diff --git a/apps/web/src/components/settings/settingsExit.test.ts b/apps/web/src/components/settings/settingsExit.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..2ae8981ac7dc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/web/src/components/settings/settingsExit.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+import {
+  createMemoryHistory,
+  createRootRoute,
+  createRoute,
+  createRouter,
+} from "@tanstack/react-router";
+import { expect, it } from "vite-plus/test";
+
+import { exitSettings, recordSettingsEntry } from "./settingsExit";
+
+it("leaves settings in one step past every scope change", async () => {
+  const root = createRootRoute();
+  const thread = createRoute({ getParentRoute: () => root, path: "thread" });
+  const settings = createRoute({
+    getParentRoute: () => root,
+    path: "settings",
+    validateSearch: (raw: Record<string, unknown>) => ({ machine: String(raw.machine) }),
+  });
+  const router = createRouter({
+    routeTree: root.addChildren([thread, settings]),
+    history: createMemoryHistory({ initialEntries: ["/thread"] }),
+  });
+  const values = new Map<string, string>();
+  const storage = {
+    getItem: (key: string) => values.get(key) ?? null,
+    setItem: (key: string, value: string) => void values.set(key, value),
+    removeItem: (key: string) => void values.delete(key),
+  };
+  await router.load();
+  await router.navigate({ to: "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/settings", search: { machine: "a" } });
+  recordSettingsEntry(router, storage);
+  await router.navigate({ to: "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/settings", search: { machine: "b" } });
+  await router.navigate({ to: "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/settings", search: { machine: "c" } });
+
+  exitSettings(router, storage);
+  await router.load();
+
+  expect(router.state.location.pathname).toBe("/thread");
+});
diff --git a/apps/web/src/components/settings/settingsExit.ts b/apps/web/src/components/settings/settingsExit.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..cae7c4a321d4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/web/src/components/settings/settingsExit.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+import type { AnyRouter } from "@tanstack/react-router";
+
+const SETTINGS_ENTRY_INDEX_KEY = "t3code:settings-entry-index";
+
+type EntryStorage = Pick<Storage, "getItem" | "setItem" | "removeItem">;
+
+function historyIndex(router: AnyRouter): number {
+  return router.history.location.state.__TSR_index;
+}
+
+function isSettingsPath(pathname: string): boolean {
+  return /^\/settings(?:\/|$)/.test(pathname);
+}
+
+function readEntryIndex(storage: EntryStorage): number | null {
+  const raw = storage.getItem(SETTINGS_ENTRY_INDEX_KEY);
+  const index = raw === null ? Number.NaN : Number(raw);
+  return Number.isInteger(index) ? index : null;
+}
+
+export function recordSettingsEntry(router: AnyRouter, storage?: EntryStorage): () => void {
+  try {
+    const entryStorage = storage ?? window.sessionStorage;
+    const current = historyIndex(router);
+    const stored = readEntryIndex(entryStorage);
+    if (stored === null || stored > current) {
+      entryStorage.setItem(SETTINGS_ENTRY_INDEX_KEY, String(current));
+    }
+    return () => {
+      if (isSettingsPath(router.history.location.pathname)) return;
+      try {
+        entryStorage.removeItem(SETTINGS_ENTRY_INDEX_KEY);
+      } catch {}
+    };
+  } catch {
+    return () => {};
+  }
+}
+
+export function exitSettings(router: AnyRouter, storage?: EntryStorage) {
+  let entry: number | null = null;
+  try {
+    entry = readEntryIndex(storage ?? window.sessionStorage);
+  } catch {}
+  const current = historyIndex(router);
+  if (entry !== null && entry > 0 && entry <= current) {
+    router.history.go(entry - current - 1);
+    return;
+  }
+  void router.navigate({ to: "/" });
+}
diff --git a/apps/web/src/components/sidebar/SidebarChrome.tsx b/apps/web/src/components/sidebar/SidebarChrome.tsx
index 0bcc8e07c2b4..e10fcded9873 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/components/sidebar/SidebarChrome.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/src/components/sidebar/SidebarChrome.tsx
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import { ArrowLeftIcon, ChartNoAxesColumnIcon, SettingsIcon } from "lucide-react";
 import type { ReactNode } from "react";
 import { memo, useCallback } from "react";
-import { Link, useCanGoBack, useLocation, useNavigate } from "@tanstack/react-router";
+import { Link, useCanGoBack, useLocation, useNavigate, useRouter } from "@tanstack/react-router";
 
 import { useEnvironmentIdentificationMode } from "../../hooks/useSettings";
 import { cn } from "../../lib/utils";
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ import {
 } from "../ui/sidebar";
 import { Tooltip, TooltipPopup, TooltipTrigger } from "../ui/tooltip";
 import { readPullRequestListPreferences } from "../pullRequest/pullRequestListPreferences";
+import { exitSettings } from "../settings/settingsExit";
 import { SidebarThreadUndoNotice } from "./SidebarThreadUndoNotice";
 import { SidebarProviderUpdatePill } from "./SidebarProviderUpdatePill";
 import { SidebarUpdateArchitectureWarning, SidebarUpdatePill } from "./SidebarUpdatePill";
@@ -131,6 +132,7 @@ function SidebarUtilityItem({
 
 export const SidebarUtilityMenu = memo(function SidebarUtilityMenu() {
   const navigate = useNavigate();
+  const router = useRouter();
   const canGoBack = useCanGoBack();
   const { isMobile, setOpenMobile } = useSidebar();
   const currentFooterPage = useLocation({
@@ -177,12 +179,16 @@ export const SidebarUtilityMenu = memo(function SidebarUtilityMenu() {
 
   const handleBackClick = useCallback(() => {
     closeMobileSidebar();
+    if (currentFooterPage === "settings") {
+      exitSettings(router);
+      return;
+    }
     if (canGoBack) {
       window.history.back();
       return;
     }
     void navigate({ to: "/" });
-  }, [canGoBack, closeMobileSidebar, navigate]);
+  }, [canGoBack, closeMobileSidebar, currentFooterPage, navigate, router]);
 
   return (
     <SidebarMenu className="flex-row items-center">
diff --git a/apps/web/src/routes/settings.tsx b/apps/web/src/routes/settings.tsx
index 5fc6d63f20f6..0d865cc9ca68 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/routes/settings.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/src/routes/settings.tsx
@@ -1,12 +1,5 @@
-import {
-  Outlet,
-  createFileRoute,
-  redirect,
-  useCanGoBack,
-  useLocation,
-  useNavigate,
-} from "@tanstack/react-router";
-import { useCallback, useEffect, useState, type ReactNode } from "react";
+import { Outlet, createFileRoute, redirect, useLocation, useRouter } from "@tanstack/react-router";
+import { useEffect, useState, type ReactNode } from "react";
 import { RotateCcwIcon } from "lucide-react";
 import { Button } from "../components/ui/button";
 import { useSettingsRestore } from "../components/settings/SettingsPanels";
@@ -27,6 +20,7 @@ import {
   retainSettingsScope,
   validateSettingsRouteSearch,
 } from "../components/settings/settingsScopeNavigation";
+import { exitSettings, recordSettingsEntry } from "../components/settings/settingsExit";
 import {
   getSettingsSearchTargetScope,
   getThreadAutoSettlementSearchAvailability,
@@ -117,17 +111,10 @@ function SettingsScopeBoundary({ pathname, children }: { pathname: string; child
 
 function SettingsContentLayout() {
   const location = useLocation();
-  const navigate = useNavigate();
-  const canGoBack = useCanGoBack();
+  const router = useRouter();
   const { search } = useSettingsScope();
   const [restoreSignal, setRestoreSignal] = useState(0);
-  const navigateBackWithinApp = useCallback(() => {
-    if (canGoBack) {
-      window.history.back();
-      return;
-    }
-    void navigate({ to: "/" });
-  }, [canGoBack, navigate]);
+  useEffect(() => recordSettingsEntry(router), [router]);
 
   useEffect(() => {
     const onKeyDown = (event: KeyboardEvent) => {
@@ -140,7 +127,7 @@ function SettingsContentLayout() {
           activeElement.blur();
         }
 
-        navigateBackWithinApp();
+        exitSettings(router);
       }
     };
 
@@ -148,7 +135,7 @@ function SettingsContentLayout() {
     return () => {
       window.removeEventListener("keydown", onKeyDown);
     };
-  }, [navigateBackWithinApp]);
+  }, [router]);
 
   return (
     <SidebarInset className="h-dvh min-h-0 overflow-hidden overscroll-y-none isolate">