diff --git a/packages/coding-agent/CHANGELOG.md b/packages/coding-agent/CHANGELOG.md
index 48a19e66b..44b9a9cc2 100644
--- a/packages/coding-agent/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/packages/coding-agent/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
 ### Fixed
 
 - Fixed settings search to rank matching tabs by relevance so exact matches appear before incidental matches
+- Fixed the `/settings` search bar ignoring regular editor hotkeys: the query is now a real single-line input with cursor movement (`←/→`, word jumps, Home/End), word deletion (`Alt+Backspace`, `Ctrl+W`), kill/yank, undo, and paste support
 - Fixed snapcompact `toolResults` imaging confusing models into reporting tool malfunctions: the note prepended to rasterized tool results now tells the model the result is in the PNG frame(s) below and that the image delivery is deliberate, not a tool error, instead of the bare `[Rasterized]` marker
 
 ## [15.11.4] - 2026-06-12
diff --git a/packages/coding-agent/src/modes/components/settings-selector.ts b/packages/coding-agent/src/modes/components/settings-selector.ts
index 8fb1f6836..5e7ef1cca 100644
--- a/packages/coding-agent/src/modes/components/settings-selector.ts
+++ b/packages/coding-agent/src/modes/components/settings-selector.ts
@@ -9,7 +9,6 @@ import {
 	getSettingItemFilterText,
 	Input,
 	matchesKey,
-	padding,
 	parseSgrMouse,
 	type SelectItem,
 	SelectList,
@@ -68,8 +67,6 @@ class TextInputSubmenu extends Container {
 		this.#input = new Input();
 		if (currentValue) {
 			this.#input.setValue(currentValue);
-			// Move cursor to end of pre-filled value (ctrl+e = cursorLineEnd).
-			this.#input.handleInput("\x05");
 		}
 		this.#input.onSubmit = value => {
 			this.onSubmit(value); // empty string clears the setting
@@ -291,6 +288,8 @@ export class SettingsSelectorComponent implements Component {
 	#currentTabId: SettingTab | "plugins" = "appearance";
 	#preSearchTabId: SettingTab | "plugins" = "appearance";
 	#searchQuery = "";
+	/** Single-line editor backing the search banner (cursor, word ops, paste). */
+	#searchInput = new Input();
 	#searchMatchCount = 0;
 	/** First matching item id per tab id, for Tab-key jumps while searching. */
 	#searchFirstMatch = new Map<string, string>();
@@ -354,7 +353,7 @@ export class SettingsSelectorComponent implements Component {
 
 	#footerHintText(): string {
 		if (this.#searchList) {
-			return "Enter/Space to change · Tab to jump tabs · Backspace to edit · Esc to exit search";
+			return "Enter to change · Tab to jump tabs · Esc to exit search";
 		}
 		if (this.#currentTabId === "plugins") {
 			return "Tab to switch tabs · Esc to close";
@@ -366,28 +365,17 @@ export class SettingsSelectorComponent implements Component {
 		return `Enter/Space to change · ${nav} · Type to search · Esc to close`;
 	}
 
-	/** Single-line search banner: accent icon, bold query + caret, right-aligned match count. */
+	/** Single-line search banner: accent icon, editable query with live cursor, right-aligned match count. */
 	#renderSearchBanner(width: number): string {
 		const icon = theme.symbol("icon.search");
 		const countText = this.#searchMatchCount === 1 ? "1 match" : `${this.#searchMatchCount} matches`;
 		const rightWidth = visibleWidth(countText) + 1; // trailing margin
-		// Fixed chrome: " <icon> " prefix plus the "▌" cursor cell.
-		const queryBudget = Math.max(4, width - visibleWidth(icon) - 4 - rightWidth - 1);
-
-		// Keep the tail visible (where the cursor is) when the query overflows.
-		let display = this.#searchQuery;
-		if (visibleWidth(display) > queryBudget) {
-			const chars = [...display];
-			while (chars.length > 1 && visibleWidth(chars.join("")) > queryBudget - 1) {
-				chars.shift();
-			}
-			display = `…${chars.join("")}`;
-		}
-
-		const left = ` ${theme.fg("accent", icon)} ${theme.bold(display)}${theme.fg("accent", "▌")}`;
+		const prefix = ` ${theme.fg("accent", icon)} `;
+		// The input pads itself to exactly this width and keeps the cursor in view.
+		const inputWidth = Math.max(4, width - visibleWidth(prefix) - rightWidth - 1);
+		const inputLine = this.#searchInput.render(inputWidth)[0] ?? "";
 		const count = theme.fg(this.#searchMatchCount > 0 ? "dim" : "warning", countText);
-		const gap = Math.max(1, width - visibleWidth(left) - rightWidth);
-		return truncateToWidth(`${left}${padding(gap)}${count} `, width);
+		return truncateToWidth(`${prefix}${theme.bold(inputLine)} ${count} `, width);
 	}
 
 	/**
@@ -511,6 +499,9 @@ export class SettingsSelectorComponent implements Component {
 	/** Swap the tab content for the global search result list. */
 	#startSearch(initialQuery: string): void {
 		this.#preSearchTabId = this.#currentTabId;
+		this.#searchInput = new Input();
+		this.#searchInput.prompt = "";
+		this.#searchInput.setValue(initialQuery);
 		const list = new SettingsList(
 			[],
 			10,
@@ -1051,25 +1042,27 @@ export class SettingsSelectorComponent implements Component {
 			this.#endSearch(true);
 			return;
 		}
-		if (kb.matches(data, "tui.editor.deleteCharBackward")) {
-			this.#setSearchQuery([...this.#searchQuery].slice(0, -1).join(""));
-			return;
-		}
-		if (
-			matchesKey(data, "tab") ||
-			matchesKey(data, "shift+tab") ||
-			matchesKey(data, "left") ||
-			matchesKey(data, "right")
-		) {
+		if (matchesKey(data, "tab") || matchesKey(data, "shift+tab")) {
 			// Jump between tabs that have matches (muted tabs are skipped).
 			this.#tabBar.handleInput(data);
 			return;
 		}
-		const printable = extractPrintableText(data);
-		if (printable !== undefined) {
-			this.#setSearchQuery(this.#searchQuery + printable);
+		// Selection, paging, and activation stay with the result list.
+		if (
+			kb.matches(data, "tui.select.up") ||
+			kb.matches(data, "tui.select.down") ||
+			kb.matches(data, "tui.select.pageUp") ||
+			kb.matches(data, "tui.select.pageDown") ||
+			kb.matches(data, "tui.select.confirm") ||
+			data === "\n"
+		) {
+			list.handleInput(data);
 			return;
 		}
-		list.handleInput(data);
+		// Everything else edits the query like a regular single-line editor:
+		// cursor movement, word ops, kill ring, undo, paste.
+		this.#searchInput.handleInput(data);
+		const value = this.#searchInput.getValue();
+		if (value !== this.#searchQuery) this.#setSearchQuery(value);
 	}
 }
diff --git a/packages/coding-agent/test/modes/components/settings-selector-memory-refresh.test.ts b/packages/coding-agent/test/modes/components/settings-selector-memory-refresh.test.ts
index 1398999ba..e5726be7d 100644
--- a/packages/coding-agent/test/modes/components/settings-selector-memory-refresh.test.ts
+++ b/packages/coding-agent/test/modes/components/settings-selector-memory-refresh.test.ts
@@ -128,7 +128,8 @@ describe("SettingsSelectorComponent memory tab", () => {
 		comp.handleInput("b");
 		const strip = (line: string): string => line.replace(/\x1b\[[0-9;]*m/g, "");
 		const searching = comp.render(120).map(strip).join("\n");
-		expect(searching).toContain("b▌");
+		const banner = comp.render(120).map(strip).find(line => /\d+ match/.test(line)) ?? "";
+		expect(banner).toContain(" b ");
 		expect(searching).toMatch(/\d+ match/);
 
 		// First Escape exits search mode without closing the panel.
@@ -158,6 +159,25 @@ describe("SettingsSelectorComponent memory tab", () => {
 		}
 	});
 
+	it("supports editor hotkeys in the global search bar", () => {
+		const comp = createSelector();
+		const strip = (line: string): string => line.replace(/\x1b\[[0-9;]*m/g, "");
+		const banner = (): string => comp.render(120).map(strip).find(line => /\d+ match/.test(line)) ?? "";
+
+		// alt+backspace deletes the trailing word from the query.
+		for (const ch of "image provider") comp.handleInput(ch);
+		comp.handleInput("\x1b\x7f");
+		expect(banner()).toContain("image");
+		expect(banner()).not.toContain("provider");
+
+		// Arrow keys move the cursor; typing inserts mid-query instead of appending.
+		comp.handleInput("\x15"); // ctrl+u clears the rest of the query
+		for (const ch of "model") comp.handleInput(ch);
+		for (let i = 0; i < 5; i++) comp.handleInput("\x1b[D");
+		comp.handleInput("x");
+		expect(banner()).toContain("xmodel");
+	});
+
 	it("delegates Escape to an open settings submenu before closing the selector", () => {
 		let cancelCount = 0;
 		settings.set("memory.backend", "off");
diff --git a/packages/tui/src/components/input.ts b/packages/tui/src/components/input.ts
index d4cba45a5..3929baf37 100644
--- a/packages/tui/src/components/input.ts
+++ b/packages/tui/src/components/input.ts
@@ -28,6 +28,8 @@ export class Input implements Component, Focusable {
 	#value: string = "";
 	#cursor: number = 0; // Cursor position in the value
 	#useTerminalCursor = false;
+	/** Rendered before the editable area; set to "" for chrome-less embedding. */
+	prompt = "> ";
 	onSubmit?: (value: string) => void;
 	onEscape?: () => void;
 
@@ -50,7 +52,8 @@ export class Input implements Component, Focusable {
 
 	setValue(value: string): void {
 		this.#value = value;
-		this.#cursor = Math.min(this.#cursor, value.length);
+		// Callers seed or replace the value wholesale; typing continues at the end.
+		this.#cursor = value.length;
 	}
 
 	setUseTerminalCursor(useTerminalCursor: boolean): void {
@@ -399,8 +402,8 @@ export class Input implements Component, Focusable {
 
 	render(width: number): readonly string[] {
 		// Calculate visible window
-		const prompt = "> ";
-		const availableWidth = width - prompt.length;
+		const prompt = this.prompt;
+		const availableWidth = width - visibleWidth(prompt);
 
 		if (availableWidth <= 0) {
 			return [prompt];