diff --git a/frontend/app/view/term/term-wsh.tsx b/frontend/app/view/term/term-wsh.tsx
index c1b4aa5478..b5f1b390e9 100644
--- a/frontend/app/view/term/term-wsh.tsx
+++ b/frontend/app/view/term/term-wsh.tsx
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ import { RpcResponseHelper, WshClient } from "@/app/store/wshclient";
 import { RpcApi } from "@/app/store/wshclientapi";
 import { makeFeBlockRouteId } from "@/app/store/wshrouter";
 import { TermViewModel } from "@/app/view/term/term-model";
-import { bufferLinesToText } from "@/app/view/term/termutil";
+import { bufferContentLength, bufferLinesToText } from "@/app/view/term/termutil";
 import { isBlank } from "@/util/util";
 import debug from "debug";
 
@@ -120,7 +120,7 @@ export class TermWshClient extends WshClient {
         }
 
         const buffer = termWrap.terminal.buffer.active;
-        const totalLines = buffer.length;
+        const totalLines = bufferContentLength(buffer);
 
         if (data.lastcommand) {
             if (globalStore.get(termWrap.shellIntegrationStatusAtom) == null) {
diff --git a/frontend/app/view/term/termutil.test.ts b/frontend/app/view/term/termutil.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..6be0c1f5bd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/app/view/term/termutil.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,55 @@
+// Copyright 2026, Command Line Inc.
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+
+import type * as TermTypes from "@xterm/xterm";
+import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
+import { bufferContentLength, bufferLinesToText } from "./termutil";
+
+function makeBuffer(rows: string[], cursorRow: number, baseY = 0): TermTypes.IBuffer {
+    return {
+        length: rows.length,
+        baseY,
+        cursorY: cursorRow - baseY,
+        getLine: (i: number) =>
+            i < 0 || i >= rows.length ? undefined : { isWrapped: false, translateToString: () => rows[i] },
+    } as unknown as TermTypes.IBuffer;
+}
+
+function linesFromBottom(buffer: TermTypes.IBuffer, start: number, end: number): string[] {
+    const total = bufferContentLength(buffer);
+    const endLine = end === 0 ? total : Math.min(total, end);
+    return bufferLinesToText(buffer, total - endLine, total - start);
+}
+
+describe("bufferContentLength", () => {
+    it("stops at the cursor row on a screen that is not full yet", () => {
+        const rows = ["PS> echo one", "one", "PS> echo two", "two", "PS> ", ...Array(25).fill("")];
+        const buffer = makeBuffer(rows, 4);
+        expect(bufferContentLength(buffer)).toBe(5);
+        expect(linesFromBottom(buffer, 0, 20)).toEqual(["PS> echo one", "one", "PS> echo two", "two", "PS> "]);
+        expect(linesFromBottom(buffer, 0, 2)).toEqual(["two", "PS> "]);
+        expect(linesFromBottom(buffer, 1, 3)).toEqual(["PS> echo two", "two"]);
+    });
+
+    it("keeps output drawn below the cursor", () => {
+        const rows = ["top", "", "", "status line", "", ""];
+        expect(bufferContentLength(makeBuffer(rows, 0))).toBe(4);
+    });
+
+    it("trims blank rows at the content bottom but not inside a range", () => {
+        const rows = ["one", "", "", ...Array(27).fill("")];
+        const buffer = makeBuffer(rows, 2);
+        expect(bufferContentLength(buffer)).toBe(3);
+        expect(linesFromBottom(buffer, 0, 0)).toEqual(["one"]);
+        expect(linesFromBottom(makeBuffer(Array(30).fill(""), 0), 0, 0)).toEqual([]);
+        const inner = makeBuffer(["one", "", "", "two", "$ ", ...Array(25).fill("")], 4);
+        expect(linesFromBottom(inner, 2, 5)).toEqual(["one", "", ""]);
+    });
+
+    it("counts scrollback rows above the viewport", () => {
+        const rows = ["old 1", "old 2", "old 3", "new 1", "new 2", "$ "];
+        const buffer = makeBuffer(rows, 5, 3);
+        expect(bufferContentLength(buffer)).toBe(6);
+        expect(linesFromBottom(buffer, 0, 3)).toEqual(["new 1", "new 2", "$ "]);
+    });
+});
diff --git a/frontend/app/view/term/termutil.ts b/frontend/app/view/term/termutil.ts
index add5e86e05..59e68bbbe2 100644
--- a/frontend/app/view/term/termutil.ts
+++ b/frontend/app/view/term/termutil.ts
@@ -379,16 +379,16 @@ export function bufferLinesToText(buffer: TermTypes.IBuffer, startIndex: number,
     }
 
     // Trim trailing blank lines only when the requested range extends to the
-    // actual end of the buffer.  A terminal allocates a fixed number of rows
-    // (e.g. 80) but only the first few may contain real content; the rest are
-    // empty placeholder rows.  We strip those so callers don't receive a wall
-    // of empty strings.
+    // end of the terminal output (see bufferContentLength).  A terminal
+    // allocates a fixed number of rows (e.g. 80) but only the first few may
+    // contain real content; the rest are empty placeholder rows.  We strip
+    // those, and a blank cursor row, so callers don't receive empty strings.
     //
     // Crucially, if the caller requested a specific sub-range (e.g. lines
     // 100-150) and lines 140-150 happen to be blank, those blanks are
     // intentional and must NOT be removed.  We only trim when the range
-    // reaches the very end of the buffer.
-    if (clampedEnd >= buffer.length) {
+    // reaches the end of the output.
+    if (clampedEnd >= bufferContentLength(buffer)) {
         while (lines.length > 0 && lines[lines.length - 1] === "") {
             lines.pop();
         }
@@ -397,6 +397,24 @@ export function bufferLinesToText(buffer: TermTypes.IBuffer, startIndex: number,
     return lines;
 }
 
+/**
+ * Number of buffer rows that hold terminal output: everything up to the cursor
+ * row, or up to the last non-blank row if output was drawn below the cursor.
+ * xterm keeps a full screen of rows, so on a fresh terminal most rows below the
+ * cursor are empty placeholders. Line numbers counted "from the bottom" must
+ * start at this point, or line 0 lands on a placeholder row.
+ */
+export function bufferContentLength(buffer: TermTypes.IBuffer): number {
+    const cursorEnd = Math.min(buffer.length, buffer.baseY + buffer.cursorY + 1);
+    for (let i = buffer.length - 1; i >= cursorEnd; i--) {
+        const line = buffer.getLine(i);
+        if (line && line.translateToString(true) !== "") {
+            return i + 1;
+        }
+    }
+    return cursorEnd;
+}
+
 export function isLikelyOnSameHost(lastCommand: string): boolean {
     if (lastCommand == null) {
         return true;