diff --git a/cli-ink.js b/cli-ink.js
index 8e12041..64ea5f1 100644
--- a/cli-ink.js
+++ b/cli-ink.js
@@ -2,21 +2,45 @@
 import 'dotenv/config';
 import React from 'react';
 import { render } from 'ink';
-import InkApp from './src/ui/InkApp.js';
+import InkApp from './src/ui/InkApp.jsx';
 
 const { unmount } = render(React.createElement(InkApp));
 
-// ESC to exit
+// ESC to exit (only bare ESC, not escape sequences like arrows)
 if (process.stdin.isTTY) {
     try { process.stdin.setRawMode(true); } catch { }
+    let escPending = false;
+    let escTimer = null;
+
+    const exitCleanly = () => {
+        unmount();
+        try { process.stdin.setRawMode(false); } catch { }
+        process.exit(0);
+    };
+
     const onData = (data) => {
-        const str = typeof data === 'string' ? data : String(data);
-        if (str === '\u001b' || (str.length && str.charCodeAt(0) === 27)) {
-            unmount();
-            try { process.stdin.setRawMode(false); } catch { }
-            process.exit(0);
+        const buffer = Buffer.isBuffer(data) ? data : Buffer.from(String(data));
+        for (const byte of buffer) {
+            if (!escPending) {
+                if (byte === 0x1b) { // ESC
+                    escPending = true;
+                    escTimer = setTimeout(() => {
+                        // No additional byte followed: treat as bare ESC
+                        escPending = false;
+                        escTimer = null;
+                        exitCleanly();
+                    }, 120);
+                }
+                // else: ignore other bytes
+            } else {
+                // Some byte followed ESC quickly: it's an escape sequence → cancel exit
+                if (escTimer) { clearTimeout(escTimer); escTimer = null; }
+                escPending = false;
+                // Do not process further for exit
+            }
         }
     };
+
     process.stdin.on('data', onData);
 }
 
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 154245f..bbcd79a 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@
   },
   "scripts": {
     "start": "node cli.js",
-    "start:ink": "node cli-ink.js",
+    "start:ink": "tsx cli-ink.js",
     "test": "node tests/run-all.js",
     "test:patch": "node tests/run-tests.js",
     "test:readfile": "node tests/run-readfile-tests.js",
diff --git a/src/ui/InkApp.js b/src/ui/InkApp.js
deleted file mode 100644
index 62e6f20..0000000
--- a/src/ui/InkApp.js
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,83 +0,0 @@
-import React from 'react';
-import { Box, Text } from 'ink';
-import TextInput from 'ink-text-input';
-
-class Pane extends React.Component {
-    render() {
-        const { title, lines } = this.props;
-        return (
-            React.createElement(Box, { flexDirection: 'column', borderStyle: 'round', paddingX: 1, paddingY: 0, flexGrow: 1 },
-                React.createElement(Text, { color: 'cyan' }, title),
-                React.createElement(Box, { flexDirection: 'column' },
-                    (lines && lines.length > 0)
-                        ? lines.map((l, idx) => React.createElement(Text, { key: idx }, l))
-                        : React.createElement(Text, { dimColor: true }, '—')
-                )
-            )
-        );
-    }
-}
-
-export default class InkApp extends React.Component {
-    constructor(props) {
-        super(props);
-        this.state = {
-            input: '',
-            logs: [],
-            terminal: [],
-            chainOfThought: [],
-            llmOutput: []
-        };
-        this.handleSubmit = this.handleSubmit.bind(this);
-        this.handleChange = this.handleChange.bind(this);
-    }
-
-    componentDidMount() { }
-    componentWillUnmount() { }
-
-    handleChange(value) {
-        this.setState({ input: value });
-    }
-
-    handleSubmit() {
-        const { input } = this.state;
-        if (!input) return;
-        this.setState(state => ({
-            logs: [...state.logs, `> ${input}`],
-            // placeholders for now
-            terminal: [...state.terminal, `echo ${input}`],
-            chainOfThought: [...state.chainOfThought, `(internal) Thought about: ${input}`],
-            llmOutput: [...state.llmOutput, `Model says: ${input}`],
-            input: ''
-        }));
-    }
-
-    render() {
-        const { input, logs, terminal, chainOfThought, llmOutput } = this.state;
-        return (
-            React.createElement(Box, { flexDirection: 'column', height: '100%' },
-                React.createElement(Box, { flexGrow: 1, flexDirection: 'row' },
-                    React.createElement(Box, { flexGrow: 1, flexDirection: 'column' },
-                        React.createElement(Pane, { title: 'LLM Output', lines: llmOutput }),
-                        React.createElement(Pane, { title: 'Chain of Thought', lines: chainOfThought })
-                    ),
-                    React.createElement(Box, { flexGrow: 1, flexDirection: 'column' },
-                        React.createElement(Pane, { title: 'Terminal', lines: terminal }),
-                        React.createElement(Pane, { title: 'Logging', lines: logs })
-                    )
-                ),
-                React.createElement(Box, { marginTop: 1 },
-                    React.createElement(Text, null, 'Input: '),
-                    React.createElement(TextInput, {
-                        value: input,
-                        onChange: this.handleChange,
-                        onSubmit: this.handleSubmit,
-                        placeholder: 'Type and press Enter...'
-                    })
-                )
-            )
-        );
-    }
-}
-
-
diff --git a/src/ui/InkApp.jsx b/src/ui/InkApp.jsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..fb294cb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/ui/InkApp.jsx
@@ -0,0 +1,85 @@
+import React from 'react';
+import { Box, Text } from 'ink';
+import TextInput from 'ink-text-input';
+
+class Pane extends React.Component {
+    render() {
+        const { title, lines } = this.props;
+        return (
+            <Box flexDirection="column" borderStyle="round" paddingX={1} paddingY={0} flexGrow={1}>
+                <Text color="cyan">{title}</Text>
+                <Box flexDirection="column">
+                    {(lines && lines.length > 0)
+                        ? lines.map((line, index) => (
+                            <Text key={index}>{line}</Text>
+                        ))
+                        : <Text dimColor>—</Text>
+                    }
+                </Box>
+            </Box>
+        );
+    }
+}
+
+export default class InkApp extends React.Component {
+    constructor(props) {
+        super(props);
+        this.state = {
+            input: '',
+            logs: [],
+            terminal: [],
+            chainOfThought: [],
+            llmOutput: []
+        };
+        this.handleSubmit = this.handleSubmit.bind(this);
+        this.handleChange = this.handleChange.bind(this);
+    }
+
+    componentDidMount() { }
+    componentWillUnmount() { }
+
+    handleChange(value) {
+        this.setState({ input: value });
+    }
+
+    handleSubmit() {
+        const { input } = this.state;
+        if (!input) return;
+        this.setState((state) => ({
+            logs: [...state.logs, `> ${input}`],
+            terminal: [...state.terminal, `echo ${input}`],
+            chainOfThought: [...state.chainOfThought, `(internal) Thought about: ${input}`],
+            llmOutput: [...state.llmOutput, `Model says: ${input}`],
+            input: ''
+        }));
+    }
+
+    render() {
+        const { input, logs, terminal, chainOfThought, llmOutput } = this.state;
+        return (
+            <Box flexDirection="column" height="100%">
+                <Box flexGrow={1} flexDirection="row">
+                    <Box flexGrow={1} flexDirection="column">
+                        <Pane title="LLM Output" lines={llmOutput} />
+                        <Pane title="Chain of Thought" lines={chainOfThought} />
+                    </Box>
+                    <Box flexGrow={1} flexDirection="column">
+                        <Pane title="Terminal" lines={terminal} />
+                        <Pane title="Logging" lines={logs} />
+                    </Box>
+                </Box>
+                <Box marginTop={1}>
+                    <Text>Input: </Text>
+                    <TextInput
+                        value={input}
+                        onChange={this.handleChange}
+                        onSubmit={this.handleSubmit}
+                        placeholder="Type and press Enter..."
+                    />
+                </Box>
+            </Box>
+        );
+    }
+}
+
+