diff --git a/bin/omarchy-openclaw-onboard b/bin/omarchy-openclaw-onboard
index 5bac15bd..d8665b3e 100755
--- a/bin/omarchy-openclaw-onboard
+++ b/bin/omarchy-openclaw-onboard
@@ -26,8 +26,12 @@ settle_seconds=${OMARCHY_OPENCLAW_ONBOARD_SETTLE_SECONDS:-3}
 # setup; the prompts before that take as long as the user takes.
 gateway_timeout=${OMARCHY_OPENCLAW_ONBOARD_GATEWAY_TIMEOUT:-180}
 
+# Probes never get the terminal. The wizard writes its config while prompts
+# remain, a probe of a gateway not yet up then hangs until the timeout, and
+# OpenClaw's CLI takes a terminal on stdin out of raw mode as it is killed,
+# which leaves the wizard's next prompt echoing keys instead of reading them.
 gateway_answers() {
-  timeout 10 openclaw dashboard --json 2>/dev/null | jq -e '.ok == true' >/dev/null 2>&1
+  timeout 10 openclaw dashboard --json </dev/null 2>/dev/null | jq -e '.ok == true' >/dev/null 2>&1
 }
 
 # A gateway already answering means OpenClaw is set up, and this run must not
@@ -81,7 +85,7 @@ config_applied() {
 gateway_ready() {
   config_applied || return 1
   local json port listener main_pid
-  json=$(timeout 10 openclaw dashboard --json 2>/dev/null) || return 1
+  json=$(timeout 10 openclaw dashboard --json </dev/null 2>/dev/null) || return 1
   jq -e '.ok == true' <<<"$json" >/dev/null 2>&1 || return 1
   port=$(jq -r '.port // empty' <<<"$json" 2>/dev/null)
   [[ -n $port ]] || return 1
diff --git a/test/shell.d/openclaw-onboard-test.sh b/test/shell.d/openclaw-onboard-test.sh
index 852e3e3d..1c315fdd 100755
--- a/test/shell.d/openclaw-onboard-test.sh
+++ b/test/shell.d/openclaw-onboard-test.sh
@@ -55,6 +55,7 @@ onboard)
   while :; do sleep 0.2; done
   ;;
 dashboard)
+  printf 'dashboard-stdin:%s\n' "$(readlink /proc/$$/fd/0)" >>"$TEST_LOG"
   [[ -f $HOME/.openclaw/openclaw.json ]] && echo '{"ok":true,"port":18789}' || { echo '{"ok":false}'; exit 1; }
   ;;
 esac
@@ -63,7 +64,10 @@ chmod +x "$tmp_dir/bin/openclaw"
 
 start=$SECONDS
 rc=0
-"$ROOT/bin/omarchy-openclaw-onboard" </dev/null >/dev/null 2>&1 || rc=$?
+# A file stands in for the terminal the wizard reads, so where each probe's
+# stdin points can be told apart from it.
+: >"$tmp_dir/terminal"
+"$ROOT/bin/omarchy-openclaw-onboard" <"$tmp_dir/terminal" >/dev/null 2>&1 || rc=$?
 elapsed=$((SECONDS - start))
 
 grep -q '^openclaw:onboard --flow quickstart --install-daemon --skip-ui$' "$TEST_LOG" ||
@@ -76,6 +80,14 @@ grep -q '^terminated$' "$TEST_LOG" ||
 (( elapsed < 30 )) || fail "a wizard that lingers after the gateway is up is stopped and counts as success" "took ${elapsed}s"
 pass "a wizard that lingers after the gateway is up is stopped and counts as success"
 
+# OpenClaw's CLI takes a terminal on stdin out of raw mode as the timeout kills
+# it, so a probe that inherited the wizard's terminal would leave its prompts
+# unable to read keys. The wizard writes its config while prompts remain.
+grep -q '^dashboard-stdin:' "$TEST_LOG" || fail "gateway probes never read from the wizard's terminal" "no probe ran"
+! grep '^dashboard-stdin:' "$TEST_LOG" | grep -vqx 'dashboard-stdin:/dev/null' ||
+  fail "gateway probes never read from the wizard's terminal" "$(grep '^dashboard-stdin:' "$TEST_LOG" | sort -u)"
+pass "gateway probes never read from the wizard's terminal"
+
 # The wizard only starts being stopped once the gateway actually answers: a
 # stub that never writes the config is left alone and must be ended by its own
 # exit, not the watcher.