diff --git a/packages/app/src/pages/layout-new.tsx b/packages/app/src/pages/layout-new.tsx
index 6d76ca840178..20483025127a 100644
--- a/packages/app/src/pages/layout-new.tsx
+++ b/packages/app/src/pages/layout-new.tsx
@@ -1,14 +1,29 @@
 import { createEffect, Suspense, type ParentProps } from "solid-js"
 import { createStore } from "solid-js/store"
+import { useNavigate } from "@solidjs/router"
 import { DebugBar } from "@/components/debug-bar"
 import { TabsInfoPopup } from "@/components/help-button"
 import { Titlebar, type TitlebarUpdate } from "@/components/titlebar"
 import { usePlatform } from "@/context/platform"
+import { useServer } from "@/context/server"
 import { setV2Toast, ToastRegion } from "@/utils/toast"
+import { useOpenProject } from "@/pages/layout/open-project"
+import { useDeepLinks } from "@/pages/layout/use-deep-links"
 
 export default function NewLayout(props: ParentProps) {
   const platform = usePlatform()
+  const server = useServer()
+  const navigate = useNavigate()
   const [state, setState] = createStore({ debugTools: true })
+  const openProject = useOpenProject({
+    open: (directory) => server.projects.open(directory),
+    touch: (directory) => server.projects.touch(directory),
+  })
+  useDeepLinks({
+    enabled: () => server.isLocal(),
+    openProject: openProject.ensureProject,
+    navigate,
+  })
 
   createEffect(() => setV2Toast(true))
 
diff --git a/packages/app/src/pages/layout.tsx b/packages/app/src/pages/layout.tsx
index 95f8c01843fd..f13a4fbe8ac1 100644
--- a/packages/app/src/pages/layout.tsx
+++ b/packages/app/src/pages/layout.tsx
@@ -67,13 +67,9 @@ import {
   latestRootSession,
   sortedRootSessions,
 } from "./layout/helpers"
-import {
-  collectNewSessionDeepLinks,
-  collectOpenProjectDeepLinks,
-  deepLinkEvent,
-  drainPendingDeepLinks,
-} from "./layout/deep-links"
 import { createInlineEditorController } from "./layout/inline-editor"
+import { useOpenProject } from "./layout/open-project"
+import { useDeepLinks } from "./layout/use-deep-links"
 import {
   LocalWorkspace,
   SortableWorkspace,
@@ -118,6 +114,10 @@ export default function LegacyLayout(props: ParentProps) {
   const navigate = useNavigate()
   const providers = useProviders(() => undefined)
   const dialog = useDialog()
+  const openProjects = useOpenProject({
+    projectDirectory: (directory) => projectRoot(directory),
+    open: (directory) => layout.projects.open(directory),
+  })
   const command = useCommand()
   const theme = useTheme()
   const language = useLanguage()
@@ -1255,41 +1255,21 @@ export default function LegacyLayout(props: ParentProps) {
     navigateWithSidebarReset(`/${base64Encode(session.directory)}/session/${session.id}`)
   }
 
-  function openProject(directory: string, navigate = true) {
-    layout.projects.open(directory)
+  async function openProject(directory: string, navigate = true) {
+    await openProjects.ensureProject(directory)
     if (navigate) return navigateToProject(directory)
   }
 
-  const handleDeepLinks = (urls: string[]) => {
-    if (!server.isLocal()) return
-
-    for (const directory of collectOpenProjectDeepLinks(urls)) {
-      void openProject(directory)
-    }
-
-    for (const link of collectNewSessionDeepLinks(urls)) {
-      void openProject(link.directory, false)
-      const slug = base64Encode(link.directory)
-      if (link.prompt) {
-        setSessionHandoff(SessionStateKey.from(server.scope(), SessionRouteKey.fromLegacy(slug)), {
-          prompt: link.prompt,
-        })
-      }
-      const href = link.prompt ? `/${slug}/session?prompt=${encodeURIComponent(link.prompt)}` : `/${slug}/session`
-      navigateWithSidebarReset(href)
-    }
-  }
-
-  onMount(() => {
-    const handler = (event: Event) => {
-      const detail = (event as CustomEvent<{ urls: string[] }>).detail
-      const urls = detail?.urls ?? []
-      if (urls.length === 0) return
-      handleDeepLinks(urls)
-    }
-
-    handleDeepLinks(drainPendingDeepLinks(window))
-    makeEventListener(window, deepLinkEvent, handler as EventListener)
+  useDeepLinks({
+    enabled: () => server.isLocal() && !settings.general.newLayoutDesigns(),
+    openProject: (directory) => openProjects.ensureProject(directory),
+    prepareNewSession: (link) => {
+      if (!link.prompt) return
+      setSessionHandoff(SessionStateKey.from(server.scope(), SessionRouteKey.fromLegacy(base64Encode(link.directory))), {
+        prompt: link.prompt,
+      })
+    },
+    navigate: navigateWithSidebarReset,
   })
 
   async function renameProject(project: LocalProject, next: string) {
diff --git a/packages/app/src/pages/layout/open-project.ts b/packages/app/src/pages/layout/open-project.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..c04c3ea8380f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/app/src/pages/layout/open-project.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+import { useServerSDK } from "@/context/server-sdk"
+import { useServerSync } from "@/context/server-sync"
+
+export function useOpenProject(options: {
+  projectDirectory?: (directory: string) => string
+  open: (directory: string) => void
+  touch?: (directory: string) => void
+}) {
+  const serverSDK = useServerSDK()
+  const serverSync = useServerSync()
+
+  async function ensureProject(directory: string) {
+    const projectDirectory = options.projectDirectory?.(directory) ?? directory
+    const known = serverSync().data.project.some((project) => project.worktree === projectDirectory)
+    if (!known) {
+      await serverSDK()
+        .api.project.current({ location: { directory: projectDirectory } })
+        .catch(() => undefined)
+    }
+    options.open(directory)
+    options.touch?.(directory)
+  }
+
+  return { ensureProject }
+}
diff --git a/packages/app/src/pages/layout/use-deep-links.ts b/packages/app/src/pages/layout/use-deep-links.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..7a81c85f5943
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/app/src/pages/layout/use-deep-links.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+import { base64Encode } from "@opencode-ai/core/util/encode"
+import { makeEventListener } from "@solid-primitives/event-listener"
+import { onMount } from "solid-js"
+import {
+  collectNewSessionDeepLinks,
+  collectOpenProjectDeepLinks,
+  deepLinkEvent,
+  drainPendingDeepLinks,
+} from "./deep-links"
+
+export function useDeepLinks(options: {
+  enabled: () => boolean
+  openProject: (directory: string) => Promise<void>
+  navigate: (href: string) => void
+  prepareNewSession?: (link: { directory: string; prompt?: string }) => void
+}) {
+  function handleDeepLinks(urls: string[]) {
+    if (!options.enabled()) return
+
+    for (const directory of collectOpenProjectDeepLinks(urls)) {
+      void options.openProject(directory).then(() => {
+        options.navigate(`/${base64Encode(directory)}/session`)
+      })
+    }
+
+    for (const link of collectNewSessionDeepLinks(urls)) {
+      void options.openProject(link.directory).then(() => {
+        options.prepareNewSession?.(link)
+        const slug = base64Encode(link.directory)
+        const href = link.prompt
+          ? `/${slug}/session?prompt=${encodeURIComponent(link.prompt)}`
+          : `/${slug}/session`
+        options.navigate(href)
+      })
+    }
+  }
+
+  onMount(() => {
+    const handler = (event: Event) => {
+      const detail = (event as CustomEvent<{ urls: string[] }>).detail
+      handleDeepLinks(detail?.urls ?? [])
+    }
+    handleDeepLinks(drainPendingDeepLinks(window))
+    makeEventListener(window, deepLinkEvent, handler as EventListener)
+  })
+
+  return { handleDeepLinks }
+}