diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/app/chat/composer/status-stack/preview-row.tsx b/apps/desktop/src/app/chat/composer/status-stack/preview-row.tsx
index 510d0f534c..8e2eedf613 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/src/app/chat/composer/status-stack/preview-row.tsx
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/app/chat/composer/status-stack/preview-row.tsx
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ import { isDesktopFsRemoteMode } from '@/lib/desktop-fs'
 import { normalizeOrLocalPreviewTarget, openPreviewTargetInBrowser } from '@/lib/local-preview'
 import { cn } from '@/lib/utils'
 import { notifyError } from '@/store/notifications'
-import { $previewTabSources, closePreviewForSource, openPreview } from '@/store/preview'
+import { $previewTabSources, closePreviewForSource, openPreview, renderedHtmlTarget } from '@/store/preview'
 import { type PreviewArtifact } from '@/store/preview-status'
 
 interface PreviewStatusRowProps {
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ export const PreviewStatusRow = memo(function PreviewStatusRow({ item, onDismiss
     setOpening(true)
 
     try {
-      openPreview(await resolveTarget())
+      openPreview(renderedHtmlTarget(await resolveTarget()))
     } catch (error) {
       notifyError(error, t.preview.unavailable)
     } finally {
diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/app/chat/right-rail/preview-pane.tsx b/apps/desktop/src/app/chat/right-rail/preview-pane.tsx
index 8c0ef0a46d..b93e06fa8f 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/src/app/chat/right-rail/preview-pane.tsx
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/app/chat/right-rail/preview-pane.tsx
@@ -34,11 +34,11 @@ import { notify, notifyError } from '@/store/notifications'
 import {
   $browserPages,
   $previewServerRestart,
-  $previewTabs,
   commitBrowserTabLocation,
   failPreviewServerRestart,
   noteBrowserPage,
   popOutBrowserTab,
+  type PreviewRenderMode,
   type PreviewTarget,
   setPreviewRenderMode
 } from '@/store/preview'
@@ -251,7 +251,6 @@ export function PreviewPane({ embedded = false, onRestartServer, reloadRequest =
   const previewContentRef = useRef<HTMLDivElement | null>(null)
   const webviewRef = useRef<PreviewWebview | null>(null)
   const previewServerRestart = useStore($previewServerRestart)
-  const previewTabs = useStore($previewTabs)
   const consoleHeight = useStore(consoleState.$height)
   const consoleOpen = useStore(consoleState.$open)
   const selectedStoredSessionId = useStore($selectedStoredSessionId)
@@ -263,7 +262,6 @@ export function PreviewPane({ embedded = false, onRestartServer, reloadRequest =
   const [loading, setLoading] = useState(true)
   const [loadError, setLoadError] = useState<PreviewLoadErrorState | null>(null)
   const [localReloadKey, setLocalReloadKey] = useState(0)
-  const [localRenderMode, setLocalRenderMode] = useState<'preview' | 'source' | undefined>()
   const [annotate, setAnnotate] = useState(emptyAnnotateSession)
   const [draftNote, setDraftNote] = useState('')
   const annotateRef = useRef(annotate)
@@ -271,9 +269,7 @@ export function PreviewPane({ embedded = false, onRestartServer, reloadRequest =
   const annotateConversationRef = useRef(selectedStoredSessionId)
   annotateRef.current = annotate
 
-  const liveTarget = (tabId && previewTabs.find(tab => tab.id === tabId)?.target) || target
-  const renderMode = tabId ? liveTarget.renderMode : (localRenderMode ?? target.renderMode)
-  const isHtmlFileTarget = target.kind === 'file' && target.previewKind === 'html'
+  const renderMode = target.renderMode
 
   // Artifacts have no URL to load — they render from the registry, never in a
   // webview.
@@ -283,15 +279,18 @@ export function PreviewPane({ embedded = false, onRestartServer, reloadRequest =
   const isRemoteHtmlTarget =
     target.kind === 'file' && target.previewKind === 'html' && Boolean(target.dataUrl || target.transient)
 
-  // A remote HTML file whose data URL failed validation arrives as a
-  // source-only transient target; it has no rendered path to offer.
-  const canRenderHtmlFile = isHtmlFileTarget && (!isRemoteHtmlTarget || Boolean(target.dataUrl))
+  // The mode lives on the store tab, so only a tab-backed pane can flip it. A
+  // remote HTML file whose data URL failed validation arrives as a source-only
+  // transient target; it has no rendered path to offer.
+  const canRenderHtmlFile =
+    Boolean(tabId) &&
+    target.kind === 'file' &&
+    target.previewKind === 'html' &&
+    (!target.transient || Boolean(target.dataUrl))
 
-  const selectRenderMode = (next: 'preview' | 'source') => {
+  const selectRenderMode = (next: PreviewRenderMode) => {
     if (tabId) {
       setPreviewRenderMode(tabId, next)
-    } else {
-      setLocalRenderMode(next)
     }
   }
 
@@ -1405,7 +1404,7 @@ export function PreviewPane({ embedded = false, onRestartServer, reloadRequest =
               <PanelEmpty description={copy.blankPageBody} icon="globe" />
             </div>
           )}
-          {loadError && (
+          {isWebPreview && loadError && (
             <PreviewLoadError
               consoleHeight={consoleOpen ? consoleHeight : 0}
               error={loadError}
@@ -1415,7 +1414,7 @@ export function PreviewPane({ embedded = false, onRestartServer, reloadRequest =
             />
           )}
 
-          {annotate.draft ? (
+          {isWebPreview && annotate.draft ? (
             <PreviewAnnotateCard
               {...placeAnnotateCard({
                 paneHeight: previewContentRef.current?.clientHeight || 360,
diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/app/session/hooks/use-preview-routing.ts b/apps/desktop/src/app/session/hooks/use-preview-routing.ts
index 854864502b..f4913a267e 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/src/app/session/hooks/use-preview-routing.ts
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/app/session/hooks/use-preview-routing.ts
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ import {
   completePreviewServerRestart,
   openPreview,
   progressPreviewServerRestart,
+  renderedHtmlTarget,
   requestPreviewReload
 } from '@/store/preview'
 import { $activeSessionId, $currentCwd } from '@/store/session'
@@ -100,7 +101,7 @@ export function usePreviewRouting({ baseHandleGatewayEvent, currentCwd, requestG
               const url = resolved.kind === 'url' ? await reachablePreviewUrl(resolved.url) : resolved.url
               const reached = url === resolved.url ? resolved : { ...resolved, label: resolved.label || target, url }
 
-              openPreview(trimmedLabel ? { ...reached, label: trimmedLabel } : reached)
+              openPreview(renderedHtmlTarget(trimmedLabel ? { ...reached, label: trimmedLabel } : reached))
             }
           )
         }
diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/store/preview.test.ts b/apps/desktop/src/store/preview.test.ts
index 0049b61a38..3c1ec234ac 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/src/store/preview.test.ts
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/store/preview.test.ts
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ import {
   previewTabId,
   type PreviewTarget,
   progressPreviewServerRestart,
+  renderedHtmlTarget,
   setPreviewRenderMode
 } from './preview'
 
@@ -203,6 +204,21 @@ describe('preview store', () => {
     expect($previewTarget.get()?.renderMode).toBe('preview')
   })
 
+  it('renders an agent hand-over of an HTML file even when its tab sits in Source', () => {
+    const target = fileTarget('/work/handed.html')
+
+    openPreview(target)
+    setPreviewRenderMode(previewTabId(target), 'source')
+    openPreview(renderedHtmlTarget(target))
+
+    expect($previewTabs.get()).toHaveLength(1)
+    expect($previewTarget.get()?.renderMode).toBe('preview')
+
+    // An explicit mode and non-HTML targets pass through untouched.
+    expect(renderedHtmlTarget({ ...target, renderMode: 'source' }).renderMode).toBe('source')
+    expect(renderedHtmlTarget({ ...fileTarget('/work/notes.md'), previewKind: 'text' }).renderMode).toBeUndefined()
+  })
+
   it('falls back to a neighbouring tab when the active one closes, and clears the selection on the last', () => {
     openPreview(fileTarget('/work/one.html'))
     openPreview(fileTarget('/work/two.html'))
diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/store/preview.ts b/apps/desktop/src/store/preview.ts
index 3823ad7e7b..c36aee8777 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/src/store/preview.ts
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/store/preview.ts
@@ -20,6 +20,9 @@ import { canOpenBrowserWindow, openBrowserInNewWindow } from './windows'
  * anywhere else — they close when you close them.
  */
 
+/** How an HTML file target shows: the live page, or its source. */
+export type PreviewRenderMode = 'preview' | 'source'
+
 export interface PreviewTarget {
   binary?: boolean
   byteSize?: number
@@ -38,7 +41,7 @@ export interface PreviewTarget {
   mimeType?: string
   path?: string
   previewKind?: 'binary' | 'html' | 'image' | 'pdf' | 'text'
-  renderMode?: 'preview' | 'source'
+  renderMode?: PreviewRenderMode
   source: string
   /** Runtime-only target that cannot be restored from persisted state. */
   transient?: boolean
@@ -503,16 +506,24 @@ function browserTabId(tabs: PreviewTab[]): RightRailTabId {
 /** HTML files open rendered unless the caller asks for a mode. A re-open keeps
  *  the mode the tab is already in, so refreshing the target never undoes a
  *  user's Source pick. */
-function withRenderMode(target: PreviewTarget, open?: PreviewTarget): PreviewTarget {
+function withRenderMode(target: PreviewTarget, existing?: PreviewTarget): PreviewTarget {
   if (target.kind !== 'file' || target.previewKind !== 'html' || target.renderMode) {
     return target
   }
 
-  return { ...target, renderMode: open?.renderMode ?? 'preview' }
+  return { ...target, renderMode: existing?.renderMode ?? 'preview' }
+}
+
+/** An agent hand-over means "show the page": an HTML file opens rendered even
+ *  when its tab is sitting in Source, unlike a re-open from the Files pane. */
+export function renderedHtmlTarget(target: PreviewTarget): PreviewTarget {
+  return target.kind === 'file' && target.previewKind === 'html' && !target.renderMode
+    ? { ...target, renderMode: 'preview' }
+    : target
 }
 
 /** Flip a tab between live Render and Source in place. Same tab id. */
-export function setPreviewRenderMode(tabId: string, renderMode: 'preview' | 'source') {
+export function setPreviewRenderMode(tabId: string, renderMode: PreviewRenderMode) {
   const current = $previewTabs.get()
   const index = current.findIndex(tab => tab.id === tabId)