diff --git a/src/resources/extensions/gsd/guided-flow.ts b/src/resources/extensions/gsd/guided-flow.ts
index 91d307579c..aa3a341ab4 100644
--- a/src/resources/extensions/gsd/guided-flow.ts
+++ b/src/resources/extensions/gsd/guided-flow.ts
@@ -1455,6 +1455,10 @@ export async function showDiscuss(
     return;
   }
 
+  // Ensure DB is open before deriving state (#5837).
+  const { ensureDbOpen } = await import("./bootstrap/dynamic-tools.js");
+  await ensureDbOpen(basePath);
+
   // Invalidate caches to pick up artifacts written by a just-completed discuss/plan
   invalidateAllCaches();
 
@@ -1551,14 +1555,6 @@ export async function showDiscuss(
     return;
   }
 
-  // Ensure DB is open before querying slices (#2560).
-  // showDiscuss() is a command handler — unlike tool handlers, it has no
-  // automatic ensureDbOpen() call. Without this, isDbAvailable() returns
-  // false on cold-start sessions and normSlices falls to [] → false
-  // "All slices complete" exit.
-  const { ensureDbOpen } = await import("./bootstrap/dynamic-tools.js");
-  await ensureDbOpen();
-
   // Guard: no roadmap yet (unless DB has slices)
   const roadmapFile = resolveMilestoneFile(basePath, mid, "ROADMAP");
   const roadmapContent = roadmapFile ? await loadFile(roadmapFile) : null;
diff --git a/src/resources/extensions/gsd/tests/discuss-cold-start-db-open.test.ts b/src/resources/extensions/gsd/tests/discuss-cold-start-db-open.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..d5c0d8ea66
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/resources/extensions/gsd/tests/discuss-cold-start-db-open.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,71 @@
+/**
+ * Behavioural regression test for #5837.
+ *
+ * /gsd discuss silently exited on cold-start because showDiscuss() derived
+ * workflow state before opening the DB. On a cold-start session the DB file
+ * exists on disk but is not open in-process, so deriveState() takes the
+ * "DB unavailable" branch, reports no active milestone, and showDiscuss()
+ * exits as if the project had no milestones.
+ *
+ * The fix moves `ensureDbOpen(basePath)` ahead of `deriveState()`. This test
+ * pins that ordering contract at the behavioural level: with a milestone
+ * living only in the DB, deriveState() surfaces nothing until the DB is
+ * opened, and surfaces the milestone once ensureDbOpen() has run.
+ */
+
+import { describe, test, afterEach } from "node:test";
+import assert from "node:assert/strict";
+import { mkdtempSync, mkdirSync, realpathSync, rmSync } from "node:fs";
+import { join } from "node:path";
+import { tmpdir } from "node:os";
+
+import { ensureDbOpen } from "../bootstrap/dynamic-tools.ts";
+import { openDatabase, closeDatabase, isDbAvailable, insertMilestone } from "../gsd-db.ts";
+import { deriveState, invalidateStateCache } from "../state.ts";
+
+afterEach(() => {
+  if (isDbAvailable()) closeDatabase();
+  invalidateStateCache();
+});
+
+describe("discuss cold-start DB ordering (#5837)", () => {
+  test("deriveState only surfaces a DB-resident milestone after ensureDbOpen runs", async () => {
+    const base = realpathSync(mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), "gsd-discuss-cold-")));
+    try {
+      mkdirSync(join(base, ".gsd"), { recursive: true });
+
+      // Seed a milestone into the DB, then close it — this is the cold-start
+      // state: the DB file exists on disk but nothing is open in-process.
+      const dbPath = join(base, ".gsd", "gsd.db");
+      assert.equal(openDatabase(dbPath), true);
+      insertMilestone({ id: "M001", title: "Cold start milestone", status: "active" });
+      closeDatabase();
+      invalidateStateCache();
+
+      // Before ensureDbOpen(): showDiscuss's pre-fix ordering. The DB is not
+      // open, so state derivation cannot see the milestone — the silent exit.
+      const coldState = await deriveState(base);
+      assert.equal(
+        coldState.activeMilestone,
+        null,
+        "without an open DB, deriveState must not surface the milestone — this is the cold-start silent-exit bug",
+      );
+      assert.equal(isDbAvailable(), false, "DB must still be closed before ensureDbOpen");
+
+      // The fix: ensureDbOpen(basePath) runs before deriveState.
+      assert.equal(await ensureDbOpen(base), true, "ensureDbOpen must open the cold-start DB");
+      invalidateStateCache();
+
+      const warmState = await deriveState(base);
+      assert.equal(
+        warmState.activeMilestone?.id,
+        "M001",
+        "after ensureDbOpen, deriveState must surface the DB-resident milestone so /gsd discuss does not silently exit",
+      );
+    } finally {
+      if (isDbAvailable()) closeDatabase();
+      invalidateStateCache();
+      rmSync(base, { recursive: true, force: true });
+    }
+  });
+});