diff --git a/apps/web/src/components/Sidebar.tsx b/apps/web/src/components/Sidebar.tsx
index de16be6d2dcfb..656ceb2f6b102 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/components/Sidebar.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/src/components/Sidebar.tsx
@@ -1940,6 +1940,7 @@ export default function Sidebar({ routeReveal }: { routeReveal: SidebarRouteReve
     );
   };
   const sortableIds = sidebarListItems.map(sidebarListItemId);
+  const sectionDividersEnabled = useClientSettings((s) => s.sidebarSectionDividersEnabled);
   // Keep non-drag orders constant to preserve sorting strategy and row identity during streaming.
   const { settledOrder: draggedSettledOrder, activeOrder: draggedActiveOrder } =
     dragState === null
@@ -3355,7 +3356,8 @@ export default function Sidebar({ routeReveal }: { routeReveal: SidebarRouteReve
                                 key="pinned-header"
                                 marker="pinned-header"
                                 label="Pinned"
-                                visible={from !== null}
+                                visible={sectionDividersEnabled || from !== null}
+                                persistent={sectionDividersEnabled}
                                 isDropTarget={dragTargetSection === "pinned"}
                               />,
                             );
@@ -3366,7 +3368,8 @@ export default function Sidebar({ routeReveal }: { routeReveal: SidebarRouteReve
                                 key="pinned-divider"
                                 marker="pinned-divider"
                                 label="Active"
-                                visible={from !== null}
+                                visible={sectionDividersEnabled || from !== null}
+                                persistent={sectionDividersEnabled}
                                 isDropTarget={dragTargetSection === "active"}
                               />,
                             );
diff --git a/apps/web/src/components/settings/SettingsPanels.tsx b/apps/web/src/components/settings/SettingsPanels.tsx
index c4e3d27a07fa7..0dc56709d47eb 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/components/settings/SettingsPanels.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/src/components/settings/SettingsPanels.tsx
@@ -465,6 +465,10 @@ export function useSettingsRestore(onRestored?: () => void) {
     ...(settings.sidebarWorkingShelfEnabled !== DEFAULT_UNIFIED_SETTINGS.sidebarWorkingShelfEnabled
       ? ["Working section"]
       : []),
+    ...(settings.sidebarSectionDividersEnabled !==
+    DEFAULT_UNIFIED_SETTINGS.sidebarSectionDividersEnabled
+      ? ["Thread section dividers"]
+      : []),
     ...(settings.sidebarAutoSettleAfterDays !== DEFAULT_UNIFIED_SETTINGS.sidebarAutoSettleAfterDays
       ? ["Auto-settle inactive threads"]
       : []),
@@ -631,6 +635,7 @@ export function useSettingsRestore(onRestored?: () => void) {
       sidebarProjectGroupingMode: DEFAULT_UNIFIED_SETTINGS.sidebarProjectGroupingMode,
       sidebarProjectSortOrder: DEFAULT_UNIFIED_SETTINGS.sidebarProjectSortOrder,
       sidebarWorkingShelfEnabled: DEFAULT_UNIFIED_SETTINGS.sidebarWorkingShelfEnabled,
+      sidebarSectionDividersEnabled: DEFAULT_UNIFIED_SETTINGS.sidebarSectionDividersEnabled,
       sidebarAutoSettleAfterDays: DEFAULT_UNIFIED_SETTINGS.sidebarAutoSettleAfterDays,
       sidebarAutoSettleKeepPullRequests: DEFAULT_UNIFIED_SETTINGS.sidebarAutoSettleKeepPullRequests,
       sidebarAutoSettleOnMerge: DEFAULT_UNIFIED_SETTINGS.sidebarAutoSettleOnMerge,
@@ -886,6 +891,33 @@ export function GeneralSettingsPanel() {
             />
           }
         />
+        <SettingsRow
+          {...searchableSetting("sidebar-section-dividers")}
+          description="Keep the Pinned and Active labels and lines visible when you're not dragging a thread."
+          resetAction={
+            settings.sidebarSectionDividersEnabled !==
+            DEFAULT_UNIFIED_SETTINGS.sidebarSectionDividersEnabled ? (
+              <SettingResetButton
+                label="thread section dividers"
+                onClick={() =>
+                  updateSettings({
+                    sidebarSectionDividersEnabled:
+                      DEFAULT_UNIFIED_SETTINGS.sidebarSectionDividersEnabled,
+                  })
+                }
+              />
+            ) : null
+          }
+          control={
+            <Switch
+              checked={settings.sidebarSectionDividersEnabled}
+              onCheckedChange={(checked) =>
+                updateSettings({ sidebarSectionDividersEnabled: Boolean(checked) })
+              }
+              aria-label="Always show thread section dividers"
+            />
+          }
+        />
       </SettingsSection>
 
       <SettingsSection id="confirmations" title="Confirmations">
diff --git a/apps/web/src/components/settings/settingsSearch.ts b/apps/web/src/components/settings/settingsSearch.ts
index 1d5c13e72a061..9d18c50aba42a 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/components/settings/settingsSearch.ts
+++ b/apps/web/src/components/settings/settingsSearch.ts
@@ -433,6 +433,12 @@ export const SETTINGS_SEARCH_ITEMS = [
     to: "/settings/general",
     searchTerms: ["hide fold running monitoring threads inbox sidebar shelf"],
   },
+  {
+    id: "sidebar-section-dividers",
+    title: "Always show thread section dividers",
+    to: "/settings/general",
+    searchTerms: ["sidebar pinned active labels lines separators dragging"],
+  },
   {
     id: "boring-sidebar",
     title: "Boring sidebar (group by project)",
diff --git a/apps/web/src/components/sidebar/SidebarListMarkers.tsx b/apps/web/src/components/sidebar/SidebarListMarkers.tsx
index 104bda5582b4d..ae8465cb8f9db 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/components/sidebar/SidebarListMarkers.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/src/components/sidebar/SidebarListMarkers.tsx
@@ -76,16 +76,20 @@ export function SidebarDragBoundary(props: {
   marker: "pinned-header" | "pinned-divider";
   label: string;
   visible: boolean;
+  persistent: boolean;
   isDropTarget: boolean;
 }) {
   return (
     <SortableSidebarMarker
       marker={props.marker}
       data-testid={`sidebar-${props.marker}`}
-      className="pointer-events-none relative mx-0.5 -mb-px h-0"
+      className={cn("pointer-events-none relative mx-0.5 -mb-px", props.persistent ? "h-6" : "h-0")}
     >
       {props.visible ? (
-        <div className="sidebar-drag-boundary-label absolute inset-x-2 top-1 flex h-4 items-center gap-2">
+        <div
+          data-persistent={props.persistent || undefined}
+          className="sidebar-drag-boundary-label absolute inset-x-2 top-1 flex h-4 items-center gap-2"
+        >
           <span
             className={cn(
               "shrink-0 text-xs font-medium",
diff --git a/apps/web/src/index.css b/apps/web/src/index.css
index 8acc312321b8f..e76b9ec43e27d 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/index.css
+++ b/apps/web/src/index.css
@@ -2385,7 +2385,7 @@ code {
 
 /* Let the sortable rows open label clearance before painting the dividers.
    This runs once per pickup; rows retain dnd-kit's normal 200ms transitions. */
-.sidebar-drag-boundary-label {
+.sidebar-drag-boundary-label:not([data-persistent]) {
   animation: sidebar-drag-label-reveal 200ms step-end;
 }
 
diff --git a/packages/contracts/src/settings.test.ts b/packages/contracts/src/settings.test.ts
index 25523c2d0fb4a..ad9bf25c09703 100644
--- a/packages/contracts/src/settings.test.ts
+++ b/packages/contracts/src/settings.test.ts
@@ -198,6 +198,21 @@ describe("ClientSettings notifications", () => {
   });
 });
 
+describe("ClientSettings sidebar section dividers", () => {
+  it("keeps existing clients opted out and preserves explicit choices", () => {
+    expect(decodeClientSettings({}).sidebarSectionDividersEnabled).toBe(false);
+    expect(decodeClientSettingsPatch({})).not.toHaveProperty("sidebarSectionDividersEnabled");
+    for (const enabled of [true, false]) {
+      const patch = { sidebarSectionDividersEnabled: enabled };
+      expect(decodeClientSettingsPatch(patch)).toEqual(patch);
+      expect(
+        decodeClientSettings(encodeClientSettings(decodeClientSettings(patch)))
+          .sidebarSectionDividersEnabled,
+      ).toBe(enabled);
+    }
+  });
+});
+
 describe("ClientSettings quit confirmation", () => {
   it.each([
     [true, "hold"],
diff --git a/packages/contracts/src/settings.ts b/packages/contracts/src/settings.ts
index 16eb51aa1769c..070f8c53e8479 100644
--- a/packages/contracts/src/settings.ts
+++ b/packages/contracts/src/settings.ts
@@ -488,6 +488,9 @@ export const ClientSettingsSchema = Schema.Struct({
   // the boring sidebar; the boring sidebar toggle clears it.
   legacySidebarEnabled: Schema.Boolean.pipe(Schema.withDecodingDefault(Effect.succeed(false))),
   sidebarWorkingShelfEnabled: Schema.Boolean.pipe(Schema.withDecodingDefault(Effect.succeed(true))),
+  sidebarSectionDividersEnabled: Schema.Boolean.pipe(
+    Schema.withDecodingDefault(Effect.succeed(false)),
+  ),
   sidebarProjectGroupingMode: SidebarProjectGroupingMode.pipe(
     Schema.withDecodingDefault(Effect.succeed(DEFAULT_SIDEBAR_PROJECT_GROUPING_MODE)),
   ),
@@ -1731,6 +1734,7 @@ export const ClientSettingsPatch = Schema.Struct({
   threadDetailsItems: Schema.optionalKey(Schema.Record(Schema.String, Schema.Boolean)),
   legacySidebarEnabled: Schema.optionalKey(Schema.Boolean),
   sidebarWorkingShelfEnabled: Schema.optionalKey(Schema.Boolean),
+  sidebarSectionDividersEnabled: Schema.optionalKey(Schema.Boolean),
   sidebarProjectGroupingMode: Schema.optionalKey(SidebarProjectGroupingMode),
   sidebarProjectGroupingOverrides: Schema.optionalKey(
     Schema.Record(TrimmedNonEmptyString, SidebarProjectGroupingMode),