diff --git a/packages/cli/src/ui/contexts/KeypressContext.tsx b/packages/cli/src/ui/contexts/KeypressContext.tsx
index 97db27563..e81747957 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/ui/contexts/KeypressContext.tsx
+++ b/packages/cli/src/ui/contexts/KeypressContext.tsx
@@ -540,7 +540,16 @@ export function KeypressProvider({
       }
     };
 
+    // Matches terminal query responses (DA1, DA2, Kitty protocol query)
+    // that may arrive late from startup detection in kittyProtocolDetector.
+    // These are never valid user input.
+    // eslint-disable-next-line no-control-regex
+    const TERMINAL_RESPONSE_RE = /^\x1b\[[?>][\d;]*[uc]$/;
+
     const handleKeypress = async (_: unknown, key: Key) => {
+      if (TERMINAL_RESPONSE_RE.test(key.sequence)) {
+        return;
+      }
       if (key.sequence === FOCUS_IN || key.sequence === FOCUS_OUT) {
         return;
       }
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/ui/utils/kittyProtocolDetector.ts b/packages/cli/src/ui/utils/kittyProtocolDetector.ts
index 3355330a6..a46390603 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/ui/utils/kittyProtocolDetector.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/ui/utils/kittyProtocolDetector.ts
@@ -37,11 +37,20 @@ export async function detectAndEnableKittyProtocol(): Promise<boolean> {
     const onTimeout = () => {
       timeoutId = undefined;
       process.stdin.removeListener('data', handleData);
-      if (!originalRawMode) {
-        process.stdin.setRawMode(false);
-      }
-      detectionComplete = true;
-      resolve(false);
+
+      // Keep a drain handler briefly to consume any late-arriving terminal
+      // responses that would otherwise leak into the application input.
+      const drainHandler = () => {};
+      process.stdin.on('data', drainHandler);
+
+      setTimeout(() => {
+        process.stdin.removeListener('data', drainHandler);
+        if (!originalRawMode) {
+          process.stdin.setRawMode(false);
+        }
+        detectionComplete = true;
+        resolve(false);
+      }, 100);
     };
 
     const handleData = (data: Buffer) => {