diff --git a/config/reliability-gates.jsonc b/config/reliability-gates.jsonc
index d6a829462aa..908d6c15805 100644
--- a/config/reliability-gates.jsonc
+++ b/config/reliability-gates.jsonc
@@ -1284,6 +1284,85 @@
       ],
       "demotionRule": "Keep experimental until soak; investigate owner and refresh regressions without weakening assertions or adding retries."
     },
+    {
+      "id": "settings.terminal-section-lifetime",
+      "title": "Terminal settings search preserves matching section state",
+      "maturity": "experimental",
+      "protection": "partial",
+      "owner": "terminal-runtime",
+      "layer": "renderer-unit",
+      "surfaces": [
+        "Terminal settings search",
+        "session diagnostic inventory",
+        "scrollback settings draft"
+      ],
+      "platforms": ["macos", "linux", "windows"],
+      "providers": ["local", "daemon", "ssh", "wsl", "remote-runtime"],
+      "coveredPlatforms": ["macos"],
+      "coveredProviders": [],
+      "coverageNotes": "Actual TerminalPane, ManageSessionsSection, health listener and scrollback form with mocked store/provider and display/action boundaries. Unix/Windows and Mac-client/Windows-host flags simulated; no physical provider, process-stop or native input coverage.",
+      "motivatingLinks": [
+        "https://github.com/stablyai/orca/blob/main/src/renderer/src/components/settings/TerminalPane.tsx"
+      ],
+      "invariant": "A matching settings section retains its state when preceding sections are filtered away; a section removed from search releases its owner and refreshes when shown again. A retained section still refreshes when another surface invalidates the session inventory. Diagnostic inventory never becomes authority for process death.",
+      "oracle": "Across 15 matched search edits the matched section keeps the same DOM node and the inventory/health read counts do not grow, instead of six reads each. A foreign inventory invalidation still reads once on the retained section and not after unmount. A draft and pending target survive matched search; actual hide/reopen reloads, explicit Refresh still reads, and hidden/unmounted health listeners do not fire.",
+      "commands": [
+        "ORCA_BACKGROUND_LAUNCH=1 pnpm exec vitest run --config config/vitest.config.ts src/renderer/src/components/settings/TerminalPane.section-lifetime.test.tsx src/renderer/src/components/settings/TerminalTccAttributionNotice.test.tsx"
+      ],
+      "testFiles": [
+        "src/renderer/src/components/settings/TerminalPane.section-lifetime.test.tsx",
+        "src/renderer/src/components/settings/TerminalTccAttributionNotice.test.tsx"
+      ],
+      "assertionRefs": [
+        {
+          "file": "src/renderer/src/components/settings/TerminalPane.section-lifetime.test.tsx",
+          "assertions": [
+            "refreshes a retained section when another surface invalidates the inventory",
+            "refreshes explicitly, reloads genuinely hidden sections, and removes focus listeners",
+            "preserves an uncommitted scrollback draft while its section remains visible",
+            "retains a pending action target only while its section remains visible"
+          ]
+        }
+      ],
+      "evidenceRuns": [
+        {
+          "date": "2026-09-26",
+          "runner": "local",
+          "platform": "macos",
+          "command": "ORCA_BACKGROUND_LAUNCH=1 pnpm exec vitest run --config config/vitest.config.ts src/renderer/src/components/settings/TerminalPane.section-lifetime.test.tsx src/renderer/src/components/settings/TerminalTccAttributionNotice.test.tsx",
+          "result": "passed",
+          "durationSeconds": 1.48,
+          "summary": "12 tests/2 suites pass after the shared SettingsSectionStack adoption and the inventory-invalidation subscription. Read-count oracles restated as node identity plus non-growing read counts; original main fails all three simulated platform cases, the draft, the pending target and the foreign-invalidation refresh."
+        }
+      ],
+      "runtimeBudget": {
+        "p95Seconds": 10,
+        "scope": "Focused renderer-unit suites, p95 not established."
+      },
+      "flakeHistory": {
+        "status": "not-started",
+        "evidence": "Author and independent local evidence only; no CI soak."
+      },
+      "redGreenEvidence": {
+        "status": "complete",
+        "evidence": "Original new suite fails all three simulated platform read-count cases, draft and pending target; one cleanup/refresh control passes. Candidate6pass. Independent scratch5pass/original4fail1control."
+      },
+      "performanceBudget": {
+        "required": true,
+        "evidence": "Actual child inventory and health reads 6 to 1 across 15 matched search edits. Fixed small section filter/map now lives in the shared SettingsSectionStack; no new polling, cache or subprocess. One added in-renderer invalidation listener replaces the incidental search-driven refresh, so a retained section stays as fresh as the signal every other inventory reader already uses. No packaged CPU/frame/heap claim."
+      },
+      "knownGaps": [
+        "CI soak pending.",
+        "No physical local/daemon/SSH/WSL/remote-runtime provider, native Linux/Windows or process-stop behavior exercised; routing, PTY ownership, commands and wire formats unchanged.",
+        "Matched searches keep the loaded snapshot until existing Refresh, completed mutation, a foreign inventory invalidation or genuine hide/reopen; health also refreshes on focus/revision.",
+        "Pending action target and drafts remain while their parent section matches, including individual controls hidden inside a retained section.",
+        "No packaged app latency, heap, real focus or pending destructive-mutation completion evidence. Hidden Electron component visual proof is separate from the gate."
+      ],
+      "promotionCriteria": [
+        "Retain count, real draft, pending target and cleanup oracles; obtain stable CI history and relevant full-app/provider evidence before promotion."
+      ],
+      "demotionRule": "Keep experimental until soak; investigate stale state or cleanup failures without weakening read-count, draft or fresh-owner assertions."
+    },
     {
       "id": "agent-session.journal-streaming-replay",
       "title": "Journal replay bounds obsolete revision memory without changing recovery",
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/settings/ManageSessionsSection.tsx b/src/renderer/src/components/settings/ManageSessionsSection.tsx
index 73256687792..545c9807daa 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/components/settings/ManageSessionsSection.tsx
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/settings/ManageSessionsSection.tsx
@@ -9,7 +9,10 @@ import { activateTabAndFocusPane } from '@/lib/activate-tab-and-focus-pane'
 import { useDaemonActions, DaemonActionDialog } from '../shared/useDaemonActions'
 import { ManageSessionKillDialog } from './ManageSessionKillDialog'
 import { ManageSessionsTable } from './ManageSessionsTable'
-import { notifyDaemonSessionInventoryInvalidated } from '../status-bar/daemon-session-inventory-invalidation'
+import {
+  notifyDaemonSessionInventoryInvalidated,
+  subscribeDaemonSessionInventoryInvalidated
+} from '../status-bar/daemon-session-inventory-invalidation'
 import {
   MANAGE_SESSIONS_SECTION_ID,
   TerminalTccAttributionNotice
@@ -28,6 +31,7 @@ export function ManageSessionsSection(): React.JSX.Element {
   const optimisticRollback = useRef<PtyManagementSession[] | null>(null)
   const isMounted = useRef(true)
   const mutationInFlight = useRef(false)
+  const notifyingOwnInvalidation = useRef(false)
 
   const tabsByWorktree = useAppStore((s) => s.tabsByWorktree)
   const ptyIdsByTabId = useAppStore((s) => s.ptyIdsByTabId)
@@ -109,6 +113,29 @@ export function ManageSessionsSection(): React.JSX.Element {
     void refresh()
   }, [refresh])
 
+  // Why: this section stays mounted for a whole settings search, so a kill routed through
+  // another surface (status-bar Kill All) must reach the table through the invalidation
+  // signal rather than a remount. Own mutations already read on settle.
+  useEffect(
+    () =>
+      subscribeDaemonSessionInventoryInvalidated(() => {
+        if (notifyingOwnInvalidation.current || mutationInFlight.current) {
+          return
+        }
+        void refresh()
+      }),
+    [refresh]
+  )
+
+  const notifyForeignSurfaces = useCallback((): void => {
+    notifyingOwnInvalidation.current = true
+    try {
+      notifyDaemonSessionInventoryInvalidated()
+    } finally {
+      notifyingOwnInvalidation.current = false
+    }
+  }, [])
+
   const sessionCount = sessions.length
 
   const daemonActions = useDaemonActions({
@@ -128,7 +155,7 @@ export function ManageSessionsSection(): React.JSX.Element {
       void refresh()
     },
     onRestartSettled: () => {
-      notifyDaemonSessionInventoryInvalidated()
+      notifyForeignSurfaces()
       setAttributionRefreshRevision((revision) => revision + 1)
       void refresh()
     }
@@ -158,7 +185,7 @@ export function ManageSessionsSection(): React.JSX.Element {
           )
         }
         mutationInFlight.current = false
-        notifyDaemonSessionInventoryInvalidated()
+        notifyForeignSurfaces()
         await refresh()
       } catch (err) {
         toast.error(
@@ -178,7 +205,7 @@ export function ManageSessionsSection(): React.JSX.Element {
         }
       }
     },
-    [refresh]
+    [notifyForeignSurfaces, refresh]
   )
 
   const runConfirmed = useCallback(() => {
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/settings/TerminalPane.section-lifetime.test.tsx b/src/renderer/src/components/settings/TerminalPane.section-lifetime.test.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..d09a07da23e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/settings/TerminalPane.section-lifetime.test.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,246 @@
+// @vitest-environment happy-dom
+import type { ReactNode } from 'react'
+import { act, cleanup, fireEvent, render, screen } from '@testing-library/react'
+import { afterEach, beforeEach, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest'
+import { getDefaultSettings } from '../../../../shared/constants'
+import type { PtyManagementSession } from '../../../../preload/api-types'
+import { notifyDaemonSessionInventoryInvalidated } from '../status-bar/daemon-session-inventory-invalidation'
+import { TerminalPane } from './TerminalPane'
+
+const fake = vi.hoisted(() => ({
+  query: '',
+  isWindows: false,
+  isMac: false,
+  listSessions: vi.fn(async () => ({ sessions: [] })),
+  attribution: vi.fn(async () => ({ health: 'intact' })),
+  tabs: {},
+  ptys: {},
+  action: vi.fn(),
+  session: {
+    sessionId: 'synthetic-session',
+    state: 'running' as const,
+    shellState: 'ready' as const,
+    isAlive: true,
+    pid: null,
+    cwd: null,
+    cols: 80,
+    rows: 24,
+    createdAt: 0,
+    protocolVersion: 1
+  }
+}))
+vi.mock('@/i18n/i18n', () => ({
+  i18n: { language: 'en' },
+  translate: (_key: string, fallback: string) => fallback
+}))
+vi.mock('@/store', () => ({
+  useAppStore: (selector: (state: Record<string, unknown>) => unknown) =>
+    selector({
+      settingsSearchQuery: fake.query,
+      tabsByWorktree: fake.tabs,
+      ptyIdsByTabId: fake.ptys,
+      setActiveView: fake.action,
+      closeSettingsPage: fake.action,
+      openSettingsTarget: fake.action,
+      openSettingsPage: fake.action,
+      setSettingsSearchQuery: fake.action
+    })
+}))
+vi.mock('@/components/terminal-pane/pane-helpers', () => ({
+  isMacUserAgent: () => fake.isMac,
+  isWindowsUserAgent: () => fake.isWindows
+}))
+vi.mock('@/lib/keyboard-layout/use-effective-mac-option-as-alt', () => ({
+  useDetectedOptionAsAlt: () => 'us'
+}))
+vi.mock('@/components/settings/TerminalInteractionSection', () => ({
+  TerminalInteractionSection: () => null
+}))
+vi.mock('@/components/settings/TerminalRenderingSection', () => ({
+  TerminalRenderingSection: () => null
+}))
+vi.mock('@/components/settings/TerminalSetupScriptSection', () => ({
+  TerminalSetupScriptSection: () => null
+}))
+vi.mock('@/components/settings/TerminalWindowsShellSection', () => ({
+  TerminalWindowsShellSection: () => null
+}))
+vi.mock('@/components/settings/TerminalWindowsAdministratorSection', () => ({
+  TerminalWindowsAdministratorSection: () => null
+}))
+vi.mock('@/components/settings/SearchableSetting', () => ({
+  SearchableSetting: ({ children }: { children: ReactNode }) => <>{children}</>
+}))
+vi.mock('@/components/settings/ManageSessionsTable', () => ({
+  ManageSessionsTable: ({
+    onRefresh,
+    onRequestKill
+  }: {
+    onRefresh: () => void
+    onRequestKill: (session: PtyManagementSession) => void
+  }) => (
+    <>
+      <button onClick={onRefresh}>Refresh sessions</button>
+      <button onClick={() => onRequestKill(fake.session)}>Preview session action</button>
+    </>
+  )
+}))
+vi.mock('@/components/settings/ManageSessionKillDialog', () => ({
+  ManageSessionKillDialog: ({ session }: { session: PtyManagementSession | null }) =>
+    session ? <span>Pending action for {session.sessionId}</span> : null
+}))
+vi.mock('@/components/shared/useDaemonActions', () => ({
+  useDaemonActions: () => ({ isBusy: false, busyKind: null, setPending: fake.action }),
+  DaemonActionDialog: () => null
+}))
+vi.mock('@/lib/worktree-activation', () => ({ activateAndRevealWorktree: vi.fn() }))
+vi.mock('@/lib/activate-tab-and-focus-pane', () => ({ activateTabAndFocusPane: vi.fn() }))
+
+beforeEach(() => {
+  vi.clearAllMocks()
+  fake.query = ''
+  fake.isWindows = false
+  fake.isMac = false
+  Object.assign(window, {
+    api: {
+      pty: {
+        management: {
+          listSessions: fake.listSessions,
+          macTccAttribution: fake.attribution
+        }
+      }
+    }
+  })
+})
+afterEach(() => {
+  cleanup()
+  Reflect.deleteProperty(window, 'api')
+})
+
+function paneProps() {
+  return {
+    settings: getDefaultSettings('/synthetic'),
+    updateSettings: vi.fn(),
+    scrollbackMode: 'preset' as const,
+    setScrollbackMode: vi.fn()
+  }
+}
+
+it.each([
+  { name: 'Unix client and host', isWindows: false, isMac: false, hostIsWindows: false },
+  { name: 'Windows client and host', isWindows: true, isMac: false, hostIsWindows: true },
+  { name: 'Mac client and Windows host', isWindows: false, isMac: true, hostIsWindows: true }
+])('keeps retained session sections mounted on $name', async (platform) => {
+  fake.isWindows = platform.isWindows
+  fake.isMac = platform.isMac
+  const props = { ...paneProps(), isWindowsTerminalHost: platform.hostIsWindows }
+  const view = render(<TerminalPane {...props} />)
+  await act(async () => {})
+  // The invariant is identity, not a magic number: the matched section keeps the same DOM
+  // node across every query edit, so editing the query cannot cost an extra read.
+  const mountedButton = screen.getByRole('button', { name: 'Refresh sessions' })
+  const inventoryReadsAfterMount = fake.listSessions.mock.calls.length
+  const healthReadsAfterMount = fake.attribution.mock.calls.length
+  for (const query of [
+    'm',
+    'ma',
+    'man',
+    'mana',
+    'manag',
+    'manage',
+    '',
+    't',
+    'te',
+    'ter',
+    'term',
+    'termi',
+    'termin',
+    'termina',
+    'terminal'
+  ]) {
+    fake.query = query
+    await act(async () => view.rerender(<TerminalPane {...props} />))
+    expect(screen.getByRole('button', { name: 'Refresh sessions' })).toBe(mountedButton)
+  }
+  expect(fake.listSessions.mock.calls.length).toBe(inventoryReadsAfterMount)
+  expect(fake.attribution.mock.calls.length).toBe(healthReadsAfterMount)
+})
+
+it('refreshes a retained section when another surface invalidates the inventory', async () => {
+  const props = paneProps()
+  const view = render(<TerminalPane {...props} />)
+  await act(async () => {})
+  const mountedButton = screen.getByRole('button', { name: 'Refresh sessions' })
+  const readsAfterMount = fake.listSessions.mock.calls.length
+
+  fake.query = 'manage'
+  await act(async () => view.rerender(<TerminalPane {...props} />))
+  await act(async () => notifyDaemonSessionInventoryInvalidated())
+  expect(screen.getByRole('button', { name: 'Refresh sessions' })).toBe(mountedButton)
+  expect(fake.listSessions.mock.calls.length).toBe(readsAfterMount + 1)
+
+  view.unmount()
+  const readsBeforeUnmountedNotify = fake.listSessions.mock.calls.length
+  await act(async () => notifyDaemonSessionInventoryInvalidated())
+  expect(fake.listSessions.mock.calls.length).toBe(readsBeforeUnmountedNotify)
+})
+
+it('refreshes explicitly, reloads genuinely hidden sections, and removes focus listeners', async () => {
+  const props = paneProps()
+  const view = render(<TerminalPane {...props} />)
+  await act(async () => {})
+  fireEvent.click(screen.getByRole('button', { name: 'Refresh sessions' }))
+  await act(async () => {})
+  expect(fake.listSessions).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2)
+  expect(fake.attribution).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1)
+
+  fake.query = 'GPU Acceleration'
+  await act(async () => view.rerender(<TerminalPane {...props} />))
+  expect(screen.queryByRole('button', { name: 'Refresh sessions' })).toBeNull()
+  await act(async () => window.dispatchEvent(new Event('focus')))
+  expect(fake.attribution).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1)
+
+  fake.query = 'manage'
+  await act(async () => view.rerender(<TerminalPane {...props} />))
+  expect(screen.getByRole('button', { name: 'Refresh sessions' })).toBeTruthy()
+  expect(fake.listSessions).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(3)
+  expect(fake.attribution).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2)
+  await act(async () => window.dispatchEvent(new Event('focus')))
+  expect(fake.attribution).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(3)
+
+  view.unmount()
+  await act(async () => window.dispatchEvent(new Event('focus')))
+  expect(fake.attribution).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(3)
+})
+
+it('preserves an uncommitted scrollback draft while its section remains visible', async () => {
+  const props = { ...paneProps(), scrollbackMode: 'custom' as const }
+  const view = render(<TerminalPane {...props} />)
+  await act(async () => {})
+  fireEvent.change(screen.getByRole('spinbutton'), { target: { value: '12345' } })
+  expect(props.updateSettings).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
+
+  fake.query = 'scrollback'
+  await act(async () => view.rerender(<TerminalPane {...props} />))
+  const input = screen.getByRole('spinbutton')
+  expect(input.getAttribute('value')).toBe('12345')
+  fireEvent.blur(input)
+  expect(props.updateSettings).toHaveBeenCalledWith({ terminalScrollbackRows: 12345 })
+})
+
+it('retains a pending action target only while its section remains visible', async () => {
+  const props = paneProps()
+  const view = render(<TerminalPane {...props} />)
+  await act(async () => {})
+  fireEvent.click(screen.getByRole('button', { name: 'Preview session action' }))
+  fake.query = 'manage'
+  await act(async () => view.rerender(<TerminalPane {...props} />))
+  expect(screen.getByText('Pending action for synthetic-session')).toBeTruthy()
+
+  fake.query = 'GPU Acceleration'
+  await act(async () => view.rerender(<TerminalPane {...props} />))
+  expect(screen.queryByText('Pending action for synthetic-session')).toBeNull()
+  fake.query = 'manage'
+  await act(async () => view.rerender(<TerminalPane {...props} />))
+  expect(screen.queryByText('Pending action for synthetic-session')).toBeNull()
+})
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/settings/TerminalPane.tsx b/src/renderer/src/components/settings/TerminalPane.tsx
index 1a27632420e..ed17c1ece1e 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/components/settings/TerminalPane.tsx
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/settings/TerminalPane.tsx
@@ -1,10 +1,10 @@
 import { useState } from 'react'
 import { ChevronDown } from 'lucide-react'
 import type { GlobalSettings } from '../../../../shared/global-settings-types'
-import { Separator } from '../ui/separator'
 import { Textarea } from '../ui/textarea'
 import { Collapsible, CollapsibleContent, CollapsibleTrigger } from '../ui/collapsible'
 import { cn } from '@/lib/utils'
+import { SettingsSectionStack } from './SettingsSectionStack'
 import { matchesSettingsSearch } from './settings-search'
 import { useAppStore } from '../../store'
 import { isMacUserAgent, isWindowsUserAgent } from '@/components/terminal-pane/pane-helpers'
@@ -353,16 +353,11 @@ export function TerminalPane({
         isMac={isMac}
       />
     ) : null
-  ].filter(Boolean)
+  ]
 
   return (
     <div className="space-y-6">
-      {visibleSections.map((section, index) => (
-        <div key={index} className="space-y-6">
-          {index > 0 ? <Separator /> : null}
-          {section}
-        </div>
-      ))}
+      <SettingsSectionStack sections={visibleSections} spacing="section" />
     </div>
   )
 }