diff --git a/packages/trace-viewer/src/ui/timeline.tsx b/packages/trace-viewer/src/ui/timeline.tsx
index 4c6eb2f099..797e2bb3e3 100644
--- a/packages/trace-viewer/src/ui/timeline.tsx
+++ b/packages/trace-viewer/src/ui/timeline.tsx
@@ -114,7 +114,6 @@ export const Timeline: React.FunctionComponent<{
       const xd = Math.abs(time - xMiddle);
       if (left > right)
         continue;
-      // Prefer closest yDistance (the same bar), among those prefer the closest xDistance.
       if (index === undefined || xd < xDistance!) {
         index = i;
         xDistance = xd;
diff --git a/packages/trace-viewer/src/ui/watchMode.tsx b/packages/trace-viewer/src/ui/watchMode.tsx
index 89c1e473f0..d9c45726a7 100644
--- a/packages/trace-viewer/src/ui/watchMode.tsx
+++ b/packages/trace-viewer/src/ui/watchMode.tsx
@@ -52,17 +52,18 @@ const xtermDataSource: XtermDataSource = {
 
 export const WatchModeView: React.FC<{}> = ({
 }) => {
+  const [isWatchingFiles, setIsWatchingFiles] = useSetting<boolean>('test-ui-watch-files', false);
+  const [filterText, setFilterText] = useSetting<string>('test-ui-filter-text', '');
+  const [filterExpanded, setFilterExpanded] = useSetting<boolean>('test-ui-filter-expanded', false);
+  const [isShowingOutput, setIsShowingOutput] = useSetting<boolean>('test-ui-show-output', false);
+
   const [projects, setProjects] = React.useState<Map<string, boolean>>(new Map());
   const [rootSuite, setRootSuite] = React.useState<{ value: Suite | undefined }>({ value: undefined });
-  const [isRunningTest, setIsRunningTest] = React.useState<boolean>(false);
   const [progress, setProgress] = React.useState<Progress>({ total: 0, passed: 0, failed: 0, skipped: 0 });
   const [selectedTest, setSelectedTest] = React.useState<TestCase | undefined>(undefined);
   const [settingsVisible, setSettingsVisible] = React.useState<boolean>(false);
-  const [isWatchingFiles, setIsWatchingFiles] = React.useState<boolean>(true);
   const [visibleTestIds, setVisibleTestIds] = React.useState<string[]>([]);
-  const [filterText, setFilterText] = React.useState<string>('');
-  const [filterExpanded, setFilterExpanded] = React.useState<boolean>(false);
-  const [isShowingOutput, setIsShowingOutput] = React.useState<boolean>(false);
+  const [runningState, setRunningState] = React.useState<{ testIds: Set<string>, itemSelectedByUser?: boolean }>();
   const inputRef = React.useRef<HTMLInputElement>(null);
 
   React.useEffect(() => {
@@ -101,9 +102,9 @@ export const WatchModeView: React.FC<{}> = ({
     const time = '  [' + new Date().toLocaleTimeString() + ']';
     xtermDataSource.write('\x1B[2m—'.repeat(Math.max(0, xtermSize.cols - time.length)) + time + '\x1B[22m');
     setProgress({ total: testIds.length, passed: 0, failed: 0, skipped: 0 });
-    setIsRunningTest(true);
+    setRunningState({ testIds: new Set(testIds) });
     sendMessage('run', { testIds }).then(() => {
-      setIsRunningTest(false);
+      setRunningState(undefined);
     });
   };
 
@@ -125,6 +126,7 @@ export const WatchModeView: React.FC<{}> = ({
     setFilterText(result.join(' '));
   };
 
+  const isRunningTest = !!runningState;
   const result = selectedTest?.results[0];
   const isFinished = result && result.duration >= 0;
   return <div className='vbox watch-mode'>
@@ -182,7 +184,7 @@ export const WatchModeView: React.FC<{}> = ({
           projects={projects}
           filterText={filterText}
           rootSuite={rootSuite}
-          isRunningTest={isRunningTest}
+          runningState={runningState}
           isWatchingFiles={isWatchingFiles}
           runTests={runTests}
           onTestSelected={setSelectedTest}
@@ -209,12 +211,12 @@ export const TestList: React.FC<{
   filterText: string,
   rootSuite: { value: Suite | undefined },
   runTests: (testIds: string[]) => void,
-  isRunningTest: boolean,
+  runningState?: { testIds: Set<string>, itemSelectedByUser?: boolean },
   isWatchingFiles: boolean,
   isVisible: boolean,
   setVisibleTestIds: (testIds: string[]) => void,
   onTestSelected: (test: TestCase | undefined) => void,
-}> = ({ projects, filterText, rootSuite, runTests, isRunningTest, isWatchingFiles, isVisible, onTestSelected, setVisibleTestIds }) => {
+}> = ({ projects, filterText, rootSuite, runTests, runningState, isWatchingFiles, isVisible, onTestSelected, setVisibleTestIds }) => {
   const [treeState, setTreeState] = React.useState<TreeState>({ expandedItems: new Map() });
   const [selectedTreeItemId, setSelectedTreeItemId] = React.useState<string | undefined>();
 
@@ -239,6 +241,28 @@ export const TestList: React.FC<{
     return { rootItem, treeItemMap };
   }, [filterText, rootSuite, projects, setVisibleTestIds]);
 
+  React.useEffect(() => {
+    // Look for a first failure within the run batch to select it.
+    if (!runningState || runningState.itemSelectedByUser)
+      return;
+    let selectedTreeItem: TreeItem | undefined;
+    const visit = (treeItem: TreeItem) => {
+      if (selectedTreeItem)
+        return;
+      treeItem.children.forEach(visit);
+      if (treeItem.status === 'failed') {
+        if (treeItem.kind === 'test' && runningState.testIds.has(treeItem.test.id))
+          selectedTreeItem = treeItem;
+        else if (treeItem.kind === 'case' && runningState.testIds.has(treeItem.tests[0]?.id))
+          selectedTreeItem = treeItem;
+      }
+    };
+    visit(rootItem);
+
+    if (selectedTreeItem)
+      setSelectedTreeItemId(selectedTreeItem.id);
+  }, [runningState, setSelectedTreeItemId, rootItem]);
+
   const { selectedTreeItem } = React.useMemo(() => {
     const selectedTreeItem = selectedTreeItemId ? treeItemMap.get(selectedTreeItemId) : undefined;
     let selectedTest: TestCase | undefined;
@@ -273,7 +297,7 @@ export const TestList: React.FC<{
     render={treeItem => {
       return <div className='hbox watch-mode-list-item'>
         <div className='watch-mode-list-item-title'>{treeItem.title}</div>
-        <ToolbarButton icon='play' title='Run' onClick={() => runTreeItem(treeItem)} disabled={isRunningTest}></ToolbarButton>
+        <ToolbarButton icon='play' title='Run' onClick={() => runTreeItem(treeItem)} disabled={!!runningState}></ToolbarButton>
         <ToolbarButton icon='go-to-file' title='Open in VS Code' onClick={() => sendMessageNoReply('open', { location: locationToOpen(treeItem) })}></ToolbarButton>
       </div>;
     }}
@@ -291,6 +315,8 @@ export const TestList: React.FC<{
     selectedItem={selectedTreeItem}
     onAccepted={runTreeItem}
     onSelected={treeItem => {
+      if (runningState)
+        runningState.itemSelectedByUser = true;
       setSelectedTreeItemId(treeItem.id);
     }}
     noItemsMessage='No tests' />;
@@ -509,6 +535,7 @@ type TreeItemBase = {
   id: string;
   title: string;
   location: Location,
+  parent: TreeItem | undefined;
   children: TreeItem[];
   status: 'none' | 'running' | 'passed' | 'failed' | 'skipped';
 };
@@ -538,6 +565,7 @@ function createTree(rootSuite: Suite | undefined, projects: Map<string, boolean>
     id: 'root',
     title: '',
     location: { file: '', line: 0, column: 0 },
+    parent: undefined,
     children: [],
     status: 'none',
   };
@@ -552,6 +580,7 @@ function createTree(rootSuite: Suite | undefined, projects: Map<string, boolean>
           id: parentGroup.id + '\x1e' + title,
           title,
           location: suite.location!,
+          parent: parentGroup,
           children: [],
           status: 'none',
         };
@@ -568,6 +597,7 @@ function createTree(rootSuite: Suite | undefined, projects: Map<string, boolean>
           kind: 'case',
           id: parentGroup.id + '\x1e' + title,
           title,
+          parent: parentGroup,
           children: [],
           tests: [],
           location: test.location,
@@ -593,6 +623,7 @@ function createTree(rootSuite: Suite | undefined, projects: Map<string, boolean>
         title: projectName,
         location: test.location!,
         test,
+        parent: testCaseItem,
         children: [],
         status,
         project: projectName
@@ -751,3 +782,17 @@ function stepsToModel(result: TestResult): MultiTraceModel {
 
   return new MultiTraceModel([contextEntry]);
 }
+
+function useSetting<S>(name: string, defaultValue: S): [S, React.Dispatch<React.SetStateAction<S>>] {
+  const string = localStorage.getItem(name);
+  let value = defaultValue;
+  if (string !== null)
+    value = JSON.parse(string);
+
+  const [state, setState] = React.useState<S>(value);
+  const setStateWrapper = (value: React.SetStateAction<S>) => {
+    localStorage.setItem(name, JSON.stringify(value));
+    setState(value);
+  };
+  return [state, setStateWrapper];
+}
diff --git a/packages/web/src/components/treeView.tsx b/packages/web/src/components/treeView.tsx
index 8f96e760d4..b13d8f233a 100644
--- a/packages/web/src/components/treeView.tsx
+++ b/packages/web/src/components/treeView.tsx
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ import { ListView } from './listView';
 
 export type TreeItem = {
   id: string,
+  parent: TreeItem | undefined,
   children: TreeItem[],
 };
 
@@ -57,8 +58,10 @@ export function TreeView<T extends TreeItem>({
   noItemsMessage,
 }: TreeViewProps<T>) {
   const treeItems = React.useMemo(() => {
+    for (let item: TreeItem | undefined = selectedItem?.parent; item; item = item.parent)
+      treeState.expandedItems.set(item.id, true);
     return flattenTree<T>(rootItem, treeState.expandedItems);
-  }, [rootItem, treeState]);
+  }, [rootItem, selectedItem, treeState]);
 
   return <TreeListView
     items={[...treeItems.keys()]}
@@ -98,10 +101,18 @@ export function TreeView<T extends TreeItem>({
     }}
     onIconClicked={item => {
       const { expanded } = treeItems.get(item as T)!;
-      if (expanded)
+      if (expanded) {
+        // Move nested selection up.
+        for (let i: TreeItem | undefined = selectedItem; i; i = i.parent) {
+          if (i === item) {
+            onSelected?.(item as T);
+            break;
+          }
+        }
         treeState.expandedItems.set(item.id, false);
-      else
+      } else {
         treeState.expandedItems.set(item.id, true);
+      }
       setTreeState({ ...treeState });
     }}
     noItemsMessage={noItemsMessage} />;