diff --git a/mobile/src/components/MobileDiffReviewDrawers.tsx b/mobile/src/components/MobileDiffReviewDrawers.tsx
index 6f843f50834..0a333b0120e 100644
--- a/mobile/src/components/MobileDiffReviewDrawers.tsx
+++ b/mobile/src/components/MobileDiffReviewDrawers.tsx
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ import { reviewSheetKey, type ReviewSheet } from '../session/mobile-diff-review-
 import type { useMobileDiffReviewController } from '../session/use-mobile-diff-review-controller'
 import { mobileDiffReviewStyles as styles } from './mobile-diff-review-screen-styles'
 import { hostOs } from '../platform/host-os'
-import { useWorkspaceHostOpensEditorTabs } from '../navigation/workspace-execution-host'
+import { useWorkspaceOnPairedHost } from '../navigation/workspace-execution-host'
 
 type Props = {
   controller: ReturnType<typeof useMobileDiffReviewController>
@@ -133,7 +133,7 @@ function useSendActions(
 }
 
 function useOverflowActions(controller: ReturnType<typeof useMobileDiffReviewController>) {
-  const sessionTabsAvailable = useWorkspaceHostOpensEditorTabs()
+  const sessionTabsAvailable = useWorkspaceOnPairedHost()
   return useMemo<ActionSheetAction[]>(
     () => [
       {
diff --git a/mobile/src/navigation/workspace-execution-host.ts b/mobile/src/navigation/workspace-execution-host.ts
index 85d10c422b7..d0895361e84 100644
--- a/mobile/src/navigation/workspace-execution-host.ts
+++ b/mobile/src/navigation/workspace-execution-host.ts
@@ -9,8 +9,12 @@ export function useWorkspaceExecutionHost(): ExecutionHostId | undefined {
   return useContext(WorkspaceExecutionHostContext)
 }
 
-/** Whether this workspace's host can open a desktop editor tab (Open in Session, New Note). */
-export function useWorkspaceHostOpensEditorTabs(): boolean {
+/**
+ * Whether this workspace runs on the paired desktop itself. Gates actions whose only result is an
+ * editor tab; for everything else the host's reply decides where it goes.
+ * A phone paired directly with a headless host still reads true, matching main's behaviour there.
+ */
+export function useWorkspaceOnPairedHost(): boolean {
   // Why the route, not a host signal: no host advertises a desktop window, and a server workspace's calls go to its own host.
   return useWorkspaceExecutionHost() === undefined
 }
diff --git a/mobile/src/session/MobileSessionSheets.test.tsx b/mobile/src/session/MobileSessionSheets.test.tsx
index 739affd8459..f1c1d8e4cd8 100644
--- a/mobile/src/session/MobileSessionSheets.test.tsx
+++ b/mobile/src/session/MobileSessionSheets.test.tsx
@@ -75,7 +75,6 @@ describe('the New Tab sheet', () => {
 
   it('leaves out Markdown Note for a server workspace, whose host opens no editor tabs', async () => {
     const labels = await newTabLabels('runtime:vm')
-    expect(labels).not.toContain('Markdown Note')
     expect(labels).toEqual(['Terminal', 'Browser'])
   })
 })
diff --git a/mobile/src/session/MobileSessionSheets.tsx b/mobile/src/session/MobileSessionSheets.tsx
index 38b07f20b3f..fc979a79229 100644
--- a/mobile/src/session/MobileSessionSheets.tsx
+++ b/mobile/src/session/MobileSessionSheets.tsx
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ import { TextInputModal } from '../components/TextInputModal'
 import { ConfirmModal } from '../components/ConfirmModal'
 import { CustomKeyModal } from '../components/CustomKeyModal'
 import { MobileDictationSetupSheet } from '../components/MobileDictationSetupSheet'
-import { useWorkspaceHostOpensEditorTabs } from '../navigation/workspace-execution-host'
+import { useWorkspaceOnPairedHost } from '../navigation/workspace-execution-host'
 import { MobileBrowserTabActionSheet } from './MobileBrowserTabActionSheet'
 import { getMobileTerminalActionSheetActions } from './mobile-terminal-action-sheet-actions'
 import {
@@ -92,7 +92,7 @@ export function MobileSessionSheets({ controller }: { controller: MobileSessionC
     showChecksAction
   } = controller
   const clipboard = useClipboardWriter()
-  const hostOpensEditorTabs = useWorkspaceHostOpensEditorTabs()
+  const onPairedHost = useWorkspaceOnPairedHost()
   return (
     <>
       <MobileSessionHeaderMoreActionsSheet
@@ -146,7 +146,7 @@ export function MobileSessionSheets({ controller }: { controller: MobileSessionC
                     setShowCreateBrowserModal(true)
                   }
                 },
-                ...(hostOpensEditorTabs
+                ...(onPairedHost
                   ? [
                       {
                         label: 'Markdown Note',
diff --git a/mobile/src/session/mobile-file-tap-open.ts b/mobile/src/session/mobile-file-tap-open.ts
index 86c8fb610c1..750f4ace8ac 100644
--- a/mobile/src/session/mobile-file-tap-open.ts
+++ b/mobile/src/session/mobile-file-tap-open.ts
@@ -184,9 +184,10 @@ async function openMobileFileTapAsync<T extends FileTapSessionTab>(
   // Why: a host with no desktop window opens no editor tabs; the preview route reads the file through files.read.
   if (isRendererUnavailableReply(openResponse)) {
     // Not a failure: the user moved off the source tab during the call.
-    if (shouldActivateOpenedMobileSessionTab(options.getActivationState(false))) {
-      pushWorktreePreview()
+    if (!shouldActivateOpenedMobileSessionTab(options.getActivationState(false))) {
+      return
     }
+    pushWorktreePreview()
     return
   }
   const opened = fileTapOpenRun.interpret(openResponse)