diff --git a/frontend/app/store/global.ts b/frontend/app/store/global.ts
index 24bbdd57..1d67119f 100644
--- a/frontend/app/store/global.ts
+++ b/frontend/app/store/global.ts
@@ -433,6 +433,7 @@ async function createBlock(blockDef: BlockDef, magnified = false): Promise<strin
         type: LayoutTreeActionType.InsertNode,
         node: newLayoutNode(undefined, undefined, undefined, { blockId }),
         magnified,
+        focused: true,
     };
     const activeTabId = globalStore.get(atoms.uiContext).activetabid;
     const layoutModel = getLayoutModelForTabById(activeTabId);
diff --git a/frontend/layout/lib/layoutModel.ts b/frontend/layout/lib/layoutModel.ts
index e84f009a..018bf1d6 100644
--- a/frontend/layout/lib/layoutModel.ts
+++ b/frontend/layout/lib/layoutModel.ts
@@ -393,6 +393,7 @@ export class LayoutModel {
                                     blockId: action.blockid,
                                 }),
                                 magnified: action.magnified,
+                                focused: action.focused,
                             };
                             this.treeReducer(insertNodeAction);
                             break;
@@ -423,6 +424,7 @@ export class LayoutModel {
                                 }),
                                 indexArr: action.indexarr,
                                 magnified: action.magnified,
+                                focused: action.focused,
                             };
                             this.treeReducer(insertAction);
                             break;
diff --git a/frontend/layout/lib/layoutModelHooks.ts b/frontend/layout/lib/layoutModelHooks.ts
index 630e8ee0..657f4881 100644
--- a/frontend/layout/lib/layoutModelHooks.ts
+++ b/frontend/layout/lib/layoutModelHooks.ts
@@ -75,7 +75,6 @@ export function useDebouncedNodeInnerRect(nodeModel: NodeModel): CSSProperties {
             }
             setDebounceTimeout(
                 setTimeout(() => {
-                    console.log("setting inner rect", nodeInnerRect);
                     setInnerRect(nodeInnerRect);
                     setDebounceTimeout(null);
                 }, nodeModel.animationTimeS * 1000)
diff --git a/frontend/layout/lib/layoutTree.ts b/frontend/layout/lib/layoutTree.ts
index dccab4cc..11f61f0e 100644
--- a/frontend/layout/lib/layoutTree.ts
+++ b/frontend/layout/lib/layoutTree.ts
@@ -268,7 +268,10 @@ export function insertNode(layoutState: LayoutTreeState, action: LayoutTreeInser
         addChildAt(insertLoc.node, insertLoc.index, action.node);
         if (action.magnified) {
             layoutState.magnifiedNodeId = action.node.id;
+            layoutState.focusedNodeId = action.node.id;
         }
+    }
+    if (action.focused) {
         layoutState.focusedNodeId = action.node.id;
     }
     layoutState.generation++;
@@ -290,7 +293,10 @@ export function insertNodeAtIndex(layoutState: LayoutTreeState, action: LayoutTr
         addChildAt(insertLoc.node, insertLoc.index + 1, action.node);
         if (action.magnified) {
             layoutState.magnifiedNodeId = action.node.id;
+            layoutState.focusedNodeId = action.node.id;
         }
+    }
+    if (action.focused) {
         layoutState.focusedNodeId = action.node.id;
     }
     layoutState.generation++;
diff --git a/frontend/layout/lib/types.ts b/frontend/layout/lib/types.ts
index 83c58bf7..e9ea9c13 100644
--- a/frontend/layout/lib/types.ts
+++ b/frontend/layout/lib/types.ts
@@ -125,7 +125,11 @@ interface InsertNodeOperation {
     /**
      * Whether the inserted node should be magnified.
      */
-    magnified?: boolean;
+    magnified: boolean;
+    /**
+     * Whether the inserted node should be focused.
+     */
+    focused: boolean;
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/frontend/types/gotypes.d.ts b/frontend/types/gotypes.d.ts
index 4e618eab..5c117120 100644
--- a/frontend/types/gotypes.d.ts
+++ b/frontend/types/gotypes.d.ts
@@ -209,7 +209,8 @@ declare global {
         blockid: string;
         nodesize?: number;
         indexarr?: number[];
-        magnified?: boolean;
+        focused: boolean;
+        magnified: boolean;
     };
 
     // waveobj.LayoutState
diff --git a/pkg/service/windowservice/windowservice.go b/pkg/service/windowservice/windowservice.go
index 42976839..2d644cfa 100644
--- a/pkg/service/windowservice/windowservice.go
+++ b/pkg/service/windowservice/windowservice.go
@@ -139,6 +139,7 @@ func (svc *WindowService) MoveBlockToNewWindow(ctx context.Context, currentTabId
 	wlayout.QueueLayoutActionForTab(ctx, newWindow.ActiveTabId, waveobj.LayoutActionData{
 		ActionType: wlayout.LayoutActionDataType_Insert,
 		BlockId:    blockId,
+		Focused:    true,
 	})
 	return waveobj.ContextGetUpdatesRtn(ctx), nil
 }
diff --git a/pkg/waveobj/wtype.go b/pkg/waveobj/wtype.go
index f18466e9..88135929 100644
--- a/pkg/waveobj/wtype.go
+++ b/pkg/waveobj/wtype.go
@@ -178,7 +178,8 @@ type LayoutActionData struct {
 	BlockId    string `json:"blockid"`
 	NodeSize   *uint  `json:"nodesize,omitempty"`
 	IndexArr   *[]int `json:"indexarr,omitempty"`
-	Magnified  *bool  `json:"magnified,omitempty"`
+	Focused    bool   `json:"focused"`
+	Magnified  bool   `json:"magnified"`
 }
 
 type LayoutState struct {
diff --git a/pkg/wlayout/wlayout.go b/pkg/wlayout/wlayout.go
index f2ab889c..b68e8187 100644
--- a/pkg/wlayout/wlayout.go
+++ b/pkg/wlayout/wlayout.go
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ type PortableLayout []struct {
 	IndexArr []int             `json:"indexarr"`
 	Size     *uint             `json:"size,omitempty"`
 	BlockDef *waveobj.BlockDef `json:"blockdef"`
+	Focused  bool              `json:"focused"`
 }
 
 func GetStarterLayout() PortableLayout {
@@ -33,7 +34,7 @@ func GetStarterLayout() PortableLayout {
 				waveobj.MetaKey_View:       "term",
 				waveobj.MetaKey_Controller: "shell",
 			},
-		}},
+		}, Focused: true},
 		{IndexArr: []int{1}, BlockDef: &waveobj.BlockDef{
 			Meta: waveobj.MetaMapType{
 				waveobj.MetaKey_View: "cpuplot",
@@ -77,7 +78,7 @@ func GetNewTabLayout() PortableLayout {
 				waveobj.MetaKey_View:       "term",
 				waveobj.MetaKey_Controller: "shell",
 			},
-		}},
+		}, Focused: true},
 	}
 }
 
@@ -132,6 +133,7 @@ func ApplyPortableLayout(ctx context.Context, tabId string, layout PortableLayou
 			BlockId:    blockData.OID,
 			IndexArr:   &layoutAction.IndexArr,
 			NodeSize:   layoutAction.Size,
+			Focused:    layoutAction.Focused,
 		}
 	}
 
diff --git a/pkg/wshrpc/wshserver/wshserver.go b/pkg/wshrpc/wshserver/wshserver.go
index 41d409e4..be4f1f16 100644
--- a/pkg/wshrpc/wshserver/wshserver.go
+++ b/pkg/wshrpc/wshserver/wshserver.go
@@ -281,7 +281,8 @@ func (ws *WshServer) CreateBlockCommand(ctx context.Context, data wshrpc.Command
 	wlayout.QueueLayoutActionForTab(ctx, tabId, waveobj.LayoutActionData{
 		ActionType: wlayout.LayoutActionDataType_Insert,
 		BlockId:    blockRef.OID,
-		Magnified:  &data.Magnified,
+		Magnified:  data.Magnified,
+		Focused:    true,
 	})
 	return &waveobj.ORef{OType: waveobj.OType_Block, OID: blockRef.OID}, nil
 }