diff --git a/packages/cli/src/ui/components/BaseTextInput.tsx b/packages/cli/src/ui/components/BaseTextInput.tsx
index 07eb1a693..fc9763cbb 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/ui/components/BaseTextInput.tsx
+++ b/packages/cli/src/ui/components/BaseTextInput.tsx
@@ -211,6 +211,12 @@ export const BaseTextInput: React.FC<BaseTextInputProps> = ({
         return;
       }
 
+      // Tab — never insert literal tab characters into the buffer;
+      // consumers that need Tab behaviour should intercept it via onKeypress.
+      if ((key.name === 'tab' || key.sequence === '\t') && !key.paste) {
+        return;
+      }
+
       // Backspace
       if (
         key.name === 'backspace' ||
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/ui/components/shared/text-buffer.ts b/packages/cli/src/ui/components/shared/text-buffer.ts
index d2681eaf3..42718719f 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/ui/components/shared/text-buffer.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/ui/components/shared/text-buffer.ts
@@ -2320,7 +2320,13 @@ export function useTextBuffer({
       else if (key.name === 'delete' || (key.ctrl && key.name === 'd')) del();
       else if (key.ctrl && !key.shift && key.name === 'z') undo();
       else if (key.ctrl && key.shift && key.name === 'z') redo();
-      else if (input && !key.ctrl && !key.meta) {
+      else if (
+        input &&
+        !key.ctrl &&
+        !key.meta &&
+        key.name !== 'tab' &&
+        input !== '\t'
+      ) {
         insert(input, { paste: key.paste });
       }
     },
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/ui/contexts/KeypressContext.test.tsx b/packages/cli/src/ui/contexts/KeypressContext.test.tsx
index 7a5a1c23d..735423065 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/ui/contexts/KeypressContext.test.tsx
+++ b/packages/cli/src/ui/contexts/KeypressContext.test.tsx
@@ -959,6 +959,63 @@ describe('KeypressContext - Kitty Protocol', () => {
       }
     });
 
+    it('should keep a literal tab key as a non-paste keypress', () => {
+      vi.useFakeTimers();
+      const keyHandler = vi.fn();
+
+      const { result } = renderHook(() => useKeypressContext(), {
+        wrapper: ({ children }) => wrapper({ children, pasteWorkaround: true }),
+      });
+
+      act(() => {
+        result.current.subscribe(keyHandler);
+      });
+
+      try {
+        act(() => {
+          stdin.emit('data', Buffer.from('\t'));
+        });
+
+        expect(keyHandler).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+          expect.objectContaining({
+            name: 'tab',
+            sequence: '\t',
+            paste: false,
+          }),
+        );
+      } finally {
+        vi.useRealTimers();
+      }
+    });
+
+    it('should mark single-line tabbed raw chunks as paste', async () => {
+      const keyHandler = vi.fn();
+
+      const { result } = renderHook(() => useKeypressContext(), {
+        wrapper: ({ children }) => wrapper({ children, pasteWorkaround: true }),
+      });
+
+      act(() => {
+        result.current.subscribe(keyHandler);
+      });
+
+      act(() => {
+        stdin.emit('data', Buffer.from('first\tsecond'));
+      });
+
+      await waitFor(() => {
+        expect(keyHandler).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+      });
+
+      expect(keyHandler).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+        expect.objectContaining({
+          name: '',
+          sequence: 'first\tsecond',
+          paste: true,
+        }),
+      );
+    });
+
     it('should concatenate new data and reset timeout', () => {
       vi.useFakeTimers();
       const keyHandler = vi.fn();
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/ui/contexts/KeypressContext.tsx b/packages/cli/src/ui/contexts/KeypressContext.tsx
index e4ff4db0e..a2ee13c29 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/ui/contexts/KeypressContext.tsx
+++ b/packages/cli/src/ui/contexts/KeypressContext.tsx
@@ -989,6 +989,14 @@ export function KeypressProvider({
       sequence,
     });
 
+    const shouldFlushRawDataAsPaste = (data: Buffer) => {
+      const hasReturn = data.includes(0x0d);
+      const hasEmbeddedTab = data.length > 1 && data.includes(0x09);
+      const isSingleReturn = data.length <= 2 && hasReturn;
+
+      return !isSingleReturn && (hasReturn || hasEmbeddedTab);
+    };
+
     const flushRawBuffer = () => {
       if (!rawDataBuffer.length) {
         return;
@@ -1045,11 +1053,7 @@ export function KeypressProvider({
         return;
       }
 
-      if (
-        (rawDataBuffer.length <= 2 && rawDataBuffer.includes(0x0d)) ||
-        !rawDataBuffer.includes(0x0d) ||
-        isPaste
-      ) {
+      if (isPaste || !shouldFlushRawDataAsPaste(rawDataBuffer)) {
         keypressStream.write(rawDataBuffer);
       } else {
         // Flush raw data buffer as a paste event