diff --git a/docs/TUI.md b/docs/TUI.md
index 05abe1b2c..aeca179c0 100644
--- a/docs/TUI.md
+++ b/docs/TUI.md
@@ -899,8 +899,10 @@ without retyping it. The popup only splices a path into the prompt; submit
 inlines `@file` contents and summarizes `@dir` via `ingestOperatorPrompt`.
 
 A readline-style kill ring backs Ctrl+K/U/W (kill) and Ctrl+Y/Alt+Y
-(yank/yank-pop) on top of the textarea's native delete bindings, which
-otherwise discard what they delete (`src/tui/prompt-kill-ring.ts`).
+(yank/yank-pop). Native textarea deletes discard the removed text, so the
+ring reads that span from the edit buffer (`getTextRange` on the cursor the
+delete is about to use) before the native action runs
+(`src/tui/prompt-kill-ring.ts`).
 Consecutive kills in the same direction accumulate into one ring entry the
 way readline does, so a `Ctrl+K Ctrl+K … Ctrl+Y` sequence restores the whole
 killed run in original order.
diff --git a/src/tui/prompt-kill-ring.test.ts b/src/tui/prompt-kill-ring.test.ts
index 3545de869..27d5bc523 100644
--- a/src/tui/prompt-kill-ring.test.ts
+++ b/src/tui/prompt-kill-ring.test.ts
@@ -6,9 +6,8 @@ import {
   beginYank,
   breakKillSequence,
   emptyKillRing,
-  killedTextBackward,
-  killedTextForward,
   recordKill,
+  removedByDelete,
   rotateYank,
 } from "./prompt-kill-ring";
 
@@ -48,6 +47,42 @@ describe("recordKill / beginYank", () => {
   });
 });
 
+describe("removedByDelete", () => {
+  test("an unchanged buffer records nothing", () => {
+    expect(removedByDelete("你", "你")).toEqual({ text: "", at: 0 });
+  });
+
+  test("records the grapheme deleteRange dropped, not the overlapping tail", () => {
+    expect(removedByDelete("你好!", "你!")).toEqual({ text: "好", at: 1 });
+    expect(removedByDelete("ab你cd", "abd")).toEqual({ text: "你c", at: 2 });
+  });
+
+  test("a replacement that is not a pure deletion records nothing", () => {
+    expect(removedByDelete("abcd", "abXd")).toEqual({ text: "", at: 0 });
+  });
+
+  test("a repeated prefix uses the caret hole, not the other copy", () => {
+    const hole = {
+      caret: 0,
+      measure: (text: string) => text.length,
+    };
+    expect(removedByDelete("hello hello", "hello", hole)).toEqual({
+      text: "hello ",
+      at: 0,
+    });
+    expect(removedByDelete("aaa", "aa", hole)).toEqual({ text: "a", at: 0 });
+  });
+
+  test("a caret that sits on no hole keeps the longest common prefix", () => {
+    expect(
+      removedByDelete("hello hello", "hello", {
+        caret: 7,
+        measure: (text: string) => text.length,
+      }),
+    ).toEqual({ text: " hello", at: 5 });
+  });
+});
+
 describe("rotateYank", () => {
   test("rotates to the next-older entry after a yank", () => {
     let ring = recordKill(emptyKillRing, "second", "forward");
@@ -80,37 +115,211 @@ describe("rotateYank", () => {
   });
 });
 
-describe("killedTextForward / killedTextBackward", () => {
-  test("forward diff reads the removed slice starting at the cursor", () => {
-    expect(killedTextForward("hello world", 5, "hello")).toBe(" world");
+describe("prompt kill ring chords", () => {
+  test("ctrl+k then ctrl+y restores the tail, including a wide glyph", async () => {
+    await withTestRenderer(async (h) => {
+      const shell = createAppShell(h.renderer, {
+        terminal: { columns: 80, rows: 24 },
+        run: "idle",
+      });
+      shell.prompt.value = "hello 🚀 world";
+      shell.prompt.cursorOffset = 6;
+      h.pressKey("k", { ctrl: true });
+      expect(shell.prompt.value).toBe("hello ");
+      h.pressKey("y", { ctrl: true });
+      expect(shell.prompt.value).toBe("hello 🚀 world");
+    });
+  });
+
+  test("ctrl+u then ctrl+y yanks the killed line back through mock keys", async () => {
+    await withTestRenderer(async (h) => {
+      const shell = createAppShell(h.renderer, {
+        terminal: { columns: 80, rows: 24 },
+        run: "idle",
+      });
+      await h.mockInput.typeText("hello world");
+      expect(shell.prompt.value).toBe("hello world");
+      h.pressKey("u", { ctrl: true });
+      expect(shell.prompt.value).toBe("");
+      h.pressKey("y", { ctrl: true });
+      expect(shell.prompt.value).toBe("hello world");
+    });
   });
 
-  test("forward diff is empty when the buffer did not shrink", () => {
-    expect(killedTextForward("hello", 2, "hello")).toBe("");
+  test("ctrl+u at column 0 kills the preceding newline and yank puts it back", async () => {
+    await withTestRenderer(async (h) => {
+      const shell = createAppShell(h.renderer, {
+        terminal: { columns: 80, rows: 24 },
+        run: "idle",
+      });
+      shell.prompt.value = "hello\nworld";
+      shell.prompt.cursorOffset = 6;
+      h.pressKey("u", { ctrl: true });
+      expect(shell.prompt.value).toBe("helloworld");
+      h.pressKey("y", { ctrl: true });
+      expect(shell.prompt.value).toBe("hello\nworld");
+    });
   });
 
-  test("backward diff reads the removed slice ending at the old cursor", () => {
-    expect(killedTextBackward("hello world", 11, 6)).toBe("world");
+  test("consecutive ctrl+w kills accumulate and yank restores original order", async () => {
+    await withTestRenderer(async (h) => {
+      const shell = createAppShell(h.renderer, {
+        terminal: { columns: 80, rows: 24 },
+        run: "idle",
+      });
+      shell.prompt.value = "foo bar";
+      shell.prompt.cursorOffset = 7;
+      h.pressKey("w", { ctrl: true });
+      expect(shell.prompt.value).toBe("foo ");
+      h.pressKey("w", { ctrl: true });
+      expect(shell.prompt.value).toBe("");
+      h.pressKey("y", { ctrl: true });
+      expect(shell.prompt.value).toBe("foo bar");
+    });
   });
 
-  test("backward diff is empty when the cursor did not move back", () => {
-    expect(killedTextBackward("hello", 3, 3)).toBe("");
+  test("alt+d kills the next word and ctrl+y restores it", async () => {
+    await withTestRenderer(async (h) => {
+      const shell = createAppShell(h.renderer, {
+        terminal: { columns: 80, rows: 24 },
+        run: "idle",
+      });
+      shell.prompt.value = "foo bar";
+      shell.prompt.cursorOffset = 0;
+      h.pressKey("d", { meta: true });
+      expect(shell.prompt.value).toBe("bar");
+      h.pressKey("y", { ctrl: true });
+      expect(shell.prompt.value).toBe("foo bar");
+    });
   });
-});
 
-describe("prompt kill ring chords", () => {
-  test("ctrl+u then ctrl+y yanks the killed line back through mock keys", async () => {
+  test("alt+y rotates to the next-older kill", async () => {
     await withTestRenderer(async (h) => {
       const shell = createAppShell(h.renderer, {
         terminal: { columns: 80, rows: 24 },
         run: "idle",
       });
-      await h.mockInput.typeText("hello world");
-      expect(shell.prompt.value).toBe("hello world");
+      shell.prompt.value = "older";
+      shell.prompt.cursorOffset = 0;
+      h.pressKey("k", { ctrl: true });
+      h.pressKey("x");
+      shell.prompt.value = "newer";
+      shell.prompt.cursorOffset = 0;
+      h.pressKey("k", { ctrl: true });
+      h.pressKey("y", { ctrl: true });
+      expect(shell.prompt.value).toBe("newer");
+      h.pressKey("y", { meta: true });
+      expect(shell.prompt.value).toBe("older");
+    });
+  });
+
+  test("ctrl+u on a repeated prefix kills the span at the caret", async () => {
+    await withTestRenderer(async (h) => {
+      const shell = createAppShell(h.renderer, {
+        terminal: { columns: 80, rows: 24 },
+        run: "idle",
+      });
+      shell.prompt.value = "hello hello";
+      shell.prompt.cursorOffset = 6;
       h.pressKey("u", { ctrl: true });
-      expect(shell.prompt.value).toBe("");
+      expect(shell.prompt.value).toBe("hello");
+      expect(shell.prompt.cursorOffset).toBe(0);
+      expect(shell.promptKillRing.entries[0]).toBe("hello ");
       h.pressKey("y", { ctrl: true });
-      expect(shell.prompt.value).toBe("hello world");
+      expect(shell.prompt.value).toBe("hello hello");
+    });
+  });
+
+  test("ctrl+u inside a run of the same character leaves the caret at the hole", async () => {
+    await withTestRenderer(async (h) => {
+      const shell = createAppShell(h.renderer, {
+        terminal: { columns: 80, rows: 24 },
+        run: "idle",
+      });
+      shell.prompt.value = "aaa";
+      shell.prompt.cursorOffset = 1;
+      h.pressKey("u", { ctrl: true });
+      expect(shell.prompt.value).toBe("aa");
+      expect(shell.prompt.cursorOffset).toBe(0);
+      h.pressKey("x");
+      expect(shell.prompt.value).toBe("xaa");
+    });
+  });
+
+  test("ctrl+u on a unique prefix still kills that prefix", async () => {
+    await withTestRenderer(async (h) => {
+      const shell = createAppShell(h.renderer, {
+        terminal: { columns: 80, rows: 24 },
+        run: "idle",
+      });
+      shell.prompt.value = "hello world";
+      shell.prompt.cursorOffset = 6;
+      h.pressKey("u", { ctrl: true });
+      expect(shell.prompt.value).toBe("world");
+      expect(shell.prompt.cursorOffset).toBe(0);
+      expect(shell.promptKillRing.entries[0]).toBe("hello ");
+      h.pressKey("z", { shift: true });
+      expect(shell.prompt.value).toBe("Zworld");
+    });
+  });
+
+  test("ctrl+k then ctrl+y on a parked wide glyph leaves it unchanged", async () => {
+    await withTestRenderer(async (h) => {
+      const shell = createAppShell(h.renderer, {
+        terminal: { columns: 80, rows: 24 },
+        run: "idle",
+      });
+      shell.prompt.value = "你";
+      h.pressKey("k", { ctrl: true });
+      expect(shell.prompt.value).toBe("你");
+      expect(shell.promptKillRing.entries).toEqual([]);
+      h.pressKey("y", { ctrl: true });
+      expect(shell.prompt.value).toBe("你");
+    });
+  });
+
+  test("ctrl+k then ctrl+y restores a parked CJK line", async () => {
+    await withTestRenderer(async (h) => {
+      const shell = createAppShell(h.renderer, {
+        terminal: { columns: 80, rows: 24 },
+        run: "idle",
+      });
+      shell.prompt.value = "你好!";
+      h.pressKey("k", { ctrl: true });
+      h.pressKey("y", { ctrl: true });
+      expect(shell.prompt.value).toBe("你好!");
+    });
+  });
+
+  test("ctrl+w inside a wide glyph records nothing when the delete does not", async () => {
+    await withTestRenderer(async (h) => {
+      const shell = createAppShell(h.renderer, {
+        terminal: { columns: 80, rows: 24 },
+        run: "idle",
+      });
+      shell.prompt.value = "ab你cd";
+      shell.prompt.cursorOffset = 3;
+      h.pressKey("w", { ctrl: true });
+      expect(shell.prompt.value).toBe("ab你cd");
+      expect(shell.promptKillRing.entries).toEqual([]);
+      h.pressKey("y", { ctrl: true });
+      expect(shell.prompt.value).toBe("ab你cd");
+    });
+  });
+
+  test("alt+d yank restores only the span deleteRange removed", async () => {
+    await withTestRenderer(async (h) => {
+      const shell = createAppShell(h.renderer, {
+        terminal: { columns: 80, rows: 24 },
+        run: "idle",
+      });
+      shell.prompt.value = "ab你cd";
+      shell.prompt.cursorOffset = 3;
+      h.pressKey("d", { meta: true });
+      expect(shell.prompt.value).toBe("abd");
+      expect(shell.promptKillRing.entries[0]).toBe("你c");
+      h.pressKey("y", { ctrl: true });
+      expect(shell.prompt.value).toBe("ab你cd");
     });
   });
 });
diff --git a/src/tui/prompt-kill-ring.ts b/src/tui/prompt-kill-ring.ts
index b489bfa4b..1ca32a827 100644
--- a/src/tui/prompt-kill-ring.ts
+++ b/src/tui/prompt-kill-ring.ts
@@ -1,12 +1,12 @@
 /**
  * Readline-style kill ring for the OpenTUI prompt.
  *
- * InputRenderable implements the delete and word-motion keys natively but
- * discards the deleted text, so yank has nothing to restore. This module is
- * the pure, testable half of that gap: shell.ts runs the native deletes,
- * diffs value/cursor to learn what was removed, and records it via
- * `recordKill`; `beginYank` / `rotateYank` hand back text for shell.ts to
- * splice in.
+ * Textarea and Input delete actions discard the removed text (they return
+ * only whether they handled the key). The shell snapshots the buffer, runs
+ * the native delete, and records what `removedByDelete` says the buffer
+ * actually lost — a cursor-offset read can name a grapheme `deleteRange`
+ * snapped past or refused. `beginYank` / `rotateYank` hand back text for
+ * the shell to splice in.
  */
 
 export const KILL_RING_MAX = 10;
@@ -116,29 +116,59 @@ export function rotateYank(
 }
 
 /**
- * Forward kill (Ctrl+K, Alt+D): the cursor does not move, so the killed text
- * is the pre-delete slice at the pre-delete cursor, sized by the shrink.
- */
-export function killedTextForward(
-  beforeValue: string,
-  beforeCursor: number,
-  afterValue: string,
-): string {
-  const removedLen = beforeValue.length - afterValue.length;
-  if (removedLen <= 0) return "";
-  return beforeValue.slice(beforeCursor, beforeCursor + removedLen);
-}
-
-/**
- * Backward kill (Ctrl+U, Ctrl+W): the cursor moves back to the deletion
- * start, so the killed text is the pre-delete slice between the new and old
- * cursor.
+ * Contiguous span `after` is missing from `before`.
+ *
+ * `deleteRange` no-ops or snaps when the caret sits inside a wide cell, and
+ * `getTextRange` still returns the overlapping grapheme. Recording that
+ * prediction yanks text the buffer never lost. `text` is empty when nothing
+ * was deleted or the change is not a pure deletion. `at` is the code-unit
+ * index of the span in `before` (and where it splices back into `after`).
+ *
+ * A repeated span has more than one such index. The longest common prefix
+ * is the rightmost, which is the other copy. `hole` is the native caret in
+ * `after` (display cells, via `measure`). The span whose splice point lands
+ * on that caret wins; if the caret sits on none of them, the longest common
+ * prefix stands so a snapped wide cell can still be parked.
  */
-export function killedTextBackward(
-  beforeValue: string,
-  beforeCursor: number,
-  afterCursor: number,
-): string {
-  if (afterCursor >= beforeCursor) return "";
-  return beforeValue.slice(afterCursor, beforeCursor);
+export function removedByDelete(
+  before: string,
+  after: string,
+  hole?: { caret: number; measure: (text: string) => number },
+): { text: string; at: number } {
+  if (after.length > before.length || before === after)
+    return { text: "", at: 0 };
+  let at = 0;
+  while (at < after.length && before.charCodeAt(at) === after.charCodeAt(at)) {
+    at += 1;
+  }
+  let beforeEnd = before.length;
+  let afterEnd = after.length;
+  while (
+    afterEnd > at &&
+    before.charCodeAt(beforeEnd - 1) === after.charCodeAt(afterEnd - 1)
+  ) {
+    beforeEnd -= 1;
+    afterEnd -= 1;
+  }
+  if (after !== `${before.slice(0, at)}${before.slice(beforeEnd)}`) {
+    return { text: "", at: 0 };
+  }
+  const removedLen = beforeEnd - at;
+  let chosen = at;
+  if (hole !== undefined && removedLen > 0) {
+    let min = at;
+    while (
+      min > 0 &&
+      before.charCodeAt(min - 1) === before.charCodeAt(min - 1 + removedLen)
+    ) {
+      min -= 1;
+    }
+    for (let candidate = min; candidate < at; candidate += 1) {
+      if (hole.measure(after.slice(0, candidate)) === hole.caret) {
+        chosen = candidate;
+        break;
+      }
+    }
+  }
+  return { text: before.slice(chosen, chosen + removedLen), at: chosen };
 }
diff --git a/src/tui/shell/keys.ts b/src/tui/shell/keys.ts
index 0cf156169..cc7c6e0e5 100644
--- a/src/tui/shell/keys.ts
+++ b/src/tui/shell/keys.ts
@@ -78,9 +78,8 @@ import { canPopFocus, focusOwner, popFocus } from "../focus/index.js";
 import {
   beginYank,
   breakKillSequence,
-  killedTextBackward,
-  killedTextForward,
   recordKill,
+  removedByDelete,
   rotateYank,
 } from "../prompt-kill-ring.js";
 import {
@@ -311,6 +310,34 @@ interface ShellKeyHandlers {
   onPaste: (event: { bytes: Uint8Array; preventDefault: () => void }) => void;
 }
 
+function killThenRecord(
+  shell: AppShell,
+  direction: "forward" | "backward",
+  remove: (prompt: AppShell["prompt"]) => void,
+): void {
+  const before = shell.prompt.value;
+  remove(shell.prompt);
+  const after = shell.prompt.value;
+  const measure = (prefix: string): number =>
+    shell.prompt.editBuffer.measureText(prefix);
+  const removal = removedByDelete(before, after, {
+    caret: shell.prompt.cursorOffset,
+    measure,
+  });
+  // A snapped wide cell leaves the caret off the grapheme it dropped. Yank
+  // inserts at the caret, so park it where the lost span splices back in.
+  // When the native caret already sits on that hole, this is a no-op and
+  // does not slide it onto the other copy of a repeated prefix.
+  if (removal.text.length > 0) {
+    shell.prompt.cursorOffset = measure(after.slice(0, removal.at));
+  }
+  shell.promptKillRing = recordKill(
+    shell.promptKillRing,
+    removal.text,
+    direction,
+  );
+}
+
 /**
  * The onKey/onPaste dispatcher bodies, extracted from createAppShell.
  * Paste-guard state stays in this closure: only these handlers read it.
@@ -632,73 +659,33 @@ export function createShellKeyHandlers(
 
     if (key.ctrl && !key.meta && !key.option && keyName === "k") {
       key.preventDefault();
-      const before = shell.prompt.value;
-      const beforeCursor = shell.prompt.cursorOffset;
-      shell.prompt.deleteToLineEnd();
-      const killed = killedTextForward(
-        before,
-        beforeCursor,
-        shell.prompt.value,
-      );
-      shell.promptKillRing = recordKill(
-        shell.promptKillRing,
-        killed,
-        "forward",
-      );
+      killThenRecord(shell, "forward", (prompt) => {
+        prompt.deleteToLineEnd();
+      });
       return;
     }
 
     if (key.ctrl && !key.meta && !key.option && keyName === "u") {
       key.preventDefault();
-      const before = shell.prompt.value;
-      const beforeCursor = shell.prompt.cursorOffset;
-      shell.prompt.deleteToLineStart();
-      const killed = killedTextBackward(
-        before,
-        beforeCursor,
-        shell.prompt.cursorOffset,
-      );
-      shell.promptKillRing = recordKill(
-        shell.promptKillRing,
-        killed,
-        "backward",
-      );
+      killThenRecord(shell, "backward", (prompt) => {
+        prompt.deleteToLineStart();
+      });
       return;
     }
 
     if (key.ctrl && !key.meta && !key.option && keyName === "w") {
       key.preventDefault();
-      const before = shell.prompt.value;
-      const beforeCursor = shell.prompt.cursorOffset;
-      shell.prompt.deleteWordBackward();
-      const killed = killedTextBackward(
-        before,
-        beforeCursor,
-        shell.prompt.cursorOffset,
-      );
-      shell.promptKillRing = recordKill(
-        shell.promptKillRing,
-        killed,
-        "backward",
-      );
+      killThenRecord(shell, "backward", (prompt) => {
+        prompt.deleteWordBackward();
+      });
       return;
     }
 
     if ((key.meta || key.option) && !key.ctrl && keyName === "d") {
       key.preventDefault();
-      const before = shell.prompt.value;
-      const beforeCursor = shell.prompt.cursorOffset;
-      shell.prompt.deleteWordForward();
-      const killed = killedTextForward(
-        before,
-        beforeCursor,
-        shell.prompt.value,
-      );
-      shell.promptKillRing = recordKill(
-        shell.promptKillRing,
-        killed,
-        "forward",
-      );
+      killThenRecord(shell, "forward", (prompt) => {
+        prompt.deleteWordForward();
+      });
       return;
     }