diff --git a/clients/android/app/src/main/kotlin/io/unom/punktfunk/MainActivity.kt b/clients/android/app/src/main/kotlin/io/unom/punktfunk/MainActivity.kt
index 99a5845a..0c029a15 100644
--- a/clients/android/app/src/main/kotlin/io/unom/punktfunk/MainActivity.kt
+++ b/clients/android/app/src/main/kotlin/io/unom/punktfunk/MainActivity.kt
@@ -244,6 +244,13 @@ class MainActivity : ComponentActivity() {
         lastPadIsGamepad = true
         lastPadStyle = Gamepad.PadStyle.XBOX // Valve pads carry A/B/X/Y in Xbox positions
         val action = if (down) KeyEvent.ACTION_DOWN else KeyEvent.ACTION_UP
+        // The console UI navigates through padKeyProbe (GamepadNavEffect's held-state + repeat
+        // machinery — A/X/Y/D-pad/Select), NOT the focus system: synthesized events must be
+        // offered there first, exactly like real ones in dispatchKeyEvent (tester-diagnosed:
+        // routing everything via super.dispatchKeyEvent bypassed the probe, so only B — which
+        // never rides key events — did anything). The probes gate on keycode only, so a
+        // synthetic KeyEvent satisfies them.
+        padKeyProbe?.let { if (it(KeyEvent(action, keyCode))) return }
         when (keyCode) {
             // B → back, on release (same edge the real-pad path uses).
             KeyEvent.KEYCODE_BUTTON_B -> if (!down) onBackPressedDispatcher.onBackPressed()
diff --git a/clients/android/kit/src/main/kotlin/io/unom/punktfunk/kit/Sc2Capture.kt b/clients/android/kit/src/main/kotlin/io/unom/punktfunk/kit/Sc2Capture.kt
index e666da6b..5722f118 100644
--- a/clients/android/kit/src/main/kotlin/io/unom/punktfunk/kit/Sc2Capture.kt
+++ b/clients/android/kit/src/main/kotlin/io/unom/punktfunk/kit/Sc2Capture.kt
@@ -214,7 +214,10 @@ class Sc2Capture(
         for (key in held) if (key !in uiHeld) sink(key, true)
         for (key in uiHeld) if (key !in held) sink(key, false)
         uiHeld = held
-        // Left stick → one focus step per push (device convention: +y = up).
+        // Left stick → a HELD D-pad direction (device convention: +y = up): pressed while
+        // deflected, released on centre/direction change. The console UI's probe machinery
+        // turns a held direction into its own auto-repeat, exactly like a physical D-pad; the
+        // focus-hook path moves once per press edge either way.
         val dir = when {
             state.lsX <= -STICK_NAV -> android.view.KeyEvent.KEYCODE_DPAD_LEFT
             state.lsX >= STICK_NAV -> android.view.KeyEvent.KEYCODE_DPAD_RIGHT
@@ -223,18 +226,21 @@ class Sc2Capture(
             else -> 0
         }
         if (dir != uiStickDir) {
+            // The D-pad bits share these keycodes; don't release a direction the physical
+            // D-pad itself still holds (uiHeld tracks the button-sourced state).
+            if (uiStickDir != 0 && uiStickDir !in uiHeld) sink(uiStickDir, false)
+            if (dir != 0 && dir !in uiHeld) sink(dir, true)
             uiStickDir = dir
-            if (dir != 0) {
-                sink(dir, true)
-                sink(dir, false)
-            }
         }
     }
 
     /** Release every held UI-mode key (link drop / stop) so nothing sticks in the focus system. */
     private fun releaseUiKeys() {
         val sink = onUiKey
-        if (sink != null) for (key in uiHeld) sink(key, false)
+        if (sink != null) {
+            for (key in uiHeld) sink(key, false)
+            if (uiStickDir != 0 && uiStickDir !in uiHeld) sink(uiStickDir, false)
+        }
         uiHeld = HashSet()
         uiStickDir = 0
     }