diff --git a/src/tui/tui-local-shell.test.ts b/src/tui/tui-local-shell.test.ts
index d951e9c595c5..5413cbfbda4d 100644
--- a/src/tui/tui-local-shell.test.ts
+++ b/src/tui/tui-local-shell.test.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 // Verifies local shell process handling for TUI local mode.
+import { spawn } from "node:child_process";
 import { EventEmitter } from "node:events";
+import { join } from "node:path";
 import type { OverlayHandle } from "@earendil-works/pi-tui";
 import { describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
 import { createLocalShellRunner } from "./tui-local-shell.js";
@@ -242,6 +244,28 @@ describe("createLocalShellRunner", () => {
     );
   });
 
+  it("finishes a failed child before reporting the next local command", async () => {
+    const harness = createShellHarness({
+      spawnCommand: spawn,
+      getCwd: vi
+        .fn(() => process.cwd())
+        .mockReturnValueOnce(join(process.cwd(), ".missing-openclaw-local-shell-directory")),
+    });
+
+    const failedRun = harness.runLocalShellLine("!echo first");
+    harness.getLastSelector()?.onSelect?.({ value: "yes", label: "Yes" });
+    await failedRun;
+    await harness.runLocalShellLine("!echo second");
+
+    expect(harness.messages.filter((message) => message.startsWith("[local]"))).toEqual([
+      "[local] $ echo first",
+      expect.stringContaining("[local] error: "),
+      "[local] $ echo second",
+      "[local] second",
+      "[local] exit 0",
+    ]);
+  });
+
   it("does not crash when stdout or stderr emit an error event", async () => {
     const stdout = new EventEmitter();
     const stderr = new EventEmitter();
diff --git a/src/tui/tui-local-shell.ts b/src/tui/tui-local-shell.ts
index 2fc98df4d6e0..7269337f8ea1 100644
--- a/src/tui/tui-local-shell.ts
+++ b/src/tui/tui-local-shell.ts
@@ -131,9 +131,10 @@ export function createLocalShellRunner(deps: LocalShellDeps) {
 
       let stdout = "";
       let stderr = "";
+      let error: Error | undefined;
       const stdoutDecoder = new StringDecoder("utf8");
       const stderrDecoder = new StringDecoder("utf8");
-      // Output pipes may fail independently; child close/error remains authoritative.
+      // Pipe errors are incidental; close owns completion after any recorded spawn error.
       const ignoreOutputStreamError = () => {};
       child.stdout.on("error", ignoreOutputStreamError);
       child.stderr.on("error", ignoreOutputStreamError);
@@ -160,15 +161,14 @@ export function createLocalShellRunner(deps: LocalShellDeps) {
             deps.chatLog.addSystem(`[local] ${lineLocal}`);
           }
         }
-        deps.chatLog.addSystem(`[local] exit ${code ?? "?"}${signal ? ` (signal ${signal})` : ""}`);
+        const status = error ? `error: ${formatTuiErrorMessage(error)}` : `exit ${code ?? "?"}`;
+        deps.chatLog.addSystem(`[local] ${status}${signal ? ` (signal ${signal})` : ""}`);
         deps.tui.requestRender();
         resolve();
       });
 
       child.on("error", (err) => {
-        deps.chatLog.addSystem(`[local] error: ${formatTuiErrorMessage(err)}`);
-        deps.tui.requestRender();
-        resolve();
+        error = err;
       });
     });
   };