diff --git a/CLAUDE.md b/CLAUDE.md
index 78ab6de5..3ebb8970 100644
--- a/CLAUDE.md
+++ b/CLAUDE.md
@@ -373,7 +373,7 @@ gh run view <id> --json jobs --jq '.jobs[] | {name: .name, conclusion: .conclusi
 
 **105. `npm run build` fails with `EACCES: permission denied` on `dist/` in code-server:** This is a filesystem permission issue in the Docker environment, not a TypeScript error — the TS compilation completes successfully. Use `npx tsc -b` to verify TypeScript cleanly without needing to write to `dist/`.
 
----
+**106. Guard async "select item → load data → apply state" flows with a ref:** When a component lets the user switch between items (chat sessions, flows, scripts) and loads data asynchronously on each switch, the load for item A can complete *after* the user has already switched to item B — overwriting B's state with A's stale data. Fix pattern: keep a `currentSelectionRef = useRef(initialId)` and update it synchronously whenever the selection changes (in every creation/switch path). After every `await`, bail out if `currentSelectionRef.current !== thisItemId`. See `AssistantChatPage.tsx` `selectChat` for the reference implementation (`currentChatRef`).
 
 ## RBAC & Permissions
 
diff --git a/frontend/src/pages/AssistantChatPage.tsx b/frontend/src/pages/AssistantChatPage.tsx
index da71faa2..9b6169cb 100644
--- a/frontend/src/pages/AssistantChatPage.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/pages/AssistantChatPage.tsx
@@ -81,6 +81,9 @@ export default function AssistantChatPage() {
   const fileInputRef = useRef<HTMLInputElement>(null)
   const dragCounterRef = useRef(0)
   const prefillHandledRef = useRef(false)
+  // Tracks the most recently requested active chat ID so in-flight selectChat
+  // calls that complete after the user switches chats don't clobber new state.
+  const currentChatRef = useRef<string | null>(activeChatId)
 
   // Persist active chat ID to sessionStorage
   useEffect(() => {
@@ -214,6 +217,7 @@ export default function AssistantChatPage() {
   }
 
   const selectChat = useCallback(async (chatId: string) => {
+    currentChatRef.current = chatId
     setActiveChatId(chatId)
     // Clear TaskLane when switching chats — will restore from backend if available
     setShowTaskLane(false)
@@ -221,6 +225,10 @@ export default function AssistantChatPage() {
     setActiveActions([])
     try {
       const detail = await aiSessionsApi.getSession(chatId)
+      // Guard: if the user switched to a different chat while this API call was
+      // in flight (e.g. clicked "New Chat"), discard stale results so we don't
+      // clobber the new session's task lane state.
+      if (currentChatRef.current !== chatId) return
       setMessages(
         (detail.conversation_messages || []).map(m => ({
           role: m.role as 'user' | 'assistant',
@@ -264,6 +272,7 @@ export default function AssistantChatPage() {
         created_at: new Date().toISOString(),
         updated_at: new Date().toISOString(),
       }
+      currentChatRef.current = session.session_id
       setChats(prev => [chatItem, ...prev])
       setActiveChatId(session.session_id)
       setMessages([])
@@ -430,6 +439,7 @@ export default function AssistantChatPage() {
         created_at: new Date().toISOString(),
         updated_at: new Date().toISOString(),
       }
+      currentChatRef.current = session.session_id
       setChats(prev => [chatItem, ...prev])
       setActiveChatId(session.session_id)
       setMessages([{ role: 'user', content: resumePrompt }])