diff --git a/ui-tui/src/app.tsx b/ui-tui/src/app.tsx
index e0ccff15b..a5a0d1296 100644
--- a/ui-tui/src/app.tsx
+++ b/ui-tui/src/app.tsx
@@ -58,6 +58,7 @@ const STARTUP_RESUME_ID = (process.env.HERMES_TUI_RESUME ?? '').trim()
 const LARGE_PASTE = { chars: 8000, lines: 80 }
 const EXCERPT = { chars: 1200, lines: 14 }
 const MAX_HISTORY = 800
+const REASONING_PULSE_MS = 700
 
 const SECRET_PATTERNS = [
   /AKIA[0-9A-Z]{16}/g,
@@ -337,6 +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 [reasoningStreaming, setReasoningStreaming] = useState(false)
   const [statusBar, setStatusBar] = useState(true)
   const [lastUserMsg, setLastUserMsg] = useState('')
   const [pastes, setPastes] = useState<PendingPaste[]>([])
@@ -370,6 +372,7 @@ export function App({ gw }: { gw: GatewayClient }) {
   const colsRef = useRef(cols)
   const turnToolsRef = useRef<string[]>([])
   const persistedToolLabelsRef = useRef<Set<string>>(new Set())
+  const reasoningStreamingTimerRef = useRef<ReturnType<typeof setTimeout> | null>(null)
   const statusTimerRef = useRef<ReturnType<typeof setTimeout> | null>(null)
   const busyRef = useRef(busy)
   const onEventRef = useRef<(ev: GatewayEvent) => void>(() => {})
@@ -386,6 +389,36 @@ export function App({ gw }: { gw: GatewayClient }) {
   const { historyRef, historyIdx, setHistoryIdx, historyDraftRef, pushHistory } = useInputHistory()
   const { completions, compIdx, setCompIdx, compReplace } = useCompletion(input, blocked(), gw)
 
+  const pulseReasoningStreaming = useCallback(() => {
+    if (reasoningStreamingTimerRef.current) {
+      clearTimeout(reasoningStreamingTimerRef.current)
+    }
+
+    setReasoningStreaming(true)
+    reasoningStreamingTimerRef.current = setTimeout(() => {
+      reasoningStreamingTimerRef.current = null
+      setReasoningStreaming(false)
+    }, REASONING_PULSE_MS)
+  }, [])
+
+  const clearReasoningStreaming = useCallback(() => {
+    if (reasoningStreamingTimerRef.current) {
+      clearTimeout(reasoningStreamingTimerRef.current)
+      reasoningStreamingTimerRef.current = null
+    }
+
+    setReasoningStreaming(false)
+  }, [])
+
+  useEffect(
+    () => () => {
+      if (reasoningStreamingTimerRef.current) {
+        clearTimeout(reasoningStreamingTimerRef.current)
+      }
+    },
+    []
+  )
+
   function blocked() {
     return !!(clarify || approval || pasteReview || picker || secret || sudo || pager)
   }
@@ -1356,6 +1389,7 @@ export function App({ gw }: { gw: GatewayClient }) {
         case 'reasoning.delta':
           if (p?.text) {
             setReasoning(prev => prev + p.text)
+            pulseReasoningStreaming()
           }
 
           break
@@ -1382,6 +1416,7 @@ export function App({ gw }: { gw: GatewayClient }) {
 
         case 'tool.start':
           pruneTransient()
+          clearReasoningStreaming()
           setTools(prev => [
             ...prev,
             { id: p.tool_id, name: p.name, context: (p.context as string) || '', startedAt: Date.now() }
@@ -1472,6 +1507,7 @@ export function App({ gw }: { gw: GatewayClient }) {
 
         case 'message.delta':
           pruneTransient()
+          clearReasoningStreaming()
 
           if (p?.text && !interruptedRef.current) {
             buf.current = p.rendered ?? buf.current + p.text
@@ -1492,6 +1528,7 @@ export function App({ gw }: { gw: GatewayClient }) {
 
           idle()
           setReasoning('')
+          clearReasoningStreaming()
           setStreaming('')
 
           if (inflightPasteIdsRef.current.length) {
@@ -2447,6 +2484,7 @@ export function App({ gw }: { gw: GatewayClient }) {
               activity={busy ? activity : []}
               busy={busy && !streaming}
               reasoning={reasoning}
+              reasoningStreaming={reasoningStreaming}
               t={theme}
               thinkingMode={hasReasoning ? thinkingMode : 'truncated'}
               tools={tools}
diff --git a/ui-tui/src/components/thinking.tsx b/ui-tui/src/components/thinking.tsx
index 4e609f5e6..c16b9fd65 100644
--- a/ui-tui/src/components/thinking.tsx
+++ b/ui-tui/src/components/thinking.tsx
@@ -56,15 +56,31 @@ function Detail({ color, content, dimColor }: DetailRow) {
   )
 }
 
+// ── Streaming cursor ─────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+function StreamCursor({ active = false, color, dimColor }: { active?: boolean; color: string; dimColor?: boolean }) {
+  const [on, setOn] = useState(true)
+
+  useEffect(() => {
+    const id = setInterval(() => setOn(v => !v), 420)
+
+    return () => clearInterval(id)
+  }, [])
+
+  return <Text color={color} dimColor={dimColor}>{active && on ? '▍' : ' '}</Text>
+}
+
 // ── Thinking (pre-tool fallback) ─────────────────────────────────────
 
 export const Thinking = memo(function Thinking({
   mode = 'truncated',
   reasoning,
+  streaming = false,
   t
 }: {
   mode?: ThinkingMode
   reasoning: string
+  streaming?: boolean
   t: Theme
 }) {
   const [tick, setTick] = useState(0)
@@ -88,6 +104,12 @@ 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 />
+        </Text>
+      ) : streaming ? (
+        <Text color={t.color.dim} dimColor>
+          <Text dimColor>└ </Text>
+          <StreamCursor active={streaming} color={t.color.dim} dimColor />
         </Text>
       ) : null}
     </Box>
@@ -102,6 +124,7 @@ export const ToolTrail = memo(function ToolTrail({
   busy = false,
   thinkingMode = 'truncated',
   reasoning = '',
+  reasoningStreaming = false,
   t,
   tools = [],
   trail = [],
@@ -110,6 +133,7 @@ export const ToolTrail = memo(function ToolTrail({
   busy?: boolean
   thinkingMode?: ThinkingMode
   reasoning?: string
+  reasoningStreaming?: boolean
   t: Theme
   tools?: ActiveTool[]
   trail?: string[]
@@ -214,7 +238,24 @@ export const ToolTrail = memo(function ToolTrail({
   }
 
   if (reasoningTail && groups.length) {
-    detail({ color: t.color.dim, content: reasoningTail, dimColor: true, key: 'cot' })
+    detail({
+      color: t.color.dim,
+      content: (
+        <>
+          {reasoningTail}
+          <StreamCursor active={reasoningStreaming} color={t.color.dim} dimColor />
+        </>
+      ),
+      dimColor: true,
+      key: 'cot'
+    })
+  } else if (reasoningStreaming && groups.length && thinkingMode === 'collapsed') {
+    detail({
+      color: t.color.dim,
+      content: <StreamCursor active={reasoningStreaming} color={t.color.dim} dimColor />,
+      dimColor: true,
+      key: 'cot'
+    })
   }
 
   // ── activity → meta ─────────────────────────────────────────────
@@ -230,7 +271,7 @@ export const ToolTrail = memo(function ToolTrail({
 
   return (
     <Box flexDirection="column">
-      {busy && !groups.length && <Thinking mode={thinkingMode} reasoning={reasoning} t={t} />}
+      {busy && !groups.length && <Thinking mode={thinkingMode} reasoning={reasoning} streaming={reasoningStreaming} t={t} />}
       {!busy && !groups.length && reasoningTail && (
         <Detail color={t.color.dim} content={reasoningTail} dimColor key="cot" />
       )}