diff --git a/src/features/terminal/persist.test.ts b/src/features/terminal/persist.test.ts
index 8a0061412..aff470f25 100644
--- a/src/features/terminal/persist.test.ts
+++ b/src/features/terminal/persist.test.ts
@@ -17,10 +17,17 @@ vi.mock("./session", () => ({
     key: string;
     state: { cwd: string };
     command: { program: string; args: string[]; shell?: boolean } | undefined;
-    constructor(opts: { key: string; cwd: string; command?: { program: string; args: string[]; shell?: boolean } }) {
+    fallbackRoot: string | undefined;
+    constructor(opts: {
+      key: string;
+      cwd: string;
+      command?: { program: string; args: string[]; shell?: boolean };
+      fallbackRoot?: string;
+    }) {
       this.key = opts.key;
       this.state = { cwd: opts.cwd };
       this.command = opts.command;
+      this.fallbackRoot = opts.fallbackRoot;
     }
     dispose() {}
   },
@@ -28,6 +35,10 @@ vi.mock("./session", () => ({
 
 const state = () => useTerminals.getState();
 const names = () => state().tabs.map((t) => t.customName ?? t.name);
+const sessionOf = (key: string) =>
+  getSession(key) as
+    | { state: { cwd: string }; command?: { program: string; args: string[]; shell?: boolean }; fallbackRoot?: string }
+    | undefined;
 
 beforeEach(() => {
   unbindTerminals();
@@ -99,4 +110,35 @@ describe("terminal tab memory", () => {
     expect(names()).toEqual(["Ship"]);
     expect(getSession(state().tabs[0]!.session)?.state.cwd).toBe("/repo");
   });
+
+  it("restored tabs fall back to the project root, fresh tabs do not", () => {
+    syncTerminalProject("/repo");
+    newTab("/repo/logs");
+    syncTerminalProject(null);
+    syncTerminalProject("/repo");
+    const restored = state().tabs[0]!;
+    expect(sessionOf(restored.session)?.fallbackRoot).toBe("/repo");
+
+    const fresh = newTab("/repo/app");
+    expect(sessionOf(fresh.session)?.fallbackRoot).toBeUndefined();
+
+    const side = splitTab(restored.id, "horizontal")!;
+    const sideTab = state().tabs.find((t) => t.id === side)!;
+    expect(sessionOf(sideTab.session)?.fallbackRoot).toBe("/repo");
+  });
+
+  it("restores a tab whose saved directory is gone with the project root as its fallback", () => {
+    syncTerminalProject("/repo");
+    const tab = newTab("/repo");
+    getSession(tab.session)!.state.cwd = "/repo/gone";
+    useTerminals.setState((s) => ({
+      sessions: { ...s.sessions, [tab.session]: { ...s.sessions[tab.session]!, cwd: "/repo/gone" } },
+    }));
+
+    syncTerminalProject(null);
+    syncTerminalProject("/repo");
+    const restored = sessionOf(state().tabs[0]!.session)!;
+    expect(restored.state.cwd).toBe("/repo/gone");
+    expect(restored.fallbackRoot).toBe("/repo");
+  });
 });
diff --git a/src/features/terminal/session.test.ts b/src/features/terminal/session.test.ts
index dc4e36f09..9d010d97b 100644
--- a/src/features/terminal/session.test.ts
+++ b/src/features/terminal/session.test.ts
@@ -1,11 +1,19 @@
 import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
 import { FIT_INTERVAL_MS } from "./fit";
 import { findTerminalLinks, type TerminalLink } from "./links";
-import { openFileLink, TerminalSession } from "./session";
+import { openFileLink, resolveStartCwd, TerminalSession } from "./session";
 
 const ipc = vi.hoisted(() => ({
   call: vi.fn(async (v: unknown) => v),
-  commands: { fsReadDir: vi.fn(), findFiles: vi.fn() },
+  commands: {
+    fsReadDir: vi.fn(),
+    fsEntryKind: vi.fn(),
+    findFiles: vi.fn(),
+    termSpawn: vi.fn(),
+    termKill: vi.fn(),
+    termResize: vi.fn(),
+    termIsBusy: vi.fn(),
+  },
 }));
 const workbench = vi.hoisted(() => ({
   openFile: vi.fn(async () => undefined),
@@ -18,6 +26,13 @@ vi.mock("@/workbench/contributions", () => ({
   notifications: () => ({ notify: workbench.notify }),
   OWNS_FILE_DROP: { "data-owner": true },
 }));
+// `Channel` needs the Tauri runtime; a start() test only hands it to the mocked spawn call.
+vi.mock("@tauri-apps/api/core", async (importOriginal) => ({
+  ...(await importOriginal<object>()),
+  Channel: class {
+    onmessage: ((chunk: string) => void) | null = null;
+  },
+}));
 
 const fileLink = (text: string): Extract<TerminalLink, { kind: "file" }> => {
   const [l] = findTerminalLinks(text);
@@ -74,6 +89,73 @@ describe("openFileLink", () => {
   });
 });
 
+describe("resolveStartCwd", () => {
+  beforeEach(() => vi.clearAllMocks());
+
+  it("keeps a saved directory that still exists", async () => {
+    ipc.commands.fsEntryKind.mockResolvedValue("dir");
+    await expect(resolveStartCwd("/repo/logs", "/repo")).resolves.toBe("/repo/logs");
+    expect(ipc.commands.fsEntryKind).toHaveBeenCalledWith("/repo/logs");
+  });
+
+  it("falls back to the project root when the saved directory is gone", async () => {
+    ipc.commands.fsEntryKind.mockRejectedValue(new Error("not found"));
+    await expect(resolveStartCwd("/repo/logs", "/repo")).resolves.toBe("/repo");
+  });
+
+  it("falls back when the saved path is a file rather than a directory", async () => {
+    ipc.commands.fsEntryKind.mockResolvedValue("file");
+    await expect(resolveStartCwd("/repo/logs", "/repo")).resolves.toBe("/repo");
+  });
+
+  it("does not touch the file system without a fallback or when the paths match", async () => {
+    await expect(resolveStartCwd("/repo", "/repo")).resolves.toBe("/repo");
+    await expect(resolveStartCwd("/anywhere", undefined)).resolves.toBe("/anywhere");
+    expect(ipc.commands.fsEntryKind).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+});
+
+describe("terminal start directory fallback", () => {
+  beforeEach(() => vi.clearAllMocks());
+
+  it("spawns a restored session in the project root when its saved directory is gone", async () => {
+    ipc.commands.fsEntryKind.mockRejectedValue(new Error("gone"));
+    ipc.commands.termSpawn.mockResolvedValue({ id: 7, title: "zsh" });
+    const session = new TerminalSession({
+      key: "s-fallback",
+      cwd: "/repo/gone",
+      fallbackRoot: "/repo",
+      onChange: () => undefined,
+      onFocus: () => undefined,
+    });
+    await session.start();
+    expect(ipc.commands.termSpawn).toHaveBeenCalledWith(expect.objectContaining({ cwd: "/repo" }), expect.anything());
+    expect(session.state.cwd).toBe("/repo");
+    expect(session.state.status).toBe("running");
+    session.dispose();
+    expect(ipc.commands.termKill).toHaveBeenCalledWith(7);
+  });
+
+  it("keeps spawning in a saved directory that still exists", async () => {
+    ipc.commands.fsEntryKind.mockResolvedValue("dir");
+    ipc.commands.termSpawn.mockResolvedValue({ id: 8, title: "zsh" });
+    const session = new TerminalSession({
+      key: "s-kept",
+      cwd: "/repo/logs",
+      fallbackRoot: "/repo",
+      onChange: () => undefined,
+      onFocus: () => undefined,
+    });
+    await session.start();
+    expect(ipc.commands.termSpawn).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+      expect.objectContaining({ cwd: "/repo/logs" }),
+      expect.anything(),
+    );
+    expect(session.state.cwd).toBe("/repo/logs");
+    session.dispose();
+  });
+});
+
 describe("terminal open", () => {
   afterEach(() => vi.useRealTimers());
 
diff --git a/src/features/terminal/session.ts b/src/features/terminal/session.ts
index af0f806ef..0a39013f3 100644
--- a/src/features/terminal/session.ts
+++ b/src/features/terminal/session.ts
@@ -71,6 +71,11 @@ export interface SessionOptions {
    * `shell`: it is a shell (a predefined session), so shell integration still applies.
    */
   command?: { program: string; args: string[]; shell?: boolean };
+  /**
+   * Restored tabs only: the project root, used when `cwd` no longer exists
+   * (deleted since the last run, see `resolveStartCwd`).
+   */
+  fallbackRoot?: string;
 }
 
 /** Mouse-tracking DEC private modes (X10, normal, button, any-event, encodings). */
@@ -167,6 +172,21 @@ export async function openFileLink(link: Extract<TerminalLink, { kind: "file" }>
   notifications().notify({ level: "warning", title: "File not found", body: link.path });
 }
 
+/**
+ * A tab restored from the last session may remember a directory that has since
+ * been deleted. The backend would silently start such a shell in $HOME; when a
+ * `fallbackRoot` (the project root) is given, start there instead.
+ */
+export async function resolveStartCwd(cwd: string, fallbackRoot: string | undefined): Promise<string> {
+  if (!fallbackRoot || cwd === fallbackRoot) return cwd;
+  try {
+    if ((await call(commands.fsEntryKind(cwd))) === "dir") return cwd;
+  } catch {
+    /* deleted or unreachable */
+  }
+  return fallbackRoot;
+}
+
 export class TerminalSession {
   readonly key: string;
   readonly host: HTMLDivElement;
@@ -525,10 +545,12 @@ export class TerminalSession {
       const [shellPath, ...shellArgs] = parseShellCommand(t.shellPath, hostOs() === "windows");
       const shell = custom ? custom.program : shellPath;
       const args = custom ? custom.args : shellArgs;
+      const cwd = await resolveStartCwd(this.opts.cwd, this.opts.fallbackRoot);
+      if (cwd !== this.opts.cwd) this.update({ cwd });
       const info = await call(
         commands.termSpawn(
           {
-            cwd: this.opts.cwd,
+            cwd,
             shell: shell ?? null,
             args,
             env: { ...t.env },
diff --git a/src/features/terminal/store.ts b/src/features/terminal/store.ts
index 5864b5fd4..76e00f9a5 100644
--- a/src/features/terminal/store.ts
+++ b/src/features/terminal/store.ts
@@ -82,12 +82,13 @@ export function sessionForTerminalId(id: number): TerminalSession | undefined {
   return allSessions().find((s) => s.terminalId === id);
 }
 
-function createSession(cwd: string, command?: SessionOptions["command"]): TerminalSession {
+function createSession(cwd: string, command?: SessionOptions["command"], fallbackRoot?: string): TerminalSession {
   const key = `s${++seq}`;
   const session = new TerminalSession({
     key,
     cwd,
     command,
+    fallbackRoot,
     onChange: (k, snapshot) => useTerminals.setState((s) => ({ sessions: { ...s.sessions, [k]: snapshot } })),
     onFocus: (k) => {
       const tab = tabOfSession(k);
@@ -381,7 +382,7 @@ export function splitTab(id: string, orientation: SplitOrientation, move = false
     });
     return id;
   }
-  const session = createSession(sessions.get(tab.session)?.state.cwd ?? "/");
+  const session = createSession(sessions.get(tab.session)?.state.cwd ?? "/", undefined, boundProject ?? undefined);
   const copy: TerminalTab = {
     id: `t${seq}`,
     name: defaultTabName(),
@@ -560,7 +561,7 @@ function remapLayout(node: GroupLayout, mapGroup: (group: string) => string): Gr
 }
 
 /** Opens the saved tabs in fresh sessions. Group ids are new, so they don't collide with ones minted later. */
-function restore(saved: StoredTerminals) {
+function restore(saved: StoredTerminals, root: string) {
   const groupOf = new Map<string, string>();
   const mapGroup = (group: string) => {
     let mapped = groupOf.get(group);
@@ -574,6 +575,8 @@ function restore(saved: StoredTerminals) {
     const session = createSession(
       savedTab.cwd,
       savedTab.shell ? { program: savedTab.shell, args: [], shell: true } : undefined,
+      // A saved directory may have been deleted since the last run: start in the project root then.
+      root,
     );
     const id = `t${seq}`;
     idOf.set(savedTab.id, id);
@@ -611,7 +614,7 @@ export function syncTerminalProject(root: string | null) {
     closeAll();
     if (!root) return;
     const saved = readStored(root);
-    if (saved?.tabs.length) restore(saved);
+    if (saved?.tabs.length) restore(saved, root);
   } finally {
     restoring = false;
   }