github / github/copilot-cli

Input field background renders black with near-invisible text (low contrast) mid-session

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Description

Describe the bug

Mid-session, only the command input field's background turned black, making typed text nearly invisible against it. The rest of the terminal/session output rendered normally and was unaffected. A standard terminal  reset  did not fix it, indicating the issue is in the CLI's own TUI rendering rather than a terminal-level escape sequence leak.

Affected version

Copilot CLI version: 1.0.81

Steps to reproduce the behavior
  1. Run  copilot  inside a tmux session (TERM=tmux-256color).
  2. Use the CLI normally for a while (no manual  /theme  change).
  3. Observe the input field's background suddenly turns black with low-contrast/invisible text, while surrounding output text stays normal.
  4. Run  reset  in the terminal — input field remains black.
Expected behavior

Input field should maintain consistent theme-appropriate contrast for the whole session.

Additional context

Suspected cause: Theme/color-mode detection or caching bug specific to tmux ( TERM=tmux-256color ), possibly triggered by a state change during the session (resize, mode switch, subagent/tool output, etc.).

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Start by reproducing the issue in copilot inside tmux with TERM=tmux-256color, then observe theme or color-mode behavior across the listed possible session changes. Trace the CLI TUI rendering state when only the input field turns black, and verify that the field keeps theme-appropriate contrast throughout the session and after running reset.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
shell
Domain
cli
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
4/5
Estimated time
3-5 days
Activity status
Active
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
52/100

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