diff --git a/pkg/gui/arrangement.go b/pkg/gui/arrangement.go
index 49311b6d4..13148a3c6 100644
--- a/pkg/gui/arrangement.go
+++ b/pkg/gui/arrangement.go
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ func (gui *Gui) mainSectionChildren() []*boxlayout.Box {
 
 	// if we're not in split mode we can just show the one main panel. Likewise if
 	// the main panel is focused and we're in full-screen mode
-	if !gui.State.SplitMainPanel || (gui.State.ScreenMode == SCREEN_FULL && currentViewName == "main") {
+	if !gui.isMainPanelSplit() || (gui.State.ScreenMode == SCREEN_FULL && currentViewName == "main") {
 		return []*boxlayout.Box{
 			{
 				ViewName: "main",
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ func (gui *Gui) getMidSectionWeights() (int, int) {
 	mainSectionWeight := int(1/sidePanelWidthRatio) - 1
 	sideSectionWeight := 1
 
-	if gui.State.SplitMainPanel {
+	if gui.isMainPanelSplit() {
 		mainSectionWeight = 5 // need to shrink side panel to make way for main panels if side-by-side
 	}
 
diff --git a/pkg/gui/branches_panel.go b/pkg/gui/branches_panel.go
index c18f97253..1cb1ba5fa 100644
--- a/pkg/gui/branches_panel.go
+++ b/pkg/gui/branches_panel.go
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ func (gui *Gui) handleBranchSelect() error {
 		return nil
 	}
 
-	gui.State.SplitMainPanel = false
+	gui.splitMainPanel(false)
 
 	gui.getMainView().Title = "Log"
 
diff --git a/pkg/gui/diffing.go b/pkg/gui/diffing.go
index 435215f21..7418cf3aa 100644
--- a/pkg/gui/diffing.go
+++ b/pkg/gui/diffing.go
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ func (gui *Gui) exitDiffMode() error {
 
 func (gui *Gui) renderDiff() error {
 	gui.getMainView().Title = "Diff"
-	gui.State.SplitMainPanel = false
+	gui.splitMainPanel(false)
 	filterArg := ""
 	if gui.inFilterMode() {
 		filterArg = fmt.Sprintf(" -- %s", gui.State.FilterPath)
diff --git a/pkg/gui/files_panel.go b/pkg/gui/files_panel.go
index 62c2e7cbe..45eee06e4 100644
--- a/pkg/gui/files_panel.go
+++ b/pkg/gui/files_panel.go
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ func (gui *Gui) selectFile(alreadySelected bool) error {
 
 	file := gui.getSelectedFile()
 	if file == nil {
-		gui.State.SplitMainPanel = false
+		gui.splitMainPanel(false)
 		gui.getMainView().Title = ""
 		return gui.newStringTask("main", gui.Tr.SLocalize("NoChangedFiles"))
 	}
@@ -53,12 +53,12 @@ func (gui *Gui) selectFile(alreadySelected bool) error {
 
 	if file.HasInlineMergeConflicts {
 		gui.getMainView().Title = gui.Tr.SLocalize("MergeConflictsTitle")
-		gui.State.SplitMainPanel = false
+		gui.splitMainPanel(false)
 		return gui.refreshMergePanel()
 	}
 
 	if file.HasStagedChanges && file.HasUnstagedChanges {
-		gui.State.SplitMainPanel = true
+		gui.splitMainPanel(true)
 		gui.getMainView().Title = gui.Tr.SLocalize("UnstagedChanges")
 		gui.getSecondaryView().Title = gui.Tr.SLocalize("StagedChanges")
 		cmdStr := gui.GitCommand.DiffCmdStr(file, false, true)
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ func (gui *Gui) selectFile(alreadySelected bool) error {
 			return err
 		}
 	} else {
-		gui.State.SplitMainPanel = false
+		gui.splitMainPanel(false)
 		if file.HasUnstagedChanges {
 			gui.getMainView().Title = gui.Tr.SLocalize("UnstagedChanges")
 		} else {
diff --git a/pkg/gui/patch_building_panel.go b/pkg/gui/patch_building_panel.go
index 6bd8949d2..67caba0ae 100644
--- a/pkg/gui/patch_building_panel.go
+++ b/pkg/gui/patch_building_panel.go
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ func (gui *Gui) refreshPatchBuildingPanel(selectedLineIdx int) error {
 		return gui.handleEscapePatchBuildingPanel()
 	}
 
-	gui.State.SplitMainPanel = true
+	gui.splitMainPanel(true)
 
 	gui.getMainView().Title = "Patch"
 	gui.getSecondaryView().Title = "Custom Patch"
@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@ func (gui *Gui) handleEscapePatchBuildingPanel() error {
 
 	if gui.GitCommand.PatchManager.IsEmpty() {
 		gui.GitCommand.PatchManager.Reset()
-		gui.State.SplitMainPanel = false
+		gui.splitMainPanel(false)
 	}
 
 	return gui.switchContext(gui.Contexts.BranchCommits.Files.Context)
@@ -88,7 +88,7 @@ func (gui *Gui) handleEscapePatchBuildingPanel() error {
 
 func (gui *Gui) refreshSecondaryPatchPanel() error {
 	if gui.GitCommand.PatchManager.CommitSelected() {
-		gui.State.SplitMainPanel = true
+		gui.splitMainPanel(true)
 		secondaryView := gui.getSecondaryView()
 		secondaryView.Highlight = true
 		secondaryView.Wrap = false
@@ -98,7 +98,7 @@ func (gui *Gui) refreshSecondaryPatchPanel() error {
 			return nil
 		})
 	} else {
-		gui.State.SplitMainPanel = false
+		gui.splitMainPanel(false)
 	}
 
 	return nil
diff --git a/pkg/gui/reflog_panel.go b/pkg/gui/reflog_panel.go
index 107c8ac60..038e2bf7e 100644
--- a/pkg/gui/reflog_panel.go
+++ b/pkg/gui/reflog_panel.go
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ func (gui *Gui) handleReflogCommitSelect() error {
 		return nil
 	}
 
-	gui.State.SplitMainPanel = false
+	gui.splitMainPanel(false)
 
 	gui.getMainView().Title = "Reflog Entry"
 
diff --git a/pkg/gui/remote_branches_panel.go b/pkg/gui/remote_branches_panel.go
index 2f95f6d7a..29531c33f 100644
--- a/pkg/gui/remote_branches_panel.go
+++ b/pkg/gui/remote_branches_panel.go
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ func (gui *Gui) handleRemoteBranchSelect() error {
 		return nil
 	}
 
-	gui.State.SplitMainPanel = false
+	gui.splitMainPanel(false)
 
 	gui.getMainView().Title = "Remote Branch"
 
diff --git a/pkg/gui/remotes_panel.go b/pkg/gui/remotes_panel.go
index 4fdac65aa..8692cdd6b 100644
--- a/pkg/gui/remotes_panel.go
+++ b/pkg/gui/remotes_panel.go
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ func (gui *Gui) handleRemoteSelect() error {
 		return nil
 	}
 
-	gui.State.SplitMainPanel = false
+	gui.splitMainPanel(false)
 
 	gui.getMainView().Title = "Remote"
 
diff --git a/pkg/gui/staging_panel.go b/pkg/gui/staging_panel.go
index 47a63f40f..4c8cb3571 100644
--- a/pkg/gui/staging_panel.go
+++ b/pkg/gui/staging_panel.go
@@ -8,17 +8,10 @@ import (
 )
 
 func (gui *Gui) refreshStagingPanel(forceSecondaryFocused bool, selectedLineIdx int) error {
-	gui.State.SplitMainPanel = true
+	gui.splitMainPanel(true)
 
 	state := gui.State.Panels.LineByLine
 
-	// // We need to force focus here because the confirmation panel for safely staging lines does not return focus automatically.
-	// // This is because if we tell it to return focus it will unconditionally return it to the main panel which may not be what we want
-	// // e.g. in the event that there's nothing left to stage.
-	// if err := gui.switchContext(nil, gui.getMainView()); err != nil {
-	// 	return err
-	// }
-
 	file := gui.getSelectedFile()
 	if file == nil {
 		return gui.handleStagingEscape()
diff --git a/pkg/gui/stash_panel.go b/pkg/gui/stash_panel.go
index a818d650b..ec2c4ba8e 100644
--- a/pkg/gui/stash_panel.go
+++ b/pkg/gui/stash_panel.go
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ func (gui *Gui) handleStashEntrySelect() error {
 		return nil
 	}
 
-	gui.State.SplitMainPanel = false
+	gui.splitMainPanel(false)
 
 	gui.getMainView().Title = "Stash"
 
diff --git a/pkg/gui/status_panel.go b/pkg/gui/status_panel.go
index 78569768e..e01d8d41b 100644
--- a/pkg/gui/status_panel.go
+++ b/pkg/gui/status_panel.go
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ func (gui *Gui) handleStatusSelect() error {
 		return nil
 	}
 
-	gui.State.SplitMainPanel = false
+	gui.splitMainPanel(false)
 
 	gui.getMainView().Title = ""
 
diff --git a/pkg/gui/tags_panel.go b/pkg/gui/tags_panel.go
index e31a8f8c3..cd50e34eb 100644
--- a/pkg/gui/tags_panel.go
+++ b/pkg/gui/tags_panel.go
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ func (gui *Gui) handleTagSelect() error {
 		return nil
 	}
 
-	gui.State.SplitMainPanel = false
+	gui.splitMainPanel(false)
 
 	gui.getMainView().Title = "Tag"
 
diff --git a/pkg/gui/view_helpers.go b/pkg/gui/view_helpers.go
index df3dc5ece..137e0e96f 100644
--- a/pkg/gui/view_helpers.go
+++ b/pkg/gui/view_helpers.go
@@ -368,3 +368,16 @@ func (gui *Gui) clearEditorView(v *gocui.View) {
 	_ = v.SetCursor(0, 0)
 	_ = v.SetOrigin(0, 0)
 }
+
+func (gui *Gui) splitMainPanel(state bool) {
+	gui.State.SplitMainPanel = state
+
+	// no need to set view on bottom when state is false: it will have zero size anyway thanks to our view arrangement code.
+	if state {
+		_, _ = gui.g.SetViewOnTop("secondary")
+	}
+}
+
+func (gui *Gui) isMainPanelSplit() bool {
+	return gui.State.SplitMainPanel
+}