diff --git a/src/lib/ai-edition/timeline/virtual-preview.test.ts b/src/lib/ai-edition/timeline/virtual-preview.test.ts
index f3dd64888..587d6dc5d 100644
--- a/src/lib/ai-edition/timeline/virtual-preview.test.ts
+++ b/src/lib/ai-edition/timeline/virtual-preview.test.ts
@@ -39,8 +39,9 @@ const clips: AxcutClip[] = [
 ];
 
 describe("virtual-preview pure functions", () => {
-	it("totalVirtualDuration returns the last clip's timelineEndSec", () => {
+	it("totalVirtualDuration returns the greatest timelineEndSec", () => {
 		expect(totalVirtualDuration(clips)).toBe(20);
+		expect(totalVirtualDuration([...clips].reverse())).toBe(20);
 		expect(totalVirtualDuration([])).toBe(0);
 	});
 
@@ -57,6 +58,14 @@ describe("virtual-preview pure functions", () => {
 		expect(pos?.sourceTimeSec).toBe(22);
 	});
 
+	it("locateVirtualPosition does not depend on clip array order", () => {
+		const reversed = [...clips].reverse();
+		const pos = locateVirtualPosition(reversed, 12);
+		expect(pos?.clip.id).toBe("clip_2");
+		expect(pos?.clipIndex).toBe(0);
+		expect(pos?.sourceTimeSec).toBe(22);
+	});
+
 	it("locateVirtualPosition returns null for empty clips", () => {
 		expect(locateVirtualPosition([], 0)).toBeNull();
 	});
@@ -428,6 +437,49 @@ describe("virtual-preview pure functions", () => {
 		expect(getRawVirtualStartTime(nextSeg!, rawClips)).toBe(10.7);
 	});
 
+	it("findNextKeptSegment chooses the earliest next segment when playback clips are unordered", () => {
+		const rawClips: AxcutClip[] = [
+			{ ...clips[0] },
+			{ ...clips[1] },
+			{
+				...clips[1],
+				id: "clip_3",
+				sourceStartSec: 40,
+				sourceEndSec: 50,
+				timelineStartSec: 20,
+				timelineEndSec: 30,
+			},
+		];
+		const playbackClips = [rawClips[2], rawClips[1], rawClips[0]];
+
+		const next = findNextKeptSegment(playbackClips, rawClips, 5);
+
+		expect(next?.id).toBe("clip_2");
+		expect(getRawVirtualStartTime(next!, rawClips)).toBe(10);
+	});
+
+	it("findNextKeptSegment breaks tied raw starts by playback order, not input order", () => {
+		const earlier: AxcutClip = {
+			...clips[1],
+			id: "clip_2_seg1",
+			timelineStartSec: 10,
+			timelineEndSec: 12,
+		};
+		const later: AxcutClip = {
+			...clips[1],
+			id: "clip_2_seg2",
+			timelineStartSec: 12,
+			timelineEndSec: 14,
+		};
+
+		for (const playbackClips of [
+			[earlier, later],
+			[later, earlier],
+		]) {
+			expect(findNextKeptSegment(playbackClips, clips, 5)?.id).toBe("clip_2_seg1");
+		}
+	});
+
 	describe("findNextKeptSegment never goes backwards", () => {
 		// A slice from LATE in the recording laid down first, then a slice from early in
 		// it, cut at source 5–10. Both draw on the same asset, so "later in source time"
diff --git a/src/lib/ai-edition/timeline/virtual-preview.ts b/src/lib/ai-edition/timeline/virtual-preview.ts
index 1cdc5d2f6..d094eef2c 100644
--- a/src/lib/ai-edition/timeline/virtual-preview.ts
+++ b/src/lib/ai-edition/timeline/virtual-preview.ts
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ export type VirtualPosition = {
 };
 
 export function totalVirtualDuration(clips: AxcutClip[]): number {
-	return clips.at(-1)?.timelineEndSec ?? 0;
+	return clips.reduce((duration, clip) => Math.max(duration, clip.timelineEndSec), 0);
 }
 
 export function clampVirtualTime(clips: AxcutClip[], value: number): number {
@@ -25,11 +25,18 @@ export function locateVirtualPosition(
 ): VirtualPosition | null {
 	if (clips.length === 0) return null;
 	const clamped = clampVirtualTime(clips, virtualTimeSec);
-	const clipIndex = clips.findIndex((clip, index) => {
-		const isLast = index === clips.length - 1;
-		return clamped >= clip.timelineStartSec && (clamped < clip.timelineEndSec || isLast);
-	});
-	const resolvedIndex = clipIndex >= 0 ? clipIndex : clips.length - 1;
+	const ordered = clips
+		.map((clip, clipIndex) => ({ clip, clipIndex }))
+		.sort(
+			(a, b) =>
+				a.clip.timelineStartSec - b.clip.timelineStartSec ||
+				a.clip.timelineEndSec - b.clip.timelineEndSec ||
+				a.clip.id.localeCompare(b.clip.id),
+		);
+	const resolved =
+		ordered.find(({ clip }) => clamped >= clip.timelineStartSec && clamped < clip.timelineEndSec) ??
+		ordered.at(-1)!;
+	const resolvedIndex = resolved.clipIndex;
 	const clip = clips[resolvedIndex];
 	const clipDuration = (clip.sourceEndSec ?? 0) - clip.sourceStartSec;
 	const clipOffset = Math.max(0, Math.min(clipDuration, clamped - clip.timelineStartSec));
@@ -103,23 +110,26 @@ export function findNextKeptSegment(
 	currentSourceTime?: number,
 	activeClipId?: string,
 ): AxcutClip | undefined {
-	for (const seg of playbackClips) {
-		const segRawStart = getRawVirtualStartTime(seg, rawClips);
-		if (segRawStart > currentRawTime + 0.001) {
-			return seg;
-		}
-		if (
-			activeSourceId &&
-			activeClipId &&
-			currentSourceTime !== undefined &&
-			seg.assetId === activeSourceId &&
-			findRawClipForSegment(seg, rawClips)?.id === activeClipId &&
-			seg.sourceStartSec > currentSourceTime + 0.001
-		) {
-			return seg;
-		}
-	}
-	return undefined;
+	const nextByRawTime = playbackClips
+		.map((segment) => ({ segment, rawStart: getRawVirtualStartTime(segment, rawClips) }))
+		.filter(({ rawStart }) => rawStart > currentRawTime + 0.001)
+		.sort(
+			(a, b) =>
+				a.rawStart - b.rawStart ||
+				a.segment.timelineStartSec - b.segment.timelineStartSec ||
+				a.segment.id.localeCompare(b.segment.id),
+		)[0]?.segment;
+	if (nextByRawTime) return nextByRawTime;
+
+	if (!activeSourceId || !activeClipId || currentSourceTime === undefined) return undefined;
+	return playbackClips
+		.filter(
+			(segment) =>
+				segment.assetId === activeSourceId &&
+				findRawClipForSegment(segment, rawClips)?.id === activeClipId &&
+				segment.sourceStartSec > currentSourceTime + 0.001,
+		)
+		.sort((a, b) => a.sourceStartSec - b.sourceStartSec)[0];
 }
 
 function toPositionAt(