diff --git a/src/lib/components/chat/XTerminal.svelte b/src/lib/components/chat/XTerminal.svelte
index e10ba0259..9d862e7ae 100644
--- a/src/lib/components/chat/XTerminal.svelte
+++ b/src/lib/components/chat/XTerminal.svelte
@@ -105,6 +105,8 @@
 				}
 				connected = true;
 				connecting = false;
+				// Focus the terminal so it receives keyboard input immediately
+				term?.focus();
 				// Send initial resize
 				if (term && ws) {
 					ws.send(JSON.stringify({ type: 'resize', cols: term.cols, rows: term.rows }));
@@ -226,6 +228,10 @@
 			}
 		});
 
+		// Ensure all key events are processed by xterm.js and not intercepted
+		// by the browser or surrounding UI (fixes vi/vim keystroke handling).
+		term.attachCustomKeyEventHandler(() => true);
+
 		// Handle resize
 		term.onResize(({ cols, rows }) => {
 			if (ws && ws.readyState === WebSocket.OPEN) {