diff --git a/internal/tui/ui.go b/internal/tui/ui.go
index 6f161ffe..be3e738c 100644
--- a/internal/tui/ui.go
+++ b/internal/tui/ui.go
@@ -237,40 +237,50 @@ func (m Model) Update(msg tea.Msg) (tea.Model, tea.Cmd) {
 			}
 
 		case key.Matches(msg, m.keys.Down):
-			prevRow := currSection.CurrRow()
-			nextRow := currSection.NextRow()
-			if prevRow != nextRow && nextRow == currSection.NumRows()-1 &&
-				m.ctx.View != config.RepoView {
-				cmds = append(cmds, currSection.FetchNextPageSectionRows()...)
+			if currSection != nil {
+				prevRow := currSection.CurrRow()
+				nextRow := currSection.NextRow()
+				if prevRow != nextRow && nextRow == currSection.NumRows()-1 &&
+					m.ctx.View != config.RepoView {
+					cmds = append(cmds, currSection.FetchNextPageSectionRows()...)
+				}
+				cmd = m.onViewedRowChanged()
 			}
-			cmd = m.onViewedRowChanged()
 
 		case key.Matches(msg, m.keys.Up):
-			currSection.PrevRow()
-			cmd = m.onViewedRowChanged()
+			if currSection != nil {
+				currSection.PrevRow()
+				cmd = m.onViewedRowChanged()
+			}
 
 		case key.Matches(msg, m.keys.FirstLine):
-			currSection.FirstItem()
-			cmd = m.onViewedRowChanged()
+			if currSection != nil {
+				currSection.FirstItem()
+				cmd = m.onViewedRowChanged()
+			}
 
 		case key.Matches(msg, m.keys.LastLine):
-			if currSection.CurrRow()+1 < currSection.NumRows() {
-				cmds = append(cmds, currSection.FetchNextPageSectionRows()...)
+			if currSection != nil {
+				if currSection.CurrRow()+1 < currSection.NumRows() {
+					cmds = append(cmds, currSection.FetchNextPageSectionRows()...)
+				}
+				currSection.LastItem()
+				cmd = m.onViewedRowChanged()
 			}
-			currSection.LastItem()
-			cmd = m.onViewedRowChanged()
 
 		case key.Matches(msg, m.keys.TogglePreview):
 			m.sidebar.IsOpen = !m.sidebar.IsOpen
 			m.syncMainContentWidth()
 
 		case key.Matches(msg, m.keys.Refresh):
-			data.ClearEnrichmentCache()
-			currSection.ResetFilters()
-			currSection.ResetRows()
-			m.syncSidebar()
-			currSection.SetIsLoading(true)
-			cmds = append(cmds, currSection.FetchNextPageSectionRows()...)
+			if currSection != nil {
+				data.ClearEnrichmentCache()
+				currSection.ResetFilters()
+				currSection.ResetRows()
+				m.syncSidebar()
+				currSection.SetIsLoading(true)
+				cmds = append(cmds, currSection.FetchNextPageSectionRows()...)
+			}
 
 		case key.Matches(msg, m.keys.RefreshAll):
 			data.ClearEnrichmentCache()
diff --git a/internal/tui/ui_test.go b/internal/tui/ui_test.go
index d8dd21fc..e7201dfa 100644
--- a/internal/tui/ui_test.go
+++ b/internal/tui/ui_test.go
@@ -646,6 +646,54 @@ func TestNotificationView_BackKeyClearsIssueSubject(t *testing.T) {
 	)
 }
 
+func TestNavigationKeysWithNilSection(t *testing.T) {
+	cfg, err := config.ParseConfig(config.Location{
+		ConfigFlag:       "../config/testdata/test-config.yml",
+		SkipGlobalConfig: true,
+	})
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	ctx := &context.ProgramContext{
+		Config: &cfg,
+		View:   config.IssuesView,
+	}
+	ctx.Theme = theme.ParseTheme(ctx.Config)
+	ctx.Styles = context.InitStyles(ctx.Theme)
+
+	sidebarModel := sidebar.NewModel()
+	sidebarModel.UpdateProgramContext(ctx)
+
+	m := Model{
+		ctx:          ctx,
+		keys:         keys.Keys,
+		footer:       footer.NewModel(ctx),
+		prView:       prview.NewModel(ctx),
+		issueSidebar: issueview.NewModel(ctx),
+		sidebar:      sidebarModel,
+		tabs:         tabs.NewModel(ctx),
+	}
+	// No sections added — currSection will be nil
+
+	navKeys := []struct {
+		name string
+		msg  tea.KeyPressMsg
+	}{
+		{"down", tea.KeyPressMsg{Text: "j"}},
+		{"up", tea.KeyPressMsg{Text: "k"}},
+		{"firstLine", tea.KeyPressMsg{Text: "g"}},
+		{"lastLine", tea.KeyPressMsg{Text: "G"}},
+		{"refresh", tea.KeyPressMsg{Text: "r"}},
+	}
+
+	for _, tc := range navKeys {
+		t.Run(tc.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			require.NotPanics(t, func() {
+				m.Update(tc.msg)
+			}, "pressing %s with nil section should not panic", tc.name)
+		})
+	}
+}
+
 // executeCommandTemplate mimics the template execution logic from runCustomCommand
 // to allow testing template variable substitution without executing shell commands.
 func executeCommandTemplate(