diff --git a/packages/app/src/components/split-container-focus.test.ts b/packages/app/src/components/split-container-focus.test.ts
index 5e67d784a..1880f924f 100644
--- a/packages/app/src/components/split-container-focus.test.ts
+++ b/packages/app/src/components/split-container-focus.test.ts
@@ -34,4 +34,26 @@ describe("split focus root", () => {
       resolveSplitContainerRoot({ root, focusedPaneId: "right", focusModeEnabled: false }),
     ).toEqual({ root, usesFallbackStrip: false });
   });
+
+  it("renders only a maximized pane without entering focus mode", () => {
+    expect(
+      resolveSplitContainerRoot({
+        root,
+        focusedPaneId: "left",
+        focusModeEnabled: false,
+        maximizedPaneId: "right",
+      }),
+    ).toEqual({ root: pane("right"), usesFallbackStrip: false });
+  });
+
+  it("keeps normal splits when the maximized pane is unavailable", () => {
+    expect(
+      resolveSplitContainerRoot({
+        root,
+        focusedPaneId: "left",
+        focusModeEnabled: false,
+        maximizedPaneId: "missing",
+      }),
+    ).toEqual({ root, usesFallbackStrip: false });
+  });
 });
diff --git a/packages/app/src/components/split-container-focus.ts b/packages/app/src/components/split-container-focus.ts
index e16f4571d..aa7ef6db3 100644
--- a/packages/app/src/components/split-container-focus.ts
+++ b/packages/app/src/components/split-container-focus.ts
@@ -4,11 +4,15 @@ export function resolveSplitContainerRoot(input: {
   root: SplitNode;
   focusedPaneId: string | null;
   focusModeEnabled: boolean | undefined;
+  maximizedPaneId?: string | null;
 }): { root: SplitNode; usesFallbackStrip: boolean } {
-  if (!input.focusModeEnabled) return { root: input.root, usesFallbackStrip: false };
-  const focusedPane = input.focusedPaneId ? findPane(input.root, input.focusedPaneId) : null;
-  if (!focusedPane) return { root: input.root, usesFallbackStrip: true };
-  return { root: { kind: "pane", pane: focusedPane }, usesFallbackStrip: false };
+  const isolatedPaneId = input.focusModeEnabled ? input.focusedPaneId : input.maximizedPaneId;
+  if (!isolatedPaneId) return { root: input.root, usesFallbackStrip: false };
+  const isolatedPane = findPane(input.root, isolatedPaneId);
+  if (!isolatedPane || isolatedPane.hidden === true) {
+    return { root: input.root, usesFallbackStrip: Boolean(input.focusModeEnabled) };
+  }
+  return { root: { kind: "pane", pane: isolatedPane }, usesFallbackStrip: false };
 }
 
 function findPane(node: SplitNode, paneId: string): SplitPane | null {
diff --git a/packages/app/src/components/split-container.tsx b/packages/app/src/components/split-container.tsx
index 6053d4f4d..c25e8c106 100644
--- a/packages/app/src/components/split-container.tsx
+++ b/packages/app/src/components/split-container.tsx
@@ -76,6 +76,7 @@ import {
 } from "@/screens/workspace/workspace-tab-presentation";
 import type { WorkspaceTabDescriptor } from "@/screens/workspace/workspace-tabs-types";
 import {
+  findPaneById,
   useWorkspaceLayoutStore,
   type SplitNode,
   type SplitPane,
@@ -85,6 +86,8 @@ import type { WorkspaceTab } from "@/workspace-tabs/model";
 import { RenderProfile } from "@/utils/render-profiler";
 import { workspaceTabTargetsEqual } from "@/workspace-tabs/identity";
 import { isNative } from "@/constants/platform";
+import { useKeyboardActionHandler } from "@/hooks/use-keyboard-action-handler";
+import type { KeyboardActionDefinition } from "@/keyboard/keyboard-action-dispatcher";
 
 interface SplitContainerProps {
   layout: WorkspaceLayout;
@@ -171,6 +174,9 @@ interface SplitNodeViewProps extends Omit<SplitContainerProps, "layout" | "onMov
   node: SplitNode;
   uiTabs: WorkspaceTab[];
   focusedPaneId: string | null;
+  explorerPaneId: string | null;
+  maximizedPaneId: string | null;
+  onTogglePaneMaximized: (paneId: string) => void;
   activeDragTabId: string | null;
   showDropZones: boolean;
   dropPreview: SplitDropZoneHover | null;
@@ -409,6 +415,61 @@ export function SplitContainer({
   const [activeDragTabId, setActiveDragTabId] = useState<string | null>(null);
   const [dropPreview, setDropPreview] = useState<SplitDropZoneHover | null>(null);
   const [tabDropPreview, setTabDropPreview] = useState<TabDropPreview | null>(null);
+  const [maximizedPane, setMaximizedPane] = useState<{
+    workspaceKey: string;
+    paneId: string;
+  } | null>(null);
+  const maximizedPaneId =
+    maximizedPane?.workspaceKey === workspaceKey ? maximizedPane.paneId : null;
+  const explorerPaneId = useWorkspaceLayoutStore(
+    (state) => state.explorerPaneIdByWorkspace[workspaceKey] ?? null,
+  );
+
+  useEffect(() => {
+    if (!maximizedPaneId) {
+      return;
+    }
+    const isolatedPane = findPaneById(layout.root, maximizedPaneId);
+    if (focusModeEnabled || !isolatedPane || isolatedPane.hidden === true) {
+      setMaximizedPane(null);
+    }
+  }, [focusModeEnabled, layout.root, maximizedPaneId]);
+
+  const handleTogglePaneMaximized = useCallback(
+    (paneId: string) => {
+      setMaximizedPane((currentPane) =>
+        currentPane?.workspaceKey === workspaceKey && currentPane.paneId === paneId
+          ? null
+          : { workspaceKey, paneId },
+      );
+    },
+    [workspaceKey],
+  );
+
+  const handleExplorerMaximizeAction = useCallback(
+    (action: KeyboardActionDefinition): boolean => {
+      if (action.id !== "workspace.explorer.maximize.toggle") {
+        return false;
+      }
+      const explorerPane = findPaneById(layout.root, explorerPaneId);
+      if (focusModeEnabled || !explorerPane || explorerPane.hidden === true) {
+        return true;
+      }
+      onFocusPane(explorerPane.id);
+      handleTogglePaneMaximized(explorerPane.id);
+      return true;
+    },
+    [explorerPaneId, focusModeEnabled, handleTogglePaneMaximized, layout.root, onFocusPane],
+  );
+
+  useKeyboardActionHandler({
+    handlerId: `workspace-explorer-maximize:${workspaceKey}`,
+    actions: ["workspace.explorer.maximize.toggle"] as const,
+    enabled: isWorkspaceFocused,
+    priority: 100,
+    isActive: () => true,
+    handle: handleExplorerMaximizeAction,
+  });
 
   const sensors = useSensors(
     useSensor(PointerSensor, {
@@ -428,8 +489,9 @@ export function SplitContainer({
         root: layout.root,
         focusedPaneId: layout.focusedPaneId,
         focusModeEnabled,
+        maximizedPaneId,
       }),
-    [focusModeEnabled, layout.focusedPaneId, layout.root],
+    [focusModeEnabled, layout.focusedPaneId, layout.root, maximizedPaneId],
   );
   const renderRoot = useMemo(() => wrapRootPaneForStableMount(splitRoot.root), [splitRoot.root]);
 
@@ -592,6 +654,9 @@ export function SplitContainer({
           workspaceKey={workspaceKey}
           uiTabs={uiTabs}
           focusedPaneId={layout.focusedPaneId}
+          explorerPaneId={explorerPaneId}
+          maximizedPaneId={maximizedPaneId}
+          onTogglePaneMaximized={handleTogglePaneMaximized}
           normalizedServerId={normalizedServerId}
           normalizedWorkspaceId={normalizedWorkspaceId}
           isWorkspaceFocused={isWorkspaceFocused}
@@ -798,6 +863,9 @@ function SplitNodeView({
   workspaceKey,
   uiTabs,
   focusedPaneId,
+  explorerPaneId,
+  maximizedPaneId,
+  onTogglePaneMaximized,
   normalizedServerId,
   normalizedWorkspaceId,
   isWorkspaceFocused,
@@ -874,6 +942,9 @@ function SplitNodeView({
             pane={node.pane}
             uiTabs={uiTabs}
             isFocused={node.pane.id === focusedPaneId}
+            explorerPaneId={explorerPaneId}
+            maximizedPaneId={maximizedPaneId}
+            onTogglePaneMaximized={onTogglePaneMaximized}
             normalizedServerId={normalizedServerId}
             normalizedWorkspaceId={normalizedWorkspaceId}
             isWorkspaceFocused={isWorkspaceFocused}
@@ -923,6 +994,9 @@ function SplitNodeView({
               workspaceKey={workspaceKey}
               uiTabs={uiTabs}
               focusedPaneId={focusedPaneId}
+              explorerPaneId={explorerPaneId}
+              maximizedPaneId={maximizedPaneId}
+              onTogglePaneMaximized={onTogglePaneMaximized}
               normalizedServerId={normalizedServerId}
               normalizedWorkspaceId={normalizedWorkspaceId}
               isWorkspaceFocused={isWorkspaceFocused}
@@ -1014,6 +1088,9 @@ function SplitPaneView({
   showDropZones,
   dropPreview,
   tabDropPreview,
+  explorerPaneId,
+  maximizedPaneId,
+  onTogglePaneMaximized,
   focusModeEnabled,
   onExitFocusMode,
 }: SplitPaneViewProps) {
@@ -1114,6 +1191,10 @@ function SplitPaneView({
     },
     [onReorderTabsInPane, paneId],
   );
+  const handleToggleMaximized = useCallback(
+    () => onTogglePaneMaximized(paneId),
+    [onTogglePaneMaximized, paneId],
+  );
   return (
     <RenderProfile id={`SplitPaneView:${pane.id}`}>
       <View ref={paneRef} collapsable={false} style={styles.pane}>
@@ -1121,7 +1202,7 @@ function SplitPaneView({
           <TitlebarDragRegion />
           <WorkspaceDesktopTabsRow
             paneId={pane.id}
-            isFocused={isFocused}
+            isFocused={isFocused && isWorkspaceFocused}
             tabs={desktopTabRowItems}
             normalizedServerId={normalizedServerId}
             normalizedWorkspaceId={normalizedWorkspaceId}
@@ -1147,6 +1228,9 @@ function SplitPaneView({
             tabDropPreviewIndex={
               tabDropPreview?.paneId === pane.id ? tabDropPreview.indicatorIndex : null
             }
+            showPaneMaximizeAction={pane.id === explorerPaneId && !focusModeEnabled}
+            paneMaximized={pane.id === maximizedPaneId}
+            onTogglePaneMaximized={handleToggleMaximized}
             focusModeEnabled={Boolean(focusModeEnabled)}
             onExitFocusMode={onExitFocusMode}
           />