diff --git a/config/reliability-gates.jsonc b/config/reliability-gates.jsonc
index fa214303281..67365e12979 100644
--- a/config/reliability-gates.jsonc
+++ b/config/reliability-gates.jsonc
@@ -426,6 +426,96 @@
       ],
       "demotionRule": "Remain experimental until repeated independent/CI evidence; investigate ordering or unbounded-wait regressions without weakening completion or deadline assertions."
     },
+    {
+      "id": "settings.general-section-lifetime",
+      "title": "General settings search preserves matching section state",
+      "maturity": "experimental",
+      "protection": "partial",
+      "owner": "renderer-settings",
+      "layer": "renderer-unit",
+      "surfaces": [
+        "General settings search",
+        "app version and remote update display",
+        "autosave settings draft"
+      ],
+      "platforms": [
+        "macos",
+        "linux",
+        "windows"
+      ],
+      "providers": [
+        "local",
+        "remote-runtime",
+        "ssh",
+        "wsl"
+      ],
+      "coveredPlatforms": [
+        "macos"
+      ],
+      "coveredProviders": [],
+      "coverageNotes": "Actual GeneralPane, update/version and remote-status components with mocked store/API; actual autosave form. Windows runtime on/off simulated. No physical updater, paired host, settings write or native input.",
+      "motivatingLinks": [
+        "https://github.com/stablyai/orca/blob/main/src/renderer/src/components/settings/GeneralPane.tsx"
+      ],
+      "invariant": "A matching General settings section retains its owner and state as preceding search results disappear; an actually removed section releases its owner and reloads when shown again.",
+      "oracle": "Across 14 matching searches the Updates section keeps the same DOM node and the version-read and remote-refresh counts do not grow, instead of six each. Store-published remote update state still reaches the retained section. Explicit refresh and genuine hide/reopen still read; drafts yield to externally changed saved settings; a removed owner cannot publish its late version.",
+      "commands": [
+        "ORCA_BACKGROUND_LAUNCH=1 pnpm exec vitest run --config config/vitest.config.ts src/renderer/src/components/settings/GeneralPane.section-lifetime.test.tsx"
+      ],
+      "testFiles": [
+        "src/renderer/src/components/settings/GeneralPane.section-lifetime.test.tsx"
+      ],
+      "assertionRefs": [
+        {
+          "file": "src/renderer/src/components/settings/GeneralPane.section-lifetime.test.tsx",
+          "assertions": [
+            "keeps showing store-published remote update state without a remount",
+            "keeps explicit remote refresh and true hide/reopen reads",
+            "preserves an autosave draft until external settings change or the section hides",
+            "does not publish a version result from a genuinely unmounted section"
+          ]
+        }
+      ],
+      "evidenceRuns": [
+        {
+          "date": "2026-09-26",
+          "runner": "local",
+          "platform": "macos",
+          "command": "ORCA_BACKGROUND_LAUNCH=1 pnpm exec vitest run --config config/vitest.config.ts src/renderer/src/components/settings/GeneralPane.section-lifetime.test.tsx",
+          "result": "passed",
+          "durationSeconds": 1.89,
+          "summary": "7 tests/1 suite pass after the shared SettingsSectionStack adoption. Read-count oracles restated as node identity plus non-growing counts; original main fails both retained-section cases, the draft, the release-picker reveal and the late-version publish."
+        }
+      ],
+      "runtimeBudget": {
+        "p95Seconds": 10,
+        "scope": "Focused renderer-unit suites, p95 not established."
+      },
+      "flakeHistory": {
+        "status": "not-started",
+        "evidence": "Author and independent local evidence only; no CI soak."
+      },
+      "redGreenEvidence": {
+        "status": "complete",
+        "evidence": "Candidate permanent6pass versus original4fail2controls. Additional independent pending-version/error-context/store-refresh3pass versus original2fail1control."
+      },
+      "performanceBudget": {
+        "required": true,
+        "evidence": "Actual version and remote-refresh admissions 6 to 1 across 14 matching queries, which also stops one paired-host update probe per keystroke. Section map now lives in the shared SettingsSectionStack; no added poll, cache, listener or subprocess. No packaged CPU/frame/heap claim."
+      },
+      "knownGaps": [
+        "CI soak pending.",
+        "Physical updater/install, local/daemon PTYs and mobile are unaffected; no execution-host routing, process authority or wire change.",
+        "Native Linux/Windows, SSH/WSL and paired remote-runtime behavior not exercised; synthetic runtime flags cover renderer branches only.",
+        "Matching search no longer incidentally refreshes version/remote-status/CLI discovery; explicit checks and real hide/reopen remain. The installed version cannot change in-process and remote update entries are store-published, so neither goes stale without a signal.",
+        "Retained drafts, release reveal and pending/error context last until a real hide or their own transition; programmatic-query draft test does not reproduce ordinary mouse-search blur/commit.",
+        "Hidden Electron actual-form proof is separate; no packaged latency, heap or native focus evidence."
+      ],
+      "promotionCriteria": [
+        "Retain count, draft, owner cleanup and refresh controls; collect CI soak and relevant full-app/provider evidence before promotion."
+      ],
+      "demotionRule": "Keep experimental until soak; investigate state or cleanup regressions without weakening owner, read-count or draft assertions."
+    },
     {
       "id": "agent-session.journal-streaming-replay",
       "title": "Journal replay bounds obsolete revision memory without changing recovery",
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/settings/GeneralPane.section-lifetime.test.tsx b/src/renderer/src/components/settings/GeneralPane.section-lifetime.test.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..65311898711
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/settings/GeneralPane.section-lifetime.test.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,206 @@
+// @vitest-environment happy-dom
+import { act, cleanup, fireEvent, render, screen } from '@testing-library/react'
+import { afterEach, beforeEach, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest'
+import { getDefaultSettings } from '../../../../shared/constants'
+import { GeneralPane } from './GeneralPane'
+const fake = vi.hoisted(() => ({
+  query: '',
+  getVersion: vi.fn(async () => '1.4.100'),
+  refresh: vi.fn(async () => {}),
+  action: vi.fn(),
+  updates: new Map([
+    ['synthetic-host', { environmentId: 'synthetic-host', phase: 'current', name: 'Synthetic' }]
+  ])
+}))
+vi.mock('@/i18n/i18n', () => ({
+  i18n: { language: 'en' },
+  translate: (_key: string, fallback: string, values?: Record<string, string | number>) =>
+    Object.entries(values ?? {}).reduce(
+      (text, [key, value]) => text.replaceAll(`{{${key}}}`, String(value)),
+      fallback
+    )
+}))
+vi.mock('@/store', () => ({
+  useAppStore: (selector: (state: Record<string, unknown>) => unknown) =>
+    selector({
+      settingsSearchQuery: fake.query,
+      updateStatus: { state: 'idle' },
+      remoteServerUpdates: fake.updates,
+      remoteServerUpdatesChecking: false,
+      remoteServerUpdatesRunning: false,
+      refreshRemoteServerUpdates: fake.refresh,
+      setRemoteServerUpdateDialogOpen: fake.action
+    })
+}))
+vi.mock('@/components/settings/GeneralWorkspaceSettingsSection', () => ({
+  GeneralWorkspaceSettingsSection: () => null
+}))
+vi.mock('@/components/settings/CliSection', () => ({ CliSection: () => null }))
+vi.mock('@/components/settings/GeneralSupportSection', () => ({
+  GeneralSupportSection: () => null
+}))
+vi.mock('@/components/settings/ReleaseChannelSection', () => ({
+  ReleaseChannelSection: () => <div>Release picker open</div>
+}))
+vi.mock('@/components/settings/DefaultWindowsProjectRuntimeSetting', () => ({
+  DefaultWindowsProjectRuntimeSetting: () => null
+}))
+beforeEach(() => {
+  vi.clearAllMocks()
+  fake.query = ''
+  fake.updates = new Map([
+    ['synthetic-host', { environmentId: 'synthetic-host', phase: 'current', name: 'Synthetic' }]
+  ])
+  Object.assign(window, { api: { updater: { getVersion: fake.getVersion } } })
+})
+afterEach(() => {
+  cleanup()
+  Reflect.deleteProperty(window, 'api')
+})
+it.each([false, true])(
+  'retains update sections with Windows runtime support %s',
+  async (wslSupportedPlatform) => {
+    const props = {
+      settings: getDefaultSettings('/synthetic'),
+      updateSettings: vi.fn(),
+      fontSuggestions: [],
+      wslSupportedPlatform
+    }
+    const view = render(<GeneralPane {...props} />)
+    await act(async () => {})
+    // The invariant is identity, not a magic number: the matched section keeps the same DOM
+    // node across every query edit, so editing the query cannot cost an extra read.
+    const mountedHeading = screen.getByText('Updates', { exact: true })
+    const versionReadsAfterMount = fake.getVersion.mock.calls.length
+    const remoteRefreshesAfterMount = fake.refresh.mock.calls.length
+    for (const query of [
+      'u',
+      'up',
+      'upd',
+      'upda',
+      'updat',
+      'update',
+      '',
+      'v',
+      've',
+      'ver',
+      'vers',
+      'versi',
+      'versio',
+      'version'
+    ]) {
+      fake.query = query
+      await act(async () => view.rerender(<GeneralPane {...props} />))
+      expect(screen.getByText('Updates', { exact: true })).toBe(mountedHeading)
+    }
+    expect(fake.getVersion.mock.calls.length).toBe(versionReadsAfterMount)
+    expect(fake.refresh.mock.calls.length).toBe(remoteRefreshesAfterMount)
+  }
+)
+
+it('keeps showing store-published remote update state without a remount', async () => {
+  const props = {
+    settings: getDefaultSettings('/synthetic'),
+    updateSettings: vi.fn(),
+    fontSuggestions: []
+  }
+  fake.query = 'update'
+  const view = render(<GeneralPane {...props} />)
+  await act(async () => {})
+  const mountedHeading = screen.getByText('Updates', { exact: true })
+  expect(screen.getByText('1 paired server · 1 up to date')).toBeTruthy()
+  // Remote update entries live in the store, so a retained section stays fresh through the
+  // subscription rather than through the remount a query edit used to force.
+  fake.updates = new Map([
+    ['synthetic-host', { environmentId: 'synthetic-host', phase: 'available', name: 'Synthetic' }]
+  ])
+  fake.query = 'updat'
+  await act(async () => view.rerender(<GeneralPane {...props} />))
+  expect(screen.getByText('Updates', { exact: true })).toBe(mountedHeading)
+  expect(screen.getByText('1 paired server · 1 ready to update')).toBeTruthy()
+  expect(fake.refresh.mock.calls.length).toBe(1)
+})
+it('keeps explicit remote refresh and true hide/reopen reads', async () => {
+  const props = {
+    settings: getDefaultSettings('/synthetic'),
+    updateSettings: vi.fn(),
+    fontSuggestions: []
+  }
+  const view = render(<GeneralPane {...props} />)
+  await act(async () => {})
+  fireEvent.click(screen.getByRole('button', { name: 'Check for Server Updates' }))
+  expect(fake.refresh).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2)
+  fake.query = 'Tab Order'
+  await act(async () => view.rerender(<GeneralPane {...props} />))
+  expect(screen.queryByText('Updates', { exact: true })).toBeNull()
+  fake.query = 'update'
+  await act(async () => view.rerender(<GeneralPane {...props} />))
+  expect(fake.getVersion).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2)
+  expect(fake.refresh).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(3)
+})
+
+it('preserves an autosave draft until external settings change or the section hides', async () => {
+  const settings = { ...getDefaultSettings('/synthetic'), editorAutoSaveDelayMs: 1000 }
+  const props = { settings, updateSettings: vi.fn(), fontSuggestions: [] }
+  const view = render(<GeneralPane {...props} />)
+  await act(async () => {})
+  fireEvent.change(screen.getByRole('spinbutton'), { target: { value: '2500' } })
+  fake.query = 'Auto Save'
+  await act(async () => view.rerender(<GeneralPane {...props} />))
+  expect(screen.getByRole('spinbutton').getAttribute('value')).toBe('2500')
+  expect(props.updateSettings).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
+  const changedProps = { ...props, settings: { ...settings, editorAutoSaveDelayMs: 3000 } }
+  await act(async () => view.rerender(<GeneralPane {...changedProps} />))
+  expect(screen.getByRole('spinbutton').getAttribute('value')).toBe('3000')
+  fireEvent.change(screen.getByRole('spinbutton'), { target: { value: '3500' } })
+  fake.query = 'Tab Order'
+  await act(async () => view.rerender(<GeneralPane {...changedProps} />))
+  expect(screen.queryByRole('spinbutton')).toBeNull()
+  fake.query = 'Auto Save'
+  await act(async () => view.rerender(<GeneralPane {...changedProps} />))
+  expect(screen.getByRole('spinbutton').getAttribute('value')).toBe('3000')
+  expect(props.updateSettings).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
+})
+it('retains the revealed release picker only while Updates remains visible', async () => {
+  const props = {
+    settings: getDefaultSettings('/synthetic'),
+    updateSettings: vi.fn(),
+    fontSuggestions: []
+  }
+  const view = render(<GeneralPane {...props} />)
+  await act(async () => {})
+  fireEvent.click(screen.getByText('Updates', { exact: true }), { altKey: true })
+  expect(screen.getByText('Release picker open')).toBeTruthy()
+  fake.query = 'update'
+  await act(async () => view.rerender(<GeneralPane {...props} />))
+  expect(screen.getByText('Release picker open')).toBeTruthy()
+  fake.query = 'Tab Order'
+  await act(async () => view.rerender(<GeneralPane {...props} />))
+  fake.query = 'update'
+  await act(async () => view.rerender(<GeneralPane {...props} />))
+  expect(screen.queryByText('Release picker open')).toBeNull()
+})
+it('does not publish a version result from a genuinely unmounted section', async () => {
+  let resolveOld: ((value: string) => void) | undefined
+  fake.getVersion.mockImplementationOnce(
+    () =>
+      new Promise<string>((resolve) => {
+        resolveOld = resolve
+      })
+  )
+  const props = {
+    settings: getDefaultSettings('/synthetic'),
+    updateSettings: vi.fn(),
+    fontSuggestions: []
+  }
+  const view = render(<GeneralPane {...props} />)
+  await act(async () => {})
+  fake.query = 'Tab Order'
+  await act(async () => view.rerender(<GeneralPane {...props} />))
+  fake.query = 'update'
+  await act(async () => view.rerender(<GeneralPane {...props} />))
+  expect(screen.getByText('Current version: 1.4.100')).toBeTruthy()
+  await act(async () => resolveOld?.('1.0.0'))
+  expect(screen.getByText('Current version: 1.4.100')).toBeTruthy()
+  expect(screen.queryByText('Current version: 1.0.0')).toBeNull()
+})
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/settings/GeneralPane.tsx b/src/renderer/src/components/settings/GeneralPane.tsx
index 981e5d530e9..e9b9fc4bc30 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/components/settings/GeneralPane.tsx
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/settings/GeneralPane.tsx
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 import type React from 'react'
 import type { GlobalSettings } from '../../../../shared/global-settings-types'
 import { useAppStore } from '../../store'
-import { Separator } from '../ui/separator'
 import { CliSection } from './CliSection'
 import { GeneralEditorSettingsSection } from './GeneralEditorSettingsSection'
 import { GeneralSupportSection } from './GeneralSupportSection'
@@ -18,6 +17,7 @@ import {
 } from './general-search'
 import { getGeneralProjectRuntimeSearchEntries } from './general-project-runtime-search'
 import { RecentTabOrderControl } from './RecentTabOrderControl'
+import { SettingsSectionStack } from './SettingsSectionStack'
 import { matchesSettingsSearch, type SettingsSearchEntry } from './settings-search'
 import { SearchableSetting } from './SearchableSetting'
 import { SettingsSubsectionHeader, SettingsSwitchRow } from './SettingsFormControls'
@@ -279,18 +279,15 @@ export function GeneralPane({
     // its own loading placeholder and its own collapsing Separator. Without
     // that separation, a dangling divider would remain above the collapsed
     // section.
-  ].filter(Boolean)
+  ]
 
   return (
     <div className="space-y-6">
-      {visibleSections.map((section, index) => (
-        <div key={index} className="space-y-6">
-          {index > 0 ? <Separator /> : null}
-          {section}
-        </div>
-      ))}
+      <SettingsSectionStack sections={visibleSections} spacing="section" />
       {matchesSettingsSearch(searchQuery, getGeneralSupportSearchEntries()) ? (
-        <GeneralSupportSection hasPrecedingSections={visibleSections.length > 0} />
+        <GeneralSupportSection
+          hasPrecedingSections={visibleSections.some((section) => section !== null)}
+        />
       ) : null}
     </div>
   )
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/settings/SettingsSectionStack.tsx b/src/renderer/src/components/settings/SettingsSectionStack.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..c243980eafa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/settings/SettingsSectionStack.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+import type { ReactElement } from 'react'
+import { Separator } from '../ui/separator'
+
+// Why: settings panes rebuild their section list from the search query, so a pane-local
+// `key={index}` re-binds every key when an earlier section drops out. React then tears down
+// and remounts each surviving section, discarding its unsaved drafts and re-issuing its
+// loads once per keystroke. Keying by the section's own element key keeps a section that
+// stays matched mounted for the whole search.
+export function SettingsSectionStack({
+  sections,
+  spacing
+}: {
+  sections: readonly (ReactElement | null)[]
+  spacing: 'section' | 'group'
+}): ReactElement {
+  const visibleSections = sections.filter((section): section is ReactElement => section !== null)
+  return (
+    <>
+      {visibleSections.map((section, index) => (
+        <div key={section.key} className={spacing === 'group' ? 'space-y-8' : 'space-y-6'}>
+          {index > 0 ? <Separator /> : null}
+          {section}
+        </div>
+      ))}
+    </>
+  )
+}