diff --git a/apps/web/src/components/Sidebar.logic.test.ts b/apps/web/src/components/Sidebar.logic.test.ts
index 0e3f47b7f9ed..1eae25a12e55 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/components/Sidebar.logic.test.ts
+++ b/apps/web/src/components/Sidebar.logic.test.ts
@@ -1643,10 +1643,15 @@ describe("resolveSidebarFolderDot", () => {
 
 describe("shouldCreateNewThreadInCurrentProject", () => {
   it("opens the picker when several projects are open, or only archived ones exist", () => {
-    expect(shouldCreateNewThreadInCurrentProject(false, 2, 3)).toBe(false);
-    expect(shouldCreateNewThreadInCurrentProject(false, 0, 2)).toBe(false);
-    expect(shouldCreateNewThreadInCurrentProject(false, 1, 3)).toBe(true);
-    expect(shouldCreateNewThreadInCurrentProject(false, 0, 0)).toBe(true);
-    expect(shouldCreateNewThreadInCurrentProject(true, 2, 2)).toBe(true);
+    const open = { archived: false };
+    const archived = { archived: true };
+    const scratch = { archived: false, isScratch: true as const };
+    expect(shouldCreateNewThreadInCurrentProject(false, [open, open, archived])).toBe(false);
+    expect(shouldCreateNewThreadInCurrentProject(false, [archived, archived])).toBe(false);
+    expect(shouldCreateNewThreadInCurrentProject(false, [open, archived, archived])).toBe(true);
+    expect(shouldCreateNewThreadInCurrentProject(false, [])).toBe(true);
+    expect(shouldCreateNewThreadInCurrentProject(true, [open, open])).toBe(true);
+    expect(shouldCreateNewThreadInCurrentProject(false, [open, scratch])).toBe(true);
+    expect(shouldCreateNewThreadInCurrentProject(false, [archived, scratch])).toBe(false);
   });
 });
diff --git a/apps/web/src/components/Sidebar.logic.ts b/apps/web/src/components/Sidebar.logic.ts
index ef229d1424c3..3159bbc2a017 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/components/Sidebar.logic.ts
+++ b/apps/web/src/components/Sidebar.logic.ts
@@ -741,10 +741,12 @@ export function isSidebarNestedLinkClick(target: EventTarget | null): boolean {
 /** The "New thread in" picker opens unless there is one open project or none; then the current context decides. */
 export function shouldCreateNewThreadInCurrentProject(
   shiftKey: boolean,
-  openProjectGroupCount: number,
-  projectGroupCount: number,
+  projectGroups: ReadonlyArray<{ readonly archived: boolean; readonly isScratch?: true }>,
 ): boolean {
-  return shiftKey || openProjectGroupCount === 1 || projectGroupCount === 0;
+  // "No project" is always offered as its own row, so it does not make the choice ambiguous.
+  const realGroups = projectGroups.filter((group) => !group.isScratch);
+  const openGroupCount = realGroups.filter((group) => !group.archived).length;
+  return shiftKey || openGroupCount === 1 || realGroups.length === 0;
 }
 
 export function orderItemsByPreferredIds<TItem, TId>(input: {
diff --git a/apps/web/src/components/Sidebar.tsx b/apps/web/src/components/Sidebar.tsx
index 75b225a8b435..120dc76d1b9c 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/components/Sidebar.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/src/components/Sidebar.tsx
@@ -2961,13 +2961,7 @@ export default function Sidebar({ routeReveal }: { routeReveal: SidebarRouteReve
   const showJumpHints = useThreadJumpHintsVisible(shouldShowJumpHintsNow);
 
   const handleNewThreadClick = (event?: ReactMouseEvent) => {
-    if (
-      shouldCreateNewThreadInCurrentProject(
-        event?.shiftKey ?? false,
-        scopeGroups.length,
-        projectGroups.length,
-      )
-    ) {
+    if (shouldCreateNewThreadInCurrentProject(event?.shiftKey ?? false, projectGroups)) {
       if (isMobile) setOpenMobile(false);
       // With no current or open project, such as when every project is archived, pick one.
       void startNewThreadFromContext({
@@ -2986,7 +2980,7 @@ export default function Sidebar({ routeReveal }: { routeReveal: SidebarRouteReve
 
   const newThreadShortcutLabel =
     shortcutLabelForCommand(keybindings, "chat.new") ??
-    (shouldCreateNewThreadInCurrentProject(false, scopeGroups.length, projectGroups.length)
+    (shouldCreateNewThreadInCurrentProject(false, projectGroups)
       ? shortcutLabelForCommand(keybindings, "chat.newLocal")
       : undefined);
   const newThreadInProjectShortcutLabel = shortcutLabelForCommand(keybindings, "chat.newLocal");
@@ -3208,11 +3202,7 @@ export default function Sidebar({ routeReveal }: { routeReveal: SidebarRouteReve
               newThreadShortcutLabel={newThreadShortcutLabel}
               newThreadInProjectShortcutLabel={newThreadInProjectShortcutLabel}
               showNewThreadInProjectHint={
-                !shouldCreateNewThreadInCurrentProject(
-                  false,
-                  scopeGroups.length,
-                  projectGroups.length,
-                )
+                !shouldCreateNewThreadInCurrentProject(false, projectGroups)
               }
               searchInputRef={threadSearchInputRef}
               searchQuery={threadSearchQuery}
diff --git a/apps/web/src/hooks/useHandleNewThread.test.ts b/apps/web/src/hooks/useHandleNewThread.test.ts
index 6f318bce409c..84c1f6e72175 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/hooks/useHandleNewThread.test.ts
+++ b/apps/web/src/hooks/useHandleNewThread.test.ts
@@ -404,4 +404,31 @@ describe("default project selection", () => {
       ),
     ).toEqual({ environmentId: "first", projectId: "project" });
   });
+
+  it("keeps a scratch destination for captures without preferring it over a real project", () => {
+    const project = {
+      id: "project" as ProjectId,
+      environmentId: "environment-primary" as EnvironmentId,
+      title: "No project",
+      workspaceRoot: "/scratch",
+      defaultModelSelection: null,
+      scripts: [],
+      createdAt: "2026-01-01T00:00:00.000Z",
+      updatedAt: "2026-01-01T00:00:00.000Z",
+    };
+    const scratch = { ...project, id: "scratch" as ProjectId, isScratch: true as const };
+    const scratchRef = { environmentId: scratch.environmentId, projectId: scratch.id };
+    expect(resolveDefaultProjectRef([scratch], [], null)).toEqual(scratchRef);
+    expect(resolveDefaultProjectRef([scratch, project], [], null)).toEqual({
+      environmentId: project.environmentId,
+      projectId: project.id,
+    });
+    expect(
+      resolveDefaultProjectRef([scratch, { ...project, archivedAt: scratch.createdAt }], [], null),
+    ).toEqual(scratchRef);
+    expect(
+      resolveDefaultProjectRef([{ ...scratch, archivedAt: scratch.createdAt }], [], null),
+    ).toBeNull();
+    expect(resolveDefaultProjectRef([], [], null)).toBeNull();
+  });
 });
diff --git a/apps/web/src/hooks/useHandleNewThread.ts b/apps/web/src/hooks/useHandleNewThread.ts
index 44215edfc5be..df62135d5fc0 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/hooks/useHandleNewThread.ts
+++ b/apps/web/src/hooks/useHandleNewThread.ts
@@ -451,7 +451,7 @@ export function resolveDefaultProjectRef(
   );
   if (lastUsed) return scopeProjectRef(lastUsed.environmentId, lastUsed.id);
   if (!fallbackReady) return null;
-  const [defaultProject] = orderItemsByPreferredIds({
+  const orderedProjects = orderItemsByPreferredIds({
     items: projects.filter((project) => project.archivedAt == null),
     preferredIds: projectOrder,
     getId: getProjectOrderKey,
@@ -460,6 +460,8 @@ export function resolveDefaultProjectRef(
       legacyProjectCwdPreferenceKey(project.workspaceRoot),
     ],
   });
+  const defaultProject =
+    orderedProjects.find((project) => !project.isScratch) ?? orderedProjects[0];
   return defaultProject ? scopeProjectRef(defaultProject.environmentId, defaultProject.id) : null;
 }
 
diff --git a/apps/web/src/shortcuts/chatRouteCommands.ts b/apps/web/src/shortcuts/chatRouteCommands.ts
index 9b2e59f76d7e..24e04b86851a 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/shortcuts/chatRouteCommands.ts
+++ b/apps/web/src/shortcuts/chatRouteCommands.ts
@@ -131,14 +131,7 @@ export function installChatRouteCommands(router: AnyRouter): () => void {
         void scratch.startScratchThread(environmentId);
       },
       "chat.new": (event) => {
-        const groups = readProjectGroups();
-        if (
-          !shouldCreateNewThreadInCurrentProject(
-            false,
-            groups.filter((group) => !group.archived).length,
-            groups.length,
-          )
-        ) {
+        if (!shouldCreateNewThreadInCurrentProject(false, readProjectGroups())) {
           claim(event);
           openCommandPalette({ open: "new-thread-in" });
           return;