diff --git a/mobile/app/h/[hostId]/session/[worktreeId].tsx b/mobile/app/h/[hostId]/session/[worktreeId].tsx
index 994798712..2119c2da2 100644
--- a/mobile/app/h/[hostId]/session/[worktreeId].tsx
+++ b/mobile/app/h/[hostId]/session/[worktreeId].tsx
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ import {
   AlertTriangle,
   ArrowUp,
   Bot,
+  ChevronDown,
   ChevronLeft,
   ChevronRight,
   ChevronsRight,
@@ -100,6 +101,7 @@ import {
   isTerminalLiveInputWithinByteLimit,
   scheduleTerminalLiveInputFocus
 } from '../../../../src/terminal/terminal-live-input'
+import { dismissTerminalKeyboard } from '../../../../src/terminal/terminal-keyboard-dismiss'
 import type { TerminalLiveInputSender } from '../../../../src/terminal/terminal-live-input-sender'
 import { isTerminalSendRpcAccepted } from '../../../../src/terminal/terminal-send-rpc-response'
 import { useTerminalLiveInputCommit } from '../../../../src/terminal/use-terminal-live-input-commit'
@@ -1006,6 +1008,7 @@ export default function SessionScreen() {
   const viewportMeasuredRef = useRef(false)
   const terminalRefs = useRef<Map<string, TerminalWebViewHandle>>(new Map())
   const liveInputRef = useRef<TextInput>(null)
+  const commandInputRef = useRef<TextInput>(null)
   const liveInputFocusTimerRef = useRef<ReturnType<typeof setTimeout> | null>(null)
   const sendLiveTerminalInputRef = useRef<TerminalLiveInputSender>(async () => false)
   const sessionTabActionSheetKeyboardHideSubRef = useRef<ReturnType<
@@ -3208,6 +3211,15 @@ export default function SessionScreen() {
     ]
   )
 
+  const dismissSoftwareKeyboard = useCallback(() => {
+    dismissTerminalKeyboard({
+      clearPendingLiveInputFocus: () => clearTerminalLiveInputFocusTimer(liveInputFocusTimerRef),
+      commandInput: commandInputRef.current,
+      dismissKeyboard: () => Keyboard.dismiss(),
+      liveInput: liveInputRef.current
+    })
+  }, [])
+
   const handleTerminalTap = useCallback(
     (handle: string) => {
       if (handle !== activeHandleRef.current) {
@@ -4780,10 +4792,38 @@ export default function SessionScreen() {
               >
                 {/* Accessory keys */}
                 <View style={styles.accessoryBar}>
+                  {/* Why: a fixed, always-visible escape hatch from the open
+                  keyboard. Kept outside the horizontal ScrollView so it does
+                  not scroll away, and out of the terminal-byte shortcut path so
+                  it cannot be hidden by user shortcut customization (#5106). */}
+                  {keyboardLift > 0 && (
+                    <Pressable
+                      style={({ pressed }) => [
+                        styles.keyboardDismissKey,
+                        pressed && styles.accessoryKeyPressed
+                      ]}
+                      onPress={dismissSoftwareKeyboard}
+                      hitSlop={8}
+                      accessibilityRole="button"
+                      accessibilityLabel="Dismiss keyboard"
+                      accessibilityHint="Hides the software keyboard and keeps the current terminal session open."
+                    >
+                      <View style={styles.keyboardDismissGlyph}>
+                        <KeyboardIcon size={15} color={colors.textSecondary} strokeWidth={2} />
+                        <ChevronDown
+                          size={10}
+                          color={colors.textSecondary}
+                          strokeWidth={2.5}
+                          style={styles.keyboardDismissChevron}
+                        />
+                      </View>
+                    </Pressable>
+                  )}
                   {/* Why: with default tap handling the first tap on any accessory
                   key dismisses the open keyboard and is swallowed, so live
                   input lost its keyboard on every Esc/Tab press (#5106). */}
                   <ScrollView
+                    style={styles.accessoryScroll}
                     horizontal
                     showsHorizontalScrollIndicator={false}
                     contentContainerStyle={styles.accessoryContent}
@@ -5009,6 +5049,7 @@ export default function SessionScreen() {
                 ) : (
                   <View style={styles.inputBar}>
                     <TextInput
+                      ref={commandInputRef}
                       // Why: Android caches the IME inputType at mount, so toggling
                       // autocomplete must remount there; iOS can update without a focus-costly remount.
                       key={
diff --git a/mobile/app/h/[hostId]/session/mobile-session-command-input-styles.ts b/mobile/app/h/[hostId]/session/mobile-session-command-input-styles.ts
index 9ffd1487d..1bb852c42 100644
--- a/mobile/app/h/[hostId]/session/mobile-session-command-input-styles.ts
+++ b/mobile/app/h/[hostId]/session/mobile-session-command-input-styles.ts
@@ -68,10 +68,16 @@ export const mobileSessionCommandInputStyles = StyleSheet.create({
     zIndex: 20
   },
   accessoryBar: {
+    flexDirection: 'row',
+    alignItems: 'center',
     borderTopWidth: 1,
     borderTopColor: colors.borderSubtle,
     backgroundColor: colors.bgPanel
   },
+  accessoryScroll: {
+    flex: 1,
+    minWidth: 0
+  },
   accessoryContent: {
     paddingHorizontal: spacing.sm,
     paddingVertical: spacing.xs,
@@ -110,6 +116,29 @@ export const mobileSessionCommandInputStyles = StyleSheet.create({
   accessoryKeyTextDisabled: {
     color: colors.textMuted
   },
+  keyboardDismissKey: {
+    alignItems: 'center',
+    justifyContent: 'center',
+    marginLeft: spacing.sm,
+    marginVertical: spacing.xs,
+    backgroundColor: colors.bgRaised,
+    paddingHorizontal: spacing.sm + 2,
+    paddingVertical: 0,
+    borderRadius: radii.button,
+    minWidth: 36,
+    height: 28
+  },
+  keyboardDismissGlyph: {
+    alignItems: 'center',
+    height: 18,
+    justifyContent: 'flex-start',
+    position: 'relative',
+    width: 18
+  },
+  keyboardDismissChevron: {
+    bottom: -2,
+    position: 'absolute'
+  },
   inputBar: {
     flexDirection: 'row',
     alignItems: 'center',
diff --git a/mobile/src/terminal/terminal-keyboard-dismiss.test.ts b/mobile/src/terminal/terminal-keyboard-dismiss.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..1e523b5d5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/mobile/src/terminal/terminal-keyboard-dismiss.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,82 @@
+import { describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest'
+
+import { dismissTerminalKeyboard } from './terminal-keyboard-dismiss'
+
+describe('dismissTerminalKeyboard', () => {
+  it('clears pending live input focus before blur and dismiss', () => {
+    const calls: string[] = []
+    const clearPendingLiveInputFocus = vi.fn(() => calls.push('clear'))
+    const liveInput = { blur: vi.fn(() => calls.push('live-blur')) }
+    const commandInput = { blur: vi.fn(() => calls.push('command-blur')) }
+    const dismissKeyboard = vi.fn(() => calls.push('dismiss'))
+
+    dismissTerminalKeyboard({
+      clearPendingLiveInputFocus,
+      commandInput,
+      dismissKeyboard,
+      liveInput
+    })
+
+    expect(calls).toEqual(['clear', 'live-blur', 'command-blur', 'dismiss'])
+  })
+
+  it('blurs both live and buffered command inputs', () => {
+    const liveInput = { blur: vi.fn() }
+    const commandInput = { blur: vi.fn() }
+
+    dismissTerminalKeyboard({
+      clearPendingLiveInputFocus: vi.fn(),
+      commandInput,
+      dismissKeyboard: vi.fn(),
+      liveInput
+    })
+
+    expect(liveInput.blur).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1)
+    expect(commandInput.blur).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1)
+  })
+
+  it('dismisses the keyboard without a live input handle', () => {
+    const commandInput = { blur: vi.fn() }
+    const dismissKeyboard = vi.fn()
+
+    dismissTerminalKeyboard({
+      clearPendingLiveInputFocus: vi.fn(),
+      commandInput,
+      dismissKeyboard,
+      liveInput: null
+    })
+
+    expect(commandInput.blur).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1)
+    expect(dismissKeyboard).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1)
+  })
+
+  it('dismisses the keyboard without a buffered command input handle', () => {
+    const liveInput = { blur: vi.fn() }
+    const dismissKeyboard = vi.fn()
+
+    dismissTerminalKeyboard({
+      clearPendingLiveInputFocus: vi.fn(),
+      commandInput: undefined,
+      dismissKeyboard,
+      liveInput
+    })
+
+    expect(liveInput.blur).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1)
+    expect(dismissKeyboard).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1)
+  })
+
+  it('still clears focus and dismisses when both input handles are missing', () => {
+    const calls: string[] = []
+    const clearPendingLiveInputFocus = vi.fn(() => calls.push('clear'))
+    const dismissKeyboard = vi.fn(() => calls.push('dismiss'))
+
+    dismissTerminalKeyboard({
+      clearPendingLiveInputFocus,
+      commandInput: undefined,
+      dismissKeyboard,
+      liveInput: null
+    })
+
+    expect(calls).toEqual(['clear', 'dismiss'])
+  })
+})
diff --git a/mobile/src/terminal/terminal-keyboard-dismiss.ts b/mobile/src/terminal/terminal-keyboard-dismiss.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..502ed4275
--- /dev/null
+++ b/mobile/src/terminal/terminal-keyboard-dismiss.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+export type TerminalKeyboardDismissHandle = { blur: () => void } | null | undefined
+
+export type DismissTerminalKeyboardOptions = {
+  clearPendingLiveInputFocus: () => void
+  commandInput: TerminalKeyboardDismissHandle
+  dismissKeyboard: () => void
+  liveInput: TerminalKeyboardDismissHandle
+}
+
+export function dismissTerminalKeyboard(options: DismissTerminalKeyboardOptions): void {
+  // Why: clear the queued live-input focus before blurring/dismissing so a
+  // pending deferred focus cannot re-open the iOS keyboard right after Hide.
+  options.clearPendingLiveInputFocus()
+  options.liveInput?.blur()
+  options.commandInput?.blur()
+  options.dismissKeyboard()
+}
diff --git a/mobile/vitest.config.ts b/mobile/vitest.config.ts
index ae56f5bdd..9e7e3ecc5 100644
--- a/mobile/vitest.config.ts
+++ b/mobile/vitest.config.ts
@@ -1,25 +1,12 @@
 import { defineConfig } from 'vitest/config'
 
-const tsconfigRaw = JSON.stringify({
-  compilerOptions: {
-    jsx: 'react-jsx',
-    module: 'esnext',
-    moduleResolution: 'bundler',
-    strict: true,
-    target: 'es2022'
-  }
-})
+const vitestOxcConfig = { tsconfig: false } as never
 
 export default defineConfig({
   root: import.meta.dirname,
-  esbuild: {
-    tsconfigRaw
-  },
-  optimizeDeps: {
-    esbuildOptions: {
-      tsconfigRaw
-    }
-  },
+  // Why: the app tsconfig intentionally excludes tests; Vite 8's OXC transform
+  // otherwise fails before Vitest can run the test modules.
+  oxc: vitestOxcConfig,
   test: {
     environment: 'node',
     include: ['src/**/*.test.ts']