diff --git a/macos/Sources/Features/Terminal/TerminalController.swift b/macos/Sources/Features/Terminal/TerminalController.swift
index d19323dde..471f010f8 100644
--- a/macos/Sources/Features/Terminal/TerminalController.swift
+++ b/macos/Sources/Features/Terminal/TerminalController.swift
@@ -480,8 +480,10 @@ class TerminalController: BaseTerminalController, TabGroupCloseCoordinator.Contr
                 Self.applyCascade(to: window, hasFixedPos: hasFixedPos)
             }
 
-            controller.showWindow(self)
-            window.makeKeyAndOrderFront(self)
+            // showWindow makes regular windows key and ordered front. AppKit can
+            // throw while selecting a tab if its fullscreen stack is inconsistent,
+            // so this must cross the Objective-C exception bridge.
+            controller.showWindowSafely(self)
 
             // We also activate our app so that it becomes front. This may be
             // necessary for the dock menu.
diff --git a/macos/Sources/Helpers/Extensions/NSWindow+Extension.swift b/macos/Sources/Helpers/Extensions/NSWindow+Extension.swift
index 762b67f75..c95d1a05e 100644
--- a/macos/Sources/Helpers/Extensions/NSWindow+Extension.swift
+++ b/macos/Sources/Helpers/Extensions/NSWindow+Extension.swift
@@ -58,6 +58,21 @@ extension NSWindow {
     }
 }
 
+extension NSWindowController {
+    /// Wraps `showWindow` with an Objective-C exception catcher because selecting
+    /// a tab can raise an AppKit fullscreen window-stack exception.
+    @discardableResult
+    func showWindowSafely(_ sender: Any?) -> Bool {
+        var error: NSError?
+        let success = GhosttyShowWindowSafely(self, sender, &error)
+        if let error {
+            Ghostty.logger.error("showWindow failed: \(error.localizedDescription, privacy: .public)")
+        }
+
+        return success
+    }
+}
+
 /// Native tabbing private API usage. :(
 extension NSWindow {
     var titlebarView: NSView? {
diff --git a/macos/Sources/Helpers/ObjCExceptionCatcher.h b/macos/Sources/Helpers/ObjCExceptionCatcher.h
index 7906b5945..58b342ebe 100644
--- a/macos/Sources/Helpers/ObjCExceptionCatcher.h
+++ b/macos/Sources/Helpers/ObjCExceptionCatcher.h
@@ -11,3 +11,10 @@ FOUNDATION_EXPORT BOOL GhosttyAddTabbedWindowSafely(
     NSInteger ordered,
     NSError * _Nullable * _Nullable error
 );
+
+/// NSWindowController.showWindow wrapper
+FOUNDATION_EXPORT BOOL GhosttyShowWindowSafely(
+    id _Nonnull controller,
+    id _Nullable sender,
+    NSError * _Nullable * _Nullable error
+);
diff --git a/macos/Sources/Helpers/ObjCExceptionCatcher.m b/macos/Sources/Helpers/ObjCExceptionCatcher.m
index e91fb14a7..6a5768a8e 100644
--- a/macos/Sources/Helpers/ObjCExceptionCatcher.m
+++ b/macos/Sources/Helpers/ObjCExceptionCatcher.m
@@ -2,6 +2,16 @@
 
 #import <AppKit/AppKit.h>
 
+static NSError *GhosttyErrorFromException(NSException *exception, NSInteger code) {
+    NSString *reason = exception.reason ?: @"Unknown Objective-C exception";
+    return [NSError errorWithDomain:@"Ghostty.ObjCException"
+                               code:code
+                           userInfo:@{
+                               NSLocalizedDescriptionKey: reason,
+                               @"exception_name": exception.name,
+                           }];
+}
+
 BOOL GhosttyAddTabbedWindowSafely(
     id parent,
     id child,
@@ -18,13 +28,27 @@ BOOL GhosttyAddTabbedWindowSafely(
         return YES;
     } @catch (NSException *exception) {
         if (error != NULL) {
-            NSString *reason = exception.reason ?: @"Unknown Objective-C exception";
-            *error = [NSError errorWithDomain:@"Ghostty.ObjCException"
-                                         code:1
-                                     userInfo:@{
-                                         NSLocalizedDescriptionKey: reason,
-                                         @"exception_name": exception.name,
-                                     }];
+            *error = GhosttyErrorFromException(exception, 1);
+        }
+
+        return NO;
+    }
+}
+
+BOOL GhosttyShowWindowSafely(
+    id controller,
+    id _Nullable sender,
+    NSError * _Nullable * _Nullable error
+) {
+    // Selecting a newly added tab can throw from NSWindowStackController when
+    // the tab group contains windows in inconsistent native fullscreen states.
+    // Catch the exception here so the AppKit assertion doesn't abort the app.
+    @try {
+        [((NSWindowController *)controller) showWindow:sender];
+        return YES;
+    } @catch (NSException *exception) {
+        if (error != NULL) {
+            *error = GhosttyErrorFromException(exception, 2);
         }
 
         return NO;