diff --git a/hh/src/app.rs b/hh/src/app.rs
index e430bf7..1bc6596 100644
--- a/hh/src/app.rs
+++ b/hh/src/app.rs
@@ -497,13 +497,19 @@ impl Drop for TermGuard {
 pub async fn run(params: net::ConnParams, mut session: Session, mut theme: Theme) -> Result<()> {
     let (tx, mut rx) = unbounded_channel::<Net>();
     let app_tx = tx.clone();
-    let mut write = net::open(&session, tx.clone()).await?;
+    let write = net::open(&session, tx.clone()).await?;
     // Carries the result of a background reconnect handshake back to the loop.
     let (recon_tx, mut recon_rx) = unbounded_channel::<std::result::Result<Session, String>>();
 
     // All outgoing frames funnel through here so background tasks (file chunks,
     // PTY relay) can transmit without owning the socket.
-    let (out_tx, mut out_rx) = unbounded_channel::<WsMsg>();
+    let (out_tx, out_rx) = unbounded_channel::<WsMsg>();
+    // The websocket writer runs on its own task so a slow / backpressured socket
+    // (notably while relaying a sandbox PTY stream to a remote peer) can never
+    // stall the UI loop's keyboard + chat handling. On reconnect the loop hands
+    // the writer a fresh sink through `sink_tx`.
+    let (sink_tx, sink_rx) = unbounded_channel::<net::WsSink>();
+    tokio::spawn(writer_task(write, out_rx, sink_rx));
     let (pty_tx, mut pty_rx): (UnboundedSender<Vec<u8>>, UnboundedReceiver<Vec<u8>>) =
         unbounded_channel();
     let (broker_tx, mut broker_rx) = unbounded_channel::<BrokerMsg>();
@@ -789,7 +795,7 @@ pub async fn run(params: net::ConnParams, mut session: Session, mut theme: Theme
                             session = s;
                             match net::open(&session, tx.clone()).await {
                                 Ok(w) => {
-                                    write = w;
+                                    let _ = sink_tx.send(w);
                                     app.sys("⛧ websocket re-attached — syncing…");
                                     // If we host the sandbox, re-announce it so the
                                     // rest of the house re-syncs the shared shell.
@@ -823,22 +829,6 @@ pub async fn run(params: net::ConnParams, mut session: Session, mut theme: Theme
                     send_frame(&out_tx, &session.room, json!({"_sbx":"data","b64": STANDARD.encode(&bytes)}));
                 }
             }
-            outgoing = out_rx.recv() => {
-                if let Some(first) = outgoing {
-                    // Flush a batch to keep file-chunk bursts from redrawing per frame.
-                    let mut batch = vec![first];
-                    while let Ok(m) = out_rx.try_recv() {
-                        batch.push(m);
-                        if batch.len() >= 64 { break; }
-                    }
-                    for m in batch {
-                        if write.send(m).await.is_err() {
-                            app.connected = false;
-                            break;
-                        }
-                    }
-                }
-            }
             _ = sigterm.recv() => { break Ok(()); }
             _ = sighup.recv() => { break Ok(()); }
             _ = tick.tick() => { app.spin = app.spin.wrapping_add(1); }
@@ -876,6 +866,45 @@ enum BrokerMsg {
     Failed,
 }
 
+/// Owns the websocket write half and drains all outgoing frames off the UI
+/// loop. Because `sink.send().await` can block on a backpressured socket (e.g.
+/// while the server relays a sandbox PTY stream to a slow remote peer), keeping
+/// it here means that stall never starves keyboard input or chat rendering. A
+/// reconnect delivers a fresh sink via `sink_rx`; the reader task independently
+/// surfaces `Net::Closed`, so a dead sink here just drops frames until then.
+async fn writer_task(
+    mut sink: net::WsSink,
+    mut out_rx: UnboundedReceiver<WsMsg>,
+    mut sink_rx: UnboundedReceiver<net::WsSink>,
+) {
+    loop {
+        tokio::select! {
+            biased;
+            // Swap in a reconnect's fresh sink before draining more frames.
+            new_sink = sink_rx.recv() => {
+                match new_sink {
+                    Some(s) => sink = s,
+                    None => {}
+                }
+            }
+            msg = out_rx.recv() => {
+                let Some(first) = msg else { return }; // app exiting
+                // Coalesce a burst (file chunks / PTY relay) into one batch.
+                let mut batch = vec![first];
+                while let Ok(m) = out_rx.try_recv() {
+                    batch.push(m);
+                    if batch.len() >= 64 { break; }
+                }
+                for m in batch {
+                    if sink.send(m).await.is_err() {
+                        break; // sink dead — wait for a reconnect to replace it
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+        }
+    }
+}
+
 #[allow(clippy::too_many_arguments)]
 fn handle_command(
     line: &str,