionProjectId(session: SessionInfo, explicitProjects: Pro
   return projectId || repoRoot
 }
 
+/**
+ * The color a session inherits from its owning project — the explicit project
+ * whose folder is the longest prefix of the session's cwd/repo-root, when that
+ * project carries a user-set color. Auto-promoted repo projects have no color
+ * unless the user set one, so a session only tints when it belongs to a colored
+ * project (inheritance is opt-in by coloring the project). Reuses
+ * {@link liveSessionProjectId} so the color follows the SAME membership the
+ * sidebar groups by; returns null for cwd-less / kanban / out-of-tree rows and
+ * for sessions under an uncolored (or auto) project.
+ */
+export function sessionProjectColor(session: SessionInfo, projects: ProjectInfo[]): null | string {
+  const projectId = liveSessionProjectId(session, projects)
+
+  if (!projectId) {
+    return null
+  }
+
+  return projects.find(project => project.id === projectId)?.color ?? null
+}
+
 const upsertSession = (rows: SessionInfo[], session: SessionInfo): SessionInfo[] =>
   [session, ...rows.filter(row => row.id !== session.id)].sort((a, b) => b.started_at - a.started_at)
 
diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/app/chat/sidebar/session-row.tsx b/apps/desktop/src/app/chat/sidebar/session-row.tsx
index bf63369c403..72b32a9b044 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/src/app/chat/sidebar/session-row.tsx
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/app/chat/sidebar/session-row.tsx
@@ -15,11 +15,13 @@ import { handoffOriginSource, sessionSourceLabel } from '@/lib/session-source'
 import { coarseElapsed } from '@/lib/time'
 import { cn } from '@/lib/utils'
 import { $backgroundRunningSessionIds } from '@/store/composer-status'
+import { $projects } from '@/store/projects'
 import { $unreadFinishedSessionIds } from '@/store/session'
 import { $attentionSessionIds, openSessionTile } from '@/store/session-states'
 import { canOpenSessionWindow, openSessionInNewWindow } from '@/store/windows'
 
 import { SidebarRowBody, SidebarRowGrab, SidebarRowLabel, SidebarRowLead, SidebarRowShell } from './chrome'
+import { sessionProjectColor } from './projects/workspace-groups'
 import { SessionActionsMenu, SessionContextMenu } from './session-actions-menu'
 import { useProfilePrewarm } from './use-profile-prewarm'
 
@@ -91,6 +93,9 @@ export function SidebarSessionRow({
   const isUnread = useStore($unreadFinishedSessionIds).includes(session.id)
   // True when a terminal(background=true) process is alive in this session.
   const hasBackground = useStore($backgroundRunningSessionIds).includes(session.id)
+  // The color inherited from the session's project (idle dot tint). Follows the
+  // same membership the sidebar groups by; null unless the project is colored.
+  const projectColor = sessionProjectColor(session, useStore($projects))
 
   // Resolve the dot's display state once — the four signals are mutually
   // exclusive by priority, so threading them as booleans through wrappers just
@@ -240,11 +245,12 @@ export function SidebarSessionRow({
                 branchStem={branchStem}
                 className="transition-opacity group-hover/handle:opacity-0 group-focus-within/handle:opacity-0"
                 dotState={dotState}
+                projectColor={projectColor}
               />
             </SidebarRowGrab>
           ) : (
             <SidebarRowLead className={needsInput ? 'overflow-visible' : 'overflow-hidden'}>
-              <SessionRowLeadDot branchStem={branchStem} dotState={dotState} />
+              <SessionRowLeadDot branchStem={branchStem} dotState={dotState} projectColor={projectColor} />
             </SidebarRowLead>
           )}
           {handoffSource && handoffLabel ? (
@@ -274,11 +280,13 @@ type SessionDotState = 'background' | 'idle' | 'needs-input' | 'unread' | 'worki
 function SessionRowLeadDot({
   branchStem,
   dotState = 'idle',
-  className
+  className,
+  projectColor
 }: {
   branchStem?: string
   dotState?: SessionDotState
   className?: string
+  projectColor?: null | string
 }) {
   return (
     <span className={cn('flex items-center gap-0.5', className)}>
@@ -287,7 +295,7 @@ function SessionRowLeadDot({
           {branchStem}
         </span>
       ) : null}
-      <SidebarRowDot dotState={dotState} />
+      <SidebarRowDot dotState={dotState} projectColor={projectColor} />
     </span>
   )
 }
@@ -348,9 +356,32 @@ const DOT_VARIANTS: Record<SessionDotState, DotVariant> = {
   }
 }
 
-function SidebarRowDot({ dotState, className }: { dotState: SessionDotState; className?: string }) {
+function SidebarRowDot({
+  dotState,
+  className,
+  projectColor
+}: {
+  dotState: SessionDotState
+  className?: string
+  projectColor?: null | string
+}) {
   const { t } = useI18n()
   const r = t.sidebar.row
+
+  // An idle session inherits its project's color (a quiet marker matching the
+  // project row's own color dot). The active states (working / needs-input /
+  // background / unread) own the dot and keep their semantic color, so the
+  // inherited tint never competes with an attention cue.
+  if (dotState === 'idle' && projectColor) {
+    return (
+      <span
+        aria-hidden="true"
+        className={cn('size-1 rounded-full', className)}
+        style={{ backgroundColor: projectColor }}
+      />
+    )
+  }
+
   const variant = DOT_VARIANTS[dotState]
 
   return (