diff --git a/src/extension/agents/claude/node/claudeCodeSessionService.ts b/src/extension/agents/claude/node/claudeCodeSessionService.ts
index f230f1f9fd..9f37655aa0 100644
--- a/src/extension/agents/claude/node/claudeCodeSessionService.ts
+++ b/src/extension/agents/claude/node/claudeCodeSessionService.ts
@@ -23,6 +23,17 @@ type RawStoredSDKMessage = SDKMessage & {
 	readonly timestamp: string;
 	readonly isMeta?: boolean;
 }
+
+/**
+ * Minimal entry used only for parent-chain resolution.
+ * These entries lack a message field and are marked as meta entries
+ * so they're filtered from final output but still enable parent traversal.
+ */
+interface ChainLinkEntry {
+	readonly uuid: string;
+	readonly parentUuid: string | null;
+}
+
 interface SummaryEntry {
 	readonly type: 'summary';
 	readonly summary: string;
@@ -37,7 +48,7 @@ type StoredSDKMessage = SDKMessage & {
 }
 
 interface ParsedSessionMessage {
-	readonly raw: RawStoredSDKMessage;
+	readonly raw: RawStoredSDKMessage | ChainLinkEntry;
 	readonly isMeta: boolean;
 }
 
@@ -359,6 +370,21 @@ export class ClaudeCodeSessionService implements IClaudeCodeSessionService {
 							raw: normalizedRaw,
 							isMeta: Boolean(isMeta)
 						});
+					} else if ('uuid' in entry && entry.uuid && 'parentUuid' in entry) {
+						// Handle entries without 'message' field (e.g., system messages, metadata entries)
+						// These are needed for parent chain linking but should not appear in final output
+						const uuid = entry.uuid;
+						const parentUuid = ('parentUuid' in entry ? entry.parentUuid : null) as string | null;
+
+						const chainLink: ChainLinkEntry = {
+							uuid,
+							parentUuid: parentUuid ?? null
+						};
+
+						rawMessages.set(uuid, {
+							raw: chainLink,
+							isMeta: true  // Mark as meta so it's used for linking but filtered from output
+						});
 					} else if ('summary' in entry && entry.summary && !entry.summary.toLowerCase().startsWith('api error: 401') && !entry.summary.toLowerCase().startsWith('invalid api key')) {
 						const summaryEntry = entry as SummaryEntry;
 						const uuid = summaryEntry.leafUuid;
@@ -453,6 +479,10 @@ export class ClaudeCodeSessionService implements IClaudeCodeSessionService {
 			.trim();
 	}
 
+	private _isRawStoredSDKMessage(entry: RawStoredSDKMessage | ChainLinkEntry): entry is RawStoredSDKMessage {
+		return 'type' in entry && 'sessionId' in entry && 'timestamp' in entry;
+	}
+
 	private _reviveStoredMessages(rawMessages: Map<string, ParsedSessionMessage>): Map<string, StoredSDKMessage> {
 		const messages = new Map<string, StoredSDKMessage>();
 
@@ -461,6 +491,11 @@ export class ClaudeCodeSessionService implements IClaudeCodeSessionService {
 				continue;
 			}
 
+			// Non-meta entries should always be RawStoredSDKMessage, not ChainLinkEntry
+			if (!this._isRawStoredSDKMessage(entry.raw)) {
+				continue;
+			}
+
 			const parentUuid = this._resolveParentUuid(entry.raw.parentUuid ?? null, rawMessages);
 			const revived = this._reviveStoredSDKMessage({
 				...entry.raw,
diff --git a/src/extension/agents/claude/node/test/claudeCodeSessionService.spec.ts b/src/extension/agents/claude/node/test/claudeCodeSessionService.spec.ts
index 86e0bcdbb4..eadf7391fe 100644
--- a/src/extension/agents/claude/node/test/claudeCodeSessionService.spec.ts
+++ b/src/extension/agents/claude/node/test/claudeCodeSessionService.spec.ts
@@ -359,6 +359,87 @@ describe('ClaudeCodeSessionService', () => {
 		});
 	});
 
+	it('maintains chain through system messages without message field', async () => {
+		// This test verifies that system messages (which don't have a 'message' field)
+		// are correctly used for parent chain linking, even though they're filtered from output
+		const fileName = 'session-with-system-messages.jsonl';
+		const timestamp = new Date().toISOString();
+
+		const fileContents = [
+			// First user message (root)
+			JSON.stringify({
+				parentUuid: null,
+				sessionId: 'test-session',
+				type: 'user',
+				message: { role: 'user', content: 'first message' },
+				uuid: 'uuid-user-1',
+				timestamp
+			}),
+			// First assistant message
+			JSON.stringify({
+				parentUuid: 'uuid-user-1',
+				sessionId: 'test-session',
+				type: 'assistant',
+				message: { role: 'assistant', content: [{ type: 'text', text: 'first response' }] },
+				uuid: 'uuid-assistant-1',
+				timestamp
+			}),
+			// System message WITHOUT 'message' field (this used to break the chain)
+			JSON.stringify({
+				parentUuid: 'uuid-assistant-1',
+				sessionId: 'test-session',
+				type: 'system',
+				subtype: 'stop_hook_summary',
+				hookCount: 1,
+				uuid: 'uuid-system-1',
+				timestamp
+			}),
+			// Second user message (child of system message)
+			JSON.stringify({
+				parentUuid: 'uuid-system-1',
+				sessionId: 'test-session',
+				type: 'user',
+				message: { role: 'user', content: 'second message' },
+				uuid: 'uuid-user-2',
+				timestamp
+			}),
+			// Second assistant message
+			JSON.stringify({
+				parentUuid: 'uuid-user-2',
+				sessionId: 'test-session',
+				type: 'assistant',
+				message: { role: 'assistant', content: [{ type: 'text', text: 'second response' }] },
+				uuid: 'uuid-assistant-2',
+				timestamp
+			})
+		].join('\n');
+
+		mockFs.mockDirectory(dirUri, [[fileName, FileType.File]]);
+		mockFs.mockFile(URI.joinPath(dirUri, fileName), fileContents, 1000);
+
+		const sessions = await service.getAllSessions(CancellationToken.None);
+
+		expect(sessions).toHaveLength(1);
+		const session = sessions[0];
+
+		// The session should have 4 messages (system message is filtered out as isMeta)
+		expect(session.messages).toHaveLength(4);
+
+		// Verify the chain is intact: user1 -> assistant1 -> user2 -> assistant2
+		// (system message is used for linking but not included in output)
+		expect(session.messages[0].uuid).toBe('uuid-user-1');
+		expect(session.messages[1].uuid).toBe('uuid-assistant-1');
+		expect(session.messages[2].uuid).toBe('uuid-user-2');
+		expect(session.messages[3].uuid).toBe('uuid-assistant-2');
+
+		// Verify message content is preserved
+		const userMessage1 = session.messages[0] as SDKUserMessage;
+		expect(userMessage1.message.content).toBe('first message');
+
+		const userMessage2 = session.messages[2] as SDKUserMessage;
+		expect(userMessage2.message.content).toBe('second message');
+	});
+
 	describe('no-workspace scenario', () => {
 		let noWorkspaceDirUri: URI;
 		let noWorkspaceService: ClaudeCodeSessionService;