diff --git a/src/servers/sidecar/claude/claude-manager.ts b/src/servers/sidecar/claude/claude-manager.ts
index d8762de6..80828b88 100644
--- a/src/servers/sidecar/claude/claude-manager.ts
+++ b/src/servers/sidecar/claude/claude-manager.ts
@@ -76,7 +76,9 @@ export async function spawnClaude(params: ClaudeSpawnParams): Promise<ClaudeCode
   }
 
   const spawnCmd = isSuperAdmin ? claudeArgs : [...buildSandboxArgs(email), ...claudeArgs];
-  const spawnCwd = isSuperAdmin ? HOST_HOME : undefined;
+  // Honor a caller-provided working directory (e.g. /chat runs from a dedicated claude_sessions dir);
+  // fall back to the host home for Super Admin, or the sandbox default otherwise.
+  const spawnCwd = isSuperAdmin ? (params.cwd ?? HOST_HOME) : undefined;
 
   const proc = Bun.spawn(spawnCmd, {
     stdin: 'pipe',
@@ -173,7 +175,9 @@ export async function spawnClaudeStreaming(
   }
 
   const spawnCmd = isSuperAdmin ? claudeArgs : [...buildSandboxArgs(email), ...claudeArgs];
-  const spawnCwd = isSuperAdmin ? HOST_HOME : undefined;
+  // Honor a caller-provided working directory (e.g. /chat runs from a dedicated claude_sessions dir);
+  // fall back to the host home for Super Admin, or the sandbox default otherwise.
+  const spawnCwd = isSuperAdmin ? (params.cwd ?? HOST_HOME) : undefined;
 
   const proc = Bun.spawn(spawnCmd, {
     stdin: 'ignore',
diff --git a/src/servers/sidecar/protocol.ts b/src/servers/sidecar/protocol.ts
index c3cc7b60..6c6b476f 100644
--- a/src/servers/sidecar/protocol.ts
+++ b/src/servers/sidecar/protocol.ts
@@ -61,6 +61,7 @@ export type ClaudeSpawnParams = {
   sessionKey: string;
   model?: string;
   role?: string;
+  cwd?: string;
 };
 
 export type ClaudeSpawnStreamingParams = {