diff --git a/ui-tui/src/__tests__/createGatewayEventHandler.test.ts b/ui-tui/src/__tests__/createGatewayEventHandler.test.ts
index 1b433220b64..08b5c4173c2 100644
--- a/ui-tui/src/__tests__/createGatewayEventHandler.test.ts
+++ b/ui-tui/src/__tests__/createGatewayEventHandler.test.ts
@@ -1114,6 +1114,43 @@ describe('createGatewayEventHandler', () => {
     }
   })
 
+  it('keepBusy interrupt holds busy until the gateway settles and suppresses the cancelled turn’s final_response', () => {
+    // Force-send: interrupt holds busy so the drain waits for the real settle
+    // instead of racing it (the race duplicated the bubble, leaked a "queued: …"
+    // note, and surfaced the cancelled turn's "Operation interrupted…" reply).
+    const appended: Msg[] = []
+    const ctx = buildCtx(appended)
+    ctx.gateway.gw.request = vi.fn(async () => ({ status: 'interrupted' }))
+    const onEvent = createGatewayEventHandler(ctx)
+
+    patchUiState({ sid: 'sess-1' })
+    onEvent({ payload: {}, type: 'message.start' } as any)
+    onEvent({ payload: { text: 'thinking…' }, type: 'reasoning.delta' } as any)
+    expect(getUiState().busy).toBe(true)
+
+    turnController.interruptTurn(
+      { appendMessage: (msg: Msg) => appended.push(msg), gw: ctx.gateway.gw, sid: 'sess-1', sys: ctx.system.sys },
+      { keepBusy: true }
+    )
+
+    // Held busy: the drain effect keys off busy→false, so it must not fire yet.
+    expect(getUiState().busy).toBe(true)
+
+    // The cancelled turn settles with a backend interrupted final_response.
+    const before = appended.length
+    onEvent({
+      payload: { text: 'Operation interrupted: waiting for model response (4.1s elapsed).' },
+      type: 'message.complete'
+    } as any)
+
+    // Settle flips busy false (the single drain edge) and the backend
+    // "Operation interrupted…" line is suppressed (not appended).
+    expect(getUiState().busy).toBe(false)
+    expect(appended.slice(before).some(m => typeof m.text === 'string' && m.text.includes('Operation interrupted'))).toBe(
+      false
+    )
+  })
+
   it('persists an abandoned (timed-out) clarify into the transcript when the clarify tool completes', () => {
     const appended: Msg[] = []
     const onEvent = createGatewayEventHandler(buildCtx(appended))
diff --git a/ui-tui/src/app/turnController.ts b/ui-tui/src/app/turnController.ts
index 5f11145b010..df2c50ef0ea 100644
--- a/ui-tui/src/app/turnController.ts
+++ b/ui-tui/src/app/turnController.ts
@@ -182,7 +182,12 @@ class TurnController {
     resetFlowOverlays()
   }
 
-  interruptTurn({ appendMessage, gw, sid, sys }: InterruptDeps) {
+  // `keepBusy` holds the session busy after interrupting so a queued message
+  // drains on the gateway's real settle edge (message.complete, suppressed
+  // while `interrupted`) instead of racing the still-unwinding turn — the race
+  // duplicated the user bubble, leaked a "queued: …" note, and surfaced the
+  // cancelled turn's "[interrupted]" reply.
+  interruptTurn({ appendMessage, gw, sid, sys }: InterruptDeps, opts: { keepBusy?: boolean } = {}) {
     this.interrupted = true
     gw.request<SessionInterruptResponse>('session.interrupt', { session_id: sid }).catch(() => {})
 
@@ -218,9 +223,17 @@ class TurnController {
       sys('interrupted')
     }
 
-    patchUiState({ status: 'interrupted' })
     this.clearStatusTimer()
 
+    if (opts.keepBusy) {
+      // `idle()` already cleared busy; re-assert it so the drain waits for settle.
+      patchUiState({ busy: true, status: 'interrupting…' })
+
+      return
+    }
+
+    patchUiState({ status: 'interrupted' })
+
     this.statusTimer = setTimeout(() => {
       this.statusTimer = null
       patchUiState({ status: 'ready' })
diff --git a/ui-tui/src/app/useSubmission.ts b/ui-tui/src/app/useSubmission.ts
index 9f87a6b5dbc..aaf48291c3a 100644
--- a/ui-tui/src/app/useSubmission.ts
+++ b/ui-tui/src/app/useSubmission.ts
@@ -220,25 +220,28 @@ export function useSubmission(opts: UseSubmissionOptions) {
   //   - 'steer'     : inject into the current turn via session.steer; falls
   //                   back to queue when steer is rejected (no agent / no
   //                   tool window).
-  //   - 'interrupt' (default): cancel the in-flight turn, then send the
-  //                   new text as a fresh prompt so it actually moves.
+  //   - 'interrupt' (default): queue the text + interrupt with `keepBusy`; the
+  //                   busy→false settle edge drains it once (desktop parity).
+  //                   No optimistic send → no duplicate bubble / race note.
   //
-  // `opts.fallbackToFront` controls whether a steer fallback re-inserts
-  // at the front of the queue (used by the queue-edit path to preserve
-  // a picked item's position); the mainline submit path always appends.
+  // `opts.fallbackToFront` re-inserts at the queue head (queue-edit picks keep
+  // their position); the mainline submit path appends.
   const handleBusyInput = useCallback(
     (full: string, opts: { fallbackToFront?: boolean } = {}) => {
       const live = getUiState()
       const mode = live.busyInputMode
 
-      const fallback = (note: string) => {
+      const enqueueText = () => {
         if (opts.fallbackToFront) {
           composerRefs.queueRef.current.unshift(full)
           composerActions.syncQueue()
         } else {
           composerActions.enqueue(full)
         }
+      }
 
+      const fallback = (note: string) => {
+        enqueueText()
         sys(note)
       }
 
@@ -260,25 +263,14 @@ export function useSubmission(opts: UseSubmissionOptions) {
         return
       }
 
-      // 'interrupt' (default): tear down the current turn, then send.
-      // `interruptTurn` fires `session.interrupt` without awaiting; if
-      // the gateway is still mid-response when `prompt.submit` lands,
-      // `send()`'s catch path re-queues with a "queued: ..." sys note
-      // (`isSessionBusyError`) — so a lost race degrades to queue
-      // semantics, not a dropped message.
+      // 'interrupt': queue + interrupt(keepBusy); the settle edge drains it once.
+      enqueueText()
+
       if (live.sid) {
-        turnController.interruptTurn({ appendMessage, gw, sid: live.sid, sys })
+        turnController.interruptTurn({ appendMessage, gw, sid: live.sid, sys }, { keepBusy: true })
       }
-
-      if (hasInterpolation(full)) {
-        patchUiState({ busy: true })
-
-        return interpolate(full, send)
-      }
-
-      send(full)
     },
-    [appendMessage, composerActions, composerRefs, gw, interpolate, send, sys]
+    [appendMessage, composerActions, composerRefs, gw, sys]
   )
 
   const dispatchSubmission = useCallback(
@@ -380,7 +372,11 @@ export function useSubmission(opts: UseSubmissionOptions) {
         lastEmptyAt.current = now
 
         if (doubleTap && live.busy && live.sid) {
-          return turnController.interruptTurn({ appendMessage, gw, sid: live.sid, sys })
+          // Force-send: keep busy when a message is queued so the settle edge
+          // drains it once (no race). Empty queue = plain Stop → 'ready'.
+          const hasQueued = composerRefs.queueRef.current.length > 0
+
+          return turnController.interruptTurn({ appendMessage, gw, sid: live.sid, sys }, { keepBusy: hasQueued })
         }
 
         if (doubleTap && live.sid && composerRefs.queueRef.current.length) {