diff --git a/packages/coding-agent/CHANGELOG.md b/packages/coding-agent/CHANGELOG.md
index fc649ef25..35ee094f5 100644
--- a/packages/coding-agent/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/packages/coding-agent/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@
 - Fixed MCP servers that ask for more scope (`insufficient_scope`) requesting sign-in over and over. The new sign-in requested only the missing scopes, so the new token lost access the previous one had; it now keeps the granted scopes.
 - Fixed user messages in the transcript keeping two full-width copies of every rendered line; they keep one, with identical output.
 - Fixed `/login` and `/logout` labeling every OAuth sign-in, including Radius, as a subscription; only subscription-backed providers say "subscription", other OAuth sign-ins say "account".
+- Fixed the startup header logo rendering with gaps in Apple Terminal; it now shows a colored "Pi" with the version instead.
 - Fixed deferred MCP tools that `tool_search` loaded being dropped on resume and `/reload` even when their server reconnected before the next prompt, because the session restored its tools before the MCP servers reconnected.
 
 ## [0.99.2] - 2026-09-30
diff --git a/packages/coding-agent/src/modes/interactive/components/pi-logo.ts b/packages/coding-agent/src/modes/interactive/components/pi-logo.ts
index 57381d9aa..cd606a17e 100644
--- a/packages/coding-agent/src/modes/interactive/components/pi-logo.ts
+++ b/packages/coding-agent/src/modes/interactive/components/pi-logo.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { backgroundAnsi, foregroundAnsi, rgbColor } from "@earendil-works/pi-tui";
+import { backgroundAnsi, foregroundAnsi, isAppleTerminalSession, rgbColor } from "@earendil-works/pi-tui";
 import { theme } from "../theme/theme.ts";
 
 const CORAL = rgbColor(228, 138, 122);
@@ -24,3 +24,17 @@ export function piLogoLines(): [string, string] {
 	const bottom = `${fg(BLUE)}█▀${RESET} ${fg(YELLOW)}█${RESET}`;
 	return [top, bottom];
 }
+
+/**
+ * Whether the terminal renders the half-block logo correctly. Apple Terminal draws gaps between rows and
+ * misaligns the half blocks, so it gets the text wordmark instead.
+ */
+export function supportsPiLogo(): boolean {
+	return !isAppleTerminalSession();
+}
+
+/** Text fallback for the logo: "Pi" with the logo's coral and yellow. */
+export function piWordmark(): string {
+	const mode = theme.getColorMode();
+	return `${foregroundAnsi(CORAL, mode)}P${RESET}${foregroundAnsi(YELLOW, mode)}i${RESET}`;
+}
diff --git a/packages/coding-agent/src/modes/interactive/interactive-mode.ts b/packages/coding-agent/src/modes/interactive/interactive-mode.ts
index cd08f6237..158f59e5f 100644
--- a/packages/coding-agent/src/modes/interactive/interactive-mode.ts
+++ b/packages/coding-agent/src/modes/interactive/interactive-mode.ts
@@ -158,7 +158,7 @@ import {
 	formatAuthSelectorProviderType,
 	OAuthSelectorComponent,
 } from "./components/oauth-selector.ts";
-import { piLogoLines } from "./components/pi-logo.ts";
+import { piLogoLines, piWordmark, supportsPiLogo } from "./components/pi-logo.ts";
 import { playPiLogoAnimation } from "./components/pi-logo-animation.lazy.ts";
 import { createLoginMenuSelector } from "./components/radius-login-selector.ts";
 import { ScopedModelsSelectorComponent } from "./components/scoped-models-selector.ts";
@@ -996,8 +996,11 @@ export class InteractiveMode {
 		if (this.shouldShowStartupHeader()) {
 			const showDetails = this.shouldShowStartupDetails();
 			// Built on demand so the header follows theme changes. The logo's first line carries the version,
-			// its second line the first line of key hints.
+			// its second line the first line of key hints. Terminals that cannot render the logo get a
+			// "Pi vX" line instead, with the key hints below it.
+			const showLogo = supportsPiLogo();
 			const withLogo = (hints: string) => {
+				if (!showLogo) return `${piWordmark()} ${theme.fg("dim", `v${this.version}`)}\n${hints}`;
 				const [top, bottom] = piLogoLines();
 				return `${top} ${theme.fg("dim", `v${this.version}`)}\n${bottom} ${hints}`;
 			};
@@ -1052,7 +1055,7 @@ export class InteractiveMode {
 				1,
 				0,
 			);
-			header.onLogoClick = (column, row) => playPiLogoAnimation(this.renderer, column, row);
+			if (showLogo) header.onLogoClick = (column, row) => playPiLogoAnimation(this.renderer, column, row);
 			this.builtInHeader = header;
 
 			// Setup UI layout
diff --git a/packages/tui/src/index.ts b/packages/tui/src/index.ts
index 93fb8b727..2ca089006 100644
--- a/packages/tui/src/index.ts
+++ b/packages/tui/src/index.ts
@@ -108,7 +108,7 @@ export { oklabToOkhslLightness } from "./oklab.ts";
 // Input buffering for batch splitting
 export { StdinBuffer, type StdinBufferEventMap, type StdinBufferOptions } from "./stdin-buffer.ts";
 // Terminal interface and implementations
-export { ProcessTerminal, type Terminal } from "./terminal.ts";
+export { isAppleTerminalSession, ProcessTerminal, type Terminal } from "./terminal.ts";
 // Terminal colors
 export {
 	parseTerminalColorSchemeReport,