diff --git a/src/Project.zig b/src/Project.zig
index dfb28ae..46bfe50 100644
--- a/src/Project.zig
+++ b/src/Project.zig
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ const LSP = @import("LSP.zig");
 a: std.mem.Allocator,
 name: []const u8,
 files: std.ArrayList(File),
+pending: std.ArrayList(File),
 open_time: i64,
 language_servers: std.StringHashMap(LSP),
 file_language_server: std.StringHashMap(LSP),
@@ -31,6 +32,7 @@ pub fn init(a: std.mem.Allocator, name: []const u8) error{OutOfMemory}!Self {
         .a = a,
         .name = try a.dupe(u8, name),
         .files = std.ArrayList(File).init(a),
+        .pending = std.ArrayList(File).init(a),
         .open_time = std.time.milliTimestamp(),
         .language_servers = std.StringHashMap(LSP).init(a),
         .file_language_server = std.StringHashMap(LSP).init(a),
@@ -64,18 +66,21 @@ pub fn write_state(self: *Self, writer: anytype) !void {
 }
 
 pub fn restore_state(self: *Self, data: []const u8) !void {
+    defer self.sort_files_by_mtime();
     var path: []const u8 = undefined;
     var mtime: i128 = undefined;
     var row: usize = undefined;
     var col: usize = undefined;
-    defer self.sort_files_by_mtime();
     var iter: []const u8 = data;
-    while (try cbor.matchValue(&iter, .{
+    while (cbor.matchValue(&iter, .{
         tp.extract(&path),
         tp.extract(&mtime),
         tp.extract(&row),
         tp.extract(&col),
-    })) {
+    }) catch |e| switch (e) {
+        error.CborTooShort => return,
+        else => return e,
+    }) {
         try self.update_mru_internal(path, mtime, row, col);
     }
 }
@@ -109,10 +114,6 @@ fn make_URI(self: *Self, file_path: ?[]const u8) ![]const u8 {
     return buf.toOwnedSlice();
 }
 
-pub fn add_file(self: *Self, path: []const u8, mtime: i128) error{OutOfMemory}!void {
-    (try self.files.addOne()).* = .{ .path = try self.a.dupe(u8, path), .mtime = mtime };
-}
-
 pub fn sort_files_by_mtime(self: *Self) void {
     const less_fn = struct {
         fn less_fn(_: void, lhs: File, rhs: File) bool {
@@ -192,13 +193,28 @@ pub fn query_recent_files(self: *Self, from: tp.pid_ref, max: usize, query: []co
     return @min(max, matches.items.len);
 }
 
+pub fn add_pending_file(self: *Self, file_path: []const u8, mtime: i128) error{OutOfMemory}!void {
+    (try self.pending.addOne()).* = .{ .path = try self.a.dupe(u8, file_path), .mtime = mtime };
+}
+
+pub fn merge_pending_files(self: *Self) error{OutOfMemory}!void {
+    defer self.sort_files_by_mtime();
+    const existing = try self.files.toOwnedSlice();
+    self.files = self.pending;
+    self.pending = std.ArrayList(File).init(self.a);
+    for (existing) |*file| {
+        self.update_mru_internal(file.path, file.mtime, file.row, file.col) catch {};
+        self.a.free(file.path);
+    }
+    self.a.free(existing);
+}
+
 pub fn update_mru(self: *Self, file_path: []const u8, row: usize, col: usize) !void {
     defer self.sort_files_by_mtime();
     try self.update_mru_internal(file_path, std.time.nanoTimestamp(), row, col);
 }
 
 fn update_mru_internal(self: *Self, file_path: []const u8, mtime: i128, row: usize, col: usize) !void {
-    defer self.sort_files_by_mtime();
     for (self.files.items) |*file| {
         if (!std.mem.eql(u8, file.path, file_path)) continue;
         file.mtime = mtime;
@@ -209,7 +225,20 @@ fn update_mru_internal(self: *Self, file_path: []const u8, mtime: i128, row: usi
         }
         return;
     }
-    return self.add_file(file_path, std.time.nanoTimestamp());
+    if (row != 0) {
+        (try self.files.addOne()).* = .{
+            .path = try self.a.dupe(u8, file_path),
+            .mtime = mtime,
+            .row = row,
+            .col = col,
+            .visited = true,
+        };
+    } else {
+        (try self.files.addOne()).* = .{
+            .path = try self.a.dupe(u8, file_path),
+            .mtime = mtime,
+        };
+    }
 }
 
 pub fn get_mru_position(self: *Self, from: tp.pid_ref, file_path: []const u8) !void {
diff --git a/src/project_manager.zig b/src/project_manager.zig
index fb91df8..64599ae 100644
--- a/src/project_manager.zig
+++ b/src/project_manager.zig
@@ -173,19 +173,14 @@ const Process = struct {
         if (try m.match(.{ "walk_tree_entry", tp.extract(&project_directory), tp.extract(&path), tp.extract(&high), tp.extract(&low) })) {
             const mtime = (@as(i128, @intCast(high)) << 64) | @as(i128, @intCast(low));
             if (self.projects.get(project_directory)) |project|
-                project.add_file(path, mtime) catch |e| self.logger.err("walk_tree_entry", e);
-            // self.logger.print("file: {s}", .{path});
+                project.add_pending_file(
+                    path,
+                    mtime,
+                ) catch |e| self.logger.err("walk_tree_entry", e);
         } else if (try m.match(.{ "walk_tree_done", tp.extract(&project_directory) })) {
             if (self.walker) |pid| pid.deinit();
             self.walker = null;
-            const project = self.projects.get(project_directory) orelse return;
-            self.restore_project(project) catch {};
-            project.sort_files_by_mtime();
-            self.logger.print("opened: {s} with {d} files in {d} ms", .{
-                project_directory,
-                project.files.items.len,
-                std.time.milliTimestamp() - project.open_time,
-            });
+            self.loaded(project_directory) catch |e| return from.forward_error(e);
         } else if (try m.match(.{ "update_mru", tp.extract(&project_directory), tp.extract(&path), tp.extract(&row), tp.extract(&col) })) {
             self.update_mru(project_directory, path, row, col) catch |e| return from.forward_error(e);
         } else if (try m.match(.{ "open", tp.extract(&project_directory) })) {
@@ -226,9 +221,21 @@ const Process = struct {
             project.* = try Project.init(self.a, project_directory);
             try self.projects.put(try self.a.dupe(u8, project_directory), project);
             self.walker = try walk_tree_async(self.a, project_directory);
+            self.restore_project(project) catch |e| self.logger.err("restore_project", e);
+            project.sort_files_by_mtime();
         }
     }
 
+    fn loaded(self: *Process, project_directory: []const u8) error{ OutOfMemory, Exit }!void {
+        const project = self.projects.get(project_directory) orelse return;
+        try project.merge_pending_files();
+        self.logger.print("opened: {s} with {d} files in {d} ms", .{
+            project_directory,
+            project.files.items.len,
+            std.time.milliTimestamp() - project.open_time,
+        });
+    }
+
     fn request_recent_files(self: *Process, from: tp.pid_ref, project_directory: []const u8, max: usize) error{ OutOfMemory, Exit }!void {
         const project = if (self.projects.get(project_directory)) |p| p else return tp.exit("No project");
         project.sort_files_by_mtime();
@@ -303,12 +310,11 @@ const Process = struct {
         var file = try std.fs.createFileAbsolute(file_name, .{ .truncate = true });
         defer file.close();
         var buffer = std.io.bufferedWriter(file.writer());
+        defer buffer.flush() catch {};
         try project.write_state(buffer.writer());
-        return buffer.flush();
     }
 
     fn restore_project(self: *Process, project: *Project) !void {
-        self.logger.print("restoring: {s}", .{project.name});
         const file_name = try get_project_cache_file_path(self.a, project);
         defer self.a.free(file_name);
         var file = std.fs.openFileAbsolute(file_name, .{ .mode = .read_only }) catch |e| switch (e) {
diff --git a/src/tui/tui.zig b/src/tui/tui.zig
index 36108a2..339ac20 100644
--- a/src/tui/tui.zig
+++ b/src/tui/tui.zig
@@ -238,6 +238,7 @@ fn receive_safe(self: *Self, from: tp.pid_ref, m: tp.message) tp.result {
     }
     if (try m.match(.{"quit"})) {
         project_manager.shutdown();
+        return;
     }
     if (try m.match(.{ "project_manager", "shutdown" })) {
         return tp.exit(self.final_exit);
@@ -247,6 +248,7 @@ fn receive_safe(self: *Self, from: tp.pid_ref, m: tp.message) tp.result {
         _ = try self.mainview.msg(.{"write_restore_info"});
         project_manager.shutdown();
         self.final_exit = "restart";
+        return;
     }
 
     if (try m.match(.{"sigwinch"})) {