diff --git a/src/main/native-chat/agent-session-wire/structured-agent-session-host.test.ts b/src/main/native-chat/agent-session-wire/structured-agent-session-host.test.ts
index b980c4e422c..0deaf9d9140 100644
--- a/src/main/native-chat/agent-session-wire/structured-agent-session-host.test.ts
+++ b/src/main/native-chat/agent-session-wire/structured-agent-session-host.test.ts
@@ -639,6 +639,31 @@ describe('restart', () => {
     })
   })
 
+  it('answers the owner status of a starting chat once its start settles', async () => {
+    await attach()
+    await reboot(async () => ({ outcome: 'pid-absent' }))
+    await host.restoreReadableSessions()
+    const started = Promise.withResolvers<void>()
+    const release = Promise.withResolvers<void>()
+    const settled = acquire.getMockImplementation()
+    if (!settled) {
+      throw new Error('missing acquire implementation')
+    }
+    acquire.mockImplementationOnce(async (input) => {
+      started.resolve()
+      await release.promise
+      return settled(input)
+    })
+
+    const hold = host.hold(SESSION, 'surface-1')
+    await started.promise
+    const status = host.handoffStatus(SESSION)
+    release.resolve()
+    await hold
+
+    await expect(status).resolves.toMatchObject({ owner: 'native', stage: null })
+  })
+
   it("keeps a session whose owner cannot be probed out of a live writer's hands", async () => {
     await attach()
     const held = store.getRecord(SESSION)?.lease.runtimeFence ?? 0
diff --git a/src/main/native-chat/agent-session-wire/structured-agent-session-host.ts b/src/main/native-chat/agent-session-wire/structured-agent-session-host.ts
index 8f29c6ec322..ba508b67bcf 100644
--- a/src/main/native-chat/agent-session-wire/structured-agent-session-host.ts
+++ b/src/main/native-chat/agent-session-wire/structured-agent-session-host.ts
@@ -271,11 +271,14 @@ export class StructuredAgentSessionHost {
 
   async handoffStatus(sessionId: string): Promise<SessionWire.AgentSessionHandoffStatus> {
     this.requireSession(sessionId)
-    const record = this.deps.store.getRecord(sessionId)
-    if (!record) {
-      throw new Error('agent_session_identity_required')
-    }
-    return structuredAgentSessionOwnerStatus(record)
+    // Queued behind an in-flight attach, so a starting chat answers with its settled owner.
+    return this.serialize(sessionId, async () => {
+      const record = this.deps.store.getRecord(sessionId)
+      if (!record) {
+        throw new Error('agent_session_identity_required')
+      }
+      return structuredAgentSessionOwnerStatus(record)
+    })
   }
 
   history: StructuredAgentSessionBackgroundTaskChannel['history'] = (request) =>