diff --git a/packages/server/src/api-types.ts b/packages/server/src/api-types.ts
index d2349cde..712d383f 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/api-types.ts
+++ b/packages/server/src/api-types.ts
@@ -220,6 +220,13 @@ export interface FileSystemFileContentResponse {
   encoding: "utf-8" | "base64"
 }
 
+export interface DetectPathExistingInRecentResponse {
+  exists: boolean
+  currentPath: string
+  currentReal: string
+  foundResult: string | undefined
+}
+
 export interface ConfigFileDescriptor {
   id: string
   label: string
diff --git a/packages/server/src/server/routes/filesystem.ts b/packages/server/src/server/routes/filesystem.ts
index 41815720..f9f18fcd 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/server/routes/filesystem.ts
+++ b/packages/server/src/server/routes/filesystem.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 import { FastifyInstance } from "fastify"
 import { z } from "zod"
+import fs from "node:fs/promises"
 import { FileSystemBrowser } from "../../filesystem/browser"
+import { RecentFolder, RecentFolderSchema } from '../../config/schema'
 
 interface RouteDeps {
   fileSystemBrowser: FileSystemBrowser
@@ -21,6 +23,11 @@ const FilesystemFileContentQuerySchema = z.object({
   encoding: z.enum(["utf-8", "base64"]).optional(),
 })
 
+const FilesystemFileRealpathQuerySchema = z.object({
+  currentPath: z.string(),
+  recentPaths: z.array(z.string()).default([]),
+})
+
 export function registerFilesystemRoutes(app: FastifyInstance, deps: RouteDeps) {
   app.get("/api/filesystem", async (request, reply) => {
     const query = FilesystemQuerySchema.parse(request.query ?? {})
@@ -66,4 +73,39 @@ export function registerFilesystemRoutes(app: FastifyInstance, deps: RouteDeps)
       reply.code(400).type("text/plain").send((error as Error).message)
     }
   })
+
+  app.post("/api/filesystem/detect-path-existing-in-recent", async (request, reply) => {
+    const query = FilesystemFileRealpathQuerySchema.parse(request.body ?? {})
+
+    try {
+      const currentPath = query.currentPath
+      const currentReal = await fs.realpath(currentPath)
+
+      let exists = false
+      let foundResult: string | undefined
+
+      const fn = async (path: string) => {
+        await fs.access(path, fs.constants.F_OK)
+        return currentReal === await fs.realpath(path)
+      }
+
+      for (const path of query.recentPaths) {
+        if (currentPath === path || currentReal === path || await fn(path).catch(() => false)) {
+          exists = true
+          foundResult = path
+          break
+        }
+      }
+
+      return {
+        exists,
+        currentPath,
+        currentReal,
+        foundResult
+      }
+    } catch (error) {
+      reply.code(400).type("text/plain").send((error as Error).message)
+    }
+  })
+
 }
diff --git a/packages/ui/src/App.tsx b/packages/ui/src/App.tsx
index 2aa430fc..9242de14 100644
--- a/packages/ui/src/App.tsx
+++ b/packages/ui/src/App.tsx
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ import {
   showFolderSelection,
   setShowFolderSelection,
 } from "./stores/ui"
-import { useConfig } from "./stores/preferences"
+import { recentFolders, useConfig } from "./stores/preferences"
 import {
   createInstance,
   getExistingInstanceForFolder,
@@ -70,6 +70,9 @@ import {
   selectInstanceTab,
   selectSidecarTab,
 } from "./stores/app-tabs"
+import { serverApi } from './lib/api-client'
+import { RecentFolder } from '../../server/src/api-types'
+import { Instance } from './types/instance'
 
 const log = getLogger("actions")
 
@@ -268,12 +271,30 @@ const App: Component = () => {
     if (!folderPath) {
       return
     }
+
+    let existingInstance = getExistingInstanceForFolder(folderPath)
+
+    if (!existingInstance) {
+      const detectResult = await serverApi.detectPathExistingInRecent(folderPath, [
+        ...(Array.from(instances().values()) as Instance[]).reduce((acc: string[], instance: Instance) => {
+          if (instance.status === "stopped") return acc
+          acc.push(instance.folder)
+          return acc
+        }, [] as string[]),
+        ...recentFolders().map((folder: RecentFolder) => folder.path),
+      ]).catch(() => null)
+
+      if (detectResult?.exists) {
+        folderPath = detectResult.foundResult!
+        existingInstance = getExistingInstanceForFolder(folderPath)
+      }
+    }
+
     const selectedBinary = binaryPath || serverSettings().opencodeBinary || "opencode"
     recordWorkspaceLaunch(folderPath, selectedBinary)
     clearLaunchError()
 
     if (!options?.forceNew) {
-      const existingInstance = getExistingInstanceForFolder(folderPath)
       if (existingInstance) {
         setAlreadyOpenFolderChoice({ folderPath, binaryPath: selectedBinary, instanceId: existingInstance.id })
         return
@@ -485,7 +506,7 @@ const App: Component = () => {
       const tauriBridge = (window as { __TAURI__?: { event?: { listen: (event: string, handler: (event: { payload: unknown }) => void) => Promise<() => void> } } }).__TAURI__
       if (tauriBridge?.event) {
         let unlistenMenu: (() => void) | null = null
-        
+
         tauriBridge.event.listen("menu:newInstance", () => {
           handleNewInstanceRequest()
         }).then((unlisten) => {
@@ -527,7 +548,7 @@ const App: Component = () => {
                    <p class="text-xs font-medium text-muted uppercase tracking-wide mb-1">{t("app.launchError.binaryPathLabel")}</p>
                    <p class="text-sm font-mono text-primary break-all">{launchErrorPath()}</p>
                  </div>
- 
+
                  <Show when={launchErrorMessage()}>
                    <div class="rounded-lg border border-base bg-surface-secondary p-4 flex flex-col gap-2 flex-1 min-h-0">
                      <p class="text-xs font-medium text-muted uppercase tracking-wide">{t("app.launchError.errorOutputLabel")}</p>
@@ -652,7 +673,7 @@ const App: Component = () => {
             </div>
           </div>
         </Show>
- 
+
         <SettingsScreen />
         <SideCarPickerDialog open={sidecarPickerOpen()} onClose={() => setSidecarPickerOpen(false)} onOpenSidecar={handleOpenSidecar} />
         <Show when={alreadyOpenFolderChoice()}>
@@ -679,7 +700,7 @@ const App: Component = () => {
             </Dialog.Portal>
           </Dialog>
         </Show>
- 
+
         <AlertDialog />
 
         <Toaster
diff --git a/packages/ui/src/lib/api-client.ts b/packages/ui/src/lib/api-client.ts
index 2eed070e..914d6bb2 100644
--- a/packages/ui/src/lib/api-client.ts
+++ b/packages/ui/src/lib/api-client.ts
@@ -42,6 +42,8 @@ import type {
   WorktreeCreateRequest,
   WorktreeGitDiffResponse,
   WorktreeGitStatusResponse,
+  RecentFolder,
+  DetectPathExistingInRecentResponse,
 } from "../../../server/src/api-types"
 import { getClientIdentity } from "./client-identity"
 import { getLogger } from "./logger"
@@ -481,6 +483,12 @@ export const serverApi = {
     }
     return request<FileSystemFileContentResponse>(`/api/filesystem/files/content?${params.toString()}`)
   },
+  detectPathExistingInRecent(currentPath: string, recentPaths: string[]): Promise<DetectPathExistingInRecentResponse> {
+    return request<DetectPathExistingInRecentResponse>(`/api/filesystem/detect-path-existing-in-recent`, {
+      method: "POST",
+      body: JSON.stringify({ currentPath, recentPaths }),
+    })
+  },
   readInstanceData(id: string): Promise<InstanceData> {
     return request<InstanceData>(`/api/storage/instances/${encodeURIComponent(id)}`)
   },