diff --git a/drain_bsd.go b/drain_bsd.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..f4bc1d2e4f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/drain_bsd.go
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+//go:build darwin || dragonfly || freebsd || netbsd || openbsd
+// +build darwin dragonfly freebsd netbsd openbsd
+
+package tea
+
+import "golang.org/x/sys/unix"
+
+// drainInput discards any pending input on the TTY. It is called during
+// shutdown to remove unsolicited terminal responses (e.g. DECRPM replies to
+// mode 2026/2027 queries) that arrived after the input reader was cancelled.
+// Without this, those bytes are read by the user's shell after exit and
+// printed as garbage characters.
+func (p *Program) drainInput() {
+	if p.ttyInput == nil {
+		return
+	}
+	fd := int(p.ttyInput.Fd())
+	fds := []unix.PollFd{{Fd: int32(fd), Events: unix.POLLIN}} //nolint:gosec // tty fd never overflows int32
+
+	// Responses can arrive in bursts, so flush, then poll, then flush
+	// again until nothing more arrives within the timeout window.
+	// FREAD (1) tells TIOCFLUSH to discard the read queue only.
+	for {
+		_ = unix.IoctlSetPointerInt(fd, unix.TIOCFLUSH, 1)
+
+		n, err := unix.Poll(fds, drainTimeoutMs)
+		if err != nil || n <= 0 {
+			return
+		}
+	}
+}
diff --git a/drain_other.go b/drain_other.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..1f29006d21
--- /dev/null
+++ b/drain_other.go
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+//go:build !windows && !darwin && !dragonfly && !freebsd && !linux && !netbsd && !openbsd && !solaris && !aix
+// +build !windows,!darwin,!dragonfly,!freebsd,!linux,!netbsd,!openbsd,!solaris,!aix
+
+package tea
+
+// drainInput is a no-op on platforms where we don't have a portable way to
+// discard pending TTY input.
+func (p *Program) drainInput() {}
diff --git a/drain_posix.go b/drain_posix.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..3d3549295e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/drain_posix.go
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+//go:build darwin || dragonfly || freebsd || linux || netbsd || openbsd || solaris || aix
+// +build darwin dragonfly freebsd linux netbsd openbsd solaris aix
+
+package tea
+
+// drainTimeoutMs is how long we wait for additional bytes to arrive after
+// flushing the input buffer. Local terminals reply within microseconds; this
+// budget exists so SSH round-trips don't slip through.
+const drainTimeoutMs = 200
diff --git a/drain_unix.go b/drain_unix.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..829fc11be2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/drain_unix.go
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+//go:build linux || solaris || aix
+// +build linux solaris aix
+
+package tea
+
+import "golang.org/x/sys/unix"
+
+// drainInput discards any pending input on the TTY. It is called during
+// shutdown to remove unsolicited terminal responses (e.g. DECRPM replies to
+// mode 2026/2027 queries) that arrived after the input reader was cancelled.
+// Without this, those bytes are read by the user's shell after exit and
+// printed as garbage characters.
+func (p *Program) drainInput() {
+	if p.ttyInput == nil {
+		return
+	}
+	fd := int(p.ttyInput.Fd())
+	fds := []unix.PollFd{{Fd: int32(fd), Events: unix.POLLIN}} //nolint:gosec // tty fd never overflows int32
+
+	// Responses can arrive in bursts, so flush, then poll, then flush
+	// again until nothing more arrives within the timeout window.
+	for {
+		_ = unix.IoctlSetInt(fd, unix.TCFLSH, 0) // TCIFLUSH: discard input
+
+		n, err := unix.Poll(fds, drainTimeoutMs)
+		if err != nil || n <= 0 {
+			return
+		}
+	}
+}
diff --git a/drain_windows.go b/drain_windows.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..523c9de4c2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/drain_windows.go
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+//go:build windows
+// +build windows
+
+package tea
+
+import "golang.org/x/sys/windows"
+
+// drainInput discards any pending console input events to remove unsolicited
+// terminal responses that arrived after the input reader was cancelled.
+// Without this, those bytes can be read by the user's shell after exit and
+// printed as garbage characters.
+func (p *Program) drainInput() {
+	if p.ttyInput == nil {
+		return
+	}
+	_ = windows.FlushConsoleInputBuffer(windows.Handle(p.ttyInput.Fd()))
+}
diff --git a/tty.go b/tty.go
index 12b86493b3..791dc959f7 100644
--- a/tty.go
+++ b/tty.go
@@ -34,6 +34,14 @@ func (p *Program) restoreTerminalState() error {
 	// Flush queued commands.
 	_ = p.flush()
 
+	// Drain any pending terminal responses from the TTY input buffer before
+	// restoring it. The program may have sent capability queries (e.g.
+	// DECRQM for modes 2026/2027) whose responses arrive asynchronously and
+	// were not consumed by the cancelled input reader. Without this, those
+	// bytes are read by the user's shell after exit and printed as garbage
+	// characters. See issue #1590.
+	p.drainInput()
+
 	return p.restoreInput()
 }