diff --git a/src/app_controller.py b/src/app_controller.py
index d7a79ca6..b3c12f92 100644
--- a/src/app_controller.py
+++ b/src/app_controller.py
@@ -5088,6 +5088,13 @@ class AppController:
    from src import project_manager
    track = self.active_track
    if track is None: return OK
+   # Normalize dict inputs to Ticket dataclass (test callers may set
+   # self.active_tickets to a list of dicts; production callers normalize
+   # at _load_active_tickets time).
+   normalized = [
+    t if isinstance(t, Ticket) else Ticket.from_dict(t)
+    for t in self.active_tickets
+   ]
    new_tickets = [
     Ticket(
      id=t.id,
@@ -5096,7 +5103,7 @@ class AppController:
      assigned_to=t.assigned_to,
      depends_on=list(t.depends_on),
     )
-    for t in self.active_tickets
+    for t in normalized
    ]
    track.tickets = new_tickets
    state = TrackState(metadata=track, tasks=list(new_tickets))
diff --git a/src/gui_2.py b/src/gui_2.py
index baed59a0..8473d978 100644
--- a/src/gui_2.py
+++ b/src/gui_2.py
@@ -1092,10 +1092,11 @@ class App:
   render_shader_live_editor(self)
   render_history_window(self)
   pushed_prior_tint = False
-  
+
+  ws = imgui.get_io().display_size
+
   # Render background shader
   if getattr(self, 'bg_shader_enabled', False):
-   ws = imgui.get_io().display_size
    get_bg().render(ws.x, ws.y)
 
   theme.render_post_fx(ws.x, ws.y, self.ai_status, self.ui_crt_filter)