diff --git a/internal/tui/open_remote_unix.go b/internal/tui/open_remote_unix.go
index 45f0e586..88363c44 100644
--- a/internal/tui/open_remote_unix.go
+++ b/internal/tui/open_remote_unix.go
@@ -76,12 +76,15 @@ func tuiRuntimeDir() (string, error) {
 		return ensurePrivateDirectory(filepath.Join(runtimeDir, tuiRuntimeDirname))
 	}
 
-	tempDir := os.TempDir()
+	tempDir, err := filepath.EvalSymlinks(os.TempDir())
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("inspect temporary directory: %w", err)
+	}
 	info, err := os.Lstat(tempDir)
 	if err != nil {
 		return "", fmt.Errorf("inspect temporary directory: %w", err)
 	}
-	if !info.IsDir() || info.Mode()&os.ModeSymlink != 0 {
+	if !info.IsDir() {
 		return "", fmt.Errorf("temporary directory is not a directory")
 	}
 	if info.Mode().Perm()&0o022 != 0 && info.Mode()&os.ModeSticky == 0 {
diff --git a/internal/tui/open_remote_unix_test.go b/internal/tui/open_remote_unix_test.go
index 04489195..b3cdf306 100644
--- a/internal/tui/open_remote_unix_test.go
+++ b/internal/tui/open_remote_unix_test.go
@@ -80,6 +80,28 @@ func TestTopicRemoteFallbackUsesPrivatePerUserDirectory(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+// macOS's /tmp is a symlink to /private/tmp, and it is what os.TempDir answers whenever
+// TMPDIR is unset — an ssh session, a launchd job, a shell started without the login
+// environment — so the fallback has to follow the link rather than refuse it.
+func TestTopicRemoteFallbackFollowsSymlinkedTemporaryDirectory(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Setenv("XDG_RUNTIME_DIR", "")
+	target := t.TempDir()
+	link := filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "tmp")
+	if err := os.Symlink(target, link); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("symlink temporary directory: %v", err)
+	}
+	t.Setenv("TMPDIR", link)
+
+	path := mustTUISocketPath(t, "omarchy")
+	resolved, err := filepath.EvalSymlinks(target)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("resolve temporary directory: %v", err)
+	}
+	if got := filepath.Dir(filepath.Dir(path)); got != resolved {
+		t.Fatalf("socket %s is not under the resolved temporary directory %s", path, resolved)
+	}
+}
+
 func TestTopicRemoteRejectsInsecureRuntimeDirectory(t *testing.T) {
 	runtimeDir := t.TempDir()
 	if err := os.Chmod(runtimeDir, 0o755); err != nil {