diff --git a/packages/react/src/SelectPanel/examples/RefPickerV1.module.css b/packages/react/src/SelectPanel/examples/RefPickerV1.module.css
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..58a3385e016
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/react/src/SelectPanel/examples/RefPickerV1.module.css
@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+.TabList {
+  display: flex;
+  gap: var(--base-size-4, 4px);
+  padding: 0 var(--base-size-8, var(--base-size-8));
+  border-bottom: var(--borderWidth-thin, var(--borderWidth-thin)) solid var(--borderColor-default, #d1d9e0);
+}
+
+.Tab {
+  appearance: none;
+  display: inline-flex;
+  align-items: center;
+  gap: var(--base-size-6, 6px);
+  padding: var(--base-size-8, var(--base-size-8)) var(--base-size-8, var(--base-size-8));
+  margin-bottom: -1px;
+  border: 0;
+  border-bottom: var(--borderWidth-thick, var(--borderWidth-thick)) solid transparent;
+  background-color: transparent;
+  color: var(--fgColor-muted, #59636e);
+  font: inherit;
+  font-size: var(--text-body-size-small, 12px);
+  font-weight: var(--base-text-weight-medium, 500);
+  line-height: var(--base-text-lineHeight-normal);
+  cursor: pointer;
+}
+
+.Tab:hover {
+  color: var(--fgColor-default, #1f2328);
+}
+
+.Tab[aria-selected='true'] {
+  color: var(--fgColor-default, #1f2328);
+  border-bottom-color: var(--underlineNav-borderColor-active, #fd8c73);
+  font-weight: var(--base-text-weight-semibold, 600);
+}
+
+.Tab:focus-visible {
+  outline: var(--borderWidth-thick, 2px) solid var(--focus-outlineColor, #0969da);
+  outline-offset: -2px;
+  border-radius: var(--borderRadius-small, var(--borderRadius-small));
+}
+
+.Count {
+  color: var(--fgColor-muted, #59636e);
+  font-weight: var(--base-text-weight-normal, 400);
+}
diff --git a/packages/react/src/SelectPanel/examples/RefPickerV1.stories.tsx b/packages/react/src/SelectPanel/examples/RefPickerV1.stories.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..3d3a5fcbba7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/react/src/SelectPanel/examples/RefPickerV1.stories.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+import type {Meta, StoryObj} from '@storybook/react-vite'
+import {RefPickerV1} from './RefPickerV1'
+import {branches, tags} from './refPickerMockData'
+
+const meta = {
+  title: 'Components/SelectPanel/Examples/RefPickerV1',
+  component: RefPickerV1,
+} satisfies Meta<typeof RefPickerV1>
+
+export default meta
+
+type Story = StoryObj<typeof RefPickerV1>
+
+export const Default: Story = {
+  args: {
+    branches,
+    tags,
+    initialSelection: {type: 'branches', name: 'main'},
+  },
+}
+
+export const StartOnTags: Story = {
+  args: {
+    branches,
+    tags,
+    initialTab: 'tags',
+    initialSelection: {type: 'tags', name: 'v2.0.0'},
+  },
+}
+
+export const NoInitialSelection: Story = {
+  args: {
+    branches,
+    tags,
+  },
+}
diff --git a/packages/react/src/SelectPanel/examples/RefPickerV1.tsx b/packages/react/src/SelectPanel/examples/RefPickerV1.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..c8a3b01cdee
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/react/src/SelectPanel/examples/RefPickerV1.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,168 @@
+import type React from 'react'
+import {useMemo, useRef, useState} from 'react'
+import {GitBranchIcon, TagIcon, TriangleDownIcon} from '@primer/octicons-react'
+import {Button} from '../../Button'
+import {Tabs, useTab, useTabList} from '../../experimental'
+import type {ItemInput} from '../../FilteredActionList'
+import {SelectPanel} from '../SelectPanel'
+import classes from './RefPickerV1.module.css'
+
+type RefType = 'branches' | 'tags'
+
+export type RefSelection = {
+  type: RefType
+  name: string
+}
+
+export type RefPickerV1Props = {
+  /** Branch names to show in the "Branches" tab. */
+  branches: string[]
+  /** Tag names to show in the "Tags" tab. */
+  tags: string[]
+  /** Tab shown when the panel first opens. */
+  initialTab?: RefType
+  /** Pre-selected ref. */
+  initialSelection?: RefSelection
+  /** Called whenever the user picks a ref. */
+  onSelect?: (selection: RefSelection) => void
+}
+
+// Encode the tab into the item id so we can recover it from a selected item
+// without keeping a parallel lookup table.
+const makeId = (type: RefType, name: string) => `${type}:${name}`
+const tabFromId = (id: string): RefType => (id.startsWith('tags:') ? 'tags' : 'branches')
+const nameFromId = (id: string) => id.slice(id.indexOf(':') + 1)
+
+const toItem = (type: RefType, name: string): ItemInput => ({
+  id: makeId(type, name),
+  text: name,
+  leadingVisual: type === 'branches' ? GitBranchIcon : TagIcon,
+})
+
+const filterNames = (names: string[], query: string) => {
+  const q = query.trim().toLowerCase()
+  if (q === '') return names
+  return names.filter(name => name.toLowerCase().includes(q))
+}
+
+/**
+ * A single tab button wired up with the headless `useTab` hook so we get correct
+ * `role="tab"`, `aria-selected`, roving tabindex and activation behaviour.
+ */
+function RefTab({
+  value,
+  icon: Icon,
+  label,
+  count,
+}: {
+  value: RefType
+  icon: React.ElementType
+  label: string
+  count: number
+}) {
+  const {tabProps} = useTab({value})
+  return (
+    <button type="button" {...tabProps} className={classes.Tab}>
+      <Icon size={16} />
+      {label} <span className={classes.Count}>({count})</span>
+    </button>
+  )
+}
+
+/**
+ * Tablist rendered into the stable SelectPanel's `subtitle` slot. The stable
+ * SelectPanel exposes no general content slot between its header and its
+ * filtered list, so the tabs live in the only ReactElement slot available.
+ */
+function RefTabs({
+  activeTab,
+  onTabChange,
+  branchCount,
+  tagCount,
+}: {
+  activeTab: RefType
+  onTabChange: (tab: RefType) => void
+  branchCount: number
+  tagCount: number
+}) {
+  const {tabListProps} = useTabList<HTMLDivElement>({'aria-label': 'Reference type'})
+  return (
+    <Tabs value={activeTab} onValueChange={({value}) => onTabChange(value as RefType)}>
+      {/* @ts-expect-error tabListProps.ref is typed as RefObject<HTMLDivElement | null> */}
+      <div {...tabListProps} className={classes.TabList}>
+        <RefTab value="branches" icon={GitBranchIcon} label="Branches" count={branchCount} />
+        <RefTab value="tags" icon={TagIcon} label="Tags" count={tagCount} />
+      </div>
+    </Tabs>
+  )
+}
+
+export function RefPickerV1({branches, tags, initialTab = 'branches', initialSelection, onSelect}: RefPickerV1Props) {
+  const [open, setOpen] = useState(false)
+  const [filter, setFilter] = useState('')
+  const [activeTab, setActiveTab] = useState<RefType>(initialTab)
+  const [selected, setSelected] = useState<ItemInput | undefined>(() =>
+    initialSelection ? toItem(initialSelection.type, initialSelection.name) : undefined,
+  )
+  const anchorRef = useRef<HTMLButtonElement>(null)
+
+  const filteredBranches = useMemo(() => filterNames(branches, filter), [branches, filter])
+  const filteredTags = useMemo(() => filterNames(tags, filter), [tags, filter])
+
+  const activeNames = activeTab === 'branches' ? filteredBranches : filteredTags
+  const items = useMemo(() => activeNames.map(name => toItem(activeTab, name)), [activeNames, activeTab])
+
+  const handleSelectedChange = (item: ItemInput | undefined) => {
+    setSelected(item)
+    if (item && typeof item.id === 'string') {
+      onSelect?.({type: tabFromId(item.id), name: nameFromId(item.id)})
+    }
+  }
+
+  const buttonLabel = selected?.text ?? (activeTab === 'tags' ? 'Select a tag' : 'Select a branch')
+  const ButtonIcon =
+    selected && typeof selected.id === 'string' && tabFromId(selected.id) === 'tags' ? TagIcon : GitBranchIcon
+
+  const tabs = (
+    <RefTabs
+      activeTab={activeTab}
+      onTabChange={setActiveTab}
+      branchCount={filteredBranches.length}
+      tagCount={filteredTags.length}
+    />
+  )
+
+  const noResults =
+    activeNames.length === 0
+      ? {
+          variant: 'empty' as const,
+          title: `No ${activeTab} found`,
+          body: filter ? `No ${activeTab} match “${filter}”.` : `There are no ${activeTab} to show.`,
+        }
+      : undefined
+
+  return (
+    <SelectPanel
+      title="Switch branches/tags"
+      subtitle={tabs}
+      renderAnchor={({children, ...anchorProps}) => (
+        <Button ref={anchorRef} leadingVisual={ButtonIcon} trailingAction={TriangleDownIcon} {...anchorProps}>
+          {children}
+        </Button>
+      )}
+      anchorRef={anchorRef}
+      placeholder={buttonLabel}
+      placeholderText="Filter by name"
+      inputLabel={`Filter ${activeTab}`}
+      open={open}
+      onOpenChange={setOpen}
+      items={items}
+      selected={selected}
+      onSelectedChange={handleSelectedChange}
+      filterValue={filter}
+      onFilterChange={setFilter}
+      message={noResults}
+      overlayProps={{width: 'small', height: 'medium'}}
+    />
+  )
+}
diff --git a/packages/react/src/SelectPanel/examples/refPickerMockData.ts b/packages/react/src/SelectPanel/examples/refPickerMockData.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..06a64bf2bdd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/react/src/SelectPanel/examples/refPickerMockData.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+export const branches = [
+  'main',
+  'develop',
+  'release/2.0',
+  'release/1.9',
+  'feature/select-panel-tabs',
+  'feature/ref-picker',
+  'feature/keyboard-nav',
+  'feature/dark-mode',
+  'fix/overlay-focus-trap',
+  'fix/filter-debounce',
+  'fix/listbox-aria',
+  'chore/bump-deps',
+  'chore/eslint-config',
+  'docs/storybook-examples',
+  'experiment/virtualized-list',
+  'hotfix/login-redirect',
+  'renovate/octicons',
+  'wip/new-button-api',
+  'spike/rsc-support',
+  'staging',
+]
+
+export const tags = [
+  'v2.0.0',
+  'v1.9.4',
+  'v1.9.3',
+  'v1.9.2',
+  'v1.9.1',
+  'v1.9.0',
+  'v1.8.0',
+  'v1.7.2',
+  'v1.7.1',
+  'v1.7.0',
+  'v1.6.0',
+  'v1.5.0',
+  'v1.0.0',
+  'v0.9.0-beta.2',
+  'v0.9.0-beta.1',
+  'nightly',
+  'latest',
+  'canary',
+]