diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 30dbefcd..44750eb3 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -16,6 +16,18 @@ heading, and (b) bumping `pubspec.yaml` `version:` in the same commit.
 
 ## [Unreleased]
 
+### Fixed
+
+- **Ticket and decision sidebars reliably load on first open (real fix).** The
+  2.3.1 re-fetch-on-open helped only when a project is picked *after* the window
+  is up; with sticky-startup the project opens during boot, before the panes
+  mount, so they never saw the event. The underlying cause was a race: the boot
+  IPC-server swap (to the launch CWD) and the project-open swap (to the repo)
+  ran concurrently, and the late-finishing boot swap could clobber the repo
+  bind — leaving the daemon's pql/git/files pointed at the launch directory
+  (HOME) and the sidebars erroring on a stale/global pql.db. Swaps are now
+  serialized so the repo bind always wins. (T-352)
+
 ## [2.3.1] — 2026-06-10
 
 ### Fixed
diff --git a/lib/main.dart b/lib/main.dart
index 5a57f695..da24b6e4 100644
--- a/lib/main.dart
+++ b/lib/main.dart
@@ -116,7 +116,11 @@ Future<void> main() async {
   McpServer? mcpServer;
   final ipcLog = Logger();
 
-  Future<void> swapIpcServer(DaemonDispatcher dispatcher, Directory workRoot) async {
+  // IPC-server swaps must run one-at-a-time — see the swapIpcServer wrapper
+  // below doSwapIpcServer for why. (T-352)
+  Future<void> swapChain = Future<void>.value();
+
+  Future<void> doSwapIpcServer(DaemonDispatcher dispatcher, Directory workRoot) async {
     if (kIsWeb) return;
     // Already serving this exact workspace? Reuse the live server.
     // The startup factory binds the launch CWD, then the project-open
@@ -173,6 +177,22 @@ Future<void> main() async {
     }
   }
 
+  // Serialize IPC-server swaps. The boot factory fires a swap to the launch
+  // CWD with unawaited(); the project-open flow then fires another to the
+  // real repo. Unserialized, the two interleave and the late-finishing boot
+  // swap can clobber the repo bind — reconnecting the daemon client to the
+  // launch-CWD (HOME) socket, so pql/git/files run against the wrong
+  // workspace. That surfaced as the ticket/decision sidebars failing on first
+  // load (stale/global pql.db) yet working after a manual refresh. Chaining
+  // every swap makes them apply in call order; the repo swap is issued last
+  // and therefore wins. (T-352)
+  Future<void> swapIpcServer(DaemonDispatcher dispatcher, Directory workRoot) {
+    final next = swapChain.then((_) => doSwapIpcServer(dispatcher, workRoot));
+    // A failed swap must not break the chain for the next one.
+    swapChain = next.catchError((Object _) {});
+    return next;
+  }
+
   DaemonDispatcher buildDispatcher(
     DaemonBus events,
     Toolchain tc,