diff --git a/ui-tui/src/app.tsx b/ui-tui/src/app.tsx
index a5a0d1296b..e70644ea6f 100644
--- a/ui-tui/src/app.tsx
+++ b/ui-tui/src/app.tsx
@@ -338,6 +338,7 @@ export function App({ gw }: { gw: GatewayClient }) {
   const [secret, setSecret] = useState<SecretReq | null>(null)
   const [picker, setPicker] = useState(false)
   const [reasoning, setReasoning] = useState('')
+  const [reasoningActive, setReasoningActive] = useState(false)
   const [reasoningStreaming, setReasoningStreaming] = useState(false)
   const [statusBar, setStatusBar] = useState(true)
   const [lastUserMsg, setLastUserMsg] = useState('')
@@ -394,6 +395,7 @@ export function App({ gw }: { gw: GatewayClient }) {
       clearTimeout(reasoningStreamingTimerRef.current)
     }
 
+    setReasoningActive(true)
     setReasoningStreaming(true)
     reasoningStreamingTimerRef.current = setTimeout(() => {
       reasoningStreamingTimerRef.current = null
@@ -401,13 +403,14 @@ export function App({ gw }: { gw: GatewayClient }) {
     }, REASONING_PULSE_MS)
   }, [])
 
-  const clearReasoningStreaming = useCallback(() => {
+  const endReasoningPhase = useCallback(() => {
     if (reasoningStreamingTimerRef.current) {
       clearTimeout(reasoningStreamingTimerRef.current)
       reasoningStreamingTimerRef.current = null
     }
 
     setReasoningStreaming(false)
+    setReasoningActive(false)
   }, [])
 
   useEffect(
@@ -589,6 +592,7 @@ export function App({ gw }: { gw: GatewayClient }) {
   }, [pushActivity, rpc, sid])
 
   const idle = () => {
+    endReasoningPhase()
     setTools([])
     setTurnTrail([])
     setBusy(false)
@@ -1342,6 +1346,7 @@ export function App({ gw }: { gw: GatewayClient }) {
 
         case 'message.start':
           setBusy(true)
+          endReasoningPhase()
           setReasoning('')
           setActivity([])
           setTurnTrail([])
@@ -1416,7 +1421,7 @@ export function App({ gw }: { gw: GatewayClient }) {
 
         case 'tool.start':
           pruneTransient()
-          clearReasoningStreaming()
+          endReasoningPhase()
           setTools(prev => [
             ...prev,
             { id: p.tool_id, name: p.name, context: (p.context as string) || '', startedAt: Date.now() }
@@ -1507,7 +1512,7 @@ export function App({ gw }: { gw: GatewayClient }) {
 
         case 'message.delta':
           pruneTransient()
-          clearReasoningStreaming()
+          endReasoningPhase()
 
           if (p?.text && !interruptedRef.current) {
             buf.current = p.rendered ?? buf.current + p.text
@@ -1528,7 +1533,6 @@ export function App({ gw }: { gw: GatewayClient }) {
 
           idle()
           setReasoning('')
-          clearReasoningStreaming()
           setStreaming('')
 
           if (inflightPasteIdsRef.current.length) {
@@ -1586,7 +1590,20 @@ export function App({ gw }: { gw: GatewayClient }) {
           break
       }
     },
-    [appendMessage, dequeue, newSession, pushActivity, pushTrail, send, sys]
+    [
+      appendMessage,
+      bellOnComplete,
+      dequeue,
+      endReasoningPhase,
+      newSession,
+      pruneTransient,
+      pulseReasoningStreaming,
+      pushActivity,
+      pushTrail,
+      send,
+      sys,
+      stdout
+    ]
   )
 
   onEventRef.current = onEvent
@@ -2484,6 +2501,7 @@ export function App({ gw }: { gw: GatewayClient }) {
               activity={busy ? activity : []}
               busy={busy && !streaming}
               reasoning={reasoning}
+              reasoningActive={reasoningActive}
               reasoningStreaming={reasoningStreaming}
               t={theme}
               thinkingMode={hasReasoning ? thinkingMode : 'truncated'}
diff --git a/ui-tui/src/components/thinking.tsx b/ui-tui/src/components/thinking.tsx
index 4a1f4c7207..1ed03f8104 100644
--- a/ui-tui/src/components/thinking.tsx
+++ b/ui-tui/src/components/thinking.tsx
@@ -58,7 +58,17 @@ function Detail({ color, content, dimColor }: DetailRow) {
 
 // ── Streaming cursor ─────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
-function StreamCursor({ active = false, color, dimColor }: { active?: boolean; color: string; dimColor?: boolean }) {
+function StreamCursor({
+  color,
+  dimColor,
+  streaming = false,
+  visible = false
+}: {
+  color: string
+  dimColor?: boolean
+  streaming?: boolean
+  visible?: boolean
+}) {
   const [on, setOn] = useState(true)
 
   useEffect(() => {
@@ -67,21 +77,23 @@ function StreamCursor({ active = false, color, dimColor }: { active?: boolean; c
     return () => clearInterval(id)
   }, [])
 
-  return (
+  return visible ? (
     <Text color={color} dimColor={dimColor}>
-      {active && on ? '▍' : ' '}
+      {streaming && on ? '▍' : ' '}
     </Text>
-  )
+  ) : null
 }
 
 // ── Thinking (pre-tool fallback) ─────────────────────────────────────
 
 export const Thinking = memo(function Thinking({
+  active = false,
   mode = 'truncated',
   reasoning,
   streaming = false,
   t
 }: {
+  active?: boolean
   mode?: ThinkingMode
   reasoning: string
   streaming?: boolean
@@ -108,12 +120,12 @@ export const Thinking = memo(function Thinking({
         <Text color={t.color.dim} dimColor {...(mode !== 'full' ? { wrap: 'truncate-end' as const } : {})}>
           <Text dimColor>└ </Text>
           {preview}
-          <StreamCursor active={streaming} color={t.color.dim} dimColor />
+          <StreamCursor color={t.color.dim} dimColor streaming={streaming} visible={active} />
         </Text>
-      ) : streaming ? (
+      ) : active ? (
         <Text color={t.color.dim} dimColor>
           <Text dimColor>└ </Text>
-          <StreamCursor active={streaming} color={t.color.dim} dimColor />
+          <StreamCursor color={t.color.dim} dimColor streaming={streaming} visible={active} />
         </Text>
       ) : null}
     </Box>
@@ -127,6 +139,7 @@ type Group = { color: string; content: ReactNode; details: DetailRow[]; key: str
 export const ToolTrail = memo(function ToolTrail({
   busy = false,
   thinkingMode = 'truncated',
+  reasoningActive = false,
   reasoning = '',
   reasoningStreaming = false,
   t,
@@ -136,6 +149,7 @@ export const ToolTrail = memo(function ToolTrail({
 }: {
   busy?: boolean
   thinkingMode?: ThinkingMode
+  reasoningActive?: boolean
   reasoning?: string
   reasoningStreaming?: boolean
   t: Theme
@@ -157,7 +171,7 @@ export const ToolTrail = memo(function ToolTrail({
 
   const reasoningTail = thinkingPreview(reasoning, thinkingMode, THINKING_COT_MAX)
 
-  if (!busy && !trail.length && !tools.length && !activity.length && !reasoningTail) {
+  if (!busy && !trail.length && !tools.length && !activity.length && !reasoningTail && !reasoningActive) {
     return null
   }
 
@@ -247,16 +261,16 @@ export const ToolTrail = memo(function ToolTrail({
       content: (
         <>
           {reasoningTail}
-          <StreamCursor active={reasoningStreaming} color={t.color.dim} dimColor />
+          <StreamCursor color={t.color.dim} dimColor streaming={reasoningStreaming} visible={reasoningActive} />
         </>
       ),
       dimColor: true,
       key: 'cot'
     })
-  } else if (reasoningStreaming && groups.length && thinkingMode === 'collapsed') {
+  } else if (reasoningActive && groups.length && thinkingMode === 'collapsed') {
     detail({
       color: t.color.dim,
-      content: <StreamCursor active={reasoningStreaming} color={t.color.dim} dimColor />,
+      content: <StreamCursor color={t.color.dim} dimColor streaming={reasoningStreaming} visible={reasoningActive} />,
       dimColor: true,
       key: 'cot'
     })
@@ -276,7 +290,13 @@ export const ToolTrail = memo(function ToolTrail({
   return (
     <Box flexDirection="column">
       {busy && !groups.length && (
-        <Thinking mode={thinkingMode} reasoning={reasoning} streaming={reasoningStreaming} t={t} />
+        <Thinking
+          active={reasoningActive}
+          mode={thinkingMode}
+          reasoning={reasoning}
+          streaming={reasoningStreaming}
+          t={t}
+        />
       )}
       {!busy && !groups.length && reasoningTail && (
         <Detail color={t.color.dim} content={reasoningTail} dimColor key="cot" />