diff --git a/ui/src/components/PropertiesPanel.tsx b/ui/src/components/PropertiesPanel.tsx
index 926927c3903..65d169d401f 100644
--- a/ui/src/components/PropertiesPanel.tsx
+++ b/ui/src/components/PropertiesPanel.tsx
@@ -353,8 +353,9 @@ function ResizablePropertiesPanel({
           className={cn("flex-1 flex flex-col min-h-0", isFixed && "w-full")}
           style={isFixed ? undefined : { width, minWidth: width }}
         >
-          {/* No pane title: the tab strip (portaled into the slot by
-              IssueProperties) names the surface; window controls sit right. */}
+          {/* The slot hosts whatever IssueProperties portals in — the tab strip
+              when Plan/Artifacts have content, else a plain "Properties" title;
+              window controls sit right. */}
           <div className="flex items-center justify-between gap-2 px-4 py-2 border-b border-border">
             <div
               id={PROPERTIES_PANE_HEADER_SLOT_ID}
diff --git a/ui/src/components/issue-properties/IssueProperties.tsx b/ui/src/components/issue-properties/IssueProperties.tsx
index d2920cbabed..6578d8cf6eb 100644
--- a/ui/src/components/issue-properties/IssueProperties.tsx
+++ b/ui/src/components/issue-properties/IssueProperties.tsx
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ import { authApi } from "../../api/auth";
 import { executionWorkspacesApi } from "../../api/execution-workspaces";
 import { instanceSettingsApi } from "../../api/instanceSettings";
 import { issuesApi } from "../../api/issues";
+import { useIssuePlanDocument } from "@/hooks/useIssuePlanDocument";
 import { projectsApi } from "../../api/projects";
 import { useCompany } from "../../context/CompanyContext";
 import { queryKeys } from "../../lib/queryKeys";
@@ -184,6 +185,25 @@ export function IssueProperties({
     }
     setPaneHeaderSlot(document.getElementById(PROPERTIES_PANE_HEADER_SLOT_ID));
   }, [taskChatRedesignEnabled, inline]);
+  // Plan/Artifacts only earn a tab when they have content; with neither, the
+  // header bar shows a plain "Properties" title instead of a one-tab strip.
+  // Same query keys as the tab bodies, so these share their cached fetches.
+  const { data: paneTabPlanDocument } = useIssuePlanDocument(
+    taskChatRedesignEnabled ? issue.id : null,
+  );
+  const { data: paneTabAcceptedPlans } = useQuery({
+    queryKey: queryKeys.issues.acceptedPlanDecompositions(issue.id),
+    queryFn: () => issuesApi.listAcceptedPlanDecompositions(issue.id),
+    enabled: taskChatRedesignEnabled,
+  });
+  const { data: paneTabAttachments } = useQuery({
+    queryKey: queryKeys.issues.attachments(issue.id),
+    queryFn: () => issuesApi.listAttachments(issue.id),
+    enabled: taskChatRedesignEnabled,
+  });
+  const hasPlanTab = Boolean(paneTabPlanDocument) || (paneTabAcceptedPlans?.length ?? 0) > 0;
+  const hasArtifactsTab = (paneTabAttachments?.length ?? 0) > 0;
+  const [paneTab, setPaneTab] = useState("properties");
   const [assigneeOpen, setAssigneeOpen] = useState(false);
   const [assigneeSearch, setAssigneeSearch] = useState("");
   /** When a run is live, a selection is staged here until the operator confirms
@@ -2470,30 +2490,64 @@ export function IssueProperties({
   // Flag OFF (or non-redesign hosts): today's stacked pane, byte-for-byte.
   if (!taskChatRedesignEnabled) return propertiesBody;
 
+  // Flag ON with nothing to switch between: no tab strip — the header bar
+  // shows a plain title and the pane body is just the properties stack.
+  if (!hasPlanTab && !hasArtifactsTab) {
+    return (
+      <>
+        {paneHeaderSlot
+          ? createPortal(<span className="text-sm font-medium">Properties</span>, paneHeaderSlot)
+          : null}
+        {propertiesBody}
+      </>
+    );
+  }
+
   // Flag ON: wrap the same body in a Properties | Plan | Artifacts tab shell
   // (v5 decision: singular "Plan", Docs merged into Artifacts). The Properties
   // tab is unchanged. Panel hosts portal the strip into the pane header bar;
   // portals keep React context, so the Tabs root still drives it.
+  // Fall back to Properties if the selected tab's content went away (or the
+  // selection was made on another issue).
+  const activePaneTab =
+    (paneTab === "plans" && !hasPlanTab) || (paneTab === "artifacts" && !hasArtifactsTab)
+      ? "properties"
+      : paneTab;
   const tabStrip = (
     <TabsList
       variant="line"
       className={paneHeaderSlot ? "justify-start gap-1" : "w-full justify-start gap-1"}
     >
       <TabsTrigger value="properties">Properties</TabsTrigger>
-      <TabsTrigger value="plans">Plan</TabsTrigger>
-      <TabsTrigger value="artifacts">Artifacts</TabsTrigger>
+      {hasPlanTab ? <TabsTrigger value="plans">Plan</TabsTrigger> : null}
+      {hasArtifactsTab ? <TabsTrigger value="artifacts">Artifacts</TabsTrigger> : null}
     </TabsList>
   );
   return (
-    <Tabs defaultValue="properties" className="flex min-h-0 flex-col gap-3">
-      {paneHeaderSlot ? createPortal(tabStrip, paneHeaderSlot) : tabStrip}
+    <Tabs value={activePaneTab} onValueChange={setPaneTab} className="flex min-h-0 flex-col gap-3">
+      {paneHeaderSlot
+        ? createPortal(
+            // Portals keep React context but break the DOM tree the Tailwind
+            // group-selectors need: the active-tab underline is styled via
+            // `group-data-[orientation=horizontal]/tabs:*`, so restore that
+            // ancestor here (display: contents keeps it out of layout).
+            <div className="group/tabs contents" data-orientation="horizontal">
+              {tabStrip}
+            </div>,
+            paneHeaderSlot,
+          )
+        : tabStrip}
       <TabsContent value="properties">{propertiesBody}</TabsContent>
-      <TabsContent value="plans">
-        <IssuePropertiesPlansTab issue={issue} inline={inline} />
-      </TabsContent>
-      <TabsContent value="artifacts">
-        <IssuePropertiesArtifactsTab issue={issue} />
-      </TabsContent>
+      {hasPlanTab ? (
+        <TabsContent value="plans">
+          <IssuePropertiesPlansTab issue={issue} inline={inline} />
+        </TabsContent>
+      ) : null}
+      {hasArtifactsTab ? (
+        <TabsContent value="artifacts">
+          <IssuePropertiesArtifactsTab issue={issue} />
+        </TabsContent>
+      ) : null}
     </Tabs>
   );
 }
diff --git a/ui/src/pages/IssueDetail.tsx b/ui/src/pages/IssueDetail.tsx
index f778878b0b7..ee73e650313 100644
--- a/ui/src/pages/IssueDetail.tsx
+++ b/ui/src/pages/IssueDetail.tsx
@@ -1192,7 +1192,7 @@ const IssueDetailChatTab = memo(function IssueDetailChatTab({
   ) : null;
 
   return (
-    <div className="space-y-3">
+    <div className={taskChatRedesignEnabled ? "flex min-h-0 flex-1 flex-col" : "space-y-3"}>
       {/* Redesign: the button rides inside the thread's scroll viewport with the
           header so nothing sits above the thread in the page flow. */}
       {taskChatRedesignEnabled ? null : loadOlderButton}
@@ -4549,7 +4549,10 @@ export function IssueDetail() {
     <div
       className={
         taskChatShellEnabled
-          ? "w-full space-y-6"
+          ? // Fill main exactly so the outer page never scrolls — the thread's
+            // own viewport is the only scroll surface (h-full is inert on
+            // mobile, where main has no fixed height and the page scrolls).
+            "flex h-full min-h-0 w-full flex-col gap-6"
           : "max-w-3xl space-y-6"
       }
     >
@@ -4809,7 +4812,11 @@ export function IssueDetail() {
 
       {taskChatShellEnabled ? null : <Separator className={shellSectionClass} />}
 
-      <Tabs value={resolvedDetailTab} onValueChange={setDetailTab} className="space-y-3">
+      <Tabs
+        value={resolvedDetailTab}
+        onValueChange={setDetailTab}
+        className={taskChatShellEnabled ? "min-h-0 flex-1" : "space-y-3"}
+      >
         {/* Redesign: the chat IS the page — the Chat/Activity/Related-work tab
             strip is hidden and the thread renders as the only surface. */}
         {taskChatShellEnabled ? null : (
@@ -4837,7 +4844,10 @@ export function IssueDetail() {
         {/* Flag ON the thread viewport extends under main's horizontal padding
             (symmetric, so the centered column keeps the same axis) and the
             scrollbar sits flush against the properties-pane border. */}
-        <TabsContent value="chat" className={taskChatShellEnabled ? "-mx-4 md:-mx-6" : undefined}>
+        <TabsContent
+          value="chat"
+          className={taskChatShellEnabled ? "-mx-4 md:-mx-6 flex min-h-0 flex-col" : undefined}
+        >
           {resolvedDetailTab === "chat" ? (
             <IssueDetailChatTab
               threadHeader={taskChatThreadHeader}