diff --git a/.nextchanges/cli/ssh-connect-stable-ide-authority.md b/.nextchanges/cli/ssh-connect-stable-ide-authority.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..318341fd083
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.nextchanges/cli/ssh-connect-stable-ide-authority.md
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+* Stop `databricks ssh connect --ide` from adding a duplicate entry to the IDE's Remote Explorer on every connect: the remote authority is now the SSH host alias alone, instead of embedding the per-instance remote OS user. ([#6550](https://github.com/databricks/cli/pull/6550))
diff --git a/experimental/ssh/internal/client/client.go b/experimental/ssh/internal/client/client.go
index 031bbd4d7af..a46cfd4b7e7 100644
--- a/experimental/ssh/internal/client/client.go
+++ b/experimental/ssh/internal/client/client.go
@@ -476,7 +476,7 @@ func runIDE(ctx context.Context, client *databricks.WorkspaceClient, userName, k
 		return fmt.Errorf("failed to ensure SSH config entry: %w", err)
 	}
 
-	return vscode.LaunchIDE(ctx, opts.IDE, connectionName, userName, currentUser.UserName)
+	return vscode.LaunchIDE(ctx, opts.IDE, connectionName, currentUser.UserName)
 }
 
 func ensureSSHConfigEntry(ctx context.Context, configPath, hostName, userName, keyPath string, serverPort int, clusterID string, opts ClientOptions) error {
diff --git a/experimental/ssh/internal/vscode/run.go b/experimental/ssh/internal/vscode/run.go
index db52cff9f5d..e28302c349d 100644
--- a/experimental/ssh/internal/vscode/run.go
+++ b/experimental/ssh/internal/vscode/run.go
@@ -170,18 +170,30 @@ func CheckIDESSHExtension(ctx context.Context, option string, autoApprove bool)
 	return nil
 }
 
+// remoteLaunchArgs builds the arguments that open a remote window on the tunnel
+// host at the user's workspace home folder.
+//
+// The remote authority is the SSH host alias alone, without a "<user>@" prefix.
+// The host config the CLI writes for the connection already carries a User
+// directive (see sshconfig.GenerateHostConfig), and on serverless the remote OS
+// user is a fresh per-instance name (spark-<uuid>), so including it would give
+// every connect a different authority. VS Code keys the "previously opened
+// folders" it lists under a host by URI, so a per-connect authority added a
+// duplicate row to the Remote Explorer on every `ssh connect --ide`.
+func remoteLaunchArgs(ide ideDescriptor, connectionName, databricksUserName string) []string {
+	// Format: ssh-remote+<connection_name> /Workspace/Users/<databricks_user_name>/
+	remoteURI := "ssh-remote+" + connectionName
+	remotePath := fmt.Sprintf("/Workspace/Users/%s/", databricksUserName)
+	return append(append([]string{}, ide.LaunchArgs...), "--remote", remoteURI, remotePath)
+}
+
 // LaunchIDE launches the IDE with a remote SSH connection using special "ssh-remote" URI format.
-func LaunchIDE(ctx context.Context, ideOption, connectionName, userName, databricksUserName string) error {
+func LaunchIDE(ctx context.Context, ideOption, connectionName, databricksUserName string) error {
 	ide := getIDE(ideOption)
+	args := remoteLaunchArgs(ide, connectionName, databricksUserName)
 
-	// Construct the remote SSH URI
-	// Format: ssh-remote+<server_user_name>@<connection_name> /Workspace/Users/<databricks_user_name>/
-	remoteURI := fmt.Sprintf("ssh-remote+%s@%s", userName, connectionName)
-	remotePath := fmt.Sprintf("/Workspace/Users/%s/", databricksUserName)
-
-	log.Infof(ctx, "Launching %s with remote URI: %s and path: %s", ideOption, remoteURI, remotePath)
+	log.Infof(ctx, "Launching %s with args: %v", ideOption, args)
 
-	args := append(append([]string{}, ide.LaunchArgs...), "--remote", remoteURI, remotePath)
 	ideCmd := exec.CommandContext(ctx, ide.Command, args...)
 	ideCmd.Stdout = os.Stdout
 	ideCmd.Stderr = os.Stderr
diff --git a/experimental/ssh/internal/vscode/run_test.go b/experimental/ssh/internal/vscode/run_test.go
index 2a33b7b3828..e4c33c290dc 100644
--- a/experimental/ssh/internal/vscode/run_test.go
+++ b/experimental/ssh/internal/vscode/run_test.go
@@ -308,6 +308,36 @@ func TestCheckIDESSHExtension_AutoApproveMissing_Installs(t *testing.T) {
 	assert.NoError(t, err)
 }
 
+// The authority must be the host alias alone. The remote OS user is a fresh
+// spark-<uuid> on every serverless instance, so a "<user>@" prefix would give each
+// connect a different authority and VS Code would remember a separate
+// previously-opened folder for each one.
+func TestRemoteLaunchArgs(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		name string
+		ide  string
+		want []string
+	}{
+		{
+			name: "vscode",
+			ide:  VSCodeOption,
+			want: []string{"--remote", "ssh-remote+databricks-cpu-7f189c39", "/Workspace/Users/me@example.com/"},
+		},
+		{
+			name: "cursor keeps its launch args first",
+			ide:  CursorOption,
+			want: []string{"--classic", "--remote", "ssh-remote+databricks-cpu-7f189c39", "/Workspace/Users/me@example.com/"},
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			args := remoteLaunchArgs(getIDE(tt.ide), "databricks-cpu-7f189c39", "me@example.com")
+			assert.Equal(t, tt.want, args)
+		})
+	}
+}
+
 func TestCheckIDESSHExtension_NoPrompt_WithoutAutoApprove_Errors(t *testing.T) {
 	tmpDir := t.TempDir()
 	t.Setenv("PATH", tmpDir)