diff --git a/frontend/src/components/chat/MessagesContainer/index.tsx b/frontend/src/components/chat/MessagesContainer/index.tsx
index 18899fec92..4d21dad2c8 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/chat/MessagesContainer/index.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/components/chat/MessagesContainer/index.tsx
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { MessageContext } from '@/contexts/MessageContext';
-import { useCallback, useContext, useEffect, useMemo, useRef } from 'react';
+import { useCallback, useContext, useEffect, useMemo } from 'react';
 import { useRecoilValue, useSetRecoilState } from 'recoil';
 import { toast } from 'sonner';
 
@@ -91,39 +91,11 @@ const MessagesContainer = ({ navigate }: Props) => {
     []
   );
 
-  const knownSideElementsRef = useRef<Map<string, IMessageElement>>(new Map());
-  const knownSideOrderRef = useRef<string[]>([]);
-
   useEffect(() => {
-    const sideElements = elements.filter((e) => e.display === 'side');
-
-    if (sideElements.length === 0) {
-      knownSideElementsRef.current = new Map();
-      knownSideOrderRef.current = [];
+    if (!elements.some((element) => element.display === 'side')) {
       setSideView(undefined);
-      return;
-    }
-
-    const prevMap = knownSideElementsRef.current;
-    const prevOrder = knownSideOrderRef.current;
-    const currentIds = sideElements.map((e) => e.id);
-
-    const hasChanged =
-      currentIds.length !== prevOrder.length ||
-      currentIds.some((id, i) => prevOrder[i] !== id) ||
-      sideElements.some((e) => prevMap.get(e.id) !== e);
-
-    if (hasChanged) {
-      const newMap = new Map<string, IMessageElement>();
-      sideElements.forEach((e) => newMap.set(e.id, e));
-      knownSideElementsRef.current = newMap;
-      knownSideOrderRef.current = currentIds;
-      setSideView({
-        title: sideElements[sideElements.length - 1].name,
-        elements: sideElements
-      });
     }
-  }, [elements]);
+  }, [elements, setSideView]);
 
   const onElementRefClick = useCallback(
     (element: IMessageElement) => {
diff --git a/frontend/tests/MessagesContainer.spec.tsx b/frontend/tests/MessagesContainer.spec.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..6780a96fb3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/tests/MessagesContainer.spec.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,143 @@
+import { render, screen } from '@testing-library/react';
+import { RecoilRoot, useRecoilValue } from 'recoil';
+import { beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest';
+
+import {
+  IMessageElement,
+  sideViewState,
+  useChatData
+} from '@chainlit/react-client';
+
+import MessagesContainer from '@/components/chat/MessagesContainer';
+
+vi.mock('@chainlit/react-client', async () => {
+  const { createContext } = await import('react');
+  const { atom } = await import('recoil');
+
+  return {
+    ChainlitContext: createContext({}),
+    messagesState: atom({ key: 'messagesState', default: [] }),
+    sessionIdState: atom({ key: 'sessionIdState', default: undefined }),
+    sideViewState: atom({ key: 'sideViewState', default: undefined }),
+    updateMessageById: vi.fn(),
+    useChatData: vi.fn(),
+    useChatInteract: () => ({ uploadFile: vi.fn() }),
+    useChatMessages: () => ({ messages: [] }),
+    useConfig: () => ({ config: { features: {} } })
+  };
+});
+
+vi.mock('@/components/chat/Messages', () => ({
+  Messages: () => null
+}));
+
+vi.mock('@/components/i18n/Translator', () => ({
+  useTranslation: () => ({ t: (key: string) => key })
+}));
+
+vi.mock('sonner', () => ({
+  toast: { error: vi.fn(), promise: vi.fn() }
+}));
+
+const sideElement = (name: string): IMessageElement => ({
+  id: 'side-element',
+  name,
+  display: 'side',
+  type: 'text',
+  chainlitKey: null,
+  url: null,
+  objectKey: null,
+  path: null,
+  content: null,
+  props: null,
+  page: null,
+  size: null,
+  language: null,
+  mime: null,
+  threadId: null
+});
+
+const SideViewObserver = () => {
+  const sideView = useRecoilValue(sideViewState);
+
+  return <div>{sideView?.title ?? 'closed'}</div>;
+};
+
+describe('MessagesContainer side view', () => {
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    vi.clearAllMocks();
+  });
+
+  it('does not open the side view when side elements change', () => {
+    vi.mocked(useChatData).mockReturnValue({
+      elements: [sideElement('Initial')],
+      actions: [],
+      askUser: undefined,
+      loading: false
+    } as ReturnType<typeof useChatData>);
+
+    const { rerender } = render(
+      <RecoilRoot>
+        <MessagesContainer />
+        <SideViewObserver />
+      </RecoilRoot>
+    );
+
+    expect(screen.getByText('closed')).toBeInTheDocument();
+
+    vi.mocked(useChatData).mockReturnValue({
+      elements: [sideElement('Updated')],
+      actions: [],
+      askUser: undefined,
+      loading: false
+    } as ReturnType<typeof useChatData>);
+
+    rerender(
+      <RecoilRoot>
+        <MessagesContainer />
+        <SideViewObserver />
+      </RecoilRoot>
+    );
+
+    expect(screen.getByText('closed')).toBeInTheDocument();
+  });
+
+  it('clears the side view when no side elements remain', () => {
+    const element = sideElement('Open');
+    vi.mocked(useChatData).mockReturnValue({
+      elements: [element],
+      actions: [],
+      askUser: undefined,
+      loading: false
+    } as ReturnType<typeof useChatData>);
+
+    const { rerender } = render(
+      <RecoilRoot
+        initializeState={({ set }) =>
+          set(sideViewState, { title: element.name, elements: [element] })
+        }
+      >
+        <MessagesContainer />
+        <SideViewObserver />
+      </RecoilRoot>
+    );
+
+    expect(screen.getByText('Open')).toBeInTheDocument();
+
+    vi.mocked(useChatData).mockReturnValue({
+      elements: [],
+      actions: [],
+      askUser: undefined,
+      loading: false
+    } as ReturnType<typeof useChatData>);
+
+    rerender(
+      <RecoilRoot>
+        <MessagesContainer />
+        <SideViewObserver />
+      </RecoilRoot>
+    );
+
+    expect(screen.getByText('closed')).toBeInTheDocument();
+  });
+});