diff --git a/tui/src/app.test.ts b/tui/src/app.test.ts
index da213636a..a1f4403f9 100644
--- a/tui/src/app.test.ts
+++ b/tui/src/app.test.ts
@@ -20,6 +20,18 @@ const options: AppOptions = {
   theme: "auto",
 }
 
+interface HiddenScrollBar {
+  visible: boolean
+  slider: { visible: boolean }
+  startArrow: { visible: boolean }
+  endArrow: { visible: boolean }
+}
+
+interface HiddenScrollBox {
+  verticalScrollBar: HiddenScrollBar
+  horizontalScrollBar: HiddenScrollBar
+}
+
 function occurrences(frame: string, value: string): number {
   return frame.split(value).length - 1
 }
@@ -718,6 +730,8 @@ describe("NanobotTui layout", () => {
       shell: { backgroundColor: { intent: string } }
       composerFrame: { backgroundColor: { intent: string } }
       composer: { backgroundColor: { intent: string } }
+      transcript: { root: HiddenScrollBox }
+      diffViewer: { scroll: HiddenScrollBox }
     }
     const lines = setup.captureSpans().lines
     const spans = lines.flatMap((line) => line.spans)
@@ -730,6 +744,14 @@ describe("NanobotTui layout", () => {
     expect(internals.composer.backgroundColor.intent).toBe("default")
     expect(spans.length).toBeGreaterThan(0)
     expect(brandedRows).toHaveLength(0)
+    for (const scrollBox of [internals.transcript.root, internals.diffViewer.scroll]) {
+      for (const bar of [scrollBox.verticalScrollBar, scrollBox.horizontalScrollBar]) {
+        expect(bar.visible).toBeFalse()
+        expect(bar.slider.visible).toBeFalse()
+        expect(bar.startArrow.visible).toBeFalse()
+        expect(bar.endArrow.visible).toBeFalse()
+      }
+    }
   })
 
   test("rethemes the complete retained interface when the terminal appearance changes", async () => {
diff --git a/tui/src/diff-viewer.ts b/tui/src/diff-viewer.ts
index ae15f98b2..252a45a1f 100644
--- a/tui/src/diff-viewer.ts
+++ b/tui/src/diff-viewer.ts
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ import {
 } from "@opentui/core"
 
 import type { FileEditEvent, HistoryMessage } from "./protocol"
+import { hideScrollbars } from "./scrollbox"
 
 export interface DiffViewerTheme {
   text: string
@@ -152,9 +153,10 @@ export class DiffViewer {
         paddingTop: 1,
         paddingBottom: 1,
       },
-      verticalScrollbarOptions: { visible: true },
+      verticalScrollbarOptions: { visible: false },
       horizontalScrollbarOptions: { visible: false },
     })
+    hideScrollbars(this.scroll)
     this.footer = new TextRenderable(renderer, {
       id: "nanobot-tui-diff-footer",
       content: "←/→ file · pgup/pgdn scroll · esc close",
diff --git a/tui/src/scrollbox.ts b/tui/src/scrollbox.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..ace372c1d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tui/src/scrollbox.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+import type { ScrollBoxRenderable } from "@opentui/core"
+
+/** Keep scrolling functional without drawing terminal-dependent block glyphs. */
+export function hideScrollbars(scrollBox: ScrollBoxRenderable): void {
+  for (const bar of [scrollBox.verticalScrollBar, scrollBox.horizontalScrollBar]) {
+    // ScrollBar can make itself visible again when content starts overflowing.
+    // Hiding its children as well keeps embedded terminals deterministic.
+    bar.visible = false
+    bar.showArrows = false
+    bar.slider.visible = false
+    bar.startArrow.visible = false
+    bar.endArrow.visible = false
+  }
+}
diff --git a/tui/src/transcript.ts b/tui/src/transcript.ts
index 0eb68e1e4..0c21e3a49 100644
--- a/tui/src/transcript.ts
+++ b/tui/src/transcript.ts
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ import {
 } from "@opentui/core"
 
 import type { FileEditEvent, HistoryMessage, ToolProgressEvent } from "./protocol"
+import { hideScrollbars } from "./scrollbox"
 
 export interface TranscriptTheme {
   text: string
@@ -88,8 +89,7 @@ export class Transcript {
       horizontalScrollbarOptions: { visible: false },
       onMouseScroll: () => this.scheduleNavigationUpdate(),
     })
-    this.root.verticalScrollBar.visible = false
-    this.root.horizontalScrollBar.visible = false
+    hideScrollbars(this.root)
   }
 
   setTheme(theme: TranscriptTheme): void {
@@ -151,7 +151,7 @@ export class Transcript {
     this.wrote = false
     this.nextId = 0
     this.navigation = { awayFromBottom: false, unseenOutput: false }
-    this.root.verticalScrollBar.visible = false
+    hideScrollbars(this.root)
     this.header(header)
     this.emitNavigation()
   }