diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/main/terminal-host/session-shell-ready.test.ts b/apps/desktop/src/main/terminal-host/session-shell-ready.test.ts
index a2ad32fabbb..791ef23e10e 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/src/main/terminal-host/session-shell-ready.test.ts
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/main/terminal-host/session-shell-ready.test.ts
@@ -301,57 +301,6 @@ describe("Session shell-ready: kill/exit before readiness", () => {
 	});
 });
 
-/** Wait for the emulator write queue to drain (uses setImmediate internally). */
-function waitForEmulatorFlush(): Promise<void> {
-	return new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, 50));
-}
-
-describe("Session shell-ready: DA1 query response forwarding (#3028)", () => {
-	it("forwards headless emulator DA1 response to subprocess during pending state", async () => {
-		// Fish shell sends DA1 (ESC[c) at startup to detect terminal capabilities.
-		// The headless emulator generates a response (ESC[?1;2c) via xterm.js.
-		// This response MUST be forwarded to the subprocess even during the
-		// "pending" shell-ready state, otherwise fish waits 10s and then
-		// disables optional features like cursor shape and reflow detection.
-		const { session, proc } = createTestSession("/usr/local/bin/fish");
-		spawnAndReady(session, proc);
-
-		// Simulate PTY output containing a DA1 query from fish.
-		// When the headless emulator processes this, xterm.js generates
-		// a DA1 response via its onData callback.
-		sendData(proc, "\x1b[c");
-
-		// The emulator write queue processes via setImmediate, so we need
-		// to let the event loop tick for xterm to process the query.
-		await waitForEmulatorFlush();
-
-		// The emulator's DA1 response should have been forwarded to the
-		// subprocess (written to stdin) even though shell is still pending.
-		const writes = getWrittenData(proc);
-
-		// The response should contain a DA1 reply (ESC[?...c format)
-		expect(writes.length).toBeGreaterThan(0);
-		const da1Response = writes.join("");
-		// biome-ignore lint/suspicious/noControlCharactersInRegex: matching ESC in terminal protocol data
-		expect(da1Response).toMatch(/\x1b\[\?[\d;]+c/);
-	});
-
-	it("forwards DSR response to subprocess during pending state", async () => {
-		const { session, proc } = createTestSession("/bin/zsh");
-		spawnAndReady(session, proc);
-
-		// DSR (Device Status Report): ESC[5n → ESC[0n (terminal OK)
-		sendData(proc, "\x1b[5n");
-
-		await waitForEmulatorFlush();
-
-		const writes = getWrittenData(proc);
-		expect(writes.length).toBeGreaterThan(0);
-		const response = writes.join("");
-		expect(response).toContain("\x1b[0n");
-	});
-});
-
 describe("Session shell-ready: supported shells", () => {
 	for (const shell of [
 		"/bin/zsh",
diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/main/terminal-host/session.ts b/apps/desktop/src/main/terminal-host/session.ts
index 87174902470..f04fe72014c 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/src/main/terminal-host/session.ts
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/main/terminal-host/session.ts
@@ -224,21 +224,18 @@ export class Session {
 		// Set initial CWD
 		this.emulator.setCwd(options.cwd);
 
-		// The headless emulator responds to terminal queries (e.g. DA1,
-		// DSR) when no renderer client is attached. These responses must
-		// be forwarded to the subprocess immediately — even during shell
-		// init — because shells like fish send DA1 at startup and wait
-		// up to 10 seconds for a reply before disabling optional features.
-		// Unlike renderer-generated responses (which go through write()
-		// and are correctly dropped during init to avoid appearing as
-		// typed text), headless emulator responses are written directly
-		// to the PTY and consumed by the shell as protocol data.
+		// The headless emulator responds to terminal queries (e.g. DA)
+		// when no renderer client is attached. During shell init we drop
+		// these — they'd land in the pre-ready stdin queue and appear as
+		// typed text like "?62;4;9;22c" once flushed. After a client
+		// attaches the renderer's xterm handles all terminal queries.
 		this.emulator.onData((data) => {
 			if (
 				this.attachedClients.size === 0 &&
 				this.subprocess &&
 				this.subprocessReady
 			) {
+				if (this.shellReadyState === "pending") return;
 				this.sendWriteToSubprocess(data);
 			}
 		});