diff --git a/app/packages/state/src/recoil/sidebar.ts b/app/packages/state/src/recoil/sidebar/index.ts
similarity index 97%
rename from app/packages/state/src/recoil/sidebar.ts
rename to app/packages/state/src/recoil/sidebar/index.ts
index d92783dbdd..aa5eed3ce1 100644
--- a/app/packages/state/src/recoil/sidebar.ts
+++ b/app/packages/state/src/recoil/sidebar/index.ts
@@ -35,17 +35,17 @@ import {
   useRecoilStateLoadable,
   useRecoilValueLoadable,
 } from "recoil";
-import { collapseFields, getCurrentEnvironment } from "../utils";
-import * as atoms from "./atoms";
-import { getBrowserStorageEffectForKey } from "./customEffects";
+import { collapseFields, getCurrentEnvironment } from "../../utils";
+import * as atoms from "../atoms";
+import { getBrowserStorageEffectForKey } from "../customEffects";
 import {
   active3dSlices,
   active3dSlicesToSampleMap,
   activeModalSidebarSample,
   pinned3DSampleSlice,
-} from "./groups";
-import { isLargeVideo } from "./options";
-import { cumulativeValues, values } from "./pathData";
+} from "../groups";
+import { isLargeVideo } from "../options";
+import { cumulativeValues, values } from "../pathData";
 import {
   buildSchema,
   field,
@@ -54,23 +54,24 @@ import {
   filterPaths,
   isOfDocumentFieldList,
   pathIsShown,
-} from "./schema";
-import { isFieldVisibilityActive } from "./schemaSettings.atoms";
+} from "../schema";
+import { isFieldVisibilityActive } from "../schemaSettings.atoms";
 import {
   datasetName,
   disableFrameFiltering,
   isVideoDataset,
   stateSubscription,
-} from "./selectors";
-import { State } from "./types";
+} from "../selectors";
+import { State } from "../types";
 import {
   fieldsMatcher,
   groupFilter,
   labelsMatcher,
   primitivesMatcher,
   unsupportedMatcher,
-} from "./utils";
-import * as viewAtoms from "./view";
+} from "../utils";
+import * as viewAtoms from "../view";
+import { mergeGroups } from "./sidebar-utils";
 
 export enum EntryKind {
   EMPTY = "EMPTY",
@@ -211,6 +212,10 @@ export const resolveGroups = (
     ? DEFAULT_VIDEO_GROUPS
     : DEFAULT_IMAGE_GROUPS;
 
+  if (currentGroups.length && configGroups.length) {
+    groups = mergeGroups(groups, configGroups);
+  }
+
   const expanded = configGroups.reduce((map, { name, expanded }) => {
     map[name] = expanded;
     return map;
diff --git a/app/packages/state/src/recoil/sidebar/sidebar-utils.test.ts b/app/packages/state/src/recoil/sidebar/sidebar-utils.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..5716e01cef
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/packages/state/src/recoil/sidebar/sidebar-utils.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+import { describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
+
+vi.mock("recoil");
+vi.mock("recoil-relay");
+
+import { merge, mergeGroups } from "./sidebar-utils";
+
+describe("test sidebar groups resolution", () => {
+  it("test list merge", () => {
+    expect(merge([], ["one", "two"])).toStrictEqual(["one", "two"]);
+  });
+
+  it("merges current and config groups", () => {
+    expect(
+      mergeGroups(
+        [
+          { name: "one", paths: ["one.one", "one.three"] },
+          { name: "three", paths: [] },
+        ],
+
+        [
+          { name: "zero", paths: [] },
+          {
+            name: "one",
+            paths: ["one.zero", "one.one", "one.two"],
+          },
+          { name: "two", paths: [] },
+        ]
+      )
+    ).toStrictEqual([
+      { name: "zero", paths: [] },
+      { name: "one", paths: ["one.zero", "one.one", "one.two", "one.three"] },
+      { name: "two", paths: [] },
+      { name: "three", paths: [] },
+    ]);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/app/packages/state/src/recoil/sidebar/sidebar-utils.ts b/app/packages/state/src/recoil/sidebar/sidebar-utils.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..9459110749
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/packages/state/src/recoil/sidebar/sidebar-utils.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,89 @@
+import type { State } from "../types";
+
+const hasNeighbor = (sink: string[], source: string[], key: string) => {
+  const index = source.indexOf(key);
+  const before = source[index - 1];
+  const after = source[index + 1];
+
+  return sink.includes(before) || sink.includes(after);
+};
+
+const insertFromNeighbor = (sink: string[], source: string[], key: string) => {
+  if (sink.includes(key)) {
+    return;
+  }
+
+  const sourceIndex = source.indexOf(key);
+  const before = source[sourceIndex - 1];
+  const beforeIndex = sink.indexOf(before);
+
+  if (beforeIndex >= 0) {
+    sink.splice(beforeIndex + 1, 0, key);
+    return;
+  }
+
+  const after = source[sourceIndex + 1];
+  const afterIndex = sink.indexOf(after);
+
+  if (afterIndex >= 0) {
+    sink.splice(afterIndex, 0, key);
+    return;
+  }
+
+  sink.push(key);
+  return;
+};
+
+export const merge = (sink: string[], source: string[]) => {
+  const missing = new Set(source.filter((key) => !sink.includes(key)));
+
+  while (missing.size) {
+    const force = [...missing].every(
+      (name) => !hasNeighbor(sink, source, name)
+    );
+    for (const name of missing) {
+      if (!force && !hasNeighbor(sink, source, name)) {
+        continue;
+      }
+
+      insertFromNeighbor(sink, source, name);
+
+      missing.delete(name);
+    }
+  }
+
+  return sink;
+};
+
+export const mergeGroups = (
+  sink: State.SidebarGroup[],
+  source: State.SidebarGroup[]
+) => {
+  // make copies, assume readonly
+  const mapping = Object.fromEntries(sink.map((g) => [g.name, { ...g }]));
+  const configMapping = Object.fromEntries(
+    source.map((g) => [g.name, { ...g }])
+  );
+
+  const sinkKeys = sink.map(({ name }) => name);
+  const sourceKeys = source.map(({ name }) => name);
+
+  merge(sinkKeys, sourceKeys);
+
+  for (const key of sinkKeys) {
+    mapping[key] = mapping[key] ?? configMapping[key];
+  }
+  const resolved = sinkKeys.map((g) => mapping[g] ?? configMapping[g]);
+  for (const { name } of resolved) {
+    const i = sourceKeys.indexOf(name);
+    if (i < 0) {
+      continue;
+    }
+
+    // make copies, assume readonly
+    mapping[name].paths = [...(mapping[name].paths ?? [])];
+    merge(mapping[name].paths, [...source[i].paths]);
+  }
+
+  return resolved;
+};
diff --git a/fiftyone/core/state.py b/fiftyone/core/state.py
index 5f466b7ddd..b6e82b37b4 100644
--- a/fiftyone/core/state.py
+++ b/fiftyone/core/state.py
@@ -97,7 +97,9 @@ def serialize(self, reflective=True):
 
             if self.dataset is not None:
                 d["dataset"] = self.dataset.name
-                collection = self.dataset
+                collection = fo.Dataset(
+                    self.dataset.name, _create=False, _force_load=True
+                )
                 if self.view is not None:
                     collection = self.view