diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/app/desktop-controller.tsx b/apps/desktop/src/app/desktop-controller.tsx
index 05dfbbc764f..c2523bf3654 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/src/app/desktop-controller.tsx
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/app/desktop-controller.tsx
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ import {
   MESSAGING_SESSION_SOURCE_IDS,
   normalizeSessionSource
 } from '../lib/session-source'
+import { storedSessionIdForNotification } from '../lib/session-ids'
 import { latestSessionTodos } from '../lib/todos'
 import { setCronFocusJobId, setCronJobs } from '../store/cron'
 import {
@@ -276,16 +277,20 @@ export function DesktopController() {
     }
   }, [])
 
-  // Notification click: the main process already focused the window; jump to its session.
+  // Notification click: the main process already focused the window; jump to its
+  // session. Notifications are tagged with the gateway *runtime* session id, but
+  // the chat route is keyed by the *stored* id — navigating with the runtime id
+  // resumes a non-existent stored session ("session not found") and strands the
+  // user. Translate runtime -> stored before navigating.
   useEffect(() => {
     const unsubscribe = window.hermesDesktop?.onFocusSession?.(sessionId => {
       if (sessionId) {
-        navigate(sessionRoute(sessionId))
+        navigate(sessionRoute(storedSessionIdForNotification(sessionId, runtimeIdByStoredSessionIdRef.current)))
       }
     })
 
     return () => unsubscribe?.()
-  }, [navigate])
+  }, [navigate, runtimeIdByStoredSessionIdRef])
 
   // Notification action button (Approve/Reject) — resolve in place, no navigation.
   useEffect(() => {
diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/lib/session-ids.ts b/apps/desktop/src/lib/session-ids.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..c97cadc2628
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/lib/session-ids.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+// The gateway tags every event — and therefore every native notification —
+// with the *runtime* session id (the key under which the session lives in the
+// gateway's in-memory `_sessions` map). The chat route, however, is keyed by
+// the *stored* session id (`stored_session_id`), which is a different value:
+// a brand-new chat gets a runtime id immediately but its stored id is assigned
+// when the first turn persists. Navigating to a runtime id therefore tries to
+// resume a stored session that does not exist ("session not found") and
+// strands the user, who experiences it as the running session being destroyed.
+//
+// `runtimeIdByStoredSessionId` maps stored -> runtime; this resolves the
+// reverse so notification-click navigation lands on the real route. The id is
+// returned unchanged when no mapping is known — it may already be a stored id
+// (e.g. a notification for a session this window never opened), in which case
+// the normal resume/REST lookup handles it.
+export function storedSessionIdForNotification(
+  id: string,
+  runtimeIdByStoredSessionId: ReadonlyMap<string, string>
+): string {
+  for (const [storedId, runtimeId] of runtimeIdByStoredSessionId) {
+    if (runtimeId === id) {
+      return storedId
+    }
+  }
+
+  return id
+}