diff --git a/src/mux-interface.ts b/src/mux-interface.ts
index 7ada57c2b..724ee729f 100644
--- a/src/mux-interface.ts
+++ b/src/mux-interface.ts
@@ -192,6 +192,12 @@ export interface TerminalMultiplexer extends EventEmitter {
    */
   getAttachArgs(muxName: string): string[];
 
+  /** Pin a mux window so client attaches do not automatically dictate its size. */
+  setManualWindowSize?(muxName: string): boolean;
+
+  /** Explicitly resize a mux window after Codeman accepts a terminal resize. */
+  resizeWindow?(muxName: string, cols: number, rows: number): boolean;
+
   // ========== Availability ==========
 
   /** Check if the multiplexer binary is available on the system */
@@ -205,4 +211,10 @@ export interface TerminalMultiplexer extends EventEmitter {
 
   /** Respawn a dead pane with a fresh command. Returns the new PID or null on failure. */
   respawnPane(options: RespawnPaneOptions): Promise<number | null>;
+
+  /** Capture a pane's current tmux buffer with ANSI escape codes preserved. */
+  capturePaneBuffer?(muxName: string, paneTarget: string): string | null;
+
+  /** Capture the active pane's current tmux buffer with ANSI escape codes preserved. */
+  captureActivePaneBuffer?(muxName: string): string | null;
 }
diff --git a/src/session.ts b/src/session.ts
index f8d049bf6..cfc907d8d 100644
--- a/src/session.ts
+++ b/src/session.ts
@@ -1004,7 +1004,12 @@ export class Session extends EventEmitter {
     }
 
     // Attach to the mux session via PTY
-    // Query existing tmux window size so re-attach matches (avoids flicker from 120x40 default)
+    // Prevent tmux from letting the newest browser attach dictate global window
+    // size; accepted Codeman resize events update it explicitly below.
+    mux.setManualWindowSize?.(this._muxSession!.muxName);
+    // Query existing tmux window size so re-attach matches (avoids flicker from 120x40 default).
+    // MUST go through the dedicated socket (mux.muxSocket); a bare `tmux display` hits the
+    // default server, always fails for our socketed sessions, and silently falls back to 120x40.
     const { cols: ptyCols, rows: ptyRows } = queryTmuxWindowSize(this._muxSession!.muxName, mux.muxSocket);
     try {
       this.ptyProcess = pty.spawn(mux.getAttachCommand(), mux.getAttachArgs(this._muxSession!.muxName), {
@@ -2057,6 +2062,9 @@ export class Session extends EventEmitter {
     if (this.ptyProcess && (cols !== this._ptyCols || rows !== this._ptyRows)) {
       this._ptyCols = cols;
       this._ptyRows = rows;
+      if (this._mux && this._muxSession) {
+        this._mux.resizeWindow?.(this._muxSession.muxName, cols, rows);
+      }
       this.ptyProcess.resize(cols, rows);
     }
   }
diff --git a/src/tmux-manager.ts b/src/tmux-manager.ts
index e30c25922..cc44b855e 100644
--- a/src/tmux-manager.ts
+++ b/src/tmux-manager.ts
@@ -164,6 +164,280 @@ export function parsePaneList(output: string): Map<string, number> {
   return result;
 }
 
+/**
+ * Resolve a target pane id from `tmux list-panes -F '#{pane_id}:#{pane_active}'`.
+ * Prefers the active pane and falls back to the first valid pane.
+ */
+export function resolveTmuxPaneTarget(muxName: string, paneTarget?: string): string | null {
+  if (!isValidMuxName(muxName)) {
+    return null;
+  }
+  if (paneTarget === undefined || paneTarget === 'active') {
+    return muxName;
+  }
+  if (!SAFE_PANE_TARGET_PATTERN.test(paneTarget)) {
+    return null;
+  }
+  return `${muxName}.${paneTarget}`;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Pick the active pane id from `tmux list-panes -F '#{pane_id}:#{pane_active}'`
+ * output (lines like `%0:1`). Returns the pane id whose active flag is 1.
+ */
+export function resolveActivePaneTarget(output: string): string | null {
+  for (const line of output.split('\n')) {
+    const sep = line.indexOf(':');
+    if (sep === -1) continue;
+    const paneId = line.slice(0, sep).trim();
+    const active = line.slice(sep + 1).trim();
+    if (paneId && active === '1') return paneId;
+  }
+  return null;
+}
+
+type GraphemeSegmenter = {
+  segment(input: string): Iterable<{ segment: string }>;
+};
+
+const GRAPHEME_SEGMENTER: GraphemeSegmenter | null = (() => {
+  try {
+    const Segmenter = (
+      Intl as typeof Intl & {
+        Segmenter?: new (locale?: string, options?: { granularity: 'grapheme' }) => GraphemeSegmenter;
+      }
+    ).Segmenter;
+    return Segmenter ? new Segmenter(undefined, { granularity: 'grapheme' }) : null;
+  } catch {
+    return null;
+  }
+})();
+
+function findEscapeEnd(text: string, start: number): number {
+  const type = text[start + 1];
+  if (type === '[') {
+    for (let i = start + 2; i < text.length; i++) {
+      const code = text.charCodeAt(i);
+      if (code >= 0x40 && code <= 0x7e) return i;
+    }
+    return text.length - 1;
+  }
+
+  if (type === ']') {
+    for (let i = start + 2; i < text.length; i++) {
+      if (text.charCodeAt(i) === 0x07) return i;
+      if (text[i] === '\x1b' && text[i + 1] === '\\') return i + 1;
+    }
+    return text.length - 1;
+  }
+
+  if (type === 'P' || type === '^' || type === '_' || type === 'X') {
+    for (let i = start + 2; i < text.length; i++) {
+      if (text.charCodeAt(i) === 0x07) return i;
+      if (text[i] === '\x1b' && text[i + 1] === '\\') return i + 1;
+    }
+    return text.length - 1;
+  }
+
+  return Math.min(start + 1, text.length - 1);
+}
+
+function sanitizePaneLineStyles(line: string): string {
+  let result = '';
+  for (let i = 0; i < line.length; i++) {
+    if (line[i] !== '\x1b') {
+      result += line[i];
+      continue;
+    }
+
+    const end = findEscapeEnd(line, i);
+    const sequence = line.slice(i, end + 1);
+    if (isSgrSequence(sequence)) {
+      result += sequence;
+    }
+    i = end;
+  }
+  return result;
+}
+
+function isSgrSequence(sequence: string): boolean {
+  return (
+    sequence.length >= 3 &&
+    sequence.charCodeAt(0) === 27 &&
+    sequence[1] === '[' &&
+    sequence.endsWith('m') &&
+    /^[0-9;:]*$/.test(sequence.slice(2, -1))
+  );
+}
+
+function isZeroWidthCodePoint(codePoint: number): boolean {
+  return (
+    codePoint === 0x00ad ||
+    codePoint === 0x034f ||
+    codePoint === 0x061c ||
+    codePoint === 0x115f ||
+    codePoint === 0x1160 ||
+    codePoint === 0x17b4 ||
+    codePoint === 0x17b5 ||
+    codePoint === 0x180e ||
+    codePoint === 0x200b ||
+    codePoint === 0x200c ||
+    codePoint === 0x200d ||
+    codePoint === 0x2060 ||
+    codePoint === 0xfeff ||
+    (codePoint >= 0x0300 && codePoint <= 0x036f) ||
+    (codePoint >= 0x0483 && codePoint <= 0x0489) ||
+    (codePoint >= 0x0591 && codePoint <= 0x05bd) ||
+    codePoint === 0x05bf ||
+    (codePoint >= 0x05c1 && codePoint <= 0x05c2) ||
+    (codePoint >= 0x05c4 && codePoint <= 0x05c5) ||
+    codePoint === 0x05c7 ||
+    (codePoint >= 0x0610 && codePoint <= 0x061a) ||
+    (codePoint >= 0x064b && codePoint <= 0x065f) ||
+    codePoint === 0x0670 ||
+    (codePoint >= 0x06d6 && codePoint <= 0x06dc) ||
+    (codePoint >= 0x06df && codePoint <= 0x06e4) ||
+    (codePoint >= 0x06e7 && codePoint <= 0x06e8) ||
+    (codePoint >= 0x06ea && codePoint <= 0x06ed) ||
+    codePoint === 0x0711 ||
+    (codePoint >= 0x0730 && codePoint <= 0x074a) ||
+    (codePoint >= 0x07a6 && codePoint <= 0x07b0) ||
+    (codePoint >= 0x07eb && codePoint <= 0x07f3) ||
+    (codePoint >= 0x0816 && codePoint <= 0x0819) ||
+    (codePoint >= 0x081b && codePoint <= 0x0823) ||
+    (codePoint >= 0x0825 && codePoint <= 0x0827) ||
+    (codePoint >= 0x0829 && codePoint <= 0x082d) ||
+    (codePoint >= 0x0859 && codePoint <= 0x085b) ||
+    (codePoint >= 0x08d3 && codePoint <= 0x08e1) ||
+    (codePoint >= 0x08e3 && codePoint <= 0x0902) ||
+    (codePoint >= 0x093a && codePoint <= 0x093c) ||
+    codePoint === 0x094d ||
+    (codePoint >= 0x0951 && codePoint <= 0x0957) ||
+    (codePoint >= 0x0962 && codePoint <= 0x0963) ||
+    (codePoint >= 0x1ab0 && codePoint <= 0x1aff) ||
+    (codePoint >= 0x1dc0 && codePoint <= 0x1dff) ||
+    (codePoint >= 0x20d0 && codePoint <= 0x20ff) ||
+    (codePoint >= 0xfe00 && codePoint <= 0xfe0f) ||
+    (codePoint >= 0xfe20 && codePoint <= 0xfe2f) ||
+    (codePoint >= 0xe0100 && codePoint <= 0xe01ef)
+  );
+}
+
+function isWideCodePoint(codePoint: number): boolean {
+  return (
+    codePoint >= 0x1100 &&
+    (codePoint <= 0x115f ||
+      codePoint === 0x2329 ||
+      codePoint === 0x232a ||
+      (codePoint >= 0x2e80 && codePoint <= 0xa4cf && codePoint !== 0x303f) ||
+      (codePoint >= 0xac00 && codePoint <= 0xd7a3) ||
+      (codePoint >= 0xf900 && codePoint <= 0xfaff) ||
+      (codePoint >= 0xfe10 && codePoint <= 0xfe19) ||
+      (codePoint >= 0xfe30 && codePoint <= 0xfe6f) ||
+      (codePoint >= 0xff00 && codePoint <= 0xff60) ||
+      (codePoint >= 0xffe0 && codePoint <= 0xffe6) ||
+      (codePoint >= 0x1f300 && codePoint <= 0x1faff) ||
+      (codePoint >= 0x20000 && codePoint <= 0x3fffd))
+  );
+}
+
+function nextGrapheme(text: string, start: number): { value: string; nextIndex: number } {
+  if (GRAPHEME_SEGMENTER) {
+    const iterator = GRAPHEME_SEGMENTER.segment(text.slice(start))[Symbol.iterator]();
+    const next = iterator.next();
+    if (!next.done && next.value.segment) {
+      return { value: next.value.segment, nextIndex: start + next.value.segment.length };
+    }
+  }
+
+  const first = text.codePointAt(start);
+  if (first === undefined) return { value: '', nextIndex: start + 1 };
+  let value = String.fromCodePoint(first);
+  let nextIndex = start + value.length;
+  while (nextIndex < text.length) {
+    const codePoint = text.codePointAt(nextIndex);
+    if (codePoint === undefined || !isZeroWidthCodePoint(codePoint)) break;
+    const mark = String.fromCodePoint(codePoint);
+    value += mark;
+    nextIndex += mark.length;
+  }
+  return { value, nextIndex };
+}
+
+function terminalCellWidth(grapheme: string): number {
+  let hasVisible = false;
+  let hasWide = false;
+  for (let i = 0; i < grapheme.length; i++) {
+    const codePoint = grapheme.codePointAt(i);
+    if (codePoint === undefined) continue;
+    if (codePoint > 0xffff) i++;
+    if (isZeroWidthCodePoint(codePoint) || codePoint < 0x20 || (codePoint >= 0x7f && codePoint < 0xa0)) {
+      continue;
+    }
+    hasVisible = true;
+    if (isWideCodePoint(codePoint)) hasWide = true;
+  }
+  if (!hasVisible) return 0;
+  return hasWide ? 2 : 1;
+}
+
+function truncatePaneLineByVisibleColumns(line: string, maxColumns: number): string {
+  let result = '';
+  let visibleColumns = 0;
+  let sawSgr = false;
+
+  for (let i = 0; i < line.length; i++) {
+    if (line[i] === '\x1b') {
+      const end = findEscapeEnd(line, i);
+      const sequence = line.slice(i, end + 1);
+      if (isSgrSequence(sequence)) {
+        result += sequence;
+        sawSgr = true;
+      }
+      i = end;
+      continue;
+    }
+
+    const grapheme = nextGrapheme(line, i);
+    const width = terminalCellWidth(grapheme.value);
+    if (width === 0) {
+      result += grapheme.value;
+    } else if (visibleColumns + width <= maxColumns) {
+      result += grapheme.value;
+      visibleColumns += width;
+    } else {
+      break;
+    }
+    i = grapheme.nextIndex - 1;
+    if (visibleColumns >= maxColumns) {
+      continue;
+    }
+  }
+
+  if (sawSgr) {
+    result += '\x1b[0m';
+  }
+  return result;
+}
+
+export function formatPaneSnapshot(
+  lines: string[],
+  geometry: { cols: number; rows: number; cursorX: number; cursorY: number }
+): string {
+  const cols = Math.max(1, geometry.cols);
+  const paintCols = Math.max(1, cols - 1);
+  const rows = Math.max(1, geometry.rows);
+  const parts: string[] = [];
+  for (let row = 0; row < Math.min(lines.length, rows); row++) {
+    const safeLine = truncatePaneLineByVisibleColumns(sanitizePaneLineStyles(lines[row]), paintCols);
+    parts.push(`\x1b[${row + 1};1H${safeLine}`);
+  }
+  const cursorX = Math.max(0, Math.min(cols - 1, geometry.cursorX));
+  const cursorY = Math.max(0, Math.min(rows - 1, geometry.cursorY));
+  parts.push(`\x1b[${cursorY + 1};${cursorX + 1}H`);
+  return parts.join('');
+}
+
 /** Characters unsafe in paths — shell metacharacters, quotes, and control chars */
 const UNSAFE_PATH_CHARS = /[;&|$`(){}<>'"\n\r]/;
 
@@ -175,6 +449,10 @@ function isValidMuxName(name: string): boolean {
   return SAFE_MUX_NAME_PATTERN.test(name) || LEGACY_MUX_NAME_PATTERN.test(name);
 }
 
+function isValidTerminalDimension(value: number): boolean {
+  return Number.isSafeInteger(value) && value > 0 && value <= 1000;
+}
+
 /**
  * Validates that a path contains only safe characters.
  * Prevents command injection via malformed paths.
@@ -682,14 +960,17 @@ export class TmuxManager extends EventEmitter implements TerminalMultiplexer {
       // (Production uses systemd which has a clean env, but dev/test may be nested.)
       const cleanEnv = { ...process.env };
       delete cleanEnv.TMUX;
-      // Start the tmux server from a stable local cwd so FUSE/rclone workspace
-      // blips do not poison tmux's long-lived getcwd state.
+      // Create the session on the dedicated socket (${this.tmux()} = `tmux -L <socket>`),
+      // launched in TMUX_LAUNCH_CWD (/tmp) rather than the real workingDir: a FUSE/rclone
+      // mount that isn't ready yet makes `getcwd` fail and breaks the spawn (see #110). The
+      // pane cd's into workingDir below via respawn-pane.
       execSync(`${this.tmux()} new-session -ds "${muxName}" -c ${TMUX_LAUNCH_CWD}`, {
         cwd: TMUX_LAUNCH_CWD,
         timeout: EXEC_TIMEOUT_MS,
         stdio: 'ignore',
         env: cleanEnv,
       });
+      this.resizeWindow(muxName, 120, 40);
 
       // Set remain-on-exit now that the server is running — must be before respawn-pane
       try {
@@ -1678,8 +1959,11 @@ export class TmuxManager extends EventEmitter implements TerminalMultiplexer {
   }
 
   /**
-   * Capture the current buffer of a specific pane.
-   * Returns the pane content with ANSI escape codes preserved.
+   * Capture the current visible text and SGR styles of a specific pane.
+   *
+   * `capture-pane -e` is sanitized by `formatPaneSnapshot`: SGR color/style
+   * codes are preserved, while cursor/erase/scroll-region controls are stripped
+   * before rows are repainted at absolute positions in browser xterm.
    */
   capturePaneBuffer(muxName: string, paneTarget: string): string | null {
     if (IS_TEST_MODE) return '';
@@ -1695,16 +1979,67 @@ export class TmuxManager extends EventEmitter implements TerminalMultiplexer {
     const target = paneTarget.startsWith('%') ? `${muxName}.${paneTarget}` : `${muxName}.%${paneTarget}`;
 
     try {
-      return execSync(`${this.tmux()} capture-pane -p -e -t ${shellescape(target)} -S -5000`, {
+      const buffer = execSync(`${this.tmux()} capture-pane -p -e -t ${shellescape(target)}`, {
         encoding: 'utf-8',
         timeout: EXEC_TIMEOUT_MS,
-      });
+      }).replace(/\n+$/g, '');
+      try {
+        const cursor = execSync(
+          `${this.tmux()} display-message -p -t ${shellescape(target)} '#{cursor_x} #{cursor_y} #{pane_width} #{pane_height}'`,
+          {
+            encoding: 'utf-8',
+            timeout: EXEC_TIMEOUT_MS,
+          }
+        ).trim();
+        const [cursorX, cursorY, cols, rows] = cursor.split(/\s+/).map((value) => parseInt(value, 10));
+        if (
+          Number.isFinite(cursorX) &&
+          Number.isFinite(cursorY) &&
+          Number.isFinite(cols) &&
+          Number.isFinite(rows) &&
+          cursorX >= 0 &&
+          cursorY >= 0 &&
+          cols > 0 &&
+          rows > 0
+        ) {
+          return formatPaneSnapshot(buffer.split('\n'), { cols, rows, cursorX, cursorY });
+        }
+      } catch (cursorErr) {
+        console.error('[TmuxManager] Failed to query pane cursor after capture:', cursorErr);
+      }
+      return buffer;
     } catch (err) {
       console.error('[TmuxManager] Failed to capture pane buffer:', err);
       return null;
     }
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Capture the active pane for a tmux session.
+   *
+   * Pane ids are not stable across respawns or restores, so callers should not
+   * assume the first pane remains `%0`.
+   */
+  captureActivePaneBuffer(muxName: string): string | null {
+    if (IS_TEST_MODE) return '';
+    if (!isValidMuxName(muxName)) {
+      console.error('[TmuxManager] Invalid session name in captureActivePaneBuffer:', muxName);
+      return null;
+    }
+
+    try {
+      const output = execSync(`${this.tmux()} list-panes -t ${shellescape(muxName)} -F '#{pane_id}:#{pane_active}'`, {
+        encoding: 'utf-8',
+        timeout: EXEC_TIMEOUT_MS,
+      }).trim();
+      const target = resolveActivePaneTarget(output);
+      return target ? this.capturePaneBuffer(muxName, target) : null;
+    } catch (err) {
+      console.error('[TmuxManager] Failed to resolve active pane for capture:', err);
+      return null;
+    }
+  }
+
   /**
    * Start piping pane output to a file using tmux pipe-pane.
    * Only pipes output direction (-O) to avoid echoing input.
@@ -1774,6 +2109,49 @@ export class TmuxManager extends EventEmitter implements TerminalMultiplexer {
     return ['-L', this.tmuxSocket, 'attach-session', '-t', muxName];
   }
 
+  setManualWindowSize(muxName: string): boolean {
+    if (!isValidMuxName(muxName)) {
+      console.error('[TmuxManager] Invalid session name in setManualWindowSize:', muxName);
+      return false;
+    }
+
+    try {
+      execSync(`${this.tmux()} set-window-option -t ${shellescape(muxName)} window-size manual`, {
+        timeout: EXEC_TIMEOUT_MS,
+        stdio: 'ignore',
+      });
+      return true;
+    } catch (err) {
+      console.error('[TmuxManager] Failed to set manual window size:', err);
+      return false;
+    }
+  }
+
+  resizeWindow(muxName: string, cols: number, rows: number): boolean {
+    if (!isValidMuxName(muxName)) {
+      console.error('[TmuxManager] Invalid session name in resizeWindow:', muxName);
+      return false;
+    }
+    if (!isValidTerminalDimension(cols) || !isValidTerminalDimension(rows)) {
+      console.error('[TmuxManager] Invalid resize dimensions:', { cols, rows });
+      return false;
+    }
+
+    // Fire-and-forget: this runs on the interactive resize path (WS {t:'z'} and
+    // HTTP /resize), so use a non-blocking exec — a slow/hung tmux must not stall
+    // the Fastify event loop while other sessions' input/SSE are served. The sole
+    // caller (Session.resize) ignores the result, and under `window-size manual`
+    // the subsequent ptyProcess.resize is subordinate to this authoritative size.
+    exec(
+      `${this.tmux()} resize-window -t ${shellescape(muxName)} -x ${cols} -y ${rows}`,
+      { timeout: EXEC_TIMEOUT_MS },
+      (err) => {
+        if (err) console.error('[TmuxManager] Failed to resize tmux window:', err);
+      }
+    );
+    return true;
+  }
+
   isAvailable(): boolean {
     return TmuxManager.isTmuxAvailable();
   }
diff --git a/src/web/public/app.js b/src/web/public/app.js
index 03b2d218a..4bd03afcd 100644
--- a/src/web/public/app.js
+++ b/src/web/public/app.js
@@ -314,6 +314,7 @@ class CodemanApp {
     this._initGeneration = 0;     // dedup concurrent handleInit calls
     this._initFallbackTimer = null; // fallback timer if SSE init doesn't arrive
     this._selectGeneration = 0;   // cancel stale selectSession loads
+    this.terminalLoadStates = new Map(); // Map<sessionId, { generation, phase }>
     this.respawnStatus = {};
     this.respawnTimers = {}; // Track timed respawn timers
     this.respawnCountdownTimers = {}; // { sessionId: { timerName: { endsAt, totalMs, reason } } }
@@ -416,6 +417,8 @@ class CodemanApp {
     this.syncWaitTimeout = null; // Timeout for incomplete sync blocks
     this._isLoadingBuffer = false; // true during chunkedTerminalWrite — blocks live SSE writes
     this._loadBufferQueue = null;  // queued SSE events during buffer load
+    this._bufferLoadSeq = 0;
+    this._bufferLoadOwner = null;
 
     // Flicker filter state (buffers output after screen clears)
     this.flickerFilterBuffer = '';
@@ -486,7 +489,7 @@ class CodemanApp {
   // If stale, cleans up buffer-loading state and returns true.
   _isStaleSelect(selectGen) {
     if (selectGen !== this._selectGeneration) {
-      if (this._isLoadingBuffer) this._finishBufferLoad();
+      if (this._isLoadingBuffer) this._finishBufferLoad(selectGen);
       this._restoringFlushedState = false;
       return true;
     }
@@ -649,6 +652,7 @@ class CodemanApp {
         this._disposeWebGLObserver();
         this._webglAddon?.dispose();
         this._webglAddon = null;
+        this._scheduleTerminalRepaint();
       });
       this.terminal.loadAddon(this._webglAddon);
       console.log('[CRASH-DIAG] WebGL renderer enabled');
@@ -679,7 +683,7 @@ class CodemanApp {
           this._disposeWebGLObserver();
           this._webglAddon?.dispose();
           this._webglAddon = null;
-          try { this.terminal.refresh(0, this.terminal.rows - 1); } catch {}
+          this._scheduleTerminalRepaint();
         }
       });
       this._webglLongTaskObserver.observe({ type: 'longtask', buffered: false });
@@ -698,6 +702,22 @@ class CodemanApp {
     this._webglLongTaskObserver = null;
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Repaint the full terminal viewport after a renderer swap (WebGL → canvas/DOM).
+   * Scheduled on the next frame so it lands after the addon teardown settles, and
+   * debounced so the context-loss and long-task fallback paths can't double-fire.
+   * No-ops safely if the terminal isn't ready.
+   */
+  _scheduleTerminalRepaint() {
+    if (this._terminalRepaintScheduled) return;
+    this._terminalRepaintScheduled = true;
+    const raf = typeof requestAnimationFrame === 'function' ? requestAnimationFrame : (cb) => setTimeout(cb, 0);
+    raf(() => {
+      this._terminalRepaintScheduled = false;
+      try { this.terminal?.refresh(0, this.terminal.rows - 1); } catch {}
+    });
+  }
+
   _disableWebGLSticky(reason) {
     try {
       localStorage.setItem('codeman-webgl-disabled', JSON.stringify({ reason, at: Date.now() }));
@@ -2039,6 +2059,7 @@ class CodemanApp {
     this.writeFrameScheduled = false;
     this._isLoadingBuffer = false;
     this._loadBufferQueue = null;
+    this._bufferLoadOwner = null;
     // Abort any in-flight chunkedTerminalWrite (SSE reconnect reloads buffers)
     this._chunkedWriteGen = (this._chunkedWriteGen || 0) + 1;
     // Preserve local echo overlay text across SSE reconnect — just hide until
@@ -2281,7 +2302,7 @@ class CodemanApp {
 
   renderSessionTabs() {
     // Don't re-render while user is typing in the inline rename input
-    if (this._activeRename) return;
+    if (this._inlineRenameActive) return;
     this._debouncedCall('sessionTabs', this._renderSessionTabsImmediate);
   }
 
@@ -2299,6 +2320,45 @@ class CodemanApp {
     }
   }
 
+  _setTerminalLoadState(sessionId, selectGen, phase) {
+    this.terminalLoadStates.set(sessionId, { generation: selectGen, phase });
+    this._updateTerminalLoadTab(sessionId);
+  }
+
+  _clearTerminalLoadState(sessionId, selectGen) {
+    const state = this.terminalLoadStates.get(sessionId);
+    if (state && state.generation !== selectGen) return;
+    this.terminalLoadStates.delete(sessionId);
+    this._updateTerminalLoadTab(sessionId);
+  }
+
+  _updateTerminalLoadTab(sessionId) {
+    const tab = this.$('sessionTabs')?.querySelector(`.session-tab[data-id="${sessionId}"]`);
+    if (!tab) return;
+
+    const loadState = this.terminalLoadStates.get(sessionId);
+    tab.classList.toggle('tab-loading', !!loadState);
+    if (loadState) {
+      tab.setAttribute('aria-busy', 'true');
+      tab.dataset.loadPhase = loadState.phase;
+      if (!tab.querySelector('.tab-load-spinner')) {
+        const spinner = document.createElement('span');
+        spinner.className = 'tab-load-spinner';
+        spinner.setAttribute('aria-hidden', 'true');
+        const numberEl = tab.querySelector('.tab-number');
+        if (numberEl) {
+          numberEl.insertAdjacentElement('afterend', spinner);
+        } else {
+          tab.insertBefore(spinner, tab.firstChild);
+        }
+      }
+    } else {
+      tab.setAttribute('aria-busy', 'false');
+      delete tab.dataset.loadPhase;
+      tab.querySelector('.tab-load-spinner')?.remove();
+    }
+  }
+
   _renderSessionTabsImmediate() {
     const container = this.$('sessionTabs');
     const existingTabs = container.querySelectorAll('.session-tab[data-id]');
@@ -2320,6 +2380,7 @@ class CodemanApp {
         const name = this.getSessionName(session);
         const taskStats = session.taskStats || { running: 0, total: 0 };
         const hasRunningTasks = taskStats.running > 0;
+        const loadState = this.terminalLoadStates.get(id);
 
         // Update active class
         if (isActive && !tab.classList.contains('active')) {
@@ -2328,6 +2389,27 @@ class CodemanApp {
           tab.classList.remove('active');
         }
 
+        tab.classList.toggle('tab-loading', !!loadState);
+        if (loadState) {
+          tab.setAttribute('aria-busy', 'true');
+          tab.dataset.loadPhase = loadState.phase;
+          if (!tab.querySelector('.tab-load-spinner')) {
+            const spinner = document.createElement('span');
+            spinner.className = 'tab-load-spinner';
+            spinner.setAttribute('aria-hidden', 'true');
+            const numberEl = tab.querySelector('.tab-number');
+            if (numberEl) {
+              numberEl.insertAdjacentElement('afterend', spinner);
+            } else {
+              tab.insertBefore(spinner, tab.firstChild);
+            }
+          }
+        } else {
+          tab.setAttribute('aria-busy', 'false');
+          delete tab.dataset.loadPhase;
+          tab.querySelector('.tab-load-spinner')?.remove();
+        }
+
         // Update alert class
         const alertType = this.tabAlerts.get(id);
         const wantAction = alertType === 'action';
@@ -2426,7 +2508,7 @@ class CodemanApp {
   }
 
   _fullRenderSessionTabs() {
-    if (this._activeRename) return;
+    if (this._inlineRenameActive) return;
     const container = this.$('sessionTabs');
 
     // Clean up any orphaned dropdowns before re-rendering
@@ -2456,6 +2538,7 @@ class CodemanApp {
       const hasRunningTasks = taskStats.running > 0;
       const alertType = this.tabAlerts.get(id);
       const alertClass = alertType === 'action' ? ' tab-alert-action' : alertType === 'idle' ? ' tab-alert-idle' : '';
+      const loadState = this.terminalLoadStates.get(id);
 
       // Get minimized subagents for this session
       const minimizedAgents = this.minimizedSubagents.get(id);
@@ -2467,8 +2550,9 @@ class CodemanApp {
       const tallTabsEnabled = this._tallTabsEnabled ?? false;
       const showFolder = tallTabsEnabled && session.name && folderName && folderName !== name;
 
-      parts.push(`<div class="session-tab ${isActive ? 'active' : ''}${alertClass}${this.detachedSessions.has(id) ? ' detached' : ''}" data-id="${id}" data-color="${color}" onclick="app.selectSession('${escapeHtml(id)}')" oncontextmenu="event.preventDefault(); app.startInlineRename('${escapeHtml(id)}')" tabindex="0" role="tab" aria-selected="${isActive ? 'true' : 'false'}" aria-label="${escapeHtml(name)} session" ${session.workingDir ? `title="${escapeHtml(session.workingDir)}"` : ''}>
+      parts.push(`<div class="session-tab ${isActive ? 'active' : ''}${alertClass}${loadState ? ' tab-loading' : ''}" data-id="${id}" data-color="${color}" ${loadState ? `data-load-phase="${escapeHtml(loadState.phase)}"` : ''} onclick="app.selectSession('${escapeHtml(id)}', { forceReload: true })" oncontextmenu="event.preventDefault(); app.startInlineRename('${escapeHtml(id)}')" tabindex="0" role="tab" aria-selected="${isActive ? 'true' : 'false'}" aria-busy="${loadState ? 'true' : 'false'}" aria-label="${escapeHtml(name)} session" ${session.workingDir ? `title="${escapeHtml(session.workingDir)}"` : ''}>
           ${_tabIdx < 9 ? '<span class="tab-number">' + (_tabIdx + 1) + '</span>' : ''}
+          ${loadState ? '<span class="tab-load-spinner" aria-hidden="true"></span>' : ''}
           <span class="tab-status ${status}" aria-hidden="true"></span>
           <span class="tab-info">
             <span class="tab-name-row">
@@ -2516,7 +2600,7 @@ class CodemanApp {
       if ((e.key === 'Enter' || e.key === ' ') && currentIndex >= 0) {
         e.preventDefault();
         const sessionId = tabs[currentIndex].dataset.id;
-        this.selectSession(sessionId);
+        this.selectSession(sessionId, { forceReload: true });
         return;
       }
 
@@ -2761,6 +2845,7 @@ class CodemanApp {
     this.writeFrameScheduled = false;
     this._isLoadingBuffer = false;
     this._loadBufferQueue = null;
+    this._bufferLoadOwner = null;
     // Abort any in-flight chunkedTerminalWrite from the previous session.
     // Without this, old rAF-scheduled chunks continue writing stale data
     // into the terminal, interleaving with the new session's buffer.
@@ -2811,15 +2896,31 @@ class CodemanApp {
     }
   }
 
-  async selectSession(sessionId) {
+  _resetTerminalForReplay() {
+    this.terminal.reset();
+    this.terminal.write('\x1b[3J\x1b[H\x1b[2J');
+  }
+
+  async selectSession(sessionId, options = {}) {
     // If this session is popped out into its own window, raise that window
-    // instead of showing it inline (focus-on-click for detached tabs).
+    // instead of showing it inline (focus-on-click for detached tabs). If we
+    // owned a now-closed window, _raiseDetached re-docks and returns false so
+    // we fall through and load it inline.
     if (!this.isSoloWindow && this.detachedSessions.has(sessionId)) {
-      // Raise the popup instead of showing inline. If we owned a now-closed
-      // window, _raiseDetached re-docks and returns false so we fall through.
       if (this._raiseDetached(sessionId)) return;
     }
-    if (this.activeSessionId === sessionId) return;
+    const forceReload = options?.forceReload === true;
+    if (this.activeSessionId === sessionId && !forceReload) return;
+    if (this.activeSessionId === sessionId && forceReload) {
+      this.terminalBufferCache?.delete(sessionId);
+      this._clearTimer('syncWaitTimeout');
+      this.pendingWrites = [];
+      this.writeFrameScheduled = false;
+      this._isLoadingBuffer = false;
+      this._loadBufferQueue = null;
+      this._chunkedWriteGen = (this._chunkedWriteGen || 0) + 1;
+      this.activeSessionId = null;
+    }
     // Focus terminal SYNCHRONOUSLY before any await — iOS Safari only honors
     // programmatic focus() within the user-gesture call stack (e.g. tab click).
     // After the first await the gesture context is lost and focus() is silently
@@ -2832,8 +2933,12 @@ class CodemanApp {
     console.log(`[CRASH-DIAG] selectSession START: ${sessionId.slice(0,8)}`);
 
     const selectGen = ++this._selectGeneration;
+    this._setTerminalLoadState(sessionId, selectGen, 'resizing');
 
-    if (selectGen !== this._selectGeneration) return; // newer tab switch won
+    if (selectGen !== this._selectGeneration) {
+      this._clearTerminalLoadState(sessionId, selectGen);
+      return; // newer tab switch won
+    }
 
     this._cleanupPreviousSession(sessionId);
     this.activeSessionId = sessionId;
@@ -2905,39 +3010,71 @@ class CodemanApp {
     // Without this, SSE events arriving during the fetch() gap compete with
     // the buffer write, causing 70KB+ single-frame flushes that stall WebGL.
     // chunkedTerminalWrite also sets this, but we need it before the fetch too.
-    this._isLoadingBuffer = true;
-    this._loadBufferQueue = [];
+    const bufferLoadOwner = this._beginBufferLoad(selectGen);
     try {
       // Fit terminal to container BEFORE writing any buffer data.
       // If the browser was resized while viewing another session, the terminal
       // canvas may be at stale dimensions — content would render at wrong width.
       if (this.fitAddon) this.fitAddon.fit();
 
+      // Also push the new dimensions to the PTY. Without this, codex/codeman
+      // sees the size that was set the last time the throttled resize handler
+      // fired (often the size of a different session's container, or the
+      // initial tmux default). The visible symptom is codex rendering inside
+      // a small region with empty rows below the status bar.
+      // sendResize is a no-op on the server when dims haven't changed, so
+      // calling it every tab switch is cheap.
+      const dimsChanged = await this.sendResize(sessionId, { forceHttp: true }).catch(() => false);
+      if (this._isStaleSelect(selectGen)) {
+        this._clearTerminalLoadState(sessionId, selectGen);
+        return;
+      }
+
+      const sessionIsBusy = session && (session.status === 'busy' || session.status === 'working');
+
       // Instant cache restore for IDLE sessions only.
       // For busy sessions, the cache is always stale — writing it first causes a
       // jarring double-render: stale content appears, then the terminal flashes
       // blank and rewrites with fresh data. Skip the cache and write the fresh
       // buffer once for a single clean transition.
       const cachedBuffer = this.terminalBufferCache.get(sessionId);
-      const sessionIsBusy = session && (session.status === 'busy' || session.status === 'working');
       if (cachedBuffer && !sessionIsBusy) {
         _crashDiag.log(`CACHE_WRITE: ${(cachedBuffer.length/1024).toFixed(0)}KB`);
-        this.terminal.clear();
-        this.terminal.reset();
-        await this.chunkedTerminalWrite(cachedBuffer);
-        if (this._isStaleSelect(selectGen)) return;
+        this._setTerminalLoadState(sessionId, selectGen, 'replaying');
+        this._resetTerminalForReplay();
+        await this.chunkedTerminalWrite(cachedBuffer, TERMINAL_CHUNK_SIZE, bufferLoadOwner);
+        if (this._isStaleSelect(selectGen)) {
+          this._clearTerminalLoadState(sessionId, selectGen);
+          return;
+        }
         this.terminal.scrollToBottom();
         _crashDiag.log('CACHE_DONE');
       } else if (sessionIsBusy) {
         // Clear stale content immediately — fresh buffer is being fetched
-        this.terminal.clear();
-        this.terminal.reset();
+        this._resetTerminalForReplay();
         _crashDiag.log('CACHE_SKIP_BUSY');
       }
 
+      // Give TUI sessions a short chance to redraw after resize before the
+      // fresh buffer fetch. Only needed when the resize actually changed
+      // dimensions (a real SIGWINCH → Ink redraw); a same-size tab switch sent
+      // no resize, so waiting would just add latency. Shell sessions never need
+      // it, so terminal content can appear immediately when switching shells.
+      if (session?.mode !== 'shell' && dimsChanged) {
+        await new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, TUI_REDRAW_SETTLE_MS));
+        if (this._isStaleSelect(selectGen)) {
+          this._clearTerminalLoadState(sessionId, selectGen);
+          return;
+        }
+      }
+
+      this._setTerminalLoadState(sessionId, selectGen, 'fetching');
       _crashDiag.log('FETCH_START');
       const res = await fetch(`/api/sessions/${sessionId}/terminal?tail=${TERMINAL_TAIL_SIZE}`);
-      if (this._isStaleSelect(selectGen)) return;
+      if (this._isStaleSelect(selectGen)) {
+        this._clearTerminalLoadState(sessionId, selectGen);
+        return;
+      }
       const data = await res.json();
       _crashDiag.log(`FETCH_DONE: ${data.terminalBuffer ? (data.terminalBuffer.length/1024).toFixed(0) + 'KB' : 'empty'} truncated=${data.truncated}`);
 
@@ -2945,18 +3082,23 @@ class CodemanApp {
         // Skip rewrite if fresh buffer matches cache — avoids visible clear+rewrite flash.
         // On slow connections (mobile 5G), the gap between clear() and chunkedWrite() is
         // very visible, causing the terminal to flash blank then repaint.
-        const needsRewrite = data.terminalBuffer !== cachedBuffer;
+        // Busy sessions skip cache restore and clear the terminal before fetching,
+        // so they must replay the fetched buffer even when it matches cache.
+        const needsRewrite = sessionIsBusy || data.terminalBuffer !== cachedBuffer;
         if (needsRewrite) {
           _crashDiag.log(`REWRITE: ${(data.terminalBuffer.length/1024).toFixed(0)}KB`);
-          this.terminal.clear();
-          this.terminal.reset();
+          this._setTerminalLoadState(sessionId, selectGen, 'replaying');
+          this._resetTerminalForReplay();
           // Show truncation indicator if buffer was cut
           if (data.truncated) {
             this.terminal.write('\x1b[90m... (earlier output truncated for performance) ...\x1b[0m\r\n\r\n');
           }
           // Use chunked write for large buffers to avoid UI jank
-          await this.chunkedTerminalWrite(data.terminalBuffer);
-          if (this._isStaleSelect(selectGen)) return;
+          await this.chunkedTerminalWrite(data.terminalBuffer, TERMINAL_CHUNK_SIZE, bufferLoadOwner);
+          if (this._isStaleSelect(selectGen)) {
+            this._clearTerminalLoadState(sessionId, selectGen);
+            return;
+          }
           // Ensure terminal is scrolled to bottom after buffer load
           this.terminal.scrollToBottom();
         }
@@ -2970,15 +3112,14 @@ class CodemanApp {
         }
       } else if (!cachedBuffer) {
         // No fresh buffer and no cache — clear any stale content
-        this.terminal.clear();
-        this.terminal.reset();
+        this._resetTerminalForReplay();
       }
 
       // Buffer load complete — unblock live SSE writes (queued events are discarded
       // to prevent duplicate content). chunkedTerminalWrite calls _finishBufferLoad
       // internally, but if we skipped the write (cache hit or empty), call it here.
       if (this._isLoadingBuffer) {
-        this._finishBufferLoad();
+        this._finishBufferLoad(bufferLoadOwner);
       }
       // Drop the guard so user input clears state normally
       this._restoringFlushedState = false;
@@ -3091,12 +3232,14 @@ class CodemanApp {
 
       _crashDiag.log('FOCUS');
       this.terminal.focus();
-      this.terminal.scrollToBottom();
+      this.scrollToLastNonEmptyLine();
+      this._clearTerminalLoadState(sessionId, selectGen);
       _crashDiag.log(`SELECT_DONE: ${(performance.now() - _selStart).toFixed(0)}ms`);
       console.log(`[CRASH-DIAG] selectSession DONE: ${sessionId.slice(0,8)} in ${(performance.now() - _selStart).toFixed(0)}ms`);
     } catch (err) {
-      if (this._isLoadingBuffer) this._finishBufferLoad();
+      if (this._isLoadingBuffer) this._finishBufferLoad(bufferLoadOwner);
       this._restoringFlushedState = false;
+      this._setTerminalLoadState(sessionId, selectGen, 'failed');
       console.error('Failed to load session terminal:', err);
     }
   }
@@ -3126,6 +3269,7 @@ class CodemanApp {
     this.projectInsights.delete(sessionId);
     this.pendingHooks.delete(sessionId);
     this.tabAlerts.delete(sessionId);
+    this.terminalLoadStates.delete(sessionId);
     this.clearCountdownTimers(sessionId);
     this.closeSessionLogViewerWindows(sessionId);
     this.closeSessionImagePopups(sessionId);
@@ -3286,6 +3430,7 @@ class CodemanApp {
       this.sessions.clear();
       this.terminalBuffers.clear();
       this.terminalBufferCache.clear();
+      this.terminalLoadStates.clear();
       this.activeSessionId = null;
       try { localStorage.removeItem('codeman-active-session'); } catch {}
       this.respawnStatus = {};
diff --git a/src/web/public/constants.js b/src/web/public/constants.js
index 9e5b77234..3c7b538b9 100644
--- a/src/web/public/constants.js
+++ b/src/web/public/constants.js
@@ -57,6 +57,7 @@ const TERMINAL_CHUNK_SIZE = 32 * 1024;      // 32KB chunks for terminal buffer l
 const TERMINAL_TAIL_SIZE = 1024 * 1024;     // 1MB tail for initial load (more scrollback on tab switch)
 const SYNC_WAIT_TIMEOUT_MS = 50;            // Wait timeout for terminal sync
 const STATS_POLLING_INTERVAL_MS = 2000;     // System stats polling
+const TUI_REDRAW_SETTLE_MS = 400;           // Grace for a TUI to redraw after a real resize, before fetching its buffer
 
 // Z-index base values for layered floating windows
 const ZINDEX_SUBAGENT_BASE = 1000;
diff --git a/src/web/public/session-ui.js b/src/web/public/session-ui.js
index 33606a751..5f4caf461 100644
--- a/src/web/public/session-ui.js
+++ b/src/web/public/session-ui.js
@@ -927,9 +927,8 @@ Object.assign(CodemanApp.prototype, {
     const tabName = document.querySelector(`.tab-name[data-session-id="${sessionId}"]`);
     if (!tabName) return;
 
-    // If a previous rename somehow leaked (shouldn't happen, but defends against
-    // future code paths that throw before cleanup), abort it before starting fresh.
-    if (this._activeRename) this._activeRename.cancel();
+    // Prevent tab re-renders from destroying the input while renaming
+    this._inlineRenameActive = true;
 
     const currentName = this.getSessionName(session);
     const parsed = parseSessionPrefix(session.name);
@@ -957,14 +956,14 @@ Object.assign(CodemanApp.prototype, {
     input.focus();
     input.select();
 
-    let settled = false;
     const finishRename = async ({ commit }) => {
-      if (settled) return;
-      settled = true;
+      if (!this._inlineRenameActive) return; // prevent double-fire
+      this._inlineRenameActive = false;
       this._activeRename = null;
 
-      // Aborted (e.g. session was deleted mid-rename): just re-render so any
-      // ghost DOM left behind is replaced with the canonical tab list.
+      // Aborted (e.g. the session was deleted mid-rename, or Escape): re-render
+      // so any ghost DOM is replaced with the canonical tab list, and skip the
+      // API call — a cancel must not fire a stale rename PUT.
       if (!commit) {
         this.renderSessionTabs();
         return;
diff --git a/src/web/public/styles.css b/src/web/public/styles.css
index 912788f52..6c292b472 100644
--- a/src/web/public/styles.css
+++ b/src/web/public/styles.css
@@ -233,6 +233,7 @@ body {
   display: flex;
   align-items: center;
   gap: 0.35rem;
+  position: relative;
   padding: 0.35rem 0.6rem;
   background: transparent;
   border: 1px solid transparent;
@@ -265,6 +266,40 @@ body {
   outline: none !important;
 }
 
+.session-tab.tab-loading::after {
+  content: "";
+  position: absolute;
+  left: 8px;
+  right: 8px;
+  bottom: -2px;
+  height: 2px;
+  border-radius: 999px;
+  background: linear-gradient(90deg, transparent, rgba(96, 165, 250, 0.95), transparent);
+  animation: tab-load-sweep 0.9s linear infinite;
+  pointer-events: none;
+}
+
+.tab-load-spinner {
+  width: 10px;
+  height: 10px;
+  border: 2px solid rgba(96, 165, 250, 0.3);
+  border-top-color: rgba(96, 165, 250, 0.95);
+  border-radius: 50%;
+  flex: 0 0 10px;
+  animation: tab-load-spin 0.7s linear infinite;
+}
+
+@keyframes tab-load-spin {
+  to { transform: rotate(360deg); }
+}
+
+@keyframes tab-load-sweep {
+  0% { transform: translateX(-45%); opacity: 0.35; }
+  50% { opacity: 1; }
+  100% { transform: translateX(45%); opacity: 0.35; }
+}
+
+
 /* Tab switch feedback: bright green glow on the newly-active tab */
 .session-tab.tab-glow {
   animation: tab-glow 0.35s ease-out;
@@ -2070,6 +2105,8 @@ body.solo-mode .btn-lifecycle-log {
   will-change: contents;
 }
 .terminal-container .xterm {
+  width: 100%;
+  min-width: 0;
   height: 100%;
   padding: 0;
 }
diff --git a/src/web/public/terminal-ui.js b/src/web/public/terminal-ui.js
index dbe36b1f3..4dafcca3e 100644
--- a/src/web/public/terminal-ui.js
+++ b/src/web/public/terminal-ui.js
@@ -12,6 +12,24 @@
  * @loadorder 7 of 15 — loaded after app.js, before respawn-ui.js
  */
 
+(function (global) {
+  const TERMINAL_QUERY_RESPONSE_PATTERN = /^\x1b\[[\?>=]?[\d;]*[cnR]$/;
+  const TERMINAL_OSC_RESPONSE_PATTERN = /^\x1b\][\d;]*[^\x07\x1b]*(?:\x07|\x1b\\)$/;
+
+  function isTerminalQueryResponse(data) {
+    return TERMINAL_QUERY_RESPONSE_PATTERN.test(data) || TERMINAL_OSC_RESPONSE_PATTERN.test(data);
+  }
+
+  function shouldSuppressTerminalQueryResponse(data) {
+    return isTerminalQueryResponse(data);
+  }
+
+  global.CodemanTerminalInput = {
+    isTerminalQueryResponse,
+    shouldSuppressTerminalQueryResponse,
+  };
+})(window);
+
 Object.assign(CodemanApp.prototype, {
   // ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
   // Terminal Setup — xterm.js config and input handling
@@ -164,7 +182,24 @@ Object.assign(CodemanApp.prototype, {
           // whitespace) -- if so, xterm handled it and we should not double-send.
           // Use a microtask to check after xterm's own handlers have run.
           const data = e.data;
+          const pendingBefore = this._localEchoOverlay?.pendingText || '';
           Promise.resolve().then(() => {
+            if (
+              this._lastTerminalData?.data === data &&
+              performance.now() - this._lastTerminalData.time < 100
+            ) {
+              xtermTextarea.value = '';
+              return;
+            }
+            const pendingAfter = this._localEchoOverlay?.pendingText || '';
+            if (
+              this._localEchoEnabled &&
+              pendingAfter.length > pendingBefore.length &&
+              pendingAfter.endsWith(data)
+            ) {
+              xtermTextarea.value = '';
+              return;
+            }
             // If xterm cleared the textarea, it processed the input -- skip.
             const val = xtermTextarea.value;
             if (!val || (val.trim() === '' && data !== ' ')) return;
@@ -328,6 +363,7 @@ Object.assign(CodemanApp.prototype, {
         'touchmove',
         (ev) => {
           if (ev.touches.length === 1 && isTouching) {
+            ev.preventDefault();
             didScroll = true;
             const touchY = ev.touches[0].clientY;
             const delta = touchLastY - touchY; // positive = scroll down
@@ -343,7 +379,7 @@ Object.assign(CodemanApp.prototype, {
             }
           }
         },
-        { passive: true }
+        { passive: false }
       );
 
       container.addEventListener(
@@ -382,6 +418,8 @@ Object.assign(CodemanApp.prototype, {
 
     // Generation counter for chunkedTerminalWrite — aborts stale writes on tab switch
     this._chunkedWriteGen = 0;
+    this._bufferLoadSeq = 0;
+    this._bufferLoadOwner = null;
 
     // Handle resize with throttling for performance
     this._resizeTimeout = null;
@@ -498,11 +536,15 @@ Object.assign(CodemanApp.prototype, {
       // CJK input has focus — block xterm from sending to PTY
       if (window.cjkActive || document.activeElement?.id === 'cjkInput') return;
       if (this.activeSessionId) {
-        // Filter out terminal query responses that xterm.js generates automatically.
-        // These are responses to DA (Device Attributes), DSR (Device Status Report), etc.
-        // sent by tmux when attaching. Without this filter, they appear as typed text.
-        // Patterns: \x1b[?...c (DA1), \x1b[>...c (DA2), \x1b[...R (CPR), \x1b[...n (DSR)
-        if (/^\x1b\[[\?>=]?[\d;]*[cnR]$/.test(data)) return;
+        // Filter terminal query replies generated by xterm.js itself.
+        // Forwarding them through the WebSocket injects DA/DSR/CPR replies
+        // into the foreground process as typed input (for example "0;276;0c").
+        if (
+          window.CodemanTerminalInput?.shouldSuppressTerminalQueryResponse(data)
+        ) {
+          return;
+        }
+        this._lastTerminalData = { data, time: performance.now() };
 
         // ── Local Echo Mode ──
         // When enabled, keystrokes are buffered locally in the overlay for
@@ -1594,6 +1636,38 @@ Object.assign(CodemanApp.prototype, {
     }
   },
 
+  scrollToLastNonEmptyLine() {
+    if (!this.terminal?.buffer?.active) {
+      this.terminal?.scrollToBottom?.();
+      return;
+    }
+
+    const buffer = this.terminal.buffer.active;
+    const totalLines = buffer.baseY + buffer.length;
+    let lastNonEmptyLine = -1;
+
+    for (let lineIndex = totalLines - 1; lineIndex >= 0; lineIndex--) {
+      const line = buffer.getLine(lineIndex);
+      if (line?.translateToString(true).trim()) {
+        lastNonEmptyLine = lineIndex;
+        break;
+      }
+    }
+
+    if (lastNonEmptyLine >= 0 && typeof this.terminal.scrollToLine === 'function') {
+      let targetLine = Math.max(0, lastNonEmptyLine - this.terminal.rows + 2);
+      const maxTargetLine = Math.max(0, lastNonEmptyLine);
+      while (targetLine < maxTargetLine) {
+        const line = buffer.getLine(targetLine);
+        if (line?.translateToString(true).trim()) break;
+        targetLine++;
+      }
+      this.terminal.scrollToLine(targetLine);
+    } else {
+      this.terminal.scrollToBottom();
+    }
+  },
+
   /**
    * Write large buffer to terminal in chunks to avoid UI jank.
    * Uses _safeYield to spread work across frames; falls back to setTimeout
@@ -1602,22 +1676,19 @@ Object.assign(CodemanApp.prototype, {
    * @param {number} chunkSize - Size of each chunk (default 128KB for smooth 60fps)
    * @returns {Promise<void>} - Resolves when all chunks written
    */
-  chunkedTerminalWrite(buffer, chunkSize = TERMINAL_CHUNK_SIZE) {
+  chunkedTerminalWrite(buffer, chunkSize = TERMINAL_CHUNK_SIZE, loadOwner) {
     // Generation counter: if a newer chunkedTerminalWrite starts (tab switch),
     // older writes abort instead of continuing to push stale data into the terminal.
     const writeGen = ++this._chunkedWriteGen;
+    const bufferLoadOwner = this._beginBufferLoad(loadOwner);
 
     return new Promise((resolve) => {
       if (!buffer || buffer.length === 0) {
-        this._finishBufferLoad();
+        this._finishBufferLoad(bufferLoadOwner);
         resolve();
         return;
       }
 
-      // Block live SSE writes during buffer load to prevent interleaving
-      this._isLoadingBuffer = true;
-      this._loadBufferQueue = [];
-
       // Strip any DEC 2026 markers that might be in the buffer
       // (from historical SSE data that was stored with markers)
       const cleanBuffer = buffer.replace(DEC_SYNC_STRIP_RE, '');
@@ -1625,15 +1696,14 @@ Object.assign(CodemanApp.prototype, {
       const finish = () => {
         // Only finish if we're still the active write — a newer write owns buffer load state
         if (this._chunkedWriteGen === writeGen) {
-          this._finishBufferLoad();
+          this._finishBufferLoad(bufferLoadOwner);
         }
         resolve();
       };
 
       // For small buffers, write directly — single-frame render is fast enough
       if (cleanBuffer.length <= chunkSize) {
-        this.terminal.write(cleanBuffer);
-        finish();
+        this.terminal.write(cleanBuffer, finish);
         return;
       }
 
@@ -1691,9 +1761,23 @@ Object.assign(CodemanApp.prototype, {
    * (especially Ink cursor-up redraws), corrupting the terminal display.
    * After unblocking, new SSE/WS events deliver subsequent output normally.
    */
-  _finishBufferLoad() {
+  _beginBufferLoad(owner) {
+    if (this._bufferLoadSeq === undefined) this._bufferLoadSeq = 0;
+    const loadOwner = owner === undefined ? `buffer-${++this._bufferLoadSeq}` : owner;
+    this._bufferLoadOwner = loadOwner;
+    this._isLoadingBuffer = true;
+    this._loadBufferQueue = [];
+    return loadOwner;
+  },
+
+  _finishBufferLoad(owner) {
+    if (owner !== undefined && this._bufferLoadOwner !== owner) {
+      return false;
+    }
     this._isLoadingBuffer = false;
     this._loadBufferQueue = null;
+    this._bufferLoadOwner = null;
+    return true;
   },
 
   // ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
@@ -1814,23 +1898,30 @@ Object.assign(CodemanApp.prototype, {
   /**
    * Send resize to a session with minimum dimension enforcement.
    * @param {string} sessionId
+   * @param {{ forceHttp?: boolean }} [options]
    * @returns {Promise<void>}
    */
-  async sendResize(sessionId) {
+  async sendResize(sessionId, options = {}) {
     // Fit terminal to container before reading dimensions — ensures local
     // terminal size matches what we report to the server PTY.
     if (this.fitAddon) this.fitAddon.fit();
     const dims = this.getTerminalDimensions();
-    if (!dims) return;
+    if (!dims) return false;
+    // Did the dimensions actually change since the last resize we sent? Callers
+    // use this to skip work (e.g. the post-resize TUI-redraw settle) when no
+    // real SIGWINCH was triggered — switching tabs at the same browser size is
+    // a no-op on the server and needs no redraw grace.
+    const prev = this._lastResizeDims;
+    const changed = !prev || prev.cols !== dims.cols || prev.rows !== dims.rows;
     // Update _lastResizeDims so the throttledResize handler won't redundantly
     // clear the terminal for the same dimensions (which would blank the screen
     // without a subsequent Ink redraw to repaint it).
     this._lastResizeDims = { cols: dims.cols, rows: dims.rows };
     // Fast path: WebSocket resize
-    if (this._wsReady && this._wsSessionId === sessionId) {
+    if (!options.forceHttp && this._wsReady && this._wsSessionId === sessionId) {
       try {
         this._ws.send(JSON.stringify({ t: 'z', c: dims.cols, r: dims.rows }));
-        return;
+        return changed;
       } catch {
         // Fall through to HTTP POST
       }
@@ -1840,6 +1931,7 @@ Object.assign(CodemanApp.prototype, {
       headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
       body: JSON.stringify(dims),
     });
+    return changed;
   },
 
   /**
diff --git a/src/web/routes/session-routes.ts b/src/web/routes/session-routes.ts
index 41be3668a..025dcb750 100644
--- a/src/web/routes/session-routes.ts
+++ b/src/web/routes/session-routes.ts
@@ -889,8 +889,9 @@ export function registerSessionRoutes(
     const query = req.query as { tail?: string };
     const session = findSessionOrFail(ctx, id);
 
+    const rawBuffer = session.terminalBuffer;
     const tailBytes = query.tail ? parseInt(query.tail, 10) : 0;
-    const fullSize = session.terminalBufferLength;
+    const fullSize = rawBuffer.length;
     let truncated = false;
     let cleanBuffer: string;
 
@@ -898,7 +899,7 @@ export function registerSessionRoutes(
     // During long thinking phases, Ink rewrites the same rows thousands of times
     // (500KB+). Without stripping, tail mode returns only spinner frames and
     // the terminal appears empty when switching tabs.
-    const strippedBuffer = stripInkRedrawBloat(session.terminalBuffer);
+    const strippedBuffer = stripInkRedrawBloat(rawBuffer);
 
     if (tailBytes > 0 && strippedBuffer.length > tailBytes) {
       // Fast path: tail from the end, skip expensive banner search on full 2MB buffer.
diff --git a/test/terminal-layout-css.test.ts b/test/terminal-layout-css.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..aba9c23e1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/terminal-layout-css.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+import { readFileSync } from 'node:fs';
+import { resolve } from 'node:path';
+import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest';
+
+function cssRuleBody(css: string, selector: string): string {
+  const escaped = selector.replace(/[.*+?^${}()|[\]\\]/g, '\\$&');
+  const match = css.match(new RegExp(`${escaped}\\s*\\{([^}]*)\\}`));
+  return match?.[1] ?? '';
+}
+
+describe('terminal layout CSS', () => {
+  it('pins the xterm root to the terminal container width while scrollback moves', () => {
+    const css = readFileSync(resolve(import.meta.dirname, '../src/web/public/styles.css'), 'utf8');
+    const xtermRule = cssRuleBody(css, '.terminal-container .xterm');
+
+    expect(xtermRule).toContain('width: 100%');
+    expect(xtermRule).toContain('min-width: 0');
+  });
+});
diff --git a/test/tmux-capture-color.test.ts b/test/tmux-capture-color.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..6db4d9f01
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/tmux-capture-color.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+import { readFileSync } from 'node:fs';
+import { resolve } from 'node:path';
+import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest';
+
+describe('tmux styled pane capture', () => {
+  it('requests SGR style escapes for canonical browser replay frames', () => {
+    const source = readFileSync(resolve(import.meta.dirname, '../src/tmux-manager.ts'), 'utf8');
+    const captureMethod = source.indexOf('capturePaneBuffer(muxName: string');
+    const captureCommand = source.indexOf('capture-pane -p', captureMethod);
+
+    expect(captureMethod).toBeGreaterThan(-1);
+    expect(captureCommand).toBeGreaterThan(captureMethod);
+    expect(source.slice(captureCommand, captureCommand + 80)).toContain('capture-pane -p -e');
+  });
+});
diff --git a/test/tmux-manager.test.ts b/test/tmux-manager.test.ts
index d1559b965..cd1ad7a04 100644
--- a/test/tmux-manager.test.ts
+++ b/test/tmux-manager.test.ts
@@ -8,8 +8,8 @@
  */
 
 import { describe, it, expect, vi, beforeEach, afterEach } from 'vitest';
-import { TmuxManager, parsePaneList } from '../src/tmux-manager.js';
-import { execSync } from 'node:child_process';
+import { TmuxManager, formatPaneSnapshot, parsePaneList, resolveActivePaneTarget } from '../src/tmux-manager.js';
+import { execSync, exec } from 'node:child_process';
 
 // ============================================================================
 // Unit Tests (mocked)
@@ -64,6 +64,7 @@ vi.mock('node:fs/promises', async () => {
 describe('TmuxManager (unit)', () => {
   let manager: TmuxManager;
   const mockedExecSync = vi.mocked(execSync);
+  const mockedExec = vi.mocked(exec);
 
   beforeEach(() => {
     vi.clearAllMocks();
@@ -118,6 +119,109 @@ describe('TmuxManager (unit)', () => {
     });
   });
 
+  describe('window sizing', () => {
+    it('pins a tmux window to manual sizing before browser attach', () => {
+      expect(manager.setManualWindowSize('codeman-abc12345')).toBe(true);
+
+      expect(mockedExecSync).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+        "tmux -L 'codeman' set-window-option -t 'codeman-abc12345' window-size manual",
+        expect.objectContaining({ stdio: 'ignore' })
+      );
+    });
+
+    it('resizes the tmux window when Codeman accepts a desktop resize', () => {
+      expect(manager.resizeWindow('codeman-abc12345', 140, 42)).toBe(true);
+
+      // Non-blocking exec (not execSync) on the interactive resize hot path.
+      expect(mockedExec).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+        "tmux -L 'codeman' resize-window -t 'codeman-abc12345' -x 140 -y 42",
+        expect.objectContaining({ timeout: expect.any(Number) }),
+        expect.any(Function)
+      );
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe('environment exports', () => {
+    it('keeps COLORTERM unset for OpenCode sessions', () => {
+      const exports = (
+        manager as unknown as {
+          buildEnvExports(sessionId: string, muxName: string, mode: string): string[];
+        }
+      ).buildEnvExports('session-1', 'codeman-abc12345', 'opencode');
+
+      expect(exports).toContain('unset COLORTERM');
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe('formatPaneSnapshot', () => {
+    it('paints captured rows with absolute cursor positions to avoid newline autowrap scroll', () => {
+      const fullWidthLine = 'x'.repeat(10);
+
+      const snapshot = formatPaneSnapshot([fullWidthLine, 'next line'], {
+        cols: 10,
+        rows: 4,
+        cursorX: 2,
+        cursorY: 1,
+      });
+
+      expect(snapshot).toBe(`\x1b[1;1H${'x'.repeat(9)}\x1b[2;1Hnext line\x1b[2;3H`);
+      expect(snapshot).not.toContain('\n');
+    });
+
+    it('preserves SGR color while stripping non-style pane controls', () => {
+      const snapshot = formatPaneSnapshot(['\x1b[32mgreen\x1b[0m\x1b[2K\x1b[10;20Htail'], {
+        cols: 40,
+        rows: 2,
+        cursorX: 0,
+        cursorY: 0,
+      });
+
+      expect(snapshot).toContain('\x1b[32mgreen\x1b[0m');
+      expect(snapshot).toContain('tail');
+      expect(snapshot).not.toContain('\x1b[2K');
+      expect(snapshot).not.toContain('\x1b[10;20H');
+    });
+
+    it('truncates styled rows by visible columns without cutting SGR escapes', () => {
+      const snapshot = formatPaneSnapshot(['\x1b[31mabcdef\x1b[0m'], {
+        cols: 4,
+        rows: 1,
+        cursorX: 0,
+        cursorY: 0,
+      });
+
+      expect(snapshot).toBe('\x1b[1;1H\x1b[31mabc\x1b[0m\x1b[1;1H');
+    });
+
+    it('does not let full-width glyphs cross the paint boundary', () => {
+      const snapshot = formatPaneSnapshot(['abc\u754cdef'], {
+        cols: 5,
+        rows: 1,
+        cursorX: 0,
+        cursorY: 0,
+      });
+
+      expect(snapshot).toBe('\x1b[1;1Habc\x1b[1;1H');
+    });
+
+    it('keeps combining marks attached without consuming a terminal column', () => {
+      const snapshot = formatPaneSnapshot(['a\u0301bc'], {
+        cols: 4,
+        rows: 1,
+        cursorX: 0,
+        cursorY: 0,
+      });
+
+      expect(snapshot).toBe('\x1b[1;1Ha\u0301bc\x1b[1;1H');
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe('resolveActivePaneTarget', () => {
+    it('selects the active pane instead of assuming pane zero', () => {
+      expect(resolveActivePaneTarget('%1:0\n%18:1\n')).toBe('%18');
+    });
+  });
+
   describe('isAvailable', () => {
     it('should return true when tmux is found', () => {
       mockedExecSync.mockImplementation((cmd: string) => {