diff --git a/frontend/src/api/sessions.ts b/frontend/src/api/sessions.ts
index b9f1ca21..98a5347d 100644
--- a/frontend/src/api/sessions.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/api/sessions.ts
@@ -23,12 +23,11 @@ async function selectedPreferences(): Promise<WorkspacePreference> {
 }
 
 export async function createSession(i: NewSessionInput) {
-  const preferences = await selectedPreferences();
-  await workspacePolicyGate.waitFor(i.workspaceId ?? preferences.workspaceId);
-  const selection = workspacePreferences.load();
+  await selectedPreferences();
+  const selection = await workspacePolicyGate.waitForCurrent(() => workspacePreferences.load());
   return apiFetch<{ id: string }>("/sessions", {
     method: "POST",
-    body: JSON.stringify({ ...selection, ...i }),
+    body: JSON.stringify({ ...i, ...selection }),
   });
 }
 
diff --git a/frontend/src/shell/SteerInput.test.tsx b/frontend/src/shell/SteerInput.test.tsx
index a4e29a0d..c532c329 100644
--- a/frontend/src/shell/SteerInput.test.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/shell/SteerInput.test.tsx
@@ -289,6 +289,119 @@ test("immediate submit waits for a switched workspace policy before creating a s
   }));
 });
 
+test("initial restored workspace waits for its delayed policy before creating a session", async () => {
+  let body: unknown;
+  let releasePolicy!: () => void;
+  let policyRequestStarted = false;
+  const policyMayFinish = new Promise<void>((resolve) => { releasePolicy = resolve; });
+  localStorage.setItem("thothii.workspace-registry.v1.preferences", JSON.stringify({
+    workspaceId: "psd-clinical", provider: "deepseek", model: "deepseek-v4-pro", thinking: "medium",
+  }));
+  const revision = (id: string) => ({
+    id, commit: "a".repeat(40), blob: "b".repeat(40), snapshotPath: "/snapshot", state: "operational" as const,
+  });
+  server.use(
+    http.get("http://localhost:8787/settings", () => HttpResponse.json({ workspace: "psd-clinical" })),
+    http.get("http://localhost:8787/workspaces", () => HttpResponse.json([
+      { id: "psd-clinical", name: "psd-clinical", file: "psd-clinical.yaml", displayName: "PSD Clinical", revision: revision("psd-clinical") },
+    ])),
+    http.get("http://localhost:8787/workspaces/psd-clinical", async () => {
+      policyRequestStarted = true;
+      await policyMayFinish;
+      return HttpResponse.json({
+        workspace: { llm_policy: { default: "zai/glm-5.2", allowed: ["zai/glm-5.2"] } },
+        revision: revision("psd-clinical"),
+      });
+    }),
+    http.get("http://localhost:8787/models", () => HttpResponse.json({ models: [
+      { provider: "zai", id: "glm-5.2", name: "GLM-5.2", reasoning: true },
+      { provider: "deepseek", id: "deepseek-v4-pro", name: "DeepSeek V4 Pro", reasoning: true },
+    ] })),
+    http.post("http://localhost:8787/sessions", async ({ request }) => {
+      body = await request.json();
+      return HttpResponse.json({ id: "s1" });
+    }),
+  );
+  const client = new QueryClient({ defaultOptions: { queries: { retry: false } } });
+  render(<QueryClientProvider client={client}><ComposerFooter /><SteerInput sessionId={null} /></QueryClientProvider>);
+
+  await waitFor(() => expect(policyRequestStarted).toBe(true));
+  await userEvent.type(screen.getByRole("textbox", { name: /new question/i }), "q");
+  await userEvent.click(screen.getByRole("button", { name: /send/i }));
+
+  expect(body).toBeUndefined();
+  expect(screen.getByRole("button", { name: /send/i })).toBeDisabled();
+  releasePolicy();
+
+  await waitFor(() => expect(body).toEqual({
+    question: "q", workspaceId: "psd-clinical", provider: "zai", model: "glm-5.2", thinking: "medium",
+  }));
+});
+
+test("submit follows a rapid workspace switch instead of waiting for an abandoned policy", async () => {
+  let body: unknown;
+  let releaseC!: () => void;
+  let bPolicyRequestStarted = false;
+  let cPolicyRequestStarted = false;
+  const cPolicyMayFinish = new Promise<void>((resolve) => { releaseC = resolve; });
+  localStorage.setItem("thothii.workspace-registry.v1.preferences", JSON.stringify({
+    workspaceId: "research", provider: "deepseek", model: "deepseek-v4-pro", thinking: "medium",
+  }));
+  const revision = (id: string) => ({
+    id, commit: "a".repeat(40), blob: "b".repeat(40), snapshotPath: "/snapshot", state: "operational" as const,
+  });
+  server.use(
+    http.get("http://localhost:8787/settings", () => HttpResponse.json({ workspace: "research" })),
+    http.get("http://localhost:8787/workspaces", () => HttpResponse.json([
+      { id: "research", name: "research", file: "research.yaml", displayName: "Research", revision: revision("research") },
+      { id: "workspace-b", name: "workspace-b", file: "workspace-b.yaml", displayName: "Workspace B", revision: revision("workspace-b") },
+      { id: "workspace-c", name: "workspace-c", file: "workspace-c.yaml", displayName: "Workspace C", revision: revision("workspace-c") },
+    ])),
+    http.get("http://localhost:8787/workspaces/research", () => HttpResponse.json({
+      workspace: { llm_policy: { allowed: ["deepseek/deepseek-v4-pro"] } }, revision: revision("research"),
+    })),
+    http.get("http://localhost:8787/workspaces/workspace-b", async () => {
+      bPolicyRequestStarted = true;
+      await new Promise(() => undefined);
+      return HttpResponse.json({});
+    }),
+    http.get("http://localhost:8787/workspaces/workspace-c", async () => {
+      cPolicyRequestStarted = true;
+      await cPolicyMayFinish;
+      return HttpResponse.json({
+        workspace: { llm_policy: { default: "zai/glm-5.2", allowed: ["zai/glm-5.2"] } },
+        revision: revision("workspace-c"),
+      });
+    }),
+    http.get("http://localhost:8787/models", () => HttpResponse.json({ models: [
+      { provider: "zai", id: "glm-5.2", name: "GLM-5.2", reasoning: true },
+      { provider: "deepseek", id: "deepseek-v4-pro", name: "DeepSeek V4 Pro", reasoning: true },
+    ] })),
+    http.post("http://localhost:8787/sessions", async ({ request }) => {
+      body = await request.json();
+      return HttpResponse.json({ id: "s1" });
+    }),
+  );
+  const client = new QueryClient({ defaultOptions: { queries: { retry: false } } });
+  render(<QueryClientProvider client={client}><ComposerFooter /><SteerInput sessionId={null} /></QueryClientProvider>);
+
+  const workspaceSelector = await screen.findByRole("combobox", { name: "Workspace" });
+  await waitFor(() => expect(screen.getByRole("option", { name: "workspace-b" })).toBeInTheDocument());
+  await userEvent.selectOptions(workspaceSelector, "workspace-b");
+  await waitFor(() => expect(bPolicyRequestStarted).toBe(true));
+  await userEvent.type(screen.getByRole("textbox", { name: /new question/i }), "q");
+  await userEvent.click(screen.getByRole("button", { name: /send/i }));
+  await userEvent.selectOptions(workspaceSelector, "workspace-c");
+  await waitFor(() => expect(cPolicyRequestStarted).toBe(true));
+
+  expect(body).toBeUndefined();
+  releaseC();
+
+  await waitFor(() => expect(body).toEqual({
+    question: "q", workspaceId: "workspace-c", provider: "zai", model: "glm-5.2", thinking: "medium",
+  }));
+});
+
 test("pulses the stop dot only while the harness is working", () => {
   const { rerender } = render(<SteerInput sessionId="s1" working />);
   const dot = () =>
diff --git a/frontend/src/shell/SteerInput.tsx b/frontend/src/shell/SteerInput.tsx
index cd1adba1..ec54932b 100644
--- a/frontend/src/shell/SteerInput.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/shell/SteerInput.tsx
@@ -84,8 +84,7 @@ export function SteerInput({
     setLastUserEntry({ kind: "input", text: trimmed });
     onSessionCreating?.(trimmed);
     try {
-      await workspacePolicyGate.waitFor(workspacePreferences.load().workspaceId);
-      const { id } = await createSession({ question: trimmed, ...workspacePreferences.load() });
+      const { id } = await createSession({ question: trimmed });
       onSessionCreated?.(id);
       setText("");
     } catch (error) {
@@ -190,6 +189,11 @@ export function ComposerFooter() {
     ? models.filter((candidate) => allowedModels.includes(`${candidate.provider}/${candidate.id}`))
     : models;
 
+  useEffect(() => {
+    if (selectedWorkspace?.revision) workspacePolicyGate.select(workspace);
+    else workspacePolicyGate.clear();
+  }, [selectedWorkspace, workspace]);
+
   useEffect(() => {
     if (!allowedModels?.length) return;
     const selected = preferences.provider && preferences.model
@@ -222,7 +226,7 @@ export function ComposerFooter() {
       patch.workspaceId
       && patch.workspaceId !== workspace
       && workspaces.some((candidate) => candidate.id === patch.workspaceId && candidate.revision)
-    ) workspacePolicyGate.begin(patch.workspaceId);
+    ) workspacePolicyGate.select(patch.workspaceId);
     const next = workspacePreferences.save({ ...preferences, ...patch });
     setPreferences(next);
   }
diff --git a/frontend/src/workspaces/drafts.ts b/frontend/src/workspaces/drafts.ts
index 6c9527a4..c8725e69 100644
--- a/frontend/src/workspaces/drafts.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/workspaces/drafts.ts
@@ -9,41 +9,74 @@ export interface WorkspaceDraft {
   updatedAt: string;
 }
 
-let pendingPolicy: { workspaceId: string; promise: Promise<void>; resolve: () => void } | undefined;
-let failedPolicy: { workspaceId: string; error: Error } | undefined;
+type PolicySelection = {
+  workspaceId: string;
+  generation: number;
+  state: "pending" | "ready" | "error";
+  error?: Error;
+  settled: Promise<void>;
+  settle: () => void;
+  superseded: Promise<void>;
+  supersede: () => void;
+};
 
-/** In-memory handoff between the footer's policy query and all session entry points. */
+let selection: PolicySelection | undefined;
+let nextGeneration = 0;
+
+function pendingSelection(workspaceId: string): PolicySelection {
+  let settle!: () => void;
+  let supersede!: () => void;
+  return {
+    workspaceId,
+    generation: ++nextGeneration,
+    state: "pending",
+    settled: new Promise<void>((resolve) => { settle = resolve; }),
+    settle,
+    superseded: new Promise<void>((resolve) => { supersede = resolve; }),
+    supersede,
+  };
+}
+
+/** In-memory coordination between the footer's selected policy and session creation. */
 export const workspacePolicyGate = {
-  begin(workspaceId: string): void {
-    if (pendingPolicy?.workspaceId === workspaceId) return;
-    if (failedPolicy?.workspaceId === workspaceId) failedPolicy = undefined;
-    let resolve!: () => void;
-    const promise = new Promise<void>((onResolve) => {
-      resolve = onResolve;
-    });
-    pendingPolicy = { workspaceId, promise, resolve };
+  select(workspaceId: string): void {
+    if (selection?.workspaceId === workspaceId) return;
+    selection?.supersede();
+    selection = pendingSelection(workspaceId);
+  },
+
+  clear(): void {
+    selection?.supersede();
+    selection = undefined;
   },
 
   resolve(workspaceId: string): void {
-    if (pendingPolicy?.workspaceId === workspaceId) {
-      pendingPolicy.resolve();
-      pendingPolicy = undefined;
-    }
-    if (failedPolicy?.workspaceId === workspaceId) failedPolicy = undefined;
+    if (!selection || selection.workspaceId !== workspaceId || selection.state !== "pending") return;
+    selection.state = "ready";
+    selection.settle();
   },
 
   reject(workspaceId: string): void {
-    if (pendingPolicy?.workspaceId !== workspaceId) return;
-    pendingPolicy.resolve();
-    pendingPolicy = undefined;
-    failedPolicy = { workspaceId, error: new Error("Selected workspace policy could not be loaded.") };
+    if (!selection || selection.workspaceId !== workspaceId || selection.state !== "pending") return;
+    selection.state = "error";
+    selection.error = new Error("Selected workspace policy could not be loaded.");
+    selection.settle();
   },
 
-  waitFor(workspaceId: string | undefined): Promise<void> {
-    const failed = failedPolicy;
-    if (failed && failed.workspaceId === workspaceId) return Promise.reject(failed.error);
-    const pending = pendingPolicy;
-    return pending && pending.workspaceId === workspaceId ? pending.promise : Promise.resolve();
+  async waitForCurrent<T extends { workspaceId?: string }>(read: () => T): Promise<T> {
+    while (true) {
+      const current = read();
+      const pending = selection;
+      if (!current.workspaceId || pending?.workspaceId !== current.workspaceId) return current;
+      const generation = pending.generation;
+      if (pending.state === "ready") return read();
+      if (pending.state === "error") throw pending.error;
+      await Promise.race([pending.settled, pending.superseded]);
+      const completed = selection;
+      if (!completed || completed.generation !== generation || read().workspaceId !== current.workspaceId) continue;
+      if (completed.state === "error") throw completed.error;
+      if (completed.state === "ready") return read();
+    }
   },
 };