diff --git a/agent/display.py b/agent/display.py
index 19acc67d..e7f074c4 100644
--- a/agent/display.py
+++ b/agent/display.py
@@ -211,8 +211,11 @@ class KawaiiSpinner:
         if not self.running:
             self._write(f"  {text}", flush=True)
             return
-        # Clear spinner line, print text above, spinner redraws on next tick
-        self._write(f"\r\033[K  {text}", flush=True)
+        # Clear spinner line with spaces (not \033[K) to avoid garbled escape
+        # codes when prompt_toolkit's patch_stdout is active — same approach
+        # as stop(). Then print text; spinner redraws on next tick.
+        blanks = ' ' * max(self.last_line_len + 5, 40)
+        self._write(f"\r{blanks}\r  {text}", flush=True)
 
     def stop(self, final_message: str = None):
         self.running = False
diff --git a/tests/agent/test_subagent_progress.py b/tests/agent/test_subagent_progress.py
index 0ff4fcb8..0aa39f4c 100644
--- a/tests/agent/test_subagent_progress.py
+++ b/tests/agent/test_subagent_progress.py
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ class TestPrintAbove:
         spinner.print_above("tool line")
         output = buf.getvalue()
         assert "tool line" in output
-        assert "\r\033[K" in output  # Should start with line clear
+        assert "\r" in output  # Should start with carriage return to clear spinner line
 
     def test_print_above_uses_captured_stdout(self):
         """print_above should use self._out, not sys.stdout.