diff --git a/ui-tui/packages/hermes-ink/src/ink/parse-keypress.test.ts b/ui-tui/packages/hermes-ink/src/ink/parse-keypress.test.ts
index f8585521cb..3989192b9f 100644
--- a/ui-tui/packages/hermes-ink/src/ink/parse-keypress.test.ts
+++ b/ui-tui/packages/hermes-ink/src/ink/parse-keypress.test.ts
@@ -3,6 +3,15 @@ import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest'
 import { INITIAL_STATE, parseMultipleKeypresses } from './parse-keypress.js'
 import { PASTE_END, PASTE_START } from './termio/csi.js'
 
+describe('legacy modified return parsing', () => {
+  it.each(['\r', '\n'])('parses ESC+%j as one Alt+Enter keypress', lineEnding => {
+    const sequence = `\x1b${lineEnding}`
+    const [keys] = parseMultipleKeypresses(INITIAL_STATE, sequence)
+
+    expect(keys).toEqual([expect.objectContaining({ name: 'return', ctrl: false, meta: true, shift: false, sequence })])
+  })
+})
+
 describe('parseMultipleKeypresses bracketed paste recovery', () => {
   it('emits empty bracketed pastes when the terminal sends both markers', () => {
     const [keys, state] = parseMultipleKeypresses(INITIAL_STATE, PASTE_START + PASTE_END)
diff --git a/ui-tui/packages/hermes-ink/src/ink/parse-keypress.ts b/ui-tui/packages/hermes-ink/src/ink/parse-keypress.ts
index 07e31c6f53..421aa4cca9 100644
--- a/ui-tui/packages/hermes-ink/src/ink/parse-keypress.ts
+++ b/ui-tui/packages/hermes-ink/src/ink/parse-keypress.ts
@@ -292,7 +292,7 @@ export function parseMultipleKeypresses(
   const inputString = isFlush ? '' : inputToString(input)
 
   // Get or create tokenizer
-  const tokenizer = prevState._tokenizer ?? createTokenizer({ x10Mouse: true })
+  const tokenizer = prevState._tokenizer ?? createTokenizer({ x10Mouse: true, legacyAltEnter: true })
 
   // Tokenize the input
   const tokens = isFlush ? tokenizer.flush() : tokenizer.feed(inputString)
@@ -796,9 +796,10 @@ function parseKeypress(s: string = ''): ParsedKey {
     return createNavKey(s, 'mouse', false)
   }
 
-  if (s === '\r' || s === '\n') {
+  if (s === '\r' || s === '\n' || s === '\x1b\r' || s === '\x1b\n') {
     key.raw = undefined
     key.name = 'return'
+    key.meta = s.startsWith('\x1b')
   } else if (s === '\t') {
     key.name = 'tab'
   } else if (s === '\b' || s === '\x1b\b') {
diff --git a/ui-tui/packages/hermes-ink/src/ink/termio/parser.test.ts b/ui-tui/packages/hermes-ink/src/ink/termio/parser.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e501189634
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ui-tui/packages/hermes-ink/src/ink/termio/parser.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest'
+
+import { Parser } from './parser.js'
+
+const renderedText = (actions: ReturnType<Parser['feed']>): string =>
+  actions
+    .filter(action => action.type === 'text')
+    .flatMap(action => action.graphemes)
+    .map(grapheme => grapheme.value)
+    .join('')
+
+describe('output parser line endings after ESC', () => {
+  it.each(['\r', '\n'])('preserves %j received in the same chunk as ESC', lineEnding => {
+    const actions = new Parser().feed(`before\x1b${lineEnding}after`)
+
+    expect(renderedText(actions).replaceAll('\x1b', '')).toBe(`before${lineEnding}after`)
+  })
+
+  it.each(['\r', '\n'])('preserves %j received in the chunk after ESC', lineEnding => {
+    const parser = new Parser()
+    const actions = [...parser.feed('before\x1b'), ...parser.feed(`${lineEnding}after`)]
+
+    expect(renderedText(actions).replaceAll('\x1b', '')).toBe(`before${lineEnding}after`)
+  })
+})
diff --git a/ui-tui/packages/hermes-ink/src/ink/termio/tokenize.test.ts b/ui-tui/packages/hermes-ink/src/ink/termio/tokenize.test.ts
index b3cf2cb5e8..c514aaaf8e 100644
--- a/ui-tui/packages/hermes-ink/src/ink/termio/tokenize.test.ts
+++ b/ui-tui/packages/hermes-ink/src/ink/termio/tokenize.test.ts
@@ -3,6 +3,31 @@ import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest'
 import { createTokenizer, type Token } from './tokenize.js'
 
 describe('tokenizer escape-sequence boundaries', () => {
+  it.each(['\r', '\n'])('keeps ESC+%j together when received in one feed', lineEnding => {
+    const t = createTokenizer({ legacyAltEnter: true })
+    const sequence = `\x1b${lineEnding}`
+
+    expect(t.feed(sequence)).toEqual([{ type: 'sequence', value: sequence }])
+    expect(t.buffer()).toBe('')
+  })
+
+  it.each(['\r', '\n'])('reassembles ESC+%j split across two feeds', lineEnding => {
+    const t = createTokenizer({ legacyAltEnter: true })
+    const sequence = `\x1b${lineEnding}`
+
+    expect(t.feed('\x1b')).toEqual([])
+    expect(t.feed(lineEnding)).toEqual([{ type: 'sequence', value: sequence }])
+    expect(t.buffer()).toBe('')
+  })
+
+  it.each(['\r', '\n'])('keeps Escape distinct when it is flushed before %j', lineEnding => {
+    const t = createTokenizer({ legacyAltEnter: true })
+
+    expect(t.feed('\x1b')).toEqual([])
+    expect(t.flush()).toEqual([{ type: 'sequence', value: '\x1b' }])
+    expect(t.feed(lineEnding)).toEqual([{ type: 'text', value: lineEnding }])
+  })
+
   it('reassembles a CSI mouse sequence split across two feeds', () => {
     const t = createTokenizer({ x10Mouse: true })
 
diff --git a/ui-tui/packages/hermes-ink/src/ink/termio/tokenize.ts b/ui-tui/packages/hermes-ink/src/ink/termio/tokenize.ts
index 03f99cf2f4..f7a09ac06b 100644
--- a/ui-tui/packages/hermes-ink/src/ink/termio/tokenize.ts
+++ b/ui-tui/packages/hermes-ink/src/ink/termio/tokenize.ts
@@ -31,6 +31,11 @@ type TokenizerOptions = {
    * output streams, and enabling this there swallows display text. Default false.
    */
   x10Mouse?: boolean
+  /**
+   * Treat ESC followed by CR or LF as one legacy Alt+Enter key sequence.
+   * Only enable for keyboard input; output streams must preserve line endings.
+   */
+  legacyAltEnter?: boolean
 }
 
 /**
@@ -53,13 +58,14 @@ export function createTokenizer(options?: TokenizerOptions): Tokenizer {
   // buffer it kept last time (the continuation never arrived), we drop it.
   let lastFlushedBuffer = ''
   const x10Mouse = options?.x10Mouse ?? false
+  const legacyAltEnter = options?.legacyAltEnter ?? false
 
   return {
     feed(input: string): Token[] {
       // Real bytes arrived — any kept partial is no longer stale.
       lastFlushedBuffer = ''
 
-      const result = tokenize(input, currentState, currentBuffer, false, x10Mouse)
+      const result = tokenize(input, currentState, currentBuffer, false, x10Mouse, legacyAltEnter)
 
       currentState = result.state.state
       currentBuffer = result.state.buffer
@@ -68,7 +74,7 @@ export function createTokenizer(options?: TokenizerOptions): Tokenizer {
     },
 
     flush(): Token[] {
-      const result = tokenize('', currentState, currentBuffer, true, x10Mouse)
+      const result = tokenize('', currentState, currentBuffer, true, x10Mouse, legacyAltEnter)
       currentState = result.state.state
       currentBuffer = result.state.buffer
 
@@ -109,7 +115,8 @@ function tokenize(
   initialState: State,
   initialBuffer: string,
   flush: boolean,
-  x10Mouse: boolean
+  x10Mouse: boolean,
+  legacyAltEnter: boolean
 ): { tokens: Token[]; state: InternalState } {
   const tokens: Token[] = []
 
@@ -177,6 +184,13 @@ function tokenize(
           // 'O' - SS3
           result.state = 'ss3'
           i++
+        } else if (legacyAltEnter && (code === C0.CR || code === C0.LF)) {
+          // Legacy terminals encode Alt+Enter as ESC followed by CR or LF.
+          // Keep both bytes in one token so the key parser can preserve Alt.
+          // A standalone Escape is emitted by flush() before a later Enter;
+          // without that timing boundary the legacy encoding is ambiguous.
+          i++
+          emitSequence(data.slice(seqStart, i))
         } else if (isCSIIntermediate(code)) {
           // Intermediate byte (e.g., ESC ( for charset) - continue buffering
           result.state = 'escapeIntermediate'