diff --git a/packages/tui/src/tui.ts b/packages/tui/src/tui.ts
index 3b2353912..55f91d547 100644
--- a/packages/tui/src/tui.ts
+++ b/packages/tui/src/tui.ts
@@ -413,9 +413,25 @@ function parseSizeValue(value: SizeValue | undefined, referenceSize: number): nu
 	return undefined;
 }
 
-/** Detect terminal multiplexers where scrollback clearing and height-change redraws are hostile. */
+/**
+ * Detect sessions where ED3 cannot safely rebuild scrollback. Direct HerdR
+ * panes support explicit clears; nested multiplexers remain unsafe because the
+ * inner tmux/screen/Zellij layer owns their history.
+ */
 function isMultiplexerSession(): boolean {
-	return isInsideTerminalMultiplexer();
+	if (!isInsideTerminalMultiplexer()) return false;
+	if (Bun.env.HERDR_ENV !== "1") return true;
+	const term = Bun.env.TERM?.toLowerCase() ?? "";
+	return Boolean(
+		Bun.env.TMUX ||
+			Bun.env.STY ||
+			Bun.env.ZELLIJ ||
+			Bun.env.CMUX_WORKSPACE_ID ||
+			Bun.env.CMUX_SURFACE_ID ||
+			Bun.env.CMUX_REMOTE_TRANSPORT ||
+			term.startsWith("tmux") ||
+			term.startsWith("screen"),
+	);
 }
 
 /**
@@ -439,12 +455,12 @@ function reportsSizeOnAltScreenToggle(): boolean {
 
 /**
  * Resize should repaint the visible window in place — no alternate-screen
- * borrow, no ED3 scrollback rewrap — for multiplexer panes and for terminals
- * that loop on alt-screen toggles. The tradeoff is identical to a multiplexer:
- * scrollback above the window keeps its old wrap instead of being re-flowed.
+ * borrow, no ED3 scrollback rewrap — for multiplexer and direct HerdR panes,
+ * plus terminals that loop on alt-screen toggles. Direct HerdR remains a
+ * direct terminal for explicit transcript replacement and display reset.
  */
 function resizeRepaintsInPlace(): boolean {
-	return isMultiplexerSession() || reportsSizeOnAltScreenToggle();
+	return isMultiplexerSession() || Bun.env.HERDR_ENV === "1" || reportsSizeOnAltScreenToggle();
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/packages/tui/test/issue-2088-repro.test.ts b/packages/tui/test/issue-2088-repro.test.ts
index 1126c7ef1..3604ccfd3 100644
--- a/packages/tui/test/issue-2088-repro.test.ts
+++ b/packages/tui/test/issue-2088-repro.test.ts
@@ -2564,6 +2564,26 @@ describe("multiplexer detection gates ED3 on resize", () => {
 		});
 	});
 
+	it("preserves explicit scrollback clears in direct HerdR", async () => {
+		await withEnvPatch({ ...NO_MULTIPLEXER_ENV, TERM: "dumb", HERDR_ENV: "1" }, async () => {
+			const term = new VirtualTerminal(40, 10, 1000);
+			const tui = new TUI(term);
+			tui.addChild(new MutableLinesComponent(Array.from({ length: 20 }, (_value, index) => `line-${index}`)));
+
+			try {
+				tui.start();
+				await settle(term);
+				const writes = captureWrites(term);
+				tui.resetDisplay();
+				await settle(term);
+
+				expect(writes.join("")).toContain(ED3);
+			} finally {
+				tui.stop();
+			}
+		});
+	});
+
 	it("keeps nested tmux inside HerdR on the ED3-unsafe path", async () => {
 		await withEnvPatch({ ...TMUX_ENV, TERM: "tmux-256color", HERDR_ENV: "1" }, async () => {
 			const term = new VirtualTerminal(40, 10, 1000);