diff --git a/ui-tui/src/__tests__/textInputFastEcho.test.ts b/ui-tui/src/__tests__/textInputFastEcho.test.ts
index 75ed282a8a0e..d0ccaada60f6 100644
--- a/ui-tui/src/__tests__/textInputFastEcho.test.ts
+++ b/ui-tui/src/__tests__/textInputFastEcho.test.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,11 @@
 import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest'
 
-import { canFastAppendShape, canFastBackspaceShape, supportsFastEchoTerminal } from '../components/textInput.js'
+import {
+  canFastAppendShape,
+  canFastBackspaceShape,
+  colorizeEcho,
+  supportsFastEchoTerminal
+} from '../components/textInput.js'
 
 // The fast-echo path bypasses Ink and writes characters directly to stdout
 // for the common case of typing plain English at the end of the line. These
@@ -173,6 +178,27 @@ describe('canFastBackspaceShape', () => {
   })
 })
 
+describe('colorizeEcho', () => {
+  // The fast-echo bypass writes raw cells past Ink, so a themed input must
+  // carry the theme fg explicitly — a default-fg glyph goes invisible when a
+  // skin repaints the background to the opposite polarity (dark skin on a
+  // light terminal ⇒ black-on-black).
+
+  it('wraps the write in truecolor fg + reset for a hex theme color', () => {
+    expect(colorizeEcho('x', '#ff2d95')).toBe('\x1b[38;2;255;45;149mx\x1b[39m')
+  })
+
+  it('passes through untouched without a color (unthemed keeps terminal default)', () => {
+    expect(colorizeEcho('x')).toBe('x')
+    expect(colorizeEcho('x', undefined)).toBe('x')
+  })
+
+  it('passes through on a non-hex color (never emit a garbage SGR)', () => {
+    expect(colorizeEcho('x', 'red')).toBe('x')
+    expect(colorizeEcho('x', '#fff')).toBe('x')
+  })
+})
+
 describe('supportsFastEchoTerminal', () => {
   it('disables fast-echo in Apple Terminal', () => {
     expect(supportsFastEchoTerminal({ TERM_PROGRAM: 'Apple_Terminal' } as NodeJS.ProcessEnv)).toBe(false)
diff --git a/ui-tui/src/components/activeSessionSwitcher.tsx b/ui-tui/src/components/activeSessionSwitcher.tsx
index 52668c1d51f3..beb4683f62ec 100644
--- a/ui-tui/src/components/activeSessionSwitcher.tsx
+++ b/ui-tui/src/components/activeSessionSwitcher.tsx
@@ -866,7 +866,13 @@ export function ActiveSessionSwitcher({
         <>
           <Box marginTop={1}>
             <Text color={t.color.label}>prompt › </Text>
-            <TextInput columns={promptColumns} onChange={setDraft} onSubmit={submitDraft} value={draft} />
+            <TextInput
+              color={t.color.text}
+              columns={promptColumns}
+              onChange={setDraft}
+              onSubmit={submitDraft}
+              value={draft}
+            />
           </Box>
           <OrchestratorHintText segments={orchestratorContextHintSegments(true)} t={t} />
           <Text color={t.color.muted} wrap="truncate-end">
diff --git a/ui-tui/src/components/appLayout.tsx b/ui-tui/src/components/appLayout.tsx
index d6333eccd4a2..1b4ba084fba0 100644
--- a/ui-tui/src/components/appLayout.tsx
+++ b/ui-tui/src/components/appLayout.tsx
@@ -417,6 +417,7 @@ const ComposerPane = memo(function ComposerPane({
               <Box flexGrow={0} flexShrink={0} height={inputHeight} width={inputColumns}>
                 {/* Reserve the transcript scrollbar gutter too so typing never rewraps when the scrollbar column repaints. */}
                 <TextInput
+                  color={ui.theme.color.text}
                   columns={inputColumns}
                   mouseApiRef={inputMouseRef}
                   onChange={composer.updateInput}
diff --git a/ui-tui/src/components/billingOverlay.tsx b/ui-tui/src/components/billingOverlay.tsx
index 52cf5529c550..269c8e067f09 100644
--- a/ui-tui/src/components/billingOverlay.tsx
+++ b/ui-tui/src/components/billingOverlay.tsx
@@ -340,7 +340,7 @@ function BuyScreen({ ctx, onPatch, s, t }: ScreenProps) {
         <Text color={t.color.label}>Enter a custom amount:</Text>
         <Box>
           <Text color={t.color.label}>{'$'}</Text>
-          <TextInput columns={20} onChange={setCustom} onSubmit={submitCustom} value={custom} />
+          <TextInput color={t.color.text} columns={20} onChange={setCustom} onSubmit={submitCustom} value={custom} />
         </Box>
         {error && <Text color={t.color.error}>{error}</Text>}
         <Text />
@@ -852,6 +852,7 @@ function AutoReloadScreen({ ctx, onClose, onPatch, s, t }: ScreenProps) {
       <Box borderColor={focused ? t.color.accent : t.color.border} borderStyle="round" paddingX={1}>
         <Text color={t.color.label}>{'$'}</Text>
         <TextInput
+          color={t.color.text}
           columns={16}
           focus={focused}
           onChange={onChange}
diff --git a/ui-tui/src/components/maskedPrompt.tsx b/ui-tui/src/components/maskedPrompt.tsx
index 27a9021f697b..b03a1aec6650 100644
--- a/ui-tui/src/components/maskedPrompt.tsx
+++ b/ui-tui/src/components/maskedPrompt.tsx
@@ -18,7 +18,14 @@ export function MaskedPrompt({ cols = 80, icon, label, onSubmit, sub, t }: Maske
 
       <Box>
         <Text color={t.color.label}>{'> '}</Text>
-        <TextInput columns={Math.max(20, cols - 6)} mask="*" onChange={setValue} onSubmit={onSubmit} value={value} />
+        <TextInput
+          color={t.color.text}
+          columns={Math.max(20, cols - 6)}
+          mask="*"
+          onChange={setValue}
+          onSubmit={onSubmit}
+          value={value}
+        />
       </Box>
     </Box>
   )
diff --git a/ui-tui/src/components/prompts.tsx b/ui-tui/src/components/prompts.tsx
index 614be012aaad..78fade0d2c1f 100644
--- a/ui-tui/src/components/prompts.tsx
+++ b/ui-tui/src/components/prompts.tsx
@@ -192,7 +192,13 @@ export function ClarifyPrompt({ cols = 80, onAnswer, onCancel, req, t }: Clarify
 
         <Box>
           <Text color={t.color.label}>{'> '}</Text>
-          <TextInput columns={Math.max(20, cols - 6)} onChange={setCustom} onSubmit={onAnswer} value={custom} />
+          <TextInput
+            color={t.color.text}
+            columns={Math.max(20, cols - 6)}
+            onChange={setCustom}
+            onSubmit={onAnswer}
+            value={custom}
+          />
         </Box>
 
         <Text color={t.color.muted}>
diff --git a/ui-tui/src/components/textInput.tsx b/ui-tui/src/components/textInput.tsx
index c65fc8c54419..9d35bbdf1331 100644
--- a/ui-tui/src/components/textInput.tsx
+++ b/ui-tui/src/components/textInput.tsx
@@ -58,6 +58,14 @@ const colorizeHint = (s: string, hex?: string) => {
   return `${ESC}[38;2;${r};${g};${b}m${s}${ESC}[39m`
 }
 
+// Typed-text fast-echo must carry the SAME explicit fg the Ink render uses:
+// the bypass writes raw cells, and a default-fg glyph goes invisible the
+// moment a skin repaints the background to the opposite polarity (a dark
+// skin on a light terminal ⇒ black-on-black). No color ⇒ passthrough, so
+// unthemed inputs keep the terminal default.
+export const colorizeEcho = (s: string, hex?: string) =>
+  /^#[0-9a-f]{6}$/i.test(hex ?? '') ? `${ESC}[38;2;${hintRgb(hex).join(';')}m${s}${ESC}[39m` : s
+
 /** Synthetic placeholder cursor: a hint-colored chip with luminance-picked
  *  ink, standing in for the hidden hardware cursor (bubbles pattern). */
 const hintCursorCell = (ch: string, hex?: string) => {
@@ -565,6 +573,7 @@ export function TextInput({
   voiceRecordKey = DEFAULT_VOICE_RECORD_KEY,
   placeholder = '',
   placeholderColor,
+  color,
   focus = true
 }: TextInputProps) {
   const [cur, setCur] = useState(value.length)
@@ -1306,7 +1315,9 @@ export function TextInput({
 
             if (simpleAppend) {
               const effect = fastAppendEffect(preInsertValue, preInsertCursor, text)
-              stdout!.write(effect.write)
+              // Same explicit fg as the Ink render (see the <Text color>) —
+              // the bypass cell must not flash the terminal-default color.
+              stdout!.write(colorizeEcho(effect.write, color))
               // ASCII-printable text advances the physical cursor by exactly
               // text.length cells (canFastAppendShape rejects non-ASCII,
               // wide chars, newlines). Notify Ink so the cached displayCursor
@@ -1395,7 +1406,14 @@ export function TextInput({
       ref={boxRef}
       width={columns}
     >
-      <Text wrap="wrap">{rendered}</Text>
+      {/* Explicit theme color on the typed text — default fg tracks the HOST
+          terminal's polarity, not the skin's, so a live dark-skin repaint on a
+          light terminal would otherwise leave the input black-on-black. chalk
+          re-opens the outer color after embedded [39m closes (placeholder
+          chips), and INV cursor/selection cells don't touch fg. */}
+      <Text color={color} wrap="wrap">
+        {rendered}
+      </Text>
     </Box>
   )
 }
@@ -1416,6 +1434,8 @@ export interface PasteEvent {
 }
 
 interface TextInputProps {
+  /** Hex color for typed text (theme text); terminal default when omitted. */
+  color?: string
   columns?: number
   focus?: boolean
   mask?: string