diff --git a/src/tmux-manager.ts b/src/tmux-manager.ts
index 961d5683..523c4260 100644
--- a/src/tmux-manager.ts
+++ b/src/tmux-manager.ts
@@ -479,9 +479,11 @@ export interface PasteTextCommands {
 
 /**
  * Escape a final `;` for tmux. tmux splits commands on an argument that ENDS in
- * `;` (`set-buffer -- 'a;'` stores `a`, `send-keys -l 'a;'` types `a`, a lone `;`
+ * `;` (`set-buffer -- 'a;'` stores `a`, `send-keys -l -- 'a;'` types `a`, a lone `;`
  * is no argument at all); a final `\;` is its escape for a literal `;`. A `;`
- * anywhere else in the argument is literal already. Exported for unit testing.
+ * anywhere else in the argument is literal already. Every `send-keys -l` passes
+ * `--` before the text, like `set-buffer`, or tmux parses a text that starts with
+ * `-` as its own options. Exported for unit testing.
  */
 export function escapeTmuxTrailingSemicolon(text: string): string {
   return text.endsWith(';') ? `${text.slice(0, -1)}\\;` : text;
@@ -3997,7 +3999,7 @@ export class TmuxManager extends EventEmitter implements TerminalMultiplexer {
         // highlighted option (see submitsAsKeys).
         if (submitsAsKeys(textPart)) {
           await run(
-            `${this.tmux()} send-keys -t "${session.muxName}" -l ${shellescape(escapeTmuxTrailingSemicolon(textPart))}`
+            `${this.tmux()} send-keys -t "${session.muxName}" -l -- ${shellescape(escapeTmuxTrailingSemicolon(textPart))}`
           );
         } else {
           await pasteText(run, buildPasteTextCommands(this.tmux(), session.muxName, textPart));
@@ -4014,7 +4016,7 @@ export class TmuxManager extends EventEmitter implements TerminalMultiplexer {
       } else if (textPart) {
         // Text only, no Enter
         await run(
-          `${this.tmux()} send-keys -t "${session.muxName}" -l ${shellescape(escapeTmuxTrailingSemicolon(textPart))}`
+          `${this.tmux()} send-keys -t "${session.muxName}" -l -- ${shellescape(escapeTmuxTrailingSemicolon(textPart))}`
         );
       } else if (hasCarriageReturn) {
         // Enter only
@@ -4168,7 +4170,7 @@ export class TmuxManager extends EventEmitter implements TerminalMultiplexer {
 
       if (textPart && hasCarriageReturn) {
         execSync(
-          `${tmux} send-keys -t ${shellescape(target)} -l ${shellescape(escapeTmuxTrailingSemicolon(textPart))}`,
+          `${tmux} send-keys -t ${shellescape(target)} -l -- ${shellescape(escapeTmuxTrailingSemicolon(textPart))}`,
           {
             encoding: 'utf-8',
             timeout: EXEC_TIMEOUT_MS,
@@ -4180,7 +4182,7 @@ export class TmuxManager extends EventEmitter implements TerminalMultiplexer {
         });
       } else if (textPart) {
         execSync(
-          `${tmux} send-keys -t ${shellescape(target)} -l ${shellescape(escapeTmuxTrailingSemicolon(textPart))}`,
+          `${tmux} send-keys -t ${shellescape(target)} -l -- ${shellescape(escapeTmuxTrailingSemicolon(textPart))}`,
           {
             encoding: 'utf-8',
             timeout: EXEC_TIMEOUT_MS,
diff --git a/test/tmux-submit-paste.test.ts b/test/tmux-submit-paste.test.ts
index 39eb1d55..e0a3fa88 100644
--- a/test/tmux-submit-paste.test.ts
+++ b/test/tmux-submit-paste.test.ts
@@ -3,7 +3,8 @@
  * submit (`sendInput`) goes in as ONE bracketed paste. Also `submitsAsKeys()`: a
  * single character is typed instead, since a selection dialog ignores a pasted `3`
  * and the Enter then confirms the highlighted option. And
- * `escapeTmuxTrailingSemicolon()`, which every literal text path runs through.
+ * `escapeTmuxTrailingSemicolon()`, which every literal text path runs through,
+ * and the `--` that ends tmux's option parsing before every `send-keys -l` text.
  *
  * Why: `send-keys -l` typed the text as an unmarked burst, and Codex's paste-burst
  * heuristic folded the Enter that followed 50 ms later into the paste as a newline,
@@ -174,13 +175,13 @@ describe('sendInput wiring', () => {
   it('types a single-character submit with send-keys -l, so a dialog answer selects', async () => {
     const body = await sendInputBody();
     const keysBranch = body.slice(body.indexOf('if (submitsAsKeys(textPart))'), body.indexOf('} else {'));
-    expect(keysBranch).toMatch(/send-keys[^`]*-l \$\{shellescape\(escapeTmuxTrailingSemicolon\(textPart\)\)\}/);
+    expect(keysBranch).toMatch(/send-keys[^`]*-l -- \$\{shellescape\(escapeTmuxTrailingSemicolon\(textPart\)\)\}/);
     expect(keysBranch).not.toContain('pasteText(');
   });
 
   it('escapes a trailing ";" on every send-keys -l in sendInput and sendInputToPane', async () => {
     const src = await source();
-    const typed = src.match(/send-keys[^`\n]*-l \$\{[^`\n]*\}/g) ?? [];
+    const typed = src.match(/send-keys[^`\n]*-l (?:-- )?\$\{[^`\n]*\}/g) ?? [];
     const inSend = [await sendInputBody(), src.slice(src.indexOf('sendInputToPane(muxName'))]
       .map((b) => b.slice(0, b.indexOf('\n  }\n')))
       .join('\n');
@@ -188,6 +189,15 @@ describe('sendInput wiring', () => {
     expect(typedHere.length).toBe(4);
     for (const cmd of typedHere) expect(cmd).toContain('escapeTmuxTrailingSemicolon(textPart)');
   });
+  // tmux parses an argument after `-l` that starts with `-` as an option, so a
+  // prompt like `-x hello` or `--help` was refused instead of typed. `--` ends
+  // option parsing; set-buffer already gets one (buildPasteTextCommands).
+  it('ends option parsing with -- before the text on every send-keys -l', async () => {
+    const src = await source();
+    const literal = src.match(/send-keys -t [^`\n]*\s-l\s[^`\n]*/g) ?? [];
+    expect(literal.length).toBe(4);
+    for (const cmd of literal) expect(cmd).toMatch(/\s-l -- \$\{shellescape\(/);
+  });
 });
 
 describe('sendInput line breaks', () => {
@@ -269,7 +279,7 @@ describe('sendInput line breaks', () => {
     // Without an Enter, what is left is one line, so it is typed like any other.
     const typed = managerWithSession();
     await typed.sendInput('s1', '\n\njust type');
-    expect(typed.ran).toEqual([expect.stringMatching(/ send-keys -t "codeman-abc12345" -l 'just type'$/)]);
+    expect(typed.ran).toEqual([expect.stringMatching(/ send-keys -t "codeman-abc12345" -l -- 'just type'$/)]);
   });
 
   it('leaves single-line input as it was: pasted with Enter, typed without', async () => {
@@ -281,6 +291,23 @@ describe('sendInput line breaks', () => {
     const typed = managerWithSession();
     await typed.sendInput('s1', 'just type');
     expect(typed.ran).toHaveLength(1);
-    expect(typed.ran[0]).toMatch(/ send-keys -t "codeman-abc12345" -l 'just type'$/);
+    expect(typed.ran[0]).toMatch(/ send-keys -t "codeman-abc12345" -l -- 'just type'$/);
+  });
+
+  // The argv a shell hands tmux must put `--` right before the text, or tmux reads
+  // a leading `-` as its own option and types nothing.
+  it('types text that starts with a hyphen after --, on both send-keys -l branches', async () => {
+    const keysArgv = (cmd: string) => argvOf(cmd.replace(/^.*? send-keys /, `${FAKE_TMUX} send-keys `));
+
+    const typed = managerWithSession();
+    await typed.sendInput('s1', '-x hello');
+    expect(typed.ran).toHaveLength(1);
+    expect(keysArgv(typed.ran[0]).slice(-3)).toEqual(['-l', '--', '-x hello']);
+
+    const answer = managerWithSession();
+    await answer.sendInput('s1', '-\r');
+    expect(answer.ran).toHaveLength(2);
+    expect(keysArgv(answer.ran[0]).slice(-3)).toEqual(['-l', '--', '-']);
+    expect(answer.ran[1]).toMatch(/ send-keys -t "codeman-abc12345" Enter$/);
   });
 });