diff --git a/packages/web/src/components/DirectoryBrowser.tsx b/packages/web/src/components/DirectoryBrowser.tsx
index a62dcfbbb..b358e83aa 100644
--- a/packages/web/src/components/DirectoryBrowser.tsx
+++ b/packages/web/src/components/DirectoryBrowser.tsx
@@ -151,15 +151,20 @@ export function DirectoryBrowser({ browser }: DirectoryBrowserProps) {
           </button>
           {browser.roots.length > 0 ? (
             <select
-              aria-label="Drive"
-              value={browser.selectedRootPath}
+              aria-label="Location"
+              // When on home, no drive root matches → the bare select shows "Home" as the
+              // current value. On a drive, selectedRootPath is the drive; picking "Home"
+              // (value="~") routes back to ~.
+              value={browser.browsePath === "~" ? "~" : browser.selectedRootPath}
               onChange={(event) => {
                 const nextPath = event.target.value;
-                if (nextPath) void browser.browse(nextPath, { selectedPath: nextPath });
+                if (!nextPath) return;
+                if (nextPath === "~") void browser.browse("~");
+                else void browser.browse(nextPath);
               }}
               className="add-project-modal__drive-select"
             >
-              <option value="">Drive</option>
+              <option value="~">Home</option>
               {browser.roots.map((root) => (
                 <option key={root.path} value={root.path}>
                   {root.label}
diff --git a/packages/web/src/components/__tests__/AddProjectModal.test.tsx b/packages/web/src/components/__tests__/AddProjectModal.test.tsx
index 15f7ac198..25e40d607 100644
--- a/packages/web/src/components/__tests__/AddProjectModal.test.tsx
+++ b/packages/web/src/components/__tests__/AddProjectModal.test.tsx
@@ -129,7 +129,7 @@ describe("AddProjectModal", () => {
 
     render(<AddProjectModal open onClose={vi.fn()} />);
 
-    const driveSelect = await screen.findByLabelText(/drive/i);
+    const driveSelect = await screen.findByLabelText(/location/i);
     fireEvent.change(driveSelect, { target: { value: "D:\\" } });
 
     await waitFor(() =>
@@ -137,7 +137,11 @@ describe("AddProjectModal", () => {
         `/api/filesystem/browse?path=${encodeURIComponent("D:\\")}`,
       ),
     );
-    await waitFor(() => expect(screen.getAllByText("D:\\").length).toBeGreaterThan(0));
+    // Drive switch navigates but no longer auto-selects (selection is an explicit user
+    // action — see useDirectoryBrowser). The location input is the canonical "where we are".
+    await waitFor(() =>
+      expect((screen.getByLabelText(/folder path/i) as HTMLInputElement).value).toBe("D:\\"),
+    );
     expect(await screen.findByRole("button", { name: /projects/i })).toBeInTheDocument();
   });
 
diff --git a/packages/web/src/components/__tests__/DirectoryBrowser.test.tsx b/packages/web/src/components/__tests__/DirectoryBrowser.test.tsx
index 03726ee33..dd579fedc 100644
--- a/packages/web/src/components/__tests__/DirectoryBrowser.test.tsx
+++ b/packages/web/src/components/__tests__/DirectoryBrowser.test.tsx
@@ -281,6 +281,110 @@ describe("DirectoryBrowser", () => {
     expect(browser.reset).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
   });
 
+  it("does not auto-select the descended folder on double-click", async () => {
+    const fetchMock = vi
+      .fn()
+      // initial reset → home
+      .mockResolvedValueOnce({
+        ok: true,
+        json: async () => ({
+          entries: [{ name: "workspace", isDirectory: true, isGitRepo: false, hasLocalConfig: false }],
+          roots: [],
+        }),
+      })
+      // descend into workspace (not a git repo)
+      .mockResolvedValueOnce({
+        ok: true,
+        json: async () => ({
+          entries: [],
+          current: { isGitRepo: false, hasLocalConfig: false },
+          roots: [],
+        }),
+      });
+    vi.stubGlobal("fetch", fetchMock);
+
+    render(<Harness />);
+
+    const row = (await screen.findByText("workspace")).closest("button");
+    expect(row).not.toBeNull();
+    fireEvent.doubleClick(row!);
+
+    // After descending, the current-folder row exists but must NOT be selected — the
+    // user navigated, they didn't pick. Otherwise the modal flashes a red
+    // "not a git repository" warning for every non-repo folder they pass through.
+    await waitFor(() => {
+      const current = screen.queryByRole("button", { name: "workspace, current folder" });
+      expect(current).not.toBeNull();
+      expect(current?.className).not.toContain("is-selected");
+    });
+  });
+
+  it("offers Home in the location dropdown and browses back to ~ when picked", () => {
+    const browser = {
+      browsePath: "C:\\Users",
+      selectedBrowsePath: "",
+      setSelectedBrowsePath: vi.fn(),
+      directoryEntries: [],
+      currentDirectory: null,
+      roots: [
+        { label: "C:", path: "C:\\" },
+        { label: "D:", path: "D:\\" },
+      ],
+      selectedRootPath: "C:\\",
+      locationInput: "C:\\Users",
+      setLocationInput: vi.fn(),
+      loading: false,
+      error: null,
+      parentPath: "C:\\",
+      canGoBack: true,
+      canGoForward: false,
+      browse: vi.fn(),
+      goBack: vi.fn(),
+      goForward: vi.fn(),
+      goUp: vi.fn(),
+      refresh: vi.fn(),
+      reset: vi.fn(),
+    } satisfies UseDirectoryBrowser;
+
+    render(<DirectoryBrowser browser={browser} />);
+
+    const select = screen.getByLabelText("Location") as HTMLSelectElement;
+    // Home is the first option so it acts as the route back to ~ from any drive.
+    expect(Array.from(select.options).map((o) => o.value)).toEqual(["~", "C:\\", "D:\\"]);
+    fireEvent.change(select, { target: { value: "~" } });
+
+    expect(browser.browse).toHaveBeenCalledWith("~");
+  });
+
+  it("shows Home as the selected location when browsePath is ~", () => {
+    const browser = {
+      browsePath: "~",
+      selectedBrowsePath: "",
+      setSelectedBrowsePath: vi.fn(),
+      directoryEntries: [],
+      currentDirectory: null,
+      roots: [{ label: "C:", path: "C:\\" }],
+      selectedRootPath: "",
+      locationInput: "~",
+      setLocationInput: vi.fn(),
+      loading: false,
+      error: null,
+      parentPath: null,
+      canGoBack: false,
+      canGoForward: false,
+      browse: vi.fn(),
+      goBack: vi.fn(),
+      goForward: vi.fn(),
+      goUp: vi.fn(),
+      refresh: vi.fn(),
+      reset: vi.fn(),
+    } satisfies UseDirectoryBrowser;
+
+    render(<DirectoryBrowser browser={browser} />);
+
+    expect((screen.getByLabelText("Location") as HTMLSelectElement).value).toBe("~");
+  });
+
   it("handles keyboard navigation when focus is on an ancestor container", async () => {
     vi.stubGlobal(
       "fetch",
diff --git a/packages/web/src/hooks/__tests__/useDirectoryBrowser.test.ts b/packages/web/src/hooks/__tests__/useDirectoryBrowser.test.ts
index 3bc8da418..411cb92d9 100644
--- a/packages/web/src/hooks/__tests__/useDirectoryBrowser.test.ts
+++ b/packages/web/src/hooks/__tests__/useDirectoryBrowser.test.ts
@@ -74,7 +74,9 @@ describe("useDirectoryBrowser", () => {
 
     expect(result.current.browsePath).toBe("~");
     expect(result.current.locationInput).toBe("~");
-    expect(result.current.selectedBrowsePath).toBe("~");
+    // History-replay navigation no longer carries a selection — selecting is an explicit
+    // user action (click a row, type a path) so descend/back/forward leave selection clear.
+    expect(result.current.selectedBrowsePath).toBe("");
     expect(result.current.canGoForward).toBe(true);
     act(() => result.current.goForward());
     await waitFor(() => expect(result.current.browsePath).toBe("~/a"));
diff --git a/packages/web/src/hooks/useDirectoryBrowser.ts b/packages/web/src/hooks/useDirectoryBrowser.ts
index d4249b924..8ddd674ef 100644
--- a/packages/web/src/hooks/useDirectoryBrowser.ts
+++ b/packages/web/src/hooks/useDirectoryBrowser.ts
@@ -82,7 +82,10 @@ export function useDirectoryBrowser(): UseDirectoryBrowser {
     setBrowseEntries([]);
     setCurrentDirectory(null);
     setRoots([]);
-    setSelectedBrowsePath(selectedPath ?? path);
+    // Navigating to `path` (descend, breadcrumb, drive switch) must not auto-select it —
+    // a selection should only ever come from explicit user intent. Callers that DO want
+    // to seed a selection (refresh, reset, typed-path Enter) pass `selectedPath` explicitly.
+    setSelectedBrowsePath(selectedPath ?? "");
   }, []);
 
   const browse = useCallback(
@@ -116,7 +119,7 @@ export function useDirectoryBrowser(): UseDirectoryBrowser {
         const mode = options?.mode ?? "push";
         setBrowsePath(path);
         setLocationInput(path);
-        setSelectedBrowsePath(options?.selectedPath ?? path);
+        setSelectedBrowsePath(options?.selectedPath ?? "");
         setBrowseEntries(body?.entries ?? []);
         setCurrentDirectory(body?.current ?? null);
         setRoots(body?.roots ?? []);