diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/new-workspace/smart-workspace-source-results.test.ts b/src/renderer/src/components/new-workspace/smart-workspace-source-results.test.ts
index c2d02d7d995..4d26e7e00af 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/components/new-workspace/smart-workspace-source-results.test.ts
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/new-workspace/smart-workspace-source-results.test.ts
@@ -102,6 +102,47 @@ describe('Branch source results', () => {
     ])
   })
 
+  it('uses Linear rows from a paginated collection shape', () => {
+    const rows = buildSmartWorkspaceSourceRows({
+      mode: 'smart',
+      value: '',
+      branches: [],
+      githubItems: [],
+      gitlabItems: [],
+      linearIssues: {
+        items: [{ id: 'linear-1', identifier: 'ENG-1', title: 'Fix composer crash' } as never],
+        hasMore: true
+      },
+      gitlabAvailable: false,
+      linearAvailable: true,
+      resultLimit: 12
+    })
+
+    expect(rows).toEqual([
+      {
+        kind: 'linear',
+        value: 'linear-linear-1',
+        issue: { id: 'linear-1', identifier: 'ENG-1', title: 'Fix composer crash' }
+      }
+    ])
+  })
+
+  it('ignores malformed Linear collection rows instead of throwing during render', () => {
+    expect(() =>
+      buildSmartWorkspaceSourceRows({
+        mode: 'smart',
+        value: '',
+        branches: [],
+        githubItems: [],
+        gitlabItems: [],
+        linearIssues: { items: { id: 'not-an-array' } } as never,
+        gitlabAvailable: false,
+        linearAvailable: true,
+        resultLimit: 12
+      })
+    ).not.toThrow()
+  })
+
   it('describes empty Branch results after the empty-query search runs', () => {
     expect(getSmartWorkspaceEmptyHint('branches')).toBe('No matching branches.')
   })
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/new-workspace/smart-workspace-source-results.ts b/src/renderer/src/components/new-workspace/smart-workspace-source-results.ts
index 6c3cb694050..82c10ff19f7 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/components/new-workspace/smart-workspace-source-results.ts
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/new-workspace/smart-workspace-source-results.ts
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ import type {
   BaseRefSearchResult,
   GitHubWorkItem,
   GitLabWorkItem,
+  LinearCollectionResult,
   LinearIssue
 } from '../../../../shared/types'
 
@@ -15,6 +16,8 @@ export type SmartWorkspaceSourceRow =
   | { kind: 'branch'; value: string; refName: string; localBranchName: string }
   | { kind: 'linear'; value: string; issue: LinearIssue }
 
+type LinearIssueSourceInput = LinearIssue[] | LinearCollectionResult<LinearIssue> | null | undefined
+
 const EMPTY_HINT_BY_MODE: Record<SmartNameMode, string> = {
   smart: 'Start typing to create a name or find a source.',
   github: 'Start typing to search GitHub PRs and issues.',
@@ -92,7 +95,7 @@ export function buildSmartWorkspaceSourceRows({
   gitlabAvailable: boolean
   gitlabItems: GitLabWorkItem[]
   linearAvailable: boolean
-  linearIssues: LinearIssue[]
+  linearIssues: LinearIssueSourceInput
   mode: SmartNameMode
   resultLimit: number
   value: string
@@ -141,8 +144,15 @@ export function buildSmartWorkspaceSourceRows({
     )
   }
   if (linearAvailable && (mode === 'smart' || mode === 'linear')) {
+    // Why: mixed-version runtime responses may briefly carry the paginated
+    // collection shape into this render path; rendering must stay recoverable.
+    const resolvedLinearIssues = Array.isArray(linearIssues)
+      ? linearIssues
+      : Array.isArray(linearIssues?.items)
+        ? linearIssues.items
+        : []
     nextRows.push(
-      ...linearIssues.map((issue) => ({
+      ...resolvedLinearIssues.map((issue) => ({
         kind: 'linear' as const,
         value: `linear-${issue.id}`,
         issue
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/runtime/runtime-linear-client.test.ts b/src/renderer/src/runtime/runtime-linear-client.test.ts
index 111887f750e..2802c09d631 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/runtime/runtime-linear-client.test.ts
+++ b/src/renderer/src/runtime/runtime-linear-client.test.ts
@@ -132,6 +132,14 @@ describe('runtime linear client', () => {
     expect(runtimeEnvironmentCall).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
   })
 
+  it('wraps legacy local Linear issue list arrays as collection results', async () => {
+    linearListIssuesLocal.mockResolvedValue([{ id: 'legacy-issue' }])
+
+    await expect(
+      linearListIssues({ activeRuntimeEnvironmentId: null }, 'assigned', 20)
+    ).resolves.toEqual({ items: [{ id: 'legacy-issue' }] })
+  })
+
   it('does not throw when an older local preload lacks project listing', async () => {
     delete (window.api.linear as { listProjects?: unknown }).listProjects
 
@@ -285,6 +293,39 @@ describe('runtime linear client', () => {
     expect(linearListIssuesLocal).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
   })
 
+  it('wraps legacy remote Linear issue list arrays as collection results', async () => {
+    runtimeEnvironmentCall.mockResolvedValueOnce({
+      id: 'rpc-list',
+      ok: true,
+      result: [{ id: 'legacy-issue' }],
+      _meta: { runtimeId: 'runtime-1' }
+    })
+
+    await expect(
+      linearListIssues({ activeRuntimeEnvironmentId: 'env-1' }, 'assigned', 20)
+    ).resolves.toEqual({ items: [{ id: 'legacy-issue' }] })
+
+    expect(runtimeEnvironmentCall).toHaveBeenCalledWith({
+      selector: 'env-1',
+      method: 'linear.listIssues',
+      params: { filter: 'assigned', limit: 20, workspaceId: undefined },
+      timeoutMs: 30_000
+    })
+  })
+
+  it('falls back to an empty Linear issue collection for malformed list responses', async () => {
+    runtimeEnvironmentCall.mockResolvedValueOnce({
+      id: 'rpc-list',
+      ok: true,
+      result: { items: { id: 'not-an-array' }, hasMore: true },
+      _meta: { runtimeId: 'runtime-1' }
+    })
+
+    await expect(
+      linearListIssues({ activeRuntimeEnvironmentId: 'env-1' }, 'assigned', 20)
+    ).resolves.toEqual({ items: [] })
+  })
+
   it('routes Linear mutations and metadata through the selected runtime environment', async () => {
     runtimeEnvironmentCall
       .mockResolvedValueOnce({
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/runtime/runtime-linear-client.ts b/src/renderer/src/runtime/runtime-linear-client.ts
index c934c298312..9071c434915 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/runtime/runtime-linear-client.ts
+++ b/src/renderer/src/runtime/runtime-linear-client.ts
@@ -39,6 +39,26 @@ function linearReadForce(options?: LinearReadOptions): { force: true } | {} {
   return options?.force ? { force: true } : {}
 }
 
+function normalizeLinearIssueCollectionResult(
+  result: unknown
+): LinearCollectionResult<LinearIssue> {
+  if (Array.isArray(result)) {
+    return { items: result as LinearIssue[] }
+  }
+  if (!result || typeof result !== 'object') {
+    return { items: [] }
+  }
+  const collection = result as Partial<LinearCollectionResult<LinearIssue>>
+  if (!Array.isArray(collection.items)) {
+    return { items: [] }
+  }
+  return {
+    items: collection.items,
+    ...(Array.isArray(collection.errors) ? { errors: collection.errors } : {}),
+    ...(typeof collection.hasMore === 'boolean' ? { hasMore: collection.hasMore } : {})
+  }
+}
+
 export async function linearStatus(
   settings: RuntimeLinearSettings
 ): Promise<LinearConnectionStatus> {
@@ -144,14 +164,20 @@ export async function linearListIssues(
   workspaceId?: LinearWorkspaceSelection | null
 ): Promise<LinearCollectionResult<LinearIssue>> {
   const target = getActiveRuntimeTarget(settings)
-  return target.kind === 'environment'
-    ? callRuntimeRpc<LinearCollectionResult<LinearIssue>>(
-        target,
-        'linear.listIssues',
-        { filter, limit, workspaceId: workspaceId ?? undefined },
-        { timeoutMs: 30_000 }
-      )
-    : window.api.linear.listIssues({ filter, limit, workspaceId: workspaceId ?? undefined })
+  const result =
+    target.kind === 'environment'
+      ? await callRuntimeRpc<unknown>(
+          target,
+          'linear.listIssues',
+          { filter, limit, workspaceId: workspaceId ?? undefined },
+          { timeoutMs: 30_000 }
+        )
+      : await window.api.linear.listIssues({
+          filter,
+          limit,
+          workspaceId: workspaceId ?? undefined
+        })
+  return normalizeLinearIssueCollectionResult(result)
 }
 
 export async function linearCreateIssue(