diff --git a/packages/cli/src/clack.ts b/packages/cli/src/clack.ts
index 31be2e1b..94999476 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/clack.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/clack.ts
@@ -81,27 +81,39 @@ class KtxCliPromptCancelledError extends Error {
 }
 
 export function createClackSpinner(): KtxCliSpinner {
-  return spinner();
+  // clack colors the animated spinner frame magenta by default; styleFrame
+  // (typed in SpinnerOptions, absent from the README) recolors it ktx orange.
+  return spinner({ styleFrame: orange });
 }
 
-function magenta(text: string): string {
-  return ansiColor(text, 35, 39);
+// ktx mascot orange (#FF8A4C) via 24-bit truecolor.
+function orange(text: string): string {
+  if (!ansiEnabled()) {
+    return text;
+  }
+  return `${ESC}[38;2;255;138;76m${text}${ESC}[39m`;
 }
 
 function red(text: string): string {
   return ansiColor(text, 31, 39);
 }
 
+/**
+ * Stderr-only, non-animated spinner. Use this instead of {@link createCliSpinner}
+ * when the next step reads stdin in raw mode (an Ink TUI or a keypress wait):
+ * the animated clack spinner seizes stdin via `@clack/core`'s `block()` and
+ * leaves it dirty, which the following raw-mode reader misreads as a stray key.
+ */
 export function createStaticCliSpinner(io: KtxCliSpinnerIo): KtxCliSpinner {
   return {
     start(message) {
-      io.stderr.write(`${magenta('◐')}  ${message}\n`);
+      io.stderr.write(`${orange('◐')}  ${message}\n`);
     },
     message(message) {
-      io.stderr.write(`${magenta('│')}  ${message}\n`);
+      io.stderr.write(`${orange('│')}  ${message}\n`);
     },
     stop(message) {
-      io.stderr.write(`${magenta('◇')}  ${message}\n`);
+      io.stderr.write(`${orange('◇')}  ${message}\n`);
     },
     error(message) {
       io.stderr.write(`${red('■')}  ${message}\n`);
@@ -109,6 +121,30 @@ export function createStaticCliSpinner(io: KtxCliSpinnerIo): KtxCliSpinner {
   };
 }
 
+/**
+ * Animated spinner in an interactive terminal, static `◐/◇/■` lines otherwise
+ * (scripts, CI, piped output) so logs stay clean and uncluttered by frames.
+ */
+export function createCliSpinner(io: KtxCliIo): KtxCliSpinner {
+  return io.stdout.isTTY === true ? createClackSpinner() : createStaticCliSpinner(io);
+}
+
+export async function runWithCliSpinner<T>(
+  spinner: KtxCliSpinner,
+  text: { start: string; success: string; failure: string },
+  run: () => Promise<T>,
+): Promise<T> {
+  spinner.start(text.start);
+  try {
+    const value = await run();
+    spinner.stop(text.success);
+    return value;
+  } catch (error) {
+    spinner.error(text.failure);
+    throw error;
+  }
+}
+
 export function createClackPromptAdapter(): KtxCliPromptAdapter {
   return {
     async confirm(options) {
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/database-tree-picker.ts b/packages/cli/src/database-tree-picker.ts
index 6698a0d2..e51b7c69 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/database-tree-picker.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/database-tree-picker.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,9 @@
 import { parseDottedTableEntry } from './context/scan/enabled-tables.js';
 import type { KtxTableListEntry } from './context/scan/types.js';
 import type { KtxCliIo } from './cli-runtime.js';
+import { createStaticCliSpinner } from './clack.js';
 import { profileMark } from './startup-profile.js';
+import { withSearchableMultiselectNavigation } from './prompt-navigation.js';
 import {
   buildInitialState,
   buildPickerTree,
@@ -275,7 +277,9 @@ export async function pickDatabaseScope(
   let selectedSchemas = initialStageOneSchemas(args);
   while (true) {
     const pickedSchemas = await args.prompts.autocompleteMultiselect({
-      message: `Choose ${args.schemaNounPlural} to enable for ${args.connectionId}\nType to filter. Space to select. Enter when done.`,
+      message: withSearchableMultiselectNavigation(
+        `Choose ${args.schemaNounPlural} to enable for ${args.connectionId}`,
+      ),
       placeholder: `Search ${args.schemaNounPlural}`,
       options: schemaOptions(args),
       initialValues: selectedSchemas,
@@ -286,7 +290,7 @@ export async function pickDatabaseScope(
     }
     selectedSchemas = pickedSchemas;
     if (selectedSchemas.length === 0) {
-      io.stderr.write(`Nothing selected - type to filter, or Escape to skip ${args.schemaNoun} scope.\n`);
+      io.stderr.write(`Nothing selected - type to search, or Escape to skip ${args.schemaNoun} scope.\n`);
       continue;
     }
 
@@ -304,7 +308,19 @@ export async function pickDatabaseScope(
       continue;
     }
 
-    const discovered = await args.listTablesForSchemas(selectedSchemas);
+    // Static (stderr-only) spinner: the stage-two table picker below is a raw-mode
+    // Ink TUI, and an animated clack spinner would leave stdin dirty so Ink reads a
+    // stray Escape and exits immediately.
+    const tablesSpinner = createStaticCliSpinner(io);
+    tablesSpinner.start(`Listing tables in ${selectedSchemas.length} ${selectedNoun}…`);
+    let discovered: KtxTableListEntry[];
+    try {
+      discovered = await args.listTablesForSchemas(selectedSchemas);
+    } catch (error) {
+      tablesSpinner.error('Could not list tables');
+      throw error;
+    }
+    tablesSpinner.stop(`Found ${discovered.length} ${discovered.length === 1 ? 'table' : 'tables'}`);
     if (action === 'save' && args.existing.enabledTables.length === 0) {
       return {
         kind: 'selected',
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/managed-local-embeddings.ts b/packages/cli/src/managed-local-embeddings.ts
index 2ce5274d..999b38c1 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/managed-local-embeddings.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/managed-local-embeddings.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import type { KtxEmbeddingConfig } from './llm/types.js';
 import type { KtxCliIo } from './cli-runtime.js';
-import { writePrefixedLines } from './clack.js';
+import { createCliSpinner } from './clack.js';
 import {
   ensureManagedPythonCommandRuntime,
   type KtxManagedPythonInstallPolicy,
@@ -66,15 +66,22 @@ export async function ensureManagedLocalEmbeddingsDaemon(
     io: options.io,
     feature: 'local-embeddings',
   });
-  const daemon = await startDaemon({
-    cliVersion: options.cliVersion,
-    projectDir: options.projectDir,
-    features: ['local-embeddings'],
-    force: false,
-  });
-
+  const spinner = createCliSpinner(options.io);
+  spinner.start('Starting ktx embedding daemon (first run downloads the model)…');
+  let daemon: ManagedPythonDaemonStartResult;
+  try {
+    daemon = await startDaemon({
+      cliVersion: options.cliVersion,
+      projectDir: options.projectDir,
+      features: ['local-embeddings'],
+      force: false,
+    });
+  } catch (error) {
+    spinner.error('ktx embedding daemon failed to start');
+    throw error;
+  }
   const verb = daemon.status === 'started' ? 'Started' : 'Using';
-  writePrefixedLines((chunk) => options.io.stderr.write(chunk), `${verb} ktx daemon: ${daemon.baseUrl}`);
+  spinner.stop(`${verb} ktx daemon: ${daemon.baseUrl}`);
 
   return {
     baseUrl: daemon.baseUrl,
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/managed-python-command.ts b/packages/cli/src/managed-python-command.ts
index cdc4e510..caa300ca 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/managed-python-command.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/managed-python-command.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import { createPythonSemanticLayerComputePort, type KtxSemanticLayerComputePort } from './context/daemon/semantic-layer-compute.js';
 import type { KtxCliIo } from './cli-runtime.js';
-import { createClackPromptAdapter, createStaticCliSpinner, type KtxCliSpinner } from './clack.js';
+import { createClackPromptAdapter, createCliSpinner, type KtxCliSpinner } from './clack.js';
 import {
   installManagedPythonRuntime,
   readManagedPythonRuntimeStatus,
@@ -105,7 +105,7 @@ export async function ensureManagedPythonCommandRuntime(
     }
   }
 
-  const progress = (options.spinner ?? (() => createStaticCliSpinner(options.io)))();
+  const progress = (options.spinner ?? (() => createCliSpinner(options.io)))();
   progress.start(`Installing ktx Python runtime (${feature}) with uv...`);
   try {
     const installed = await installRuntime({
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/prompt-navigation.ts b/packages/cli/src/prompt-navigation.ts
index 619ee027..7dfb8c22 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/prompt-navigation.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/prompt-navigation.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,50 @@
-const MULTISELECT_MENU_NAVIGATION_HINT =
-  'Use Up/Down to move, Space to select or unselect, Enter to confirm, Escape to go back, or Ctrl+C to exit.';
+/** @internal */
+export const MULTISELECT_NAVIGATION_FRAGMENTS = {
+  move: 'Up/Down to move',
+  expand: 'Right/Left to expand or collapse',
+  select: 'Tab to select or unselect',
+  search: 'Type to search',
+  confirm: 'Enter to confirm',
+  back: 'Escape to go back',
+  backSearchableTree: 'Escape to clear search or go back',
+  exit: 'Ctrl+C to exit',
+} as const;
+
+function composeNavigationHint(fragments: readonly string[]): string {
+  return `${fragments.join(', ')}.`;
+}
+
+const fragment = MULTISELECT_NAVIGATION_FRAGMENTS;
+
+/** @internal */
+export const FLAT_MULTISELECT_NAVIGATION_HINT = composeNavigationHint([
+  fragment.move,
+  fragment.select,
+  fragment.confirm,
+  fragment.back,
+  fragment.exit,
+]);
+
+/** @internal */
+export const SEARCHABLE_MULTISELECT_NAVIGATION_HINT = composeNavigationHint([
+  fragment.move,
+  fragment.select,
+  fragment.search,
+  fragment.confirm,
+  fragment.back,
+  fragment.exit,
+]);
+
+export const TREE_PICKER_NAVIGATION_HINT = composeNavigationHint([
+  fragment.move,
+  fragment.expand,
+  fragment.select,
+  fragment.search,
+  fragment.confirm,
+  fragment.backSearchableTree,
+  fragment.exit,
+]);
+
 const TEXT_INPUT_NAVIGATION_HINT = 'Press Escape to go back.';
 
 function removeTrailingBlankLines(message: string): string {
@@ -51,10 +96,17 @@ export function withMenuOptionsSpacing<T extends { message: string }>(options: T
 }
 
 export function withMultiselectNavigation(message: string): string {
-  if (message.includes(MULTISELECT_MENU_NAVIGATION_HINT)) {
+  if (message.includes(FLAT_MULTISELECT_NAVIGATION_HINT)) {
     return message;
   }
-  return `${message}\n${MULTISELECT_MENU_NAVIGATION_HINT}`;
+  return `${message}\n${FLAT_MULTISELECT_NAVIGATION_HINT}`;
+}
+
+export function withSearchableMultiselectNavigation(message: string): string {
+  if (message.includes(SEARCHABLE_MULTISELECT_NAVIGATION_HINT)) {
+    return message;
+  }
+  return `${message}\n${SEARCHABLE_MULTISELECT_NAVIGATION_HINT}`;
 }
 
 export function withTextInputNavigation(message: string): string {
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/setup-agents.ts b/packages/cli/src/setup-agents.ts
index 8804cacf..376ce7d7 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/setup-agents.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/setup-agents.ts
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ import {
   type KtxSetupPromptOption,
 } from './setup-prompts.js';
 import { readKtxMcpDaemonStatus } from './managed-mcp-daemon.js';
+import { withMultiselectNavigation } from './prompt-navigation.js';
 
 export type KtxAgentTarget = 'claude-code' | 'claude-desktop' | 'codex' | 'cursor' | 'opencode' | 'universal';
 export type KtxAgentScope = 'project' | 'global' | 'local';
@@ -84,14 +85,6 @@ interface KtxCliLauncher {
   args: string[];
 }
 
-function writeSetupInfo(io: KtxCliIo, message: string): void {
-  if (isWritableTtyOutput(io.stdout)) {
-    log.info(message, { output: io.stdout });
-    return;
-  }
-  io.stdout.write(`${message}\n`);
-}
-
 function writeSetupStep(io: KtxCliIo, message: string): void {
   if (isWritableTtyOutput(io.stdout)) {
     log.step(message, { output: io.stdout });
@@ -1097,9 +1090,6 @@ export async function runKtxSetupAgentsStep(
   }
 
   const prompts = deps.prompts ?? createPromptAdapter();
-  if (args.inputMode === 'auto' && args.target === undefined) {
-    writeSetupInfo(io, 'Space to select, Enter to confirm, Esc to go back.');
-  }
   const mode =
     args.inputMode === 'disabled'
       ? args.mode
@@ -1135,7 +1125,7 @@ export async function runKtxSetupAgentsStep(
       : args.inputMode === 'disabled'
         ? []
         : ((await prompts.multiselect({
-            message: 'Which agent targets should ktx install?',
+            message: withMultiselectNavigation('Which agent targets should ktx install?'),
             options: [
               { value: 'claude-code', label: 'Claude Code' },
               { value: 'claude-desktop', label: 'Claude Desktop' },
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/setup-banner.ts b/packages/cli/src/setup-banner.ts
index 29455a78..1463d786 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/setup-banner.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/setup-banner.ts
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ interface KtxBannerRow {
 
 const WORDMARK: readonly KtxBannerRow[] = [
   { art: '███         ███', rgb: [253, 186, 116], ansi256: 215 },
-  { art: '███  ▄██▀ ▀▀███▀▀ ▀██▄  ▄██▀', rgb: [251, 146, 60], ansi256: 214 },
+  { art: '███  ▄██▀ ███████ ▀██▄  ▄██▀', rgb: [251, 146, 60], ansi256: 214 },
   { art: '███▄██▀     ███     ▀████▀', rgb: [249, 115, 22], ansi256: 208 },
   { art: '███▀██▄     ███     ▄████▄', rgb: [234, 88, 12], ansi256: 202 },
   { art: '███  ▀██▄   ███   ▄██▀  ▀██▄', rgb: [194, 65, 12], ansi256: 166 },
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/setup-context.ts b/packages/cli/src/setup-context.ts
index f7fc7a25..06519774 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/setup-context.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/setup-context.ts
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ import { type KtxLocalProject, loadKtxProject } from './context/project/project.
 import { markKtxSetupStateStepComplete, readKtxSetupState } from './context/project/setup-config.js';
 import { serializeKtxProjectConfig } from './context/project/config.js';
 import type { KtxCliIo } from './cli-runtime.js';
-import { errorMessage, writePrefixedLines } from './clack.js';
+import { createCliSpinner, errorMessage, writePrefixedLines } from './clack.js';
 import { formatErrorDetail } from './telemetry/scrubber.js';
 import { buildPublicIngestPlan } from './public-ingest.js';
 import { runKtxConnection } from './connection.js';
@@ -320,13 +320,22 @@ async function testRequiredConnections(
   project: KtxLocalProject,
   targets: KtxSetupContextTargets,
   testConnection: (projectDir: string, connectionId: string, io: KtxCliIo) => Promise<number>,
+  io: KtxCliIo,
 ): Promise<ConnectionGateResult> {
   const failures: ConnectionGateFailure[] = [];
-  for (const connectionId of requiredConnectionIds(targets)) {
+  const connectionIds = requiredConnectionIds(targets);
+  for (const [index, connectionId] of connectionIds.entries()) {
+    const driver = connectorTypeLabel(project, connectionId);
+    const counter = connectionIds.length > 1 ? ` (${index + 1}/${connectionIds.length})` : '';
+    const spinner = createCliSpinner(io);
+    spinner.start(`Testing connection ${connectionId}${counter}…`);
     const buffered: BufferedCommandIo = createBufferedCommandIo();
     const exitCode = await testConnection(projectDir, connectionId, buffered);
-    if (exitCode !== 0) {
-      failures.push({ connectionId, driver: connectorTypeLabel(project, connectionId) });
+    if (exitCode === 0) {
+      spinner.stop(`Connection ${connectionId} (${driver}) is reachable`);
+    } else {
+      spinner.error(`Connection ${connectionId} (${driver}) is not reachable`);
+      failures.push({ connectionId, driver });
     }
   }
   return failures.length === 0 ? { ok: true } : { ok: false, failures };
@@ -826,7 +835,7 @@ export async function runKtxSetupContextStep(
     // error text.
     const testConnection = deps.testConnection ?? defaultGateTestConnection;
     while (true) {
-      const gate = await testRequiredConnections(args.projectDir, project, targets, testConnection);
+      const gate = await testRequiredConnections(args.projectDir, project, targets, testConnection, io);
       if (gate.ok) {
         return await runBuild(args, io, deps, project, targets);
       }
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/setup-demo-tour.ts b/packages/cli/src/setup-demo-tour.ts
index 19c4806d..a8738ee7 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/setup-demo-tour.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/setup-demo-tour.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import type { KtxCliIo } from './cli-runtime.js';
+import { createStaticCliSpinner, runWithCliSpinner } from './clack.js';
 import type {
   ContextBuildTargetState,
   ContextBuildViewState,
@@ -348,7 +349,14 @@ export async function runDemoTour(
   const ensureProject = deps.ensureProject ?? ensureSeededDemoProject;
 
   const projectDir = defaultDemoProjectDir();
-  await ensureProject({ projectDir, force: false, io, cliVersion: args.cliVersion });
+  // Static (stderr-only) spinner: the demo navigation below reads stdin in raw mode,
+  // and an animated clack spinner would leave stdin dirty so the first keypress wait
+  // sees a stray key and skips the intro.
+  await runWithCliSpinner(
+    createStaticCliSpinner(io),
+    { start: 'Preparing demo project…', success: 'Demo project ready', failure: 'Could not prepare demo project' },
+    () => ensureProject({ projectDir, force: false, io, cliVersion: args.cliVersion }),
+  );
 
   io.stdout.write(renderDemoBanner(projectDir) + '\n');
   io.stdout.write(`\n│  ${dim('Press Enter to continue, Escape to go back')}\n└\n`);
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/setup-embeddings.ts b/packages/cli/src/setup-embeddings.ts
index 7e254f06..4ca6594d 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/setup-embeddings.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/setup-embeddings.ts
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ import { markKtxSetupStateStepComplete, readKtxSetupState } from './context/proj
 import type { KtxEmbeddingConfig } from './llm/types.js';
 import { type KtxEmbeddingHealthCheckResult, runKtxEmbeddingHealthCheck } from './llm/embedding-health.js';
 import type { KtxCliIo } from './cli-runtime.js';
-import { createStaticCliSpinner, errorMessage, writePrefixedLines, type KtxCliSpinner } from './clack.js';
+import { createCliSpinner, errorMessage, writePrefixedLines, type KtxCliSpinner } from './clack.js';
 import {
   ensureManagedLocalEmbeddingsDaemon,
   managedLocalEmbeddingHealthConfig,
@@ -444,7 +444,7 @@ export async function runKtxSetupEmbeddingsStep(
             dimensions,
             credentialValue,
           });
-    const healthSpinner = (deps.spinner ?? (() => createStaticCliSpinner(io)))();
+    const healthSpinner = (deps.spinner ?? (() => createCliSpinner(io)))();
     const progress = startHealthCheckProgress(healthSpinner, healthCheckStartText(selectedBackend, model, dimensions));
     let health: KtxEmbeddingHealthCheckResult;
     try {
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/setup-models.ts b/packages/cli/src/setup-models.ts
index b89d27ff..8b7af13e 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/setup-models.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/setup-models.ts
@@ -313,13 +313,13 @@ function buildVertexHealthConfig(vertex: { project?: string; location: string },
   };
 }
 
-type LlmHealthProvider = 'Anthropic API' | 'Vertex AI';
+type LlmCheckProvider = 'Anthropic API' | 'Vertex AI' | 'Claude subscription' | 'Codex';
 
-function llmHealthCheckStartText(provider: LlmHealthProvider, model: string): string {
+function llmCheckStartText(provider: LlmCheckProvider, model: string): string {
   return `Checking ${provider} LLM (${model}).`;
 }
 
-function startLlmHealthCheckProgress(
+function startLlmCheckProgress(
   spinner: KtxCliSpinner,
   message: string,
 ): { succeed(msg: string): void; fail(msg: string): void } {
@@ -334,30 +334,26 @@ function startLlmHealthCheckProgress(
   };
 }
 
-async function runLlmHealthCheckWithProgress(
-  config: KtxLlmConfig,
-  provider: LlmHealthProvider,
+async function validateModelWithProgress(
+  provider: LlmCheckProvider,
   model: string,
-  healthCheck: (config: KtxLlmConfig) => Promise<KtxLlmHealthCheckResult>,
   deps: KtxSetupModelDeps,
-): Promise<KtxLlmHealthCheckResult> {
-  const progress = startLlmHealthCheckProgress(
-    (deps.spinner ?? createClackSpinner)(),
-    llmHealthCheckStartText(provider, model),
-  );
-  let health: KtxLlmHealthCheckResult;
+  run: () => Promise<PresetModelValidationResult>,
+): Promise<PresetModelValidationResult> {
+  const progress = startLlmCheckProgress((deps.spinner ?? createClackSpinner)(), llmCheckStartText(provider, model));
+  let result: PresetModelValidationResult;
   try {
-    health = await healthCheck(config);
+    result = await run();
   } catch (error) {
     progress.fail('LLM test failed');
     throw error;
   }
-  if (health.ok) {
+  if (result.ok) {
     progress.succeed(`LLM test passed (${provider}, ${model})`);
   } else {
     progress.fail('LLM test failed');
   }
-  return health;
+  return result;
 }
 
 function formatVertexHealthFailure(message: string, vertex: { project?: string; location: string }): string {
@@ -857,14 +853,8 @@ export async function runKtxSetupAnthropicModelStep(
       const preset = presetForBackend('vertex');
       const validation = await validatePresetModels(
         preset,
-        async (model) =>
-          runLlmHealthCheckWithProgress(
-            buildVertexHealthConfig(vertex.values, model),
-            'Vertex AI',
-            model,
-            healthCheck,
-            deps,
-          ),
+        (model) =>
+          validateModelWithProgress('Vertex AI', model, deps, () => healthCheck(buildVertexHealthConfig(vertex.values, model))),
         io,
       );
       if (validation.status !== 'ready') {
@@ -889,7 +879,10 @@ export async function runKtxSetupAnthropicModelStep(
       const probe = deps.claudeCodeAuthProbe ?? runClaudeCodeAuthProbe;
       const validation = await validatePresetModels(
         preset,
-        async (model) => probe({ projectDir: args.projectDir, model, env: deps.env ?? process.env }),
+        (model) =>
+          validateModelWithProgress('Claude subscription', model, deps, () =>
+            probe({ projectDir: args.projectDir, model, env: deps.env ?? process.env }),
+          ),
         io,
       );
       if (validation.status !== 'ready') {
@@ -912,7 +905,11 @@ export async function runKtxSetupAnthropicModelStep(
     if (backendChoice.backend === 'codex') {
       const preset = presetForBackend('codex');
       const probe = deps.codexAuthProbe ?? runCodexAuthProbe;
-      const validation = await validatePresetModels(preset, async (model) => probe({ projectDir: args.projectDir, model }), io);
+      const validation = await validatePresetModels(
+        preset,
+        (model) => validateModelWithProgress('Codex', model, deps, () => probe({ projectDir: args.projectDir, model })),
+        io,
+      );
       if (validation.status !== 'ready') {
         io.stderr.write(`${validation.message}\n`);
         return { status: 'failed', projectDir: args.projectDir };
@@ -937,13 +934,9 @@ export async function runKtxSetupAnthropicModelStep(
     const preset = presetForBackend('anthropic');
     const validation = await validatePresetModels(
       preset,
-      async (model) =>
-        runLlmHealthCheckWithProgress(
-          buildAnthropicHealthConfig(credential.value, model),
-          'Anthropic API',
-          model,
-          healthCheck,
-          deps,
+      (model) =>
+        validateModelWithProgress('Anthropic API', model, deps, () =>
+          healthCheck(buildAnthropicHealthConfig(credential.value, model)),
         ),
       io,
     );
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/setup-prompts.ts b/packages/cli/src/setup-prompts.ts
index c6549222..0249ce6e 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/setup-prompts.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/setup-prompts.ts
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+import { updateSettings } from '@clack/core';
 import {
   autocomplete,
   autocompleteMultiselect,
@@ -19,6 +20,11 @@ import { renderKtxSetupBanner } from './setup-banner.js';
 import { revealPassword } from './reveal-password-prompt.js';
 import { withSetupInterruptConfirmation } from './setup-interrupt.js';
 
+// clack remaps Tab to Space only on non-text prompts (flat multiselect/select/
+// confirm); text inputs and autocomplete search set _track, so typed Tab is
+// untouched. This makes Tab the single documented select key across setup.
+updateSettings({ aliases: { tab: 'space' } });
+
 export interface KtxSetupPromptOption<Value extends string = string> {
   value: Value;
   label: string;
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/setup-sources.ts b/packages/cli/src/setup-sources.ts
index c38ff113..a92dea6e 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/setup-sources.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/setup-sources.ts
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ import { type KtxProjectConfig, type KtxProjectConnectionConfig, serializeKtxPro
 import { loadKtxProject } from './context/project/project.js';
 import { markKtxSetupStateStepComplete } from './context/project/setup-config.js';
 import type { KtxCliIo } from './cli-runtime.js';
-import { errorMessage, writePrefixedLines } from './clack.js';
+import { createCliSpinner, errorMessage, writePrefixedLines } from './clack.js';
 import { pickNotionRootPages } from './notion-page-picker.js';
 import { runKtxSourceMapping } from './source-mapping.js';
 import {
@@ -975,16 +975,20 @@ async function chooseMetabaseDatabaseId(input: {
   state: SourcePromptState;
   prompts: KtxSetupSourcesPromptAdapter;
   deps: KtxSetupSourcesDeps;
+  io: KtxCliIo;
 }): Promise<number | 'back'> {
   const sourceUrl = input.state.sourceUrl;
   const sourceApiKeyRef = input.state.sourceApiKeyRef;
   if (sourceUrl && sourceApiKeyRef) {
+    const discoverSpinner = createCliSpinner(input.io);
+    discoverSpinner.start('Discovering Metabase databases…');
     try {
       const discovered = await (input.deps.discoverMetabaseDatabases ?? defaultDiscoverMetabaseDatabases)({
         sourceUrl,
         sourceApiKeyRef,
         sourceConnectionId: input.state.sourceConnectionId ?? 'metabase-main',
       });
+      discoverSpinner.stop(`Found ${discovered.length} ${discovered.length === 1 ? 'database' : 'databases'}`);
       if (discovered.length === 1) {
         return discovered[0].id;
       }
@@ -1008,6 +1012,7 @@ async function chooseMetabaseDatabaseId(input: {
     } catch {
       // Discovery is a convenience. Fall back to the raw id prompt when credentials
       // are unavailable locally or the Metabase API cannot be reached yet.
+      discoverSpinner.error('Could not reach Metabase — enter the database id manually');
     }
   }
 
@@ -1148,6 +1153,8 @@ async function promptForInteractiveSource(
                 if (currentState.sourceLocation === 'path' && currentState.sourcePath) {
                   scanDir = currentState.sourcePath;
                 } else if (currentState.sourceLocation === 'git' && currentState.sourceGitUrl) {
+                  const cloneSpinner = createCliSpinner(io);
+                  cloneSpinner.start('Cloning repository to scan for dbt projects…');
                   try {
                     const cacheDir = await mkdtemp(join(tmpdir(), 'ktx-setup-dbt-scan-'));
                     const authToken = currentState.sourceAuthTokenRef
@@ -1160,7 +1167,9 @@ async function promptForInteractiveSource(
                       branch: currentState.sourceBranch ?? 'main',
                     });
                     scanDir = cacheDir;
+                    cloneSpinner.stop('Repository cloned');
                   } catch {
+                    cloneSpinner.error('Could not clone repository');
                     // Clone failed — fall through to manual prompt
                   }
                 }
@@ -1256,6 +1265,7 @@ async function promptForInteractiveSource(
           state,
           prompts,
           deps: { discoverMetabaseDatabases: discoverMetabaseDatabaseList },
+          io,
         });
         if (databaseId === 'back') return 'back';
         state.metabaseDatabaseId = databaseId;
@@ -1790,15 +1800,25 @@ async function validateSourceConnectionAndMapping(input: {
   io: KtxCliIo;
   deps: KtxSetupSourcesDeps;
 }): Promise<ValidateResult> {
-  const validation = await validateSource(
-    input.source,
-    { projectDir: input.args.projectDir, connectionId: input.connectionId, connection: input.connection },
-    input.deps,
-  );
+  const validateSpinner = createCliSpinner(input.io);
+  validateSpinner.start(`Validating ${sourceLabel(input.source)} source…`);
+  let validation: SourceValidationResult;
+  try {
+    validation = await validateSource(
+      input.source,
+      { projectDir: input.args.projectDir, connectionId: input.connectionId, connection: input.connection },
+      input.deps,
+    );
+  } catch (error) {
+    validateSpinner.error(`${sourceLabel(input.source)} source validation failed`);
+    throw error;
+  }
   if (!validation.ok) {
+    validateSpinner.error(`${sourceLabel(input.source)} source validation failed`);
     input.io.stderr.write(`${validation.message}\n`);
     return { status: 'failed' };
   }
+  validateSpinner.stop(`${sourceLabel(input.source)} source validated`);
 
   if (input.source === 'metabase' || input.source === 'looker') {
     input.prompts.log?.(`Validating ${sourceLabel(input.source)} mapping...`);
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/tree-picker-tui.tsx b/packages/cli/src/tree-picker-tui.tsx
index 94fc0dd6..acf7cd4c 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/tree-picker-tui.tsx
+++ b/packages/cli/src/tree-picker-tui.tsx
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ import {
   type PickerState,
 } from './tree-picker-state.js';
 import type { KtxCliIo } from './cli-runtime.js';
+import { TREE_PICKER_NAVIGATION_HINT } from './prompt-navigation.js';
 
 const COLOR_THEME = {
   text: 'white',
@@ -31,9 +32,6 @@ const NO_COLOR_THEME = {
 
 type TreePickerTheme = Record<keyof typeof COLOR_THEME, string>;
 
-const DEFAULT_TREE_PICKER_HELP_TEXT =
-  'Up/Down to move, Right/Left to expand or collapse, Tab to select, Type to search, Enter to confirm, Escape to clear search or go back, Ctrl+C to exit.';
-
 const DEFAULT_SKIP_EMPTY_MESSAGE =
   'Nothing selected. Skip this step? Press Enter to skip or Escape to go back.';
 
@@ -60,7 +58,6 @@ export type TreePickerResult = { kind: 'save'; selectedIds: string[] } | { kind:
 
 export interface TreePickerChrome {
   title: string;
-  helpText?: string;
   subtitleLines?: readonly string[];
   warningLines?: readonly string[];
   confirmSaveMessage?: (state: PickerState) => string;
@@ -221,7 +218,6 @@ export function TreePickerApp(props: TreePickerAppProps): ReactNode {
   const hiddenBelow = Math.max(0, visibleIds.length - rows.offset - rows.items.length);
   const searchMatchCount = filterTree(state).visibleIds.size;
   const width = resolveTreePickerWidth(props.terminalWidth);
-  const helpText = props.chrome.helpText ?? DEFAULT_TREE_PICKER_HELP_TEXT;
   const skipEmptyMessage = props.chrome.skipEmptyMessage ?? DEFAULT_SKIP_EMPTY_MESSAGE;
 
   stateRef.current = state;
@@ -284,7 +280,7 @@ export function TreePickerApp(props: TreePickerAppProps): ReactNode {
         borderColor={theme.active}
         paddingLeft={1}
       >
-        <Text color={theme.muted}>{helpText}</Text>
+        <Text color={theme.muted}>{TREE_PICKER_NAVIGATION_HINT}</Text>
         <Text> </Text>
         {(props.chrome.subtitleLines ?? []).map((line, idx) => (
           <Text key={`subtitle-${idx}`} color={theme.muted}>
@@ -304,7 +300,7 @@ export function TreePickerApp(props: TreePickerAppProps): ReactNode {
         <Text>
           <Text color={theme.muted}>Search: </Text>
           {state.isNavigating ? (
-            <Text color={theme.muted}>{state.search.query || '(type to filter)'}</Text>
+            <Text color={theme.muted}>{state.search.query || '(type to search)'}</Text>
           ) : (
             <Text>
               {state.search.query}
diff --git a/packages/cli/test/clack.test.ts b/packages/cli/test/clack.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..a1add7d2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/cli/test/clack.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest';
+import { type KtxCliSpinner, runWithCliSpinner } from '../src/clack.js';
+
+function makeSpinner() {
+  const events: string[] = [];
+  const spinner: KtxCliSpinner = {
+    start: (msg) => events.push(`start:${msg}`),
+    message: (msg) => events.push(`message:${msg}`),
+    stop: (msg) => events.push(`stop:${msg}`),
+    error: (msg) => events.push(`error:${msg}`),
+  };
+  return { events, spinner };
+}
+
+describe('runWithCliSpinner', () => {
+  it('starts then stops with the success text and returns the value', async () => {
+    const { events, spinner } = makeSpinner();
+
+    const value = await runWithCliSpinner(spinner, { start: 'Working…', success: 'Done', failure: 'Failed' }, async () => 42);
+
+    expect(value).toBe(42);
+    expect(events).toEqual(['start:Working…', 'stop:Done']);
+  });
+
+  it('errors with the failure text and rethrows when the work throws', async () => {
+    const { events, spinner } = makeSpinner();
+    const boom = new Error('boom');
+
+    await expect(
+      runWithCliSpinner(spinner, { start: 'Working…', success: 'Done', failure: 'Failed' }, async () => {
+        throw boom;
+      }),
+    ).rejects.toBe(boom);
+    expect(events).toEqual(['start:Working…', 'error:Failed']);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/packages/cli/test/prompt-navigation.test.ts b/packages/cli/test/prompt-navigation.test.ts
index 9bbd34e9..0ba3fdc4 100644
--- a/packages/cli/test/prompt-navigation.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/test/prompt-navigation.test.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,14 @@
 import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest';
-import { withMenuOptionSpacing, withMultiselectNavigation, withTextInputNavigation } from '../src/prompt-navigation.js';
+import {
+  FLAT_MULTISELECT_NAVIGATION_HINT,
+  MULTISELECT_NAVIGATION_FRAGMENTS,
+  SEARCHABLE_MULTISELECT_NAVIGATION_HINT,
+  TREE_PICKER_NAVIGATION_HINT,
+  withMenuOptionSpacing,
+  withMultiselectNavigation,
+  withSearchableMultiselectNavigation,
+  withTextInputNavigation,
+} from '../src/prompt-navigation.js';
 
 describe('prompt navigation helpers', () => {
   it('leaves compact single-line menu prompts unchanged', () => {
@@ -18,10 +27,56 @@ describe('prompt navigation helpers', () => {
 
   it('keeps multiselect navigation copy multiline so menu renderers can separate it from options', () => {
     expect(withMultiselectNavigation('Which sources?')).toBe(
-      'Which sources?\nUse Up/Down to move, Space to select or unselect, Enter to confirm, Escape to go back, or Ctrl+C to exit.',
+      'Which sources?\nUp/Down to move, Tab to select or unselect, Enter to confirm, Escape to go back, Ctrl+C to exit.',
     );
   });
 
+  it('appends the searchable hint for autocomplete multiselect prompts', () => {
+    expect(withSearchableMultiselectNavigation('Choose schemas')).toBe(
+      'Choose schemas\nUp/Down to move, Tab to select or unselect, Type to search, Enter to confirm, Escape to go back, Ctrl+C to exit.',
+    );
+  });
+
+  it('does not duplicate the searchable hint when applied twice', () => {
+    const once = withSearchableMultiselectNavigation('Choose schemas');
+    expect(withSearchableMultiselectNavigation(once)).toBe(once);
+  });
+
+  it('matches the approved hint wording for each multi-select surface', () => {
+    expect(FLAT_MULTISELECT_NAVIGATION_HINT).toBe(
+      'Up/Down to move, Tab to select or unselect, Enter to confirm, Escape to go back, Ctrl+C to exit.',
+    );
+    expect(SEARCHABLE_MULTISELECT_NAVIGATION_HINT).toBe(
+      'Up/Down to move, Tab to select or unselect, Type to search, Enter to confirm, Escape to go back, Ctrl+C to exit.',
+    );
+    expect(TREE_PICKER_NAVIGATION_HINT).toBe(
+      'Up/Down to move, Right/Left to expand or collapse, Tab to select or unselect, Type to search, Enter to confirm, Escape to clear search or go back, Ctrl+C to exit.',
+    );
+  });
+
+  it('composes every hint from the shared fragment vocabulary so wording cannot drift', () => {
+    const hints = [
+      FLAT_MULTISELECT_NAVIGATION_HINT,
+      SEARCHABLE_MULTISELECT_NAVIGATION_HINT,
+      TREE_PICKER_NAVIGATION_HINT,
+    ];
+    const sharedFragments = [
+      MULTISELECT_NAVIGATION_FRAGMENTS.move,
+      MULTISELECT_NAVIGATION_FRAGMENTS.select,
+      MULTISELECT_NAVIGATION_FRAGMENTS.confirm,
+      MULTISELECT_NAVIGATION_FRAGMENTS.exit,
+    ];
+    for (const fragment of sharedFragments) {
+      for (const hint of hints) {
+        expect(hint).toContain(fragment);
+      }
+    }
+    expect(MULTISELECT_NAVIGATION_FRAGMENTS.select).toBe('Tab to select or unselect');
+    for (const hint of hints) {
+      expect(hint).not.toContain('Space');
+    }
+  });
+
   it('adds a blank separator between text input helper copy and the editable value', () => {
     expect(
       withTextInputNavigation(
diff --git a/packages/cli/test/setup-agents.test.ts b/packages/cli/test/setup-agents.test.ts
index d08355e5..b85ad9a5 100644
--- a/packages/cli/test/setup-agents.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/test/setup-agents.test.ts
@@ -998,7 +998,7 @@ describe('setup agents', () => {
     ).resolves.toEqual({ status: 'skipped', projectDir: tempDir });
   });
 
-  it('prints one navigation hint before interactive agent target prompts', async () => {
+  it('wraps the agent target prompt with the navigation hint and prints no separate hint line', async () => {
     const io = makeIo();
     const prompts = {
       select: vi.fn(async () => 'mcp-cli'),
@@ -1022,13 +1022,14 @@ describe('setup agents', () => {
       ),
     ).resolves.toEqual({ status: 'back', projectDir: tempDir });
 
-    expect(io.stdout()).toContain('Space to select, Enter to confirm, Esc to go back.');
-    expect(io.stdout().match(/Space to select/g)).toHaveLength(1);
     expect(prompts.multiselect).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
       expect.objectContaining({
-        message: 'Which agent targets should ktx install?',
+        message:
+          'Which agent targets should ktx install?\n' +
+          'Up/Down to move, Tab to select or unselect, Enter to confirm, Escape to go back, Ctrl+C to exit.',
       }),
     );
+    expect(io.stdout()).not.toContain('Space to select');
   });
 
   it('prints per-agent install summary after successful installation', async () => {
diff --git a/packages/cli/test/setup-databases.test.ts b/packages/cli/test/setup-databases.test.ts
index 5c25b266..7f0a5523 100644
--- a/packages/cli/test/setup-databases.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/test/setup-databases.test.ts
@@ -235,7 +235,7 @@ describe('setup databases step', () => {
     expect(prompts.multiselect).toHaveBeenCalledWith({
       message:
         'Which databases should ktx connect to?\n' +
-        'Use Up/Down to move, Space to select or unselect, Enter to confirm, Escape to go back, or Ctrl+C to exit.',
+        'Up/Down to move, Tab to select or unselect, Enter to confirm, Escape to go back, Ctrl+C to exit.',
       options: [
         { value: 'postgres', label: 'PostgreSQL' },
         { value: 'bigquery', label: 'BigQuery' },
@@ -273,7 +273,7 @@ describe('setup databases step', () => {
     expect(prompts.multiselect).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2);
     expect(vi.mocked(prompts.multiselect).mock.calls[1]?.[0].message).toBe(
       'Which databases should ktx connect to?\n' +
-        'Use Up/Down to move, Space to select or unselect, Enter to confirm, Escape to go back, or Ctrl+C to exit.',
+        'Up/Down to move, Tab to select or unselect, Enter to confirm, Escape to go back, Ctrl+C to exit.',
     );
   });
 
diff --git a/packages/cli/test/setup-embeddings.test.ts b/packages/cli/test/setup-embeddings.test.ts
index 5754913c..62ebda97 100644
--- a/packages/cli/test/setup-embeddings.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/test/setup-embeddings.test.ts
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ function makeIo() {
   return {
     io: {
       stdout: {
-        isTTY: true,
+        isTTY: false,
         write: (chunk: string) => {
           stdout += chunk;
         },
@@ -185,7 +185,7 @@ describe('setup embeddings step', () => {
     expect(io.stdout()).toContain('Embeddings ready: yes');
   });
 
-  it('uses a short non-animated local embeddings health-check status by default', async () => {
+  it('uses a short non-animated local embeddings health-check status when stdout is not a TTY', async () => {
     const io = makeIo();
     const healthCheck = vi.fn(async () => ({ ok: true as const }));
     const prompts = makePromptAdapter({ selectValues: ['sentence-transformers'] });
diff --git a/packages/cli/test/setup-models.test.ts b/packages/cli/test/setup-models.test.ts
index e6ec9001..4dfe66b7 100644
--- a/packages/cli/test/setup-models.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/test/setup-models.test.ts
@@ -161,6 +161,7 @@ describe('setup Anthropic model step', () => {
   it('configures Claude Code backend and validates local auth', async () => {
     const io = makeIo();
     const authProbe = vi.fn(async () => ({ ok: true as const }));
+    const { events: spinnerEvents, spinner } = makeSpinnerEvents();
 
     const result = await runKtxSetupAnthropicModelStep(
       {
@@ -170,7 +171,7 @@ describe('setup Anthropic model step', () => {
         skipLlm: false,
       },
       io.io,
-      { claudeCodeAuthProbe: authProbe },
+      { claudeCodeAuthProbe: authProbe, spinner },
     );
 
     expect(result.status).toBe('ready');
@@ -183,17 +184,26 @@ describe('setup Anthropic model step', () => {
     expect(authProbe).toHaveBeenNthCalledWith(1, expect.objectContaining({ projectDir: tempDir, model: 'sonnet' }));
     expect(authProbe).toHaveBeenNthCalledWith(2, expect.objectContaining({ projectDir: tempDir, model: 'haiku' }));
     expect(authProbe).toHaveBeenNthCalledWith(3, expect.objectContaining({ projectDir: tempDir, model: 'opus' }));
+    expect(spinnerEvents).toEqual([
+      'start:Checking Claude subscription LLM (sonnet).',
+      'stop:LLM test passed (Claude subscription, sonnet)',
+      'start:Checking Claude subscription LLM (haiku).',
+      'stop:LLM test passed (Claude subscription, haiku)',
+      'start:Checking Claude subscription LLM (opus).',
+      'stop:LLM test passed (Claude subscription, opus)',
+    ]);
   });
 
   it('does not prompt for a Claude Code model during interactive setup', async () => {
     const io = makeIo();
     const prompts = makePromptAdapter({ selectValues: ['claude-code'] });
     const authProbe = vi.fn(async () => ({ ok: true as const }));
+    const { spinner } = makeSpinnerEvents();
 
     const result = await runKtxSetupAnthropicModelStep(
       { projectDir: tempDir, inputMode: 'auto', skipLlm: false },
       io.io,
-      { prompts, claudeCodeAuthProbe: authProbe },
+      { prompts, claudeCodeAuthProbe: authProbe, spinner },
     );
 
     expect(result.status).toBe('ready');
@@ -214,6 +224,7 @@ describe('setup Anthropic model step', () => {
   it('configures Codex backend and validates local auth', async () => {
     const io = makeIo();
     const codexAuthProbe = vi.fn(async () => ({ ok: true as const }));
+    const { events: spinnerEvents, spinner } = makeSpinnerEvents();
 
     const result = await runKtxSetupAnthropicModelStep(
       {
@@ -223,7 +234,7 @@ describe('setup Anthropic model step', () => {
         skipLlm: false,
       },
       io.io,
-      { codexAuthProbe },
+      { codexAuthProbe, spinner },
     );
 
     expect(result.status).toBe('ready');
@@ -234,6 +245,10 @@ describe('setup Anthropic model step', () => {
     });
     expect(codexAuthProbe).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
     expect(codexAuthProbe).toHaveBeenCalledWith(expect.objectContaining({ projectDir: tempDir, model: 'gpt-5.5' }));
+    expect(spinnerEvents).toEqual([
+      'start:Checking Codex LLM (gpt-5.5).',
+      'stop:LLM test passed (Codex, gpt-5.5)',
+    ]);
     // The warning carries the clack gutter so it renders inside the setup frame.
     expect(io.stderr()).toContain('│  Codex backend isolation is limited');
     expect(io.stderr()).toContain('may still load user Codex config');
@@ -242,6 +257,7 @@ describe('setup Anthropic model step', () => {
   it('defaults the Codex model to gpt-5.5 when none is provided non-interactively', async () => {
     const io = makeIo();
     const codexAuthProbe = vi.fn(async () => ({ ok: true as const }));
+    const { spinner } = makeSpinnerEvents();
 
     const result = await runKtxSetupAnthropicModelStep(
       {
@@ -251,7 +267,7 @@ describe('setup Anthropic model step', () => {
         skipLlm: false,
       },
       io.io,
-      { codexAuthProbe },
+      { codexAuthProbe, spinner },
     );
 
     expect(result.status).toBe('ready');
@@ -283,6 +299,7 @@ describe('setup Anthropic model step', () => {
       'utf-8',
     );
     const io = makeIo();
+    const { spinner } = makeSpinnerEvents();
 
     const result = await runKtxSetupAnthropicModelStep(
       {
@@ -294,6 +311,7 @@ describe('setup Anthropic model step', () => {
       io.io,
       {
         claudeCodeAuthProbe: async () => ({ ok: true as const }),
+        spinner,
       },
     );
 
diff --git a/packages/cli/test/setup-prompts-tab-toggle.test.ts b/packages/cli/test/setup-prompts-tab-toggle.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..ddd106eb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/cli/test/setup-prompts-tab-toggle.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+import { PassThrough } from 'node:stream';
+import { multiselect } from '@clack/prompts';
+import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest';
+// Importing the adapter module registers the tab→space alias on clack settings.
+import '../src/setup-prompts.js';
+
+type FakeInput = PassThrough & { isTTY: boolean; setRawMode: (value: boolean) => void };
+type FakeOutput = PassThrough & { isTTY: boolean; columns: number; rows: number };
+
+function fakeTty(): { input: FakeInput; output: FakeOutput } {
+  const input = new PassThrough() as FakeInput;
+  input.isTTY = true;
+  input.setRawMode = () => {};
+  const output = new PassThrough() as FakeOutput;
+  output.isTTY = true;
+  output.columns = 80;
+  output.rows = 24;
+  output.resume();
+  return { input, output };
+}
+
+const tick = (): Promise<void> => new Promise((resolve) => setImmediate(resolve));
+
+describe('Tab selection in a flat multiselect', () => {
+  it('toggles the focused option, proving the adapter alias drives a real clack multiselect', async () => {
+    const { input, output } = fakeTty();
+    const result = multiselect({
+      message: 'Pick',
+      options: [
+        { value: 'a', label: 'A' },
+        { value: 'b', label: 'B' },
+      ],
+      input,
+      output,
+    });
+
+    await tick();
+    input.emit('keypress', '\t', { name: 'tab' });
+    await tick();
+    input.emit('keypress', '', { name: 'return' });
+
+    expect(await result).toEqual(['a']);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/packages/cli/test/setup-prompts.test.ts b/packages/cli/test/setup-prompts.test.ts
index 8833849d..d66ada1c 100644
--- a/packages/cli/test/setup-prompts.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/test/setup-prompts.test.ts
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+import { settings } from '@clack/core';
 import { beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest';
 import {
   createKtxSetupPromptAdapter,
@@ -63,6 +64,13 @@ describe('setup prompt adapter', () => {
     mocks.withSetupInterruptConfirmation.mockClear();
   });
 
+  it('registers Tab as a Space alias so flat multiselects toggle on Tab', () => {
+    // Importing the adapter module runs updateSettings({ aliases: { tab: 'space' } }).
+    // clack remaps Tab→Space on non-text prompts, which is what toggles a flat
+    // multiselect option; text inputs set _track, so their typed Tab is untouched.
+    expect(settings.aliases.get('tab')).toBe('space');
+  });
+
   it('passes select hint and disabled options through Clack and delegates cancellation handling', async () => {
     mocks.select.mockResolvedValueOnce('openai');
     const adapter = createKtxSetupPromptAdapter({ selectCancelValue: 'back' });
diff --git a/packages/cli/test/setup-sources.test.ts b/packages/cli/test/setup-sources.test.ts
index a6a91805..0d01c189 100644
--- a/packages/cli/test/setup-sources.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/test/setup-sources.test.ts
@@ -761,7 +761,7 @@ describe('setup sources step', () => {
     expect(testPrompts.multiselect).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
       expect.objectContaining({
         message:
-          'Which context sources should ktx ingest?\nUse Up/Down to move, Space to select or unselect, Enter to confirm, Escape to go back, or Ctrl+C to exit.',
+          'Which context sources should ktx ingest?\nUp/Down to move, Tab to select or unselect, Enter to confirm, Escape to go back, Ctrl+C to exit.',
       }),
     );
     const options = vi.mocked(testPrompts.multiselect).mock.calls[0]?.[0].options ?? [];
diff --git a/packages/cli/test/tree-picker-tui.test.tsx b/packages/cli/test/tree-picker-tui.test.tsx
index f4f642c0..78c9a68f 100644
--- a/packages/cli/test/tree-picker-tui.test.tsx
+++ b/packages/cli/test/tree-picker-tui.test.tsx
@@ -193,24 +193,11 @@ describe('TreePickerApp', () => {
     expect(frame).toContain('◻ Engineering Docs ▸ (1)');
     expect(frame).toContain('◻ Marketing');
     expect(normalizeFrameWrap(frame)).toContain(
-      'Up/Down to move, Right/Left to expand or collapse, Tab to select, Type to search, Enter to confirm, Escape to clear search or go back, Ctrl+C to exit.',
+      'Up/Down to move, Right/Left to expand or collapse, Tab to select or unselect, Type to search, Enter to confirm, Escape to clear search or go back, Ctrl+C to exit.',
     );
     expect(frame).toContain('Search:');
   });
 
-  it('renders custom help text when supplied', () => {
-    const { lastFrame } = renderInkTest(
-      <TreePickerApp
-        initialState={state()}
-        chrome={chrome({ helpText: 'Bespoke instructions here.' })}
-        terminalRows={24}
-        terminalWidth={100}
-        onExit={vi.fn()}
-      />,
-    );
-    expect(lastFrame() ?? '').toContain('Bespoke instructions here.');
-  });
-
   it('renders checked parents and locked descendants with locked glyphs', () => {
     const initialState = {
       ...state(),