diff --git a/.agents/notes/implemented/bug-fix/2026-08-28-trigger-menu-stale-while-revalidate.i18n.yaml b/.agents/notes/implemented/bug-fix/2026-08-28-trigger-menu-stale-while-revalidate.i18n.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..bc6b1e4a09
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.agents/notes/implemented/bug-fix/2026-08-28-trigger-menu-stale-while-revalidate.i18n.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+# Bilingual-pair consistency record (docs/i18n/README.md): the git blob hash of each
+# side as of the last confirmed-consistent state. Both languages carry equal authority;
+# after editing either side, bring the other along and re-record with:
+#   pnpm run verify-translation-pairing --write .agents/notes/implemented/bug-fix/2026-08-28-trigger-menu-stale-while-revalidate.md
+2026-08-28-trigger-menu-stale-while-revalidate.md: 12541ba3ec6ee82ac6c12da85f99c0d8e044b9e8
+2026-08-28-trigger-menu-stale-while-revalidate.zh.md: 69b3d1b6a304562e1bb1835b1de2f09f8f38c5a4
diff --git a/.agents/notes/implemented/bug-fix/2026-08-28-trigger-menu-stale-while-revalidate.md b/.agents/notes/implemented/bug-fix/2026-08-28-trigger-menu-stale-while-revalidate.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..12541ba3ec
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.agents/notes/implemented/bug-fix/2026-08-28-trigger-menu-stale-while-revalidate.md
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+# Agent Note: The trigger menu keeps previous rows through refinement
+
+Status: implemented
+
+English | [中文](2026-08-28-trigger-menu-stale-while-revalidate.zh.md)
+
+## Problem
+
+Every keystroke inside an open `@`/`/` trigger menu launches a new candidates fetch. The menu reducer's `hit` case used to reseed the groups to pending-empty, so the list collapsed to a skeleton for the 100–460ms fetch round trip and repainted on every character — a visible flicker on each refinement keystroke (#3234).
+
+## Decision
+
+The reducer's `hit` case (`core/menu.ts`) now retains the previous query's rows and highlight, marking each group `pending` — stale-while-revalidate. Fresh opens (`seedGroups`) still start empty, so the first paint keeps its skeleton; `allReadyEmpty` still auto-closes after settle.
+
+Stale rows are display-only. `pick()` requires the candidate's group to be `ready`, and the `enter` arbitration checks the highlighted group's status before picking: during the pending window Enter is an explicit no-op (`'consumed'`) — it neither picks the stale row nor falls through to submit the draft. Tab already carried the same `ready` check for drilling.
+
+## Alternatives considered
+
+**Clear to a skeleton on every refinement.** Rejected; this was the flickering status quo. The production chat frontend's conversation search does clear (results and active index reset per debounced query), which keeps its Enter trivially safe — but its list is in a dedicated dialog, whereas this menu repaints directly under the caret on every keystroke, where the flicker is what users reported.
+
+**Pass Enter through to submit during the pending window.** Rejected. Before this change the window showed an empty skeleton, so Enter falling through to send was visually consistent; with retained rows the user is looking at a highlighted candidate, and sending the whole draft under it is a worse mis-fire than a few hundred milliseconds of dead key. The production search's pending-window Enter is likewise a no-op.
+
+**Queue the Enter and pick when the fetch settles.** Rejected. Acting on a keypress against rows the user has not seen yet reintroduces the stale-pick race with extra timing machinery.
+
+## Consequences
+
+Refinement keystrokes no longer flicker; the list content swaps in place when the fetch settles. The costs: Enter is dead for the pending window (pressing it again after settle picks normally), and rows are index-keyed, so a settle swaps DOM node content in place — pointer tests must wait for a stale-only row to disappear before clicking (`reference-composer.e2e.ts` polls `folderx/` away). A pre-existing highlight blink during refinement remains open and is deferred to a follow-up.
diff --git a/.agents/notes/implemented/bug-fix/2026-08-28-trigger-menu-stale-while-revalidate.zh.md b/.agents/notes/implemented/bug-fix/2026-08-28-trigger-menu-stale-while-revalidate.zh.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..69b3d1b6a3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.agents/notes/implemented/bug-fix/2026-08-28-trigger-menu-stale-while-revalidate.zh.md
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+# Agent Note: The trigger menu keeps previous rows through refinement
+
+Status: implemented
+
+[English](2026-08-28-trigger-menu-stale-while-revalidate.md) | 中文
+
+## Problem
+
+在已打开的 `@`/`/` 触发菜单里,每个按键都会发起一次新的候选请求。菜单 reducer 的 `hit` 分支过去会把各组重置为 pending-空,于是列表在 100–460ms 的请求往返期间塌缩成骨架屏,每输入一个字符就重绘一次——细化查询时肉眼可见的闪烁(#3234)。
+
+## Decision
+
+reducer 的 `hit` 分支(`core/menu.ts`)现在保留上一次查询的行和高亮,并把各组标记为 `pending`——即 stale-while-revalidate。首次打开(`seedGroups`)仍从空开始,首帧保持骨架屏;`allReadyEmpty` 仍在结算后自动关闭。
+
+旧行仅用于显示。`pick()` 要求候选所在组为 `ready`,`enter` 仲裁在 pick 前检查高亮组的状态:pending 窗口内 Enter 是显式 no-op(`'consumed'`)——既不选中旧行,也不落到草稿发送。Tab 的下钻早已带有相同的 `ready` 检查。
+
+## Alternatives considered
+
+**每次细化都清空为骨架屏。** 拒绝;这正是闪烁的现状。线上 chat 前端的会话搜索确实是清空(每次防抖查询重置结果和活动索引),其 Enter 因此天然安全——但那个列表在独立弹窗里,而本菜单直接在光标下随每个按键重绘,闪烁正是用户所报告的问题。
+
+**pending 窗口内让 Enter 透传到发送。** 拒绝。改动前该窗口显示空骨架屏,Enter 落到发送在视觉上是自洽的;保留旧行后用户正看着一个高亮候选,此时把整条草稿发出去比几百毫秒的按键失效是更糟的误触。线上搜索在 pending 窗口的 Enter 同样是 no-op。
+
+**把 Enter 排队,请求结算后再选中。** 拒绝。对用户尚未见到的行执行按键会重新引入选中旧数据的竞态,还额外增加时序机制。
+
+## Consequences
+
+细化按键不再闪烁;请求结算时列表内容原位替换。代价:pending 窗口内 Enter 失效(结算后再按即正常选中);行按 index 作为 key,结算时 DOM 节点内容原位替换——指针类测试点击前必须等待仅旧查询匹配的行消失(`reference-composer.e2e.ts` 轮询 `folderx/` 消失)。细化期间已存在的高亮闪动问题仍未解决,留待后续 PR。
diff --git a/packages/client/ui-input-trigger/src/client/controller.ts b/packages/client/ui-input-trigger/src/client/controller.ts
index 5d3e1bf0b3..883a795775 100644
--- a/packages/client/ui-input-trigger/src/client/controller.ts
+++ b/packages/client/ui-input-trigger/src/client/controller.ts
@@ -236,6 +236,11 @@ export class InputTriggerController {
       }
       case 'enter': {
         if (state.highlight === null) return 'pass'
+        // Refinement keeps the previous rows and highlight visible while the
+        // next fetch is pending; Enter then neither picks the stale row nor
+        // falls through to submit — an explicit no-op until the group is ready.
+        const group = state.groups.find(g => g.source === state.highlight?.source)
+        if (group === undefined || group.status !== 'ready') return 'consumed'
         this.pick(state.highlight.source, state.highlight.index)
         return 'pick-highlighted'
       }
diff --git a/packages/client/ui-input-trigger/tests/service.client.spec.ts b/packages/client/ui-input-trigger/tests/service.client.spec.ts
index 43eeba0f64..929d1e81e9 100644
--- a/packages/client/ui-input-trigger/tests/service.client.spec.ts
+++ b/packages/client/ui-input-trigger/tests/service.client.spec.ts
@@ -903,6 +903,29 @@ describe('arbitrate', () => {
     controller.track('/g', 2, { tier: 'plain' }, 1)
     expect(controller.arbitrate('enter', false)).toBe('pass')
   })
+
+  it('enter during a pending refinement is consumed: no pick, no submit fallthrough', async () => {
+    const picks: string[] = []
+    const cmd = deferredSource('/', 'command', {
+      onPick: (pick) => { picks.push(pick.candidate.name); return undefined },
+    })
+    const { controller } = controllerBench([cmd.source])
+    controller.track('/g', 2, { tier: 'plain' }, 1)
+    cmd.pending[0]!.resolve([{ name: 'goal' }, { name: 'plan' }])
+    await tick()
+    expect(controller.menu.getSnapshot().highlight).toEqual({ source: 'command', index: 0 })
+    // Refinement: previous rows and highlight stay visible while the fetch pends.
+    controller.track('/go', 3, { tier: 'plain' }, 2)
+    expect(controller.menu.getSnapshot().highlight).toEqual({ source: 'command', index: 0 })
+    expect(controller.arbitrate('enter', false)).toBe('consumed')
+    expect(picks).toHaveLength(0)
+    expect(controller.menu.getSnapshot().open).toBe(true)
+    // Settled: the same gesture picks again.
+    cmd.pending[1]!.resolve([{ name: 'goal' }])
+    await tick()
+    expect(controller.arbitrate('enter', false)).toBe('pick-highlighted')
+    expect(picks).toEqual(['goal'])
+  })
 })
 
 describe('onSpace', () => {