diff --git a/web/src/main.ts b/web/src/main.ts
index 242d6e2..545a389 100644
--- a/web/src/main.ts
+++ b/web/src/main.ts
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import { CatalogStore } from "./events.js";
 import { mountHud, type Hud } from "./hud.js";
 import { emptyLayout, type Layout, openSessions } from "./layout.js";
 import { createMultiView, type MultiView } from "./multiview.js";
+import { loadLayout, saveLayout } from "./persistence.js";
 import { openSpawnModal } from "./spawn.js";
 import { initTheme } from "./theme.js";
 import { sessionName } from "./types.js";
@@ -106,8 +107,16 @@ hud = mountHud(root, store, () => pool.focused());
 
 // ---- layout state ----
 // Single source of truth for what's mounted: tabs of split trees. The hash route
-// is just a deep-link into it (`#/attach/:id` focuses/opens a session).
-const layout: Layout = emptyLayout();
+// is just a deep-link into it (`#/attach/:id` focuses/opens a session). Restored
+// from localStorage per device (issue #34); dead sessions self-prune on attach.
+const layout: Layout = loadLayout() ?? emptyLayout();
+
+// Debounced persist — the controller calls this after every layout change.
+let saveTimer: number | undefined;
+function scheduleSave(): void {
+  clearTimeout(saveTimer);
+  saveTimer = window.setTimeout(() => saveLayout(layout), 400);
+}
 
 function infoFor(sessionId: string) {
   const s = store.snapshot().sessions.get(sessionId);
@@ -155,7 +164,15 @@ function renderNotFound(raw: string): HTMLElement {
 
 // The multi-view controller renders tabs + splits inside the content pane and
 // mounts a live attach into each session leaf.
-mv = createMultiView({ pool, layout, sidebar, infoFor, onDisconnect: closePane, renderWelcome });
+mv = createMultiView({
+  pool,
+  layout,
+  sidebar,
+  infoFor,
+  onDisconnect: closePane,
+  renderWelcome,
+  onLayoutChange: scheduleSave,
+});
 let contentShowsMv = false;
 function showMultiView(): void {
   if (!contentShowsMv) {
diff --git a/web/src/multiview.ts b/web/src/multiview.ts
index 85b59cd..3b1d8c8 100644
--- a/web/src/multiview.ts
+++ b/web/src/multiview.ts
@@ -33,6 +33,9 @@ export interface MultiViewOptions {
   onDisconnect: (sessionId: string) => void;
   /** Welcome content for an empty tab. */
   renderWelcome: () => HTMLElement;
+  /** Called after any layout change (structure, focus, or divider resize) so the
+   *  shell can persist it (issue #34). */
+  onLayoutChange?: () => void;
 }
 
 export interface MultiView {
@@ -53,6 +56,7 @@ export interface MultiView {
 
 export function createMultiView(opts: MultiViewOptions): MultiView {
   const { pool, layout, sidebar, infoFor, onDisconnect, renderWelcome } = opts;
+  const persist = () => opts.onLayoutChange?.();
 
   const el = document.createElement("div");
   el.className = "mv";
@@ -96,6 +100,7 @@ export function createMultiView(opts: MultiViewOptions): MultiView {
     if (tab.focusedLeafId === leafId) return;
     tab.focusedLeafId = leafId;
     syncFocus();
+    persist();
   }
 
   // ---- pane + split DOM ----
@@ -193,6 +198,7 @@ export function createMultiView(opts: MultiViewOptions): MultiView {
         }
         divider.removeEventListener("pointermove", move);
         divider.removeEventListener("pointerup", up);
+        persist(); // save the new split ratio
       };
       divider.addEventListener("pointermove", move);
       divider.addEventListener("pointerup", up);
@@ -320,6 +326,7 @@ export function createMultiView(opts: MultiViewOptions): MultiView {
       pool.setFocus(null);
       canvas.appendChild(renderWelcome());
       sidebar.setHighlights({ open: openSessions(layout), focused: null, colors: colorMap() });
+      persist();
       return;
     }
 
@@ -332,6 +339,7 @@ export function createMultiView(opts: MultiViewOptions): MultiView {
     canvas.appendChild(buildTree(tab.root, hosts));
     pool.setVisible(hosts.map((h) => ({ id: h.id, pane: h.host, info: h.info })));
     syncFocus();
+    persist();
   }
 
   function closeSession(sessionId: string): void {
diff --git a/web/src/persistence.ts b/web/src/persistence.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d64e181
--- /dev/null
+++ b/web/src/persistence.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,86 @@
+// Per-device persistence of the multi-view layout (issue #34). The layout tree
+// is plain data, so it serialises straight to localStorage. On load we rebuild
+// with fresh node ids (the id counter resets each boot) and defensively drop
+// anything malformed — a corrupt or stale blob falls back to a single empty tab.
+//
+// Sessions that no longer exist when a layout is restored are not pruned here
+// (the session list isn't known yet at boot); their panes attach, the broker
+// closes the dead socket, and the pane auto-closes (see ConnectionPool.onClosed).
+
+import { freshId, type Layout, type Node, type Tab } from "./layout.js";
+
+const KEY = "maestro-layout-v1";
+const VERSION = 1;
+
+export function saveLayout(layout: Layout): void {
+  try {
+    localStorage.setItem(KEY, JSON.stringify({ v: VERSION, layout }));
+  } catch {
+    // Storage full or unavailable (private mode) — persistence is best-effort.
+  }
+}
+
+export function loadLayout(): Layout | null {
+  let raw: string | null;
+  try {
+    raw = localStorage.getItem(KEY);
+  } catch {
+    return null;
+  }
+  if (!raw) return null;
+  try {
+    const parsed = JSON.parse(raw) as { v?: number; layout?: unknown };
+    if (parsed.v !== VERSION) return null;
+    return hydrate(parsed.layout);
+  } catch {
+    return null;
+  }
+}
+
+function hydrate(raw: unknown): Layout | null {
+  if (!raw || typeof raw !== "object") return null;
+  const r = raw as { tabs?: unknown; activeTabId?: unknown };
+  if (!Array.isArray(r.tabs) || r.tabs.length === 0) return null;
+
+  const tabs: Tab[] = [];
+  let activeTabId = "";
+  for (const rt of r.tabs as Array<Record<string, unknown>>) {
+    const id = freshId("t");
+    let focusedLeafId: string | null = null;
+    const root = hydrateNode(rt.root, rt.focusedLeafId, (fid) => {
+      focusedLeafId = fid;
+    });
+    tabs.push({
+      id,
+      title: typeof rt.title === "string" ? rt.title : `Tab ${tabs.length + 1}`,
+      root,
+      focusedLeafId,
+    });
+    if (rt.id === r.activeTabId) activeTabId = id;
+  }
+  if (!activeTabId) activeTabId = tabs[0].id;
+  return { tabs, activeTabId };
+}
+
+function hydrateNode(
+  raw: unknown,
+  oldFocused: unknown,
+  onFocus: (newId: string) => void,
+): Node | null {
+  if (!raw || typeof raw !== "object") return null;
+  const n = raw as Record<string, unknown>;
+  if (n.kind === "leaf") {
+    const id = freshId("l");
+    if (n.id === oldFocused) onFocus(id);
+    return { kind: "leaf", id, sessionId: typeof n.sessionId === "string" ? n.sessionId : null };
+  }
+  if (n.kind === "split" && (n.dir === "row" || n.dir === "col")) {
+    const a = hydrateNode(n.a, oldFocused, onFocus);
+    const b = hydrateNode(n.b, oldFocused, onFocus);
+    if (!a) return b;
+    if (!b) return a;
+    const ratio = typeof n.ratio === "number" && n.ratio > 0.05 && n.ratio < 0.95 ? n.ratio : 0.5;
+    return { kind: "split", dir: n.dir, a, b, ratio };
+  }
+  return null;
+}