diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/dashboard-popout/preview-terminal-shortcuts.test.ts b/src/renderer/src/components/dashboard-popout/preview-terminal-shortcuts.test.ts
index 20ff21e6a91..80fddd93c29 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/components/dashboard-popout/preview-terminal-shortcuts.test.ts
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/dashboard-popout/preview-terminal-shortcuts.test.ts
@@ -176,6 +176,12 @@ describe('resolvePreviewShortcutAction', () => {
     expect(
       resolvePreviewShortcutAction(keydown({ key: 'd', code: 'KeyD', metaKey: true }), contextFor())
     ).toEqual({ type: 'splitActivePane', direction: 'vertical' })
+    expect(
+      resolvePreviewShortcutAction(
+        keydown({ key: 'd', code: 'KeyD', metaKey: true }),
+        contextFor({ terminalShortcutPolicy: 'terminal-first' })
+      )
+    ).toBeNull()
   })
 
   // Why: a terminal-first user remapped terminal.closePane away, so only the
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/dashboard-popout/preview-terminal-shortcuts.ts b/src/renderer/src/components/dashboard-popout/preview-terminal-shortcuts.ts
index fb90fb5b4f6..0fef94397d9 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/components/dashboard-popout/preview-terminal-shortcuts.ts
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/dashboard-popout/preview-terminal-shortcuts.ts
@@ -22,15 +22,15 @@ export type PreviewShortcutContext = {
   terminalInput: DashboardCardTerminalInput | null
   /** Live kitty-protocol flags mirrored from this pty's output. */
   getKittyKeyboardFlags: () => number
-  /** The user's setting; terminal-first yields the tab.close alias to the shell. */
+  /** The user's policy for chords shared with shells and TUIs. */
   terminalShortcutPolicy: TerminalShortcutPolicy | null | undefined
 }
 
 /**
  * Runs the preview terminal's keys through the same policy a pane uses, so the
  * dashboard encodes word-kills, Option chords, and modified Enter identically.
- * Every pane-scoped verdict (splits, search, focus) still comes back — the
- * caller swallows those rather than leaking raw bytes to the agent.
+ * Active pane commands come back for the caller to handle; deferred TUI
+ * chords continue through xterm.
  */
 export function resolvePreviewShortcutAction(
   event: KeyboardEvent,
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/settings/shortcut-terminal-status.ts b/src/renderer/src/components/settings/shortcut-terminal-status.ts
index f8abf54abbe..4a1de39b801 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/components/settings/shortcut-terminal-status.ts
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/settings/shortcut-terminal-status.ts
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ export function getShortcutTerminalStatus(
   if (!hasEffectiveBinding) {
     return undefined
   }
-  if (definition.scope === 'terminal') {
+  if (definition.scope === 'terminal' && isKeybindingAllowedInTerminal(definition)) {
     return {
       label: translate('auto.components.settings.ShortcutsPane.cb02e00202', 'Terminal'),
       description: translate(
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/terminal-pane/terminal-shortcut-policy.ts b/src/renderer/src/components/terminal-pane/terminal-shortcut-policy.ts
index 98f47941bb7..1c8340678dd 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/components/terminal-pane/terminal-shortcut-policy.ts
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/terminal-pane/terminal-shortcut-policy.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import {
   keybindingMatchesAction,
   type KeybindingInput,
+  type KeybindingActionId,
   type KeybindingMatchOptions,
   type KeybindingOverrides,
   type TerminalShortcutPolicy
@@ -31,7 +32,7 @@ export type TerminalShortcutEvent = {
 // Shared close-chord predicate: the terminal pane (L3) and the floating panel's focused-terminal
 // branch (L2) both treat terminal.closePane OR a terminal-scope tab.close as "close the active
 // pane," so the two layers can't diverge. Callers pass the options each binding needs —
-// terminal.closePane is context-free; tab.close is scoped to the terminal surface.
+// both bindings use the caller’s terminal priority policy.
 export function isTerminalPaneCloseChord(
   event: KeybindingInput,
   platform: NodeJS.Platform,
@@ -88,77 +89,75 @@ export function resolveTerminalShortcutAction(
   getWindowsShiftEnterEncoding?: () => WindowsShiftEnterEncoding,
   // Why: keybindings follow the client OS, but byte protocols follow the PTY host — they differ for macOS clients on Windows runtimes.
   isWindowsTerminalHost: () => boolean = () => isWindows,
-  // Why: gates the tab.close pane-close alias — under terminal-first a remapped tab.close yields to the shell (terminal.closePane, scope terminal, still closes).
+  // Why: terminal-first yields editing and TUI chords before xterm encodes them.
   terminalShortcutPolicy: TerminalShortcutPolicy = 'orca-first',
   // Why: query-only Droid/Grok consumers need CSI-u even when the live kitty flags remain inactive.
   hasCtrlEnterCsiUAuthority?: () => boolean
 ): TerminalShortcutAction | null {
   const platform: NodeJS.Platform = isMac ? 'darwin' : isWindows ? 'win32' : 'linux'
+  const matchOptions: KeybindingMatchOptions = { context: 'terminal', terminalShortcutPolicy }
+  const matches = (action: KeybindingActionId): boolean =>
+    keybindingMatchesAction(action, event, platform, keybindings, matchOptions)
 
   // Why: capture this chord even on repeat without blocking the OS default input-source switch.
-  if (keybindingMatchesAction('terminal.switchInputSource', event, platform, keybindings)) {
+  if (matches('terminal.switchInputSource')) {
     return { type: 'switchInputSource' }
   }
 
   // Why: held select-all and copy keydowns must remain claimed until keyup so
   // Kitty event reporting cannot encode their repeat or release into the PTY.
-  if (keybindingMatchesAction('terminal.selectAll', event, platform, keybindings)) {
+  if (matches('terminal.selectAll')) {
     return { type: 'selectAll' }
   }
 
-  if (keybindingMatchesAction('terminal.copySelection', event, platform, keybindings)) {
+  if (matches('terminal.copySelection')) {
     return { type: 'copySelection' }
   }
 
   if (!event.repeat) {
-    if (keybindingMatchesAction('terminal.search', event, platform, keybindings)) {
+    if (matches('terminal.search')) {
       return { type: 'toggleSearch' }
     }
 
-    if (keybindingMatchesAction('terminal.clear', event, platform, keybindings)) {
+    if (matches('terminal.clear')) {
       return { type: 'clearActivePane' }
     }
 
-    if (keybindingMatchesAction('terminal.focusPreviousPane', event, platform, keybindings)) {
+    if (matches('terminal.focusPreviousPane')) {
       return { type: 'focusPane', direction: 'previous' }
     }
 
-    if (keybindingMatchesAction('terminal.focusNextPane', event, platform, keybindings)) {
+    if (matches('terminal.focusNextPane')) {
       return { type: 'focusPane', direction: 'next' }
     }
 
-    if (keybindingMatchesAction('terminal.equalizePaneSizes', event, platform, keybindings)) {
+    if (matches('terminal.equalizePaneSizes')) {
       return { type: 'equalizePaneSizes' }
     }
 
-    if (keybindingMatchesAction('terminal.expandPane', event, platform, keybindings)) {
+    if (matches('terminal.expandPane')) {
       return { type: 'toggleExpandActivePane' }
     }
 
-    if (keybindingMatchesAction('terminal.setTitle', event, platform, keybindings)) {
+    if (matches('terminal.setTitle')) {
       return { type: 'setTitle' }
     }
 
-    if (keybindingMatchesAction('terminal.clearPaneTitle', event, platform, keybindings)) {
+    if (matches('terminal.clearPaneTitle')) {
       return { type: 'clearPaneTitle' }
     }
 
     // Why: recognize the active tab.close binding as a pane-close alias too, so a user who remaps
     // tab.close alone still closes the focused split pane (never the whole tab); L2 always defers to us.
-    if (
-      isTerminalPaneCloseChord(event, platform, keybindings, undefined, {
-        context: 'terminal',
-        terminalShortcutPolicy
-      })
-    ) {
+    if (isTerminalPaneCloseChord(event, platform, keybindings, matchOptions, matchOptions)) {
       return { type: 'closeActivePane' }
     }
 
-    if (keybindingMatchesAction('terminal.splitRight', event, platform, keybindings)) {
+    if (matches('terminal.splitRight')) {
       return { type: 'splitActivePane', direction: 'vertical' }
     }
 
-    if (keybindingMatchesAction('terminal.splitDown', event, platform, keybindings)) {
+    if (matches('terminal.splitDown')) {
       return { type: 'splitActivePane', direction: 'horizontal' }
     }
   }
diff --git a/src/shared/keybindings-terminal-context.test.ts b/src/shared/keybindings-terminal-context.test.ts
index 887b8ee3b28..daf4d880a0f 100644
--- a/src/shared/keybindings-terminal-context.test.ts
+++ b/src/shared/keybindings-terminal-context.test.ts
@@ -38,9 +38,57 @@ describe('keybindings', () => {
         undefined,
         { context: 'terminal', terminalShortcutPolicy: 'terminal-first' }
       )
-    ).toBe(true)
+    ).toBe(false)
   })
 
+  it.each(['darwin', 'linux', 'win32'] as const)(
+    'defers editing and history chords on %s while app focus retains them',
+    (platform) => {
+      const chords = [
+        { action: 'terminal.search', key: 'f', code: 'KeyF', shift: false },
+        { action: 'terminal.clear', key: 'k', code: 'KeyK', shift: false },
+        { action: 'terminal.closePane', key: 'w', code: 'KeyW', shift: false },
+        { action: 'tab.newTerminal', key: 't', code: 'KeyT', shift: false },
+        { action: 'terminal.selectAll', key: 'a', code: 'KeyA', shift: platform !== 'darwin' },
+        { action: 'terminal.splitRight', key: 'd', code: 'KeyD', shift: platform !== 'darwin' }
+      ] as const
+      for (const chord of chords) {
+        const input = {
+          ...chord,
+          meta: platform === 'darwin',
+          control: platform !== 'darwin',
+          alt: false
+        }
+        expect(
+          keybindingMatchesAction(chord.action, input, platform, undefined, {
+            context: 'terminal',
+            terminalShortcutPolicy: 'terminal-first'
+          })
+        ).toBe(false)
+        expect(
+          keybindingMatchesAction(chord.action, input, platform, undefined, {
+            context: 'app',
+            terminalShortcutPolicy: 'terminal-first'
+          })
+        ).toBe(true)
+      }
+      const historyInput = {
+        key: 'ArrowLeft',
+        code: 'ArrowLeft',
+        meta: platform === 'darwin',
+        control: platform !== 'darwin',
+        alt: true,
+        shift: false
+      }
+      expect(
+        keybindingMatchesAction('worktree.history.back', historyInput, platform, undefined, {
+          context: 'terminal',
+          terminalShortcutPolicy: 'terminal-first'
+        })
+      ).toBe(false)
+    }
+  )
+
   it('keeps floating workspace tab shortcuts active in app focus even with terminal-first policy configured', () => {
     const panelFocus = {
       context: 'app',
diff --git a/src/shared/keybindings/definitions-core-2.ts b/src/shared/keybindings/definitions-core-2.ts
index d8fd6ad3227..1ae589b67c5 100644
--- a/src/shared/keybindings/definitions-core-2.ts
+++ b/src/shared/keybindings/definitions-core-2.ts
@@ -55,8 +55,7 @@ export const KEYBINDING_DEFINITION_CORE_2: readonly KeybindingDefinition[] = [
     group: 'Global',
     scope: 'global',
     searchKeywords: ['shortcut', 'worktree', 'history', 'back'],
-    defaultBindings: platformBindings(['Mod+Alt+ArrowLeft']),
-    allowInTerminal: true
+    defaultBindings: platformBindings(['Mod+Alt+ArrowLeft'])
   },
   {
     id: 'worktree.history.forward',
@@ -64,8 +63,7 @@ export const KEYBINDING_DEFINITION_CORE_2: readonly KeybindingDefinition[] = [
     group: 'Global',
     scope: 'global',
     searchKeywords: ['shortcut', 'worktree', 'history', 'forward'],
-    defaultBindings: platformBindings(['Mod+Alt+ArrowRight']),
-    allowInTerminal: true
+    defaultBindings: platformBindings(['Mod+Alt+ArrowRight'])
   },
   {
     id: 'tab.newTerminal',
diff --git a/src/shared/keybindings/effective.ts b/src/shared/keybindings/effective.ts
index 23489eb296e..c8e8a879e4f 100644
--- a/src/shared/keybindings/effective.ts
+++ b/src/shared/keybindings/effective.ts
@@ -73,12 +73,27 @@ export function normalizeTerminalShortcutPolicy(
   return policy === 'terminal-first' ? 'terminal-first' : 'orca-first'
 }
 
+const TUI_CONFLICT_ACTIONS = new Set<KeybindingActionId>([
+  'terminal.search',
+  'terminal.clear',
+  'terminal.selectAll',
+  'terminal.splitRight',
+  'terminal.splitDown',
+  'terminal.closePane',
+  'worktree.history.back',
+  'worktree.history.forward'
+])
+
 export function isKeybindingAllowedInTerminal(definition: KeybindingDefinition): boolean {
-  return definition.scope === 'terminal' || definition.allowInTerminal === true
+  // Keep clipboard, input-source and pane navigation controls available.
+  return (
+    !TUI_CONFLICT_ACTIONS.has(definition.id) &&
+    (definition.scope === 'terminal' || definition.allowInTerminal === true)
+  )
 }
 
 export function isKeybindingPotentialTerminalConflict(definition: KeybindingDefinition): boolean {
-  return definition.scope !== 'terminal' && definition.allowInTerminal !== true
+  return !isKeybindingAllowedInTerminal(definition)
 }
 
 export function keybindingIsActiveInContext(