diff --git a/internal/cloud/server-workbench-http.test.ts b/internal/cloud/server-workbench-http.test.ts
index 1351e790..ecc79f6d 100644
--- a/internal/cloud/server-workbench-http.test.ts
+++ b/internal/cloud/server-workbench-http.test.ts
@@ -2397,7 +2397,7 @@ test("workbench realtime stream forwards HWLAB Kafka events after initial connec
       traceId,
       context: { sourceSeq: 7, runId: "run_workbench_realtime_after_seq", commandId: "cmd_workbench_realtime_after_seq" },
       event: { type: "backend", eventType: "backend", status: "running", label: "agentrun:event:test", message: "Kafka realtime event", sourceSeq: 7 }
-    }); }, 0);
+    }); }, 25);
     const events = await getSseEvents(port, `/v1/workbench/events?sessionId=${encodeURIComponent(session.id)}&traceId=${encodeURIComponent(traceId)}&afterSeq=10`, 2);
     assert.deepEqual(events.map((event) => event.event), ["workbench.connected", "workbench.trace.event"]);
     assert.equal(events[0].id, "10");
@@ -2416,6 +2416,78 @@ test("workbench realtime stream forwards HWLAB Kafka events after initial connec
   }
 });
 
+test("workbench session realtime Kafka stream does not pin subscription to stale lastTraceId", async () => {
+  const fakeKafka = createFakeKafkaFactory();
+  const staleTraceId = "trc_workbench_realtime_stale_trace";
+  const liveTraceId = "trc_workbench_realtime_live_trace";
+  const session = {
+    id: "ses_workbench_realtime_session_wide",
+    projectId: "prj_hwpod_workbench",
+    agentId: "hwlab-code-agent",
+    status: "running",
+    ownerUserId: ACTOR.id,
+    conversationId: "cnv_workbench_realtime_session_wide",
+    threadId: "thread-workbench-realtime-session-wide",
+    lastTraceId: staleTraceId,
+    updatedAt: "2026-06-24T14:00:00.000Z",
+    session: { sessionStatus: "running", lastTraceId: staleTraceId }
+  };
+  const accessController = {
+    store: {
+      async getAgentSession(sessionId) { return sessionId === session.id ? session : null; },
+      async getAgentSessionByTraceId() { return null; }
+    },
+    async ensureBootstrap() {},
+    async authenticate() { return { ok: true, actor: ACTOR, session: { id: "uss_workbench_reader" } }; }
+  };
+  const serverWithKafka = createCloudApiServer({
+    accessController,
+    workbenchRuntime: {
+      async queryWorkbenchFacts(params = {}) {
+        return {
+          facts: {
+            sessions: [{ sessionId: session.id, ownerUserId: ACTOR.id, threadId: session.threadId, lastTraceId: staleTraceId, status: "running", valuesRedacted: true }],
+            messages: [],
+            parts: [],
+            turns: [],
+            checkpoints: []
+          },
+          count: 1,
+          persistence: { adapter: "test-session-wide-kafka", durable: true },
+          params
+        };
+      }
+    },
+    kafkaFactory: fakeKafka.factory,
+    env: {
+      HWLAB_WORKBENCH_SSE_HEARTBEAT_MS: "60000",
+      HWLAB_KAFKA_BOOTSTRAP_SERVERS: "127.0.0.1:9092",
+      HWLAB_KAFKA_CLIENT_ID: "test-hwlab-cloud-api",
+      HWLAB_KAFKA_EVENT_TOPIC: "hwlab.event.v1"
+    }
+  });
+  await new Promise((resolve) => serverWithKafka.listen(0, "127.0.0.1", resolve));
+
+  try {
+    const { port } = serverWithKafka.address();
+    setTimeout(() => { void fakeKafka.emit({
+      eventType: "hwlab.trace.event.projected",
+      sessionId: "ses_agentrun_workbench_realtime_session_wide",
+      traceId: liveTraceId,
+      context: { runId: "run_workbench_realtime_session_wide", commandId: "cmd_workbench_realtime_session_wide" },
+      event: { type: "backend", eventType: "backend", status: "running", label: "agentrun:event:live", message: "Kafka live trace event" }
+    }); }, 100);
+    const events = await getSseEvents(port, `/v1/workbench/events?sessionId=${encodeURIComponent(session.id)}`, 4);
+    assert.equal(events[0].event, "workbench.connected");
+    const liveEvent = events.find((event) => event.event === "workbench.trace.event" && event.data?.traceId === liveTraceId);
+    assert.ok(liveEvent, JSON.stringify(events.map((event) => ({ event: event.event, traceId: event.data?.traceId, message: event.data?.event?.message }))));
+    assert.equal(liveEvent.data.event.message, "Kafka live trace event");
+    assert.equal(liveEvent.data.realtimeAuthority, "workbench-realtime-authority-v2");
+  } finally {
+    await new Promise((resolve, reject) => serverWithKafka.close((error) => error ? reject(error) : resolve()));
+  }
+});
+
 test("workbench read model exposes runtime trace projection query failures as projection blockers", async () => {
   const traceStore = createCodeAgentTraceStore();
   const results = createCodeAgentChatResultStore();
diff --git a/internal/cloud/server-workbench-http.ts b/internal/cloud/server-workbench-http.ts
index 7ba4a0d4..be23deaa 100644
--- a/internal/cloud/server-workbench-http.ts
+++ b/internal/cloud/server-workbench-http.ts
@@ -247,7 +247,7 @@ export async function handleWorkbenchRealtimeHttp(request, response, url, option
   if (activeTraceId && requestedAfterSeq <= 0) {
     await (perf ? perf.measure("workbench_initial_trace", () => writeTraceRealtimeSnapshotSafe({ writeEvent, options, actor: auth.actor, traceId: activeTraceId, reason: "initial" })) : writeTraceRealtimeSnapshotSafe({ writeEvent, options, actor: auth.actor, traceId: activeTraceId, reason: "initial" }));
   }
-  const kafkaFilters = resolveWorkbenchRealtimeKafkaFilters({ traceId: activeTraceId, sessionId: streamSessionId, traceStore });
+  const kafkaFilters = resolveWorkbenchRealtimeKafkaFilters({ traceId: requestedTraceId, sessionId: streamSessionId, traceStore });
   try {
     const kafkaStream = await openKafkaEventStream({
       env: options.env ?? process.env,
@@ -379,7 +379,7 @@ function workbenchRealtimeEventFromKafka(record, context = {}) {
   if (!value) return null;
   const hwlabEvent = value.event && typeof value.event === "object" && !Array.isArray(value.event) ? value.event : {};
   const sourceContext = value.context && typeof value.context === "object" && !Array.isArray(value.context) ? value.context : {};
-  const traceId = safeTraceId(context.traceId ?? value.traceId ?? hwlabEvent.traceId) ?? textValue(context.traceId ?? value.traceId ?? hwlabEvent.traceId);
+  const traceId = safeTraceId(value.traceId ?? hwlabEvent.traceId ?? context.traceId) ?? textValue(value.traceId ?? hwlabEvent.traceId ?? context.traceId);
   const sessionId = safeSessionId(context.sessionId ?? value.sessionId ?? hwlabEvent.sessionId) ?? textValue(context.sessionId ?? value.sessionId ?? hwlabEvent.sessionId);
   const threadId = safeOpaqueId(context.threadId ?? sourceContext.threadId) ?? textValue(context.threadId ?? sourceContext.threadId);
   if (!traceId && !sessionId) return null;