diff --git a/app/src/main/java/com/itsaky/androidide/activities/editor/EditorHandlerActivity.kt b/app/src/main/java/com/itsaky/androidide/activities/editor/EditorHandlerActivity.kt
index da9527798e..f5379b494a 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/com/itsaky/androidide/activities/editor/EditorHandlerActivity.kt
+++ b/app/src/main/java/com/itsaky/androidide/activities/editor/EditorHandlerActivity.kt
@@ -394,23 +394,35 @@ open class EditorHandlerActivity :
 		restoreOpenedPluginTabs()
 	}
 
+	/**
+	 * Restores the plugin tabs cached from the previous session, running the
+	 * SharedPreferences IO and Gson decode off the main thread to avoid a startup UI stall.
+	 */
 	private fun restoreOpenedPluginTabs() {
-		try {
-			val prefs = (application as BaseApplication).prefManager
-			val json = prefs.getString(PREF_KEY_OPEN_PLUGIN_TABS, null) ?: return
+		lifecycleScope.launch {
+			try {
+				val prefs = (application as BaseApplication).prefManager
+				val json = withContext(Dispatchers.IO) {
+					prefs.getString(PREF_KEY_OPEN_PLUGIN_TABS, null)
+				} ?: return@launch
 
-			val tabIds = Gson().fromJson(json, Array<String>::class.java)?.toList() ?: return
-			Log.d("EditorHandlerActivity", "Restoring plugin tabs: $tabIds")
+				// Decoding the cached JSON off the main thread avoids a UI stall on startup.
+				val tabIds = withContext(Dispatchers.Default) {
+					Gson().fromJson(json, Array<String>::class.java)?.toList()
+				} ?: return@launch
+				Log.d("EditorHandlerActivity", "Restoring plugin tabs: $tabIds")
 
-			tabIds.forEach { tabId ->
-				if (!pluginTabIndices.containsKey(tabId)) {
-					selectPluginTabById(tabId)
+				// Tab selection touches UI state, so keep it on the main thread.
+				tabIds.forEach { tabId ->
+					if (!pluginTabIndices.containsKey(tabId)) {
+						selectPluginTabById(tabId)
+					}
 				}
-			}
 
-			prefs.putString(PREF_KEY_OPEN_PLUGIN_TABS, null)
-		} catch (e: Exception) {
-			Log.e("EditorHandlerActivity", "Failed to restore plugin tabs", e)
+				withContext(Dispatchers.IO) { prefs.putString(PREF_KEY_OPEN_PLUGIN_TABS, null) }
+			} catch (e: Exception) {
+				Log.e("EditorHandlerActivity", "Failed to restore plugin tabs", e)
+			}
 		}
 	}
 
diff --git a/app/src/test/java/com/itsaky/androidide/activities/editor/RestorePluginTabsThreadTest.kt b/app/src/test/java/com/itsaky/androidide/activities/editor/RestorePluginTabsThreadTest.kt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e008bddaed
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/src/test/java/com/itsaky/androidide/activities/editor/RestorePluginTabsThreadTest.kt
@@ -0,0 +1,144 @@
+/*
+ *  This file is part of AndroidIDE.
+ *
+ *  AndroidIDE is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
+ *  it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
+ *  the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or
+ *  (at your option) any later version.
+ *
+ *  AndroidIDE is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+ *  but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+ *  MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+ *  GNU General Public License for more details.
+ *
+ *  You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
+ *   along with AndroidIDE.  If not, see <https://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+ */
+
+package com.itsaky.androidide.activities.editor
+
+import com.google.common.truth.Truth.assertThat
+import com.itsaky.androidide.app.BaseApplication
+import com.itsaky.androidide.eventbus.events.preferences.PreferenceChangeEvent
+import java.util.concurrent.CountDownLatch
+import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit
+import kotlinx.coroutines.Dispatchers
+import kotlinx.coroutines.ExperimentalCoroutinesApi
+import kotlinx.coroutines.test.StandardTestDispatcher
+import kotlinx.coroutines.test.resetMain
+import kotlinx.coroutines.test.setMain
+import org.greenrobot.eventbus.EventBus
+import org.greenrobot.eventbus.Subscribe
+import org.greenrobot.eventbus.ThreadMode
+import org.junit.After
+import org.junit.Before
+import org.junit.Test
+import org.junit.runner.RunWith
+import org.robolectric.Robolectric
+import org.robolectric.RobolectricTestRunner
+import org.robolectric.annotation.Config
+
+/**
+ * ADFA-4331 repro: [EditorHandlerActivity.restoreOpenedPluginTabs] must do its
+ * SharedPreferences IO + Gson decode OFF the main thread (it stalls startup otherwise).
+ *
+ * Detector (deterministic, no timing): we run the real, private production method with
+ * the Main dispatcher pinned to a single-threaded [StandardTestDispatcher] (so "main" ==
+ * the test thread). The method, when it finishes restoring, clears the cached-tabs
+ * preference via `prefManager.putString(KEY, null)`, which posts a [PreferenceChangeEvent]
+ * on EventBus on the *thread that executed the write*. We capture that thread.
+ *
+ *  - BUGGED (stage): the whole body — pref read, Gson decode, final pref write — runs
+ *    directly inside `lifecycleScope.launch { }` on the Main dispatcher, i.e. the test
+ *    thread. The captured write thread == the test/main thread  ->  test FAILS.
+ *  - FIXED (branch): read/decode are wrapped in `withContext(Dispatchers.IO/Default)` and
+ *    the final write in `withContext(Dispatchers.IO)`, so the write runs on a real
+ *    background thread != the test/main thread  ->  test PASSES.
+ *
+ * UI tab-selection is skipped: we pre-seed the private `pluginTabIndices` map with the
+ * decoded id so `restoreOpenedPluginTabs` short-circuits the `selectPluginTabById(...)`
+ * UI call (`if (!pluginTabIndices.containsKey(tabId))`).
+ */
+@OptIn(ExperimentalCoroutinesApi::class)
+@RunWith(RobolectricTestRunner::class)
+@Config(application = RestorePluginTabsThreadTest.TestApp::class)
+class RestorePluginTabsThreadTest {
+
+  open class TestApp : BaseApplication()
+
+  /** Captures the thread on which the cached-tabs preference write executed. */
+  class WriteThreadCapture {
+    @Volatile var writeThreadName: String? = null
+    val latch = CountDownLatch(1)
+
+    @Subscribe(threadMode = ThreadMode.POSTING)
+    fun onPrefChange(event: PreferenceChangeEvent) {
+      if (event.key == EditorHandlerActivity.PREF_KEY_OPEN_PLUGIN_TABS && event.value == null) {
+        writeThreadName = Thread.currentThread().name
+        latch.countDown()
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
+  private val testDispatcher = StandardTestDispatcher()
+
+  @Before
+  fun setUp() {
+    Dispatchers.setMain(testDispatcher)
+  }
+
+  @After
+  fun tearDown() {
+    Dispatchers.resetMain()
+  }
+
+  /** Asserts the cached-tabs clearing write runs on a background thread, not the main thread. */
+  @Test
+  fun `restore decodes and writes off the main thread`() {
+    val mainThreadName = Thread.currentThread().name
+
+    val controller = Robolectric.buildActivity(EditorHandlerActivity::class.java)
+    val activity = controller.get()
+    val app = activity.application as BaseApplication
+
+    // Seed the cached plugin-tabs JSON that the method will read + decode.
+    app.prefManager.putString(
+      EditorHandlerActivity.PREF_KEY_OPEN_PLUGIN_TABS,
+      """["tabA"]""",
+    )
+
+    // Pre-seed the private pluginTabIndices map so restoreOpenedPluginTabs() skips the
+    // UI-touching selectPluginTabById("tabA") call.
+    val mapField = EditorHandlerActivity::class.java.getDeclaredField("pluginTabIndices")
+    mapField.isAccessible = true
+    @Suppress("UNCHECKED_CAST")
+    val pluginTabIndices = mapField.get(activity) as MutableMap<String, Int>
+    pluginTabIndices["tabA"] = 0
+
+    // Subscribe AFTER seeding so we only capture the method's own clearing write.
+    val capture = WriteThreadCapture()
+    EventBus.getDefault().register(capture)
+    try {
+      // Invoke the real private production method.
+      val method = EditorHandlerActivity::class.java.getDeclaredMethod("restoreOpenedPluginTabs")
+      method.isAccessible = true
+      method.invoke(activity)
+
+      // The launched coroutine hops between the (test) Main dispatcher and the real
+      // Dispatchers.IO/Default background pools. Pump the test scheduler repeatedly while
+      // giving the background hops time to complete, until the clearing write fires.
+      val deadline = System.currentTimeMillis() + 10_000
+      while (capture.latch.count > 0 && System.currentTimeMillis() < deadline) {
+        testDispatcher.scheduler.advanceUntilIdle()
+        capture.latch.await(50, TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS)
+      }
+
+      val writeThread = capture.writeThreadName
+      assertThat(writeThread).isNotNull()
+      // The fix requires the IO/decode work to run OFF the main thread.
+      assertThat(writeThread).isNotEqualTo(mainThreadName)
+    } finally {
+      EventBus.getDefault().unregister(capture)
+    }
+  }
+}