diff --git a/neode-ui/src/views/Dashboard.vue b/neode-ui/src/views/Dashboard.vue
index e9822c84..cb1b6d0f 100644
--- a/neode-ui/src/views/Dashboard.vue
+++ b/neode-ui/src/views/Dashboard.vue
@@ -91,23 +91,8 @@
         </div>
       </div>
 
-      <!-- Panel mode app session — renders alongside current page content -->
-      <Transition name="panel-slide">
-        <div v-if="appLauncher.panelAppId && appLauncher.panelAppId !== appLauncher.mediaAppId" class="app-panel-container">
-          <AppSession
-            v-if="appLauncher.panelAppId !== appLauncher.mediaAppId"
-            :key="appLauncher.panelAppId"
-            :app-id-prop="appLauncher.panelAppId"
-            :path-prop="appLauncher.panelPath ?? undefined"
-            @close="appLauncher.closePanel()"
-          />
-        </div>
-      </Transition>
-      <Transition name="panel-slide">
-      <div v-if="appLauncher.mediaAppId" v-show="appLauncher.panelAppId === appLauncher.mediaAppId" class="app-panel-container">
-        <AppSession :key="appLauncher.mediaAppId" :app-id-prop="appLauncher.mediaAppId" :suspended="appLauncher.panelAppId !== appLauncher.mediaAppId" @close="appLauncher.closePanel()" />
-      </div>
-      </Transition>
+      <!-- Stable keyed frames retain playback across late media admission. -->
+      <DashboardAppSessions />
     </main>
 
     <!-- Persistent Mobile Tabs + Bottom Tab Bar — outside <main> so position:fixed isn't broken by will-change:transform -->
@@ -127,7 +112,7 @@ import { useRouter, useRoute } from 'vue-router'
 import { useAppStore } from '../stores/app'
 import { useAppLauncherStore } from '../stores/appLauncher'
 import { appConfirm } from '@/composables/useAppConfirm'
-import AppSession from '@/views/AppSession.vue'
+import DashboardAppSessions from '@/views/dashboard/DashboardAppSessions.vue'
 import { useLoginTransitionStore } from '../stores/loginTransition'
 import { playDashboardLoadOomph } from '@/composables/useLoginSounds'
 
diff --git a/neode-ui/src/views/dashboard/DashboardAppSessions.vue b/neode-ui/src/views/dashboard/DashboardAppSessions.vue
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..dbd982cd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/neode-ui/src/views/dashboard/DashboardAppSessions.vue
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+<template>
+  <TransitionGroup name="panel-slide">
+    <div v-for="id in sessionIds" :key="id" v-show="launcher.panelAppId === id" class="app-panel-container">
+      <AppSession :app-id-prop="id" :path-prop="paths.get(id)" :suspended="launcher.panelAppId !== id" @close="launcher.closePanel()" />
+    </div>
+  </TransitionGroup>
+</template>
+<script setup lang="ts">
+import { computed, reactive, watch } from 'vue'
+import { useAppLauncherStore } from '@/stores/appLauncher'
+import AppSession from '@/views/AppSession.vue'
+const launcher = useAppLauncherStore()
+const paths = reactive(new Map<string, string | undefined>())
+// A single keyed tree owns each frame throughout visible -> retained promotion.
+const sessionIds = computed(() => [...new Set([launcher.mediaAppId, launcher.panelAppId].filter((id): id is string => !!id))])
+watch([() => launcher.panelAppId, () => launcher.panelPath], ([id, path]) => {
+  if (!id) return
+  // Reopening playback without an explicit deep link keeps the original URL.
+  if (id === launcher.mediaAppId && paths.has(id) && path == null) return
+  paths.set(id, path ?? undefined)
+}, { immediate: true })
+watch(sessionIds, ids => {
+  for (const id of paths.keys()) if (!ids.includes(id)) paths.delete(id)
+}, { flush: 'sync' })
+</script>
+<style scoped>
+@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
+  .panel-slide-enter-active, .panel-slide-leave-active { transition: none !important; }
+}
+</style>
diff --git a/neode-ui/src/views/dashboard/__tests__/DashboardAppSessions.test.ts b/neode-ui/src/views/dashboard/__tests__/DashboardAppSessions.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..710a2da5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/neode-ui/src/views/dashboard/__tests__/DashboardAppSessions.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,55 @@
+import { mount } from '@vue/test-utils'
+import { beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest'
+import { defineComponent, h, nextTick, onMounted, onUnmounted } from 'vue'
+vi.mock('@/stores/appLauncher', async () => {
+  const {reactive} = await import('vue')
+  const state = reactive({panelAppId:null as string|null, mediaAppId:null as string|null, panelPath:null as string|null,
+    closePanel() {state.panelAppId=null;state.panelPath=null}})
+  return {useAppLauncherStore:()=>state}
+})
+import { useAppLauncherStore } from '@/stores/appLauncher'
+import DashboardAppSessions from '../DashboardAppSessions.vue'
+describe('stable dashboard app frame ownership', () => {
+  const mounted=vi.fn(), unmounted=vi.fn()
+  const Session=defineComponent({props:{appIdProp:String,pathProp:String,suspended:Boolean},setup(props) {
+    onMounted(()=>mounted(props.appIdProp));onUnmounted(()=>unmounted(props.appIdProp))
+    return ()=>h('iframe',{'data-app':props.appIdProp,src:props.pathProp ?? '/browse','data-suspended':String(props.suspended)})
+  }})
+  beforeEach(()=> {vi.clearAllMocks();const store=useAppLauncherStore();store.panelAppId=null;store.mediaAppId=null;store.panelPath=null})
+  it('keeps the exact playing frame and deep link through late promotion, close and reopen',async()=>{
+    const store=useAppLauncherStore();store.panelAppId='music';store.panelPath='/browse/album/one'
+    const wrapper=mount(DashboardAppSessions,{global:{stubs:{AppSession:Session,TransitionGroup:false}}})
+    const frame=wrapper.get('iframe').element as HTMLIFrameElement
+    frame.dataset.playbackPosition='17'
+    store.mediaAppId='music';await nextTick()
+    expect(wrapper.get('iframe').element).toBe(frame)
+    expect(mounted).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);expect(unmounted).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
+    store.closePanel();await nextTick()
+    expect(wrapper.get('iframe').element).toBe(frame)
+    expect(frame.getAttribute('src')).toBe('/browse/album/one')
+    expect(frame.dataset.suspended).toBe('true')
+    store.panelAppId='music';await nextTick()
+    expect(wrapper.get('iframe').element).toBe(frame)
+    expect(frame.dataset.playbackPosition).toBe('17')
+    expect(frame.getAttribute('src')).toBe('/browse/album/one')
+    expect(frame.dataset.suspended).toBe('false')
+    expect(unmounted).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
+    wrapper.unmount();expect(unmounted).toHaveBeenCalledOnce()
+  })
+  it('keeps retained music while another app opens and promotes that app without recreating it',async()=>{
+    const store=useAppLauncherStore();store.panelAppId='music';store.panelPath='/first'
+    const wrapper=mount(DashboardAppSessions,{global:{stubs:{AppSession:Session,TransitionGroup:false}}})
+    const music=wrapper.get('iframe[data-app="music"]').element
+    store.mediaAppId='music';await nextTick()
+    store.panelPath='/station/two';store.panelAppId='radio';await nextTick()
+    const radio=wrapper.get('iframe[data-app="radio"]').element
+    expect(wrapper.get('iframe[data-app="music"]').element).toBe(music)
+    expect(music.getAttribute('src')).toBe('/first')
+    store.mediaAppId='radio';await nextTick()
+    expect(wrapper.get('iframe[data-app="radio"]').element).toBe(radio)
+    expect(mounted.mock.calls.map(call=>call[0])).toEqual(['music','radio'])
+    expect(unmounted).toHaveBeenCalledWith('music')
+    expect(unmounted).not.toHaveBeenCalledWith('radio')
+    wrapper.unmount()
+  })
+})