diff --git a/tests/cli/test_slash_command_interrupt.py b/tests/cli/test_slash_command_interrupt.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..37e38c8c5f2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/cli/test_slash_command_interrupt.py
@@ -0,0 +1,113 @@
+"""Tests for the KeyboardInterrupt guard around slash command dispatch.
+
+A Ctrl+C during a slow slash command (e.g. /skills browse on a large
+skill tree, or /sessions list against a multi-GB SQLite DB) used to
+unwind to the outer prompt_toolkit loop and kill the entire session.
+The fix wraps `self.process_command(user_input)` in a try/except
+KeyboardInterrupt so the command aborts but the session survives.
+
+These tests verify the contract without spinning up the full
+prompt_toolkit input loop. We exercise the same try/except by calling
+through a thin wrapper that mirrors the real dispatch shape.
+"""
+
+from unittest.mock import MagicMock, patch
+
+from cli import HermesCLI
+
+
+def _make_cli():
+    cli = HermesCLI.__new__(HermesCLI)
+    cli._should_exit = False
+    cli.conversation_history = []
+    cli.agent = None
+    cli._session_db = None
+    return cli
+
+
+def _dispatch(cli, user_input: str, process_command_side_effect=None):
+    """Mirror the production dispatch shape from cli.py around line 14236.
+
+    Real call site:
+        if not _file_drop and isinstance(user_input, str) and _looks_like_slash_command(user_input):
+            _cprint(f"\\n⚙️  {user_input}")
+            try:
+                if not self.process_command(user_input):
+                    self._should_exit = True
+                    if app.is_running:
+                        app.exit()
+            except KeyboardInterrupt:
+                _cprint("\\n[dim]Command interrupted.[/dim]")
+            continue
+    """
+    if process_command_side_effect is not None:
+        with patch.object(cli, "process_command", side_effect=process_command_side_effect) as mock_pc:
+            try:
+                if not cli.process_command(user_input):
+                    cli._should_exit = True
+            except KeyboardInterrupt:
+                # Mirror production: swallow, do NOT raise.
+                pass
+            return mock_pc
+
+
+class TestSlashCommandKeyboardInterrupt:
+    def test_keyboardinterrupt_in_slash_command_does_not_set_exit(self):
+        """Ctrl+C in the middle of /skills browse must NOT set _should_exit.
+
+        Before the fix: KeyboardInterrupt unwinds past the dispatch,
+        the outer event loop catches it, session dies.
+        After the fix: KeyboardInterrupt is caught locally, _should_exit
+        stays False, the prompt loop continues.
+        """
+        cli = _make_cli()
+
+        def raises_keyboard_interrupt(_cmd):
+            raise KeyboardInterrupt("user pressed Ctrl+C during slow command")
+
+        _dispatch(cli, "/skills browse", process_command_side_effect=raises_keyboard_interrupt)
+
+        assert cli._should_exit is False, (
+            "KeyboardInterrupt during slash command must not flag exit"
+        )
+
+    def test_normal_slash_command_returns_truthy_keeps_session_alive(self):
+        """A successful slash command (returns truthy) must NOT set _should_exit."""
+        cli = _make_cli()
+
+        _dispatch(cli, "/help", process_command_side_effect=[True])
+
+        assert cli._should_exit is False
+
+    def test_slash_command_returning_false_sets_exit(self):
+        """The legitimate exit signal — process_command() returning False —
+        still sets _should_exit. This is the path /exit / /quit use."""
+        cli = _make_cli()
+
+        _dispatch(cli, "/exit", process_command_side_effect=[False])
+
+        assert cli._should_exit is True
+
+    def test_other_exceptions_propagate(self):
+        """Only KeyboardInterrupt is caught locally. Other exceptions must
+        propagate so they show up in logs and the global handler can deal
+        with them — silently swallowing all exceptions would mask bugs."""
+        cli = _make_cli()
+
+        class CustomError(Exception):
+            pass
+
+        def raises_custom(_cmd):
+            raise CustomError("real bug")
+
+        try:
+            with patch.object(cli, "process_command", side_effect=raises_custom):
+                try:
+                    if not cli.process_command("/something"):
+                        cli._should_exit = True
+                except KeyboardInterrupt:
+                    pass  # would NOT catch CustomError
+        except CustomError:
+            return  # expected — non-KBI exceptions propagate
+
+        raise AssertionError("CustomError should have propagated")