diff --git a/apps/app/src/features/chat/components/chat-input-composer.tsx b/apps/app/src/features/chat/components/chat-input-composer.tsx
index ebb07218c..8dd0a21e6 100644
--- a/apps/app/src/features/chat/components/chat-input-composer.tsx
+++ b/apps/app/src/features/chat/components/chat-input-composer.tsx
@@ -146,6 +146,7 @@ export function ChatInputComposer({
     ...orpcQueryUtils.git.branch.queryOptions({ input: { cwd: cwd ?? "" } }),
     enabled: cwd !== undefined,
   });
+  const currentBranch = branch.data?.current;
   const { acknowledgeRecovery, prompt, steer, turnInProgress, store } = useChatSession();
   const status = useStore(store, (state) => state.session.status);
   const activeTurnId = useStore(store, (state) => state.session.activeTurnId);
@@ -234,17 +235,21 @@ export function ChatInputComposer({
           </PromptInputToolbar>
         </ChatInputProvider>
       </Card>
-      {branch.data?.current ? (
-        <CardFrameFooter className="py-2">
-          <span
-            className="text-muted-foreground flex items-center gap-1.5 px-3 text-xs"
-            title="Current git branch"
-          >
-            <GitBranchIcon aria-hidden="true" className="size-3.5 shrink-0" />
-            <span className="truncate">{branch.data.current}</span>
-          </span>
-        </CardFrameFooter>
-      ) : null}
+      <CardFrameFooter className="px-3 py-2">
+        <span
+          className="text-muted-foreground flex h-4 min-w-0 items-center gap-1.5 text-xs"
+          title={currentBranch ? "Current git branch" : undefined}
+        >
+          {branch.isPending ? (
+            <span aria-hidden="true" className="bg-muted h-2 w-24 animate-pulse rounded-sm" />
+          ) : currentBranch ? (
+            <>
+              <GitBranchIcon aria-hidden="true" className="size-3.5 shrink-0" />
+              <span className="truncate">{currentBranch}</span>
+            </>
+          ) : null}
+        </span>
+      </CardFrameFooter>
     </CardFrame>
   );
 }
diff --git a/apps/app/src/routes/session/$sessionId.tsx b/apps/app/src/routes/session/$sessionId.tsx
index 1040ffad6..33cbefe62 100644
--- a/apps/app/src/routes/session/$sessionId.tsx
+++ b/apps/app/src/routes/session/$sessionId.tsx
@@ -34,6 +34,17 @@ export const Route = createFileRoute("/session/$sessionId")({
   loaderDeps: ({ search }) => search,
   loader: async ({ context, params, deps }) => {
     const { session } = context.orpcQueryUtils;
+    const prefetchBranch = async (projectId: string) => {
+      const projects = await context.queryClient.ensureQueryData(
+        context.orpcQueryUtils.project.list.queryOptions(),
+      );
+      const cwd = projects.find((project) => project.id === projectId)?.path;
+      if (cwd) {
+        void context.queryClient.prefetchQuery(
+          context.orpcQueryUtils.git.branch.queryOptions({ input: { cwd } }),
+        );
+      }
+    };
 
     // Fast path: the link handed us a whole ref, so prepare can go first. We
     // return what the server answers with, not what the URL claimed.
@@ -43,6 +54,7 @@ export const Route = createFileRoute("/session/$sessionId")({
         harnessAgentId: deps.harness,
         sessionId: params.sessionId,
       };
+      void prefetchBranch(hinted.projectId);
       const prepared = await session.prepare.call({ ref: hinted }).catch((error: unknown) => {
         // A bad hint and a session the harness has forgotten both fall through
         // to the lookup; only this line tells them apart afterwards.
@@ -69,6 +81,7 @@ export const Route = createFileRoute("/session/$sessionId")({
     // native history was cleaned up fails here — surface it instead of leaving
     // a silently dead chat. The page still renders, so keep the console trail
     // for diagnosis after the toast auto-dismisses.
+    void prefetchBranch(ref.projectId);
     await session.prepare.call({ ref }).catch((error: unknown) => {
       console.error("Failed to prepare session", error);
       toast.error(