diff --git a/tests/tui_gateway/test_goal_command.py b/tests/tui_gateway/test_goal_command.py
index d06f5b8fbbd..cfff285f1ef 100644
--- a/tests/tui_gateway/test_goal_command.py
+++ b/tests/tui_gateway/test_goal_command.py
@@ -185,15 +185,17 @@ def test_goal_requires_session(server):
 # ── slash.exec /goal routing ──────────────────────────────────────────
 
 
-def test_slash_exec_rejects_goal_routes_to_command_dispatch(server, session):
-    """slash.exec must reject /goal with 4018 so the TUI client falls through
-    to command.dispatch. Without this, the HermesCLI slash-worker subprocess
-    would set the goal but silently drop the kickoff — the queue is in-proc."""
+def test_slash_exec_routes_goal_to_command_dispatch(server, session):
+    """slash.exec must route /goal directly to command.dispatch internally
+    instead of returning an error.  Previously the 4018 error required the
+    TUI client to retry via command.dispatch, but some clients failed the
+    fallback, leaving the command empty ("empty command")."""
     sid, _, _ = session
     r = _call(server, "slash.exec", command="goal status", session_id=sid)
-    assert "error" in r
-    assert r["error"]["code"] == 4018
-    assert "command.dispatch" in r["error"]["message"]
+    # Should succeed by routing to command.dispatch internally
+    assert "result" in r
+    assert r["result"]["type"] == "exec"
+    assert "No active goal" in r["result"]["output"]
 
 
 def test_pending_input_commands_includes_goal(server):
diff --git a/tests/tui_gateway/test_protocol.py b/tests/tui_gateway/test_protocol.py
index 60d3c7a5c4f..775a07cb317 100644
--- a/tests/tui_gateway/test_protocol.py
+++ b/tests/tui_gateway/test_protocol.py
@@ -1121,20 +1121,45 @@ def test_slash_exec_plugin_handler_error_returns_output(server):
 
 
 @pytest.mark.parametrize("cmd", ["retry", "queue hello", "q hello", "steer fix the test", "plan"])
-def test_slash_exec_rejects_pending_input_commands(server, cmd):
-    """slash.exec must reject commands that use _pending_input in the CLI."""
-    sid = "test-session"
-    server._sessions[sid] = {"session_key": sid, "agent": None}
+def test_slash_exec_routes_pending_input_commands_to_dispatch(server, cmd):
+    """slash.exec must route _pending_input commands to command.dispatch
+    internally instead of returning the old 4018 "use command.dispatch"
+    fallback error (#48848). Some TUI clients failed that client-side
+    fallback, dropping the input and surfacing "empty command".
 
-    resp = server.handle_request({
+    The contract is that slash.exec produces exactly the response
+    command.dispatch would for the same command — no fragile retry hop.
+    """
+    base, _, arg = cmd.partition(" ")
+
+    def fresh_session():
+        return {"session_key": "test-session", "agent": None}
+
+    sid = "test-session"
+
+    # Response from the (new) internal routing in slash.exec.
+    server._sessions[sid] = fresh_session()
+    routed = server.handle_request({
         "id": "r1",
         "method": "slash.exec",
         "params": {"command": cmd, "session_id": sid},
     })
 
-    assert "error" in resp
-    assert resp["error"]["code"] == 4018
-    assert "pending-input command" in resp["error"]["message"]
+    # Response from calling command.dispatch directly with the parsed parts.
+    server._sessions[sid] = fresh_session()
+    direct = server.handle_request({
+        "id": "r1",
+        "method": "command.dispatch",
+        "params": {"name": base, "arg": arg, "session_id": sid},
+    })
+
+    # slash.exec must no longer emit the old client-fallback rejection.
+    if "error" in routed:
+        assert "pending-input command" not in routed["error"]["message"]
+
+    # Internal routing must yield the same payload as command.dispatch.
+    assert routed.get("result") == direct.get("result")
+    assert routed.get("error") == direct.get("error")
 
 
 def test_command_dispatch_queue_sends_message(server):
diff --git a/tui_gateway/server.py b/tui_gateway/server.py
index 1b92831df3d..d65cdf49343 100644
--- a/tui_gateway/server.py
+++ b/tui_gateway/server.py
@@ -8462,7 +8462,9 @@ _TUI_EXTRA: list[tuple[str, str, str]] = [
 
 # Commands that queue messages onto _pending_input in the CLI.
 # In the TUI the slash worker subprocess has no reader for that queue,
-# so slash.exec rejects them → TUI falls through to command.dispatch.
+# so slash.exec routes them to command.dispatch internally (which handles
+# them and returns a structured payload) instead of erroring out and
+# relying on a client-side fallback. See #48848.
 _PENDING_INPUT_COMMANDS: frozenset[str] = frozenset(
     {
         "retry",
@@ -9729,8 +9731,16 @@ def _(rid, params: dict) -> dict:
     _cmd_arg = _cmd_parts[1] if len(_cmd_parts) > 1 else ""
 
     if _cmd_base in _PENDING_INPUT_COMMANDS:
-        return _err(
-            rid, 4018, f"pending-input command: use command.dispatch for /{_cmd_base}"
+        # Route directly to command.dispatch instead of returning an error
+        # that requires the frontend to retry.  Some TUI clients fail the
+        # fallback, leaving the command empty and showing "empty command".
+        return _methods["command.dispatch"](
+            rid,
+            {
+                "name": _cmd_base,
+                "arg": _cmd_arg,
+                "session_id": params.get("session_id", ""),
+            },
         )
 
     if _cmd_base in _WORKER_BLOCKED_COMMANDS: