diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/dashboard-popout/useDashboardSnapshot.test.tsx b/src/renderer/src/components/dashboard-popout/useDashboardSnapshot.test.tsx
index 3376be9102a..728960cf4f8 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/components/dashboard-popout/useDashboardSnapshot.test.tsx
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/dashboard-popout/useDashboardSnapshot.test.tsx
@@ -43,15 +43,45 @@ let apply: (next: DashboardSnapshot) => void
 let applyStatus: (next: AgentStatusIpcPayload) => void
 let applyClear: (next: AgentStatusClearIpcPayload) => void
 const requestSnapshot = vi.fn(async () => {})
+let readyRejection: unknown = null
+let hideDocumentAfterTransitionStart = false
 const startViewTransition = vi.fn((cb: () => void) => {
   cb()
+  if (hideDocumentAfterTransitionStart) {
+    hideDocument()
+  }
   return {
     finished: Promise.resolve(),
-    ready: Promise.resolve(),
+    ready: readyRejection !== null ? Promise.reject(readyRejection) : Promise.resolve(),
     updateCallbackDone: Promise.resolve()
   }
 })
 
+const originalVisibilityState = Object.getOwnPropertyDescriptor(document, 'visibilityState')
+const UNHANDLED_REJECTION_SETTLE_MS = 20
+
+async function collectUnhandledRejections(run: () => void): Promise<unknown[]> {
+  const reasons: unknown[] = []
+  const onUnhandledRejection = (reason: unknown): void => {
+    reasons.push(reason)
+  }
+
+  process.on('unhandledRejection', onUnhandledRejection)
+  try {
+    run()
+    await new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, UNHANDLED_REJECTION_SETTLE_MS))
+  } finally {
+    process.off('unhandledRejection', onUnhandledRejection)
+  }
+
+  return reasons
+}
+
+/** The pop-out is hidden whenever the main window covers it or it is minimized. */
+function hideDocument(): void {
+  Object.defineProperty(document, 'visibilityState', { value: 'hidden', configurable: true })
+}
+
 /** A Radix dialog marks its open content with role + data-state; mimic that so
  *  the hook's top-layer-conflict guard sees an "open terminal". */
 function openTerminalDialog(): HTMLElement {
@@ -89,6 +119,13 @@ describe('useDashboardSnapshot', () => {
   })
   afterEach(() => {
     document.body.innerHTML = ''
+    readyRejection = null
+    hideDocumentAfterTransitionStart = false
+    if (originalVisibilityState) {
+      Object.defineProperty(document, 'visibilityState', originalVisibilityState)
+    } else {
+      Reflect.deleteProperty(document, 'visibilityState')
+    }
     vi.clearAllMocks()
   })
 
@@ -115,6 +152,69 @@ describe('useDashboardSnapshot', () => {
     expect(result.current.cards[0].bucket).toBe('working')
   })
 
+  it('skips the view transition — but still applies the update — while the window is hidden', () => {
+    const { result } = renderHook(() => useDashboardSnapshot())
+    act(() => apply(snapshot([card({ bucket: 'idle' })])))
+    startViewTransition.mockClear()
+    hideDocument()
+
+    act(() => apply(snapshot([card({ bucket: 'working' })])))
+    expect(startViewTransition).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
+    expect(result.current.cards[0].bucket).toBe('working')
+  })
+
+  it('swallows the ready rejection when the window is occluded mid-transition', async () => {
+    const { result } = renderHook(() => useDashboardSnapshot())
+    act(() => apply(snapshot([card({ bucket: 'idle' })])))
+    readyRejection = new DOMException(
+      'Transition was aborted because of invalid state',
+      'InvalidStateError'
+    )
+    hideDocumentAfterTransitionStart = true
+
+    const reasons = await collectUnhandledRejections(() => {
+      act(() => apply(snapshot([card({ bucket: 'working' })])))
+    })
+
+    expect(startViewTransition).toHaveBeenCalled()
+    expect(reasons).toEqual([])
+    expect(result.current.cards[0].bucket).toBe('working')
+  })
+
+  it('reports an unrelated ready error when the window becomes hidden', async () => {
+    const { result } = renderHook(() => useDashboardSnapshot())
+    act(() => apply(snapshot([card({ bucket: 'idle' })])))
+    const readyError = new TypeError('Transition callback failed')
+    readyRejection = readyError
+    hideDocumentAfterTransitionStart = true
+
+    const reasons = await collectUnhandledRejections(() => {
+      act(() => apply(snapshot([card({ bucket: 'working' })])))
+    })
+
+    expect(startViewTransition).toHaveBeenCalled()
+    expect(reasons).toEqual([readyError])
+    expect(result.current.cards[0].bucket).toBe('working')
+  })
+
+  it('reports an InvalidStateError when the visible transition fails', async () => {
+    const { result } = renderHook(() => useDashboardSnapshot())
+    act(() => apply(snapshot([card({ bucket: 'idle' })])))
+    const readyError = new DOMException(
+      'Duplicate transition names are not allowed',
+      'InvalidStateError'
+    )
+    readyRejection = readyError
+
+    const reasons = await collectUnhandledRejections(() => {
+      act(() => apply(snapshot([card({ bucket: 'working' })])))
+    })
+
+    expect(startViewTransition).toHaveBeenCalled()
+    expect(reasons).toEqual([readyError])
+    expect(result.current.cards[0].bucket).toBe('working')
+  })
+
   // Why: the bridge stops re-sending repoIconsByRepoId on throttled republishes
   // once it is unchanged, so the icons would disappear from the board on the
   // very next tick if this window did not hold on to the last map it was given.
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/dashboard-popout/useDashboardSnapshot.ts b/src/renderer/src/components/dashboard-popout/useDashboardSnapshot.ts
index 28e43d54e5b..86570e49a94 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/components/dashboard-popout/useDashboardSnapshot.ts
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/dashboard-popout/useDashboardSnapshot.ts
@@ -23,6 +23,12 @@ function prefersReducedMotion(): boolean {
   return window.matchMedia?.('(prefers-reduced-motion: reduce)').matches === true
 }
 
+/** Why: a View Transition started on a hidden document rejects `ready` with
+ *  InvalidStateError. The pop-out is hidden whenever the main window covers it. */
+function documentIsHidden(): boolean {
+  return document.visibilityState === 'hidden'
+}
+
 /** Why: View Transition snapshots render in the browser top layer, which paints
  *  above any z-index — so a card morphing columns would flicker OVER the open
  *  terminal dialog (a z-50 Radix portal). Skip the transition while it's open;
@@ -114,6 +120,7 @@ export function useDashboardSnapshot(): DashboardSnapshot {
       const startViewTransition = document.startViewTransition?.bind(document)
       if (
         !layoutChanged ||
+        documentIsHidden() ||
         prefersReducedMotion() ||
         terminalDialogIsOpen() ||
         !startViewTransition
@@ -123,8 +130,18 @@ export function useDashboardSnapshot(): DashboardSnapshot {
       }
       // flushSync so the DOM reflects `next` synchronously inside the transition
       // callback — the browser captures the "after" state from it.
-      startViewTransition(() => {
+      // Consume only the abort caused by occlusion; other ready failures remain visible.
+      void startViewTransition(() => {
         flushSync(() => setSnapshot(next))
+      }).ready.catch((error: unknown) => {
+        if (
+          documentIsHidden() &&
+          error instanceof DOMException &&
+          error.name === 'InvalidStateError'
+        ) {
+          return
+        }
+        throw error
       })
     }