diff --git a/.changeset/restore-cli-terminal-startup.md b/.changeset/restore-cli-terminal-startup.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..ef0132aeda5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/restore-cli-terminal-startup.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+"@kilocode/cli": patch
+---
+
+Prevent the CLI from opening to a blank terminal on startup.
diff --git a/packages/core/src/kilocode/pty/smoke.ts b/packages/core/src/kilocode/pty/smoke.ts
index fa5a4e01bef..47dee8ebba4 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/kilocode/pty/smoke.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/kilocode/pty/smoke.ts
@@ -4,6 +4,56 @@ import { spawn } from "#pty"
 
 const TIMEOUT = 15_000
 
+async function render() {
+  const proc = spawn(process.execPath, ["--pure"], {
+    name: "xterm-256color",
+    cwd: process.cwd(),
+    env: {
+      ...process.env,
+      TERM: "xterm-256color",
+      KILO_TERMINAL: "1",
+      KILO_NO_DAEMON: "1",
+      KILO_DISABLE_AUTOUPDATE: "1",
+      KILO_DISABLE_MODELS_FETCH: "1",
+      KILO_DISABLE_PROJECT_CONFIG: "1",
+      KILO_DISABLE_DEFAULT_PLUGINS: "1",
+      KILO_DISABLE_TERMINAL_TITLE: "0",
+      KILO_CONFIG_CONTENT: "{}",
+      KILO_AUTH_CONTENT: "{}",
+    } as Record<string, string>,
+    cols: 100,
+    rows: 40,
+  })
+  const state = { output: "", exited: false }
+  const ready = Promise.withResolvers<void>()
+  const data = proc.onData((chunk) => {
+    state.output = (state.output + chunk).slice(-20_000)
+    if (state.output.includes("Ask anything...")) ready.resolve()
+  })
+  const exit = proc.onExit((event) => {
+    state.exited = true
+    ready.reject(new Error(`TUI exited before rendering (code ${event.exitCode}): ${JSON.stringify(state.output)}`))
+  })
+  const timeout = AbortSignal.timeout(TIMEOUT)
+
+  try {
+    await Promise.race([
+      ready.promise,
+      new Promise<never>((_, reject) =>
+        timeout.addEventListener(
+          "abort",
+          () => reject(new Error(`TUI produced no rendered frame within ${TIMEOUT}ms: ${JSON.stringify(state.output)}`)),
+          { once: true },
+        ),
+      ),
+    ])
+  } finally {
+    data.dispose()
+    exit.dispose()
+    if (!state.exited) await KiloPtyTermination.terminate(proc)
+  }
+}
+
 export async function smoke() {
   const proc = spawn(Shell.preferred(), [], {
     name: "xterm-256color",
@@ -17,8 +67,7 @@ export async function smoke() {
   const exited = Promise.withResolvers<number>()
   const data = proc.onData((chunk) => {
     state.output += chunk
-    const lines = state.output.replace(/\x1b\[[0-?]*[ -/]*[@-~]/g, "").split(/\r?\n/)
-    if (lines.some((line) => line.trim() === "KILO_PTY_READY")) output.resolve()
+    if (/(?:^|[\r\n])KILO_PTY_READY(?:\r?\n|$)/.test(state.output)) output.resolve()
   })
   const exit = proc.onExit((event) => {
     state.exited = true
@@ -67,6 +116,8 @@ export async function smoke() {
   } finally {
     if (!stopped) active.kill()
   }
+
+  await render()
 }
 
 export * as PtySmoke from "./smoke"
diff --git a/packages/opencode/script/build.ts b/packages/opencode/script/build.ts
index 6de30f0c948..b28e2ee1967 100755
--- a/packages/opencode/script/build.ts
+++ b/packages/opencode/script/build.ts
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ import { stageBubblewrap } from "./kilocode/bubblewrap"
 import { LanceDBRuntime } from "../src/kilocode/lancedb"
 import { KiloSandboxWorker } from "./kilocode/kilo-sandbox-worker"
 import { KiloSandboxNetwork } from "./kilocode/kilo-sandbox-network"
+import { KiloCliSmoke } from "./kilocode/cli-smoke"
 // kilocode_change end
 
 const singleFlag = process.argv.includes("--single")
@@ -312,8 +313,9 @@ for (const item of targets) {
     // kilocode_change end
     format: "esm",
     minify: true,
-    // Bun 1.4 fixes the cross-chunk re-export codegen bug from Bun 1.3.14.
-    splitting: true, // kilocode_change
+    // kilocode_change start - keep the compiled OpenTUI/Solid graph in one chunk to avoid blank startup frames.
+    splitting: false,
+    // kilocode_change end
     compile: {
       autoloadBunfig: false,
       autoloadDotenv: false,
@@ -394,6 +396,9 @@ for (const item of targets) {
       console.log("Models snapshot smoke test passed")
       await KiloSandboxWorker.smoke(binaryPath)
       console.log("Kilo sandbox mutation worker smoke test passed")
+      console.log(`Running smoke test: ${binaryPath} --pure __pty-smoke`)
+      await KiloCliSmoke.pty(binaryPath)
+      console.log("Packaged TUI smoke test passed")
       // kilocode_change end
       // kilocode_change start
     } catch (e) {
diff --git a/packages/opencode/script/kilocode/cli-smoke.ts b/packages/opencode/script/kilocode/cli-smoke.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..7fdf834b4cb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/opencode/script/kilocode/cli-smoke.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+import fs from "fs"
+import os from "os"
+import path from "path"
+
+export namespace KiloCliSmoke {
+  export async function pty(binary: string) {
+    const root = await fs.promises.mkdtemp(path.join(os.tmpdir(), "kilo-pty-"))
+    const env = { ...process.env }
+    delete env.KILO_MODELS_PATH
+    delete env.KILO_MODELS_URL
+    delete env.KILO_CONFIG
+    delete env.KILO_CONFIG_DIR
+
+    try {
+      const proc = Bun.spawn([binary, "--pure", "__pty-smoke"], {
+        env: {
+          ...env,
+          HOME: root,
+          XDG_DATA_HOME: path.join(root, "data"),
+          XDG_CACHE_HOME: path.join(root, "cache"),
+          XDG_CONFIG_HOME: path.join(root, "config"),
+          XDG_STATE_HOME: path.join(root, "state"),
+          KILO_PTY_SMOKE: "1",
+          KILO_NO_DAEMON: "1",
+          KILO_DISABLE_MODELS_FETCH: "1",
+          KILO_DISABLE_PROJECT_CONFIG: "1",
+          KILO_CONFIG_CONTENT: "{}",
+          KILO_AUTH_CONTENT: "{}",
+        },
+        stdout: "inherit",
+        stderr: "inherit",
+        windowsHide: true,
+      })
+      const code = await proc.exited
+      if (code !== 0) throw new Error(`Compiled TUI smoke test exited with code ${code}`)
+    } finally {
+      await fs.promises.rm(root, { recursive: true, force: true })
+    }
+  }
+}