diff --git a/craft/src/state/PageContext.tsx b/craft/src/state/PageContext.tsx
index 1bf67df..9b73e15 100644
--- a/craft/src/state/PageContext.tsx
+++ b/craft/src/state/PageContext.tsx
@@ -325,6 +325,24 @@ export const PageProvider: React.FC<{ children: ReactNode }> = ({ children }) =>
       for (const child of node.nodes ?? []) {
         childIds.push(walk(child, id));
       }
+      // ColumnLayout uses Craft.js linkedNodes with fixed ids (col-0, col-1, ...).
+      // The AI emits children as direct `nodes`, but ColumnLayout's render ignores
+      // them and creates fresh column Elements — the AI's children become orphans
+      // and any subsequent toNodeTree walk hits an Invariant. Move direct children
+      // into linkedNodes so they render in the columns the user actually sees.
+      if (typeName === 'ColumnLayout' && childIds.length > 0) {
+        const linked: Record<string, string> = {};
+        childIds.forEach((cid, i) => {
+          linked[`col-${i}`] = cid;
+          if (nodes[cid]) (nodes[cid] as any).isCanvas = true; // columns are canvases
+        });
+        (nodes[id] as any).nodes = [];
+        (nodes[id] as any).linkedNodes = linked;
+        // Reflect the actual column count on the component so its render matches.
+        const cur = (nodes[id] as any).props || {};
+        if (!cur.columns || cur.columns !== childIds.length) cur.columns = childIds.length;
+        (nodes[id] as any).props = cur;
+      }
       return id;
     };
     const rootId = walk(tree, null);
diff --git a/craft/src/utils/apply-ai-response.ts b/craft/src/utils/apply-ai-response.ts
index 260e78d..99aadab 100644
--- a/craft/src/utils/apply-ai-response.ts
+++ b/craft/src/utils/apply-ai-response.ts
@@ -86,6 +86,20 @@ function buildNodeTree(query: any, tree: SerializedTreeNode): NodeTree {
       const childId = walk(child, id);
       craftNodes[id].data.nodes.push(childId);
     }
+    // ColumnLayout uses linkedNodes (col-0, col-1, ...) — not direct children.
+    if (node.type.resolvedName === 'ColumnLayout' && craftNodes[id].data.nodes.length > 0) {
+      const linked: Record<string, string> = {};
+      craftNodes[id].data.nodes.forEach((cid: string, i: number) => {
+        linked[`col-${i}`] = cid;
+        if (craftNodes[cid]) craftNodes[cid].data.isCanvas = true;
+      });
+      craftNodes[id].data.nodes = [];
+      craftNodes[id].data.linkedNodes = linked;
+      const colCount = Object.keys(linked).length;
+      if (!craftNodes[id].data.props.columns || craftNodes[id].data.props.columns !== colCount) {
+        craftNodes[id].data.props.columns = colCount;
+      }
+    }
     return id;
   };