diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/components/pane-shell/tree/store.ts b/apps/desktop/src/components/pane-shell/tree/store.ts
index f40427156c6..e8a6bc4a28b 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/src/components/pane-shell/tree/store.ts
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/components/pane-shell/tree/store.ts
@@ -351,14 +351,52 @@ export function treePanesWithPrefix(prefix: string): string[] {
  *  An atom so the strip re-renders when the action becomes available. */
 export const $newSessionTabAction = atom<(() => void) | null>(null)
 
-/** ⌘1…⌘9: activate the Nth tab of the FOCUSED zone (the interaction tracker's
- *  group), but only when it's a real tab strip (≥2 panes). Returns false so the
- *  caller falls back to its default (profile switch) — the number keys mean
- *  "switch tab" only while a multi-tab zone holds focus. */
+/**
+ * Keyboard slots (⌘1…⌘9, ⌃Tab) must index the SAME tabs the strip paints —
+ * chrome-hidden panes (files in Focus layout), unregistered ones, and
+ * narrow-collapsed collapsibles stay in `group.panes` but aren't chips. Walking
+ * the raw array made ⌘2 land on what the strip called tab 1 after a hidden
+ * pane sat earlier in the list (classic after-⌘W-shift offset).
+ */
+function shownPanesInGroup(group: { panes: readonly string[] }): string[] {
+  const hidden = $hiddenTreePanes.get()
+  const registered = registry.getArea('panes')
+  const paneFor = (id: string) => registered.find(c => c.id === id)
+
+  return group.panes.filter(id => {
+    const pane = paneFor(id)
+
+    if (!pane) {
+      return false
+    }
+
+    if (hidden.has(id)) {
+      return false
+    }
+
+    // Match TreeGroup's paneShown for the narrow breakpoint — collapsible
+    // panes drop out of the strip when the viewport collapses them.
+    if (
+      typeof window !== 'undefined' &&
+      window.matchMedia?.(SIDEBAR_COLLAPSE_MEDIA_QUERY).matches &&
+      Boolean((pane.data as { collapsible?: boolean } | undefined)?.collapsible)
+    ) {
+      return false
+    }
+
+    return true
+  })
+}
+
+/** ⌘1…⌘9: activate the Nth *visible* tab of the FOCUSED zone (the interaction
+ *  tracker's group), but only when it's a real tab strip (≥2 shown panes).
+ *  Returns false so the caller falls back to its default (profile switch) —
+ *  the number keys mean "switch tab" only while a multi-tab zone holds focus. */
 export function activateTreeTabSlot(slot: number): boolean {
   const groupId = $activeTreeGroup.get()
   const tree = $layoutTree.get()
-  const panes = (groupId && tree ? findGroup(tree, groupId)?.panes : null) ?? []
+  const group = groupId && tree ? findGroup(tree, groupId) : null
+  const panes = group ? shownPanesInGroup(group) : []
 
   if (panes.length < 2 || slot < 1 || slot > panes.length) {
     return false
@@ -369,20 +407,23 @@ export function activateTreeTabSlot(slot: number): boolean {
   return true
 }
 
-/** ⌃Tab / ⌃⇧Tab: cycle the FOCUSED zone's tabs (wrapping) — but only a
- *  session/main strip with ≥2 tabs. Returns false so the caller falls back to
- *  the recent-session switcher when the focus isn't a chat tab strip. */
+/** ⌃Tab / ⌃⇧Tab: cycle the FOCUSED zone's *visible* tabs (wrapping) — but only a
+ *  session/main strip with ≥2 shown tabs. Returns false so the caller falls
+ *  back to the recent-session switcher when the focus isn't a chat tab strip. */
 export function cycleTreeTabInFocusedZone(direction: 1 | -1): boolean {
   const groupId = $activeTreeGroup.get()
   const tree = $layoutTree.get()
   const group = groupId && tree ? findGroup(tree, groupId) : null
-  const panes = group?.panes ?? []
+  const panes = group ? shownPanesInGroup(group) : []
 
   if (panes.length < 2 || !panes.some(id => id === 'workspace' || id.startsWith('session-tile:'))) {
     return false
   }
 
-  const idx = Math.max(0, panes.indexOf(group!.active ?? ''))
+  // Active may itself be hidden (Files collapsed mid-cycle) — treat it as
+  // missing so the step starts from a real chip rather than landing on a ghost.
+  const current = Math.max(0, panes.indexOf(group!.active ?? ''))
+  const idx = panes.includes(group!.active ?? '') ? current : 0
   const nextId = panes[(idx + direction + panes.length) % panes.length]
   activateTreePane(group!.id, nextId)
 
diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/components/pane-shell/tree/tab-slot-shown.test.ts b/apps/desktop/src/components/pane-shell/tree/tab-slot-shown.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..5d8921a9192
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/components/pane-shell/tree/tab-slot-shown.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,81 @@
+import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest'
+
+// ⌘1…⌘9 / ⌃Tab must index the same tabs the strip paints. A chrome-hidden
+// pane (Focus layout's `files`) stays in `group.panes` but isn't a chip —
+// indexing the raw array made ⌘2 land on the strip's first session tab.
+
+describe('activateTreeTabSlot indexes shown panes only', () => {
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    window.localStorage.clear()
+    vi.resetModules()
+  })
+
+  afterEach(() => {
+    vi.resetModules()
+  })
+
+  async function setup() {
+    const tree = await import('@/components/pane-shell/tree/store')
+    const model = await import('@/components/pane-shell/tree/model')
+    const { registry } = await import('@/contrib/registry')
+
+    for (const id of ['workspace', 'files', 'session-tile:a', 'session-tile:b']) {
+      registry.register({
+        area: 'panes',
+        data: id === 'files' ? { collapsible: true, placement: 'side' } : { placement: 'main' },
+        id,
+        render: () => null,
+        title: id
+      })
+    }
+
+    // Focus-ish packing: files rides with workspace; two session tiles stacking
+    // of top of that — pane order in the tree: workspace, files, A, B.
+    tree.declareDefaultTree(
+      model.group(['workspace', 'files', 'session-tile:a', 'session-tile:b'], {
+        active: 'workspace',
+        id: 'grp-main'
+      })
+    )
+    tree.noteActiveTreeGroup('grp-main')
+    tree.setTreePaneHidden('files', true)
+
+    const activeOf = () => model.findGroup(tree.$layoutTree.get()!, 'grp-main')?.active ?? null
+
+    return { activeOf, tree }
+  }
+
+  it('⌘1 is workspace and ⌘2 is the first SESSION tab when files is hidden', async () => {
+    const { activeOf, tree } = await setup()
+
+    expect(tree.activateTreeTabSlot(1)).toBe(true)
+    expect(activeOf()).toBe('workspace')
+
+    expect(tree.activateTreeTabSlot(2)).toBe(true)
+    expect(activeOf()).toBe('session-tile:a')
+
+    expect(tree.activateTreeTabSlot(3)).toBe(true)
+    expect(activeOf()).toBe('session-tile:b')
+  })
+
+  it('does not claim a slot past the visible count (falls through to profile switch)', async () => {
+    const { tree } = await setup()
+
+    // Shown: workspace + A + B → 3. Slot 4 would have been `B` on the raw array
+    // (workspace, files, A, B) before this fix — now it correctly refuses.
+    expect(tree.activateTreeTabSlot(4)).toBe(false)
+  })
+
+  it('⌃Tab cycles only visible chips', async () => {
+    const { activeOf, tree } = await setup()
+
+    expect(tree.cycleTreeTabInFocusedZone(1)).toBe(true)
+    expect(activeOf()).toBe('session-tile:a')
+
+    expect(tree.cycleTreeTabInFocusedZone(1)).toBe(true)
+    expect(activeOf()).toBe('session-tile:b')
+
+    expect(tree.cycleTreeTabInFocusedZone(1)).toBe(true)
+    expect(activeOf()).toBe('workspace')
+  })
+})