diff --git a/src/main/ipc/workspace-cleanup-activity.ts b/src/main/ipc/workspace-cleanup-activity.ts
index 4b0cffa42a8..a6236566af1 100644
--- a/src/main/ipc/workspace-cleanup-activity.ts
+++ b/src/main/ipc/workspace-cleanup-activity.ts
@@ -7,6 +7,14 @@ import { toWindowsWslPath } from '../wsl'
 type StatPath = (targetPath: string) => Promise<{ mtimeMs: number }>
 type ReadTextFile = (targetPath: string) => Promise<string>
 
+export function getPersistedWorkspaceCleanupActivityAt(
+  worktree: Pick<Worktree, 'createdAt' | 'lastActivityAt'>
+): number {
+  const persistedActivityAt = Number.isFinite(worktree.lastActivityAt) ? worktree.lastActivityAt : 0
+  const createdAt = Number.isFinite(worktree.createdAt) ? (worktree.createdAt ?? 0) : 0
+  return Math.max(persistedActivityAt, createdAt)
+}
+
 export async function resolveWorkspaceCleanupActivityWorktree(
   repo: Repo,
   worktree: Worktree,
@@ -35,10 +43,9 @@ async function resolveWorkspaceCleanupActivityAt(
   statPath: StatPath,
   readTextFile: ReadTextFile
 ): Promise<number> {
-  const persistedActivityAt = Number.isFinite(worktree.lastActivityAt) ? worktree.lastActivityAt : 0
-  const createdAt = Number.isFinite(worktree.createdAt) ? (worktree.createdAt ?? 0) : 0
+  const persistedActivityAt = getPersistedWorkspaceCleanupActivityAt(worktree)
   if (repo.connectionId) {
-    return Math.max(persistedActivityAt, createdAt)
+    return persistedActivityAt
   }
 
   const filesystemActivityAt = await getNewestLocalWorktreeStatMtime(
@@ -46,7 +53,7 @@ async function resolveWorkspaceCleanupActivityAt(
     statPath,
     readTextFile
   )
-  return Math.max(persistedActivityAt, createdAt, filesystemActivityAt)
+  return Math.max(persistedActivityAt, filesystemActivityAt)
 }
 
 async function getNewestLocalWorktreeStatMtime(
diff --git a/src/main/ipc/workspace-cleanup-scan.ts b/src/main/ipc/workspace-cleanup-scan.ts
index 2dc0b0e11a4..bd621c9a3cf 100644
--- a/src/main/ipc/workspace-cleanup-scan.ts
+++ b/src/main/ipc/workspace-cleanup-scan.ts
@@ -13,7 +13,10 @@ import type {
   WorkspaceCleanupScanProgress,
   WorkspaceCleanupScanResult
 } from '../../shared/workspace-cleanup'
-import { resolveWorkspaceCleanupActivityWorktree } from './workspace-cleanup-activity'
+import {
+  getPersistedWorkspaceCleanupActivityAt,
+  resolveWorkspaceCleanupActivityWorktree
+} from './workspace-cleanup-activity'
 import {
   buildWorkspaceCleanupCandidate,
   buildWorkspaceCleanupCandidateFromError,
@@ -201,14 +204,6 @@ function shouldResolveBroadWorkspaceCleanupActivity(
   )
 }
 
-function getPersistedWorkspaceCleanupActivityAt(
-  worktree: Pick<Worktree, 'createdAt' | 'lastActivityAt'>
-): number {
-  const lastActivityAt = Number.isFinite(worktree.lastActivityAt) ? worktree.lastActivityAt : 0
-  const createdAt = Number.isFinite(worktree.createdAt) ? (worktree.createdAt ?? 0) : 0
-  return Math.max(lastActivityAt, createdAt)
-}
-
 async function listCleanupGitWorktrees(
   repo: Repo,
   repoIsFolder: boolean
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/workspace-cleanup/workspace-cleanup-background-removal.test.ts b/src/renderer/src/components/workspace-cleanup/workspace-cleanup-background-removal.test.ts
index c072961666b..51b99b9e9ff 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/components/workspace-cleanup/workspace-cleanup-background-removal.test.ts
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/workspace-cleanup/workspace-cleanup-background-removal.test.ts
@@ -28,6 +28,26 @@ describe('startWorkspaceCleanupBackgroundRemoval', () => {
     vi.useRealTimers()
   })
 
+  it('reports an empty result without starting removal when there are no candidates', async () => {
+    const removeCandidates = vi.fn()
+    const onProgress = vi.fn()
+    const onResult = vi.fn()
+
+    startWorkspaceCleanupBackgroundRemoval({
+      candidates: [],
+      removeCandidates,
+      onProgress,
+      onResult
+    })
+    await settleBackgroundRemoval()
+
+    expect(removeCandidates).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
+    expect(onProgress).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
+    expect(onResult).toHaveBeenCalledWith({ removedIds: [], failures: [] })
+    expect(toast.success).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
+    expect(toast.error).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
+  })
+
   it('reports deletion progress while the slow removal promise is pending', async () => {
     let resolveRemoval: (
       result: Awaited<ReturnType<WorkspaceCleanupBackgroundRemovalArgs['removeCandidates']>>
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/workspace-cleanup/workspace-cleanup-background-removal.ts b/src/renderer/src/components/workspace-cleanup/workspace-cleanup-background-removal.ts
index daa7ee0d3af..198c2c5c484 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/components/workspace-cleanup/workspace-cleanup-background-removal.ts
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/workspace-cleanup/workspace-cleanup-background-removal.ts
@@ -37,6 +37,11 @@ export function startWorkspaceCleanupBackgroundRemoval({
   removalTimeoutMs = DEFAULT_WORKSPACE_CLEANUP_REMOVAL_TIMEOUT_MS
 }: WorkspaceCleanupBackgroundRemovalArgs): void {
   if (candidates.length === 0) {
+    try {
+      onResult?.({ removedIds: [], failures: [] })
+    } catch (callbackError) {
+      console.error('Workspace cleanup result callback failed', callbackError)
+    }
     return
   }
 
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/workspace-cleanup/workspace-cleanup-removal-candidates.ts b/src/renderer/src/components/workspace-cleanup/workspace-cleanup-removal-candidates.ts
index 5c97d780f31..36c70257929 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/components/workspace-cleanup/workspace-cleanup-removal-candidates.ts
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/workspace-cleanup/workspace-cleanup-removal-candidates.ts
@@ -1,12 +1,11 @@
 import type { WorkspaceCleanupCandidate } from '../../../../shared/workspace-cleanup'
+import type { WorktreeDeleteState } from '@/store/slices/worktrees'
 
-type DeleteState = {
-  isDeleting?: boolean
-}
+type DeletionFlagState = Pick<WorktreeDeleteState, 'isDeleting'>
 
 export function filterWorkspaceCleanupRemovalCandidates(
   candidates: readonly WorkspaceCleanupCandidate[],
-  deleteStateByWorktreeId: Record<string, DeleteState | undefined>
+  deleteStateByWorktreeId: Record<string, DeletionFlagState | undefined>
 ): WorkspaceCleanupCandidate[] {
   return candidates.filter(
     (candidate) => deleteStateByWorktreeId[candidate.worktreeId]?.isDeleting !== true