diff --git a/src/client/types.ts b/src/client/types.ts
index 076ced3..d8040c2 100644
--- a/src/client/types.ts
+++ b/src/client/types.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 export interface Workspace {
   workspace_id: string;
   label?: string;
+  path?: string;
   cwd?: string;
   worktree?: WorktreeProvenance;
   tab_count?: number;
diff --git a/src/sessionizer/sessionizer.test.ts b/src/sessionizer/sessionizer.test.ts
index 39417d8..0aaf80c 100644
--- a/src/sessionizer/sessionizer.test.ts
+++ b/src/sessionizer/sessionizer.test.ts
@@ -131,6 +131,129 @@ describe("runSessionizer", () => {
     expect(focus).toHaveBeenCalledWith("ws-project");
   });
 
+  it("focuses instead of duplicating when the picked project already has a workspace", async () => {
+    const create = mock(async (_options: unknown) => testWorkspace());
+    const focus = mock(async () => {});
+    const log = mock(() => {});
+    const open = testWorkspace({
+      path: "/projects/fieldnotes",
+      workspace_id: "ws-open",
+    });
+
+    await runSessionizer({
+      workspaces: {
+        list: mock(async () => [open]),
+        create,
+        focus,
+      },
+      tabs: testTabs(),
+      panes: testPanes(),
+      config: testConfig(),
+      pickRows: mock(
+        async (_rows: readonly string[], options?: { prompt?: string }) => {
+          if (options?.prompt === "Switch session (Esc for new): ") {
+            return null;
+          }
+
+          return ["/projects/fieldnotes"];
+        }
+      ),
+      listProjects: mock(() => ["/projects/fieldnotes"]),
+      createLayout: mock(async (workspace: Workspace) => workspace),
+      logger: { log, error: mock(() => {}) },
+      exit: (code) => {
+        throw new Error(`unexpected exit ${code}`);
+      },
+    });
+
+    expect(create).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expect(focus).toHaveBeenCalledWith("ws-open");
+    expect(log).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+      "✓ focused existing workspace for '/projects/fieldnotes' (ws-open)"
+    );
+  });
+
+  it("falls back to the legacy cwd field when matching existing workspaces", async () => {
+    const create = mock(async (_options: unknown) => testWorkspace());
+    const focus = mock(async () => {});
+    const open = testWorkspace({
+      cwd: "/projects/fieldnotes",
+      workspace_id: "ws-legacy",
+    });
+
+    await runSessionizer({
+      workspaces: {
+        list: mock(async () => [open]),
+        create,
+        focus,
+      },
+      tabs: testTabs(),
+      panes: testPanes(),
+      config: testConfig(),
+      pickRows: mock(
+        async (_rows: readonly string[], options?: { prompt?: string }) => {
+          if (options?.prompt === "Switch session (Esc for new): ") {
+            return null;
+          }
+
+          return ["/projects/fieldnotes"];
+        }
+      ),
+      listProjects: mock(() => ["/projects/fieldnotes"]),
+      createLayout: mock(async (workspace: Workspace) => workspace),
+      logger: { log: mock(() => {}), error: mock(() => {}) },
+      exit: (code) => {
+        throw new Error(`unexpected exit ${code}`);
+      },
+    });
+
+    expect(create).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expect(focus).toHaveBeenCalledWith("ws-legacy");
+  });
+
+  it("still creates a workspace when only a worktree workspace matches the project path", async () => {
+    const workspace = testWorkspace({
+      cwd: "/projects/fieldnotes",
+      workspace_id: "ws-new",
+    });
+    const create = mock(async () => workspace);
+    const focus = mock(async () => {});
+    const worktreeMatch = testWorkspace({
+      cwd: "/projects/fieldnotes",
+      workspace_id: "ws-worktree",
+      worktree: { branch: "main" },
+    });
+
+    await runSessionizer({
+      workspaces: {
+        list: mock(async () => [worktreeMatch]),
+        create,
+        focus,
+      },
+      tabs: testTabs(),
+      panes: testPanes(),
+      config: testConfig(),
+      pickRows: mock(
+        async (_rows: readonly string[], options?: { prompt?: string }) => {
+          if (options?.prompt === "Switch session (Esc for new): ") {
+            return null;
+          }
+
+          return ["/projects/fieldnotes"];
+        }
+      ),
+      listProjects: mock(() => ["/projects/fieldnotes"]),
+      createLayout: mock(async (created: Workspace) => created),
+      logger: { log: mock(() => {}), error: mock(() => {}) },
+      exit: (code) => {
+        throw new Error(`unexpected exit ${code}`);
+      },
+    });
+
+    expect(create).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    expect(focus).toHaveBeenCalledWith("ws-new");
+  });
+
   it("exits with an error when no projects are found", async () => {
     const error = mock(() => {});
 
diff --git a/src/sessionizer/sessionizer.ts b/src/sessionizer/sessionizer.ts
index 3f30f7b..8c3900f 100644
--- a/src/sessionizer/sessionizer.ts
+++ b/src/sessionizer/sessionizer.ts
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ import { basename } from "node:path";
 
 import {
   listProjects,
+  normalizePath,
   sanitizeName,
   type ProjectDiscoveryOptions,
 } from "../discovery/discovery.ts";
@@ -87,17 +88,15 @@ export async function runSessionizer(
 ): Promise<void> {
   const { workspaces, tabs, panes, config } = runtime;
 
-  const existing = await runtime.pickRows(
-    (await workspaces.list()).map(workspaceRow),
-    {
-      prompt: "Switch session (Esc for new): ",
-      header: "↑↓ navigate, Enter select, Esc → new project",
-      delimiter: WORKSPACE_ROW_DELIMITER,
-      withNth: "2",
-      preview: WORKSPACE_PREVIEW,
-      previewWindow: "right:50%",
-    }
-  );
+  const allWorkspaces = await workspaces.list();
+  const existing = await runtime.pickRows(allWorkspaces.map(workspaceRow), {
+    prompt: "Switch session (Esc for new): ",
+    header: "↑↓ navigate, Enter select, Esc → new project",
+    delimiter: WORKSPACE_ROW_DELIMITER,
+    withNth: "2",
+    preview: WORKSPACE_PREVIEW,
+    previewWindow: "right:50%",
+  });
 
   if (existing && existing.length > 0) {
     await workspaces.focus(extractWorkspaceId(existing[0]!));
@@ -120,6 +119,15 @@ export async function runSessionizer(
   if (!selected || selected.length === 0) return;
 
   const project = selected[0]!;
+  const openWorkspace = findProjectWorkspace(allWorkspaces, project);
+  if (openWorkspace) {
+    await workspaces.focus(openWorkspace.workspace_id);
+    runtime.logger.log(
+      `✓ focused existing workspace for '${project}' (${openWorkspace.workspace_id})`
+    );
+    return;
+  }
+
   const projectName = project.split("/").pop() ?? project;
   const label = sanitizeName(projectName);
   const workspace = await workspaces.create({
@@ -137,6 +145,18 @@ export async function runSessionizer(
   );
 }
 
+function findProjectWorkspace(
+  workspaces: readonly Workspace[],
+  projectPath: string
+): Workspace | undefined {
+  const normalizedProject = normalizePath(projectPath);
+  return workspaces.find(
+    (workspace) =>
+      !workspace.worktree &&
+      normalizePath(workspace.path ?? workspace.cwd) === normalizedProject
+  );
+}
+
 function workspaceName(workspace: Workspace): string {
   const path = workspacePath(workspace);
   if (path) {
@@ -165,6 +185,7 @@ function workspaceSummary(workspace: Workspace): string {
 
 function workspacePath(workspace: Workspace): string | undefined {
   return (
+    workspace.path ??
     workspace.cwd ??
     workspace.worktree?.checkout_path ??
     workspace.worktree?.repo_root ??