diff --git a/pkg/gui/layout.go b/pkg/gui/layout.go
index de3bdbe9b..bcdc0edfc 100644
--- a/pkg/gui/layout.go
+++ b/pkg/gui/layout.go
@@ -154,7 +154,14 @@ func (gui *Gui) layout(g *gocui.Gui) error {
 		if err != nil && !errors.Is(err, gocui.ErrUnknownView) {
 			return err
 		}
-		view.Visible = gui.helpers.Window.GetViewNameForWindow(context.GetWindowName()) == context.GetViewName()
+		// A transient view is visible if it is the view its window is currently
+		// showing — but only if that window is part of the layout at all. For a
+		// window without dimensions, setViewFromDimensions parks the view at full
+		// screen size in the background, so making it visible would cover all
+		// windows below it.
+		_, windowHasDimensions := viewDimensions[context.GetWindowName()]
+		view.Visible = windowHasDimensions &&
+			gui.helpers.Window.GetViewNameForWindow(context.GetWindowName()) == context.GetViewName()
 	}
 
 	if gui.PrevLayout.Information != informationStr {
diff --git a/pkg/gui/side_panels.go b/pkg/gui/side_panels.go
index 361d54fb1..8b327b197 100644
--- a/pkg/gui/side_panels.go
+++ b/pkg/gui/side_panels.go
@@ -125,4 +125,13 @@ func (gui *Gui) assignSidePanelWindows(contextTree *context.ContextTree) {
 			ctx.SetWindowName(name)
 		}
 	}
+
+	// The transient contexts take over the window of the context they are
+	// drilled into from, but they need a valid initial window before their
+	// first use. Assign the window hosting branches or commits, respectively;
+	// unlike e.g. remotes, those tabs can't be hidden, so their windows are
+	// always part of the layout.
+	contextTree.RemoteBranches.SetWindowName(contextTree.Branches.GetWindowName())
+	contextTree.SubCommits.SetWindowName(contextTree.Branches.GetWindowName())
+	contextTree.CommitFiles.SetWindowName(contextTree.LocalCommits.GetWindowName())
 }
diff --git a/pkg/gui/side_panels_test.go b/pkg/gui/side_panels_test.go
index b1240c357..24813b4ae 100644
--- a/pkg/gui/side_panels_test.go
+++ b/pkg/gui/side_panels_test.go
@@ -28,3 +28,23 @@ func TestSidePanelLookupsCoverAllValidTabs(t *testing.T) {
 	assert.Equal(t, want, sortedKeys(gui.sidePanelTabTitles()))
 	assert.Equal(t, want, sortedKeys(sidePanelContexts(gui.contextTree())))
 }
+
+// The transient contexts must end up in windows that exist under the configured
+// panel layout, or their views would be laid out for a window that is never
+// shown.
+func TestAssignSidePanelWindowsCoversTransientContexts(t *testing.T) {
+	gui := NewDummyGui()
+	gui.c.UserConfig().Gui.SidePanels = []config.SidePanel{
+		{"worktrees", "branches", "remotes"},
+		{"files"},
+		{"tags", "commits"},
+		{"stash"},
+	}
+
+	contextTree := gui.contextTree()
+	gui.assignSidePanelWindows(contextTree)
+
+	assert.Equal(t, "worktrees", contextTree.RemoteBranches.GetWindowName())
+	assert.Equal(t, "worktrees", contextTree.SubCommits.GetWindowName())
+	assert.Equal(t, "tags", contextTree.CommitFiles.GetWindowName())
+}
diff --git a/pkg/integration/tests/test_list.go b/pkg/integration/tests/test_list.go
index abf13073e..8213d5159 100644
--- a/pkg/integration/tests/test_list.go
+++ b/pkg/integration/tests/test_list.go
@@ -484,6 +484,8 @@ var tests = []*components.IntegrationTest{
 	tag.Reset,
 	tag.ResetToDuplicateNamedBranch,
 	ui.Accordion,
+	ui.BranchesNotFirstTab,
+	ui.CommitsNotFirstTab,
 	ui.DisableSwitchTabWithPanelJumpKeys,
 	ui.EmptyMenu,
 	ui.HideSidePanel,
diff --git a/pkg/integration/tests/ui/branches_not_first_tab.go b/pkg/integration/tests/ui/branches_not_first_tab.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..47e8a4fd5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/integration/tests/ui/branches_not_first_tab.go
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+package ui
+
+import (
+	"github.com/jesseduffield/lazygit/pkg/config"
+	. "github.com/jesseduffield/lazygit/pkg/integration/components"
+)
+
+var BranchesNotFirstTab = NewIntegrationTest(NewIntegrationTestArgs{
+	Description:  "With gui.sidePanels grouping branches behind another tab, no ghost view must appear over the side panels",
+	ExtraCmdArgs: []string{},
+	Skip:         false,
+	SetupConfig: func(cfg *config.AppConfig) {
+		cfg.GetUserConfig().Gui.SidePanels = []config.SidePanel{
+			{"worktrees", "branches", "remotes"},
+			{"files"},
+			{"commits", "tags"},
+			{"stash"},
+		}
+	},
+	SetupRepo: func(shell *Shell) {
+		shell.EmptyCommit("one")
+	},
+	Run: func(t *TestDriver, keys config.KeybindingConfig) {
+		// The remote branches and sub-commits views are only shown after
+		// drilling into a remote or a branch; at startup both must be hidden,
+		// or they'd cover the side panels.
+		t.Views().RemoteBranches().
+			IsInvisible()
+		t.Views().SubCommits().IsInvisible()
+	},
+})
diff --git a/pkg/integration/tests/ui/commits_not_first_tab.go b/pkg/integration/tests/ui/commits_not_first_tab.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..505aa4307
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/integration/tests/ui/commits_not_first_tab.go
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+package ui
+
+import (
+	"github.com/jesseduffield/lazygit/pkg/config"
+	. "github.com/jesseduffield/lazygit/pkg/integration/components"
+)
+
+var CommitsNotFirstTab = NewIntegrationTest(NewIntegrationTestArgs{
+	Description:  "With gui.sidePanels grouping commits behind another tab, no ghost view must appear over the side panels",
+	ExtraCmdArgs: []string{},
+	Skip:         false,
+	SetupConfig: func(cfg *config.AppConfig) {
+		cfg.GetUserConfig().Gui.SidePanels = []config.SidePanel{
+			{"branches", "worktrees", "remotes"},
+			{"files"},
+			{"tags", "commits"},
+			{"stash"},
+		}
+	},
+	SetupRepo: func(shell *Shell) {
+		shell.EmptyCommit("one")
+	},
+	Run: func(t *TestDriver, keys config.KeybindingConfig) {
+		// The commit files view is only shown after drilling into a commit; at
+		// startup it must be hidden, or it'd cover the side panels.
+		t.Views().CommitFiles().
+			IsInvisible()
+	},
+})