diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/App.vue b/apps/desktop/src/App.vue
index 8bd2b63deb..cae06656ca 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/src/App.vue
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/App.vue
@@ -1007,6 +1007,7 @@ useScheduledDatabaseBackups({ scheduler: true });
 
 const appVersion = ref("");
 const isClassicLayout = computed(() => settingsStore.editorSettings.appLayout === "classic");
+const isVerticalTabPlacement = computed(() => settingsStore.editorSettings.tabPlacement === "left" || settingsStore.editorSettings.tabPlacement === "right");
 
 // Every pane's vertical strip writes back to this shared width/collapse state.
 function startTabBarResize(event: PointerEvent) {
@@ -3748,8 +3749,12 @@ onUnmounted(() => {
                   </DialogFooter>
                 </DialogContent>
               </Dialog>
-              <div v-show="!driverStoreActive && !pluginCenterActive && !settingsStore.settingsPageActive" class="flex min-h-0 min-w-0 flex-1 flex-col">
-                <div class="flex flex-col min-h-0" :class="activeTab?.mode === 'plugin-workbench' ? 'flex-none' : 'flex-1'">
+              <div
+                v-show="!driverStoreActive && !pluginCenterActive && !settingsStore.settingsPageActive"
+                class="flex min-h-0 min-w-0 flex-1"
+                :class="activeTab?.mode === 'plugin-workbench' && isVerticalTabPlacement ? (settingsStore.editorSettings.tabPlacement === 'right' ? 'flex-row-reverse' : 'flex-row') : 'flex-col'"
+              >
+                <div class="flex min-h-0" :class="activeTab?.mode === 'plugin-workbench' ? (isVerticalTabPlacement ? 'h-full flex-none flex-col' : 'flex-none flex-col') : 'flex-1 flex-col'">
                   <SqlEditorWorkspace
                     ref="contentAreaRef"
                     :content-suppressed="activeTab?.mode === 'plugin-workbench'"
diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/components/layout/SqlEditorWorkspace.vue b/apps/desktop/src/components/layout/SqlEditorWorkspace.vue
index 2f627326c8..542cf30aa8 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/src/components/layout/SqlEditorWorkspace.vue
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/components/layout/SqlEditorWorkspace.vue
@@ -114,6 +114,7 @@ const { t } = useI18n();
 const queryStore = useQueryStore();
 const settingsStore = useSettingsStore();
 const isVerticalTabLayout = computed(() => settingsStore.editorSettings.tabPlacement === "left" || settingsStore.editorSettings.tabPlacement === "right");
+const verticalTabsWithSuppressedContent = computed(() => props.contentSuppressed && isVerticalTabLayout.value);
 const globalTabBarPortal = inject(GROUP_TAB_BAR_PORTAL, null);
 const workspaceTabBarPortal = createGroupTabBarPortal(isVerticalTabLayout);
 // A special page owns navigation while active. Otherwise side tabs stay
@@ -257,16 +258,14 @@ function handleFocusStatement(tabId: string, range: StatementRange | null): bool
 </script>
 
 <template>
-  <!-- contentSuppressed (plugin workbench tab active): the App.vue wrapper is
-       flex-none with indefinite height, so h-full/flex-1 here would collapse
-       the workspace to 0 and clip the group tab strips (overflow-hidden).
-       Size to content instead — same contract as EditorGroup's suppressed
-       h-auto; normal mode keeps h-full/flex-1 to fill the column. -->
-  <div class="sql-editor-workspace relative flex min-h-0 min-w-0 overflow-hidden" :class="[contentSuppressed ? 'h-auto' : 'h-full flex-1', workspaceClass, settingsStore.editorSettings.tabPlacement === 'right' ? 'flex-row-reverse' : 'flex-row']">
+  <div
+    class="sql-editor-workspace relative flex min-h-0 min-w-0 overflow-hidden"
+    :class="[verticalTabsWithSuppressedContent ? 'h-full flex-none' : contentSuppressed ? 'h-auto' : 'h-full flex-1', workspaceClass, settingsStore.editorSettings.tabPlacement === 'right' ? 'flex-row-reverse' : 'flex-row']"
+  >
     <div v-show="isVerticalTabLayout && showTabNavigation !== false" data-workspace-tab-navigation class="flex min-h-0 shrink-0 flex-col overflow-hidden" :style="tabNavigationStyle">
       <div v-for="group in queryStore.groups" :key="group.id" :ref="(element) => setTabBarTarget(group.id, element)" :data-workspace-tab-target="group.id" class="flex min-h-0 min-w-0 flex-1" @pointerdown.capture="queryStore.focusGroup(group.id)" @focusin="queryStore.focusGroup(group.id)" />
     </div>
-    <div data-workspace-content class="relative flex min-h-0 min-w-0 flex-1 flex-col overflow-hidden">
+    <div data-workspace-content class="relative flex min-h-0 min-w-0 flex-1 flex-col overflow-hidden" :class="{ hidden: verticalTabsWithSuppressedContent }">
       <!-- Suppressed mode: a plugin workbench tab owns the layout. Render the
            groups' tab strips directly (no Splitpanes, no shared result pane) so
            App.vue's always-mounted plugin layer can fill the remaining column
diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/components/layout/__tests__/SqlEditorWorkspace.mount.spec.ts b/apps/desktop/src/components/layout/__tests__/SqlEditorWorkspace.mount.spec.ts
index 8c4a5ca295..5412fce372 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/src/components/layout/__tests__/SqlEditorWorkspace.mount.spec.ts
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/components/layout/__tests__/SqlEditorWorkspace.mount.spec.ts
@@ -87,6 +87,7 @@ vi.mock("@/components/layout/QueryResultSurface.vue", () => ({
 
 import SqlEditorWorkspace from "../SqlEditorWorkspace.vue";
 import { useQueryStore } from "@/stores/queryStore";
+import { useSettingsStore } from "@/stores/settingsStore";
 import type { QueryTab } from "@/types/database";
 
 function tab(id: string): QueryTab {
@@ -338,6 +339,7 @@ describe("SqlEditorWorkspace mount contract", () => {
 
   it("keeps group tab strips mounted and drops the splitpanes workspace while suppressed", async () => {
     const store = useQueryStore();
+    const settingsStore = useSettingsStore();
     store.tabs = [tab("tab-a"), { ...tab("tab-b"), mode: "plugin-workbench" } as unknown as ReturnType<typeof tab>];
     store.activeTabId = "tab-b";
     store.groups = [
@@ -347,6 +349,7 @@ describe("SqlEditorWorkspace mount contract", () => {
     store.focusedGroupId = "g2";
     store.orientation = "vertical";
     store.sizes = [50, 50];
+    settingsStore.editorSettings.tabPlacement = "left";
 
     const host = createHost();
     const app = createApp(SqlEditorWorkspace, {
@@ -376,14 +379,13 @@ describe("SqlEditorWorkspace mount contract", () => {
     expect(groups[1]?.getAttribute("data-group-id")).toBe("g2");
     expect(groups[1]?.getAttribute("data-content-suppressed")).toBe("true");
 
-    // The App.vue wrapper is flex-none with indefinite height while a plugin
-    // tab is active: the workspace must size to its strip content, or the
-    // h-full/flex-1 fill contract collapses it to zero height and clips the
-    // strips away (overflow-hidden) — the "plugin tab bar vanishes" regression.
+    // Vertical plugin tabs share the row with the plugin workbench, so their
+    // workspace must keep the full-height contract while content is suppressed.
     const workspaceRoot = host.querySelector<HTMLElement>(".sql-editor-workspace");
-    expect(workspaceRoot?.classList.contains("h-auto")).toBe(true);
-    expect(workspaceRoot?.classList.contains("h-full")).toBe(false);
-    expect(workspaceRoot?.classList.contains("flex-1")).toBe(false);
+    expect(workspaceRoot?.classList.contains("h-full")).toBe(true);
+    expect(workspaceRoot?.classList.contains("flex-none")).toBe(true);
+    expect(workspaceRoot?.classList.contains("h-auto")).toBe(false);
+    expect(host.querySelector<HTMLElement>("[data-workspace-content]")?.classList.contains("hidden")).toBe(true);
 
     app.unmount();
     host.remove();