diff --git a/packages/server/src/server/paseo-worktree-service.test.ts b/packages/server/src/server/paseo-worktree-service.test.ts
index 12e2a2fc2..bab9d53f2 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/server/paseo-worktree-service.test.ts
+++ b/packages/server/src/server/paseo-worktree-service.test.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { execFileSync } from "node:child_process";
-import { mkdirSync, mkdtempSync, rmSync, writeFileSync } from "node:fs";
+import { existsSync, mkdirSync, mkdtempSync, rmSync, writeFileSync } from "node:fs";
 import { tmpdir } from "node:os";
 import path from "node:path";
 import { afterEach, expect, test, vi } from "vitest";
@@ -20,9 +20,8 @@ import {
   type CreatePaseoWorktreeDeps,
 } from "./paseo-worktree-service.js";
 import { readPaseoWorktreeMetadata } from "../utils/worktree-metadata.js";
-import { createWorktree } from "../utils/worktree.js";
+import { createWorktree, getPaseoWorktreesRoot } from "../utils/worktree.js";
 import { isPlatform } from "../test-utils/platform.js";
-import { existsSync } from "node:fs";
 import { areEquivalentPaths, createRealpathAwarePathMatcher } from "../utils/path.js";
 
 const cleanupPaths: string[] = [];
@@ -160,6 +159,7 @@ test("uses an equivalent source workspace path when creating a worktree", async
   const sourceDir = path.join(repoDir, "app");
   mkdirSync(sourceDir);
   writeFileSync(path.join(repoDir, "app", ".gitkeep"), "");
+  commitAll(repoDir, "add app");
   const deps = createDeps();
   const sourceProject = createPersistedProjectRecordForTest({
     projectId: "prj_source-folder",
@@ -194,6 +194,8 @@ test("creates a worktree workspace at the selected project subdirectory", async
   cleanupPaths.push(tempDir);
   const sourceDir = path.join(repoDir, "packages", "app");
   mkdirSync(sourceDir, { recursive: true });
+  writeFileSync(path.join(sourceDir, "package.json"), "{}\n");
+  commitAll(repoDir, "add subproject");
   const deps = createDeps();
   const project = createPersistedProjectRecordForTest({
     projectId: "prj_selected-subdirectory",
@@ -221,10 +223,52 @@ test("creates a worktree workspace at the selected project subdirectory", async
   });
 });
 
+test("removes a new worktree when its ref does not contain the selected project directory", async () => {
+  const { repoDir, tempDir } = createGitRepo();
+  cleanupPaths.push(tempDir);
+  execFileSync("git", ["branch", "without-subproject"], { cwd: repoDir, stdio: "pipe" });
+  const sourceDir = path.join(repoDir, "packages", "app");
+  mkdirSync(sourceDir, { recursive: true });
+  writeFileSync(path.join(sourceDir, "package.json"), "{}\n");
+  commitAll(repoDir, "add subproject");
+  const deps = createDeps();
+  const paseoHome = path.join(tempDir, ".paseo");
+  const worktreePath = path.join(
+    await getPaseoWorktreesRoot(repoDir, paseoHome),
+    "missing-subproject",
+  );
+
+  await expect(
+    createPaseoWorktree(
+      {
+        cwd: sourceDir,
+        action: "checkout",
+        refName: "without-subproject",
+        worktreeSlug: "missing-subproject",
+        runSetup: false,
+        paseoHome,
+      },
+      deps,
+    ),
+  ).rejects.toThrow("Selected project directory is missing from the worktree");
+
+  expect(deps.workspaces.size).toBe(0);
+  expect(existsSync(worktreePath)).toBe(false);
+  expect(
+    execFileSync("git", ["worktree", "list", "--porcelain"], { cwd: repoDir, stdio: "pipe" })
+      .toString()
+      .includes("missing-subproject"),
+  ).toBe(false);
+});
+
 test("maps a nested cwd from an existing Paseo worktree into the next worktree", async () => {
   const { repoDir, tempDir } = createGitRepo();
   cleanupPaths.push(tempDir);
   const paseoHome = path.join(tempDir, ".paseo");
+  const projectDir = path.join(repoDir, "packages", "app");
+  mkdirSync(projectDir, { recursive: true });
+  writeFileSync(path.join(projectDir, "package.json"), "{}\n");
+  commitAll(repoDir, "add subproject");
   const deps = createDeps();
   const source = await createPaseoWorktree(
     {
@@ -236,7 +280,6 @@ test("maps a nested cwd from an existing Paseo worktree into the next worktree",
     deps,
   );
   const sourceCwd = path.join(source.worktree.worktreePath, "packages", "app");
-  mkdirSync(sourceCwd, { recursive: true });
 
   const created = await createPaseoWorktree(
     {
@@ -1154,6 +1197,11 @@ function createGitRepo(): { tempDir: string; repoDir: string } {
   return { tempDir, repoDir };
 }
 
+function commitAll(repoDir: string, message: string): void {
+  execFileSync("git", ["add", "."], { cwd: repoDir, stdio: "pipe" });
+  execFileSync("git", ["commit", "-m", message], { cwd: repoDir, stdio: "pipe" });
+}
+
 function createGitHubPrRemoteRepo(): { tempDir: string; repoDir: string } {
   const { tempDir, repoDir } = createGitRepo();
   execFileSync("git", ["checkout", "-b", "pr-123"], { cwd: repoDir, stdio: "pipe" });
diff --git a/packages/server/src/server/paseo-worktree-service.ts b/packages/server/src/server/paseo-worktree-service.ts
index ae3fe1107..35d56dc3c 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/server/paseo-worktree-service.ts
+++ b/packages/server/src/server/paseo-worktree-service.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
-import type { WorkspaceGitService } from "./workspace-git-service.js";
+import { stat } from "node:fs/promises";
 import { resolve } from "node:path";
+
+import type { WorkspaceGitService } from "./workspace-git-service.js";
 import { getRealpathAwareRelativePath } from "../utils/path.js";
 import type { PersistedWorkspaceRecord } from "./workspace-registry.js";
 import type { WorkspaceProvisioningService } from "./session/workspace-provisioning/workspace-provisioning-service.js";
@@ -10,6 +12,7 @@ import {
 } from "./worktree-core.js";
 import {
   mapWorkspaceRelativeCwdToWorktree,
+  deletePaseoWorktree,
   validateBranchSlug,
   type WorktreeConfig,
 } from "../utils/worktree.js";
@@ -66,6 +69,17 @@ export async function createPaseoWorktree(
     relativeWorkspaceCwd: workspaceCwdPlan.relativeWorkspaceCwd,
     targetWorktreePath: createdWorktree.worktree.worktreePath,
   });
+  if (!(await isDirectory(workspaceCwd))) {
+    if (createdWorktree.created) {
+      await deletePaseoWorktree({
+        cwd: createdWorktree.repoRoot,
+        worktreePath: createdWorktree.worktree.worktreePath,
+        paseoHome: input.paseoHome,
+        worktreesBaseRoot: input.worktreesRoot,
+      });
+    }
+    throw new Error(`Selected project directory is missing from the worktree: ${workspaceCwd}`);
+  }
   const workspace = await deps.workspaceProvisioning.createWorkspaceForWorktree({
     sourceCwd: workspaceCwdPlan.inputCwd,
     projectId: input.projectId,
@@ -88,6 +102,14 @@ export async function createPaseoWorktree(
   };
 }
 
+async function isDirectory(targetPath: string): Promise<boolean> {
+  try {
+    return (await stat(targetPath)).isDirectory();
+  } catch {
+    return false;
+  }
+}
+
 async function planWorkspaceCwdForWorktree(
   inputCwd: string,
   workspaceGitService: Pick<WorkspaceGitService, "getCheckout">,
diff --git a/packages/server/src/server/session.ts b/packages/server/src/server/session.ts
index 624c64ff1..f92362d19 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/server/session.ts
+++ b/packages/server/src/server/session.ts
@@ -3818,7 +3818,7 @@ export class Session {
       projectCustomName: projectRecord?.customName ?? null,
       projectRootPath: projectRecord?.rootPath ?? result.repoRoot,
       workspaceDirectory: result.workspace.cwd,
-      projectKind: "git",
+      projectKind: projectRecord?.kind ?? "git",
       workspaceKind: result.workspace.kind,
       name: resolveWorkspaceName({
         title: result.workspace.title,
diff --git a/packages/server/src/server/session.workspaces.test.ts b/packages/server/src/server/session.workspaces.test.ts
index e087f8872..720eca3ac 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/server/session.workspaces.test.ts
+++ b/packages/server/src/server/session.workspaces.test.ts
@@ -3594,7 +3594,7 @@ test("project.remove.request removes an already-empty project", async () => {
   ]);
 });
 
-test("create paseo worktree request returns a registered workspace descriptor", async () => {
+test("create paseo worktree response preserves an explicit non-Git project", async () => {
   const emitted: SessionOutboundMessage[] = [];
   const createdAt = "2026-05-12T12:00:00.000Z";
   vi.setSystemTime(new Date(createdAt));
@@ -3657,7 +3657,15 @@ test("create paseo worktree request returns a registered workspace descriptor",
   );
 
   const workspaces = new Map();
-  const projects = new Map();
+  const explicitProject = createPersistedProjectRecord({
+    projectId: "prj_explicit_non_git",
+    rootPath: path.join(tempDir, "selected-project"),
+    kind: "non_git",
+    displayName: "Selected project",
+    createdAt,
+    updatedAt: createdAt,
+  });
+  const projects = new Map([[explicitProject.projectId, explicitProject]]);
   session.paseoHome = paseoHome;
   session.workspaceRegistry.get = async (lookupWorkspaceId: string) =>
     workspaces.get(lookupWorkspaceId) ?? null;
@@ -3697,6 +3705,7 @@ test("create paseo worktree request returns a registered workspace descriptor",
     await session.handleCreatePaseoWorktreeRequest({
       type: "create_paseo_worktree_request",
       cwd: repoDir,
+      projectId: explicitProject.projectId,
       worktreeSlug: "worktree-123",
       requestId: "req-worktree",
     });
@@ -3709,8 +3718,10 @@ test("create paseo worktree request returns a registered workspace descriptor",
 
   expect(response?.payload.error).toBeNull();
   expect(response?.payload.workspace).toMatchObject({
-    projectDisplayName: "repo",
-    projectKind: "git",
+    projectId: explicitProject.projectId,
+    projectDisplayName: explicitProject.displayName,
+    projectRootPath: explicitProject.rootPath,
+    projectKind: "non_git",
     workspaceKind: "worktree",
     name: "worktree-123",
     status: "done",
@@ -3719,7 +3730,7 @@ test("create paseo worktree request returns a registered workspace descriptor",
   expect(response?.payload.workspace?.id).toMatch(/^wks_[0-9a-f]{16}$/);
   expect(response?.payload.workspace?.workspaceDirectory).toContain(path.join("worktree-123"));
   expect(workspaces.has(response?.payload.workspace?.id ?? "")).toBe(true);
-  expect(projects.has(response?.payload.workspace?.projectId ?? "")).toBe(true);
+  expect(projects.get(explicitProject.projectId)).toEqual(explicitProject);
 });
 
 test("workspace update fanout for multiple cwd values is deduplicated", async () => {