diff --git a/docs/swarm/ui.md b/docs/swarm/ui.md
index 83c75584..4d43f5d9 100644
--- a/docs/swarm/ui.md
+++ b/docs/swarm/ui.md
@@ -39,9 +39,7 @@ terminal, and below it the agent's **subagents**: every subagent the swarm
 queue holds terminal rows for from the last 24 hours. Picking one shows its
 terminal in the same preview, and **expand** opens it in its own tab, as it
 does for the agent. The list refreshes every 10 seconds, so a subagent the
-agent spawns shows up once it writes output. A subagent that drops out of the
-list closes its terminal, and a later subagent with the same name starts
-unpicked.
+agent spawns shows up once it writes output.
 
 On a terminal's own page (`/agents/<name>/terminal`, or a subagent's) the
 header has an **N running subagents** badge. It opens a list of the agent's
diff --git a/frontend/packages/swarm-ui/src/agent/terminal/SubagentTerms.tsx b/frontend/packages/swarm-ui/src/agent/terminal/SubagentTerms.tsx
index 718a005a..a053d2bf 100644
--- a/frontend/packages/swarm-ui/src/agent/terminal/SubagentTerms.tsx
+++ b/frontend/packages/swarm-ui/src/agent/terminal/SubagentTerms.tsx
@@ -8,27 +8,18 @@
 // agent's own: subagents take no input.
 //
 // Mount it keyed by agent name: the refresh timer is armed once per mount.
-import { useEffect, useState } from "preact/hooks";
+import { useState } from "preact/hooks";
 import { ApiErrorPanel } from "@hive/shared/api-error-panel.js";
 import { Badge } from "@hive/shared/badge.js";
 import { AgentTermPreview } from "./AgentTermPreview.js";
-import { STALE_S, stillListed } from "./subagent-list.js";
+import { STALE_S } from "./subagent-list.js";
 import { useSubagentList } from "./useSubagentList.js";
 import { RelativeTime } from "../../ui/relative-time/RelativeTime.js";
 import "./SubagentTerms.css";
 
 export function SubagentTerms({ agentName }: { agentName: string }) {
   const { subagents, error } = useSubagentList(agentName);
-  const [picked, setPicked] = useState<string | null>(null);
-  // The refresh can drop the picked subagent (its stream is gone). Only a
-  // name still in the list counts as selected, so the terminal closes with
-  // its badge and a later subagent of the same name does not reopen it.
-  const selected = stillListed(picked, subagents);
-  useEffect(() => {
-    if (picked !== null && subagents !== null && selected === null) {
-      setPicked(null);
-    }
-  }, [picked, subagents, selected]);
+  const [selected, setSelected] = useState<string | null>(null);
 
   // An agent with no subagents shows nothing here — no heading, no
   // "none" line — and so does the first fetch while it is in flight. A
@@ -58,7 +49,7 @@ export function SubagentTerms({ agentName }: { agentName: string }) {
                     ? `hide ${name}'s terminal`
                     : `show ${name}'s terminal`
                 }
-                onClick={() => setPicked(name === selected ? null : name)}
+                onClick={() => setSelected(name === selected ? null : name)}
               />
               {last_row_unix !== null && (
                 <span class="ui-subagent-terms-age">
diff --git a/frontend/packages/swarm-ui/src/agent/terminal/subagent-list.ts b/frontend/packages/swarm-ui/src/agent/terminal/subagent-list.ts
index 6904b51c..9de9262c 100644
--- a/frontend/packages/swarm-ui/src/agent/terminal/subagent-list.ts
+++ b/frontend/packages/swarm-ui/src/agent/terminal/subagent-list.ts
@@ -48,18 +48,3 @@ export function splitRunning(
 export function runningLabel(count: number): string {
   return count === 1 ? "1 running subagent" : `${count} running subagents`;
 }
-
-/**
- * The picked subagent while the list still holds it, else `null`. The list
- * refreshes on a timer and can drop a subagent whose stream is gone, so a
- * pick outlives its badge unless it is checked against the list. `null`
- * list (not fetched yet) holds no pick either.
- */
-export function stillListed(
-  picked: string | null,
-  subs: Subagent[] | null,
-): string | null {
-  return picked !== null && subs?.some((s) => s.name === picked)
-    ? picked
-    : null;
-}
diff --git a/frontend/packages/swarm-ui/test/subagent-list.test.mjs b/frontend/packages/swarm-ui/test/subagent-list.test.mjs
index dcf1f282..79ad2fb6 100644
--- a/frontend/packages/swarm-ui/test/subagent-list.test.mjs
+++ b/frontend/packages/swarm-ui/test/subagent-list.test.mjs
@@ -9,7 +9,6 @@ import {
   isRunning,
   runningLabel,
   splitRunning,
-  stillListed,
 } from "../src/agent/terminal/subagent-list.ts";
 
 const NOW = 1_000_000;
@@ -60,12 +59,3 @@ test("the badge counts in words", () => {
   assert.equal(runningLabel(1), "1 running subagent");
   assert.equal(runningLabel(4), "4 running subagents");
 });
-
-test("a pick holds only while the refreshed list still has it", () => {
-  const subs = [sub("a", 10), sub("b", 20)];
-  assert.equal(stillListed("a", subs), "a");
-  assert.equal(stillListed("gone", subs), null);
-  assert.equal(stillListed("a", []), null);
-  assert.equal(stillListed("a", null), null);
-  assert.equal(stillListed(null, subs), null);
-});