diff --git a/frontend/src/components/timeline/Timeline.tsx b/frontend/src/components/timeline/Timeline.tsx
index ae29ded..b6971f9 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/timeline/Timeline.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/components/timeline/Timeline.tsx
@@ -207,9 +207,11 @@ export function Timeline() {
   const prevViewModeRef = useRef(viewMode)
 
   // Auto-focus the first photo on initial grid load so arrow-key nav
-  // works immediately without a pre-click. One-shot — after the user
-  // explicitly clears the selection (Escape), we don't re-focus, so
-  // the metadata sidebar can collapse and stay collapsed.
+  // works immediately without a pre-click. One-shot per section — after
+  // the user explicitly clears the selection (Escape), we don't
+  // re-focus within the same section, so the metadata sidebar can
+  // collapse and stay collapsed. Reset by the section-change effect
+  // below so switching views (e.g. All → Discarded) re-focuses.
   const didAutoFocusRef = useRef(false)
   // visibleSequence isn't in scope yet (derived below from items). Read
   // it through a ref so this effect can focus the first *visually*
@@ -230,6 +232,23 @@ export function Timeline() {
     selectPhoto(firstVisible)
   }, [viewMode, activePhotoId, photos, selectPhoto])
 
+  // On section switch (e.g. All Photos → Discarded) or fresh mount,
+  // reset the one-shot guard and clear the stale active photo so the
+  // effect above picks the first photo of the new view once its query
+  // resolves. The previous section's activePhotoId almost never
+  // belongs to the new section — carrying it over leaves the metadata
+  // sidebar showing something that isn't even in the visible grid.
+  // Ref starts null so the first mount after a Duplicates/Memories
+  // detour also trips this path.
+  const clearSelection = usePhotoStore((s) => s.clearSelection)
+  const prevSectionRef = useRef<string | null>(null)
+  useEffect(() => {
+    if (prevSectionRef.current === currentSection) return
+    prevSectionRef.current = currentSection
+    didAutoFocusRef.current = false
+    clearSelection()
+  }, [currentSection, clearSelection])
+
   // Membership in the active heap (drives the green tint on each
   // thumbnail). Subscribed once at this level so we don't have hundreds
   // of thumbnails each subscribing to the same query.