diff --git a/packages/studio/src/hooks/useDomEditWiring.ts b/packages/studio/src/hooks/useDomEditWiring.ts
index f598cb54e..3d4232ebd 100644
--- a/packages/studio/src/hooks/useDomEditWiring.ts
+++ b/packages/studio/src/hooks/useDomEditWiring.ts
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ import { useCallback, useEffect, useRef } from "react";
 import type { DomEditSelection } from "../components/editor/domEditingTypes";
 import { STUDIO_GSAP_PANEL_ENABLED } from "../components/editor/manualEditingAvailability";
 import { usePlayerStore } from "../player";
+import { resolveTimelineIdForSelection } from "../utils/studioHelpers";
 import { useDomEditPreviewSync } from "./useDomEditPreviewSync";
 import { useGsapAnimationsForElement, usePopulateKeyframeCacheForFile } from "./useGsapTweenCache";
 import { useGsapAnimationFetchFallback } from "./useGsapAnimationFetchFallback";
@@ -171,12 +172,12 @@ export function useDomEditWiring({
   useEffect(() => {
     if (!domEditSelection?.id) return;
     const { selectedElementId, elements, setSelectedElementId } = usePlayerStore.getState();
-    const matchKey = elements.find(
-      (el) => el.domId === domEditSelection.id || el.id === domEditSelection.id,
-    );
-    const key = matchKey ? (matchKey.key ?? matchKey.id) : null;
+    // Resolve through the canonical resolver (source-file + ancestor + active-comp
+    // fallback) rather than a narrow domId/id match, so a sub-composition selection
+    // maps to the same clip the rest of the selection pipeline picks.
+    const key = resolveTimelineIdForSelection(domEditSelection, elements, activeCompPath);
     if (key && key !== selectedElementId) setSelectedElementId(key);
-  }, [domEditSelection?.id]);
+  }, [domEditSelection, activeCompPath]);
 
   // ── GSAP cache sync ──
 
diff --git a/packages/studio/src/hooks/useTimelineSelectionPreviewSync.ts b/packages/studio/src/hooks/useTimelineSelectionPreviewSync.ts
index 71861e529..d26005c0e 100644
--- a/packages/studio/src/hooks/useTimelineSelectionPreviewSync.ts
+++ b/packages/studio/src/hooks/useTimelineSelectionPreviewSync.ts
@@ -26,10 +26,24 @@ function orderSelectedIds(ids: Set<string>, anchor: string | null): string[] {
   return [anchor, ...ordered.filter((id) => id !== anchor)];
 }
 
-function selectionIdsMatch(currentIds: string[], selectedIds: string[]): boolean {
-  if (currentIds.length !== selectedIds.length) return false;
+function selectionIdsMatch(
+  currentIds: string[],
+  selectedIds: string[],
+  currentAnchor: string | null,
+  wantedAnchor: string | null,
+): boolean {
+  // Compare as sets in BOTH directions: length equality misreads duplicates (two DOM
+  // children resolving to the same clip id) as a full match and skips mirroring the
+  // members that never made it into the preview.
+  const current = new Set(currentIds);
   const selected = new Set(selectedIds);
-  return currentIds.every((id) => selected.has(id));
+  if (current.size !== selected.size) return false;
+  for (const id of selected) {
+    if (!current.has(id)) return false;
+  }
+  // The primary/anchor must also agree, or a change of just the anchor within the
+  // same set would never re-sync the preview's primary selection.
+  return currentAnchor === wantedAnchor;
 }
 
 export function useTimelineSelectionPreviewSync({
@@ -61,12 +75,15 @@ export function useTimelineSelectionPreviewSync({
         resolveTimelineIdForSelection(selection, timelineElements, activeCompPath),
       )
       .filter((id): id is string => Boolean(id));
+    const currentAnchor = domEditSelection
+      ? resolveTimelineIdForSelection(domEditSelection, timelineElements, activeCompPath)
+      : null;
 
     if (selectedIds.length === 0) {
       if (currentSelections.length > 0) applyDomSelection(null, { revealPanel: false });
       return;
     }
-    if (selectionIdsMatch(currentIds, selectedIds)) return;
+    if (selectionIdsMatch(currentIds, selectedIds, currentAnchor, selectedElementId)) return;
 
     let cancelled = false;
     const syncSelection = async () => {
@@ -98,6 +115,7 @@ export function useTimelineSelectionPreviewSync({
     buildDomSelectionForTimelineElement,
     domEditGroupSelections,
     domEditSelection,
+    selectedElementId,
     selectedIds,
     selectedKey,
     timelineElements,