diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/terminal-pane/pty-connection.test.ts b/src/renderer/src/components/terminal-pane/pty-connection.test.ts
index 0e4bcdded..6c72e259c 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/components/terminal-pane/pty-connection.test.ts
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/terminal-pane/pty-connection.test.ts
@@ -4593,7 +4593,7 @@ describe('connectPanePty', () => {
     }
   })
 
-  it('pastes a startup draft when Codex renders its composer in the first observed output', async () => {
+  it('orders a startup draft behind xterm focus input when Codex renders its composer', async () => {
     const { connectPanePty } = await import('./pty-connection')
 
     const capturedDataCallback: { current: ((data: string) => void) | null } = { current: null }
@@ -4626,13 +4626,27 @@ describe('connectPanePty', () => {
     await flushAsyncTicks()
     expect(capturedDataCallback.current).not.toBeNull()
 
+    // A focused xterm emits CSI I after Codex enables focus reporting. The
+    // startup draft must use the same transport instead of racing a direct IPC.
+    ;(
+      pane.terminal.onData as unknown as {
+        mock: { calls: [(data: string) => void][] }
+      }
+    ).mock.calls[0]?.[0]('\x1b[I')
+    ;(mockStoreState.recordTerminalInput as ReturnType<typeof vi.fn>).mockClear()
     capturedDataCallback.current?.('\x1b[?2004h\x1b[2K› ')
     await flushAsyncTicks()
 
-    expect(window.api.pty.writeAccepted).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
-      'pty-codex',
+    expect(transport.sendInputAccepted).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
       '\x1b[200~https://github.com/stablyai/orca/issues/42\x1b[201~'
     )
+    expect(transport.sendInput.mock.calls.map(([data]) => data)).toEqual([
+      '\x1b[I',
+      '\x1b[200~https://github.com/stablyai/orca/issues/42\x1b[201~'
+    ])
+    expect(window.api.pty.writeAccepted).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
+    expect(mockStoreState.recordTerminalInput).toHaveBeenCalledOnce()
+    expect(mockStoreState.recordTerminalInput).toHaveBeenCalledWith(makePaneKey('tab-1', LEAF_1))
   })
 
   it('does not consume startup draft delivery before deferred connect starts', async () => {
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/terminal-pane/pty-connection.ts b/src/renderer/src/components/terminal-pane/pty-connection.ts
index ae7781a9f..ae752d77d 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/components/terminal-pane/pty-connection.ts
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/terminal-pane/pty-connection.ts
@@ -219,6 +219,7 @@ import { isWslUncPath } from '../../../../shared/wsl-paths'
 import { isTuiAgent, TUI_AGENT_CONFIG } from '../../../../shared/tui-agent-config'
 import { createDraftPasteReadyScanner } from '../../../../shared/draft-paste-ready-scanner'
 import { sendAgentDraftPasteContent } from '@/lib/agent-draft-paste-content'
+import { writeTerminalPastePtyInput } from './terminal-pty-paste-writer'
 import {
   beginAgentStartupDeliveryAttempt,
   releaseAgentStartupDeliveryAttempt
@@ -3938,6 +3939,7 @@ export function connectPanePty(
     let startupDraftReadinessArmed = false
     let startupDraftPasteSettled = !ownsStartupDraftPaste
     let startupDraftPasteInFlight = false
+    let startupDraftInputRecorded = false
     let startupDraftQuietTimer: ReturnType<typeof setTimeout> | null = null
     let startupDraftHardTimer: ReturnType<typeof setTimeout> | null = null
     const clearStartupDraftPasteTimers = (): void => {
@@ -3981,7 +3983,18 @@ export function connectPanePty(
       startupDraftPasteAttempted = true
       cleanupStartupDraftPasteTimers()
       const settings = getSettingsForWorktreeRuntimeOwner(useAppStore.getState(), deps.worktreeId)
-      void sendAgentDraftPasteContent(settings, ptyId, startupDraftPrompt)
+      // Why: xterm focus reports share this transport queue. Bypassing it can
+      // race CSI I against the draft on ConPTY and expose a literal `[I` prefix.
+      void sendAgentDraftPasteContent(settings, ptyId, startupDraftPrompt, async (data) => {
+        const accepted = await writeTerminalPastePtyInput(transport, data)
+        if (accepted && !startupDraftInputRecorded) {
+          // Why: this transport write bypasses xterm's user-input signal; keep
+          // the composed draft from being discarded by later hibernation.
+          startupDraftInputRecorded = true
+          recordTerminalInputForHibernation()
+        }
+        return accepted
+      })
         .catch(() => false)
         .finally(() => {
           startupDraftPasteInFlight = false
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/lib/agent-draft-paste-content.ts b/src/renderer/src/lib/agent-draft-paste-content.ts
index b1019b7bc..5bfe4bc5a 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/lib/agent-draft-paste-content.ts
+++ b/src/renderer/src/lib/agent-draft-paste-content.ts
@@ -16,10 +16,13 @@ const AGENT_DRAFT_PASTE_ESCAPE_CODE_POINT = 0x1b
 const AGENT_DRAFT_PASTE_INERT_ESCAPE_CODE_POINT = 0x241b
 const AGENT_DRAFT_PASTE_INERT_ESCAPE = '\u241b'
 
+export type AgentDraftPtyInputWriter = (data: string) => boolean | Promise<boolean>
+
 export async function sendAgentDraftPasteContent(
   settings: Pick<GlobalSettings, 'activeRuntimeEnvironmentId'> | null | undefined,
   ptyId: string,
-  content: string
+  content: string,
+  writePty?: AgentDraftPtyInputWriter
 ): Promise<boolean> {
   if (content.length > AGENT_DRAFT_PASTE_MAX_BYTES) {
     return false
@@ -29,10 +32,11 @@ export async function sendAgentDraftPasteContent(
     stopAfterBytes: AGENT_DRAFT_PASTE_DIRECT_MAX_BYTES
   })
   if (!directMeasurement.exceededLimit) {
-    return await sendRuntimePtyInputVerified(
+    return await writeAgentDraftPtyInput(
       settings,
       ptyId,
-      [BRACKETED_PASTE_START, sanitizeTerminalPasteText(content), BRACKETED_PASTE_END].join('')
+      [BRACKETED_PASTE_START, sanitizeTerminalPasteText(content), BRACKETED_PASTE_END].join(''),
+      writePty
     )
   }
 
@@ -46,16 +50,16 @@ export async function sendAgentDraftPasteContent(
   for (const chunk of iterateAgentDraftPasteContentChunks(content)) {
     let accepted = false
     try {
-      accepted = await sendRuntimePtyInputVerified(settings, ptyId, chunk)
+      accepted = await writeAgentDraftPtyInput(settings, ptyId, chunk, writePty)
     } catch {
       if (bracketedPasteOpen && chunk !== BRACKETED_PASTE_END) {
-        await closeAgentDraftBracketedPaste(settings, ptyId)
+        await closeAgentDraftBracketedPaste(settings, ptyId, writePty)
       }
       return false
     }
     if (!accepted) {
       if (bracketedPasteOpen && chunk !== BRACKETED_PASTE_END) {
-        await closeAgentDraftBracketedPaste(settings, ptyId)
+        await closeAgentDraftBracketedPaste(settings, ptyId, writePty)
       }
       return false
     }
@@ -182,14 +186,24 @@ function yieldToAgentDraftPastePreflight(): Promise<void> {
   return new Promise((resolve) => globalThis.setTimeout(resolve, 0))
 }
 
+async function writeAgentDraftPtyInput(
+  settings: Pick<GlobalSettings, 'activeRuntimeEnvironmentId'> | null | undefined,
+  ptyId: string,
+  data: string,
+  writePty?: AgentDraftPtyInputWriter
+): Promise<boolean> {
+  return writePty ? await writePty(data) : await sendRuntimePtyInputVerified(settings, ptyId, data)
+}
+
 async function closeAgentDraftBracketedPaste(
   settings: Pick<GlobalSettings, 'activeRuntimeEnvironmentId'> | null | undefined,
-  ptyId: string
+  ptyId: string,
+  writePty?: AgentDraftPtyInputWriter
 ): Promise<void> {
   try {
     // Why: once the opener reached the PTY, a failed content chunk should not
     // leave the target TUI in bracketed-paste mode.
-    await sendRuntimePtyInputVerified(settings, ptyId, BRACKETED_PASTE_END)
+    await writeAgentDraftPtyInput(settings, ptyId, BRACKETED_PASTE_END, writePty)
   } catch {
     // The original write already failed; callers only need the paste to fail closed.
   }