diff --git a/packages/client-runtime/src/state/shell-sync.test.ts b/packages/client-runtime/src/state/shell-sync.test.ts
index 5ce6d7dbaa290..c18a5a94299c2 100644
--- a/packages/client-runtime/src/state/shell-sync.test.ts
+++ b/packages/client-runtime/src/state/shell-sync.test.ts
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ import * as Ref from "effect/Ref";
 import * as Scope from "effect/Scope";
 import * as Stream from "effect/Stream";
 import * as SubscriptionRef from "effect/SubscriptionRef";
+import * as TestClock from "effect/testing/TestClock";
 
 import {
   AVAILABLE_CONNECTION_STATE,
@@ -416,6 +417,69 @@ describe("environment shell synchronization", () => {
     }),
   );
 
+  it.effect("resubscribes after a defect ends the shell subscription", () =>
+    Effect.gen(function* () {
+      const defect = new Error("shell item could not be applied");
+      const events = yield* Queue.unbounded<OrchestrationV2ShellStreamItem>();
+      let subscriptions = 0;
+      const client = {
+        [ORCHESTRATION_V2_WS_METHODS.subscribeShell]: () => {
+          subscriptions += 1;
+          return subscriptions === 1 ? Stream.die(defect) : Stream.fromQueue(events);
+        },
+      } as unknown as WsRpcProtocolClient;
+      const supervisor = EnvironmentSupervisor.EnvironmentSupervisor.of({
+        target: TARGET,
+        state: yield* SubscriptionRef.make(AVAILABLE_CONNECTION_STATE),
+        session: yield* SubscriptionRef.make(Option.some(session(client))),
+        prepared: yield* SubscriptionRef.make(Option.some(PREPARED)),
+        connect: Effect.void,
+        disconnect: Effect.void,
+        retryNow: Effect.void,
+      } satisfies EnvironmentSupervisor.EnvironmentSupervisor["Service"]);
+      const cache = Persistence.EnvironmentCacheStore.of({
+        loadShell: () => Effect.succeed(Option.none()),
+        saveShell: () => Effect.void,
+        loadThread: () => Effect.succeed(Option.none()),
+        saveThread: () => Effect.void,
+        removeThread: () => Effect.void,
+        loadServerConfig: () => Effect.succeed(Option.none()),
+        saveServerConfig: () => Effect.void,
+        loadVcsRefs: () => Effect.succeed(Option.none()),
+        saveVcsRefs: () => Effect.void,
+        removeVcsRefs: () => Effect.void,
+        clearVcsRefs: () => Effect.void,
+        clear: () => Effect.void,
+      });
+      const snapshotLoader = ShellSnapshotLoader.ShellSnapshotLoader.of({
+        load: () => Effect.succeed(Option.some(LIVE_SHELL_SNAPSHOT)),
+      });
+      const shellState = yield* makeEnvironmentShellState().pipe(
+        Effect.provideService(EnvironmentSupervisor.EnvironmentSupervisor, supervisor),
+        Effect.provideService(Persistence.EnvironmentCacheStore, cache),
+        Effect.provideService(ShellSnapshotLoader.ShellSnapshotLoader, snapshotLoader),
+      );
+
+      const failed = yield* SubscriptionRef.changes(shellState).pipe(
+        Stream.filter((state) => Option.isSome(state.error)),
+        Stream.runHead,
+      );
+      expect(Option.isSome(failed)).toBe(true);
+      yield* TestClock.adjust("1 minute");
+      yield* Queue.offer(events, {
+        kind: "snapshot",
+        snapshot: { ...LIVE_SHELL_SNAPSHOT, snapshotSequence: 5 },
+      } as OrchestrationV2ShellStreamItem);
+      yield* SubscriptionRef.changes(shellState).pipe(
+        Stream.filter(
+          (state) => Option.isSome(state.snapshot) && state.snapshot.value.snapshotSequence === 5,
+        ),
+        Stream.runHead,
+      );
+      expect(subscriptions).toBe(2);
+    }),
+  );
+
   it.effect("applies authoritative lower-sequence HTTP resets over client-ahead cache", () =>
     Effect.gen(function* () {
       const cachedSnapshot: OrchestrationV2ShellSnapshot = {
diff --git a/packages/client-runtime/src/state/shell.ts b/packages/client-runtime/src/state/shell.ts
index 0a7e2aa7c6664..423f5eb7b1072 100644
--- a/packages/client-runtime/src/state/shell.ts
+++ b/packages/client-runtime/src/state/shell.ts
@@ -9,11 +9,13 @@ import {
   type ThreadPullRequestLink,
 } from "@t3tools/contracts";
 import * as Cause from "effect/Cause";
+import * as Duration from "effect/Duration";
 import * as Effect from "effect/Effect";
 import * as Fiber from "effect/Fiber";
 import * as Option from "effect/Option";
 import * as Queue from "effect/Queue";
 import * as Ref from "effect/Ref";
+import * as Schedule from "effect/Schedule";
 import * as Semaphore from "effect/Semaphore";
 import * as Stream from "effect/Stream";
 import * as SubscriptionRef from "effect/SubscriptionRef";
@@ -66,6 +68,11 @@ function withoutDeferredPullRequests(value: DeferredShellSnapshot): Orchestratio
 }
 
 const SHELL_SYNCHRONIZATION_ERROR_MESSAGE = "Could not synchronize environment data.";
+const SHELL_RESUBSCRIBE_SCHEDULE = Schedule.exponential("1 second").pipe(
+  Schedule.modifyDelay(({ duration }) =>
+    Effect.succeed(Duration.min(duration, Duration.seconds(30))),
+  ),
+);
 
 export const makeEnvironmentShellState = Effect.fn("EnvironmentShellState.make")(function* () {
   const supervisor = yield* EnvironmentSupervisor.EnvironmentSupervisor;
@@ -391,7 +398,19 @@ export const makeEnvironmentShellState = Effect.fn("EnvironmentShellState.make")
         retryExpectedFailureAfter: "250 millis",
         resubscribe: foregroundResubscriptions,
       },
-    ).pipe(Stream.runForEachArray((items) => applyItems(items))),
+    ).pipe(
+      Stream.runForEachArray((items) => applyItems(items)),
+      // A defect ends the only subscription feeding the thread list, which
+      // would otherwise stay on screen, frozen, until the app restarts.
+      Effect.tapCause((cause) =>
+        Cause.hasInterruptsOnly(cause) ? Effect.void : setStreamError(Cause.squash(cause)),
+      ),
+      Effect.sandbox,
+      Effect.retry({
+        schedule: SHELL_RESUBSCRIBE_SCHEDULE,
+        while: (cause) => !Cause.hasInterruptsOnly(cause),
+      }),
+    ),
   );
   yield* SubscriptionRef.changes(supervisor.state).pipe(
     Stream.runForEach((connectionState) => {