diff --git a/graphcode-windows/src/App.zig b/graphcode-windows/src/App.zig
index cc61bb7e..f4c39447 100644
--- a/graphcode-windows/src/App.zig
+++ b/graphcode-windows/src/App.zig
@@ -11226,6 +11226,14 @@ const fake_zmx_script =
     "pause >nul\r\n" ++
     "exit /b 0\r\n";
 
+/// The installed shell names zmx bare (`zmx.exe`, no GRAPHCODE_ZMX) and finds it beside
+/// itself through its working directory, `...\GraphCode\current\bin`, which PATH need not
+/// name. This forwarder stands in for that copy; the stand-in it calls keeps its state.
+const bare_zmx_forwarder =
+    "@echo off\r\n" ++
+    "call \"%~dp0..\\zmx.cmd\" %*\r\n" ++
+    "exit /b %errorlevel%\r\n";
+
 const LiveLoop = struct { id: []const u8, state: []const u8 = "idle", worktree: ?[]const u8 = null };
 
 const TerminalChild = struct { visible: bool, rect: c.RECT };
@@ -11251,6 +11259,7 @@ const LiveTerminalFixture = struct {
         try self.tmp.dir.makePath("wt-a");
         try self.tmp.dir.makePath("bin");
         try self.tmp.dir.writeFile(.{ .sub_path = "zmx.cmd", .data = fake_zmx_script });
+        try self.tmp.dir.writeFile(.{ .sub_path = "bin\\zmx.cmd", .data = bare_zmx_forwarder });
         self.root = try self.tmp.dir.realpathAlloc(allocator, ".");
         self.project = try std.fs.path.join(allocator, &.{ self.root, "project" });
         self.worktree = try std.fs.path.join(allocator, &.{ self.root, "wt-a" });
@@ -11261,7 +11270,8 @@ const LiveTerminalFixture = struct {
         self.workspace = .{
             .parent = app.window.hwnd,
             .allocator = allocator,
-            .zmx_path = try std.fs.path.join(allocator, &.{ self.root, "zmx.cmd" }),
+            // As installed: a bare name that only the shell's working directory resolves.
+            .zmx_path = try allocator.dupe(u8, "zmx.cmd"),
             .cwd = try allocator.dupe(u8, self.bin),
             .input_queue = .{ .allocator = allocator },
             .layout = try @import("WorkspaceLayout.zig").Layout.init(allocator, self.project),
@@ -11591,6 +11601,71 @@ test "workspace surface: deleting the attached loop while the graph shows leaves
     }
 }
 
+/// Every terminal action must report something other than its failure status.
+fn expectNoTerminalFailure(app: *App) !void {
+    for ([_][]const u8{ "Unable to open selected loop", "Unable to create tab", "Unable to split workspace" }) |failure| {
+        if (std.mem.eql(u8, app.status(), failure)) {
+            std.debug.print("terminal action failed: status \"{s}\"\n", .{app.status()});
+            return error.TestTerminalActionFailed;
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+test "workspace surface: sidebar loop opens, New Tab, and Split Right attach visible terminals when only the shell's directory holds zmx" {
+    var fixture: LiveTerminalFixture = undefined;
+    try fixture.init(&.{ .{ .id = "loop-fresh" }, .{ .id = "loop-live" } });
+    defer fixture.deinit();
+    const app = &fixture.app;
+    const workspace = &fixture.workspace;
+    // Both loops have a directory of their own, so every attach starts outside the shell's.
+    try fixture.deliver(&.{ .{ .id = "loop-fresh" }, .{ .id = "loop-live", .worktree = fixture.worktree } });
+
+    // A fresh loop: the daemon starts its session only after the sidebar click.
+    try clickSidebarLoopRow(app, fixture.project, "loop-fresh");
+    try std.testing.expectEqualStrings("Starting loop", app.status());
+    for (0..5) |_| fixture.tick();
+    try fixture.setLive(&.{"loop-fresh"});
+    try fixture.waitFor(LiveTerminalFixture.shows, "loop-fresh");
+    for (0..5) |_| fixture.tick();
+    try std.testing.expectEqualStrings("Loop opened", app.status());
+    try fixture.expectSelectedPane("loop-fresh");
+    try fixture.expectTerminalsInWorkspace(1);
+    try fixture.showGraph();
+    try fixture.expectNoVisibleTerminal();
+
+    // A loop whose session is already running when its row is clicked.
+    try fixture.setLive(&.{ "loop-fresh", "loop-live" });
+    try clickSidebarLoopRow(app, fixture.project, "loop-live");
+    try fixture.waitFor(LiveTerminalFixture.shows, "loop-live");
+    for (0..5) |_| fixture.tick();
+    try std.testing.expectEqualStrings("Loop opened", app.status());
+    try fixture.expectSelectedPane("loop-live");
+    try fixture.expectTerminalsInWorkspace(1);
+    const loop_started_in = try fixture.attachDirectory("loop-live");
+    defer std.testing.allocator.free(loop_started_in);
+    try expectSameDirectory(fixture.worktree, loop_started_in);
+
+    // Native New Tab: a plain shell with no session behind it, started in the loop's worktree.
+    const new_tab = TerminalWorkspace.chromeControlBounds(workspace.layout_origin_x, workspace.layout_origin_y, workspace.layout_width, 0);
+    try nativeClickCenter(app, new_tab);
+    try expectNoTerminalFailure(app);
+    try std.testing.expectEqual(@as(usize, 2), workspace.tabCount());
+    try std.testing.expectEqual(workspace.tabCount(), ReopenProbe.uia_tabs);
+    const shell = try std.testing.allocator.dupe(u8, workspace.layout.tabs.items[1].panes.items[0].id);
+    defer std.testing.allocator.free(shell);
+    const shell_started_in = try fixture.attachDirectory(shell);
+    defer std.testing.allocator.free(shell_started_in);
+    try expectSameDirectory(fixture.worktree, shell_started_in);
+    try fixture.expectTerminalsInWorkspace(1);
+
+    // Native Split Right of that shell: a second visible terminal beside it.
+    const split_right = TerminalWorkspace.chromeControlBounds(workspace.layout_origin_x, workspace.layout_origin_y, workspace.layout_width, 1);
+    try nativeClickCenter(app, split_right);
+    try expectNoTerminalFailure(app);
+    try std.testing.expectEqual(@as(usize, 2), (workspace.layout.selectedConst() orelse return error.TestExpectedTab).panes.items.len);
+    try fixture.expectTerminalsInWorkspace(2);
+}
+
 fn emptyStateButton(app: *App, button: c.HWND) TerminalChild {
     var rect: c.RECT = undefined;
     _ = c.GetWindowRect(button, &rect);
diff --git a/graphcode-windows/src/TerminalSurface.zig b/graphcode-windows/src/TerminalSurface.zig
index 931be157..262b574d 100644
--- a/graphcode-windows/src/TerminalSurface.zig
+++ b/graphcode-windows/src/TerminalSurface.zig
@@ -606,6 +606,24 @@ pub const Workspace = struct {
         return self.cwd;
     }
 
+    /// The zmx program for a child started outside the shell's working directory. The
+    /// installed shell names zmx bare (`zmx.exe`) and finds it beside itself through that
+    /// directory, `...\GraphCode\current\bin`, which PATH need not name. A child resolves a
+    /// relative program against its own working directory, then PATH, so an attach started
+    /// in the loop's directory would not find it. Resolved once against the shell's
+    /// directory, as every other zmx child (started there) already resolves it; a name not
+    /// found there is left to PATH.
+    fn zmxExecutable(self: *Workspace) []const u8 {
+        if (self.zmx_path.len == 0 or std.fs.path.isAbsolute(self.zmx_path)) return self.zmx_path;
+        const candidate = std.fs.path.join(self.allocator, &.{ if (self.cwd.len == 0) "." else self.cwd, self.zmx_path }) catch
+            return self.zmx_path;
+        defer self.allocator.free(candidate);
+        const resolved = std.fs.cwd().realpathAlloc(self.allocator, candidate) catch return self.zmx_path;
+        self.allocator.free(self.zmx_path);
+        self.zmx_path = resolved;
+        return self.zmx_path;
+    }
+
     fn layoutPathForProject(self: *Workspace, project: []const u8) ![]u8 {
         const configured = std.process.getEnvVarOwned(self.allocator, "GRAPHCODE_WORKSPACE_LAYOUT") catch
             try self.allocator.dupe(u8, "graphcode-workspace.json");
@@ -1941,7 +1959,7 @@ pub const Workspace = struct {
             attach_len = 4;
         } else {
             attach_len = (try attachArguments(
-                self.zmx_path,
+                self.zmxExecutable(),
                 session,
                 size,
                 &attach_args,
@@ -4304,6 +4322,36 @@ test "an explicit open rebinds a stale loop pane and survives a passive recreate
     try std.testing.expect(workspace.launch_waits[0].reports_timeout);
 }
 
+test "a bare zmx name resolves against the shell's directory, not the attaching child's" {
+    var workspace = try minimalWorkspaceForOptionsTest(std.testing.allocator);
+    defer workspace.layout.deinit();
+    var tmp = std.testing.tmpDir(.{});
+    defer tmp.cleanup();
+    try tmp.dir.makePath("bin");
+    try tmp.dir.writeFile(.{ .sub_path = "bin\\zmx.exe", .data = "" });
+    const bin = try tmp.dir.realpathAlloc(std.testing.allocator, "bin");
+    defer std.testing.allocator.free(bin);
+    const expected = try std.fs.path.join(std.testing.allocator, &.{ bin, "zmx.exe" });
+    defer std.testing.allocator.free(expected);
+    workspace.cwd = bin;
+
+    // As installed: zmx beside the shell, found through its working directory.
+    workspace.zmx_path = try std.testing.allocator.dupe(u8, "zmx.exe");
+    try std.testing.expectEqualStrings(expected, workspace.zmxExecutable());
+    try std.testing.expectEqualStrings(expected, workspace.zmx_path);
+    std.testing.allocator.free(workspace.zmx_path);
+
+    // A name the shell's directory does not hold is left to PATH.
+    workspace.zmx_path = try std.testing.allocator.dupe(u8, "zmx-elsewhere.exe");
+    try std.testing.expectEqualStrings("zmx-elsewhere.exe", workspace.zmxExecutable());
+    std.testing.allocator.free(workspace.zmx_path);
+
+    // GRAPHCODE_ZMX's absolute path is used as given.
+    workspace.zmx_path = try std.testing.allocator.dupe(u8, "C:\\provider\\zmx.exe");
+    try std.testing.expectEqualStrings("C:\\provider\\zmx.exe", workspace.zmxExecutable());
+    std.testing.allocator.free(workspace.zmx_path);
+}
+
 test "a loop pane is detached only when the layout owns it and no slot shows or awaits it" {
     var workspace = try minimalWorkspaceForOptionsTest(std.testing.allocator);
     defer workspace.layout.deinit();
diff --git a/investigation/ui-parity-matrix.md b/investigation/ui-parity-matrix.md
index 303b9a87..abc0477b 100644
--- a/investigation/ui-parity-matrix.md
+++ b/investigation/ui-parity-matrix.md
@@ -181,7 +181,7 @@ native keyboard/accelerator/window proof; the workspace row remains Partial.
 | Workspace detail screen | Selected loop replaces canvas detail while sidebar remains | Selecting a sidebar or overview loop now replaces the canvas detail with the full terminal workspace while retaining the sidebar; the workspace UIA tree now exposes a destination-specific toolbar, loop bar, tab controls, and Show in Graph action. The `windows-shell` CI job builds the real Swift daemon, Zig shell, and pinned zmx/Winghostty providers and runs `Tools\windows\uia-live-gate.ps1` against the live workspace: the gate independently asserts the toolbar identity child, Show in Graph child, all three split controls, and at least one tab child are present under a real, non-gated `Workspace.init()` (commit `a31813b`, run https://github.com/scgopi/GraphCode/actions/runs/35415967793, passing). Beta10 Dev Box qualification (D7) then found that opening an attended (Turn-based or main) loop showed a bare `cmd` shell: the pane's `zmx attach` created the session before the daemon launched the agent, so the first instruction was never sent. The shell now asks the daemon to start the loop (`resumeSession`) and attaches only once its session is running, and restores persisted loop panes only while their session is live. That fix has unit evidence and a local dev-layout walkthrough with a stub agent, not a Dev Box requalification with a real backend, so the row is `Partial` | Partial |
 | Folder toolbar identity | Project name and local/remote identity | Workspace chrome now paints an explicit Workspace title, project name, and Local folder/Remote repository identity over the native header, with a matching stable UIA toolbar child. The live gate's `workspace-toolbar-*` assertion (named `"UIA project"`) now runs against the real shell build and passes on the `windows-shell` CI job (run https://github.com/scgopi/GraphCode/actions/runs/35415967793) | Validated |
 | Loop bar | Type stripe, title/state pill, live goal, pass trend, elapsed/usage, Stop, Show in graph | The native 46px workspace band shows loop-type stripe, title, state, current activity, backend, elapsed label from `createdAt`, metric-history pass count, token usage when reported, Stop for unresolved loops, and Show in graph. Focused hit-testing/UIA unit coverage plus the live `windows-shell` CI run (workspace toolbar/loop-bar UIA assertions passing at run https://github.com/scgopi/GraphCode/actions/runs/35415967793) validated presence end to end. The beta10 Dev Box qualification (100% DPI) then observed the metadata text drawn under Stop/Show in graph at a 960px window with the sidebar rail and loop detail panel visible. Painting, mouse hit-testing, and UIA bounds now share `LoopBarLayout.zig`, which clamps every text run to the space left of the leftmost button, ellipsizes squeezed runs, and drops runs narrower than 24px; at 960px with rail and panel that drops the metadata line, where macOS truncates instead. Only focused `LoopBarLayout.zig` unit tests cover this; no live observation of the corrected layout has been made | Partial |
-| Tab pills | Named tabs, selection, state indicator, shortcuts, per-tab close | The native tab strip paints agent/shell/split labels, live state indicators, Ctrl+1-style shortcut hints, and per-tab close affordances. Close routing removes only the selected tab topology and refuses the final tab. The live gate's `workspace-tab-*` assertion now runs against the real shell build and passes on `windows-shell` (run https://github.com/scgopi/GraphCode/actions/runs/35415967793). The beta17 Dev Box qualification then found a native **New Tab** click drew two tabs while UIA still exposed one `workspace-tab-*` element, and that the new shell started in the install `bin` directory instead of the loop's folder. Native New Tab, split, next/previous tab, and tab select/close clicks now republish UIA, and new shells start in the loop's worktree, else its project folder (home for a global loop; the shell's own directory for a remote project or a missing folder), as on macOS. A native-linked App test with real winghostty surfaces drives the clicks through `WM_LBUTTONDOWN/UP` and asserts the published tab count and each new shell's starting directory; no Dev Box rerun has confirmed either, so the row is `Partial` | Partial |
+| Tab pills | Named tabs, selection, state indicator, shortcuts, per-tab close | The native tab strip paints agent/shell/split labels, live state indicators, Ctrl+1-style shortcut hints, and per-tab close affordances. Close routing removes only the selected tab topology and refuses the final tab. The live gate's `workspace-tab-*` assertion now runs against the real shell build and passes on `windows-shell` (run https://github.com/scgopi/GraphCode/actions/runs/35415967793). The beta17 Dev Box qualification then found a native **New Tab** click drew two tabs while UIA still exposed one `workspace-tab-*` element, and that the new shell started in the install `bin` directory instead of the loop's folder. Native New Tab, split, next/previous tab, and tab select/close clicks now republish UIA, and new shells start in the loop's worktree, else its project folder (home for a global loop; the shell's own directory for a remote project or a missing folder), as on macOS. A native-linked App test with real winghostty surfaces drives the clicks through `WM_LBUTTONDOWN/UP` and asserts the published tab count and each new shell's starting directory; no Dev Box rerun has confirmed either, so the row is `Partial`. The beta18 Dev Box qualification then found every sidebar loop open, New Tab, and Split Right failing (`Unable to open selected loop`, `Unable to create tab`, no terminal): the installed shell names zmx bare and found it only through its working directory (the install `bin`), so starting the attach in the loop's folder sent Windows looking there and on a PATH that did not name the install. zmx now resolves against the shell's own directory before any child starts elsewhere, and the native-linked live App tests now use that bare-name installed layout instead of an absolute stand-in path; no Dev Box rerun has confirmed it | Partial |
 | Split controls | Visible Split Right, Split Down, New Tab buttons | The terminal tab bar renders distinct New Tab, Split Right, and Split Down controls with shared geometry helpers used by painting and hit testing, plus UIA children and focused gap-boundary regression coverage. The live gate's split-control assertion (`workspace-(new-tab\|split-right\|split-down)-*`, all three present) now runs against the real shell build and passes on `windows-shell` (run https://github.com/scgopi/GraphCode/actions/runs/35415967793) | Validated |
 | Pane headers | agent/shell identity, backend/shell detail, focused state | Product-owned pane headers distinguish agent and shell panes, label the zmx session detail, add truthful backend: agent/backend: shell detail, and retain the explicit focused-pane accent. Focused rendering unit coverage plus the live `windows-shell` CI run (real workspace/terminal panes, run https://github.com/scgopi/GraphCode/actions/runs/35415967793) provide the side-by-side live evidence that was previously blocked | Validated |
 | Mounted background tabs | Switching preserves live terminal surfaces | Workspace implementation tests cover topology. The live UIA gate creates a second tab and attempts a switch/identity round trip, but its former `^workspace-tab-` selectors also matched `workspace-tab-close-*` controls (whose name is `Close tab`), so an indexed invocation could close rather than select a tab. All seven actual-tab predicates now require numeric tab IDs; an AST-extracted source regression checks interleaved, close-first, reversed, no-close, close-only, empty, and split-tab child lists for exact selection and order. This source contract does not demonstrate backend continuity or a new live UIA round trip with the corrected gate | Partial |