diff --git a/extensions/cli/src/commands/chat.ts b/extensions/cli/src/commands/chat.ts
index a32df348818..b953eb31f64 100644
--- a/extensions/cli/src/commands/chat.ts
+++ b/extensions/cli/src/commands/chat.ts
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@ import {
   calculateContextUsagePercentage,
   countChatHistoryTokens,
 } from "../util/tokenizer.js";
+import { withSigintAbort } from "../util/withSigintAbort.js";
 
 import { ExtendedCommandOptions } from "./BaseCommandOptions.js";
 
@@ -169,28 +170,14 @@ async function getStreamingResponse(
   model: ModelConfig,
   llmApi: BaseLlmApi,
 ): Promise<string> {
-  const abortController = new AbortController();
+  return withSigintAbort(async (abortController) => {
+    const history =
+      compactionIndex !== null && compactionIndex !== undefined
+        ? services.chatHistory.getHistoryForLLM(compactionIndex)
+        : services.chatHistory.getHistory();
 
-  if (compactionIndex !== null && compactionIndex !== undefined) {
-    // Use service to compute history for LLM
-    const historyForLLM =
-      services.chatHistory.getHistoryForLLM(compactionIndex);
-
-    return await streamChatResponse(
-      historyForLLM,
-      model,
-      llmApi,
-      abortController,
-    );
-  } else {
-    // No compaction - get full history from service
-    return await streamChatResponse(
-      services.chatHistory.getHistory(),
-      model,
-      llmApi,
-      abortController,
-    );
-  }
+    return await streamChatResponse(history, model, llmApi, abortController);
+  });
 }
 
 // Helper function to process and output response in headless mode
diff --git a/extensions/cli/src/util/withSigintAbort.test.ts b/extensions/cli/src/util/withSigintAbort.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..0d22b2f3bf5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/extensions/cli/src/util/withSigintAbort.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+import { vi } from "vitest";
+
+import { withSigintAbort } from "./withSigintAbort.js";
+
+describe("withSigintAbort", () => {
+  it("aborts the active operation on SIGINT and prevents its late effect", async () => {
+    const listenersBefore = process.listeners("SIGINT");
+    const lateEffect = vi.fn();
+    let finishOperation: (() => void) | undefined;
+    let operationSignal: AbortSignal | undefined;
+
+    const operation = withSigintAbort(async (abortController) => {
+      operationSignal = abortController.signal;
+      await new Promise<void>((resolve) => {
+        finishOperation = resolve;
+      });
+
+      if (!abortController.signal.aborted) {
+        lateEffect();
+      }
+
+      return "finished";
+    });
+
+    const addedListeners = process
+      .listeners("SIGINT")
+      .filter((listener) => !listenersBefore.includes(listener));
+
+    expect(addedListeners).toHaveLength(1);
+    addedListeners[0]("SIGINT");
+    finishOperation?.();
+
+    await expect(operation).resolves.toBe("finished");
+    expect(operationSignal?.aborted).toBe(true);
+    expect(lateEffect).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expect(process.listeners("SIGINT")).toEqual(listenersBefore);
+  });
+
+  it("removes its SIGINT listener when the operation rejects", async () => {
+    const listenersBefore = process.listeners("SIGINT");
+    const expectedError = new Error("stream failed");
+
+    await expect(
+      withSigintAbort(async () => {
+        throw expectedError;
+      }),
+    ).rejects.toBe(expectedError);
+
+    expect(process.listeners("SIGINT")).toEqual(listenersBefore);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/extensions/cli/src/util/withSigintAbort.ts b/extensions/cli/src/util/withSigintAbort.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..61178ccdd93
--- /dev/null
+++ b/extensions/cli/src/util/withSigintAbort.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+export async function withSigintAbort<T>(
+  operation: (abortController: AbortController) => Promise<T>,
+): Promise<T> {
+  const abortController = new AbortController();
+  const abortOnSigint = () => abortController.abort();
+
+  process.once("SIGINT", abortOnSigint);
+
+  try {
+    return await operation(abortController);
+  } finally {
+    process.off("SIGINT", abortOnSigint);
+  }
+}