diff --git a/ui-tui/src/app/useMainApp.ts b/ui-tui/src/app/useMainApp.ts
index e6e8cfe1f..c97fde79b 100644
--- a/ui-tui/src/app/useMainApp.ts
+++ b/ui-tui/src/app/useMainApp.ts
@@ -372,6 +372,28 @@ export function useMainApp(gw: GatewayClient) {
     sys
   })
 
+  // Flush any pre-session queued input once the session lands.
+  // Message.complete already drains subsequent items; this only kicks off the first.
+  const prevSidRef = useRef<null | string>(null)
+  useEffect(() => {
+    const prev = prevSidRef.current
+    prevSidRef.current = ui.sid
+
+    if (prev !== null || !ui.sid || ui.busy) {
+      return
+    }
+
+    if (composerRefs.queueEditRef.current !== null) {
+      return
+    }
+
+    const next = composerActions.dequeue()
+
+    if (next) {
+      sendQueued(next)
+    }
+  }, [ui.sid, ui.busy, composerActions, composerRefs, sendQueued])
+
   const { pagerPageSize } = useInputHandlers({
     actions: {
       answerClarify,
diff --git a/ui-tui/src/app/useSubmission.ts b/ui-tui/src/app/useSubmission.ts
index 4fc699676..fee2dd727 100644
--- a/ui-tui/src/app/useSubmission.ts
+++ b/ui-tui/src/app/useSubmission.ts
@@ -183,12 +183,7 @@ export function useSubmission(opts: UseSubmissionOptions) {
         return
       }
 
-      const live = getUiState()
-
-      if (!live.sid) {
-        return sys('session not ready yet')
-      }
-
+      // Slash + shell run regardless of session state (each handles its own sid needs).
       if (looksLikeSlashCommand(full)) {
         appendMessage({ kind: 'slash', role: 'system', text: full })
         composerActions.pushHistory(full)
@@ -204,6 +199,17 @@ export function useSubmission(opts: UseSubmissionOptions) {
         return shellExec(full.slice(1).trim())
       }
 
+      const live = getUiState()
+
+      // No session yet — queue the text and let the ready-flush effect send it.
+      if (!live.sid) {
+        composerActions.pushHistory(full)
+        composerActions.enqueue(full)
+        composerActions.clearIn()
+
+        return
+      }
+
       const editIdx = composerRefs.queueEditRef.current
       composerActions.clearIn()
 
@@ -269,10 +275,10 @@ export function useSubmission(opts: UseSubmissionOptions) {
           return turnController.interruptTurn({ appendMessage, gw, sid: live.sid, sys })
         }
 
-        if (doubleTap && composerRefs.queueRef.current.length) {
+        if (doubleTap && live.sid && composerRefs.queueRef.current.length) {
           const next = composerActions.dequeue()
 
-          if (next && live.sid) {
+          if (next) {
             composerActions.setQueueEdit(null)
             dispatchSubmission(next)
           }