diff --git a/packages/pi-coding-agent/src/modes/interactive/components/extension-input.ts b/packages/pi-coding-agent/src/modes/interactive/components/extension-input.ts
index 4c0e816bd..06d7ee933 100644
--- a/packages/pi-coding-agent/src/modes/interactive/components/extension-input.ts
+++ b/packages/pi-coding-agent/src/modes/interactive/components/extension-input.ts
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ export class ExtensionInputComponent extends Container implements Focusable {
 
 	constructor(
 		title: string,
-		_placeholder: string | undefined,
+		placeholder: string | undefined,
 		onSubmit: (value: string) => void,
 		onCancel: () => void,
 		opts?: ExtensionInputOptions,
@@ -61,6 +61,9 @@ export class ExtensionInputComponent extends Container implements Focusable {
 		}
 
 		this.input = new Input();
+		if (placeholder) {
+			this.input.placeholder = placeholder;
+		}
 		this.addChild(this.input);
 		this.addChild(new Spacer(1));
 		this.addChild(new Text(`${keyHint("selectConfirm", "submit")}  ${keyHint("selectCancel", "cancel")}`, 1, 0));
diff --git a/packages/pi-tui/src/components/input.ts b/packages/pi-tui/src/components/input.ts
index e5c3b4f7f..13714b138 100644
--- a/packages/pi-tui/src/components/input.ts
+++ b/packages/pi-tui/src/components/input.ts
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ export class Input implements Component, Focusable {
 	private cursor: number = 0; // Cursor position in the value
 	public onSubmit?: (value: string) => void;
 	public onEscape?: () => void;
+	public placeholder: string = "";
 
 	/** Focusable interface - set by TUI when focus changes */
 	focused: boolean = false;
@@ -440,6 +441,16 @@ export class Input implements Component, Focusable {
 			return [prompt];
 		}
 
+		// Show placeholder when value is empty
+		if (this.value === "" && this.placeholder) {
+			const placeholderText = this.placeholder.slice(0, availableWidth - 1);
+			const marker = this.focused ? CURSOR_MARKER : "";
+			const cursorChar = "\x1b[7m \x1b[27m"; // inverse space for cursor
+			const dimPlaceholder = `\x1b[2m${placeholderText}\x1b[22m`; // dim text
+			const padding = " ".repeat(Math.max(0, availableWidth - visibleWidth(placeholderText) - 1));
+			return [prompt + marker + cursorChar + dimPlaceholder + padding];
+		}
+
 		let visibleText = "";
 		let cursorDisplay = this.cursor;