diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/NewWorkspaceComposerModal.tsx b/src/renderer/src/components/NewWorkspaceComposerModal.tsx
index 763570fd6d8..b13712a7f9e 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/components/NewWorkspaceComposerModal.tsx
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/NewWorkspaceComposerModal.tsx
@@ -191,9 +191,12 @@ function QuickTabBody({
       entry?: AgentPickerEntry
     ) => {
       setQuickAgentOverride(agent)
-      setQuickAgentPick({ agent, surface, draft, entry, contextKey: observation.contextKey })
+      // Orca Cloud is terminal-only; keeping its surface would pin the agent to a terminal locally.
+      setQuickAgentPick(
+        orcaCloud ? { agent } : { agent, surface, draft, entry, contextKey: observation.contextKey }
+      )
     },
-    [observation.contextKey]
+    [observation.contextKey, orcaCloud]
   )
 
   const handleCreate = useCallback(async (): Promise<void> => {
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/new-workspace/use-composer-quick-agent.test.tsx b/src/renderer/src/components/new-workspace/use-composer-quick-agent.test.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..59fe2af4b93
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/new-workspace/use-composer-quick-agent.test.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,101 @@
+// @vitest-environment happy-dom
+import { cleanup, renderHook } from '@testing-library/react'
+import { useState } from 'react'
+import { afterEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest'
+import type { TuiAgent } from '../../../../shared/agent-launch/catalog/tui-agent'
+import type { GlobalSettings } from '../../../../shared/global-settings-types'
+import { ORCA_CLOUD_IMAGE_AGENTS } from '../../../../shared/hosted-sandbox/orca-cloud-image-agents'
+import type { EphemeralVmRecipeOption } from './new-workspace-composer-card-props'
+
+vi.mock('@/store/index', () => ({ useAppStore: { getState: () => ({}) } }))
+vi.mock('@/lib/host-chat-program', () => ({ agentChoicePending: () => false }))
+// This desktop has aider and claude; the host offers exactly what it detected.
+vi.mock('@/lib/host-chat-program-acquisition', () => ({
+  useAgentsOfferedForLaunch: (_workspace: unknown, detected: ReadonlySet<TuiAgent> | null) =>
+    detected
+}))
+
+import { useComposerQuickAgent } from './use-composer-quick-agent'
+
+afterEach(cleanup)
+
+const orcaCloudRecipe: EphemeralVmRecipeOption = {
+  id: 'orca-cloud',
+  name: 'Orca Cloud',
+  create: 'orca-cloud',
+  provider: 'orca-cloud'
+}
+const otherRecipe: EphemeralVmRecipeOption = { id: 'custom', name: 'Custom', create: './vm.sh' }
+
+function renderComposerAgent(props: {
+  recipe: EphemeralVmRecipeOption | null
+  override?: TuiAgent | null
+  settings?: Pick<GlobalSettings, 'defaultTuiAgent'>
+}) {
+  return renderHook(
+    ({ recipe }: { recipe: EphemeralVmRecipeOption | null }) => {
+      const [override, setOverride] = useState<TuiAgent | null | undefined>(props.override)
+      return {
+        override,
+        ...useComposerQuickAgent(
+          {
+            agentRows: null,
+            detectedAgentIds: new Set<TuiAgent>(['aider', 'claude']),
+            repoId: 'repo-1',
+            selectedRepoIsGit: true,
+            selectedRepoExecutionHostId: null,
+            ephemeralVmRecipes: [orcaCloudRecipe, otherRecipe],
+            selectedEphemeralVmRecipeId: recipe?.id ?? null
+          },
+          props.settings ?? null,
+          override,
+          setOverride
+        )
+      }
+    },
+    { initialProps: { recipe: props.recipe } }
+  )
+}
+
+describe('useComposerQuickAgent', () => {
+  it('offers only the image agents and an enabled terminal-only picker for Orca Cloud', () => {
+    const { result } = renderComposerAgent({
+      recipe: orcaCloudRecipe,
+      settings: { defaultTuiAgent: 'aider' }
+    })
+    expect(result.current.orcaCloud).toBe(true)
+    expect(result.current.quickAgent).toBe('claude')
+    expect([...(result.current.chipAgentIds ?? [])]).toEqual([...ORCA_CLOUD_IMAGE_AGENTS])
+    expect(result.current.orcaCloudModel?.state).toBe('settled')
+    expect(result.current.orcaCloudModel?.rows.every((row) => row.kind === 'terminal')).toBe(true)
+  })
+
+  it('never submits a local-only pick to Orca Cloud, and restores it on the local host', () => {
+    const { result, rerender } = renderComposerAgent({ recipe: orcaCloudRecipe, override: 'aider' })
+    expect(result.current.quickAgent).toBe('claude')
+    // The pick itself is kept, so going back to this desktop restores it.
+    expect(result.current.override).toBe('aider')
+    rerender({ recipe: null })
+    expect(result.current.orcaCloud).toBe(false)
+    expect(result.current.quickAgent).toBe('aider')
+  })
+
+  it('keeps a default the image ships', () => {
+    const { result } = renderComposerAgent({
+      recipe: orcaCloudRecipe,
+      settings: { defaultTuiAgent: 'gemini' }
+    })
+    expect(result.current.quickAgent).toBe('gemini')
+  })
+
+  it('leaves other VM recipes on this host inventory', () => {
+    const { result } = renderComposerAgent({
+      recipe: otherRecipe,
+      settings: { defaultTuiAgent: 'aider' }
+    })
+    expect(result.current.orcaCloud).toBe(false)
+    expect(result.current.orcaCloudModel).toBeNull()
+    expect(result.current.quickAgent).toBe('aider')
+    expect([...(result.current.chipAgentIds ?? [])].sort()).toEqual(['aider', 'claude'])
+  })
+})
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/new-workspace/use-composer-quick-agent.ts b/src/renderer/src/components/new-workspace/use-composer-quick-agent.ts
index 1eff6c49da8..e4570289ffb 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/components/new-workspace/use-composer-quick-agent.ts
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/new-workspace/use-composer-quick-agent.ts
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ import {
   pickOrcaCloudAgent
 } from '@/lib/orca-cloud/orca-cloud-agent-picker'
 import type { TuiAgent } from '../../../../shared/agent-launch/catalog/tui-agent'
-import type { GlobalSettings } from '../../../../shared/global-settings-types'
+import type { NewTabAgentMenuSettings } from '../../../../shared/agent-launch/picker/agent-launch-picker-rows'
 import { isOrcaCloudSelection } from './run-target-options'
 import type { NewWorkspaceComposerCardProps } from './new-workspace-composer-card-props'
 
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ type ComposerQuickAgentProps = Pick<
 /** The composer's agent: the user's pick when the launch host can start it, else the default. */
 export function useComposerQuickAgent(
   cardProps: ComposerQuickAgentProps,
-  settings: GlobalSettings | null | undefined,
+  settings: NewTabAgentMenuSettings | null | undefined,
   quickAgentOverride: TuiAgent | null | undefined,
   setQuickAgentOverride: (agent: TuiAgent | null | undefined) => void
 ) {
@@ -69,8 +69,9 @@ export function useComposerQuickAgent(
     selectedChoiceUnresolved: Boolean(quickAgentOverride && choicePending(quickAgentOverride)),
     disabledTuiAgents: settings?.disabledTuiAgents
   })
-  if (resolved.quickAgentOverride !== quickAgentOverride) {
-    // Repair invalid picks (e.g. a local-only agent once Orca Cloud is chosen) before children render it.
+  // Repair invalid picks before children render them. Orca Cloud only derives its agent, so a
+  // local-only pick returns when the user switches back to a host that has it.
+  if (!orcaCloud && resolved.quickAgentOverride !== quickAgentOverride) {
     setQuickAgentOverride(resolved.quickAgentOverride)
   }
   const quickAgent = resolved.quickAgent