diff --git a/crates/ui-egui/src/panels/layers.rs b/crates/ui-egui/src/panels/layers.rs
index 42bd09a4a..313242bb4 100644
--- a/crates/ui-egui/src/panels/layers.rs
+++ b/crates/ui-egui/src/panels/layers.rs
@@ -176,6 +176,9 @@ struct Out {
     column: Option<Option<ColumnDrag>>,
     /// Rows to open or close, and whether to open them.
     toggle: Vec<(NodeId, bool)>,
+    /// The highlighted rows after this frame's row click, when one happened: the click's action
+    /// runs after `delete_key`, so `view.rows` is still the state before it.
+    rows_after_click: Option<Vec<NodeId>>,
 }
 
 /// The panel state that says the Layers panel's rows have the keyboard ([`super::has_row_keys`]).
@@ -365,10 +368,13 @@ pub fn show(app: &mut VectorcraftApp, ui: &mut Ui) {
     // left (the last one was deleted) the panel gives the keys back, so Delete clears the selected
     // art again instead of doing nothing.
     let pressed_outside = ui.input(|i| i.pointer.any_pressed() && i.pointer.interact_pos().is_some_and(|p| !list_rect.contains(p)));
-    let focus = super::has_row_keys(ui.ctx(), ROW_KEYS) && !pressed_outside && !view.rows.is_empty();
+    // A click's highlight action runs after this block, so read the rows it will leave, not the
+    // snapshot `view.rows` took before it.
+    let rows = out.rows_after_click.as_deref().unwrap_or(&view.rows);
+    let focus = super::has_row_keys(ui.ctx(), ROW_KEYS) && !pressed_outside && !rows.is_empty();
     super::set_row_keys(ui.ctx(), ROW_KEYS, focus);
     if focus
-        && !view.rows.is_empty()
+        && !rows.is_empty()
         && ui.ctx().memory(|m| m.focused().is_none())
         && ui.input_mut(|i| i.consume_key(egui::Modifiers::NONE, egui::Key::Delete) || i.consume_key(egui::Modifiers::NONE, egui::Key::Backspace))
     {
@@ -378,6 +384,11 @@ pub fn show(app: &mut VectorcraftApp, ui: &mut Ui) {
     for (c, p) in out.actions {
         app.run(&c, p).ok();
     }
+    // A deletion that took the last highlighted row leaves the panel nothing to delete. Release the
+    // keys now, not at the next draw, so the very next frame's Delete reaches Edit › Clear.
+    if app.session.active().is_some_and(|st| st.highlighted_rows().is_empty()) {
+        super::set_row_keys(ui.ctx(), ROW_KEYS, false);
+    }
     see_selection(app, ui, selected);
 }
 
diff --git a/crates/ui-egui/src/panels/layers/rows.rs b/crates/ui-egui/src/panels/layers/rows.rs
index 000a3c07e..376c021c4 100644
--- a/crates/ui-egui/src/panels/layers/rows.rs
+++ b/crates/ui-egui/src/panels/layers/rows.rs
@@ -91,6 +91,9 @@ pub(super) fn resolve_click(ui: &Ui, view: &View, list: &[Row], out: &mut Out) {
     if click.moves_anchor() {
         ui.data_mut(|d| d.insert_temp(key("anchor"), id));
     }
+    let mut rows = view.rows.clone();
+    widgets::apply_row_click(&mut rows, &click);
+    out.rows_after_click = Some(rows);
     let ids = |rows: &[NodeId]| rows.iter().map(|r| r.0).collect::<Vec<_>>();
     out.actions.push(match click {
         widgets::RowClick::Only(id) => ("layer.setCurrent".into(), json!({"id": id.0})),
diff --git a/crates/ui-egui/src/panels/tests_appearance.rs b/crates/ui-egui/src/panels/tests_appearance.rs
index b7ed12486..0431d6dec 100644
--- a/crates/ui-egui/src/panels/tests_appearance.rs
+++ b/crates/ui-egui/src/panels/tests_appearance.rs
@@ -1348,10 +1348,15 @@ fn app_click(ctx: &egui::Context, app: &mut VectorcraftApp, pos: egui::Pos2, f:
     }
 }
 
-/// `key` pressed and released in an app-like frame of `f`, then one more frame.
-fn app_key(ctx: &egui::Context, app: &mut VectorcraftApp, key: egui::Key, f: fn(&mut VectorcraftApp, &mut egui::Ui)) {
+/// `key` pressed and released in one app-like frame of `f`, with no idle frame after it.
+fn app_key_now(ctx: &egui::Context, app: &mut VectorcraftApp, key: egui::Key, f: fn(&mut VectorcraftApp, &mut egui::Ui)) {
     let ev = |pressed| egui::Event::Key { key, physical_key: None, pressed, repeat: false, modifiers: egui::Modifiers::NONE };
     app_frame(ctx, app, vec![ev(true), ev(false)], f);
+}
+
+/// `key` pressed and released in an app-like frame of `f`, then one more frame.
+fn app_key(ctx: &egui::Context, app: &mut VectorcraftApp, key: egui::Key, f: fn(&mut VectorcraftApp, &mut egui::Ui)) {
+    app_key_now(ctx, app, key, f);
     app_frame(ctx, app, vec![], f);
 }
 
@@ -1493,13 +1498,41 @@ fn delete_after_the_last_highlighted_layer_row_is_deleted_clears_the_selection()
     let texts = frame_events(&ctx, &mut app, vec![], boxed_layers);
     let row = text_rect(&texts, "Layer 2").center();
     app_click(&ctx, &mut app, row, boxed_layers);
-    app_key(&ctx, &mut app, egui::Key::Delete, boxed_layers);
+    app_key_now(&ctx, &mut app, egui::Key::Delete, boxed_layers);
     assert_eq!(app.session.active().unwrap().doc.layers.len(), 1, "Layer 2 is deleted");
     assert!(app.session.active().unwrap().selection.contains(rect), "the rectangle stays selected");
-    app_key(&ctx, &mut app, egui::Key::Delete, boxed_layers);
+    app_key_now(&ctx, &mut app, egui::Key::Delete, boxed_layers);
     assert!(app.session.active().unwrap().doc.node(rect).is_none(), "Delete clears the selected object once the panel has no rows");
 }
 
+/// Clicking a row right after the last highlighted row was deleted restores the row keys: Delete
+/// then deletes that row, not the selected art.
+#[test]
+fn clicking_a_row_after_the_last_one_was_deleted_keeps_delete_with_the_layers_panel() {
+    let ctx = drop_ctx();
+    let mut app = app_with_rect();
+    run(&mut app, "layer.new", json!({}));
+    run(&mut app, "layer.new", json!({}));
+    let rect = first_selected(&app).unwrap().id;
+    let texts = frame_events(&ctx, &mut app, vec![], boxed_layers);
+    let layer2 = text_rect(&texts, "Layer 2").center();
+    app_click(&ctx, &mut app, layer2, boxed_layers);
+    app_key_now(&ctx, &mut app, egui::Key::Delete, boxed_layers);
+    assert_eq!(app.session.active().unwrap().doc.layers.len(), 2, "Layer 2 is deleted");
+    // Click Layer 3 and press Delete in the very next frame: the click's highlight action runs at
+    // the end of its frame, so the panel must read the rows the click will leave.
+    let texts = frame_events(&ctx, &mut app, vec![], boxed_layers);
+    let layer3 = text_rect(&texts, "Layer 3").center();
+    let button =
+        |pressed| egui::Event::PointerButton { pos: layer3, button: egui::PointerButton::Primary, pressed, modifiers: egui::Modifiers::NONE };
+    for e in [egui::Event::PointerMoved(layer3), button(true), button(false)] {
+        app_frame(&ctx, &mut app, vec![e], boxed_layers);
+    }
+    app_key_now(&ctx, &mut app, egui::Key::Delete, boxed_layers);
+    assert_eq!(app.session.active().unwrap().doc.layers.len(), 1, "Delete removes the clicked row");
+    assert!(app.session.active().unwrap().doc.node(rect).is_some(), "the rectangle on Layer 1 stays");
+}
+
 /// A tool that claims Delete and Backspace (the Artboard tool's active artboard) leaves them to a
 /// clicked Layers row.
 #[test]