diff --git a/src/ui/AppShell.tsx b/src/ui/AppShell.tsx
index ca74e3c1..791c25bd 100644
--- a/src/ui/AppShell.tsx
+++ b/src/ui/AppShell.tsx
@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@ import { useUiPreferencesContext } from "@/contexts/UiPreferencesContext";
 import { defaultSizes, SplitView, type RowColSizes } from "@/shell/SplitView";
 import { renderTabContent } from "@/shell/tabUtils";
 import { TabBar } from "@/shell/TabBar";
+import { dispatchCtrlW, isShiftKey } from "@/lib/app-keyboard-shortcuts";
 
 // Shell surfaces that are not needed for first paint.
 const CommandPalette = lazy(() =>
@@ -466,9 +467,10 @@ export function AppShell({
     activeTabIdRef.current = activeTabId;
   }, [activeTabId]);
   useEffect(() => {
-    return window.electronAPI?.onCloseActiveTab?.(() =>
-      closeActiveTabRef.current(),
-    );
+    return window.electronAPI?.onCloseActiveTab?.(() => {
+      if (dispatchCtrlW(document.activeElement)) return;
+      closeActiveTabRef.current();
+    });
   }, []);
   const skipSplitSyncRef = useRef(false);
   useEffect(() => {
@@ -575,7 +577,7 @@ export function AppShell({
   // hard to discover.
   useEffect(() => {
     const handleKeyDown = (e: KeyboardEvent) => {
-      if (e.code === "ShiftLeft" && !e.repeat) {
+      if (isShiftKey(e) && !e.repeat) {
         const now = Date.now();
         if (now - lastShiftTime.current < 300 && commandPaletteShortcutEnabled)
           setCommandPaletteOpen((prev) => !prev);
diff --git a/src/ui/lib/app-keyboard-shortcuts.ts b/src/ui/lib/app-keyboard-shortcuts.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..ca421ca1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/ui/lib/app-keyboard-shortcuts.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+export function isShiftKey(event: Pick<KeyboardEvent, "key" | "code">) {
+  return (
+    event.key === "Shift" ||
+    event.code === "ShiftLeft" ||
+    event.code === "ShiftRight"
+  );
+}
+
+export function dispatchCtrlW(target: EventTarget | null) {
+  if (!target) return false;
+
+  const event = new KeyboardEvent("keydown", {
+    key: "w",
+    code: "KeyW",
+    ctrlKey: true,
+    bubbles: true,
+    cancelable: true,
+  });
+  return !target.dispatchEvent(event);
+}
diff --git a/src/ui/shell/CommandPalette.tsx b/src/ui/shell/CommandPalette.tsx
index 201206f5..b73a5b7a 100644
--- a/src/ui/shell/CommandPalette.tsx
+++ b/src/ui/shell/CommandPalette.tsx
@@ -140,6 +140,7 @@ export function CommandPalette({
     [],
   );
   const [snippets, setSnippets] = useState<Snippet[]>([]);
+  const [selectedValue, setSelectedValue] = useState("");
   const { runSnippet, dialog: runSnippetDialog } = useSnippetRunner();
 
   useEffect(() => {
@@ -207,6 +208,20 @@ export function CommandPalette({
       })
     : [];
 
+  useEffect(() => {
+    if (!isOpen) return;
+    const firstHost = filteredHosts[0];
+    if (search.trim() && firstHost) {
+      setSelectedValue(`host-${firstHost.id}`);
+      return;
+    }
+    setSelectedValue(
+      window.electronAPI?.isElectron
+        ? "quick-action-local-terminal"
+        : "quick-action-add-host",
+    );
+  }, [filteredHosts, isOpen, search]);
+
   const activeTargetTab =
     terminalTabs.find((tab) => tab.id === activeTabId) ?? terminalTabs[0];
 
@@ -234,7 +249,13 @@ export function CommandPalette({
         )}
         onClick={(e) => e.stopPropagation()}
       >
-        <Command className="rounded-none" shouldFilter={false} loop>
+        <Command
+          className="rounded-none"
+          shouldFilter={false}
+          loop
+          value={selectedValue}
+          onValueChange={setSelectedValue}
+        >
           <div className="flex items-center border-b border-border px-4 py-1">
             <Search className="size-4 text-muted-foreground mr-3" />
             <CommandPrimitive.Input
diff --git a/src/ui/tests/lib/app-keyboard-shortcuts.test.ts b/src/ui/tests/lib/app-keyboard-shortcuts.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..5936d184
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/ui/tests/lib/app-keyboard-shortcuts.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+import { describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
+import { dispatchCtrlW, isShiftKey } from "../../lib/app-keyboard-shortcuts";
+
+describe("app keyboard shortcuts", () => {
+  it.each(["ShiftLeft", "ShiftRight"])(
+    "accepts %s for double Shift",
+    (code) => {
+      expect(isShiftKey({ key: "Shift", code })).toBe(true);
+    },
+  );
+
+  it("does not classify other keys as Shift", () => {
+    expect(isShiftKey({ key: "w", code: "KeyW" })).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it("lets the focused control consume Electron Ctrl+W", () => {
+    const target = document.createElement("input");
+    const listener = vi.fn((event: KeyboardEvent) => event.preventDefault());
+    target.addEventListener("keydown", listener);
+
+    expect(dispatchCtrlW(target)).toBe(true);
+    expect(listener).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+      expect.objectContaining({ key: "w", code: "KeyW", ctrlKey: true }),
+    );
+  });
+
+  it("falls back to closing the active tab when Ctrl+W is not consumed", () => {
+    expect(dispatchCtrlW(document.createElement("div"))).toBe(false);
+  });
+});