diff --git a/packages/app/src/pages/session.tsx b/packages/app/src/pages/session.tsx
index 428826f6ad..19dcba58ee 100644
--- a/packages/app/src/pages/session.tsx
+++ b/packages/app/src/pages/session.tsx
@@ -41,7 +41,13 @@ import { useSync } from "@/context/sync"
 import { useTerminal } from "@/context/terminal"
 import { type FollowupDraft, sendFollowupDraft } from "@/components/prompt-input/submit"
 import { createSessionComposerState, SessionComposerRegion } from "@/pages/session/composer"
-import { createOpenReviewFile, createSessionTabs, createSizing, focusTerminalById } from "@/pages/session/helpers"
+import {
+  createOpenReviewFile,
+  createSessionTabs,
+  createSizing,
+  focusTerminalById,
+  shouldFocusTerminalOnKeyDown,
+} from "@/pages/session/helpers"
 import { MessageTimeline } from "@/pages/session/message-timeline"
 import { type DiffStyle, SessionReviewTab, type SessionReviewTabProps } from "@/pages/session/review-tab"
 import { useSessionLayout } from "@/pages/session/session-layout"
@@ -850,7 +856,7 @@ export default function Page() {
     // Prefer the open terminal over the composer when it can take focus
     if (view().terminal.opened()) {
       const id = terminal.active()
-      if (id && focusTerminalById(id)) return
+      if (id && shouldFocusTerminalOnKeyDown(event) && focusTerminalById(id)) return
     }
 
     // Only treat explicit scroll keys as potential "user scroll" gestures.
diff --git a/packages/app/src/pages/session/helpers.test.ts b/packages/app/src/pages/session/helpers.test.ts
index 047946fc1e..95f7cd384d 100644
--- a/packages/app/src/pages/session/helpers.test.ts
+++ b/packages/app/src/pages/session/helpers.test.ts
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import {
   createSessionTabs,
   focusTerminalById,
   getTabReorderIndex,
+  shouldFocusTerminalOnKeyDown,
 } from "./helpers"
 
 describe("createOpenReviewFile", () => {
@@ -86,6 +87,26 @@ describe("focusTerminalById", () => {
   })
 })
 
+describe("shouldFocusTerminalOnKeyDown", () => {
+  test("skips pure modifier keys", () => {
+    expect(shouldFocusTerminalOnKeyDown(new KeyboardEvent("keydown", { key: "Meta", metaKey: true }))).toBe(false)
+    expect(shouldFocusTerminalOnKeyDown(new KeyboardEvent("keydown", { key: "Control", ctrlKey: true }))).toBe(false)
+    expect(shouldFocusTerminalOnKeyDown(new KeyboardEvent("keydown", { key: "Alt", altKey: true }))).toBe(false)
+    expect(shouldFocusTerminalOnKeyDown(new KeyboardEvent("keydown", { key: "Shift", shiftKey: true }))).toBe(false)
+  })
+
+  test("skips shortcut key combos", () => {
+    expect(shouldFocusTerminalOnKeyDown(new KeyboardEvent("keydown", { key: "c", metaKey: true }))).toBe(false)
+    expect(shouldFocusTerminalOnKeyDown(new KeyboardEvent("keydown", { key: "c", ctrlKey: true }))).toBe(false)
+    expect(shouldFocusTerminalOnKeyDown(new KeyboardEvent("keydown", { key: "ArrowLeft", altKey: true }))).toBe(false)
+  })
+
+  test("keeps plain typing focused on terminal", () => {
+    expect(shouldFocusTerminalOnKeyDown(new KeyboardEvent("keydown", { key: "a" }))).toBe(true)
+    expect(shouldFocusTerminalOnKeyDown(new KeyboardEvent("keydown", { key: "A", shiftKey: true }))).toBe(true)
+  })
+})
+
 describe("getTabReorderIndex", () => {
   test("returns target index for valid drag reorder", () => {
     expect(getTabReorderIndex(["a", "b", "c"], "a", "c")).toBe(2)
diff --git a/packages/app/src/pages/session/helpers.ts b/packages/app/src/pages/session/helpers.ts
index c3571f3ffc..7e2c1ccf7b 100644
--- a/packages/app/src/pages/session/helpers.ts
+++ b/packages/app/src/pages/session/helpers.ts
@@ -93,6 +93,13 @@ export const focusTerminalById = (id: string) => {
   return true
 }
 
+const skip = new Set(["Alt", "Control", "Meta", "Shift"])
+
+export const shouldFocusTerminalOnKeyDown = (event: Pick<KeyboardEvent, "key" | "ctrlKey" | "metaKey" | "altKey">) => {
+  if (skip.has(event.key)) return false
+  return !(event.ctrlKey || event.metaKey || event.altKey)
+}
+
 export const createOpenReviewFile = (input: {
   showAllFiles: () => void
   tabForPath: (path: string) => string