diff --git a/crates/noa-app/src/app/event_loop.rs b/crates/noa-app/src/app/event_loop.rs
index 0adf070..8626960 100644
--- a/crates/noa-app/src/app/event_loop.rs
+++ b/crates/noa-app/src/app/event_loop.rs
@@ -283,6 +283,18 @@ impl ApplicationHandler<UserEvent> for App {
                         .map(|state| state.window.clone())
                 {
                     window.focus_window();
+                    // AppKit's native-tab teardown drops first responder off
+                    // winit's content view, so `focus_window` (already-key
+                    // window) leaves `KeyboardInput` dead. Re-target first
+                    // responder at the content view, then discard any stale
+                    // marked text by toggling IME off/on (same clear the
+                    // `Focused(false)` path uses).
+                    #[cfg(target_os = "macos")]
+                    {
+                        crate::macos_window::focus_content_view(&window);
+                        window.set_ime_allowed(false);
+                        window.set_ime_allowed(true);
+                    }
                 }
             }
             UserEvent::PtyExit(window_id, pane_id) => {
@@ -375,6 +387,16 @@ impl ApplicationHandler<UserEvent> for App {
                 self.secure_input
                     .on_focus_change(true, &mut crate::secure_input::CarbonSecureInput);
                 if let Some(state) = self.windows.get(&window_id) {
+                    // Belt-and-suspenders for the native-tab-close focus loss:
+                    // whether or not the deferred `RestoreFocus` lands, a real
+                    // focus gain re-anchors first responder on the content view
+                    // and re-arms IME so key input can't stay dead.
+                    #[cfg(target_os = "macos")]
+                    {
+                        crate::macos_window::focus_content_view(&state.window);
+                        state.window.set_ime_allowed(false);
+                        state.window.set_ime_allowed(true);
+                    }
                     state.window.request_redraw();
                 }
             }
diff --git a/crates/noa-app/src/macos_window.rs b/crates/noa-app/src/macos_window.rs
index 6219091..391160e 100644
--- a/crates/noa-app/src/macos_window.rs
+++ b/crates/noa-app/src/macos_window.rs
@@ -22,6 +22,15 @@ pub(crate) fn show_quick_terminal_window(window: &Window) {
     show_quick_terminal_window_impl(window);
 }
 
+/// Restore first responder to winit's content `NSView`. AppKit's native-tab
+/// teardown moves first responder off the text-input view, so `KeyboardInput`
+/// stops arriving even though the window is already key — `focus_window`
+/// (`makeKeyAndOrderFront:`) can't fix that on an already-key window. This
+/// re-targets first responder at the content view directly.
+pub(crate) fn focus_content_view(window: &Window) {
+    focus_content_view_impl(window);
+}
+
 /// Commit a just-shown window to the screen immediately: draw any dirty
 /// views (`displayIfNeeded`) and flush the pending window-server transaction
 /// (`CATransaction flush`). Startup W1: the first window is shown from inside
@@ -454,6 +463,35 @@ fn show_quick_terminal_window_impl(window: &Window) {
     }
 }
 
+#[cfg(target_os = "macos")]
+fn focus_content_view_impl(window: &Window) {
+    use objc2::msg_send;
+    use objc2::runtime::AnyObject;
+    use raw_window_handle::{HasWindowHandle, RawWindowHandle};
+
+    let Ok(handle) = window.window_handle() else {
+        return;
+    };
+    let RawWindowHandle::AppKit(appkit) = handle.as_raw() else {
+        return;
+    };
+    let ns_view = appkit.ns_view.as_ptr().cast::<AnyObject>();
+
+    // SAFETY: `ns_view` is winit's live AppKit `NSView` for this window and we
+    // are on the main event-loop thread. `makeFirstResponder:` is an AppKit
+    // window method; both pointers are nil-checked before use.
+    unsafe {
+        let ns_window: *mut AnyObject = msg_send![ns_view, window];
+        if ns_window.is_null() {
+            return;
+        }
+        let _: bool = msg_send![ns_window, makeFirstResponder: ns_view];
+    }
+}
+
+#[cfg(not(target_os = "macos"))]
+fn focus_content_view_impl(_window: &Window) {}
+
 #[cfg(not(target_os = "macos"))]
 fn show_quick_terminal_window_impl(window: &Window) {
     window.focus_window();