diff --git a/ui-tui/src/app/createGatewayEventHandler.ts b/ui-tui/src/app/createGatewayEventHandler.ts
index 63a306b04..adb6d4f55 100644
--- a/ui-tui/src/app/createGatewayEventHandler.ts
+++ b/ui-tui/src/app/createGatewayEventHandler.ts
@@ -165,6 +165,9 @@ export function createGatewayEventHandler(ctx: GatewayEventHandlerContext): (ev:
         patchUiState(state => ({
           ...state,
           info: ev.payload,
+          // Flip from 'starting agent…' → 'ready' when the agent is live.
+          // Leave running/interrupted/error statuses alone.
+          status: state.status === 'starting agent…' ? 'ready' : state.status,
           usage: ev.payload.usage ? { ...state.usage, ...ev.payload.usage } : state.usage
         }))
         // Agent init is async in session.create, so the intro message may
diff --git a/ui-tui/src/app/useSessionLifecycle.ts b/ui-tui/src/app/useSessionLifecycle.ts
index bbde757cf..9fed9fe98 100644
--- a/ui-tui/src/app/useSessionLifecycle.ts
+++ b/ui-tui/src/app/useSessionLifecycle.ts
@@ -104,7 +104,16 @@ export function useSessionLifecycle(opts: UseSessionLifecycleOptions) {
 
       resetSession()
       setSessionStartedAt(Date.now())
-      patchUiState({ info: r.info ?? null, sid: r.session_id, status: 'ready', usage: usageFrom(r.info ?? null) })
+      // Python's `session.create` returns instantly with partial info (no `version`
+      // field); the `session.info` event will flip status to 'ready' once the
+      // agent is fully built (~1s later). Until then prompt.submit will block
+      // server-side on `_wait_agent`.
+      patchUiState({
+        info: r.info ?? null,
+        sid: r.session_id,
+        status: r.info?.version ? 'ready' : 'starting agent…',
+        usage: usageFrom(r.info ?? null)
+      })
 
       if (r.info) {
         setHistoryItems([introMsg(r.info)])