diff --git a/src/routes/v2/shared/components/AiChat/AiChatContent.tsx b/src/routes/v2/shared/components/AiChat/AiChatContent.tsx
index 6ba5a7e56..34223658d 100644
--- a/src/routes/v2/shared/components/AiChat/AiChatContent.tsx
+++ b/src/routes/v2/shared/components/AiChat/AiChatContent.tsx
@@ -5,7 +5,9 @@ import { useEffect, useRef, useState } from "react";
 import type { RecentPipelineRun } from "@/agent/session";
 import type { ToolBridgeApi } from "@/agent/toolBridgeApi";
 import { useAuthLocalStorage } from "@/components/shared/Authentication/useAuthLocalStorage";
-import { BlockStack } from "@/components/ui/layout";
+import { Button } from "@/components/ui/button";
+import { Icon } from "@/components/ui/icon";
+import { BlockStack, InlineStack } from "@/components/ui/layout";
 import { useAiProviderSettings } from "@/hooks/useAiProviderSettings";
 import useToastNotification from "@/hooks/useToastNotification";
 import { useBackend } from "@/providers/BackendProvider";
@@ -99,11 +101,14 @@ export const AiChatContent = observer(function AiChatContent({
     refetchOnWindowFocus: false,
   });
 
+  const thread = aiChat.activeThread;
+
   function handleSend(prompt: string) {
+    if (!thread) return;
     const recentRuns = recentRunsData
       ? projectRecentRuns(recentRunsData)
       : undefined;
-    aiChat.sendMessage(prompt, {
+    thread.sendMessage(prompt, {
       onError: (msg) => notify(msg, "error"),
       bridge,
       aiConfig,
@@ -115,13 +120,29 @@ export const AiChatContent = observer(function AiChatContent({
     return <AiProviderSetup />;
   }
 
+  if (!thread) return null;
+
   return (
     <BlockStack fill>
+      <InlineStack
+        className="border-b p-2 w-full"
+        align="end"
+        blockAlign="center"
+      >
+        <Button
+          size="sm"
+          variant="ghost"
+          onClick={() => aiChat.newThread()}
+          aria-label="New chat"
+        >
+          <Icon name="SquarePen" />
+        </Button>
+      </InlineStack>
       <ChatMessageList
-        messages={aiChat.messages}
-        thinkingText={aiChat.thinkingText}
+        messages={thread.messages}
+        thinkingText={thread.thinkingText}
       />
-      <ChatInput isPending={aiChat.isPending} onSubmit={handleSend} />
+      <ChatInput isPending={thread.isPending} onSubmit={handleSend} />
     </BlockStack>
   );
 });
diff --git a/src/routes/v2/shared/components/AiChat/AiChatStoreContext.tsx b/src/routes/v2/shared/components/AiChat/AiChatStoreContext.tsx
index 190fa76ee..3778db859 100644
--- a/src/routes/v2/shared/components/AiChat/AiChatStoreContext.tsx
+++ b/src/routes/v2/shared/components/AiChat/AiChatStoreContext.tsx
@@ -6,7 +6,6 @@ import {
   useRequiredContext,
 } from "@/hooks/useRequiredContext";
 
-import { getAgentClient } from "./agentClient";
 import { AiChatStore } from "./aiChatStore";
 
 const AiChatStoreCtx = createRequiredContext<AiChatStore>("AiChatStoreContext");
@@ -14,7 +13,14 @@ const AiChatStoreCtx = createRequiredContext<AiChatStore>("AiChatStoreContext");
 export function AiChatStoreProvider({ children }: { children: ReactNode }) {
   const [store] = useState(() => new AiChatStore());
 
-  useEffect(() => () => getAgentClient().terminate(), []);
+  // Ensure a thread exists on (re)mount and tear them all down on
+  // unmount. The ensure-on-mount step matters under React StrictMode,
+  // whose mount -> unmount -> mount cycle would otherwise leave the
+  // store empty after the cleanup disposes the constructor-seeded thread.
+  useEffect(() => {
+    store.ensureActiveThread();
+    return () => store.disposeAll();
+  }, [store]);
 
   return (
     <AiChatStoreCtx.Provider value={store}>{children}</AiChatStoreCtx.Provider>
diff --git a/src/routes/v2/shared/components/AiChat/agentClient.ts b/src/routes/v2/shared/components/AiChat/agentClient.ts
index a853f4bcf..6e9a8186e 100644
--- a/src/routes/v2/shared/components/AiChat/agentClient.ts
+++ b/src/routes/v2/shared/components/AiChat/agentClient.ts
@@ -1,9 +1,12 @@
 /**
  * Main-thread client for the in-browser agent worker.
  *
- * Spawns a single Web Worker (lazy, on first use), wires it up over
- * Comlink, and exposes a typed `ask()` method that the AI Chat store
- * calls.
+ * Each `AgentClient` instance is bound to a single `threadId` and owns
+ * exactly one Web Worker (spawned lazily on first use). It wires the
+ * worker up over Comlink and exposes a typed `ask()` method. The thread
+ * id is injected into every request so the worker keys its in-memory
+ * conversation memory by it. Lifecycle (create / terminate) is owned by
+ * the `AgentThread` primitive — there is no global singleton.
  */
 import * as Comlink from "comlink";
 
@@ -20,16 +23,17 @@ interface InitDeps {
 
 interface AskOptions {
   message: string;
-  threadId?: string;
   recentRuns?: RecentPipelineRun[];
   aiConfig: AiProviderConfig;
 }
 
-class AgentClient {
+export class AgentClient {
   private worker: Worker | null = null;
   private remote: Comlink.Remote<AgentWorkerApi> | null = null;
   private initPromise: Promise<void> | null = null;
 
+  constructor(private readonly threadId: string) {}
+
   private async ensureInit(
     deps: InitDeps,
   ): Promise<Comlink.Remote<AgentWorkerApi>> {
@@ -64,9 +68,10 @@ class AgentClient {
     signal?: AbortSignal,
   ): Promise<AgentResponse> {
     const remote = await this.ensureInit(deps);
+    const params = { ...options, threadId: this.threadId };
     return signal
-      ? remote.ask(options, Comlink.proxy(signal))
-      : remote.ask(options);
+      ? remote.ask(params, Comlink.proxy(signal))
+      : remote.ask(params);
   }
 
   terminate(): void {
@@ -76,10 +81,3 @@ class AgentClient {
     this.initPromise = null;
   }
 }
-
-let singleton: AgentClient | null = null;
-
-export function getAgentClient(): AgentClient {
-  if (!singleton) singleton = new AgentClient();
-  return singleton;
-}
diff --git a/src/routes/v2/shared/components/AiChat/agentThread.ts b/src/routes/v2/shared/components/AiChat/agentThread.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..c0537f618
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/routes/v2/shared/components/AiChat/agentThread.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,113 @@
+import { action, makeObservable, observable, runInAction } from "mobx";
+
+import type { RecentPipelineRun } from "@/agent/session";
+import type { ToolBridgeApi } from "@/agent/toolBridgeApi";
+import type { AiProviderConfig } from "@/types/aiProvider";
+import { getErrorMessage } from "@/utils/string";
+
+import { AgentClient } from "./agentClient";
+import type { ChatMessage } from "./types";
+
+function generateMessageId(): string {
+  return `msg-${Date.now()}-${Math.random().toString(36).slice(2, 7)}`;
+}
+
+function generateThreadId(): string {
+  return `thread-${Date.now()}-${Math.random().toString(36).slice(2, 8)}`;
+}
+
+interface SendMessageOptions {
+  onError: (message: string) => void;
+  bridge: ToolBridgeApi;
+  aiConfig: AiProviderConfig;
+  recentRuns?: RecentPipelineRun[];
+}
+
+/**
+ * A single AI conversation: one Web Worker (agent + in-memory session)
+ * plus the chat state that survives the React component tree (window
+ * minimize / hide / unmount). Disposing a thread terminates its worker
+ * and discards the conversation entirely.
+ */
+export class AgentThread {
+  readonly threadId: string;
+
+  @observable.shallow accessor messages: ChatMessage[] = [];
+  @observable accessor thinkingText: string | null = null;
+  @observable accessor isPending = false;
+
+  private readonly client: AgentClient;
+  private abortController: AbortController | null = null;
+
+  constructor(threadId?: string) {
+    makeObservable(this);
+    this.threadId = threadId ?? generateThreadId();
+    this.client = new AgentClient(this.threadId);
+  }
+
+  abort() {
+    this.abortController?.abort();
+  }
+
+  async sendMessage(prompt: string, options: SendMessageOptions) {
+    const abortController = new AbortController();
+    this.abortController = abortController;
+
+    runInAction(() => {
+      this.messages = [
+        ...this.messages,
+        { id: generateMessageId(), role: "user", content: prompt },
+      ];
+      this.isPending = true;
+      this.thinkingText = null;
+    });
+
+    try {
+      const response = await this.client.ask(
+        {
+          bridge: options.bridge,
+          onStatus: (status) => {
+            runInAction(() => {
+              this.thinkingText = status.text;
+            });
+          },
+        },
+        {
+          message: prompt,
+          aiConfig: options.aiConfig,
+          ...(options.recentRuns && { recentRuns: options.recentRuns }),
+        },
+        abortController.signal,
+      );
+
+      runInAction(() => {
+        this.thinkingText = null;
+        this.messages = [
+          ...this.messages,
+          {
+            id: generateMessageId(),
+            role: "assistant",
+            content: response.answer,
+          },
+        ];
+      });
+    } catch (error) {
+      options.onError(`AI request failed: ${getErrorMessage(error)}`);
+    } finally {
+      this.abortController = null;
+      runInAction(() => {
+        this.isPending = false;
+        this.thinkingText = null;
+      });
+    }
+  }
+
+  @action dispose() {
+    this.abortController?.abort();
+    this.abortController = null;
+    this.client.terminate();
+  }
+
+  // future: persist() — snapshot/restore a thread across reloads. Out of
+  // scope for now.
+}
diff --git a/src/routes/v2/shared/components/AiChat/aiChatStore.ts b/src/routes/v2/shared/components/AiChat/aiChatStore.ts
index cbf567e8e..95a2a8a4b 100644
--- a/src/routes/v2/shared/components/AiChat/aiChatStore.ts
+++ b/src/routes/v2/shared/components/AiChat/aiChatStore.ts
@@ -1,102 +1,56 @@
-import { action, makeObservable, observable, runInAction } from "mobx";
+import { action, computed, makeObservable, observable } from "mobx";
 
-import type { RecentPipelineRun } from "@/agent/session";
-import type { ToolBridgeApi } from "@/agent/toolBridgeApi";
-import type { AiProviderConfig } from "@/types/aiProvider";
-import { getErrorMessage } from "@/utils/string";
-
-import { getAgentClient } from "./agentClient";
-import type { ChatMessage } from "./types";
-
-function generateMessageId(): string {
-  return `msg-${Date.now()}-${Math.random().toString(36).slice(2, 7)}`;
-}
-
-interface SendMessageOptions {
-  onError: (message: string) => void;
-  bridge: ToolBridgeApi;
-  aiConfig: AiProviderConfig;
-  recentRuns?: RecentPipelineRun[];
-}
+import { AgentThread } from "./agentThread";
 
 /**
- * Stores AI chat state (messages, thread, pending status) outside the
- * React component tree so it survives window minimize / hide / unmount.
+ * Owns the collection of {@link AgentThread}s for one AI chat provider.
+ *
+ * Today only a single thread is effectively active: starting a new
+ * session (or navigating to a different pipeline / run) disposes the
+ * current thread and creates a fresh one in one go. The collection shape
+ * leaves room for multiple concurrent threads in the future.
  */
 export class AiChatStore {
-  @observable.shallow accessor messages: ChatMessage[] = [];
-  @observable accessor threadId: string | undefined = undefined;
-  @observable accessor thinkingText: string | null = null;
-  @observable accessor isPending = false;
-
-  private abortController: AbortController | null = null;
+  @observable.shallow accessor threads: AgentThread[] = [];
+  @observable accessor activeThreadId: string | null = null;
 
   constructor() {
     makeObservable(this);
+    this.newThread();
   }
 
-  @action resetState() {
-    this.messages = [];
-    this.threadId = undefined;
-    this.thinkingText = null;
-    this.isPending = false;
-    this.abortController?.abort();
-    this.abortController = null;
+  @computed get activeThread(): AgentThread | null {
+    return this.threads.find((t) => t.threadId === this.activeThreadId) ?? null;
   }
 
-  abort() {
-    this.abortController?.abort();
+  /** Creates a thread if none is active. Idempotent. */
+  @action ensureActiveThread(): AgentThread {
+    return this.activeThread ?? this.newThread();
   }
 
-  async sendMessage(prompt: string, options: SendMessageOptions) {
-    runInAction(() => {
-      this.messages = [
-        ...this.messages,
-        { id: generateMessageId(), role: "user", content: prompt },
-      ];
-      this.isPending = true;
-      this.thinkingText = null;
-    });
+  /**
+   * Disposes the current active thread and spins up a fresh one,
+   * making it active. Used for both navigation resets and the
+   * user-triggered "new chat" action.
+   */
+  @action newThread(): AgentThread {
+    const previous = this.activeThread;
+    if (previous) {
+      previous.dispose();
+      this.threads = this.threads.filter((t) => t !== previous);
+    }
 
-    try {
-      const client = getAgentClient();
-      const response = await client.ask(
-        {
-          bridge: options.bridge,
-          onStatus: (status) => {
-            runInAction(() => {
-              this.thinkingText = status.text;
-            });
-          },
-        },
-        {
-          message: prompt,
-          aiConfig: options.aiConfig,
-          ...(this.threadId && { threadId: this.threadId }),
-          ...(options.recentRuns && { recentRuns: options.recentRuns }),
-        },
-      );
+    const thread = new AgentThread();
+    this.threads = [...this.threads, thread];
+    this.activeThreadId = thread.threadId;
+    return thread;
+  }
 
-      runInAction(() => {
-        this.thinkingText = null;
-        this.threadId = response.threadId;
-        this.messages = [
-          ...this.messages,
-          {
-            id: generateMessageId(),
-            role: "assistant",
-            content: response.answer,
-          },
-        ];
-      });
-    } catch (error) {
-      options.onError(`AI request failed: ${getErrorMessage(error)}`);
-    } finally {
-      this.abortController = null;
-      runInAction(() => {
-        this.isPending = false;
-        this.thinkingText = null;
-      });
+  @action disposeAll() {
+    for (const thread of this.threads) {
+      thread.dispose();
     }
+    this.threads = [];
+    this.activeThreadId = null;
   }
 }