diff --git a/Sources/XToolSupport/Console.swift b/Sources/XToolSupport/Console.swift
index ba6136e1..1de8c3f1 100644
--- a/Sources/XToolSupport/Console.swift
+++ b/Sources/XToolSupport/Console.swift
@@ -1,45 +1,103 @@
 import Foundation
 import XKit
 import XUtils
-import NIOPosix
-import NIOCore
 
 enum Console {
-    private static func withStdio<T>(
-        _ body: (
-            _ stdin: NIOAsyncChannelInboundStream<ByteBuffer>,
-            _ stdout: NIOAsyncChannelOutboundWriter<ByteBuffer>
-        ) async throws -> T
-    ) async throws -> T {
-        try await NIOPipeBootstrap(group: .singletonMultiThreadedEventLoopGroup)
-            .takingOwnershipOfDescriptors(
-                input: FileDescriptor.standardInput.duplicate().rawValue,
-                output: FileDescriptor.standardOutput.duplicate().rawValue
-            )
-            .flatMapThrowing { try NIOAsyncChannel(wrappingChannelSynchronously: $0) }
-            .get()
-            .executeThenClose { try await body($0, $1) }
+    /// Bridges the synchronous, blocking stdin read to a cancellable async
+    /// read. SIGINT is delivered as task cancellation by
+    /// XToolCommand.cancellableMain, so a prompt must observe cancellation.
+    private final class PromptRead: @unchecked Sendable {
+        private let lock = NSLock()
+        private var continuation: CheckedContinuation<String?, any Swift.Error>?
+        private var cancelled = false
+
+        /// Returns true when the continuation was installed and the caller
+        /// should start the blocking read. Returns false when cancellation
+        /// already happened: the continuation is resumed immediately and no
+        /// read thread should be started.
+        func install(_ continuation: CheckedContinuation<String?, any Swift.Error>) -> Bool {
+            lock.lock()
+            defer { lock.unlock() }
+            if cancelled {
+                continuation.resume(throwing: CancellationError())
+                return false
+            }
+            self.continuation = continuation
+            return true
+        }
+
+        func finish(returning value: String?) {
+            lock.lock()
+            defer { lock.unlock() }
+            continuation?.resume(returning: value)
+            continuation = nil
+        }
+
+        func finish(throwing error: any Swift.Error) {
+            lock.lock()
+            defer { lock.unlock() }
+            continuation?.resume(throwing: error)
+            continuation = nil
+        }
+
+        func cancel() {
+            lock.lock()
+            defer { lock.unlock() }
+            cancelled = true
+            continuation?.resume(throwing: CancellationError())
+            continuation = nil
+        }
     }
 
     static func prompt(_ message: String) async throws -> String {
-        try await withStdio { stdin, stdout in
-            try await stdout.write(ByteBuffer(bytes: message.utf8))
-
-            fflush(stdoutSafe)
-
-            var data = Data()
-            for try await chunk in stdin {
-                let view = chunk.readableBytesView
-                if let endIndex = view.firstIndex(of: UInt8(ascii: "\n")) {
-                    data += view[..<endIndex]
-                    break
-                } else {
-                    data += view
+        print(message, terminator: "")
+        fflush(stdoutSafe)
+
+        let read = PromptRead()
+        return try await withTaskCancellationHandler {
+            let line = try await withCheckedThrowingContinuation { (continuation: CheckedContinuation<String?, any Swift.Error>) in
+                if read.install(continuation) {
+                    let thread = Thread {
+                        do {
+                            read.finish(returning: try readLineFromStandardInput())
+                        } catch {
+                            read.finish(throwing: error)
+                        }
+                    }
+                    thread.name = "xtool-console-prompt"
+                    thread.start()
                 }
             }
-            let str = String(decoding: data, as: UTF8.self)
-            return str.hasSuffix("\r") ? String(str.dropLast()) : str
+            guard let line else {
+                // EOF (e.g. stdin redirected from /dev/null): surface a clean
+                // error instead of trapping on NIO's epoll registration.
+                throw Error("Unexpected end of input.")
+            }
+            return line.hasSuffix("\r") ? String(line.dropLast()) : line
+        } onCancel: {
+            // Unblock the suspended continuation; the read thread's blocking
+            // read is abandoned and dies when the process exits.
+            read.cancel()
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// Reads a line from stdin using FileHandle (raw read(), not C stdio).
+    /// C stdio's readLine() holds the stdin lock while blocked, which
+    /// deadlocks exit() after SIGINT cancels a prompt.
+    private static func readLineFromStandardInput() throws -> String? {
+        var data = Data()
+        let handle = FileHandle.standardInput
+        while true {
+            guard let chunk = try handle.read(upToCount: 1), !chunk.isEmpty else {
+                // EOF (nil or empty read)
+                return data.isEmpty ? nil : String(decoding: data, as: UTF8.self)
+            }
+            if chunk.first == UInt8(ascii: "\n") {
+                break
+            }
+            data.append(contentsOf: chunk)
         }
+        return String(decoding: data, as: UTF8.self)
     }
 
     static func promptRequired(_ message: String, existing: String?) async throws -> String {