diff --git a/packages/app/src/pages/session.tsx b/packages/app/src/pages/session.tsx
index 2e647e0f4789..dc3478dde782 100644
--- a/packages/app/src/pages/session.tsx
+++ b/packages/app/src/pages/session.tsx
@@ -957,7 +957,15 @@ export default function Page() {
         ? (details.properties as Record<string, unknown>)
         : undefined
     const file = typeof props?.file === "string" ? props.file : undefined
-    if (!file || file.startsWith(".git/")) return
+    if (!file) return
+    // .git is watched separately; rewrites of index (stage/commit) and HEAD
+    // (branch switch) change the VCS state the review panel renders, so refresh
+    // for those and skip the rest of .git
+    const segments = file.split(/[\\/]/)
+    if (segments.includes(".git")) {
+      const name = segments[segments.length - 1]
+      if (name !== "index" && name !== "HEAD") return
+    }
     refreshVcs()
   })
   onCleanup(stopVcs)
diff --git a/packages/core/src/filesystem/watcher.ts b/packages/core/src/filesystem/watcher.ts
index c5e20631917e..78badeb14a22 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/filesystem/watcher.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/filesystem/watcher.ts
@@ -116,8 +116,11 @@ const layer = Layer.effect(
       const resolved = (yield* git.repo.discover(location.directory))?.gitDirectory
       const vcs = resolved ? yield* fs.realPath(resolved).pipe(Effect.catch(() => Effect.succeed(resolved))) : undefined
       if (vcs && !config.includes(".git") && !config.includes(vcs) && (!resolved || !config.includes(resolved))) {
+        // watch HEAD (branch switches) and index (staging/commits) so clients can
+        // refresh VCS state after out-of-band git commands; everything else under
+        // .git is noise
         const ignore = (yield* fs.readDirectoryEntries(vcs).pipe(Effect.catch(() => Effect.succeed([])))).flatMap(
-          (entry) => (entry.name === "HEAD" ? [] : [entry.name]),
+          (entry) => (entry.name === "HEAD" || entry.name === "index" ? [] : [entry.name]),
         )
         yield* Effect.forkScoped(subscribe(vcs, ignore))
       }
diff --git a/packages/core/test/filesystem/watcher.test.ts b/packages/core/test/filesystem/watcher.test.ts
index 0a287ea010d9..99123540968b 100644
--- a/packages/core/test/filesystem/watcher.test.ts
+++ b/packages/core/test/filesystem/watcher.test.ts
@@ -197,19 +197,34 @@ describeWatcher("Watcher", () => {
     }).pipe(Effect.provide(AppNodeBuilder.build(LayerNode.group([FSUtil.node, EventV2.node])))),
   )
 
-  it.live("ignores .git/index changes", () =>
+  it.live("publishes .git/index events", () =>
     withTmp(
       (directory) =>
         Effect.gen(function* () {
           const fs = yield* FSUtil.Service
           const index = path.join(directory, ".git", "index")
           yield* ready(directory)
-          yield* noUpdate(
-            (event) => event.file === index,
-            fs
-              .writeFileString(path.join(directory, "tracked.txt"), "a")
-              .pipe(Effect.andThen(Effect.promise(() => $`git add .`.cwd(directory).quiet())), Effect.asVoid),
-          )
+          expect(
+            yield* nextUpdate(
+              (event) => event.file === index,
+              fs
+                .writeFileString(path.join(directory, "tracked.txt"), "a")
+                .pipe(Effect.andThen(Effect.promise(() => $`git add .`.cwd(directory).quiet())), Effect.asVoid),
+            ),
+          ).toMatchObject({ file: index })
+        }),
+      { git: true },
+    ),
+  )
+
+  it.live("ignores other .git changes", () =>
+    withTmp(
+      (directory) =>
+        Effect.gen(function* () {
+          const fs = yield* FSUtil.Service
+          const msg = path.join(directory, ".git", "COMMIT_EDITMSG")
+          yield* ready(directory)
+          yield* noUpdate((event) => event.file === msg, fs.writeFileString(msg, "test"))
         }),
       { git: true },
     ),