diff --git a/src/web/public/panels-ui.js b/src/web/public/panels-ui.js
index 81c7c990..0e5fdfec 100644
--- a/src/web/public/panels-ui.js
+++ b/src/web/public/panels-ui.js
@@ -380,7 +380,15 @@ Object.assign(CodemanApp.prototype, {
       prev.focus();
       return;
     }
-    if (this.activeSessionId) this.terminal?.focus?.();
+    // ⚠️ `activeSessionId` alone only covers the welcome screen. On a touch device
+    // with the keyboard down, focus sits on `<body>`, so focusing the terminal here
+    // would summon the on-screen keyboard — `selectSession()` deliberately skips the
+    // focus for exactly that reason, and this would override it. The app's own
+    // predicate already encodes the rule (true on desktop, on touch only while the
+    // keyboard is open); the optional call keeps the vm test harness working.
+    if (this.activeSessionId && this._shouldFocusTerminalForTabSwitch?.() !== false) {
+      this.terminal?.focus?.();
+    }
   },
 
   openCommandPalette() {
@@ -404,7 +412,15 @@ Object.assign(CodemanApp.prototype, {
 
   closeCommandPalette() {
     const modal = document.getElementById('commandPaletteModal');
-    if (modal) modal.classList.remove('active');
+    // ⚠️ Bail out when it was not open. The global Escape handler calls this on
+    // EVERY Escape (app.js), in the CAPTURE phase, so an unconditional restore
+    // runs before the focused element's own Escape handler and steals focus into
+    // the terminal: keys typed after Escape in split Pane B land in Pane A, keys
+    // typed in any text field land in the terminal, and the inline tab rename's
+    // Escape fires the input's blur (which commits) before its own handler
+    // (which cancels), turning a cancel into a rename.
+    if (!modal?.classList?.contains('active')) return;
+    modal.classList.remove('active');
     this._restoreOverlayFocus('_commandPalettePrevFocus');
   },
 
@@ -674,7 +690,9 @@ Object.assign(CodemanApp.prototype, {
 
   closeSessionManager() {
     const modal = document.getElementById('sessionManagerModal');
-    if (modal) modal.classList.remove('active');
+    // Same guard as closeCommandPalette — see the note there.
+    if (!modal?.classList?.contains('active')) return;
+    modal.classList.remove('active');
     this._restoreOverlayFocus('_sessionManagerPrevFocus');
   },
 
diff --git a/test/command-palette-ui.test.ts b/test/command-palette-ui.test.ts
index 70e19ced..00048010 100644
--- a/test/command-palette-ui.test.ts
+++ b/test/command-palette-ui.test.ts
@@ -111,7 +111,7 @@ function loadPaletteHarness(overrides: Record<string, any> = {}) {
   app.getSessionName = (session: any) =>
     session.name || session.workingDir?.split('/').pop() || app.getShortId(session.id);
 
-  return { app, elements, listeners };
+  return { app, elements, listeners, makeClassList };
 }
 
 describe('Command-K session palette', () => {
@@ -492,7 +492,7 @@ describe('overlay focus restoration (Escape must not strand the keyboard)', () =
     const priorElement = { focus: vi.fn(), isConnected: true, tagName: 'TEXTAREA' };
     const body = { tagName: 'BODY' };
     let active: any = priorElement;
-    const { app, elements } = loadPaletteHarness({
+    const { app, elements, makeClassList } = loadPaletteHarness({
       document: {
         getElementById: (id: string) => (globalThis as any).__els?.[id] ?? null,
         get activeElement() {
@@ -509,7 +509,7 @@ describe('overlay focus restoration (Escape must not strand the keyboard)', () =
     elements.commandPaletteSearch.focus = vi.fn(() => {
       active = elements.commandPaletteSearch;
     });
-    return { app, elements, priorElement, terminalTextarea, body, setActive: (v: any) => (active = v) };
+    return { app, elements, priorElement, terminalTextarea, body, makeClassList, setActive: (v: any) => (active = v) };
   }
 
   it('returns focus to whatever had it when the command palette closes', () => {
@@ -546,9 +546,33 @@ describe('overlay focus restoration (Escape must not strand the keyboard)', () =
     expect(terminalTextarea.focus).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
   });
 
+  it('leaves focus alone when neither overlay was open — the path every Escape takes', () => {
+    // app.js's global Escape handler calls both close methods on EVERY Escape,
+    // in the capture phase. Nothing was saved, so an unguarded restore would fall
+    // through to the terminal and steal focus from split Pane B, from any text
+    // field, and turn the inline rename's Escape into a commit.
+    const { app, elements, terminalTextarea, priorElement, makeClassList } = focusHarness();
+    elements.sessionManagerModal = { classList: makeClassList(), addEventListener: vi.fn() };
+    app.closeCommandPalette();
+    app.closeSessionManager();
+    expect(terminalTextarea.focus).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expect(priorElement.focus).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
+  it('does not focus the terminal on touch while the keyboard is down', () => {
+    const { app, terminalTextarea, body, setActive } = focusHarness();
+    app._shouldFocusTerminalForTabSwitch = () => false;
+    setActive(body);
+    app.openCommandPalette();
+    app.closeCommandPalette();
+    expect(terminalTextarea.focus).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
   it('restores focus on the session manager too, not just the palette', async () => {
-    const { app, elements, priorElement } = focusHarness();
-    elements.sessionManagerModal = { classList: { add: vi.fn(), remove: vi.fn() }, addEventListener: vi.fn() };
+    const { app, elements, priorElement, makeClassList } = focusHarness();
+    // A real classList: the close guard reads `contains('active')`, and a stub
+    // without it reports "not open" and skips the restore this test is about.
+    elements.sessionManagerModal = { classList: makeClassList(), addEventListener: vi.fn() };
     elements.sessionManagerSearch = { value: '', focus: vi.fn(), addEventListener: vi.fn() };
     elements.sessionManagerList = { replaceChildren: vi.fn(), appendChild: vi.fn() };
     app._loadSessionManagerList = vi.fn();