diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/components/sidebar/ConnectionTree.vue b/apps/desktop/src/components/sidebar/ConnectionTree.vue
index eafe8f9f80..b53dd1a821 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/src/components/sidebar/ConnectionTree.vue
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/components/sidebar/ConnectionTree.vue
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ import {
   type SidebarNodeScrollAlign,
 } from "@/lib/sidebar/sidebarActiveTabTarget";
 import { findLoadedTableTargetForCandidate, queryContextTargetFromCandidate, queryCursorTableCandidate, type QueryCursorTableCandidate } from "@/lib/sql/queryCursorTableTarget";
-import { createFlatTreeIndex, SIDEBAR_TREE_ROW_HEIGHT, SIDEBAR_TREE_PRERENDER_COUNT, SIDEBAR_TREE_SCROLL_BUFFER, flattenTree, shouldVirtualizeFlatTree, type FlatTreeNode } from "@/composables/useFlatTree";
+import { createFlatTreeIndex, flatTreeRowsChanged, SIDEBAR_TREE_ROW_HEIGHT, SIDEBAR_TREE_PRERENDER_COUNT, SIDEBAR_TREE_SCROLL_BUFFER, flattenTree, shouldVirtualizeFlatTree, type FlatTreeNode } from "@/composables/useFlatTree";
 import { sidebarTreeContextKey } from "@/lib/sidebar/sidebarTreeContext";
 import { createSidebarTreeRuntime, sidebarTreeRuntimeKey, type SidebarTreeRuntimeHostInstance } from "@/lib/sidebar/sidebarTreeRuntime";
 import { createSidebarPasteHandlerRegistry } from "@/lib/sidebar/sidebarPasteHandlerRegistry";
@@ -980,15 +980,15 @@ watch(flatNodes, (nodes, previousNodes) => {
   stickyScrollTop.value = 0;
   void nextTick(scheduleSidebarScrollMetricsUpdate);
   // After a structural change (list grew/shrunk, e.g. a Dameng connection
-  // expands or collapses) reconcile the virtual scroller with the browser's
-  // scroll position. The recycle pool is rebuilt from the live scrollTop, but
-  // scrollTop is only clamped on the next layout, so right after a shrink the
-  // pool can still target a window beyond the new content — the viewport then
-  // lands inside the end spacer and shows a blank region until the next scroll
-  // event. Reading scrollHeight forces that layout (applying the clamp), then
-  // one explicit pool refresh keeps the rendered window aligned. Only needed
-  // when the item count changed; reorders are already rebuilt by the library.
-  if (nodes.length === (previousNodes?.length ?? -1)) return;
+  // expands or collapses) or a same-length search projection replacement,
+  // reconcile the virtual scroller with the browser's scroll position. The
+  // recycle pool is rebuilt from the live scrollTop, but scrollTop is only
+  // clamped on the next layout, so right after a shrink the pool can still
+  // target a window beyond the new content — the viewport then lands inside
+  // the end spacer and shows a blank region until the next scroll event.
+  // Reading scrollHeight forces that layout (applying the clamp), then one
+  // explicit pool refresh keeps the rendered window aligned.
+  if (!flatTreeRowsChanged(nodes, previousNodes)) return;
   void nextTick(() => {
     const scroller = treeScrollerRef.value;
     if (!scroller || !useVirtualTree.value) return;
diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/components/sidebar/__tests__/TreeItem.connectionRename.spec.ts b/apps/desktop/src/components/sidebar/__tests__/TreeItem.connectionRename.spec.ts
index 383d8f0387..97a98b5ea9 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/src/components/sidebar/__tests__/TreeItem.connectionRename.spec.ts
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/components/sidebar/__tests__/TreeItem.connectionRename.spec.ts
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import { createApp, defineComponent, h, nextTick, type App } from "vue";
 import { createI18n } from "vue-i18n";
 import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
 import TreeItem from "@/components/sidebar/TreeItem.vue";
+import { sidebarTreeContextKey } from "@/lib/sidebar/sidebarTreeContext";
 import { createSidebarTreeRuntime, sidebarTreeRuntimeKey, type SidebarTreeRuntimeHost } from "@/lib/sidebar/sidebarTreeRuntime";
 import type { ConnectionConfig, SidebarLayout, TreeNode } from "@/types/database";
 
@@ -59,6 +60,7 @@ vi.mock("@/stores/settingsStore", () => ({
       sidebarAllowHorizontalScroll: false,
       sidebarHiddenTablePrefixes: [],
       sidebarObjectInfoMode: "none",
+      sidebarTableSearchLocal: false,
     },
   }),
 }));
@@ -189,4 +191,50 @@ describe("TreeItem connection quick rename", () => {
 
     await vi.waitFor(() => expect(toast).toHaveBeenCalledWith(expect.stringContaining("disk full"), 5000));
   });
+
+  it("keeps Enter scoped to the table-search input without triggering a tree row action", async () => {
+    const container = document.createElement("div");
+    document.body.append(container);
+    let bubbledKeydowns = 0;
+    container.addEventListener("keydown", () => {
+      bubbledKeydowns += 1;
+    });
+    const host = runtimeHost();
+    const runtime = createSidebarTreeRuntime();
+    runtime.bindHost(host);
+    const setTableSearchQuery = vi.fn();
+    const node: TreeNode = {
+      id: "connection-1:app:__table_search",
+      label: "sidebar.searchTablesInCurrentScope",
+      type: "table-search-control",
+      connectionId: connection.id,
+      database: "app",
+      tableSearchParentId: "connection-1:app",
+    };
+    const app = createApp(
+      defineComponent({
+        setup: () => () => h(TreeItem, { node, depth: 2 }),
+      }),
+    );
+    app.use(i18n);
+    app.provide(sidebarTreeRuntimeKey, runtime);
+    app.provide(sidebarTreeContextKey, {
+      getVisibleNodes: () => [],
+      getVisibleNodeIndex: () => -1,
+      setTableSearchQuery,
+    });
+    app.mount(container);
+    mountedApps.push(app);
+    await nextTick();
+
+    const input = container.querySelector<HTMLInputElement>("[data-sidebar-table-search-parent-id]");
+    expect(input).toBeTruthy();
+    const event = new KeyboardEvent("keydown", { key: "Enter", bubbles: true, cancelable: true });
+    input!.dispatchEvent(event);
+
+    expect(event.defaultPrevented).toBe(false);
+    expect(bubbledKeydowns).toBe(0);
+    expect(host.handleRowKeydown).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expect(setTableSearchQuery).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
 });
diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/composables/__tests__/useFlatTree.spec.ts b/apps/desktop/src/composables/__tests__/useFlatTree.spec.ts
index ee0555b369..2a97213a32 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/src/composables/__tests__/useFlatTree.spec.ts
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/composables/__tests__/useFlatTree.spec.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
-import { createFlatTreeIndex, flattenTree, mutateFlatTreeExpansion, replaceFlatTreeChildren, type FlatTreeNode } from "@/composables/useFlatTree";
+import { createFlatTreeIndex, flatTreeRowsChanged, flattenTree, mutateFlatTreeExpansion, replaceFlatTreeChildren, type FlatTreeNode } from "@/composables/useFlatTree";
 import type { TreeNode, TreeNodeType } from "@/types/database";
 
 function item(id: string, type: TreeNodeType, depth: number, children?: TreeNode[]): FlatTreeNode {
@@ -145,6 +145,15 @@ describe("flat-tree range mutations", () => {
 });
 
 describe("flat-tree render identities", () => {
+  it("detects same-length table-search row replacements for #6951", () => {
+    const previous = [item("table-a", "table", 1), item("table-b", "table", 1)];
+    const unchanged = previous.map((entry) => ({ ...entry }));
+    const next = [item("table-c", "table", 1), item("table-b", "table", 1)];
+
+    expect(flatTreeRowsChanged(unchanged, previous)).toBe(false);
+    expect(flatTreeRowsChanged(next, previous)).toBe(true);
+  });
+
   it("isolates equal business ids that belong to different lineages", () => {
     const collidingId = "connection:a:b";
     const collidingSchemaId = "connection:a:b:c";
diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/composables/useFlatTree.ts b/apps/desktop/src/composables/useFlatTree.ts
index 911028cb12..23af46ca10 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/src/composables/useFlatTree.ts
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/composables/useFlatTree.ts
@@ -98,6 +98,15 @@ export function mutateFlatTreeExpansion(nodes: readonly FlatTreeNode[], parentIn
   return replaceFlatTreeChildren(nodes, parentIndex, parent);
 }
 
+/** Whether the visible row identities changed enough to refresh recycled views. */
+export function flatTreeRowsChanged(nodes: readonly FlatTreeNode[], previousNodes: readonly FlatTreeNode[] | undefined): boolean {
+  if (!previousNodes || nodes.length !== previousNodes.length) return true;
+  return nodes.some((item, index) => {
+    const previous = previousNodes[index];
+    return !previous || item.renderKey !== previous.renderKey || item.poolType !== previous.poolType || item.depth !== previous.depth;
+  });
+}
+
 export function shouldVirtualizeFlatTree(count: number): boolean {
   return count > 0;
 }