diff --git a/apps/ui/src/store.ts b/apps/ui/src/store.ts
index 65dd0d263..b3f1e0568 100644
--- a/apps/ui/src/store.ts
+++ b/apps/ui/src/store.ts
@@ -69,7 +69,17 @@ import {
 	DEFAULT_TRACKER_CONFIG,
 	type TrackerSeam,
 } from "./tracker";
-
+import { parseRoute } from "./view-route";
+
+// Open on the first subscribed channel so the shell boots into a live
+// conversation; null before the first snapshot (components render empty state).
+export function firstChannelId(channels: readonly Channel[]): string | null {
+	return (
+		channels.find((c) => c.membership === "subscribed")?.id ??
+		channels[0]?.id ??
+		null
+	);
+}
 /** The caller — whose visibility scopes every listing and whose membership the
  *  rail reflects. The daemon derives this from the authenticated connection
  *  (comms.proto: "the caller is the account authenticated on the connection");
@@ -961,15 +971,8 @@ export function createAppStore(options: AppStoreOptions): AppStore {
 	const setActiveRightTab = (tab: RightSidebarTab) => {
 		setActiveRightTabRaw(tab);
 	};
-	// Open on the first subscribed channel so the shell boots into a live
-	// conversation, not the empty state — no hardcoded id, and null before the
-	// first snapshot arrives (the components render their empty state).
-	const firstChannelId = (state: CommsState): string | null =>
-		state.channels.find((c) => c.membership === "subscribed")?.id ??
-		state.channels[0]?.id ??
-		null;
 	const [selectedChannelId, setSelectedChannelId] = createSignal<string | null>(
-		firstChannelId(comms()),
+		firstChannelId(comms().channels),
 	);
 	// True once the first comms snapshot has arrived from the stream. The
 	// pending-aware route fallback (applyChannelRoute) reads it: before the first
@@ -988,7 +991,7 @@ export function createAppStore(options: AppStoreOptions): AppStore {
 		// The selection is absent from the pushed snapshot. Under routes-as-truth the
 		// channel surface is a route: if the current route names a channel, re-point it
 		// through navigate; then re-seed the signal as the "last visited" fallback.
-		const fallback = firstChannelId(next);
+		const fallback = firstChannelId(next.channels);
 		if (currentPath().startsWith("/channel/")) {
 			navigateTo(fallback ? `/channel/${fallback}` : "/");
 		}
@@ -1173,40 +1176,22 @@ export function createAppStore(options: AppStoreOptions): AppStore {
 	// seam (offline) or the bound route-sync effect. It parses currentPath itself — the
 	// store is outside the router tree and cannot call useParams. ──
 	function applyRoute(path: string): void {
-		const segs = path.split("/").filter((s) => s.length > 0);
-		const [head, param, sub, subParam] = segs;
-		switch (head) {
-			case undefined:
-				setView("bridge");
-				return;
-			case "channel":
-				// `/channel/:channelId/topic/:topicId` drills into a topic; the plain
-				// `/channel/:channelId` shows the topic index.
-				if (param && sub === "topic" && subParam) {
-					applyTopicRoute(param, subParam);
-				} else if (param) {
-					applyChannelRoute(param);
-				} else {
-					setView("bridge");
-				}
-				return;
-			case "agent":
-				if (param) applyAgentRoute(param);
-				else setView("bridge");
-				return;
+		const match = parseRoute(path);
+		switch (match.view) {
+			case "bridge":
 			case "backlog":
-				setView("backlog");
-				return;
 			case "done":
-				setView("done");
-				return;
 			case "settings":
-				setView("settings");
+				setView(match.view);
 				return;
-			default:
-				// Unknown path — the router's `*` route redirects to "/"; leave the
-				// routed state untouched until that navigation lands (no blank
-				// surface, no wrong-view write).
+			case "channel":
+				applyChannelRoute(match.channelId);
+				return;
+			case "topic":
+				applyTopicRoute(match.channelId, match.topicId);
+				return;
+			case "agent":
+				applyAgentRoute(match.agentId);
 				return;
 		}
 	}
@@ -1221,7 +1206,7 @@ export function createAppStore(options: AppStoreOptions): AppStore {
 			return;
 		}
 		if (firstSnapshotArrived()) {
-			const fallback = firstChannelId(comms());
+			const fallback = firstChannelId(comms().channels);
 			navigateTo(fallback ? `/channel/${fallback}` : "/");
 			return;
 		}
@@ -1235,7 +1220,7 @@ export function createAppStore(options: AppStoreOptions): AppStore {
 		setView("topic");
 		const channelKnown = channels().some((c) => c.id === channelId);
 		if (!channelKnown && firstSnapshotArrived()) {
-			const fallback = firstChannelId(comms());
+			const fallback = firstChannelId(comms().channels);
 			navigateTo(fallback ? `/channel/${fallback}` : "/");
 			return;
 		}
diff --git a/apps/ui/src/view-route.test.ts b/apps/ui/src/view-route.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e61619731
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/ui/src/view-route.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+import { describe, expect, test } from "bun:test";
+import type { RouteMatch } from "./view-route";
+import { parseRoute, routePath } from "./view-route";
+
+const routes: { name: string; path: string; match: RouteMatch }[] = [
+	{ name: "bridge", path: "/", match: { view: "bridge" } },
+	{
+		name: "channel",
+		path: "/channel/ch-1",
+		match: { view: "channel", channelId: "ch-1" },
+	},
+	{
+		name: "topic",
+		path: "/channel/ch-1/topic/t-9",
+		match: { view: "topic", channelId: "ch-1", topicId: "t-9" },
+	},
+	{
+		name: "agent",
+		path: "/agent/acc-x",
+		match: { view: "agent", agentId: "acc-x" },
+	},
+	{ name: "backlog", path: "/backlog", match: { view: "backlog" } },
+	{ name: "done", path: "/done", match: { view: "done" } },
+	{ name: "settings", path: "/settings", match: { view: "settings" } },
+];
+
+describe("view routes", () => {
+	test.each(routes)("round-trips the $name route", ({ path, match }) => {
+		expect(parseRoute(path)).toEqual(match);
+		expect(routePath(match)).toBe(path);
+	});
+
+	test("maps an unknown path to the bridge route", () => {
+		expect(parseRoute("/not-a-view")).toEqual({ view: "bridge" });
+		expect(routePath(parseRoute("/not-a-view"))).toBe("/");
+	});
+});
diff --git a/apps/ui/src/view-route.ts b/apps/ui/src/view-route.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..8a9e85977
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/ui/src/view-route.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+export type RouteMatch =
+	| { view: "bridge" }
+	| { view: "backlog" }
+	| { view: "done" }
+	| { view: "settings" }
+	| { view: "channel"; channelId: string }
+	| { view: "topic"; channelId: string; topicId: string }
+	| { view: "agent"; agentId: string };
+
+export function parseRoute(path: string): RouteMatch {
+	const [head, param, sub, subParam] = path
+		.split("/")
+		.filter((segment) => segment.length > 0);
+
+	switch (head) {
+		case undefined:
+			return { view: "bridge" };
+		case "channel":
+			if (param && sub === "topic" && subParam) {
+				return { view: "topic", channelId: param, topicId: subParam };
+			}
+			return param ? { view: "channel", channelId: param } : { view: "bridge" };
+		case "agent":
+			return param ? { view: "agent", agentId: param } : { view: "bridge" };
+		case "backlog":
+			return { view: "backlog" };
+		case "done":
+			return { view: "done" };
+		case "settings":
+			return { view: "settings" };
+		default:
+			return { view: "bridge" };
+	}
+}
+
+export function routePath(match: RouteMatch): string {
+	switch (match.view) {
+		case "bridge":
+			return "/";
+		case "backlog":
+			return "/backlog";
+		case "done":
+			return "/done";
+		case "settings":
+			return "/settings";
+		case "channel":
+			return `/channel/${match.channelId}`;
+		case "topic":
+			return `/channel/${match.channelId}/topic/${match.topicId}`;
+		case "agent":
+			return `/agent/${match.agentId}`;
+	}
+}
diff --git a/apps/ui/src/view-scope.test.ts b/apps/ui/src/view-scope.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..db821affc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/ui/src/view-scope.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,156 @@
+import { describe, expect, test } from "bun:test";
+import { createRoot } from "solid-js";
+import type { FakeComms } from "./live/comms-fake";
+import {
+	createFakeComms,
+	wireAccount,
+	wireChannel,
+	wireTopic,
+} from "./live/comms-fake";
+import { type AppStore, createAppStore } from "./store";
+import { testQueryClient } from "./test-support";
+import type { ViewScope } from "./view-scope";
+import { createViewScope, useView } from "./view-scope";
+
+const CALLER = "acc-me";
+const CHANNEL = "chan-deep";
+const TOPIC = "top-deep";
+
+async function drainSnapshot(): Promise<void> {
+	for (let i = 0; i < 30; i++) await Promise.resolve();
+}
+
+function mountScope(
+	initialPath: string,
+	channelIds: readonly string[],
+	topicIds: readonly string[] = [],
+): {
+	store: AppStore;
+	scope: ViewScope;
+	otherScope: ViewScope;
+	fake: FakeComms;
+	dispose: () => void;
+} {
+	const fake = createFakeComms({
+		accounts: [wireAccount(CALLER)],
+		channels: channelIds.map((id) => wireChannel(id, CALLER)),
+		topicsByChannel: {
+			[CHANNEL]: topicIds.map((id) =>
+				wireTopic({ id, channelId: CHANNEL, name: id }),
+			),
+		},
+		messagesByChannel: {},
+	});
+	let dispose = () => {};
+	const mounted = createRoot((stop) => {
+		dispose = stop;
+		const store = createAppStore({
+			comms: fake.client,
+			callerId: CALLER,
+			queryClient: testQueryClient(),
+		});
+		return {
+			store,
+			scope: createViewScope(store, "test-view", initialPath),
+			otherScope: createViewScope(store, "other-view", "/done"),
+		};
+	});
+	return { ...mounted, fake, dispose };
+}
+
+describe("ViewScope pending route resolution", () => {
+	test("holds a channel deep link until the snapshot resolves it", async () => {
+		const { scope, store, fake, dispose } = mountScope(`/channel/${CHANNEL}`, [
+			CHANNEL,
+		]);
+		try {
+			expect(store.firstSnapshotArrived()).toBe(false);
+			expect(scope.path()).toBe(`/channel/${CHANNEL}`);
+			expect(scope.route()).toEqual({ view: "channel", channelId: CHANNEL });
+			expect(scope.channel()).toBeUndefined();
+
+			await drainSnapshot();
+
+			expect(store.firstSnapshotArrived()).toBe(true);
+			expect(scope.path()).toBe(`/channel/${CHANNEL}`);
+			expect(scope.channel()?.id).toBe(CHANNEL);
+		} finally {
+			fake.close();
+			dispose();
+		}
+	});
+
+	test("falls back from an unknown channel after the snapshot", async () => {
+		const { scope, otherScope, store, fake, dispose } = mountScope(
+			"/channel/chan-gone",
+			[CHANNEL],
+		);
+		try {
+			expect(scope.path()).toBe("/channel/chan-gone");
+			expect(store.firstSnapshotArrived()).toBe(false);
+
+			await drainSnapshot();
+
+			expect(scope.path()).toBe(`/channel/${CHANNEL}`);
+			expect(scope.channel()?.id).toBe(CHANNEL);
+			expect(otherScope.path()).toBe("/done");
+		} finally {
+			fake.close();
+			dispose();
+		}
+	});
+
+	test("holds a topic deep link until the snapshot resolves it", async () => {
+		const { scope, store, fake, dispose } = mountScope(
+			`/channel/${CHANNEL}/topic/${TOPIC}`,
+			[CHANNEL],
+			[TOPIC],
+		);
+		try {
+			expect(store.firstSnapshotArrived()).toBe(false);
+			expect(scope.path()).toBe(`/channel/${CHANNEL}/topic/${TOPIC}`);
+			expect(scope.route()).toEqual({
+				view: "topic",
+				channelId: CHANNEL,
+				topicId: TOPIC,
+			});
+			expect(scope.topic()).toBeUndefined();
+
+			await drainSnapshot();
+
+			expect(scope.path()).toBe(`/channel/${CHANNEL}/topic/${TOPIC}`);
+			expect(scope.channel()?.id).toBe(CHANNEL);
+			expect(scope.topic()?.id).toBe(TOPIC);
+		} finally {
+			fake.close();
+			dispose();
+		}
+	});
+
+	test("falls back from an unknown topic to its channel after the snapshot", async () => {
+		const { scope, otherScope, store, fake, dispose } = mountScope(
+			`/channel/${CHANNEL}/topic/top-gone`,
+			[CHANNEL],
+			[TOPIC],
+		);
+		try {
+			expect(scope.path()).toBe(`/channel/${CHANNEL}/topic/top-gone`);
+			expect(store.firstSnapshotArrived()).toBe(false);
+
+			await drainSnapshot();
+
+			expect(scope.path()).toBe(`/channel/${CHANNEL}`);
+			expect(scope.route()).toEqual({ view: "channel", channelId: CHANNEL });
+			expect(scope.channel()?.id).toBe(CHANNEL);
+			expect(scope.topic()).toBeUndefined();
+			expect(otherScope.path()).toBe("/done");
+		} finally {
+			fake.close();
+			dispose();
+		}
+	});
+});
+
+test("useView throws outside a ViewContext provider", () => {
+	expect(() => createRoot(() => useView())).toThrow();
+});
diff --git a/apps/ui/src/view-scope.ts b/apps/ui/src/view-scope.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..fc0c7148b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/ui/src/view-scope.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,96 @@
+import type { Accessor, Context } from "solid-js";
+import {
+	createContext,
+	createEffect,
+	createMemo,
+	createSignal,
+	useContext,
+} from "solid-js";
+import type { Channel, Topic } from "./comms-stub";
+import { type AppStore, firstChannelId } from "./store";
+import type { Agent } from "./stub-data";
+import type { RouteMatch } from "./view-route";
+import { parseRoute } from "./view-route";
+
+export interface ViewScope {
+	id: string;
+	path: Accessor<string>;
+	route: Accessor<RouteMatch>;
+	channel: Accessor<Channel | undefined>;
+	topic: Accessor<Topic | undefined>;
+	agent: Accessor<Agent | undefined>;
+	navigate: (path: string) => void;
+}
+
+export const ViewContext: Context<ViewScope | undefined> = createContext<
+	ViewScope | undefined
+>(undefined);
+
+export function useView(): ViewScope {
+	const view = useContext(ViewContext);
+	if (!view)
+		throw new Error("useView must be used within a ViewContext provider");
+	return view;
+}
+
+export function createViewScope(
+	store: AppStore,
+	id: string,
+	initialPath: string,
+): ViewScope {
+	const [path, setPath] = createSignal(initialPath);
+	const route = createMemo(() => parseRoute(path()));
+	const channel = createMemo(() => {
+		const match = route();
+		if (match.view !== "channel" && match.view !== "topic") return undefined;
+		return store.channels().find((item) => item.id === match.channelId);
+	});
+	const topic = createMemo(() => {
+		const match = route();
+		if (match.view !== "topic") return undefined;
+		return store.topics().find((item) => item.id === match.topicId);
+	});
+	const agent = createMemo(() => {
+		const match = route();
+		if (match.view !== "agent") return undefined;
+		return store.agentById(match.agentId);
+	});
+	const navigate = (nextPath: string): void => {
+		setPath(nextPath);
+	};
+
+	// Pending-aware: an unknown id is held until the first snapshot, then this
+	// view (only) falls back, mirroring the store's applyChannelRoute.
+	createEffect(
+		() => {
+			const match = route();
+			if (match.view !== "channel" && match.view !== "topic") return null;
+			const channels = store.channels();
+			return {
+				match,
+				channelKnown: channels.some((item) => item.id === match.channelId),
+				topicKnown:
+					match.view === "topic" &&
+					store.topics().some((item) => item.id === match.topicId),
+				firstSnapshotArrived: store.firstSnapshotArrived(),
+				fallbackChannelId: firstChannelId(channels),
+			};
+		},
+		(resolution) => {
+			if (!resolution?.firstSnapshotArrived) return;
+			if (!resolution.channelKnown) {
+				navigate(
+					resolution.fallbackChannelId
+						? `/channel/${resolution.fallbackChannelId}`
+						: "/",
+				);
+				return;
+			}
+			if (resolution.match.view === "topic" && !resolution.topicKnown) {
+				navigate(`/channel/${resolution.match.channelId}`);
+			}
+		},
+	);
+
+	return { id, path, route, channel, topic, agent, navigate };
+}