diff --git a/frontend/src/components/NavSidebar.tsx b/frontend/src/components/NavSidebar.tsx
index 4a53ca1d..edd30a23 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/NavSidebar.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/components/NavSidebar.tsx
@@ -67,6 +67,30 @@ export default function NavSidebar({
   // in-flow like before. `collapsed` (persisted per-account) now means "unpinned".
   const [hovered, setHovered] = useState(false);
   const [focused, setFocused] = useState(false);
+  // onFocus/onBlur (below) track focus through the REACT tree, so the rail's portaled menus
+  // (language switcher, account popover) count as "inside" and keep it open while you use them.
+  // The case they miss: a portal unmounts while focused, and browsers fire NO blur when a focused
+  // node is removed — focus silently falls to the body and `focused` would latch on forever.
+  // Safety net: whenever focus has landed nowhere, clear it. Deferred a tick so activeElement has
+  // settled, and rescheduled rather than queued — only the latest state matters.
+  useEffect(() => {
+    let timer: number | undefined;
+    const clearIfFocusLandedNowhere = () => {
+      const el = document.activeElement;
+      if (!el || el === document.body || el === document.documentElement) setFocused(false);
+    };
+    const soon = () => {
+      window.clearTimeout(timer);
+      timer = window.setTimeout(clearIfFocusLandedNowhere, 0);
+    };
+    document.addEventListener("focusout", soon);
+    document.addEventListener("click", soon);
+    return () => {
+      document.removeEventListener("focusout", soon);
+      document.removeEventListener("click", soon);
+      window.clearTimeout(timer);
+    };
+  }, []);
   const pinned = !collapsed;
   const expanded = pinned || hovered || focused;
   const slim = !expanded; // visual: icon-only rail