diff --git a/CLAUDE.md b/CLAUDE.md
index 4b7448f1..c9cd3505 100644
--- a/CLAUDE.md
+++ b/CLAUDE.md
@@ -149,15 +149,22 @@ GetEvents() - Streaming (socket) or polling (libpod)
 - Custom commands configurable via YAML
 - Command templates use Go template syntax
 
+### GUI Features
+- **Pod expand/collapse**: Pods can be expanded/collapsed in the containers panel. State tracked in `gui.State.ExpandedPods` map
+- **Container sorting**: Controlled by `LegacySortContainers` config option:
+  - `false` (default): Sort by state (running → exited → created), then alphabetically
+  - `true`: Sort alphabetically by name only
+- **Container list items**: `ContainerListItem` wraps both pods and containers for unified list display
+
 ## Testing
 
 ```bash
 # Run all tests with coverage
 ./test.sh
 
-# Run specific package tests
-go test -mod=vendor ./pkg/commands/...
-go test -mod=vendor ./pkg/gui/...
+# Run specific package tests (requires build tags to avoid CGO dependencies)
+go test -tags=containers_image_openpgp,exclude_graphdriver_btrfs -mod=vendor ./pkg/gui/...
+go test -tags=containers_image_openpgp,exclude_graphdriver_btrfs -mod=vendor ./pkg/commands/...
 ```
 
 ## Module Info
diff --git a/pkg/gui/containers_panel.go b/pkg/gui/containers_panel.go
index fff66416..00afbc63 100644
--- a/pkg/gui/containers_panel.go
+++ b/pkg/gui/containers_panel.go
@@ -138,7 +138,7 @@ func sortContainers(a *commands.Container, b *commands.Container, legacySort boo
 // sortContainerListItems sorts items to group pods with their containers.
 // Order: pods first (sorted alphabetically), then their containers indented (sorted alphabetically),
 // then standalone containers (sorted alphabetically).
-func sortContainerListItems(a *commands.ContainerListItem, b *commands.ContainerListItem, _ bool) bool {
+func sortContainerListItems(a *commands.ContainerListItem, b *commands.ContainerListItem, legacySort bool) bool {
 	// Pods and their containers sort before standalone containers
 	aInPod := a.IsPod || a.PodID() != ""
 	bInPod := b.IsPod || b.PodID() != ""
@@ -181,8 +181,17 @@ func sortContainerListItems(a *commands.ContainerListItem, b *commands.Container
 		return a.Name() < b.Name()
 	}
 
-	// Both are standalone containers: sort alphabetically
-	return a.Name() < b.Name()
+	// Both are standalone containers
+	if legacySort {
+		return a.Name() < b.Name()
+	}
+	// Sort by state, then by name
+	stateA := containerStates[a.State()]
+	stateB := containerStates[b.State()]
+	if stateA == stateB {
+		return a.Name() < b.Name()
+	}
+	return stateA < stateB
 }
 
 // Wrapper functions that delegate to container or pod rendering
diff --git a/pkg/gui/sort_container_test.go b/pkg/gui/sort_container_test.go
index 813da1d6..794292b8 100644
--- a/pkg/gui/sort_container_test.go
+++ b/pkg/gui/sort_container_test.go
@@ -250,17 +250,17 @@ func TestSortContainerListItems(t *testing.T) {
 		return sortContainerListItems(items[i], items[j], false)
 	})
 
-	// Expected order:
+	// Expected order (with legacySort=false, sorts by state then name):
 	// 1. pod alpha (alphabetically first pod)
 	// 2.   ant (container in alpha, alphabetically first)
 	// 3.   bear (container in alpha)
 	// 4. pod beta (alphabetically second pod)
 	// 5.   xray (container in beta, alphabetically first)
 	// 6.   yak (container in beta)
-	// 7. apple (standalone, alphabetically first)
-	// 8. zebra (standalone)
+	// 7. zebra (standalone, running - state 1)
+	// 8. apple (standalone, exited - state 2)
 
-	expectedOrder := []string{"alpha", "ant", "bear", "beta", "xray", "yak", "apple", "zebra"}
+	expectedOrder := []string{"alpha", "ant", "bear", "beta", "xray", "yak", "zebra", "apple"}
 
 	assert.Equal(t, len(expectedOrder), len(items))
 	for i, item := range items {