diff --git a/frontend/src/api/sessions.test.ts b/frontend/src/api/sessions.test.ts
index 40a0614f..12acc26e 100644
--- a/frontend/src/api/sessions.test.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/api/sessions.test.ts
@@ -13,6 +13,9 @@ test("createSession migrates legacy selections and POSTs browser preferences", a
     http.get("http://localhost:8787/settings", () => HttpResponse.json({
       workspace: "psd-clinical", provider: "zai", model: "glm-5.2", thinking: "low",
     })),
+    http.get("http://localhost:8787/workspaces", () => HttpResponse.json([{
+      id: "psd-clinical", name: "psd-clinical", file: "psd-clinical.yaml", displayName: "PSD Clinical",
+    }])),
     http.post("http://localhost:8787/sessions", async ({ request }) => {
       body = await request.json();
       return HttpResponse.json({ id: "s1" });
diff --git a/frontend/src/api/sessions.ts b/frontend/src/api/sessions.ts
index 98a5347d..8840c4fe 100644
--- a/frontend/src/api/sessions.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/api/sessions.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,10 @@
 import { apiFetch } from "./client";
 import { getSettings } from "./settings";
-import { workspacePolicyGate, workspacePreferences, type WorkspacePreference } from "../workspaces/drafts";
+import { getWorkspace, listWorkspaces } from "./workspaces";
+import {
+  WORKSPACE_POLICY_ERROR, WORKSPACE_SUMMARY_ERROR, WorkspaceSelectionError, workspacePolicyGate,
+  workspacePreferences, type WorkspacePreference,
+} from "../workspaces/drafts";
 import type {
   Principal, ResumeSessionResult, SessionScope, SessionSummary, SessionDocument, UiResponse,
 } from "./types";
@@ -22,9 +26,83 @@ async function selectedPreferences(): Promise<WorkspacePreference> {
   });
 }
 
+function reconcileWorkspacePolicy(preferences: WorkspacePreference, allowed: readonly string[], defaultModel?: string) {
+  if (allowed.length === 0) throw new WorkspaceSelectionError(WORKSPACE_POLICY_ERROR);
+  const selected = preferences.provider && preferences.model
+    ? `${preferences.provider}/${preferences.model}`
+    : undefined;
+  if (selected && allowed.includes(selected)) return preferences;
+  const replacement = defaultModel && allowed.includes(defaultModel) ? defaultModel : allowed[0];
+  const separator = replacement.indexOf("/");
+  if (separator <= 0 || separator === replacement.length - 1) {
+    throw new WorkspaceSelectionError(WORKSPACE_POLICY_ERROR);
+  }
+  return workspacePreferences.save({
+    ...preferences,
+    provider: replacement.slice(0, separator),
+    model: replacement.slice(separator + 1),
+  });
+}
+
+async function ensureWorkspaceSelectionPolicy(): Promise<WorkspacePreference> {
+  while (true) {
+    const preferences = workspacePreferences.load();
+    const workspaceId = preferences.workspaceId;
+    if (!workspaceId) return preferences;
+    workspacePolicyGate.beginSummary(workspaceId);
+    let workspace;
+    try {
+      workspace = (await listWorkspaces()).find((candidate) => candidate.id === workspaceId);
+    } catch {
+      if (workspacePreferences.load().workspaceId !== workspaceId) continue;
+      workspacePolicyGate.rejectSummary(workspaceId);
+      throw new WorkspaceSelectionError(WORKSPACE_SUMMARY_ERROR);
+    }
+    if (workspacePreferences.load().workspaceId !== workspaceId) continue;
+    if (!workspace?.revision) {
+      workspacePolicyGate.allowLegacy(workspaceId);
+      return workspacePreferences.load();
+    }
+    workspacePolicyGate.select(workspaceId);
+    const outcome = await Promise.race([
+      getWorkspace(workspaceId).then(
+        (record) => ({ kind: "record" as const, record }),
+        () => ({ kind: "error" as const }),
+      ),
+      workspacePolicyGate.waitForCurrent(() => workspacePreferences.load()).then(
+        (selection) => ({ kind: "selection" as const, selection }),
+      ),
+    ]);
+    if (outcome.kind === "selection") {
+      if (outcome.selection.workspaceId !== workspaceId) continue;
+      return outcome.selection;
+    }
+    if (outcome.kind === "error") {
+      if (workspacePreferences.load().workspaceId !== workspaceId) continue;
+      workspacePolicyGate.reject(workspaceId);
+      throw new WorkspaceSelectionError(WORKSPACE_POLICY_ERROR);
+    }
+    const { record } = outcome;
+    if (workspacePreferences.load().workspaceId !== workspaceId) continue;
+    let selection: WorkspacePreference;
+    try {
+      selection = reconcileWorkspacePolicy(
+        preferences,
+        record.workspace.llm_policy.allowed,
+        record.workspace.llm_policy.default,
+      );
+    } catch (error) {
+      workspacePolicyGate.reject(workspaceId);
+      throw error;
+    }
+    workspacePolicyGate.resolve(workspaceId);
+    if (workspacePreferences.load().workspaceId === workspaceId) return selection;
+  }
+}
+
 export async function createSession(i: NewSessionInput) {
   await selectedPreferences();
-  const selection = await workspacePolicyGate.waitForCurrent(() => workspacePreferences.load());
+  const selection = await ensureWorkspaceSelectionPolicy();
   return apiFetch<{ id: string }>("/sessions", {
     method: "POST",
     body: JSON.stringify({ ...i, ...selection }),
diff --git a/frontend/src/shell/NewSessionDialog.test.tsx b/frontend/src/shell/NewSessionDialog.test.tsx
index bee5edb5..bf28d88c 100644
--- a/frontend/src/shell/NewSessionDialog.test.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/shell/NewSessionDialog.test.tsx
@@ -34,6 +34,9 @@ test("submitting includes browser-local migrated preferences and calls onCreated
     http.get("http://localhost:8787/settings", () => HttpResponse.json({
       workspace: "default", provider: "zai", model: "glm-5.2", thinking: "low",
     })),
+    http.get("http://localhost:8787/workspaces", () => HttpResponse.json([{
+      id: "default", name: "default", file: "default.yaml", displayName: "Default",
+    }])),
     http.post("http://localhost:8787/sessions", async ({ request }) => {
       body = await request.json();
       return HttpResponse.json({ id: "s1" });
@@ -51,6 +54,56 @@ test("submitting includes browser-local migrated preferences and calls onCreated
   await waitFor(() => expect(onCreated).toHaveBeenCalledWith("s1"));
 });
 
+test("first-run direct dialog creation waits for registry policy without a mounted footer", async () => {
+  let body: unknown;
+  let releasePolicy!: () => void;
+  let summaryRequestStarted = false;
+  let policyRequestStarted = false;
+  const policyMayFinish = new Promise<void>((resolve) => { releasePolicy = resolve; });
+  const revision = {
+    id: "psd-clinical", commit: "a".repeat(40), blob: "b".repeat(40), snapshotPath: "/snapshot", state: "operational" as const,
+  };
+  localStorage.setItem("thothii.workspace-registry.v1.preferences", JSON.stringify({
+    workspaceId: "psd-clinical", provider: "deepseek", model: "deepseek-v4-pro", thinking: "medium",
+  }));
+  server.use(
+    http.get("http://localhost:8787/workspaces", () => {
+      summaryRequestStarted = true;
+      return HttpResponse.json([{
+        id: "psd-clinical", name: "psd-clinical", file: "psd-clinical.yaml", displayName: "PSD Clinical",
+        revision,
+      }]);
+    }),
+    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,
+      });
+    }),
+    http.post("http://localhost:8787/sessions", async ({ request }) => {
+      body = await request.json();
+      return HttpResponse.json({ id: "s1" });
+    }),
+  );
+
+  const { onCreated } = renderDialog();
+  await userEvent.click(screen.getByRole("button", { name: /new/i }));
+  await userEvent.type(await screen.findByLabelText(/question/i), "q");
+  await userEvent.click(screen.getByRole("button", { name: /^create$/i }));
+
+  await waitFor(() => expect(summaryRequestStarted).toBe(true));
+  await waitFor(() => expect(policyRequestStarted).toBe(true));
+  expect(body).toBeUndefined();
+  expect(screen.getByRole("button", { name: /creating/i })).toBeDisabled();
+  releasePolicy();
+
+  await waitFor(() => expect(body).toEqual({
+    question: "q", workspaceId: "psd-clinical", provider: "zai", model: "glm-5.2", thinking: "medium",
+  }));
+  await waitFor(() => expect(onCreated).toHaveBeenCalledWith("s1"));
+});
+
 test("empty question shows a validation error and does not submit", async () => {
   renderDialog();
   await userEvent.click(screen.getByRole("button", { name: /new/i }));
diff --git a/frontend/src/shell/SteerInput.test.tsx b/frontend/src/shell/SteerInput.test.tsx
index 76d474bd..b2c10bd7 100644
--- a/frontend/src/shell/SteerInput.test.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/shell/SteerInput.test.tsx
@@ -22,6 +22,9 @@ test("new sessions send the browser-selected workspace, model, provider, and thi
     workspaceId: "psd-clinical", provider: "zai", model: "glm-5.2", thinking: "high",
   }));
   server.use(
+    http.get("http://localhost:8787/workspaces", () => HttpResponse.json([{
+      id: "psd-clinical", name: "psd-clinical", file: "psd-clinical.yaml", displayName: "PSD Clinical",
+    }])),
     http.post("http://localhost:8787/sessions", async ({ request }) => {
       body = await request.json();
       return HttpResponse.json({ id: "s1" });
diff --git a/frontend/src/workspaces/drafts.ts b/frontend/src/workspaces/drafts.ts
index 7007eb71..25b9f649 100644
--- a/frontend/src/workspaces/drafts.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/workspaces/drafts.ts
@@ -9,6 +9,9 @@ export interface WorkspaceDraft {
   updatedAt: string;
 }
 
+export const WORKSPACE_SUMMARY_ERROR = "Could not load workspace registry. Please retry.";
+export const WORKSPACE_POLICY_ERROR = "Could not load selected workspace policy. Please retry.";
+
 export class WorkspaceSelectionError extends Error {}
 
 type PolicySelection = {
@@ -70,7 +73,7 @@ export const workspacePolicyGate = {
   rejectSummary(workspaceId: string): void {
     if (!selection || selection.workspaceId !== workspaceId || selection.state !== "summary") return;
     selection.state = "error";
-    selection.error = new WorkspaceSelectionError("Could not load workspace registry. Please retry.");
+    selection.error = new WorkspaceSelectionError(WORKSPACE_SUMMARY_ERROR);
     selection.settle();
   },
 
@@ -88,7 +91,7 @@ export const workspacePolicyGate = {
   reject(workspaceId: string): void {
     if (!selection || selection.workspaceId !== workspaceId || selection.state !== "pending") return;
     selection.state = "error";
-    selection.error = new WorkspaceSelectionError("Could not load selected workspace policy. Please retry.");
+    selection.error = new WorkspaceSelectionError(WORKSPACE_POLICY_ERROR);
     selection.settle();
   },