diff --git a/frontend/src/app/AppLayout.jsx b/frontend/src/app/AppLayout.jsx
index b445161..a54a655 100644
--- a/frontend/src/app/AppLayout.jsx
+++ b/frontend/src/app/AppLayout.jsx
@@ -192,10 +192,17 @@ const AppLayout = () => {
     return new Map([[rootNode.id, rootNode]]);
   });
   const [folderContents, setFolderContents] = useState(() => new Map());
+  const folderContentsRef = useRef(folderContents);
   const [selectedFolder, setSelectedFolder] = useState(routeFolderId || 'root');
   const [currentFolder, setCurrentFolder] = useState(null);
   const [currentSubfolders, setCurrentSubfolders] = useState([]);
-  const [documents, setDocuments] = useState([]);
+  const [documents, setDocumentsState] = useState([]);
+  const setDocuments = useCallback((updater) => {
+    const stack = new Error('[trace] setDocuments invoked').stack?.split('\n').slice(1, 10);
+    console.log('[desk][trace] setDocuments invoked', { type: typeof updater });
+    console.log('[desk][trace] setDocuments stack', stack);
+    setDocumentsState(updater);
+  }, []);
   const [documentsViewMode, setDocumentsViewMode] = useState(() => {
     if (typeof window === 'undefined') {
       return 'list';
@@ -344,6 +351,37 @@ const AppLayout = () => {
     }
   }, [appDispatch]);
   const [searchResults, setSearchResults] = useState(null);
+  const documentsTraceRef = useRef(documents);
+  const searchResultsTraceRef = useRef(searchResults);
+  useEffect(() => {
+    if (documentsTraceRef.current !== documents) {
+      const prev = documentsTraceRef.current || [];
+      const next = documents || [];
+      const stack = new Error('[trace] documents updated').stack?.split('\n').slice(1, 8);
+      console.log('[desk][trace] documents state updated', {
+        prevCount: prev.length,
+        nextCount: next.length,
+        sameRef: prev === next,
+      });
+      console.log('[desk][trace] documents stack', stack);
+      documentsTraceRef.current = documents;
+    }
+  }, [documents]);
+
+  useEffect(() => {
+    if (searchResultsTraceRef.current !== searchResults) {
+      const prev = searchResultsTraceRef.current || [];
+      const next = searchResults || [];
+      const stack = new Error('[trace] searchResults updated').stack?.split('\n').slice(1, 8);
+      console.log('[desk][trace] searchResults state updated', {
+        prevCount: Array.isArray(prev) ? prev.length : null,
+        nextCount: Array.isArray(next) ? next.length : null,
+        sameRef: prev === next,
+      });
+      console.log('[desk][trace] searchResults stack', stack);
+      searchResultsTraceRef.current = searchResults;
+    }
+  }, [searchResults]);
   const [previewEntries, setPreviewEntries] = useState(() => new Map());
   const previewInflightRef = useRef(new Map());
   const previewReturnPathRef = useRef(null);
@@ -563,6 +601,10 @@ const AppLayout = () => {
     }
   }, [appStatus, resetWorkspaceState]);
 
+  useEffect(() => {
+    folderContentsRef.current = folderContents;
+  }, [folderContents]);
+
   useEffect(() => {
     tokenRef.current = token;
   }, [token]);
@@ -1090,7 +1132,7 @@ const AppLayout = () => {
       } = {},
     ) => {
       const requestTenantId = tenantIdRef.current;
-      const cached = folderContents.get(folderId);
+      const cached = folderContentsRef.current.get(folderId);
       const cachedSortField = cached?.__sortField ?? DEFAULT_SORT_FIELD;
       const cachedSortDirection = cached?.__sortDirection ?? DEFAULT_SORT_DIRECTION;
       const sortField = includeDocuments
@@ -1253,7 +1295,7 @@ const AppLayout = () => {
 
       return enriched;
     },
-    [assetManager, documentsSortDirectionRef, documentsSortFieldRef, folderContents],
+    [assetManager, documentsSortDirectionRef, documentsSortFieldRef],
   );
 
   const isInvalidFolderDrop = useCallback(
diff --git a/frontend/src/desktop/DesktopWorkspace.jsx b/frontend/src/desktop/DesktopWorkspace.jsx
index 1811a92..6dea893 100644
--- a/frontend/src/desktop/DesktopWorkspace.jsx
+++ b/frontend/src/desktop/DesktopWorkspace.jsx
@@ -140,6 +140,23 @@ const DesktopWorkspace = ({
 
   const allowLayoutPersistence = Boolean(tenantId && viewId && viewId.startsWith('folder:'));
 
+  const itemsTraceRef = useRef(items);
+  useEffect(() => {
+    if (itemsTraceRef.current !== items) {
+      const prev = itemsTraceRef.current || [];
+      const next = items || [];
+      const stack = new Error('[trace] items updated').stack?.split('\n').slice(1, 8);
+      console.log('[desk][trace] items value changed', {
+        prevCount: prev.length,
+        nextCount: next.length,
+        sameRef: prev === next,
+        fromSearch: Boolean(searchResults),
+      });
+      console.log('[desk][trace] items stack', stack);
+      itemsTraceRef.current = items;
+    }
+  }, [items, searchResults]);
+
   const containerRef = useRef(null);
   const itemRefs = useRef(new Map());
   const dragTransformsRef = useRef(new Map());
@@ -149,7 +166,6 @@ const DesktopWorkspace = ({
   const [previewSnapshots, setPreviewSnapshots] = useState(() => new Map());
   const [docSizeVersion, setDocSizeVersion] = useState(0);
   const docSizeMapRef = useRef(new Map());
-  const documentLookupRef = useRef(new Map());
   const ensureDocumentSize = useCallback((doc) => {
     if (!doc?.id) {
       return null;
@@ -168,10 +184,6 @@ const DesktopWorkspace = ({
     return map;
   }, [items]);
 
-  useEffect(() => {
-    documentLookupRef.current = documentLookup;
-  }, [documentLookup]);
-
   const engineRef = useRef(null);
   if (!engineRef.current) {
     engineRef.current = new WorkspaceEngine({
@@ -187,12 +199,20 @@ const DesktopWorkspace = ({
   }, [engine, allowLayoutPersistence, tenantId, viewId]);
 
   useEffect(() => {
-    engine.setItems(items);
-  }, [engine, items]);
+    const nextItems = searchResults ? searchResults : documents;
+    engine.setItems(nextItems || []);
+  }, [engine, documents, searchResults]);
 
   useEffect(() => {
-    engine.setDocumentLookup(documentLookup);
-  }, [engine, documentLookup]);
+    const map = new Map();
+    items.forEach((doc) => {
+      const key = doc?.id != null ? String(doc.id) : null;
+      if (key) {
+        map.set(key, doc);
+      }
+    });
+    engine.setDocumentLookup(map);
+  }, [engine, items]);
 
   useEffect(() => {
     engine.setEnsureDocumentSize(ensureDocumentSize);