diff --git a/web/src/components/layout/WorkspaceShell.tsx b/web/src/components/layout/WorkspaceShell.tsx
index 32e140e..9ee3bff 100644
--- a/web/src/components/layout/WorkspaceShell.tsx
+++ b/web/src/components/layout/WorkspaceShell.tsx
@@ -107,8 +107,13 @@ function TerminalTabs({ workspaceId }: { workspaceId: string }) {
       setShellsForWorkspace(workspaceId, ids);
     }
     const currentActive = activeShellId;
-    if (!currentActive || !ids.includes(currentActive)) {
-      setActiveShell(workspaceId, ids[0] ?? "");
+    // Only set an active shell when the list is non-empty. If ids is empty,
+    // the auto-start effect above will create a shell; the next list refetch
+    // will populate ids and this branch will run with a real candidate.
+    // (Setting it to "" here would loop: "" is falsy, so the same branch
+    // would fire on the next render.)
+    if (ids.length > 0 && (!currentActive || !ids.includes(currentActive))) {
+      setActiveShell(workspaceId, ids[0]);
     }
   }, [
     workspaceId,