diff --git a/packages/app/src/app.tsx b/packages/app/src/app.tsx
index fb0ff3337..4a9d29283 100644
--- a/packages/app/src/app.tsx
+++ b/packages/app/src/app.tsx
@@ -61,6 +61,7 @@ import { ServerConnection, ServerProvider, serverName, useServer } from "@/conte
 import { SettingsProvider, useSettings } from "@/context/settings"
 import { TabsProvider, tabHref, useTabs, type DraftTab } from "@/context/tabs"
 import { SDKProvider, useSDK } from "@/context/sdk"
+import { resolveLandingDirectory } from "@/pages/new-session-landing"
 import { WslServersProvider } from "@/wsl/context"
 import DirectoryLayout, { DirectoryDataProvider } from "@/pages/directory-layout"
 import LegacyLayout from "@/pages/layout"
@@ -765,15 +766,20 @@ function NewSessionLanding() {
       return
     }
 
-    // Otherwise create a new draft — find a server + project to use
+    // Otherwise create a new draft — find a server + directory to use
     const connections = global.servers.list()
     const conn = connections[0]
     if (!conn) return // no server connected yet — will re-render when one connects
 
-    const project = global.ensureServerCtx(conn).projects.list()[0]
-    if (!project) return // no project yet
+    // projects.list() is the client-side store of OPENED projects, which is empty
+    // on a fresh profile and for servers running outside any registered project
+    // (the amicode chat server spawns in an internal scaffold dir). Falling back
+    // to a server-known worktree keeps this route from rendering nothing at all.
+    const ctx = global.ensureServerCtx(conn)
+    const directory = resolveLandingDirectory(ctx.projects.list(), ctx.sync.data.project[0]?.worktree)
+    if (!directory) return // nothing to land on yet — re-renders when sync arrives
 
-    tabs.newDraft({ server: ServerConnection.key(conn), directory: project.worktree }, "")
+    tabs.newDraft({ server: ServerConnection.key(conn), directory }, "")
   }
 
   return (
diff --git a/packages/app/src/components/titlebar.tsx b/packages/app/src/components/titlebar.tsx
index 6d2bc8db5..79b87939f 100644
--- a/packages/app/src/components/titlebar.tsx
+++ b/packages/app/src/components/titlebar.tsx
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ import { createMediaQuery } from "@solid-primitives/media"
 import { readSessionTabsRemovedDetail, SESSION_TABS_REMOVED_EVENT } from "@/components/titlebar-session-events"
 import { ProfilePopoverTrigger } from "@/components/profile-popover"
 import { useGlobal } from "@/context/global"
+import { resolveLandingDirectory } from "@/pages/new-session-landing"
 import { ServerConnection, useServer } from "@/context/server"
 import { tabHref, useTabs, type Tab } from "@/context/tabs"
 import type { PromptSession } from "@/context/prompt"
@@ -315,13 +316,16 @@ export function Titlebar(props: { update?: TitlebarUpdate; debugTools?: { visibl
                 return
               }
 
+              // Same fallback as NewSessionLanding: a server running outside any
+              // registered project must not leave "+" as a silent no-op.
               const fallback = global.servers.list().flatMap((conn) => {
-                const project = global.ensureServerCtx(conn).projects.list()[0]
-                return project ? [{ server: ServerConnection.key(conn), project }] : []
+                const ctx = global.ensureServerCtx(conn)
+                const directory = resolveLandingDirectory(ctx.projects.list(), ctx.sync.data.project[0]?.worktree)
+                return directory ? [{ server: ServerConnection.key(conn), directory }] : []
               })[0]
               if (!fallback) return
 
-              tabs.newDraft({ server: fallback.server, directory: fallback.project.worktree }, "")
+              tabs.newDraft({ server: fallback.server, directory: fallback.directory }, "")
             }
             const dialog = useDialog()
             const [settingsOpen, setSettingsOpen] = createSignal(false)
diff --git a/packages/app/src/pages/new-session-landing.test.ts b/packages/app/src/pages/new-session-landing.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..c9c58694b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/app/src/pages/new-session-landing.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+import { describe, expect, test } from "bun:test"
+import { resolveLandingDirectory } from "./new-session-landing"
+
+describe("resolveLandingDirectory", () => {
+  test("uses the first registered project's worktree", () => {
+    expect(resolveLandingDirectory([{ worktree: "/repo/a" }, { worktree: "/repo/b" }], "/cwd")).toBe("/repo/a")
+  })
+
+  // The amicode chat server runs with cwd set to an internal scaffold dir that is
+  // never registered as a project. Before this fallback, NewSessionLanding and the
+  // titlebar "+" both gave up silently, leaving a permanently blank app.
+  test("falls back to the server directory when no project is registered", () => {
+    expect(resolveLandingDirectory([], "/scaffold/opencode-project")).toBe("/scaffold/opencode-project")
+  })
+
+  test("returns undefined when there is neither a project nor a server directory", () => {
+    expect(resolveLandingDirectory([], undefined)).toBeUndefined()
+  })
+})
diff --git a/packages/app/src/pages/new-session-landing.ts b/packages/app/src/pages/new-session-landing.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b61a707e6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/app/src/pages/new-session-landing.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+/** Pick the directory a new draft should be created in.
+ *
+ *  Prefers the first registered project. Falls back to the server's own working
+ *  directory, because a server can legitimately run somewhere that was never
+ *  registered as a project — the amicode chat server does exactly that, spawning
+ *  in an internal scaffold dir. Without the fallback both the "/" landing route
+ *  and the titlebar "+" return silently and the app renders nothing at all. */
+export function resolveLandingDirectory(
+  projects: readonly { worktree: string }[],
+  serverDirectory: string | undefined,
+): string | undefined {
+  return projects[0]?.worktree ?? serverDirectory
+}