diff --git a/packages/cli/src/ui/App.tsx b/packages/cli/src/ui/App.tsx
index 7ee9405f..a52236f8 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/ui/App.tsx
+++ b/packages/cli/src/ui/App.tsx
@@ -190,6 +190,7 @@ const App = ({ config, settings, startupWarnings = [], version }: AppProps) => {
   const [ideContextState, setIdeContextState] = useState<
     IdeContext | undefined
   >();
+  const [showEscapePrompt, setShowEscapePrompt] = useState(false);
   const [isProcessing, setIsProcessing] = useState<boolean>(false);
 
   useEffect(() => {
@@ -224,6 +225,11 @@ const App = ({ config, settings, startupWarnings = [], version }: AppProps) => {
   const openPrivacyNotice = useCallback(() => {
     setShowPrivacyNotice(true);
   }, []);
+
+  const handleEscapePromptChange = useCallback((showPrompt: boolean) => {
+    setShowEscapePrompt(showPrompt);
+  }, []);
+
   const initialPromptSubmitted = useRef(false);
 
   const errorCount = useMemo(
@@ -1055,6 +1061,8 @@ const App = ({ config, settings, startupWarnings = [], version }: AppProps) => {
                     <Text color={Colors.AccentYellow}>
                       Press Ctrl+D again to exit.
                     </Text>
+                  ) : showEscapePrompt ? (
+                    <Text color={Colors.Gray}>Press Esc again to clear.</Text>
                   ) : (
                     <ContextSummaryDisplay
                       ideContext={ideContextState}
@@ -1105,6 +1113,7 @@ const App = ({ config, settings, startupWarnings = [], version }: AppProps) => {
                   commandContext={commandContext}
                   shellModeActive={shellModeActive}
                   setShellModeActive={setShellModeActive}
+                  onEscapePromptChange={handleEscapePromptChange}
                   focus={isFocused}
                   vimHandleInput={vimHandleInput}
                   placeholder={placeholder}
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/ui/components/InputPrompt.test.tsx b/packages/cli/src/ui/components/InputPrompt.test.tsx
index f050ba07..a29a095a 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/ui/components/InputPrompt.test.tsx
+++ b/packages/cli/src/ui/components/InputPrompt.test.tsx
@@ -1191,6 +1191,106 @@ describe('InputPrompt', () => {
     });
   });
 
+  describe('enhanced input UX - double ESC clear functionality', () => {
+    it('should clear buffer on second ESC press', async () => {
+      const onEscapePromptChange = vi.fn();
+      props.onEscapePromptChange = onEscapePromptChange;
+      props.buffer.setText('text to clear');
+
+      const { stdin, unmount } = render(<InputPrompt {...props} />);
+      await wait();
+
+      stdin.write('\x1B');
+      await wait();
+
+      stdin.write('\x1B');
+      await wait();
+
+      expect(props.buffer.setText).toHaveBeenCalledWith('');
+      expect(mockCommandCompletion.resetCompletionState).toHaveBeenCalled();
+      unmount();
+    });
+
+    it('should reset escape state on any non-ESC key', async () => {
+      const onEscapePromptChange = vi.fn();
+      props.onEscapePromptChange = onEscapePromptChange;
+      props.buffer.setText('some text');
+
+      const { stdin, unmount } = render(<InputPrompt {...props} />);
+      await wait();
+
+      stdin.write('\x1B');
+      await wait();
+
+      expect(onEscapePromptChange).toHaveBeenCalledWith(true);
+
+      stdin.write('a');
+      await wait();
+
+      expect(onEscapePromptChange).toHaveBeenCalledWith(false);
+      unmount();
+    });
+
+    it('should handle ESC in shell mode by disabling shell mode', async () => {
+      props.shellModeActive = true;
+
+      const { stdin, unmount } = render(<InputPrompt {...props} />);
+      await wait();
+
+      stdin.write('\x1B');
+      await wait();
+
+      expect(props.setShellModeActive).toHaveBeenCalledWith(false);
+      unmount();
+    });
+
+    it('should handle ESC when completion suggestions are showing', async () => {
+      mockedUseCommandCompletion.mockReturnValue({
+        ...mockCommandCompletion,
+        showSuggestions: true,
+        suggestions: [{ label: 'suggestion', value: 'suggestion' }],
+      });
+
+      const { stdin, unmount } = render(<InputPrompt {...props} />);
+      await wait();
+
+      stdin.write('\x1B');
+      await wait();
+
+      expect(mockCommandCompletion.resetCompletionState).toHaveBeenCalled();
+      unmount();
+    });
+
+    it('should not call onEscapePromptChange when not provided', async () => {
+      props.onEscapePromptChange = undefined;
+      props.buffer.setText('some text');
+
+      const { stdin, unmount } = render(<InputPrompt {...props} />);
+      await wait();
+
+      stdin.write('\x1B');
+      await wait();
+
+      unmount();
+    });
+
+    it('should not interfere with existing keyboard shortcuts', async () => {
+      const { stdin, unmount } = render(<InputPrompt {...props} />);
+      await wait();
+
+      stdin.write('\x0C');
+      await wait();
+
+      expect(props.onClearScreen).toHaveBeenCalled();
+
+      stdin.write('\x01');
+      await wait();
+
+      expect(props.buffer.move).toHaveBeenCalledWith('home');
+      unmount();
+    });
+  });
+
   describe('reverse search', () => {
     beforeEach(async () => {
       props.shellModeActive = true;
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/ui/components/InputPrompt.tsx b/packages/cli/src/ui/components/InputPrompt.tsx
index 78b3b96b..7eb1905d 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/ui/components/InputPrompt.tsx
+++ b/packages/cli/src/ui/components/InputPrompt.tsx
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
  * SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
  */
 
-import React, { useCallback, useEffect, useState } from 'react';
+import React, { useCallback, useEffect, useState, useRef } from 'react';
 import { Box, Text } from 'ink';
 import { theme } from '../semantic-colors.js';
 import { SuggestionsDisplay } from './SuggestionsDisplay.js';
@@ -41,6 +41,7 @@ export interface InputPromptProps {
   suggestionsWidth: number;
   shellModeActive: boolean;
   setShellModeActive: (value: boolean) => void;
+  onEscapePromptChange?: (showPrompt: boolean) => void;
   vimHandleInput?: (key: Key) => boolean;
 }
 
@@ -58,9 +59,13 @@ export const InputPrompt: React.FC<InputPromptProps> = ({
   suggestionsWidth,
   shellModeActive,
   setShellModeActive,
+  onEscapePromptChange,
   vimHandleInput,
 }) => {
   const [justNavigatedHistory, setJustNavigatedHistory] = useState(false);
+  const [escPressCount, setEscPressCount] = useState(0);
+  const [showEscapePrompt, setShowEscapePrompt] = useState(false);
+  const escapeTimerRef = useRef<NodeJS.Timeout | null>(null);
 
   const [dirs, setDirs] = useState<readonly string[]>(
     config.getWorkspaceContext().getDirectories(),
@@ -98,6 +103,32 @@ export const InputPrompt: React.FC<InputPromptProps> = ({
   const resetReverseSearchCompletionState =
     reverseSearchCompletion.resetCompletionState;
 
+  const resetEscapeState = useCallback(() => {
+    if (escapeTimerRef.current) {
+      clearTimeout(escapeTimerRef.current);
+      escapeTimerRef.current = null;
+    }
+    setEscPressCount(0);
+    setShowEscapePrompt(false);
+  }, []);
+
+  // Notify parent component about escape prompt state changes
+  useEffect(() => {
+    if (onEscapePromptChange) {
+      onEscapePromptChange(showEscapePrompt);
+    }
+  }, [showEscapePrompt, onEscapePromptChange]);
+
+  // Clear escape prompt timer on unmount
+  useEffect(
+    () => () => {
+      if (escapeTimerRef.current) {
+        clearTimeout(escapeTimerRef.current);
+      }
+    },
+    [],
+  );
+
   const handleSubmitAndClear = useCallback(
     (submittedValue: string) => {
       if (shellModeActive) {
@@ -212,6 +243,13 @@ export const InputPrompt: React.FC<InputPromptProps> = ({
         return;
       }
 
+      // Reset ESC count and hide prompt on any non-ESC key
+      if (key.name !== 'escape') {
+        if (escPressCount > 0 || showEscapePrompt) {
+          resetEscapeState();
+        }
+      }
+
       if (
         key.sequence === '!' &&
         buffer.text === '' &&
@@ -237,13 +275,36 @@ export const InputPrompt: React.FC<InputPromptProps> = ({
         }
         if (shellModeActive) {
           setShellModeActive(false);
+          resetEscapeState();
           return;
         }
 
         if (completion.showSuggestions) {
           completion.resetCompletionState();
+          resetEscapeState();
           return;
         }
+
+        // Handle double ESC for clearing input
+        if (escPressCount === 0) {
+          if (buffer.text === '') {
+            return;
+          }
+          setEscPressCount(1);
+          setShowEscapePrompt(true);
+          if (escapeTimerRef.current) {
+            clearTimeout(escapeTimerRef.current);
+          }
+          escapeTimerRef.current = setTimeout(() => {
+            resetEscapeState();
+          }, 500);
+        } else {
+          // clear input and immediately reset state
+          buffer.setText('');
+          resetCompletionState();
+          resetEscapeState();
+        }
+        return;
       }
 
       if (shellModeActive && keyMatchers[Command.REVERSE_SEARCH](key)) {
@@ -418,7 +479,6 @@ export const InputPrompt: React.FC<InputPromptProps> = ({
         if (buffer.text.length > 0) {
           buffer.setText('');
           resetCompletionState();
-          return;
         }
         return;
       }
@@ -461,6 +521,9 @@ export const InputPrompt: React.FC<InputPromptProps> = ({
       reverseSearchCompletion,
       handleClipboardImage,
       resetCompletionState,
+      escPressCount,
+      showEscapePrompt,
+      resetEscapeState,
       vimHandleInput,
       reverseSearchActive,
       textBeforeReverseSearch,