diff --git a/apps/server/src/orchestration/Layers/ProjectionSnapshotQuery.ts b/apps/server/src/orchestration/Layers/ProjectionSnapshotQuery.ts
index 52b9f75c69a4..71ef1ad97321 100644
--- a/apps/server/src/orchestration/Layers/ProjectionSnapshotQuery.ts
+++ b/apps/server/src/orchestration/Layers/ProjectionSnapshotQuery.ts
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ import {
   OrchestrationProposedPlanId,
   OrchestrationReadModel,
   OrchestrationThreadSearchSource,
-  OrchestrationShellSnapshot,
+  type OrchestrationShellSnapshot,
   OrchestrationThread,
   OrchestrationThreadDetailSnapshot,
   ProjectScript,
@@ -82,7 +82,6 @@ import {
 } from "../Services/ProjectionSnapshotQuery.ts";
 
 const decodeReadModel = Schema.decodeUnknownEffect(OrchestrationReadModel);
-const decodeShellSnapshot = Schema.decodeUnknownEffect(OrchestrationShellSnapshot);
 const decodeThread = Schema.decodeUnknownEffect(OrchestrationThread);
 const decodeImportedTranscriptsPayload = Schema.decodeUnknownOption(
   Schema.fromJsonString(
@@ -2746,7 +2745,10 @@ pending_approval_requests AS (
               );
               const pullRequestsByThread = groupPullRequestRowsByThread(pullRequestRows);
 
-              const snapshot = {
+              // Built from schema-decoded rows, so no second decode here. The HTTP
+              // and RPC layers encode it against OrchestrationShellSnapshot on the
+              // way out, like the per-item shells from getThreadShellById.
+              return {
                 snapshotSequence: computeSnapshotSequence(stateRows),
                 projects: Arr.filterMap(projectRows, (row) =>
                   row.deletedAt === null
@@ -2800,15 +2802,7 @@ pending_approval_requests AS (
                     : Result.failVoid,
                 ),
                 updatedAt: updatedAt ?? "1970-01-01T00:00:00.000Z",
-              };
-
-              return yield* decodeShellSnapshot(snapshot).pipe(
-                Effect.mapError(
-                  toPersistenceDecodeError(
-                    "ProjectionSnapshotQuery.getShellSnapshot:decodeShellSnapshot",
-                  ),
-                ),
-              );
+              } satisfies OrchestrationShellSnapshot;
             }),
         ),
         Effect.mapError((error) => {
@@ -2941,7 +2935,7 @@ pending_approval_requests AS (
                 sessionRows.map((row) => [row.threadId, mapSessionRow(row)] as const),
               );
 
-              const snapshot = {
+              return {
                 snapshotSequence: computeSnapshotSequence(stateRows),
                 projects: Arr.filterMap(projectRows, (row) =>
                   row.deletedAt === null && activeProjectIds.has(row.projectId)
@@ -2991,15 +2985,7 @@ pending_approval_requests AS (
                   planProgress: threadPlanProgress.getThreadPlanProgress(row.threadId),
                 })),
                 updatedAt: updatedAt ?? "1970-01-01T00:00:00.000Z",
-              };
-
-              return yield* decodeShellSnapshot(snapshot).pipe(
-                Effect.mapError(
-                  toPersistenceDecodeError(
-                    "ProjectionSnapshotQuery.getArchivedShellSnapshot:decodeShellSnapshot",
-                  ),
-                ),
-              );
+              } satisfies OrchestrationShellSnapshot;
             }),
         ),
         Effect.mapError((error) => {