diff --git a/crates/maestro-protocol/src/client.rs b/crates/maestro-protocol/src/client.rs
index 696f662..a832025 100644
--- a/crates/maestro-protocol/src/client.rs
+++ b/crates/maestro-protocol/src/client.rs
@@ -141,6 +141,16 @@ impl DaemonClient {
         json(check(resp).await?).await
     }
 
+    /// `POST /api/sessions/:id/resume` (#166): respawn a dormant session
+    /// under its own uuid and sidecar. Refused with `409` (`already_running`
+    /// / `cwd_missing`) when there is nothing a respawn could fix.
+    pub async fn resume_session(&self, id: Uuid) -> Result<Session, ClientError> {
+        let resp = self
+            .send(Method::POST, &routes::session_resume(id), &[], None::<&()>)
+            .await?;
+        json(check(resp).await?).await
+    }
+
     /// `POST /api/sessions/:id/activity` (#105): report an agent-observed
     /// state. The daemon holds it above its own inference for a TTL, then
     /// resumes inference. Answers `204 No Content`.
diff --git a/crates/maestro-tui/src/action.rs b/crates/maestro-tui/src/action.rs
index 32ad7d5..7d01e7a 100644
--- a/crates/maestro-tui/src/action.rs
+++ b/crates/maestro-tui/src/action.rs
@@ -51,6 +51,9 @@ pub enum Action {
     /// Rename the highlighted session (#125): opens a prompt pre-filled with
     /// its current name.
     RenameHighlighted,
+    /// Resume the highlighted dormant session (#166, #169): respawns it
+    /// under its own uuid and sidecar via `POST /api/sessions/:id/resume`.
+    ResumeHighlighted,
 
     // Chrome
     /// Open the `ctrl-k` command bar (`docs/COMMAND-BAR.md`) — a query line
@@ -105,6 +108,7 @@ impl Action {
             Action::FastForwardSpawn => "Create session with defaults".into(),
             Action::KillHighlighted => "Kill selected session".into(),
             Action::RenameHighlighted => "Rename selected session".into(),
+            Action::ResumeHighlighted => "Resume dormant session".into(),
             Action::OpenCommandBar => "Go to a session".into(),
             Action::SendLiteralCtrlK => "Send literal Ctrl-K to session".into(),
             Action::SendLiteralLeader => "Send literal leader key to session".into(),
@@ -134,6 +138,7 @@ impl Action {
             "FastForwardSpawn" => return Ok(Action::FastForwardSpawn),
             "KillHighlighted" => return Ok(Action::KillHighlighted),
             "RenameHighlighted" => return Ok(Action::RenameHighlighted),
+            "ResumeHighlighted" => return Ok(Action::ResumeHighlighted),
             "OpenCommandBar" => return Ok(Action::OpenCommandBar),
             "SendLiteralCtrlK" => return Ok(Action::SendLiteralCtrlK),
             "SendLiteralLeader" => return Ok(Action::SendLiteralLeader),
@@ -192,6 +197,16 @@ mod tests {
         assert_eq!(Action::parse("  Noop  ").unwrap(), Action::Noop);
     }
 
+    /// #169: resume is its own verb, distinct from rename/kill, so a dormant
+    /// session's sidebar card has a keyboard-reachable resume.
+    #[test]
+    fn parses_resume_highlighted() {
+        assert_eq!(
+            Action::parse("ResumeHighlighted").unwrap(),
+            Action::ResumeHighlighted
+        );
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn help_labels_are_plain_language() {
         assert_eq!(Action::EnterInsert.help_label(), "Send keys to session");
diff --git a/crates/maestro-tui/src/config.rs b/crates/maestro-tui/src/config.rs
index 5fd6687..3752e21 100644
--- a/crates/maestro-tui/src/config.rs
+++ b/crates/maestro-tui/src/config.rs
@@ -59,6 +59,8 @@ const DEFAULT_NORMAL: &[(&str, &str)] = &[
     ("N", "FastForwardSpawn"),
     ("x", "KillHighlighted"),
     ("r", "RenameHighlighted"),
+    // Resume a dormant session (#166, #169).
+    ("u", "ResumeHighlighted"),
     // Focus
     ("ctrl-w h", "FocusSidebar"),
     // Session scrollback
@@ -257,6 +259,10 @@ mod tests {
             cfg.keymap.resolve(Mode::Normal, "N"),
             Some(Action::FastForwardSpawn),
         );
+        assert_eq!(
+            cfg.keymap.resolve(Mode::Normal, "u"),
+            Some(Action::ResumeHighlighted),
+        );
     }
 
     /// AoE-style defaults (#shortcuts): `q` and `tab` are bare because Normal