diff --git a/docs/shell-design.md b/docs/shell-design.md
index d11e323e7e..c9baff127b 100644
--- a/docs/shell-design.md
+++ b/docs/shell-design.md
@@ -434,7 +434,7 @@ closable tab in the focused pane. If focus is in the permanent main conversation
 it closes the selected tab in the visible side pane instead. A selected closable
 main-pane tab takes priority over that fallback. Hidden tabs remain untouched;
 With nothing to close, Cmd+W on macOS closes the window while keeping Buzz and
-running agents alive; Ctrl+W on Windows/Linux does nothing.
+running agents alive; Ctrl+W on Windows/Linux closes the window, as Alt+F4 does.
 The macOS native Close menu uses the same action, including when an embedded
 browser owns focus (embedded browsing is currently macOS-only). On macOS,
 Cmd+Shift+W and the native **Close All Tabs** menu item close all tabs in the current channel,
diff --git a/src/app/ShortcutSettings.test.tsx b/src/app/ShortcutSettings.test.tsx
index 7dc012d286..3f12cb3c48 100644
--- a/src/app/ShortcutSettings.test.tsx
+++ b/src/app/ShortcutSettings.test.tsx
@@ -1056,7 +1056,7 @@ it("shows desktop Close as reserved and read-only while other actions remain edi
         plugins={catalog([])}
       />,
     );
-    const closeRow = within(row("Close tab"));
+    const closeRow = within(row("Close tab or window"));
     expect(closeRow.getByText("Reserved by Buzz")).toBeVisible();
     expect(closeRow.getByText("Control W")).toBeInTheDocument();
     expect(closeRow.queryByRole("button")).not.toBeInTheDocument();
diff --git a/src/app/ShortcutSettings.tsx b/src/app/ShortcutSettings.tsx
index 19875fcf61..182a270acd 100644
--- a/src/app/ShortcutSettings.tsx
+++ b/src/app/ShortcutSettings.tsx
@@ -125,7 +125,7 @@ const CLIPBOARD_CHORDS: readonly KeyBinding[] = [
   { key: "x", mod: true },
   { key: "a", mod: true },
 ];
-/** Switch tab, close tab and quit: the desktop shell owns these, so they stay fixed. */
+/** Switch tab, close and quit: the desktop shell owns these, so they stay fixed. */
 const DESKTOP_CHORDS: readonly KeyBinding[] = [
   { key: "q", mod: true },
   { key: "w", mod: true },
diff --git a/src/app/shortcuts.test.tsx b/src/app/shortcuts.test.tsx
index d565bcd59e..6ac7a95172 100644
--- a/src/app/shortcuts.test.tsx
+++ b/src/app/shortcuts.test.tsx
@@ -115,7 +115,7 @@ function press(
 }
 
 it.each(["Win32"])(
-  "%s closes tabs from the composer, never the window; ignores held repeats",
+  "%s closes tabs from the composer, not the window until the next press; ignores held repeats",
   async (platform) => {
     const h = harness(platform);
     vi.spyOn(HTMLElement.prototype, "getClientRects").mockReturnValue([
@@ -146,7 +146,7 @@ it.each(["Win32"])(
       press(document.body, { repeat: true });
       expect(close).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
       press();
-      expect(close).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+      expect(close).toHaveBeenCalledOnce();
     } finally {
       await h.dispose();
     }
@@ -222,7 +222,7 @@ it("does nothing behind a modal, with or without a tab consumer", async () => {
   }
 });
 
-it("leaves hidden tabs intact and keeps the window open", async () => {
+it("leaves hidden tabs intact and falls back to window close", async () => {
   const h = harness();
   try {
     render(
@@ -231,13 +231,29 @@ it("leaves hidden tabs intact and keeps the window open", async () => {
       </div>,
     );
     press();
-    expect(close).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expect(close).toHaveBeenCalledOnce();
     expect(screen.getAllByRole("tab", { hidden: true })).toHaveLength(2);
   } finally {
     await h.dispose();
   }
 });
 
+it("reports a failed window close without retrying", async () => {
+  const h = harness();
+  const failure = new Error("Window unavailable");
+  close.mockRejectedValueOnce(failure);
+  const error = vi.spyOn(console, "error").mockImplementation(() => {});
+  try {
+    press();
+    await vi.waitFor(() =>
+      expect(error).toHaveBeenCalledWith("Shortcut failed: close-tab", failure),
+    );
+    expect(close).toHaveBeenCalledOnce();
+  } finally {
+    await h.dispose();
+  }
+});
+
 it.each([
   [false, "Win32"],
   [true, "MacIntel"],
diff --git a/src/app/shortcuts.ts b/src/app/shortcuts.ts
index 7ef145dd0c..19763c060c 100644
--- a/src/app/shortcuts.ts
+++ b/src/app/shortcuts.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import { isTauri } from "@tauri-apps/api/core";
+import { getCurrentWindow } from "@tauri-apps/api/window";
 import { isApplePlatform } from "../features/shortcuts/format";
 import type { ShortcutsService } from "../features/shortcuts/service";
 import type { Appearance } from "../shared/theme/service";
@@ -159,18 +160,20 @@ export function registerAppShortcuts(
     remove.push(
       shortcuts.registerHost({
         id: "close-tab",
-        title: "Close tab",
+        title: "Close tab or window",
         binding: { key: "w", mod: true },
         order: HOST_SHORTCUT_ORDER.close,
         allowInEditable: true,
         // xterm hands keys to this dispatcher before writing PTY bytes. Keep
         // Ctrl+W as shell word deletion in both the terminal tab and drawer.
         when: () => !document.activeElement?.closest(".xterm"),
-        // Only ever closes a tab: with nothing to close, the window stays.
         run: () => {
-          window.dispatchEvent(
-            new Event("buzz:close-active-tab", { cancelable: true }),
-          );
+          if (
+            window.dispatchEvent(
+              new Event("buzz:close-active-tab", { cancelable: true }),
+            )
+          )
+            return getCurrentWindow().close();
         },
       }),
       ...(
diff --git a/src/features/conversation/ComposerCompletions.tsx b/src/features/conversation/ComposerCompletions.tsx
index 6ab3164d09..64bbc6d30b 100644
--- a/src/features/conversation/ComposerCompletions.tsx
+++ b/src/features/conversation/ComposerCompletions.tsx
@@ -431,7 +431,7 @@ function OwnedCompletion({
     ) => {
       if (event.nativeEvent.isComposing || event.nativeEvent.keyCode === 229)
         return false;
-      if (event.key === "Escape") {
+      if (event.key === "Escape" && !event.shiftKey) {
         event.preventDefault();
         event.stopPropagation();
         current.current.editor.invalidate();
diff --git a/src/features/messages/MessageComposer.test.tsx b/src/features/messages/MessageComposer.test.tsx
index d755a81291..3aab2e05df 100644
--- a/src/features/messages/MessageComposer.test.tsx
+++ b/src/features/messages/MessageComposer.test.tsx
@@ -1564,6 +1564,10 @@ it("still closes the popup when the query closes, on Escape, and on a Space that
   expect(h.rows()).toBeNull();
   h.fill("@hone");
   expect(h.rows()).toEqual(["Honey hone"]);
+  expect(fireEvent.keyDown(input, { key: "Escape", shiftKey: true })).toBe(
+    true,
+  );
+  expect(h.rows()).toEqual(["Honey hone"]);
   fireEvent.keyDown(input, { key: "Escape" });
   expect(h.rows()).toBeNull();
   h.fill("@honey");
@@ -2753,6 +2757,8 @@ it("defers a failed upload recovery until an empty active message edit ends", as
   expect(editor).toHaveAccessibleName("Edit message");
   await userEvent.clear(editor);
   expect(editor).toHaveValue("");
+  fireEvent.keyDown(editor, { key: "Escape", shiftKey: true });
+  expect(editor).toHaveAccessibleName("Edit message");
   await act(async () => h.uploadCalls[0]?.result.reject(new Error("offline")));
   expect(editor).toHaveAccessibleName("Edit message");
   expect(editor).toHaveValue("");
diff --git a/src/features/messages/MessageComposer.tsx b/src/features/messages/MessageComposer.tsx
index 2d33cd503c..168672fc8a 100644
--- a/src/features/messages/MessageComposer.tsx
+++ b/src/features/messages/MessageComposer.tsx
@@ -3256,6 +3256,7 @@ function Composer({
           if (
             editing.target &&
             event.key === "Escape" &&
+            !event.shiftKey &&
             !event.defaultPrevented &&
             !event.nativeEvent.isComposing &&
             event.nativeEvent.keyCode !== 229 &&
diff --git a/src/features/messages/TypingIndicator.test.tsx b/src/features/messages/TypingIndicator.test.tsx
index b6711b975c..47562ac118 100644
--- a/src/features/messages/TypingIndicator.test.tsx
+++ b/src/features/messages/TypingIndicator.test.tsx
@@ -599,6 +599,28 @@ it.each(["hover", "keyboard"])(
   },
 );
 
+it("lets Shift+Escape reach the owning panel while the popup is open", async () => {
+  const f = fixture(),
+    user = userEvent.setup(),
+    panelKey = vi.fn();
+  f.update([entry()]);
+  render(
+    <section aria-label="Thread" onKeyDown={panelKey}>
+      <input aria-label="Composer" />
+      <TypingIndicator session={f.session} channelId="channel" />
+    </section>,
+  );
+  const input = screen.getByRole("textbox");
+  input.focus();
+  await user.hover(
+    screen.getByRole("button", { name: "Activity: Agent working" }),
+  );
+  await screen.findByRole("dialog");
+  panelKey.mockClear();
+  fireEvent.keyDown(input, { key: "Escape", shiftKey: true });
+  expect(panelKey).toHaveBeenCalledOnce();
+});
+
 it("hands navigation a retained trigger instead of the disposable popup action", async () => {
   const f = fixture(),
     user = userEvent.setup();
diff --git a/src/features/messages/TypingIndicator.tsx b/src/features/messages/TypingIndicator.tsx
index dd4ecd6ccb..bc443e3857 100644
--- a/src/features/messages/TypingIndicator.tsx
+++ b/src/features/messages/TypingIndicator.tsx
@@ -621,7 +621,12 @@ function AgentChooser({
     // Hover leaves focus in the composer. Consume Escape before its panel's
     // React handler; Base UI's document-bubble dismissal would arrive too late.
     const dismiss = (event: KeyboardEvent) => {
-      if (event.key !== "Escape" || event.isComposing || event.keyCode === 229)
+      if (
+        event.key !== "Escape" ||
+        event.shiftKey ||
+        event.isComposing ||
+        event.keyCode === 229
+      )
         return;
       event.preventDefault();
       event.stopPropagation();