diff --git a/src/main/runtime/orca-runtime-tests/mobile-session-tabs-empty-headless-snapshot.spec.ts b/src/main/runtime/orca-runtime-tests/mobile-session-tabs-empty-headless-snapshot.spec.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..f8a380b53b6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/main/runtime/orca-runtime-tests/mobile-session-tabs-empty-headless-snapshot.spec.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,116 @@
+import { describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest'
+import { OrcaRuntimeService } from '../orca-runtime-test-mocks.spec'
+import {
+  HEADLESS_LEAF_ID,
+  TEST_WORKTREE_ID,
+  makeHeadlessTerminalLayout,
+  makeRuntimeStoreWithWorkspaceSession,
+  makeWorkspaceSessionWithHeadlessTerminal
+} from '../orca-runtime-test-fixtures.spec'
+import { getRuntimeBrowserPageRegistry } from '../runtime-browser-page-registry'
+
+// #25900: a windowless host listed no tabs for a worktree whose saved session still had live
+// agent terminals, so a client waiting to reattach heard "nothing here" and stayed on Reconnecting.
+
+const AGENT_PTY_ID = 'daemon-agent-pty'
+const PLACEMENT = {
+  kind: 'client' as const,
+  browserHostClientId: 'host-a',
+  browserHostGeneration: 3,
+  pageHostGeneration: 9
+}
+
+function makeHost() {
+  const { runtimeStore, getSession, setSession } = makeRuntimeStoreWithWorkspaceSession(
+    makeWorkspaceSessionWithHeadlessTerminal({
+      activeTabIdByWorktree: {},
+      tabsByWorktree: { [TEST_WORKTREE_ID]: [] },
+      terminalLayoutsByTabId: {}
+    })
+  )
+  const runtime = new OrcaRuntimeService(runtimeStore)
+  runtime.setPtyController({
+    spawn: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue({ id: 'unexpected-pty' }),
+    write: () => true,
+    kill: () => true,
+    getForegroundProcess: async () => null,
+    listProcesses: async () => []
+  })
+  const pages = getRuntimeBrowserPageRegistry(runtime)
+  return {
+    runtime,
+    openPage: (browserPageId: string) =>
+      pages.publishClientPage({
+        browserPageId,
+        workspaceId: TEST_WORKTREE_ID,
+        browserProfileId: 'default',
+        executionHostKey: 'native:runtime-a:7',
+        placement: PLACEMENT,
+        url: 'https://client.test/',
+        title: 'Client page',
+        loading: false,
+        active: true
+      }),
+    closePage: (browserPageId: string) => pages.retirePage(browserPageId, PLACEMENT),
+    saveAgentTerminal: () => {
+      const session = getSession()
+      setSession({
+        ...session,
+        activeTabIdByWorktree: { [TEST_WORKTREE_ID]: 'agent-tab' },
+        tabsByWorktree: {
+          [TEST_WORKTREE_ID]: [
+            {
+              id: 'agent-tab',
+              ptyId: AGENT_PTY_ID,
+              worktreeId: TEST_WORKTREE_ID,
+              title: 'codex',
+              customTitle: null,
+              color: null,
+              sortOrder: 0,
+              createdAt: 1
+            }
+          ]
+        },
+        terminalLayoutsByTabId: {
+          'agent-tab': makeHeadlessTerminalLayout({ [HEADLESS_LEAF_ID]: AGENT_PTY_ID })
+        }
+      })
+    }
+  }
+}
+
+async function listedTabTypes(runtime: OrcaRuntimeService): Promise<string[]> {
+  const snapshots = await runtime.listAllMobileSessionTabs()
+  return (snapshots.find((snapshot) => snapshot.worktree === TEST_WORKTREE_ID)?.tabs ?? [])
+    .map((tab) => tab.type)
+    .sort()
+}
+
+describe('OrcaRuntimeService empty headless session snapshot', () => {
+  it('rebuilds the terminals when the last browser closes instead of listing nothing', async () => {
+    const host = makeHost()
+    host.openPage('page-1')
+    expect(await listedTabTypes(host.runtime)).toEqual(['browser'])
+
+    host.saveAgentTerminal()
+    host.closePage('page-1')
+
+    expect(await listedTabTypes(host.runtime)).toEqual(['terminal'])
+  })
+
+  it('keeps the saved terminals listed when a browser opens over an emptied snapshot', async () => {
+    const host = makeHost()
+    host.openPage('page-1')
+    await listedTabTypes(host.runtime)
+    host.closePage('page-1')
+    // The emptied snapshot this host built stays stored while the session gains its terminal.
+    expect(await listedTabTypes(host.runtime)).toEqual([])
+
+    host.saveAgentTerminal()
+    host.openPage('page-2')
+
+    expect(await listedTabTypes(host.runtime)).toEqual(['browser', 'terminal'])
+    const listed = await host.runtime.listMobileSessionTabs(`id:${TEST_WORKTREE_ID}`)
+    expect(listed.tabs.map((tab) => tab.type).sort()).toEqual(['browser', 'terminal'])
+  })
+})
diff --git a/src/main/runtime/orca-runtime.test.ts b/src/main/runtime/orca-runtime.test.ts
index bc903f2c9e3..496c4ad2e2f 100644
--- a/src/main/runtime/orca-runtime.test.ts
+++ b/src/main/runtime/orca-runtime.test.ts
@@ -84,6 +84,7 @@ await import('./orca-runtime-tests/mobile-session-tabs-part-12.spec')
 await import('./orca-runtime-tests/mobile-session-tabs-part-13.spec')
 await import('./orca-runtime-tests/mobile-session-tabs-part-14.spec')
 await import('./orca-runtime-tests/mobile-session-tabs-cold-serve-hydrate.spec')
+await import('./orca-runtime-tests/mobile-session-tabs-empty-headless-snapshot.spec')
 await import('./orca-runtime-tests/exit-retirement-activation.spec')
 await import('./orca-runtime-tests/mobile-creation-and-orchestration.spec')
 await import('./orca-runtime-tests/mobile-creation-and-orchestration-part-02.spec')
diff --git a/src/main/runtime/session-tabs/mobile-session-hydration.ts b/src/main/runtime/session-tabs/mobile-session-hydration.ts
index a64b0057ec6..0b9e21c9df3 100644
--- a/src/main/runtime/session-tabs/mobile-session-hydration.ts
+++ b/src/main/runtime/session-tabs/mobile-session-hydration.ts
@@ -94,6 +94,20 @@ export abstract class OrcaRuntimeWithHydrateHeadlessMobileSessionTabsFromWorkspa
 
   protected abstract getAvailableAuthoritativeWindow(): BrowserWindow | null
 
+  /** A stored snapshot, or undefined when it is one this host built and left empty. */
+  private readRebuildableMobileSessionSnapshot(
+    worktreeId: string
+  ): RuntimeMobileSessionTabsSnapshot | undefined {
+    const stored = this.mobileSessionTabsByWorktree.get(worktreeId)
+    // Why: only the persisted session feeds a headless-built snapshot, so an empty one is never an
+    // answer — as a base it made the next pass seed browser rows alone and hide every terminal.
+    return stored &&
+      stored.tabs.length === 0 &&
+      this.isHeadlessBuiltMobileSessionPublicationBase(stored.publicationEpoch)
+      ? undefined
+      : stored
+  }
+
   hydrateHeadlessMobileSessionTabsFromWorkspaceSession(
     worktreeId?: string,
     options: {
@@ -169,10 +183,10 @@ export abstract class OrcaRuntimeWithHydrateHeadlessMobileSessionTabsFromWorkspa
           continue
         }
       }
-      const existing = this.mobileSessionTabsByWorktree.get(entryWorktreeId)
+      const stored = this.readRebuildableMobileSessionSnapshot(entryWorktreeId)
       if (
-        existing &&
-        existing.tabs.length > 0 &&
+        stored &&
+        stored.tabs.length > 0 &&
         options.force !== true &&
         options.onlyRuntimeOwnedTerminals !== true
       ) {
@@ -180,10 +194,15 @@ export abstract class OrcaRuntimeWithHydrateHeadlessMobileSessionTabsFromWorkspa
         // offscreen browser tabs are live and may have been created/closed since.
         // Reconcile just the browser tabs against the live bridge instead of
         // leaving a stale snapshot that omits a freshly-opened browser tab.
-        this.reconcileHeadlessMobileSessionBrowserTabs(entryWorktreeId, existing)
+        this.reconcileHeadlessMobileSessionBrowserTabs(entryWorktreeId, stored)
         reconciledWorktreeIds.add(entryWorktreeId)
-        continue
+        // Why: closing the last browser row empties a browser-only snapshot; rebuild it now
+        // rather than serve that empty answer once.
+        if (this.readRebuildableMobileSessionSnapshot(entryWorktreeId)) {
+          continue
+        }
       }
+      const existing = this.readRebuildableMobileSessionSnapshot(entryWorktreeId)
       // Why: windowless, nothing publishes the other tabs, and a filtered seed would make the full pass skip this worktree.
       const runtimeOwnedOnly =
         options.onlyRuntimeOwnedTerminals === true &&