diff --git a/tui/src/app.test.ts b/tui/src/app.test.ts
index fcebb8019..09cde1a29 100644
--- a/tui/src/app.test.ts
+++ b/tui/src/app.test.ts
@@ -736,6 +736,27 @@ describe("NanobotTui layout", () => {
         access_mode: "full",
         restrict_to_workspace: false,
       }])
+
+      await setup.mockMouse.click(
+        ui.runtimeControls.modelText.x + 2,
+        ui.runtimeControls.modelText.y,
+      )
+      await waitUntil(() => ui.runtimeControls.visible)
+      ui.composer.blur()
+      await setup.mockMouse.click(ui.status.x, ui.status.y)
+      expect(ui.runtimeControls.visible).toBe(false)
+      expect(ui.composer.focused).toBe(true)
+
+      await setup.mockMouse.click(
+        ui.runtimeControls.accessText.x + 2,
+        ui.runtimeControls.accessText.y,
+      )
+      await waitUntil(() => ui.runtimeControls.visible)
+      ui.composer.blur()
+      await setup.mockMouse.click(ui.status.x, ui.status.y)
+      expect(ui.runtimeControls.visible).toBe(false)
+      expect(ui.composer.focused).toBe(true)
+
       expect((app as unknown as { activeTurn: boolean }).activeTurn).toBe(true)
       app.accept({ event: "goal_status", chat_id: "chat", status: "idle" })
     } finally {
diff --git a/tui/src/app.ts b/tui/src/app.ts
index 906867abb..5cce93ff1 100644
--- a/tui/src/app.ts
+++ b/tui/src/app.ts
@@ -487,10 +487,15 @@ export class NanobotTui {
       flexDirection: "column",
       backgroundColor: RGBA.defaultBackground(),
       onMouseDown: (event) => {
+        if (event.button !== 0) return
+        // Runtime pickers are transient popovers. A primary click anywhere
+        // outside their trigger or body dismisses them; hide() restores the
+        // composer focus through the shared visibility callback.
+        this.dismissRuntimeControls()
         // Selection belongs to transcript/input content, never to empty chrome.
         // Clearing it here prevents default-background cells from lingering as
         // opaque blocks in terminals with differential repainting.
-        if (event.button === 0 && event.target && !event.target.selectable) {
+        if (event.target && !event.target.selectable) {
           this.renderer.clearSelection()
         }
       },
@@ -1732,6 +1737,10 @@ export class NanobotTui {
     this.activeMentionQuery = null
   }
 
+  private dismissRuntimeControls(): void {
+    if (this.runtimeControls.visible) this.runtimeControls.hide()
+  }
+
   private applyWorkspaceScope(scope: WorkspaceScopePayload): void {
     if (scope.project_path) {
       this.hostWorkspace = scope.project_path