diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 16ac87231..5263c8af5 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 # Changelog
 
-## version 2.52.0 - 2024/02/09
-
+* Bugfix: Restore the intended behaviour when hovering or clicking on terminal branches. ([#1753](https://github.com/nextstrain/auspice/pull/1753))
 
+## version 2.52.0 - 2024/02/09
 
 * Sidebar filtering now contains all non-continuous metadata defined across the tree (i.e. all data within `node.node_attrs`). The traits listed in `meta.filters` are now only used to determine which filters to list in the footer of the page. ([#1743](https://github.com/nextstrain/auspice/pull/1743))
 * The interaction between strain-selected modals and the corresponding strain-filter has been improved. We now preserve the strain filter state present before the node was clicked. ([#1749](https://github.com/nextstrain/auspice/issues/1749))
diff --git a/src/components/tree/infoPanels/click.js b/src/components/tree/infoPanels/click.js
index eefb5148a..dc21c7281 100644
--- a/src/components/tree/infoPanels/click.js
+++ b/src/components/tree/infoPanels/click.js
@@ -247,31 +247,33 @@ const NodeClickedPanel = ({selectedNode, nodes, clearSelectedNode, colorings, ob
   const panelStyle = { ...infoPanelStyles.panel};
   panelStyle.maxHeight = "70%";
   const isTerminal = !node.hasChildren;
-  const title = isTerminal ?
+  const isTip = !selectedNode.isBranch;
+
+  const title = isTip ?
     node.name :
     isTerminal ?
       `Branch leading to ${node.name}` :
       "Internal branch";
 
   return (
-    <div style={infoPanelStyles.modalContainer} onClick={() => clearSelectedNode(selectedNode, isTerminal)}>
+    <div style={infoPanelStyles.modalContainer} onClick={() => clearSelectedNode(selectedNode)}>
       <div className={"panel"} style={panelStyle} onClick={(e) => stopProp(e)}>
         <StrainName>{title}</StrainName>
         <table>
           <tbody>
-            {!isTerminal && item(t("Number of terminal tips"), node.fullTipCount)}
-            {isTerminal && <VaccineInfo node={node} t={t}/>}
+            {!isTip && item(t("Number of terminal tips"), node.fullTipCount)}
+            {isTip && <VaccineInfo node={node} t={t}/>}
             <SampleDate isTerminal={isTerminal} node={node} t={t}/>
-            {!isTerminal && item("Node name", node.name)}
-            {isTerminal && <PublicationInfo node={node} t={t}/>}
+            {!isTip && item("Node name", node.name)}
+            {isTip && <PublicationInfo node={node} t={t}/>}
             {getTraitsToDisplay(node).map((trait) => (
               <Trait node={node} trait={trait} colorings={colorings} key={trait} isTerminal={isTerminal}/>
             ))}
-            {isTerminal && <AccessionAndUrl node={node}/>}
+            {isTip && <AccessionAndUrl node={node}/>}
             {item("", "")}
           </tbody>
         </table>
-        <MutationTable node={node} geneSortFn={geneSortFn} isTip={isTerminal} observedMutations={observedMutations}/>
+        <MutationTable node={node} geneSortFn={geneSortFn} isTip={isTip} observedMutations={observedMutations}/>
         <p style={infoPanelStyles.comment}>
           {t("Click outside this box to go back to the tree")}
         </p>
diff --git a/src/components/tree/infoPanels/hover.js b/src/components/tree/infoPanels/hover.js
index 393c36bbc..1812bea7c 100644
--- a/src/components/tree/infoPanels/hover.js
+++ b/src/components/tree/infoPanels/hover.js
@@ -402,11 +402,12 @@ const HoverInfoPanel = ({
   t
 }) => {
   if (!selectedNode) return null
-  const node = selectedNode.n;
+  const node = selectedNode.node.n; // want the redux node, not the phylo node
   const idxOfInViewRootNode = getIdxOfInViewRootNode(node);
+
   return (
     <Container node={node} panelDims={panelDims}>
-      {node.hasChildren===false ? (
+      {selectedNode.isBranch===false ? (
         <>
           <StrainName name={node.name}/>
           <VaccineInfo node={node} t={t}/>
diff --git a/src/components/tree/reactD3Interface/callbacks.js b/src/components/tree/reactD3Interface/callbacks.js
index dbd13f7d0..139bfdadc 100644
--- a/src/components/tree/reactD3Interface/callbacks.js
+++ b/src/components/tree/reactD3Interface/callbacks.js
@@ -13,7 +13,9 @@ export const onTipHover = function onTipHover(d) {
     this.state.treeToo;
   phylotree.svg.select("#"+getDomId("tip", d.n.name))
     .attr("r", (e) => e["r"] + 4);
-  this.setState({hoveredNode: d});
+  this.setState({
+    hoveredNode: {node: d, isBranch: false}
+  });
 };
 
 export const onTipClick = function onTipClick(d) {
@@ -22,7 +24,7 @@ export const onTipClick = function onTipClick(d) {
   /* The order of these two dispatches is important: the reducer handling
   `SELECT_NODE` must have access to the filtering state _prior_ to these filters
   being applied */
-  this.props.dispatch({type: SELECT_NODE, name: d.n.name, idx: d.n.arrayIdx});
+  this.props.dispatch({type: SELECT_NODE, name: d.n.name, idx: d.n.arrayIdx, isBranch: false});
   this.props.dispatch(applyFilter("add", strainSymbol, [d.n.name]));
 };
 
@@ -46,7 +48,9 @@ export const onBranchHover = function onBranchHover(d) {
   }
 
   /* Set the hovered state so that an info box can be displayed */
-  this.setState({hoveredNode: d});
+  this.setState({
+    hoveredNode: {node: d, isBranch: true}
+  });
 };
 
 export const onBranchClick = function onBranchClick(d) {
@@ -56,7 +60,7 @@ export const onBranchClick = function onBranchClick(d) {
   /* if a branch was clicked while holding the shift key, we instead display a node-clicked modal */
   if (window.event.shiftKey) {
     // no need to dispatch a filter action
-    this.props.dispatch({type: SELECT_NODE, name: d.n.name, idx: d.n.arrayIdx})
+    this.props.dispatch({type: SELECT_NODE, name: d.n.name, idx: d.n.arrayIdx, isBranch: true})
     return;
   }
 
@@ -120,8 +124,8 @@ export const onTipLeave = function onTipLeave(d) {
 };
 
 /* clearSelectedNode when clicking to remove the node-selected modal */
-export const clearSelectedNode = function clearSelectedNode(selectedNode, isTerminal) {
-  if (isTerminal) {
+export const clearSelectedNode = function clearSelectedNode(selectedNode) {
+  if (!selectedNode.isBranch) {
     /* perform the filtering action (if necessary) that will restore the
     filtering state of the node prior to the selection */
     if (!selectedNode.existingFilterState) {
diff --git a/src/components/tree/tree.js b/src/components/tree/tree.js
index 2020657dd..f91040fa4 100644
--- a/src/components/tree/tree.js
+++ b/src/components/tree/tree.js
@@ -44,10 +44,7 @@ class Tree extends React.Component {
     /* pressing the escape key should dismiss an info modal (if one exists) */
     this.handlekeydownEvent = (event) => {
       if (event.key==="Escape" && this.props.selectedNode) {
-        this.clearSelectedNode(
-          this.props.selectedNode,
-          !this.props.tree.nodes[this.props.selectedNode.idx].hasChildren
-        );
+        this.clearSelectedNode(this.props.selectedNode);
       }
     };
   }
diff --git a/src/reducers/controls.ts b/src/reducers/controls.ts
index 503c8ded5..ca4024447 100644
--- a/src/reducers/controls.ts
+++ b/src/reducers/controls.ts
@@ -238,7 +238,7 @@ const Controls = (state: ControlsState = getDefaultControlsState(), action): Con
       const existingFilterInfo = (state.filters?.[strainSymbol]||[]).find((info) => info.value===action.name);
       const existingFilterState = existingFilterInfo === undefined ? null :
         existingFilterInfo.active ? 'active' : 'inactive';
-      return {...state, selectedNode: {name: action.name, idx: action.idx, existingFilterState}};
+      return {...state, selectedNode: {name: action.name, idx: action.idx, existingFilterState, isBranch: action.isBranch}};
     }
     case types.DESELECT_NODE: {
       return {...state, selectedNode: null}