diff --git a/HellionChat/Plugin.cs b/HellionChat/Plugin.cs
index cc2a810..a0cf891 100755
--- a/HellionChat/Plugin.cs
+++ b/HellionChat/Plugin.cs
@@ -241,6 +241,13 @@ public sealed class Plugin : IAsyncDalamudPlugin
         // TempTabs survive reload — Jin's tester feedback (v1.4.7).
         Config.Tabs.RemoveAll(TabLifecycleHelpers.ShouldStripOnLoad);
 
+        // GP-04: clear stale Tab.PopOut flags now — the pool binds further down
+        // (ChannelPopoutPool resolve below), so at this point no tab can own a
+        // slot. A persisted PopOut=true (notably on surviving pinned TempTabs)
+        // would otherwise be a flag with no window. Runs after the strip, before
+        // any pool TryOpen.
+        TabLifecycleHelpers.ResetPopOutOnLoad(Config.Tabs);
+
         LanguageChanged(Interface.UiLanguage);
 
         // v1.5.3 migration: Settings.Apply auto-activates the matching
diff --git a/HellionChat/Util/TabLifecycleHelpers.cs b/HellionChat/Util/TabLifecycleHelpers.cs
index dc87ae2..d95ddcb 100644
--- a/HellionChat/Util/TabLifecycleHelpers.cs
+++ b/HellionChat/Util/TabLifecycleHelpers.cs
@@ -17,6 +17,19 @@ internal static class TabLifecycleHelpers
 
     public static bool ShouldStripOnSave(Tab t) => IsInUnpinnedPool(t);
 
+    // GP-04: clear every Tab.PopOut at load time. The pool binds later, so at
+    // load NO tab can own a slot — a persisted PopOut=true is always a stale flag
+    // with no window. Unconditional (pinned included) because pinned TempTabs
+    // survive the load and are the main stale-flag source; a !IsPinned filter
+    // would leave exactly those leaking. Lockstep with the two in-memory resets
+    // (AutoTellTabsService pool-full + Configuration.UpdateFrom backToOriginal).
+    // TEST-MIRROR: ../../../Hellion Build test/_Helpers/PopOutResetOnLoadTests.cs
+    internal static void ResetPopOutOnLoad(IEnumerable<Tab> tabs)
+    {
+        foreach (var tab in tabs)
+            tab.PopOut = false;
+    }
+
     // Stale-tell strip + channel derive, run at every tab activation. When a
     // DIFFERENT tab becomes the input surface, drop any runtime tell state the
     // game-side detour left on it (the CurrentChannel tell target plus the