diff --git a/frontend/src/components/TabManager.recent.test.ts b/frontend/src/components/TabManager.recent.test.ts
index 9ebf1db6..f359472b 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/TabManager.recent.test.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/components/TabManager.recent.test.ts
@@ -1,9 +1,12 @@
+import React from 'react';
+import { renderToStaticMarkup } from 'react-dom/server';
 import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest';
 
 import {
   buildPinnedTableShortcuts,
   buildRecentConnectionShortcuts,
   buildRecentSQLFileShortcuts,
+  RecentConnectionShortcutItem,
 } from './TabManager';
 import type { ExternalSQLDirectory, SavedConnection } from '../types';
 
@@ -20,6 +23,38 @@ const connection = (id: string, type: string): SavedConnection => ({
 });
 
 describe('recent workbench shortcuts', () => {
+  it('renders recent connections with the same database identity as the sidebar tree', () => {
+    const mysqlConnection = connection('mysql-1', 'mysql');
+    const customizedConnection: SavedConnection = {
+      ...connection('customized-1', 'mysql'),
+      iconType: 'postgres',
+      iconColor: '#2f855a',
+    };
+    const [mysqlShortcut, customizedShortcut] = buildRecentConnectionShortcuts([
+      mysqlConnection,
+      customizedConnection,
+    ], [
+      { connectionId: 'mysql-1', dbName: 'orders', openedAt: 2 },
+      { connectionId: 'customized-1', dbName: 'reporting', openedAt: 1 },
+    ]);
+
+    const mysqlMarkup = renderToStaticMarkup(React.createElement(RecentConnectionShortcutItem, {
+      shortcut: mysqlShortcut,
+      onOpen: () => undefined,
+    }));
+    const customizedMarkup = renderToStaticMarkup(React.createElement(RecentConnectionShortcutItem, {
+      shortcut: customizedShortcut,
+      onOpen: () => undefined,
+    }));
+
+    expect(mysqlMarkup).toContain('data-db-icon-frame="true"');
+    expect(mysqlMarkup).toContain('/db-icons/mysql.svg');
+    expect(customizedMarkup).toContain('/db-icons/postgres.svg');
+    expect(customizedMarkup).toContain('#2f855a');
+    expect(mysqlMarkup).not.toContain('anticon-database');
+    expect(customizedMarkup).not.toContain('anticon-database');
+  });
+
   it('only offers connections that can open the SQL query editor', () => {
     const shortcuts = buildRecentConnectionShortcuts([
       connection('redis-1', 'redis'),
diff --git a/frontend/src/components/TabManager.tsx b/frontend/src/components/TabManager.tsx
index d6fa8efb..aacc273e 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/TabManager.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/components/TabManager.tsx
@@ -54,6 +54,8 @@ import { useWorkbenchTabs } from '../hooks/useWorkbenchTabs';
 import { resolveConnectionEnvironmentPresentation } from '../utils/connectionEnvironment';
 import { createSidebarResizeAwareFrameScheduler } from '../utils/sidebarResizeLifecycle';
 import { QUERY_TAB_RENAME_REQUEST_EVENT } from '../utils/queryTabTitle';
+import { getDbIcon } from './DatabaseIcons';
+import { resolveConnectionAccentColor, resolveConnectionIconType } from '../utils/connectionVisual';
 
 const getTabKindLabel = (tab: TabData): string => {
   if (tab.type === 'query') return t('tab_manager.kind_badge.query');
@@ -117,7 +119,7 @@ export const resolveV2WorkbenchTabWidth = (availableWidth: number, tabCount: num
   );
 };
 
-type RecentConnectionShortcut = {
+export type RecentConnectionShortcut = {
   connection: SavedConnection;
   dbName?: string;
 };
@@ -172,6 +174,28 @@ export const buildRecentConnectionShortcuts = (
   return result;
 };
 
+export const RecentConnectionShortcutItem: React.FC<{
+  shortcut: RecentConnectionShortcut;
+  onOpen: (shortcut: RecentConnectionShortcut) => void;
+}> = ({ shortcut, onOpen }) => (
+  <button
+    type="button"
+    className="gn-v2-empty-recent-item"
+    onClick={() => onOpen(shortcut)}
+  >
+    {getDbIcon(
+      resolveConnectionIconType(shortcut.connection),
+      resolveConnectionAccentColor(shortcut.connection),
+      22,
+    )}
+    <span>
+      <strong title={shortcut.connection.name}>{shortcut.connection.name}</strong>
+      <small>{shortcut.dbName || t('tab_manager.empty.recent.connection.default_database')}</small>
+    </span>
+    <RightOutlined className="gn-v2-empty-recent-arrow" />
+  </button>
+);
+
 export const buildPinnedTableShortcuts = (
   connections: SavedConnection[],
   pinnedTableKeys: string[],
@@ -1573,19 +1597,11 @@ const TabManager: React.FC<TabManagerProps> = React.memo<TabManagerProps>(({ onF
           {recentConnectionShortcuts.length > 0 ? (
             <div className="gn-v2-empty-recent-list">
               {recentConnectionShortcuts.map((shortcut) => (
-                <button
+                <RecentConnectionShortcutItem
                   key={`${shortcut.connection.id}::${shortcut.dbName || ''}`}
-                  type="button"
-                  className="gn-v2-empty-recent-item"
-                  onClick={() => handleOpenRecentConnection(shortcut)}
-                >
-                  <DatabaseOutlined />
-                  <span>
-                    <strong title={shortcut.connection.name}>{shortcut.connection.name}</strong>
-                    <small>{shortcut.dbName || t('tab_manager.empty.recent.connection.default_database')}</small>
-                  </span>
-                  <RightOutlined className="gn-v2-empty-recent-arrow" />
-                </button>
+                  shortcut={shortcut}
+                  onOpen={handleOpenRecentConnection}
+                />
               ))}
             </div>
           ) : (