diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/app/desktop-controller.tsx b/apps/desktop/src/app/desktop-controller.tsx
index f02824e2925..15466d20950 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/src/app/desktop-controller.tsx
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/app/desktop-controller.tsx
@@ -29,7 +29,14 @@ import {
   unpinSession
 } from '../store/layout'
 import { $filePreviewTarget, $previewTarget, closeActiveRightRailTab } from '../store/preview'
-import { $activeGatewayProfile, $freshSessionRequest, normalizeProfileKey, refreshActiveProfile } from '../store/profile'
+import {
+  $activeGatewayProfile,
+  $freshSessionRequest,
+  $profileScope,
+  ALL_PROFILES,
+  normalizeProfileKey,
+  refreshActiveProfile
+} from '../store/profile'
 import {
   $activeSessionId,
   $currentCwd,
@@ -157,6 +164,7 @@ export function DesktopController() {
   const selectedStoredSessionId = useStore($selectedStoredSessionId)
   const terminalTakeover = useStore($terminalTakeover)
   const panesFlipped = useStore($panesFlipped)
+  const profileScope = useStore($profileScope)
 
   const routedSessionId = routeSessionId(location.pathname)
   const routeToken = `${location.pathname}:${location.search}:${location.hash}`
@@ -288,7 +296,11 @@ export function DesktopController() {
       // the same rows tagged profile="default". Cron sessions are excluded here
       // and fetched separately (refreshCronSessions) so the scheduler's
       // always-newest rows can't consume the recents page budget.
-      const result = await listAllProfileSessions(limit, 1, 'exclude', 'recent', 'all', {
+      // Scope the fetch to the active profile (not always 'all') so a profile
+      // 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']
       })
 
@@ -305,7 +317,7 @@ export function DesktopController() {
 
     void refreshCronSessions()
     void refreshCronJobs()
-  }, [refreshCronSessions, refreshCronJobs])
+  }, [profileScope, refreshCronSessions, refreshCronJobs])
 
   const loadMoreSessions = useCallback(() => {
     bumpSessionsLimit()
diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/hermes.test.ts b/apps/desktop/src/hermes.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..0dcf58b3640
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/hermes.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,49 @@
+import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest'
+
+import { listAllProfileSessions, listSessions } from './hermes'
+
+const emptySessionsResponse = {
+  limit: 0,
+  offset: 0,
+  sessions: [],
+  total: 0
+}
+
+describe('Hermes REST session helpers', () => {
+  let api: ReturnType<typeof vi.fn>
+
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    api = vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(emptySessionsResponse)
+    Object.defineProperty(window, 'hermesDesktop', {
+      configurable: true,
+      value: { api }
+    })
+  })
+
+  afterEach(() => {
+    vi.restoreAllMocks()
+    Reflect.deleteProperty(window, 'hermesDesktop')
+  })
+
+  it('uses a longer timeout for the single-profile session list', async () => {
+    await listSessions(50, 1)
+
+    expect(api).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+      expect.objectContaining({
+        path: '/api/sessions?limit=50&offset=0&min_messages=1&archived=exclude&order=recent',
+        timeoutMs: 60_000
+      })
+    )
+  })
+
+  it('uses a longer timeout for the all-profile session list', async () => {
+    await listAllProfileSessions(50, 1)
+
+    expect(api).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+      expect.objectContaining({
+        path: '/api/profiles/sessions?limit=50&offset=0&min_messages=1&archived=exclude&order=recent&profile=all',
+        timeoutMs: 60_000
+      })
+    )
+  })
+})
diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/hermes.ts b/apps/desktop/src/hermes.ts
index 33aa9fea320..631a9c0e977 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/src/hermes.ts
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/hermes.ts
@@ -42,6 +42,7 @@ import type {
 } from '@/types/hermes'
 
 const DEFAULT_GATEWAY_REQUEST_TIMEOUT_MS = 30_000
+const SESSION_LIST_REQUEST_TIMEOUT_MS = 60_000
 
 export type {
   ActionResponse,
@@ -136,7 +137,8 @@ export async function listSessions(
   order: 'created' | 'recent' = 'recent'
 ): Promise<PaginatedSessions> {
   const result = await window.hermesDesktop.api<PaginatedSessions>({
-    path: `/api/sessions?limit=${limit}&offset=0&min_messages=${Math.max(0, minMessages)}&archived=${archived}&order=${order}`
+    path: `/api/sessions?limit=${limit}&offset=0&min_messages=${Math.max(0, minMessages)}&archived=${archived}&order=${order}`,
+    timeoutMs: SESSION_LIST_REQUEST_TIMEOUT_MS
   })
 
   return {
@@ -176,7 +178,8 @@ export async function listAllProfileSessions(
   const result = await window.hermesDesktop.api<PaginatedSessions>({
     path:
       `/api/profiles/sessions?limit=${limit}&offset=0&min_messages=${Math.max(0, minMessages)}` +
-      `&archived=${archived}&order=${order}&profile=${encodeURIComponent(profile)}${sourceParam}${excludeParam}`
+      `&archived=${archived}&order=${order}&profile=${encodeURIComponent(profile)}${sourceParam}${excludeParam}`,
+    timeoutMs: SESSION_LIST_REQUEST_TIMEOUT_MS
   })
 
   return {