diff --git a/apps/web/src/components/AppSidebarLayout.tsx b/apps/web/src/components/AppSidebarLayout.tsx
index 97c0bd44eb96..0cf965c4bd22 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/components/AppSidebarLayout.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/src/components/AppSidebarLayout.tsx
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ import LegacyThreadSidebar from "./LegacySidebar";
 import ThreadSidebar from "./Sidebar";
 import { SettingsSidebarNav } from "./settings/SettingsSidebarNav";
 import { SidebarChromeHeader } from "./sidebar/SidebarChrome";
+import { MainAppLocationTracker } from "./sidebar/mainAppLocation";
 import { useSidebarStageBackdropVariant } from "./SidebarStageBackdrop";
 import { useProjects } from "../state/entities";
 import {
@@ -321,6 +322,7 @@ export function AppSidebarLayout({ children }: { children: ReactNode }) {
         {children}
         <SidebarControl />
         <NavigationHistoryShortcuts />
+        <MainAppLocationTracker />
       </SidebarProvider>
     </PanelAnimationSuppressionProvider>
   );
diff --git a/apps/web/src/components/sidebar/SidebarChrome.tsx b/apps/web/src/components/sidebar/SidebarChrome.tsx
index a37aba27b8de..af4bd8a1f5cb 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/components/sidebar/SidebarChrome.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/src/components/sidebar/SidebarChrome.tsx
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import { ArrowLeftIcon, ChartNoAxesColumnIcon, SettingsIcon } from "lucide-react";
 import type { ReactNode } from "react";
 import { memo, useCallback } from "react";
-import { Link, useCanGoBack, useLocation, useNavigate } from "@tanstack/react-router";
+import { Link, useLocation, useNavigate } from "@tanstack/react-router";
 
 import { useEnvironmentIdentificationMode } from "../../hooks/useSettings";
 import { cn } from "../../lib/utils";
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ import {
 } from "../ui/sidebar";
 import { Tooltip, TooltipPopup, TooltipTrigger } from "../ui/tooltip";
 import { readPullRequestListPreferences } from "../pullRequest/pullRequestListPreferences";
+import { isSidebarUtilityPage, useNavigateToMainApp } from "./mainAppLocation";
 import { SidebarThreadUndoNotice } from "./SidebarThreadUndoNotice";
 import { SidebarProviderUpdatePill } from "./SidebarProviderUpdatePill";
 import { SidebarUpdateArchitectureWarning, SidebarUpdatePill } from "./SidebarUpdatePill";
@@ -127,19 +128,10 @@ function SidebarUtilityItem({
 
 export const SidebarUtilityMenu = memo(function SidebarUtilityMenu() {
   const navigate = useNavigate();
-  const canGoBack = useCanGoBack();
+  const navigateToMainApp = useNavigateToMainApp();
   const { isMobile, setOpenMobile } = useSidebar();
-  const currentFooterPage = useLocation({
-    select: (location) =>
-      /^\/settings(?:\/|$)/.test(location.pathname)
-        ? "settings"
-        : /^\/projects\/[^/]+\/?$/.test(location.pathname)
-          ? "project-settings"
-          : location.pathname === "/usage"
-            ? "usage"
-            : location.pathname === "/pull-requests"
-              ? "pull-requests"
-              : null,
+  const isOnUtilityPage = useLocation({
+    select: (location) => isSidebarUtilityPage(location.pathname),
   });
   const { environments } = useEnvironments();
   // The page reads every connected server, so one of them offering pull requests is enough for
@@ -173,16 +165,12 @@ export const SidebarUtilityMenu = memo(function SidebarUtilityMenu() {
 
   const handleBackClick = useCallback(() => {
     closeMobileSidebar();
-    if (canGoBack) {
-      window.history.back();
-      return;
-    }
-    void navigate({ to: "/" });
-  }, [canGoBack, closeMobileSidebar, navigate]);
+    void navigateToMainApp();
+  }, [closeMobileSidebar, navigateToMainApp]);
 
   return (
     <SidebarMenu className="flex-row items-center">
-      {currentFooterPage ? (
+      {isOnUtilityPage ? (
         <SidebarMenuItem className="min-w-0 flex-1">
           <SidebarMenuButton onClick={handleBackClick}>
             <ArrowLeftIcon />
diff --git a/apps/web/src/components/sidebar/mainAppLocation.ts b/apps/web/src/components/sidebar/mainAppLocation.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..fcbf2f489d33
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/web/src/components/sidebar/mainAppLocation.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+import { useLocation, useNavigate } from "@tanstack/react-router";
+import { useCallback, useEffect } from "react";
+
+// Settings, Usage, and Pull Requests replace the sidebar utility row with a
+// Back button. Everything else is the main app. Legacy `/projects/<key>` links
+// redirect into settings, so they count too and are never remembered.
+export function isSidebarUtilityPage(pathname: string) {
+  return (
+    pathname === "/settings" ||
+    pathname.startsWith("/settings/") ||
+    pathname.startsWith("/projects/") ||
+    pathname === "/usage" ||
+    pathname === "/pull-requests"
+  );
+}
+
+let mainAppHref: string | null = null;
+
+// Mount once in the app shell. Records the latest main app URL so Back can
+// return there no matter how many utility pages were visited since.
+export function MainAppLocationTracker() {
+  const href = useLocation({
+    select: (location) => (isSidebarUtilityPage(location.pathname) ? null : location.href),
+  });
+  useEffect(() => {
+    if (href !== null) mainAppHref = href;
+  }, [href]);
+  return null;
+}
+
+// Leaves a utility page for the last main app URL, or the thread list when
+// the app was opened directly on a utility page.
+export function useNavigateToMainApp() {
+  const navigate = useNavigate();
+  return useCallback(() => navigate({ href: mainAppHref ?? "/" }), [navigate]);
+}
diff --git a/apps/web/src/routes/settings.tsx b/apps/web/src/routes/settings.tsx
index 5fc6d63f20f6..d529148e17b9 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/routes/settings.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/src/routes/settings.tsx
@@ -1,18 +1,12 @@
-import {
-  Outlet,
-  createFileRoute,
-  redirect,
-  useCanGoBack,
-  useLocation,
-  useNavigate,
-} from "@tanstack/react-router";
-import { useCallback, useEffect, useState, type ReactNode } from "react";
+import { Outlet, createFileRoute, redirect, useLocation } from "@tanstack/react-router";
+import { useEffect, useState, type ReactNode } from "react";
 import { RotateCcwIcon } from "lucide-react";
 import { Button } from "../components/ui/button";
 import { useSettingsRestore } from "../components/settings/SettingsPanels";
 
 import { SettingsBreadcrumb } from "../components/settings/SettingsBreadcrumb";
 import { SidebarInset } from "../components/ui/sidebar";
+import { useNavigateToMainApp } from "../components/sidebar/mainAppLocation";
 import { WorkspacePageHeader } from "../components/WorkspacePageHeader";
 import { isElectron } from "../env";
 import {
@@ -117,17 +111,9 @@ function SettingsScopeBoundary({ pathname, children }: { pathname: string; child
 
 function SettingsContentLayout() {
   const location = useLocation();
-  const navigate = useNavigate();
-  const canGoBack = useCanGoBack();
+  const navigateToMainApp = useNavigateToMainApp();
   const { search } = useSettingsScope();
   const [restoreSignal, setRestoreSignal] = useState(0);
-  const navigateBackWithinApp = useCallback(() => {
-    if (canGoBack) {
-      window.history.back();
-      return;
-    }
-    void navigate({ to: "/" });
-  }, [canGoBack, navigate]);
 
   useEffect(() => {
     const onKeyDown = (event: KeyboardEvent) => {
@@ -140,7 +126,7 @@ function SettingsContentLayout() {
           activeElement.blur();
         }
 
-        navigateBackWithinApp();
+        void navigateToMainApp();
       }
     };
 
@@ -148,7 +134,7 @@ function SettingsContentLayout() {
     return () => {
       window.removeEventListener("keydown", onKeyDown);
     };
-  }, [navigateBackWithinApp]);
+  }, [navigateToMainApp]);
 
   return (
     <SidebarInset className="h-dvh min-h-0 overflow-hidden overscroll-y-none isolate">