diff --git a/src/lib/util/prompt.test.ts b/src/lib/util/prompt.test.ts
index 910867b9..2a73dbcb 100644
--- a/src/lib/util/prompt.test.ts
+++ b/src/lib/util/prompt.test.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,14 @@
+import { EventEmitter } from 'node:events'
+import type { Key } from 'node:readline'
+
 import { expect, test } from 'vitest'
 
-import { type SearchableChoice, searchChoices } from './prompt.js'
+import {
+  arrowKeyFor,
+  emitArrowKeyAliases,
+  type SearchableChoice,
+  searchChoices,
+} from './prompt.js'
 
 const workspaces = [
   { label: 'Sandbox', hint: 'ws_1' },
@@ -33,3 +41,54 @@ test('searchChoices: offers every choice until something is typed', () => {
   expect(search('', workspaces)).toEqual(workspaces)
   expect(search('  ', workspaces)).toEqual(workspaces)
 })
+
+const ctrl = (name: string): Key => ({
+  name,
+  ctrl: true,
+  meta: false,
+  shift: false,
+  sequence: String.fromCharCode(name.charCodeAt(0) - 96),
+})
+
+test('arrowKeyFor: maps ctrl-p and ctrl-n to the arrow keys', () => {
+  expect(arrowKeyFor(ctrl('p'))?.name).toBe('up')
+  expect(arrowKeyFor(ctrl('n'))?.name).toBe('down')
+})
+
+test('arrowKeyFor: leaves every other key alone', () => {
+  expect(arrowKeyFor(undefined)).toBeUndefined()
+  expect(arrowKeyFor(ctrl('c'))).toBeUndefined()
+  expect(arrowKeyFor({ name: 'p', sequence: 'p' })).toBeUndefined()
+  expect(arrowKeyFor({ name: 'n', sequence: 'n' })).toBeUndefined()
+  expect(arrowKeyFor({ ...ctrl('p'), meta: true })).toBeUndefined()
+  expect(arrowKeyFor({ ...ctrl('n'), shift: true })).toBeUndefined()
+  expect(arrowKeyFor({ name: 'up', sequence: '\x1B[A' })).toBeUndefined()
+})
+
+test('emitArrowKeyAliases: re-emits control keypresses as arrow keys', () => {
+  const input = new EventEmitter()
+  emitArrowKeyAliases(input)
+
+  const keypresses: Array<[string | undefined, Key | undefined]> = []
+  input.on('keypress', (char, key) => keypresses.push([char, key]))
+
+  input.emit('keypress', '\x10', ctrl('p'))
+  input.emit('keypress', 'a', { name: 'a', sequence: 'a' })
+
+  // The synthetic arrow key arrives first: the re-emit is synchronous,
+  // and the alias listener runs before any listener attached after it.
+  expect(keypresses).toEqual([
+    [
+      undefined,
+      {
+        name: 'up',
+        ctrl: false,
+        meta: false,
+        shift: false,
+        sequence: '\x1B[A',
+      },
+    ],
+    ['\x10', ctrl('p')],
+    ['a', { name: 'a', sequence: 'a' }],
+  ])
+})
diff --git a/src/lib/util/prompt.ts b/src/lib/util/prompt.ts
index 491ddd26..5eae9953 100644
--- a/src/lib/util/prompt.ts
+++ b/src/lib/util/prompt.ts
@@ -1,3 +1,6 @@
+import type { EventEmitter } from 'node:events'
+import type { Key } from 'node:readline'
+
 import {
   autocomplete,
   autocompleteMultiselect,
@@ -40,6 +43,46 @@ const ensureInteractive = (): void => {
       'Cannot prompt without a terminal: pass the missing arguments, or pipe them in as JSON',
     )
   }
+  installArrowKeyAliases()
+}
+
+/**
+ * The arrow keypress an Emacs-style control keypress stands for, or
+ * undefined for any other key: ctrl-p is up and ctrl-n is down.
+ */
+export const arrowKeyFor = (key: Key | undefined): Key | undefined => {
+  if (key?.ctrl !== true || key.meta === true || key.shift === true) {
+    return undefined
+  }
+  const base = { ctrl: false, meta: false, shift: false }
+  if (key.name === 'p') return { ...base, name: 'up', sequence: '\x1B[A' }
+  if (key.name === 'n') return { ...base, name: 'down', sequence: '\x1B[B' }
+  return undefined
+}
+
+/**
+ * Re-emit Emacs-style control keypresses as the arrow keys they stand for.
+ *
+ * Clack navigates on the readline key name, so a synthetic arrow keypress
+ * moves the cursor in every prompt kind. Its own alias table cannot express
+ * this: aliases match bare key names, unaware of ctrl, and are ignored by
+ * prompts that track typed input, such as autocomplete.
+ */
+export const emitArrowKeyAliases = (input: EventEmitter): void => {
+  input.on('keypress', (_char, key: Key | undefined) => {
+    const arrowKey = arrowKeyFor(key)
+    if (arrowKey !== undefined) input.emit('keypress', undefined, arrowKey)
+  })
+}
+
+let arrowKeyAliasesInstalled = false
+
+// Keypress events only flow while a prompt has stdin in raw mode, so the
+// listener is inert the rest of the time and never holds the process open.
+const installArrowKeyAliases = (): void => {
+  if (arrowKeyAliasesInstalled) return
+  arrowKeyAliasesInstalled = true
+  emitArrowKeyAliases(process.stdin)
 }
 
 const unwrap = <Value>(value: Value | symbol): Value => {