diff --git a/apps/desktop/electron/main.cjs b/apps/desktop/electron/main.cjs
index 8b47104d292..f65b0fdb4f1 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/electron/main.cjs
+++ b/apps/desktop/electron/main.cjs
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ const { createLinkTitleWindow } = require('./link-title-window.cjs')
 const { probeGatewayWebSocket } = require('./gateway-ws-probe.cjs')
 const { adoptServedDashboardToken } = require('./dashboard-token.cjs')
 const { waitForDashboardPort } = require('./backend-ready.cjs')
-const { SSH_ERROR, SshConnection, pickLocalPort, redactSecrets } = require('./ssh-connection.cjs')
+const { SSH_ERROR, SshConnection, buildInteractiveSshArgs, pickLocalPort, redactSecrets } = require('./ssh-connection.cjs')
 const remoteLifecycle = require('./remote-lifecycle.cjs')
 const { collectSshConfigHosts, parseSshGOutput } = require('./ssh-config.cjs')
 const { serializeJsonBody, setJsonRequestHeaders } = require('./oauth-net-request.cjs')
@@ -4708,6 +4708,22 @@ async function teardownSshConnection(profile) {
   }
 }
 
+// Resolve the live SSH connection backing the window's PRIMARY backend, or
+// null when the active connection is not SSH. Used by the interim ssh -tt
+// terminal so a remote terminal lands on the SSH host — and ONLY in SSH mode
+// (it must never leak into token/oauth remotes, whose trust boundary is a
+// token/cookie, not a shell credential).
+function activeSshTerminalTarget() {
+  const scope = sshScopeKey(primaryProfileKey())
+  // Try the primary scope first, then the global scope (one of them backs the
+  // window depending on whether a per-profile SSH override is in play).
+  const state = sshConnections.get(scope) || sshConnections.get('')
+  if (!state || !state.ssh) {
+    return null
+  }
+  return state.ssh
+}
+
 // Bring up (or reuse) the SSH-tunneled dashboard for one scope and return a
 // token-remote connection descriptor. `sshConfig` is the normalized
 // { host, user?, port?, keyPath?, remoteHermesPath? }; `reuseToken` is the
@@ -6641,10 +6657,54 @@ ipcMain.handle('hermes:terminal:start', async (event, payload = {}) => {
   ensureSpawnHelperExecutable()
 
   const id = crypto.randomUUID()
-  const { args, command, name } = terminalShellCommand()
-  const cwd = safeTerminalCwd(payload?.cwd)
   const cols = Math.max(2, Number.parseInt(String(payload?.cols || 80), 10) || 80)
   const rows = Math.max(2, Number.parseInt(String(payload?.rows || 24), 10) || 24)
+
+  // INTERIM SSH-mode remote terminal (component 5; SSH mode ONLY). When the
+  // window's primary backend is an SSH connection, spawn node-pty wrapping
+  // `ssh -tt` over the EXISTING control master so the terminal lands on the
+  // remote host. node-pty's resize() sends SIGWINCH to the local ssh client,
+  // which forwards it to the remote PTY — so resize propagates end to end.
+  // The remote cwd is the (remote) session cwd; we do NOT run it through
+  // safeTerminalCwd (that stats the LOCAL fs). This never engages for
+  // token/oauth remotes (activeSshTerminalTarget returns null) — their trust
+  // boundary is a token, not a shell credential.
+  // TODO(remote-terminal): replace with the dashboard /api/terminal WebSocket
+  // once specs/desktop-remote-terminal.md lands; then the terminal rides the
+  // tunnel like every other socket and cwd-follows-session becomes uniform.
+  const sshTarget = activeSshTerminalTarget()
+  if (sshTarget) {
+    const remoteCwd = String(payload?.cwd || '').trim()
+    const sshArgs = buildInteractiveSshArgs(sshTarget, remoteCwd)
+    const sshPty = nodePty.spawn('ssh', sshArgs, {
+      cols,
+      cwd: app.getPath('home'),
+      env: terminalShellEnv(),
+      name: 'xterm-256color',
+      rows
+    })
+
+    terminalSessions.set(id, { pty: sshPty, webContentsId: event.sender.id })
+
+    const sshSend = (suffix, data) => {
+      if (event.sender.isDestroyed()) {
+        return
+      }
+      event.sender.send(terminalChannel(id, suffix), data)
+    }
+
+    sshPty.onData(data => sshSend('data', data))
+    sshPty.onExit(({ exitCode, signal }) => {
+      terminalSessions.delete(id)
+      sshSend('exit', { code: exitCode, signal: signal || null })
+    })
+    event.sender.once('destroyed', () => disposeTerminalSession(id))
+
+    return { cwd: remoteCwd, id, shell: 'ssh' }
+  }
+
+  const { args, command, name } = terminalShellCommand()
+  const cwd = safeTerminalCwd(payload?.cwd)
   const ptyProcess = nodePty.spawn(command, args, {
     cols,
     cwd,
diff --git a/apps/desktop/electron/ssh-connection.cjs b/apps/desktop/electron/ssh-connection.cjs
index 9ed4c10f14e..8a42e45b101 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/electron/ssh-connection.cjs
+++ b/apps/desktop/electron/ssh-connection.cjs
@@ -154,6 +154,38 @@ function buildMasterArgs(conn, connectTimeoutMs) {
   ]
 }
 
+// Interactive `ssh -tt` for the INTERIM remote terminal (component 5, SSH mode
+// only). Reuses the existing ControlMaster socket so NO new auth handshake
+// happens — the master is already open, so this attaches instantly and never
+// prompts (BatchMode stays safe here for that reason). `-tt` forces a PTY even
+// though our stdio is a node-pty, so the remote sees a real terminal.
+//
+// When a remoteCwd is given we cd into it (best-effort) then exec the user's
+// login shell so the prompt/rc files load; an unreadable cwd falls back to
+// $HOME rather than failing the session.
+//
+// NOTE (tracked): this is the interim path until the dashboard /api/terminal
+// WebSocket lands (specs/desktop-remote-terminal.md). Once that ships, the
+// terminal rides the tunnel like every other socket and cwd-follows-session
+// behavior becomes uniform; delete this path then.
+function buildInteractiveSshArgs(conn, remoteCwd, connectTimeoutMs) {
+  const args = [
+    '-tt',
+    ...baseSshOptions(conn.controlPath, connectTimeoutMs),
+    ...hostArgs(conn),
+    target(conn.user, conn.host)
+  ]
+  const cwd = String(remoteCwd || '').trim()
+  if (cwd) {
+    // cd then exec a login shell; quote the path; tolerate a missing dir.
+    const q = `'${cwd.replace(/'/g, `'\\''`)}'`
+    args.push(`cd ${q} 2>/dev/null; exec "$SHELL" -l`)
+  } else {
+    args.push('exec "$SHELL" -l')
+  }
+  return args
+}
+
 // Local forward spec for `-O forward -L <local>:<remoteHost>:<remotePort>`.
 // Bind the local end to 127.0.0.1 ONLY — never 0.0.0.0 — so the tunnel does
 // not re-expose the remote dashboard to the client's LAN.
@@ -438,6 +470,7 @@ module.exports = {
   baseSshOptions,
   buildControlArgs,
   buildExecArgs,
+  buildInteractiveSshArgs,
   buildMasterArgs,
   classifySshError,
   controlSocketPath,
diff --git a/apps/desktop/electron/ssh-connection.test.cjs b/apps/desktop/electron/ssh-connection.test.cjs
index 86765566a34..5af349304db 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/electron/ssh-connection.test.cjs
+++ b/apps/desktop/electron/ssh-connection.test.cjs
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ const {
   baseSshOptions,
   buildControlArgs,
   buildExecArgs,
+  buildInteractiveSshArgs,
   buildMasterArgs,
   classifySshError,
   controlSocketPath,
@@ -130,6 +131,30 @@ test('forwardSpec binds the local end to 127.0.0.1 only', () => {
   assert.ok(!forwardSpec(5000, 6000).startsWith('0.0.0.0'))
 })
 
+test('buildInteractiveSshArgs requests a PTY, reuses the control master, execs a login shell', () => {
+  const conn = { user: 'me', host: 'box', port: 22, keyPath: '', controlPath: '/tmp/x.sock' }
+  const args = buildInteractiveSshArgs(conn, '', 15000)
+  assert.equal(args[0], '-tt', 'forces a PTY so the remote sees a real terminal')
+  assert.ok(args.join(' ').includes('ControlPath=/tmp/x.sock'), 'reuses the existing master (no new auth)')
+  assert.equal(args[args.length - 2], 'me@box')
+  assert.equal(args[args.length - 1], 'exec "$SHELL" -l')
+})
+
+test('buildInteractiveSshArgs cds into the remote cwd (best-effort) before the shell', () => {
+  const conn = { user: 'me', host: 'box', port: 22, keyPath: '', controlPath: '/tmp/x.sock' }
+  const args = buildInteractiveSshArgs(conn, '/home/me/project', 15000)
+  const remoteCmd = args[args.length - 1]
+  assert.match(remoteCmd, /^cd '\/home\/me\/project' 2>\/dev\/null; exec "\$SHELL" -l$/)
+})
+
+test('buildInteractiveSshArgs single-quotes a cwd with quotes safely', () => {
+  const conn = { user: 'me', host: 'box', port: 22, keyPath: '', controlPath: '/tmp/x.sock' }
+  const args = buildInteractiveSshArgs(conn, "/tmp/a'b", 15000)
+  // the embedded quote must be escaped, not break out of the quoting
+  assert.ok(args[args.length - 1].startsWith("cd '/tmp/a'"))
+  assert.ok(args[args.length - 1].includes('exec "$SHELL" -l'))
+})
+
 // --- error classification ---------------------------------------------------
 
 test('classifySshError detects a changed host key (fail-closed)', () => {