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())
+}