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 213bff09ba5e4..9c1711b192a82 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
@@ -471,6 +471,15 @@ describe('liveSessionProjectId', () => {
     expect(id).toBe('p_app')
   })
 
+  it('anchors a cwd-less session on its git_repo_root (backend groups it there too)', () => {
+    // Older/imported rows carry only a repo root; the sidebar files them under
+    // the repo's project, so membership (and color) must resolve from the root.
+    expect(liveSessionProjectId(makeSession(null, { git_repo_root: '/www/app' }), [])).toBe('/www/app')
+    expect(
+      liveSessionProjectId(makeSession(null, { git_repo_root: '/www/app' }), [makeProject('p_app', ['/www/app'])])
+    ).toBe('p_app')
+  })
+
   it('skips cwd-less, kanban-task, and out-of-tree (sibling) worktree sessions', () => {
     expect(liveSessionProjectId(makeSession(null), [])).toBeNull()
     // Kanban task worktree → folds into the kanban bucket, not a project preview.
@@ -538,6 +547,12 @@ describe('sessionProjectColor', () => {
     expect(sessionProjectColor(session, [makeProject('p_app', ['/www/app'])])).toBeNull()
   })
 
+  it('colors a cwd-less session by its git_repo_root project (the grouped-but-grey fix)', () => {
+    const session = makeSession(null, { git_repo_root: '/www/app' })
+
+    expect(sessionProjectColor(session, [colored('p_app', ['/www/app'], '#4a9eff')])).toBe('#4a9eff')
+  })
+
   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.
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 afeb230c59fa8..7931030feb111 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/src/app/chat/sidebar/projects/workspace-groups.ts
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/app/chat/sidebar/projects/workspace-groups.ts
@@ -361,15 +361,21 @@ function isPathUnder(folder: string, target: string): boolean {
  */
 export function liveSessionProjectId(session: SessionInfo, explicitProjects: ProjectInfo[]): null | string {
   const cwd = (session.cwd || '').trim()
+  // A session may carry only a git_repo_root and no cwd — older/imported rows,
+  // or ones captured before cwd tracking. The backend still groups those by repo
+  // root, so anchor on it here too; otherwise the sidebar files the row under a
+  // project but the color derivation drops it (the "grouped but grey" bug).
+  const repoRoot = (session.git_repo_root || '').trim() || cwd
+  const anchor = cwd || repoRoot
 
-  if (!cwd || kanbanWorktreeDir(cwd)) {
+  if (!anchor || kanbanWorktreeDir(anchor)) {
     return null
   }
 
-  // No persisted repo root yet (brand-new session) → the cwd is the root.
-  const repoRoot = (session.git_repo_root || '').trim() || cwd
-
-  if (!isPathUnder(repoRoot, cwd)) {
+  // With a cwd present it must sit under the repo root (a sibling worktree
+  // outside the root can't be placed from the row alone); a root-only session
+  // skips this — the root IS the anchor.
+  if (cwd && !isPathUnder(repoRoot, cwd)) {
     return null
   }