diff --git a/cli.py b/cli.py
index c90b0a294dd..911a4ca1ed9 100644
--- a/cli.py
+++ b/cli.py
@@ -11550,6 +11550,51 @@ class HermesCLI(CLIAgentSetupMixin, CLICommandsMixin):
         except Exception:
             pass
 
+    def _clear_active_overlays_for_interrupt(self) -> None:
+        """Drain and clear every input-blocking overlay left by an interrupted agent.
+
+        approval/clarify/sudo/secret prompts each block a worker thread on a
+        ``response_queue.get()``.  When the agent is interrupted the worker
+        thread is torn down, but the overlay's state dict stays set — leaving
+        the CLI input gated (``read_only`` condition + keypress filter) with no
+        thread servicing the prompt.  The result is a frozen terminal until the
+        prompt's own timeout expires.  Push a terminal value onto each queue so
+        any still-blocked thread unblocks cleanly, then nil the state out and
+        restore the user's pre-modal draft (#14026).
+
+        Safe default per prompt: approval -> "deny", clarify/sudo/secret ->
+        cancel (None / empty).  Each step is wrapped so a dead queue can't
+        prevent clearing the others.
+        """
+        if self._approval_state:
+            try:
+                self._approval_state["response_queue"].put("deny")
+            except Exception:
+                pass
+            self._approval_state = None
+        if self._clarify_state:
+            try:
+                self._clarify_state["response_queue"].put(
+                    "The user cancelled. Use your best judgement to proceed."
+                )
+            except Exception:
+                pass
+            self._clarify_state = None
+            self._clarify_freetext = False
+        if self._sudo_state:
+            try:
+                self._sudo_state["response_queue"].put("")
+            except Exception:
+                pass
+            self._sudo_state = None
+            self._sudo_deadline = 0
+            self._restore_modal_input_snapshot()
+        if self._secret_state:
+            try:
+                self._cancel_secret_capture()
+            except Exception:
+                self._secret_state = None
+
     def _submit_secret_response(self, value: str) -> None:
         if not self._secret_state:
             return
@@ -11926,6 +11971,12 @@ class HermesCLI(CLIAgentSetupMixin, CLICommandsMixin):
                             if stop_event is not None:
                                 stop_event.set()
                             self.agent.interrupt(interrupt_msg)
+                            # Clear any active overlay states the interrupted agent
+                            # left behind.  approval/clarify/sudo/secret prompts gate
+                            # input (read_only condition + keypress filter) until
+                            # explicitly reset — without this the CLI freezes after
+                            # an interrupt until the prompt's own timeout expires (#14026).
+                            self._clear_active_overlays_for_interrupt()
                             # Debug: log to file (stdout may be devnull from redirect_stdout)
                             try:
                                 _dbg = _hermes_home / "interrupt_debug.log"
@@ -13253,50 +13304,42 @@ class HermesCLI(CLIAgentSetupMixin, CLICommandsMixin):
                 event.app.invalidate()
                 return
 
-            # Cancel sudo prompt
-            if self._sudo_state:
-                self._sudo_state["response_queue"].put("")
-                self._sudo_state = None
-                event.app.invalidate()
-                return
-
-            # Cancel secret prompt
-            if self._secret_state:
-                self._cancel_secret_capture()
-                event.app.current_buffer.reset()
-                event.app.invalidate()
-                return
-
-            # Cancel approval prompt (deny)
-            if self._approval_state:
-                self._approval_state["response_queue"].put("deny")
-                self._approval_state = None
-                event.app.invalidate()
-                return
-
-            # Cancel slash confirmation prompt
+            # Cancel slash confirmation prompt (foreground UI, not an
+            # agent-blocking overlay — cancel and stop here).
             if self._slash_confirm_state:
                 self._submit_slash_confirm_response("cancel")
                 event.app.current_buffer.reset()
                 event.app.invalidate()
                 return
 
-            # Cancel /model picker
+            # Cancel /model picker (foreground UI — cancel and stop here).
             if self._model_picker_state:
                 self._close_model_picker()
                 event.app.current_buffer.reset()
                 event.app.invalidate()
                 return
 
-            # Cancel clarify prompt
-            if self._clarify_state:
-                self._clarify_state["response_queue"].put(
-                    "The user cancelled. Use your best judgement to proceed."
-                )
-                self._clarify_state = None
-                self._clarify_freetext = False
+            # Clear all agent-blocking overlays (approval/clarify/sudo/secret)
+            # in one shot.  We do NOT return after clearing — we fall through so
+            # that if the agent is also running we fire the interrupt on the same
+            # Ctrl+C press.  This fixes the case where a stale/orphaned overlay
+            # (left behind by a previous interrupt) consumes the press without
+            # ever reaching the agent-interrupt branch, leaving the chat frozen
+            # (#14026).
+            _overlay_cleared = bool(
+                self._sudo_state
+                or self._secret_state
+                or self._approval_state
+                or self._clarify_state
+            )
+            if _overlay_cleared:
+                self._clear_active_overlays_for_interrupt()
                 event.app.current_buffer.reset()
                 event.app.invalidate()
+
+            # If we only cleared overlays and the agent is NOT running, stop here
+            # (don't fall through to the interrupt/exit path).
+            if _overlay_cleared and not (self._agent_running and self.agent):
                 return
 
             if self._agent_running and self.agent:
@@ -13353,50 +13396,35 @@ class HermesCLI(CLIAgentSetupMixin, CLICommandsMixin):
                 event.app.invalidate()
                 return
 
-            # Cancel sudo prompt
-            if self._sudo_state:
-                self._sudo_state["response_queue"].put("")
-                self._sudo_state = None
-                event.app.invalidate()
-                return
-
-            # Cancel secret prompt
-            if self._secret_state:
-                self._cancel_secret_capture()
-                event.app.current_buffer.reset()
-                event.app.invalidate()
-                return
-
-            # Cancel approval prompt (deny)
-            if self._approval_state:
-                self._approval_state["response_queue"].put("deny")
-                self._approval_state = None
-                event.app.invalidate()
-                return
-
-            # Cancel slash confirmation prompt
+            # Cancel slash confirmation prompt (foreground UI — cancel and stop).
             if self._slash_confirm_state:
                 self._submit_slash_confirm_response("cancel")
                 event.app.current_buffer.reset()
                 event.app.invalidate()
                 return
 
-            # Cancel /model picker
+            # Cancel /model picker (foreground UI — cancel and stop).
             if self._model_picker_state:
                 self._close_model_picker()
                 event.app.current_buffer.reset()
                 event.app.invalidate()
                 return
 
-            # Cancel clarify prompt
-            if self._clarify_state:
-                self._clarify_state["response_queue"].put(
-                    "The user cancelled. Use your best judgement to proceed."
-                )
-                self._clarify_state = None
-                self._clarify_freetext = False
+            # Clear all agent-blocking overlays in one shot, then fall through to
+            # the agent-interrupt branch so a single Ctrl+Q both clears a stale
+            # overlay and interrupts a still-running agent (#14026).
+            _overlay_cleared = bool(
+                self._sudo_state
+                or self._secret_state
+                or self._approval_state
+                or self._clarify_state
+            )
+            if _overlay_cleared:
+                self._clear_active_overlays_for_interrupt()
                 event.app.current_buffer.reset()
                 event.app.invalidate()
+
+            if _overlay_cleared and not (self._agent_running and self.agent):
                 return
 
             if self._agent_running and self.agent:
diff --git a/scripts/release.py b/scripts/release.py
index 92a903a6a3e..53e3e5b2a69 100755
--- a/scripts/release.py
+++ b/scripts/release.py
@@ -54,6 +54,7 @@ AUTHOR_MAP = {
     "znding04@gmail.com": "znding04",  # PR #15487 salvage (distinguish OpenRouter upstream 429 from account 429; upstream_rate_limit failover reason)
     "zkowkmdx@sharklasers.com": "nnnet",  # PR #25142 salvage (stop STT-failure chatter poisoning the LLM prompt; drop hardcoded English notice)
     "vladimsmirnoff33@gmail.com": "londo161",  # PR #15795 salvage (redact status --all API keys; tolerate dict/str compression message shape)
+    "neo.assistant2026@gmail.com": "neo-2026",  # PR #14026 salvage (clear input-blocking overlays on interrupt so the CLI doesn't freeze; #13618)
     "cypher@augmentl.com": "Nickperillo",  # PR #8008 salvage (Discord channel-name matching + flush pending sends on shutdown)
     "tenoryang@outlook.com": "MarioYounger",  # PR #9028 salvage (bash/sh heredoc approval, NFKC homograph fold, execute_code CREDS/BEARER/APIKEY env filter)
     "peet.wannasarnmetha@gmail.com": "peetwan",  # PR #51841 salvage (loopback ws-ping tuning + token-frame coalescing + loop heartbeat; #48445/#50005)
diff --git a/tests/cli/test_cli_approval_ui.py b/tests/cli/test_cli_approval_ui.py
index 0366ed628d9..8e1d4e327da 100644
--- a/tests/cli/test_cli_approval_ui.py
+++ b/tests/cli/test_cli_approval_ui.py
@@ -644,3 +644,96 @@ class TestPersistPromptSummary:
         assert "Clarify" in summary
         assert "Pick a path?" in summary
         assert "B" in summary
+
+
+class TestClearOverlaysForInterrupt:
+    """Regression tests for #14026 — interrupting a running agent must clear
+    every input-blocking overlay (approval/clarify/sudo/secret) so the CLI
+    isn't left frozen with no thread servicing the prompt."""
+
+    def _make_cli(self):
+        cli = _make_cli_stub()
+        # Attributes the helper touches that the base stub doesn't set.
+        cli._clarify_state = None
+        cli._clarify_freetext = False
+        cli._secret_state = None
+        cli._secret_deadline = 0
+        cli._paint_now = MagicMock()
+        return cli
+
+    def test_clears_all_four_overlays_and_unblocks_queues(self):
+        cli = self._make_cli()
+        approval_q = queue.Queue()
+        clarify_q = queue.Queue()
+        sudo_q = queue.Queue()
+        secret_q = queue.Queue()
+        cli._approval_state = {"response_queue": approval_q}
+        cli._clarify_state = {"response_queue": clarify_q}
+        cli._clarify_freetext = True
+        cli._sudo_state = {"response_queue": sudo_q, "timeout": 60}
+        cli._sudo_deadline = 99999.0
+        cli._secret_state = {"response_queue": secret_q, "var_name": "X"}
+
+        cli._clear_active_overlays_for_interrupt()
+
+        # All states nilled out.
+        assert cli._approval_state is None
+        assert cli._clarify_state is None
+        assert cli._clarify_freetext is False
+        assert cli._sudo_state is None
+        assert cli._sudo_deadline == 0
+        assert cli._secret_state is None
+
+        # Each blocked thread would have received a terminal value.
+        assert approval_q.get_nowait() == "deny"
+        assert clarify_q.get_nowait()  # cancellation sentinel string
+        assert sudo_q.get_nowait() == ""
+        assert secret_q.get_nowait() == ""
+
+    def test_noop_when_no_overlays_active(self):
+        cli = self._make_cli()
+        cli._clear_active_overlays_for_interrupt()
+        assert cli._approval_state is None
+        assert cli._clarify_state is None
+        assert cli._sudo_state is None
+        assert cli._secret_state is None
+
+    def test_dead_queue_does_not_block_clearing_others(self):
+        """A queue that raises on put() must not prevent the remaining
+        overlays from being cleared."""
+        cli = self._make_cli()
+
+        class _DeadQueue:
+            def put(self, *_a, **_k):
+                raise RuntimeError("queue gone")
+
+        clarify_q = queue.Queue()
+        cli._approval_state = {"response_queue": _DeadQueue()}
+        cli._clarify_state = {"response_queue": clarify_q}
+
+        cli._clear_active_overlays_for_interrupt()
+
+        assert cli._approval_state is None  # cleared despite dead queue
+        assert cli._clarify_state is None
+        assert clarify_q.get_nowait()
+
+    def test_interrupt_unblocks_thread_blocked_on_approval(self):
+        """End-to-end: a worker blocked on the approval queue unblocks when the
+        interrupt helper drains it."""
+        cli = self._make_cli()
+        approval_q = queue.Queue()
+        cli._approval_state = {"response_queue": approval_q}
+        result = {}
+
+        def _worker():
+            result["value"] = approval_q.get(timeout=2)
+
+        t = threading.Thread(target=_worker, daemon=True)
+        t.start()
+        time.sleep(0.05)
+        cli._clear_active_overlays_for_interrupt()
+        t.join(timeout=2)
+
+        assert not t.is_alive(), "worker thread never unblocked"
+        assert result["value"] == "deny"
+