diff --git a/packages/client/runtime/src/client/sessions/manager.ts b/packages/client/runtime/src/client/sessions/manager.ts
index a6e7bf867c..c114be3c66 100644
--- a/packages/client/runtime/src/client/sessions/manager.ts
+++ b/packages/client/runtime/src/client/sessions/manager.ts
@@ -71,6 +71,7 @@ type SessionListMutation =
   | { kind: 'upsert'; summary: SessionSummary }
   | { kind: 'remove'; sessionId: SessionId }
   | { kind: 'status'; sessionId: SessionId; running: boolean }
+  | { kind: 'activity'; sessionId: SessionId; updatedAt: number }
   /** Local first-send flip: the sender clears blank without waiting for a host frame. */
   | { kind: 'engaged'; sessionId: SessionId }
 
@@ -685,6 +686,16 @@ export class SessionManager {
   handleMuxEnvelope(envelope: RpcRequest<MuxFrame>): void {
     const frame = envelope.payload
     if (frame.type === 'stream/error') return // Controller already treats this as stream failure
+    if (
+      frame.type === 'session/event'
+      && frame.event.type === 'user/message'
+      && frame.event.data.source.kind === 'user'
+    ) {
+      // session.list supplies the cold baseline, while a direct prompt or an
+      // admitted steer advances it between pulls. Max keeps replayed or
+      // repaired older user messages from moving the row backwards.
+      this.recordMutation({ kind: 'activity', sessionId: frame.sessionId, updatedAt: frame.event.time })
+    }
     if (frame.type === 'session/projection') {
       // Finished host-computed value: land it in the resident store whether or
       // not the Session is instantiated (list rows read the 'title' key). The
@@ -1115,6 +1126,11 @@ function applyMutation(summaries: readonly SessionSummary[], mutation: SessionLi
         && (summary.running !== mutation.running || (mutation.running && summary.blank))
         ? { ...summary, running: mutation.running, blank: summary.blank && !mutation.running }
         : summary)
+    case 'activity':
+      return summaries.map(summary => summary.sessionId === mutation.sessionId
+        && mutation.updatedAt > summary.updatedAt
+        ? { ...summary, updatedAt: mutation.updatedAt }
+        : summary)
     case 'engaged':
       return summaries.map(summary => summary.sessionId === mutation.sessionId && summary.blank
         ? { ...summary, blank: false }
diff --git a/packages/client/runtime/tests/manager.spec.ts b/packages/client/runtime/tests/manager.spec.ts
index 7eba55fd64..cd6e6b9a3a 100644
--- a/packages/client/runtime/tests/manager.spec.ts
+++ b/packages/client/runtime/tests/manager.spec.ts
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ import { describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest'
 import type { SessionId } from '@deepseek-ai/dsh-client-connection/client'
 import { SessionManager } from '../src/client/sessions/manager.ts'
 import { FakeApiClient, deferred, err, ok } from './fake-api.ts'
-import { entries, plainTurn } from './event-script.ts'
+import { entries, ev, plainTurn } from './event-script.ts'
 
 const S1 = 'fk-m1' as SessionId
 const S2 = 'fk-m2' as SessionId
@@ -113,6 +113,46 @@ describe('list lifecycle', () => {
     expect(manager.getListSnapshot().items.map(item => item.sessionId)).toEqual([S2, S1])
   })
 
+  it('advances list activity only for direct user messages', async () => {
+    const api = new FakeApiClient()
+    api.onList = () => Promise.resolve(ok({ items: [summary(S1)] as never[] }))
+    const manager = new SessionManager(api)
+    await manager.refreshList()
+
+    // Both a new prompt and an admitted steer land as a user-sourced message.
+    const activity = { ...ev.user(10, 'new'), time: 500 }
+    manager.handleMuxEnvelope({
+      rpcId: 'activity' as never,
+      payload: { type: 'session/event', sessionId: S1, event: activity },
+    })
+    expect(manager.getListSnapshot().items[0]?.updatedAt).toBe(500)
+
+    manager.handleMuxEnvelope({
+      rpcId: 'older' as never,
+      payload: { type: 'session/event', sessionId: S1, event: { ...activity, time: 400 } },
+    })
+    manager.handleMuxEnvelope({
+      rpcId: 'assistant' as never,
+      payload: { type: 'session/event', sessionId: S1, event: { ...ev.assistant(11, 0, 'reply'), time: 600 } },
+    })
+
+    const injected = ev.user(12, 'context')
+    if (injected.type !== 'user/message') throw new Error('user builder returned another event type')
+    manager.handleMuxEnvelope({
+      rpcId: 'injected' as never,
+      payload: {
+        type: 'session/event',
+        sessionId: S1,
+        event: {
+          ...injected,
+          time: 700,
+          data: { ...injected.data, source: { kind: 'plugin', plugin: 'test' } },
+        },
+      },
+    })
+    expect(manager.getListSnapshot().items[0]?.updatedAt).toBe(500)
+  })
+
   it('keeps the error in the list snapshot on failure', async () => {
     const api = new FakeApiClient()
     api.onList = () => Promise.resolve(err({ code: 'internal', message: 'boom', details: {} }))