diff --git a/packages/tui/src/app.tsx b/packages/tui/src/app.tsx
index 971c9e2ccb..ad7621c427 100644
--- a/packages/tui/src/app.tsx
+++ b/packages/tui/src/app.tsx
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ import { PromptStashProvider } from "./component/prompt/stash"
 import { DialogAlert } from "./ui/dialog-alert"
 import { DialogConfirm } from "./ui/dialog-confirm"
 import { ToastProvider, useToast } from "./ui/toast"
-import { isDefaultTitle } from "./util/session"
+import { isDefaultTitle, selectContinueSession, selectEmptySession } from "./util/session"
 import { KVProvider, useKV } from "./context/kv"
 import * as Model from "./util/model"
 import { ArgsProvider, useArgs, type Args } from "./context/args"
@@ -525,11 +525,7 @@ function App(props: { onSnapshot?: () => Promise<string[]>; pluginHost: TuiPlugi
 
   async function findEmptySession() {
     const list = await sdk.client.session.list({ start: Date.now() - 30 * 24 * 60 * 60 * 1000 })
-    const match = (list.data ?? [])
-      .filter((x) => !x.parentID && !x.time.archived && isDefaultTitle(x.title))
-      .filter((x) => !sdk.directory || x.directory === sdk.directory)
-      .toSorted((a, b) => b.time.updated - a.time.updated)
-      .at(0)
+    const match = selectEmptySession(list.data ?? [], sdk.directory)
     if (!match) return
     const messages = await sdk.client.session.messages({ sessionID: match.id, limit: 1 })
     if (messages.data?.length !== 0) return
@@ -557,10 +553,7 @@ function App(props: { onSnapshot?: () => Promise<string[]>; pluginHost: TuiPlugi
     if (continued || sync.status === "loading" || !args.continue) return
     // Skip default-titled sessions: those are the empty ones auto-created at
     // startup, and -c should land on the last real conversation.
-    const sorted = sync.data.session
-      .toSorted((a, b) => b.time.updated - a.time.updated)
-      .filter((x) => x.parentID === undefined)
-    const match = (sorted.find((x) => !isDefaultTitle(x.title)) ?? sorted[0])?.id
+    const match = selectContinueSession(sync.data.session)?.id
     if (match) {
       continued = true
       if (args.fork) {
diff --git a/packages/tui/src/util/session.ts b/packages/tui/src/util/session.ts
index 94ccad22d0..cd0d8d9b58 100644
--- a/packages/tui/src/util/session.ts
+++ b/packages/tui/src/util/session.ts
@@ -1,3 +1,29 @@
 export function isDefaultTitle(title: string) {
   return /^(New session - |Child session - )\d{4}-\d{2}-\d{2}T\d{2}:\d{2}:\d{2}\.\d{3}Z$/.test(title)
 }
+
+type SessionSummary = {
+  title: string
+  directory?: string
+  parentID?: string
+  time: { updated: number; archived?: number }
+}
+
+// Fork: the empty session that plain startup reuses — the newest parentless,
+// unarchived, default-titled session in the current directory. Callers still
+// confirm it has zero messages before adopting it.
+export function selectEmptySession<T extends SessionSummary>(sessions: readonly T[], directory?: string) {
+  return sessions
+    .filter((x) => !x.parentID && !x.time.archived && isDefaultTitle(x.title))
+    .filter((x) => !directory || x.directory === directory)
+    .toSorted((a, b) => b.time.updated - a.time.updated)
+    .at(0)
+}
+
+// Fork: the session `-c` lands on — the newest parentless conversation,
+// skipping default-titled ones (the empty sessions auto-created at startup) so
+// it resumes the last real conversation, falling back to the newest overall.
+export function selectContinueSession<T extends SessionSummary>(sessions: readonly T[]) {
+  const sorted = sessions.toSorted((a, b) => b.time.updated - a.time.updated).filter((x) => x.parentID === undefined)
+  return sorted.find((x) => !isDefaultTitle(x.title)) ?? sorted.at(0)
+}
diff --git a/packages/tui/test/util/session.test.ts b/packages/tui/test/util/session.test.ts
index faf889781f..6516767961 100644
--- a/packages/tui/test/util/session.test.ts
+++ b/packages/tui/test/util/session.test.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { describe, expect, test } from "bun:test"
-import { isDefaultTitle } from "../../src/util/session"
+import { isDefaultTitle, selectContinueSession, selectEmptySession } from "../../src/util/session"
 
 describe("util.session", () => {
   test("recognizes generated parent and child titles", () => {
@@ -8,3 +8,86 @@ describe("util.session", () => {
     expect(isDefaultTitle("New session - custom")).toBeFalse()
   })
 })
+
+function session(overrides: {
+  id: string
+  title?: string
+  directory?: string
+  parentID?: string
+  archived?: number
+  updated?: number
+}) {
+  return {
+    id: overrides.id,
+    title: overrides.title ?? "New session - 2026-06-06T12:34:56.789Z",
+    directory: overrides.directory,
+    parentID: overrides.parentID,
+    time: { updated: overrides.updated ?? 0, archived: overrides.archived },
+  }
+}
+
+describe("selectEmptySession", () => {
+  test("returns the newest reusable empty session in the directory", () => {
+    const match = selectEmptySession(
+      [
+        session({ id: "old", directory: "/work", updated: 1 }),
+        session({ id: "new", directory: "/work", updated: 5 }),
+      ],
+      "/work",
+    )
+    expect(match?.id).toBe("new")
+  })
+
+  test("ignores archived, parented, titled, and other-directory sessions", () => {
+    const match = selectEmptySession(
+      [
+        session({ id: "archived", directory: "/work", archived: 123, updated: 9 }),
+        session({ id: "child", directory: "/work", parentID: "root", updated: 9 }),
+        session({ id: "titled", directory: "/work", title: "Fix the bug", updated: 9 }),
+        session({ id: "elsewhere", directory: "/other", updated: 9 }),
+        session({ id: "reusable", directory: "/work", updated: 2 }),
+      ],
+      "/work",
+    )
+    expect(match?.id).toBe("reusable")
+  })
+
+  test("matches any directory when none is provided", () => {
+    const match = selectEmptySession([session({ id: "any", directory: "/somewhere", updated: 3 })])
+    expect(match?.id).toBe("any")
+  })
+
+  test("returns undefined when nothing is reusable", () => {
+    expect(selectEmptySession([session({ id: "titled", title: "Real work" })], "/work")).toBeUndefined()
+  })
+})
+
+describe("selectContinueSession", () => {
+  test("prefers the newest non-default-titled conversation", () => {
+    const match = selectContinueSession([
+      session({ id: "empty", updated: 10 }),
+      session({ id: "real", title: "Ship the feature", updated: 4 }),
+    ])
+    expect(match?.id).toBe("real")
+  })
+
+  test("falls back to the newest session when all are default-titled", () => {
+    const match = selectContinueSession([
+      session({ id: "older", updated: 1 }),
+      session({ id: "newer", updated: 8 }),
+    ])
+    expect(match?.id).toBe("newer")
+  })
+
+  test("skips child sessions", () => {
+    const match = selectContinueSession([
+      session({ id: "child", title: "Ship the feature", parentID: "root", updated: 10 }),
+      session({ id: "root", title: "Earlier work", updated: 3 }),
+    ])
+    expect(match?.id).toBe("root")
+  })
+
+  test("returns undefined for an empty list", () => {
+    expect(selectContinueSession([])).toBeUndefined()
+  })
+})