diff --git a/panel/Panel.swift b/panel/Panel.swift
index a6cfebe..68eaad6 100644
--- a/panel/Panel.swift
+++ b/panel/Panel.swift
@@ -2860,28 +2860,37 @@ final class PanelController: NSObject, NSApplicationDelegate, PanelKeyDelegate,
         // A blocking permission opened via 'O' (approve:false, "Open editor")
         // must stay in the panel so the user can still resolve it (Dismiss →
         // deny); removing it would orphan the hook for ~550s with no recovery
-        // path. Approvals — and any event without a pending FIFO — are removed
-        // as before. Stay on the panel if other events remain; otherwise close
-        // so the system frontmost reverts naturally and the approval keystroke
-        // lands in the target app's key window (see comment above re: hiding).
+        // path. Approvals — and any event without a pending FIFO — are removed.
         if sendApproval || event.fifoPath == nil {
             store.remove(id: event.id)
-            if store.events.isEmpty { hidePanel() }
         }
 
         // Approve a blocking permission by writing "allow" to its FIFO; the agent
-        // then skips its own prompt. Deny is the Dismiss gesture (see
-        // dismissSelected), NOT this path — so 'O' (approve:false, "Open editor")
-        // falls through to focusing the editor without resolving the decision.
+        // then skips its own prompt. This path doesn't hand focus to the editor,
+        // so keep the panel up while other prompts remain (lets the user triage
+        // a queue of approvals), closing only once the list empties. Deny is the
+        // Dismiss gesture (see dismissSelected), NOT this path.
         if sendApproval, let fifo = event.fifoPath {
+            if store.events.isEmpty { hidePanel() }
             DispatchQueue.global(qos: .userInitiated).async {
                 Self.writeFIFO(fifo, "allow")
             }
             return
         }
 
+        // Every remaining path hands focus to the source app — either jumping
+        // to the editor ('O' / a stop event) or sending the approval keystroke
+        // into its key window. Hide the panel first, unconditionally: our panel
+        // is floating, pinned, and joins all spaces, so leaving it up keeps
+        // StackNudge frontmost and the jump silently appears not to happen when
+        // other events are still listed. Matches focusSelectedSession and the
+        // banner-click path. The 0.15s settle lets our deactivation land before
+        // the target is raised (without it an approval keystroke can hit our
+        // own process instead of the target's key window).
         guard let bundleID = event.bundleID else { return }
+        hidePanel()
         DispatchQueue.global(qos: .userInitiated).async {
+            Thread.sleep(forTimeInterval: 0.15)
             AppActivator.activate(
                 bundleID: bundleID,
                 windowTitle: event.windowTitle,
@@ -2979,6 +2988,10 @@ final class PanelController: NSObject, NSApplicationDelegate, PanelKeyDelegate,
         let ipcHook = VSCodeIntegration.isVSCodeHosted(session.terminalApp) ? session.tabId : nil
         let sessionID = session.terminalApp?.contains("iTerm") == true ? session.tabId : nil
         DispatchQueue.global(qos: .userInitiated).async {
+            // Settle after hidePanel() above so StackNudge has resigned
+            // frontmost before we raise the target — mirrors actOnSelected
+            // and the banner-click path.
+            Thread.sleep(forTimeInterval: 0.15)
             AppActivator.activate(
                 bundleID: bundleID,
                 windowTitle: session.projectName,
diff --git a/shared/AppActivator.swift b/shared/AppActivator.swift
index b197e9c..0f6115d 100644
--- a/shared/AppActivator.swift
+++ b/shared/AppActivator.swift
@@ -66,12 +66,14 @@ struct AppActivator {
                 delay 0.4
                 do shell script "\(envPrefix)'\(escapedCLI)' --reuse-window '\(escapedPath)'"
             """)?.executeAndReturnError(&err)
+            logScriptError(err, "editor-reuse-window")
 
             // Step 2: set frontmost (requires Automation for System Events)
             var err2: NSDictionary?
             NSAppleScript(source: """
                 tell application "System Events" to set frontmost of process "\(procName)" to true
             """)?.executeAndReturnError(&err2)
+            logScriptError(err2, "editor-set-frontmost")
 
             // Step 2.5: AX-raise the specific window. --reuse-window routes
             // the open request to the right window's IPC server (when
@@ -111,6 +113,7 @@ struct AppActivator {
                         end tell
                     end tell
                 """)?.executeAndReturnError(&err3)
+                logScriptError(err3, "editor-send-enter")
             }
             return
         }
@@ -177,6 +180,7 @@ struct AppActivator {
                     end tell
                 end tell
             """)?.executeAndReturnError(&err)
+            logScriptError(err, "approve-keystroke")
         }
     }
 
@@ -332,6 +336,7 @@ struct AppActivator {
         """
         var err: NSDictionary?
         NSAppleScript(source: script)?.executeAndReturnError(&err)
+        logScriptError(err, "ghostty-tab")
     }
 
     // MARK: - iTerm2 (AppleScript bridge)
@@ -375,10 +380,29 @@ struct AppActivator {
         """
         var err: NSDictionary?
         let result = NSAppleScript(source: script)?.executeAndReturnError(&err)
-        guard err == nil else { return false }
+        guard err == nil else {
+            logScriptError(err, "iterm2-session")
+            return false
+        }
         return result?.stringValue == "matched"
     }
 
+    // MARK: - Diagnostics
+
+    // AppleScript failures here are almost always a missing Automation grant:
+    // macOS wipes the grant whenever the app's cdhash changes (every ad-hoc
+    // rebuild), and the call then silently no-ops so focus never moves — the
+    // exact "Open editor did nothing" symptom. Swallowing the error dict hides
+    // it; surface it to stderr when panel debugging is on so the next
+    // occurrence is diagnosable. No-op unless STACKNUDGE_PANEL_DEBUG is set.
+    private static func logScriptError(_ err: NSDictionary?, _ context: String) {
+        guard let err,
+              ProcessInfo.processInfo.environment["STACKNUDGE_PANEL_DEBUG"] != nil
+        else { return }
+        FileHandle.standardError.write(Data(
+            "AppActivator[\(context)]: AppleScript error: \(err)\n".utf8))
+    }
+
     // MARK: - AX tab switching (standalone terminal apps)
 
     // For tabbed terminals where the OS-window is already frontmost but