diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/onboarding/onboarding-folder-agent-startup.test.ts b/src/renderer/src/components/onboarding/onboarding-folder-agent-startup.test.ts
index 954d0e3fe30..54edf17210d 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/components/onboarding/onboarding-folder-agent-startup.test.ts
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/onboarding/onboarding-folder-agent-startup.test.ts
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@ import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest'
 import { getDefaultSettings } from '../../../../shared/constants'
 import { getDefaultOnboardingState } from '../../../../shared/onboarding-defaults'
 import {
-  buildDismissedOnboardingFolderAgentStartup,
   buildOnboardingFolderAgentStartup,
   shouldSeedFolderAgentAfterDismissedOnboarding
 } from '@/lib/onboarding-folder-agent-startup'
@@ -111,34 +110,4 @@ describe('buildOnboardingFolderAgentStartup', () => {
       )
     ).toBe(false)
   })
-
-  it('builds the skipped-onboarding folder startup from the persisted default agent', () => {
-    expect(
-      buildDismissedOnboardingFolderAgentStartup(
-        {
-          ...getDefaultSettings('/tmp/orca-workspaces'),
-          defaultTuiAgent: 'codex',
-          agentCmdOverrides: { codex: 'echo onboarding-folder-agent' }
-        },
-        { ...getDefaultOnboardingState(), outcome: 'dismissed' },
-        false,
-        HOST
-      )
-    ).toEqual({
-      command: "echo onboarding-folder-agent '--dangerously-bypass-approvals-and-sandbox'",
-      env: {},
-      launchAgent: 'codex',
-      launchConfig: {
-        agentCommand: "echo onboarding-folder-agent '--dangerously-bypass-approvals-and-sandbox'",
-        agentArgs: '--dangerously-bypass-approvals-and-sandbox',
-        agentEnv: {}
-      },
-      sessionOptions: undefined,
-      telemetry: {
-        agent_kind: 'codex',
-        launch_source: 'onboarding',
-        request_kind: 'new'
-      }
-    })
-  })
 })
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/sidebar/NonGitFolderDialog.tsx b/src/renderer/src/components/sidebar/NonGitFolderDialog.tsx
index 0801c7b4fa6..7e13f3adea4 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/components/sidebar/NonGitFolderDialog.tsx
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/sidebar/NonGitFolderDialog.tsx
@@ -95,7 +95,7 @@ const NonGitFolderDialog = React.memo(function NonGitFolderDialog() {
           })
           const state = useAppStore.getState()
           const hadProjectBeforeAdd = stateBeforeAdd.repos.length > 0
-          await markOnboardingProjectAdded('addedFolder')
+          const onboardingBeforeAdd = await markOnboardingProjectAdded('addedFolder')
           await state.fetchWorktrees(repo.id, ownerOptions)
           // Why: mirror the local non-git folder flow — without this the
           // dialog closes and the UI shows no visible change, making the
@@ -105,13 +105,12 @@ const NonGitFolderDialog = React.memo(function NonGitFolderDialog() {
             (worktree) => worktree.hostId === ownerOptions.executionHostId
           )
           if (folderWorktree) {
-            const onboarding = await window.api.onboarding.get().catch(() => null)
             // Why: SSH users can hit this dialog from Add Project after
             // dismissing onboarding, bypassing the local addNonGitFolder path.
             const launch = resolveDismissedOnboardingFolderAgentLaunch({
               worktreeId: folderWorktree.id,
               store: useAppStore.getState(),
-              onboarding,
+              onboarding: onboardingBeforeAdd,
               hasExistingProject: hadProjectBeforeAdd,
               executionHostId: ownerOptions.executionHostId ?? connectionId
             })
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/lib/onboarding-folder-agent-startup.ts b/src/renderer/src/lib/onboarding-folder-agent-startup.ts
index 3366f130761..d35c1350ccd 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/lib/onboarding-folder-agent-startup.ts
+++ b/src/renderer/src/lib/onboarding-folder-agent-startup.ts
@@ -84,15 +84,3 @@ export function shouldSeedFolderAgentAfterDismissedOnboarding(
     !onboarding.checklist.addedFolder
   )
 }
-
-export function buildDismissedOnboardingFolderAgentStartup(
-  settings: GlobalSettings | null,
-  onboarding: OnboardingState | null,
-  hasExistingProject: boolean,
-  host: OnboardingStartupHost
-): OnboardingFolderAgentStartup | undefined {
-  if (!shouldSeedFolderAgentAfterDismissedOnboarding(onboarding, hasExistingProject)) {
-    return undefined
-  }
-  return buildOnboardingFolderAgentStartup(settings, host)
-}
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/lib/onboarding-project-checklist.ts b/src/renderer/src/lib/onboarding-project-checklist.ts
index 742cd164776..33eb52de034 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/lib/onboarding-project-checklist.ts
+++ b/src/renderer/src/lib/onboarding-project-checklist.ts
@@ -3,15 +3,16 @@ import type { OnboardingState } from '../../../shared/onboarding-state-types'
 
 export type OnboardingProjectChecklistItem = 'addedRepo' | 'addedFolder'
 
+/** Returns the onboarding state read before marking, so callers can tell a first add from a later one. */
 export async function markOnboardingProjectAdded(
   item: OnboardingProjectChecklistItem
-): Promise<void> {
+): Promise<OnboardingState | null> {
   if (typeof window === 'undefined' || !window.api?.onboarding) {
-    return
+    return null
   }
   const onboarding = await window.api.onboarding.get().catch(() => null)
   if (!onboarding || onboarding.checklist[item]) {
-    return
+    return onboarding
   }
 
   const checklist: Partial<OnboardingState['checklist']> = {}
@@ -20,11 +21,12 @@ export async function markOnboardingProjectAdded(
     await window.api.onboarding.update({ checklist })
   } catch (err) {
     console.warn('[onboarding] Failed to update project checklist item:', err)
-    return
+    return onboarding
   }
 
   track('activation_checklist_item_completed', {
     item,
     time_since_completed_ms: 0
   })
+  return onboarding
 }
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/store/repos/repo-add-actions.ts b/src/renderer/src/store/repos/repo-add-actions.ts
index 1213b524298..dc5f4e8319b 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/store/repos/repo-add-actions.ts
+++ b/src/renderer/src/store/repos/repo-add-actions.ts
@@ -173,7 +173,7 @@ export function createRepoAddActions(
         if (!repo) {
           return null
         }
-        await markOnboardingProjectAdded('addedFolder')
+        const onboardingBeforeAdd = await markOnboardingProjectAdded('addedFolder')
         // Why: focus the new folder so the add is visible; lazy-import worktree-activation to avoid a circular module load (it imports the store root).
         const executionHostId =
           options?.runtimeEnvironmentId === undefined
@@ -186,7 +186,6 @@ export function createRepoAddActions(
           (worktree) => executionHostId === undefined || worktree.hostId === executionHostId
         )
         if (folderWorktree) {
-          const onboarding = await window.api.onboarding.get().catch(() => null)
           // Why: lazy-import to avoid a circular module load (the launch graph imports the store root).
           const {
             resolveDismissedOnboardingFolderAgentLaunch,
@@ -196,7 +195,7 @@ export function createRepoAddActions(
           const launch = resolveDismissedOnboardingFolderAgentLaunch({
             worktreeId: folderWorktree.id,
             store: get(),
-            onboarding,
+            onboarding: onboardingBeforeAdd,
             hasExistingProject: hadProjectBeforeAdd,
             executionHostId: executionHostId ?? LOCAL_EXECUTION_HOST_ID
           })
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/store/slices/repos-onboarding-folder-startup.test.ts b/src/renderer/src/store/slices/repos-onboarding-folder-startup.test.ts
index 3a3af4f5287..9fce9b24728 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/store/slices/repos-onboarding-folder-startup.test.ts
+++ b/src/renderer/src/store/slices/repos-onboarding-folder-startup.test.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest'
 import { getDefaultSettings } from '../../../../shared/constants'
 import { getDefaultOnboardingState } from '../../../../shared/onboarding-defaults'
+import type { OnboardingState } from '../../../../shared/onboarding-state-types'
 import { useAppStore } from '@/store'
 import {
   resolveDismissedOnboardingFolderAgentLaunch,
@@ -30,17 +31,19 @@ afterEach(() => vi.restoreAllMocks())
 const reposAdd = vi.fn()
 const worktreesList = vi.fn()
 const onboardingGet = vi.fn()
+const onboardingUpdate = vi.fn()
 
 beforeEach(() => {
   reposAdd.mockReset()
   worktreesList.mockReset()
   onboardingGet.mockReset()
+  onboardingUpdate.mockReset()
   worktreeActivation.activateAndRevealWorktree.mockReset()
   vi.stubGlobal('window', {
     api: {
       repos: { add: reposAdd },
       worktrees: { list: worktreesList },
-      onboarding: { get: onboardingGet }
+      onboarding: { get: onboardingGet, update: onboardingUpdate }
     }
   })
 })
@@ -57,7 +60,14 @@ describe('repo slice skipped-onboarding folder startup', () => {
     worktreesList.mockImplementation(({ repoId }: { repoId: string }) => [
       makeWorktree({ id: `${repoId}::/folder`, repoId })
     ])
-    onboardingGet.mockResolvedValue({ ...getDefaultOnboardingState(), outcome: 'dismissed' })
+    let onboarding: OnboardingState = { ...getDefaultOnboardingState(), outcome: 'dismissed' }
+    onboardingGet.mockImplementation(async () => onboarding)
+    onboardingUpdate.mockImplementation(
+      async ({ checklist }: { checklist: Partial<OnboardingState['checklist']> }) => {
+        onboarding = { ...onboarding, checklist: { ...onboarding.checklist, ...checklist } }
+        return onboarding
+      }
+    )
     const store = createTestStore()
     store.setState({
       settings: {