diff --git a/packages/app/e2e/regression/session-queue.spec.ts b/packages/app/e2e/regression/session-queue.spec.ts
index 5e88ec91001..589284321aa 100644
--- a/packages/app/e2e/regression/session-queue.spec.ts
+++ b/packages/app/e2e/regression/session-queue.spec.ts
@@ -130,6 +130,9 @@ function createQueueMock(seed: string[], messages: SessionMessageInfo[] = []) {
         delivery: "steer",
       })
     },
+    onBackground: () => {
+      log.push("background")
+    },
     onInboxChange: (input: { sessionID: string; inboxID: string; action: "cancel" | "steer" | "queue" }) => {
       changes.push({ inboxID: input.inboxID, action: input.action })
       log.push(`${input.action}:${input.inboxID}`)
@@ -161,9 +164,8 @@ async function openQueue(
   followUpBehavior?: "queue" | "steer",
   revert?: string,
   status: "idle" | "running" = "running",
+  model = { id: "queue-model", name: "Queue Model" },
 ) {
-  const model = { id: "queue-model", name: "Queue Model" }
-
   const options: Parameters<typeof openSession>[1] = {
     name: "SessionQueueRegression",
     sessions: [
@@ -181,6 +183,7 @@ async function openQueue(
     onPrompt: mock.onPrompt,
     onCompact: mock.onCompact,
     onInboxChange: mock.onInboxChange,
+    onBackground: mock.onBackground,
     events: mock.events,
   }
 
@@ -1095,3 +1098,94 @@ for (const delivery of ["steer", "queue"] as const) {
     ])
   })
 }
+
+test("a steer moves a blocking shell to the background after its admission, so the next step reads it", async ({
+  page,
+}, testInfo) => {
+  const model = { id: "alpha", providerID: "opencode" }
+  const assistantID = "msg_steer_background_assistant"
+  const shell = { sessionID, assistantMessageID: assistantID, id: "prt_steer_background_shell" }
+  const steer = "Skip the slow suites and run only the queue tests."
+
+  const mock = createQueueMock(
+    [],
+    [
+      {
+        id: "msg_steer_background_user",
+        type: "user",
+        text: "Run the full test suite.",
+        time: { created: 1700000000000 },
+      },
+      {
+        id: assistantID,
+        type: "assistant",
+        agent: "build",
+        model,
+        content: [
+          {
+            type: "tool",
+            id: shell.id,
+            name: "shell",
+            state: {
+              status: "running",
+              input: { command: "bun test --timeout 600000", description: "Run the full test suite" },
+              metadata: { shellID: "sh_steer_background" },
+            },
+            time: { created: 1700000000002 },
+          },
+        ],
+        time: { created: 1700000000001 },
+      },
+    ],
+  )
+
+  const view = await openQueue(page, mock, "steer", undefined, "running", { id: "alpha", name: "Alpha" })
+  const transcript = page.locator("[data-timeline-virtual-content]")
+  const hint = page.getByRole("button", { name: /move running work to the background/i })
+  await expect(hint).toBeVisible()
+  await transcript.screenshot({ path: testInfo.outputPath("before-steer.png") })
+
+  await view.input.fill(steer)
+  await view.input.press("Enter")
+  // Admission comes first: the steer already waits in the inbox when the moved shell ends the step.
+  await expect.poll(() => mock.log).toEqual(["prompt:steer", "background"])
+
+  const inboxID = mock.rows[0].id
+  const pending = transcript.locator(`[data-timeline-row="UserMessage"][data-message-id="${inboxID}"]`)
+  await expect(pending.locator('[data-component="user-message"]')).toHaveAttribute("data-pending", "true")
+
+  // As the server does, the moved shell's call completes while the command keeps running.
+  mock.emit("session.tool.success", {
+    ...shell,
+    content: [{ type: "text", text: "Command moved to the background (shell ID: sh_steer_background)." }],
+    metadata: { status: "running", shellID: "sh_steer_background" },
+    executed: true,
+  })
+  await expect(hint).toHaveCount(0)
+  await expect(page.getByRole("button", { name: "1 shell", exact: true })).toBeVisible()
+  await transcript.screenshot({ path: testInfo.outputPath("moved-to-background.png") })
+
+  mock.emit("session.step.ended", {
+    sessionID,
+    assistantMessageID: assistantID,
+    finish: "tool-calls",
+    cost: 0,
+    tokens: { input: 100, output: 20, reasoning: 0, cache: { read: 0, write: 0 } },
+  })
+  mock.rows.splice(0, 1)
+  mock.emit("session.inbox.delivered", { sessionID, inboxID })
+
+  const next = { sessionID, assistantMessageID: "msg_steer_background_next" }
+  mock.emit("session.step.started", { ...next, agent: "build", model, started: Date.now() })
+  mock.emit("session.text.started", { ...next, ordinal: 0 })
+  mock.emit("session.text.ended", { ...next, ordinal: 0, text: "Running only the queue tests now." })
+
+  const response = transcript
+    .locator('[data-timeline-row="AssistantPart"]')
+    .filter({ hasText: "Running only the queue tests now." })
+
+  await expect(response).toHaveAttribute("data-message-id", inboxID)
+  await expect(pending.locator('[data-component="user-message"]')).not.toHaveAttribute("data-pending", "true")
+  expect(mock.log).toEqual(["prompt:steer", "background"])
+  await transcript.screenshot({ path: testInfo.outputPath("steer-delivered.png") })
+})
diff --git a/packages/app/e2e/utils/mock-server.ts b/packages/app/e2e/utils/mock-server.ts
index 3836672cabb..fc2a1dc84e9 100644
--- a/packages/app/e2e/utils/mock-server.ts
+++ b/packages/app/e2e/utils/mock-server.ts
@@ -140,6 +140,7 @@ export interface MockServerConfig {
   onCompact?: (input: { sessionID: string; body: Schema.JsonObject }) => void
   generate?: (input: { sessionID: string; prompt: string }) => { text: string } | Promise<{ text: string }>
   onInboxChange?: (input: { sessionID: string; inboxID: string; action: "cancel" | "steer" | "queue" }) => void
+  onBackground?: (input: { sessionID: string }) => void
   // Serves `/api/pty*` and mock PTY WebSockets. Created IDs are the first unused `${prefix}<n>` (prefix must start with "pty").
   // `directory` is the owning workspace (Location); `cwd` is the reported working directory (default: `directory`).
   pty?: { prefix?: string; initial?: { id: string; title: string; directory?: string; cwd?: string }[] }
@@ -1242,7 +1243,8 @@ function mockHandlers(
           }),
         sessionFormReply: () => noContent,
         sessionFormCancel: () => noContent,
-        sessionBackground: () => noContent,
+        sessionBackground: (ctx) =>
+          Effect.sync(() => config.onBackground?.({ sessionID: ctx.params.sessionID })).pipe(Effect.andThen(noContent)),
         sessionInbox: (ctx) =>
           Effect.sync(() => ({
             data: resolve(config.inbox ?? []).filter(
diff --git a/packages/app/src/composer/adapter.ts b/packages/app/src/composer/adapter.ts
index 32f02b2d96d..bb67e5d4020 100644
--- a/packages/app/src/composer/adapter.ts
+++ b/packages/app/src/composer/adapter.ts
@@ -92,6 +92,8 @@ export type ComposerSession = {
     | undefined
   >
   admitted: (messageID: string) => boolean
+  // Claims the run's blocking work for a steer; undefined when there is none or it was already moved.
+  background?: () => { move: () => Promise<void>; release: () => void } | undefined
 }
 
 type ComposerAdapterBase = {
diff --git a/packages/app/src/composer/submit.test.ts b/packages/app/src/composer/submit.test.ts
index c0875664786..cc9de33af70 100644
--- a/packages/app/src/composer/submit.test.ts
+++ b/packages/app/src/composer/submit.test.ts
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ import type {
 } from "./adapter"
 import { createMemoryComposerState, type Prompt } from "./state"
 import { createComposerSubmit } from "./submit"
+import { createSteerBackground } from "@/session/requests/steer-background"
 import type { ComposerStateTarget } from "./submission-state"
 
 // SAFETY: submission reads only the selected model's id, name, and provider id.
@@ -117,9 +118,11 @@ function session(input: {
   command?: ComposerSession["api"]["command"]
   switchAgent?: ComposerSession["api"]["switchAgent"]
   switchModel?: ComposerSession["api"]["switchModel"]
+  background?: ComposerSession["background"]
 }): ComposerSession {
   return {
     id: "session-1",
+    background: input.background,
     directory: "C:/repo",
     handoff: input.handoff ?? { set() {}, clear() {} },
     current: input.current ?? (() => undefined),
@@ -506,6 +509,94 @@ describe("Composer submission", () => {
     expect(new Set(attempts).size).toBe(1)
   })
 
+  describe("steering while foreground work runs", () => {
+    // A long shell command blocks the run; moving it resolves only the move, never the admission.
+    function running(input: { fail?: boolean; prompt?: () => Promise<void> } = {}) {
+      const calls: string[] = []
+      const failures: string[] = []
+      const state = createMemoryComposerState({ prompt: "use Beta instead" }).capture()
+
+      const claim = createSteerBackground({
+        sessionID: () => "session-1",
+        blocking: () => [{ partID: "prt_shell" }],
+        move: async () => {
+          calls.push("background")
+
+          if (input.fail) throw new Error("server unavailable")
+        },
+      })
+
+      const target = session({ calls, prompt: input.prompt, background: () => claim("session-1") })
+      const adapter = { ...active(state, target), working: () => true }
+      const notify = { missingSelection() {}, unqueueable() {}, failed: () => void failures.push("failed") }
+
+      const submit = async (delivery: ComposerDelivery = "steer", working = true) => {
+        state.set([{ type: "text", content: "use Beta instead", start: 0, end: 16 }])
+        await submitInput(
+          { ...adapter, working: () => working },
+          notify,
+          "normal",
+          () => [],
+          [],
+          undefined,
+          delivery,
+        ).submit(new Event("submit"))
+        // The send settles after submit returns; let it and the move that follows it finish.
+        await new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, 0))
+      }
+
+      return { calls, failures, submit }
+    }
+
+    test("moves the work to the background once the steer is admitted, and only once", async () => {
+      const run = running()
+
+      await run.submit()
+      expect(run.calls).toEqual(["admit", "switch-agent", "switch-model", "send", "background"])
+
+      await run.submit()
+      expect(run.calls.filter((call) => call === "background")).toHaveLength(1)
+    })
+
+    test("leaves the work alone for a queued prompt or an idle session", async () => {
+      const run = running()
+
+      await run.submit("queue")
+      await run.submit("steer", false)
+      expect(run.calls).not.toContain("background")
+    })
+
+    test("still sends the steer when the move fails, and a later steer tries again", async () => {
+      const run = running({ fail: true })
+
+      await run.submit()
+      await run.submit()
+      expect(run.failures).toEqual([])
+      expect(run.calls.filter((call) => call === "send")).toHaveLength(2)
+      expect(run.calls.filter((call) => call === "background")).toHaveLength(2)
+    })
+
+    test("a steer that fails to send leaves the work for the next one", async () => {
+      const attempts = { count: 0 }
+
+      const run = running({
+        prompt: async () => {
+          attempts.count++
+
+          // The first submission's admission and its single retry both fail.
+          if (attempts.count <= 2) throw new Error("network unavailable")
+        },
+      })
+
+      await run.submit()
+      expect(run.failures).toEqual(["failed"])
+      expect(run.calls).not.toContain("background")
+
+      await run.submit()
+      expect(run.calls.filter((call) => call === "background")).toHaveLength(1)
+    })
+  })
+
   test("hands off image-only first prompts and admits them before cleanup is ready", async () => {
     const draft = createMemoryComposerState().capture()
 
diff --git a/packages/app/src/composer/submit.ts b/packages/app/src/composer/submit.ts
index 82eece03e54..32bde027025 100644
--- a/packages/app/src/composer/submit.ts
+++ b/packages/app/src/composer/submit.ts
@@ -165,11 +165,23 @@ export function createComposerSubmit(input: ComposerSubmitInput) {
           })
         const optimisticBusy = !input.adapter.working()
 
+        // Like iOS, a steer moves the run's blocking shells and subagents to the background. The move follows
+        // admission: the steer already waits in the inbox when the moved work ends the step, so that step reads it.
+        const background = value.delivery === "steer" && !optimisticBusy ? session.background?.() : undefined
+
         if (optimisticBusy) session.data.session.setStatus(session.id, "running")
 
         const sending = sendPrompt(session, value, input.adapter.controls().model.selection.trackSessionCommit).then(
-          () => ({ ok: true as const }),
-          (error) => ({ ok: false as const, error }),
+          () => {
+            void background?.move()
+
+            return { ok: true as const }
+          },
+          (error) => {
+            background?.release()
+
+            return { ok: false as const, error }
+          },
         )
 
         await started.cleanupReady
diff --git a/packages/app/src/session/composer/adapter.ts b/packages/app/src/session/composer/adapter.ts
index 23ab0afb475..15fc9a5d18e 100644
--- a/packages/app/src/session/composer/adapter.ts
+++ b/packages/app/src/session/composer/adapter.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import type { Accessor } from "solid-js"
-import type { ActiveComposerAdapter, ComposerControls } from "@/composer/adapter"
+import type { ActiveComposerAdapter, ComposerControls, ComposerSession } from "@/composer/adapter"
 import { useComposerState } from "@/composer/persistence"
 import { useData } from "@/runtime/server/current"
 import { useServerSDK } from "@/runtime/server/client"
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ export function createActiveComposerAdapter(input: {
   controls: Accessor<ComposerControls>
   submitted: () => void
   setEditor: (element: HTMLDivElement) => void
+  background: NonNullable<ComposerSession["background"]>
 }) {
   const id = input.sessionID
 
@@ -38,6 +39,7 @@ export function createActiveComposerAdapter(input: {
       data,
       current: () => data.session.get(id),
       admitted: (messageID) => data.session.input.has(id, messageID) || !!data.session.message.get(id, messageID),
+      background: input.background,
     }),
     interrupt: () =>
       server.api.session
diff --git a/packages/app/src/session/composer/controller.ts b/packages/app/src/session/composer/controller.ts
index 2e5cfe8e73d..3160b8ee3a2 100644
--- a/packages/app/src/session/composer/controller.ts
+++ b/packages/app/src/session/composer/controller.ts
@@ -20,11 +20,14 @@ export function createSessionComposerController(input: {
   const region = createSessionComposerRegionController(input.dock)
   let editor: HTMLDivElement | undefined
 
+  const background = () => input.dock.state.background.steer(input.sessionID)
+
   const adapter = createActiveComposerAdapter({
     sessionID: input.sessionID,
     sessionKey: input.sessionKey,
     controls: input.controls,
     submitted: region.onResponseSubmit,
+    background,
     setEditor: (element) => {
       editor = element
       region.setPromptRef(element)
@@ -36,6 +39,7 @@ export function createSessionComposerController(input: {
     draft: adapter.state,
     working: adapter.working,
     behavior: settings.general.followUpBehavior,
+    background,
     restoreFocus: (cursor) => {
       const target = editor
 
diff --git a/packages/app/src/session/composer/queue.ts b/packages/app/src/session/composer/queue.ts
index e5337e82498..86d6a4306c7 100644
--- a/packages/app/src/session/composer/queue.ts
+++ b/packages/app/src/session/composer/queue.ts
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ import { useMutation } from "@tanstack/solid-query"
 import { Option, Schema } from "effect"
 import type { SessionInboxInfo } from "@opencode/client/promise"
 import { SessionMessage } from "@opencode/schema/session-message"
-import type { ComposerDelivery } from "@/composer/adapter"
+import type { ComposerDelivery, ComposerSession } from "@/composer/adapter"
 import type { ComposerStateTarget } from "@/composer/submission-state"
 import type { ContextItem, ImageAttachmentPart, PathAttachmentPart, Prompt } from "@/composer/state"
 import { appendPrompt, clonePrompt, isAttachment, promptLength } from "@/composer/prompt-parts"
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@ export function createSessionQueue(input: {
   working: Accessor<boolean>
   behavior: Accessor<ComposerDelivery>
   restoreFocus: (cursor: number) => void
+  background: NonNullable<ComposerSession["background"]>
 }) {
   const data = useData()
   const server = useServerSDK()
@@ -101,7 +102,12 @@ export function createSessionQueue(input: {
 
       if (!pending.some((item) => item.id === change.original && item.type === "user" && item.delivery === "queue"))
         throw new Error("Queued prompt was delivered before the edit")
-      await data.session.prompt(admission)
+      const background = input.background()
+      await data.session.prompt(admission).catch((error) => {
+        background?.release()
+        throw error
+      })
+      void background?.move()
       await server.api.session.inbox.cancel({ sessionID: input.sessionID, inboxID: change.original })
       cancelEdit()
     },
@@ -197,10 +203,15 @@ export function createSessionQueue(input: {
 
   const steer = (id: string) => {
     if (state.editing?.id === id) cancelEdit()
+    const background = input.background()
 
-    return server.api.session.inbox
-      .update({ sessionID: input.sessionID, inboxID: id, delivery: "steer" })
-      .catch(() => notify())
+    return server.api.session.inbox.update({ sessionID: input.sessionID, inboxID: id, delivery: "steer" }).then(
+      () => void background?.move(),
+      () => {
+        background?.release()
+        notify()
+      },
+    )
   }
 
   const remove = (id: string) => {
diff --git a/packages/app/src/session/requests/model.ts b/packages/app/src/session/requests/model.ts
index cc230d1d607..219588ed1b5 100644
--- a/packages/app/src/session/requests/model.ts
+++ b/packages/app/src/session/requests/model.ts
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ import { useWorkspaceLocation } from "@/workspaces/location"
 import { sessionPermissionRequest, sessionFormRequest, sessionTreeIDs } from "@/session/requests/session-request-tree"
 import { createWebSearchRequest } from "./websearch"
 import { createSessionBackground } from "@/session/requests/background"
+import { createSteerBackground } from "@/session/requests/steer-background"
 import { useData } from "@/runtime/server/current"
 
 export function createSessionRequestModel() {
@@ -117,6 +118,12 @@ export function createSessionRequestModel() {
     })
   }
 
+  const steer = createSteerBackground({
+    sessionID: () => params.id,
+    blocking,
+    move: (sessionID) => serverSDK.api.session.background({ sessionID }),
+  })
+
   const [store, setStore] = createStore<{ responding: string | undefined }>({ responding: undefined })
 
   const permissionResponding = createMemo(() => {
@@ -158,6 +165,7 @@ export function createSessionRequestModel() {
       blocking,
       tasks,
       move: moveToBackground,
+      steer,
     },
     decide,
   }
diff --git a/packages/app/src/session/requests/steer-background.test.ts b/packages/app/src/session/requests/steer-background.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..1a5c8f5287e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/app/src/session/requests/steer-background.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+import { describe, expect, test } from "bun:test"
+import { createSteerBackground } from "./steer-background"
+
+function setup(input: { fail?: boolean } = {}) {
+  const moves: string[] = []
+  const state = { sessionID: "ses_alpha", blocking: [{ partID: "prt_shell" }] }
+
+  const claim = createSteerBackground({
+    sessionID: () => state.sessionID,
+    blocking: () => state.blocking,
+    move: async (sessionID) => {
+      moves.push(sessionID)
+
+      if (input.fail) throw new Error("server unavailable")
+    },
+  })
+
+  return { claim, moves, state }
+}
+
+describe("createSteerBackground", () => {
+  test("claims each blocking work item once", async () => {
+    const { claim, moves, state } = setup()
+
+    await claim("ses_alpha")?.move()
+    expect(claim("ses_alpha")).toBeUndefined()
+
+    state.blocking = [{ partID: "prt_shell" }, { partID: "prt_subagent" }]
+    await claim("ses_alpha")?.move()
+    expect(moves).toEqual(["ses_alpha", "ses_alpha"])
+  })
+
+  test("claims nothing without blocking work or for another session", () => {
+    const { claim, state } = setup()
+
+    expect(claim("ses_beta")).toBeUndefined()
+    state.blocking = []
+    expect(claim("ses_alpha")).toBeUndefined()
+  })
+
+  test("a released claim or failed move lets a later steer move the work", async () => {
+    const released = setup()
+
+    released.claim("ses_alpha")?.release()
+    expect(released.claim("ses_alpha")).toBeDefined()
+
+    const failed = setup({ fail: true })
+
+    await failed.claim("ses_alpha")?.move()
+    await failed.claim("ses_alpha")?.move()
+    expect(failed.moves).toEqual(["ses_alpha", "ses_alpha"])
+  })
+})
diff --git a/packages/app/src/session/requests/steer-background.ts b/packages/app/src/session/requests/steer-background.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..d8183a2fedd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/app/src/session/requests/steer-background.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+/**
+ * A steer moves the run's blocking shells and subagents to the background, so the agent reads it at its next step.
+ * Each work item is claimed once: work already moved, or being moved, isn't again. A claim the steer never acts on,
+ * or a move that fails, is released so a later steer or the inline hint can move it.
+ */
+export function createSteerBackground(input: {
+  sessionID: () => string | undefined
+  blocking: () => readonly { partID: string }[]
+  move: (sessionID: string) => Promise<void>
+}) {
+  const moved = new Set<string>()
+
+  return (sessionID: string) => {
+    if (input.sessionID() !== sessionID) return
+    const parts = input.blocking().flatMap((task) => (moved.has(task.partID) ? [] : [task.partID]))
+
+    if (parts.length === 0) return
+    parts.forEach((id) => moved.add(id))
+    const release = () => parts.forEach((id) => moved.delete(id))
+
+    return {
+      release,
+      move: () => input.move(sessionID).then(() => undefined, release),
+    }
+  }
+}