diff --git a/apps/web/src/components/ChatView.drafts.browser.tsx b/apps/web/src/components/ChatView.drafts.browser.tsx
index 87e8c499f..eac7bf8b7 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/components/ChatView.drafts.browser.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/src/components/ChatView.drafts.browser.tsx
@@ -620,6 +620,24 @@ describe("ChatView (full app): new threads and drafts", () => {
       expect(
         useComposerDraftStore.getState().getDraftSession(draftIdFromPath(newThreadPath)),
       ).toMatchObject({ envMode: "worktree", worktreePath: null });
+
+      // Whoever asks for a new thread is about to type: its composer has the
+      // keyboard, though an empty draft that just opens leaves it alone.
+      const expectNewThreadComposerFocused = () =>
+        vi.waitFor(() => {
+          const editor = document.querySelector<HTMLElement>('[data-testid="composer-editor"]');
+          expect(editor).not.toBeNull();
+          expect(document.activeElement).toBe(editor);
+        });
+      await expectNewThreadComposerFocused();
+
+      // Asking again on the same empty draft navigates nowhere and still
+      // brings the keyboard back.
+      (document.activeElement as HTMLElement).blur();
+      expect(document.activeElement).toBe(document.body);
+      dispatchChatNewShortcut();
+      await expectNewThreadComposerFocused();
+      expect(mounted.router.state.location.pathname).toBe(newThreadPath);
     } finally {
       await mounted.cleanup();
     }
diff --git a/apps/web/src/components/ChatView.palette.browser.tsx b/apps/web/src/components/ChatView.palette.browser.tsx
index c4158908e..aa0eab1cd 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/components/ChatView.palette.browser.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/src/components/ChatView.palette.browser.tsx
@@ -1079,6 +1079,14 @@ describe("ChatView (full app): command palette and search", () => {
       const draftThread = useComposerDraftStore.getState().getDraftSession(nextDraftId);
       expect(draftThread?.projectId).toBe(SECOND_PROJECT_ID);
       expect(draftThread?.envMode).toBe("worktree");
+
+      // The new thread's composer keeps the keyboard once the palette is gone.
+      await expect.element(palette).not.toBeInTheDocument();
+      await vi.waitFor(() => {
+        const editor = document.querySelector<HTMLElement>('[data-testid="composer-editor"]');
+        expect(editor).not.toBeNull();
+        expect(document.activeElement).toBe(editor);
+      });
     } finally {
       await mounted.cleanup();
     }
diff --git a/apps/web/src/components/ChatView.tsx b/apps/web/src/components/ChatView.tsx
index 8ed2c80bd..3f3647cfa 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/components/ChatView.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/src/components/ChatView.tsx
@@ -226,6 +226,7 @@ import { newCommandId, newMessageId, newThreadId } from "~/lib/utils";
 import { formatProviderDriverKindLabel } from "../providerModels";
 import { useSettings, useUpdateSettings } from "../hooks/useSettings";
 import { roomsEnabledFor } from "../hooks/useRoomsEnabled";
+import { useNewThreadComposerFocus } from "../newThreadComposerFocus";
 import {
   applyMovedDraftDefaults,
   buildNewThreadParticipants,
@@ -4848,7 +4849,13 @@ export default function ChatView(props: ChatViewProps) {
 
   // Pristine drafts (the home surface) open without stealing focus; the
   // composer takes focus once a conversation exists or via an explicit action.
+  // Asking for a new thread is one: useNewThreadHandler requests focus for it.
   const skipEntryComposerFocus = isLocalDraftThread && (activeThread?.messages.length ?? 0) === 0;
+  useNewThreadComposerFocus({
+    draftId,
+    enabled: !isCoarsePointer,
+    focus: scheduleComposerFocus,
+  });
   useEffect(() => {
     if (
       !activeThread?.id ||
diff --git a/apps/web/src/hooks/useHandleNewThread.ts b/apps/web/src/hooks/useHandleNewThread.ts
index becc76229..3b23ca1a6 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/hooks/useHandleNewThread.ts
+++ b/apps/web/src/hooks/useHandleNewThread.ts
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ import {
 import { preserveRightPanelSearchParamsForDraftNavigation } from "../diffRouteSearch";
 import { resolveNewThreadPlacement } from "../lib/chatThreadActions";
 import { newDraftId, newThreadId } from "../lib/utils";
+import { requestNewThreadComposerFocus } from "../newThreadComposerFocus";
 import {
   applyNewThreadDefaultsToDraft,
   placeDraftFromSettings,
@@ -68,6 +69,10 @@ function useNewThreadState() {
          *  from one in the same project can continue in its checkout. */
         continueActiveCheckout?: boolean;
         replace?: boolean;
+        /** False leaves the keyboard where it is, for a draft the app opens
+         *  by itself (the launch landing). By default the new thread's
+         *  composer takes focus: whoever asked for it is about to type. */
+        focusComposer?: boolean;
         /** Words the draft opens with, for surfaces that hand work over. Only
          *  ever written into a draft with nothing of the user's in it. A
          *  trailing space is kept, for a sentence the user finishes. */
@@ -93,6 +98,11 @@ function useNewThreadState() {
           setPrompt(draftId, initialPrompt);
         }
       };
+      const focusComposer = (draftId: DraftId) => {
+        if (options?.focusComposer !== false) {
+          requestNewThreadComposerFocus(draftId);
+        }
+      };
       const currentRouteTarget = getCurrentRouteTarget();
       // Read projects at call time: a project created moments ago reaches the
       // store before this callback is recreated, and a stale list here means
@@ -186,6 +196,7 @@ function useNewThreadState() {
           );
           placeFromSettings(emptyStoredDraftThread.draftId);
           writeInitialPrompt(emptyStoredDraftThread.draftId);
+          focusComposer(emptyStoredDraftThread.draftId);
           // A reused draft can hold the model and agents it was set up with
           // long ago; "new thread" means today's, so the defaults are applied
           // again, after the draft is on its project (moving it drops a room).
@@ -229,6 +240,7 @@ function useNewThreadState() {
         });
         placeFromSettings(currentDraftId);
         writeInitialPrompt(currentDraftId);
+        focusComposer(currentDraftId);
         return applyNewThreadDefaultsToDraft(currentDraftId, projectRef.environmentId);
       }
 
@@ -247,6 +259,7 @@ function useNewThreadState() {
         });
         placeFromSettings(draftId);
         writeInitialPrompt(draftId);
+        focusComposer(draftId);
         const defaultsApplied = applyNewThreadDefaultsToDraft(draftId, projectRef.environmentId);
 
         await router.navigate({
diff --git a/apps/web/src/newThreadComposerFocus.ts b/apps/web/src/newThreadComposerFocus.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..a2bf6441a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/web/src/newThreadComposerFocus.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,55 @@
+import { useEffect, useEffectEvent } from "react";
+import { create } from "zustand";
+
+import type { DraftId } from "./composerDraftStore";
+
+/**
+ * Focus for the composer of a new thread someone asked for.
+ *
+ * A pristine draft opens without taking focus (ChatView), so the launch
+ * landing and a trip back to an empty draft leave the keyboard alone. A new
+ * thread the user asked for (the shortcut, a New thread button, the command
+ * palette) is different: they are about to type. `useNewThreadHandler` asks
+ * here, naming the draft, and the ChatView showing that draft answers once,
+ * whether it was already on screen or mounts after the navigation.
+ */
+interface NewThreadComposerFocusState {
+  readonly request: { readonly draftId: DraftId; readonly token: number } | null;
+}
+
+const useNewThreadComposerFocusStore = create<NewThreadComposerFocusState>()(() => ({
+  request: null,
+}));
+
+/** Asks the composer of `draftId` to take focus when its ChatView is on screen. */
+export function requestNewThreadComposerFocus(draftId: DraftId): void {
+  useNewThreadComposerFocusStore.setState((state) => ({
+    request: { draftId, token: (state.request?.token ?? 0) + 1 },
+  }));
+}
+
+/**
+ * Runs `focus` once for each request naming `draftId`. `enabled: false`
+ * (touch devices, where focus opens the keyboard) drops the request instead.
+ */
+export function useNewThreadComposerFocus(input: {
+  readonly draftId: DraftId | null;
+  readonly enabled: boolean;
+  readonly focus: () => void;
+}): void {
+  const { draftId, enabled } = input;
+  const token = useNewThreadComposerFocusStore((state) =>
+    draftId !== null && state.request?.draftId === draftId ? state.request.token : 0,
+  );
+  const answer = useEffectEvent(() => {
+    // Taken before focusing: the request is answered once, never again on a
+    // later visit to the same draft.
+    useNewThreadComposerFocusStore.setState((state) =>
+      state.request?.token === token ? { request: null } : state,
+    );
+    if (enabled) input.focus();
+  });
+  useEffect(() => {
+    if (token !== 0) answer();
+  }, [token]);
+}
diff --git a/apps/web/src/routes/_chat.index.tsx b/apps/web/src/routes/_chat.index.tsx
index e9c1501d4..6cd9dca0d 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/routes/_chat.index.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/src/routes/_chat.index.tsx
@@ -135,7 +135,8 @@ function DefaultProjectDraftRedirect() {
       return;
     }
     if (defaultProjectRef) {
-      void handleNewThread(defaultProjectRef, { replace: true });
+      // The app opened this draft, not the user: it leaves the keyboard alone.
+      void handleNewThread(defaultProjectRef, { replace: true, focusComposer: false });
     }
   });