diff --git a/clients/terminal/tui/renderers/__init__.py b/clients/terminal/tui/renderers/__init__.py
index 7fde227..ae8d12c 100644
--- a/clients/terminal/tui/renderers/__init__.py
+++ b/clients/terminal/tui/renderers/__init__.py
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@
     # filesystem and terminal are action-aware and must be checked before the
     # generic tool renderers (first accepting renderer wins).
     reg.register(filesystem.FilesystemToolStartedRenderer())
+    reg.register(terminal.TerminalToolStartedRenderer())
     reg.register(tool.ToolStartedRenderer())
     reg.register(filesystem.FilesystemToolResultRenderer())
     reg.register(terminal.TerminalToolResultRenderer())
diff --git a/clients/terminal/tui/renderers/terminal.py b/clients/terminal/tui/renderers/terminal.py
index 38f5e15..5e471ac 100644
--- a/clients/terminal/tui/renderers/terminal.py
+++ b/clients/terminal/tui/renderers/terminal.py
@@ -1,10 +1,10 @@
-"""Styled renderer for ``terminal`` tool-call results.
+"""Styled renderers for ``terminal`` tool events (started + result).
 
-The generic ``ToolResultRenderer`` dumps the result as a flat ``Text`` with no
-awareness of the action. ``terminal`` has six actions with different shapes
-(``run`` carries an exit code, ``open`` a PID, ``list`` a table of sessions),
-so this renderer gives each a compact, structured card like the filesystem
-renderer. Registered before the generic tool renderer (first accepting wins).
+The generic ``ToolStartedRenderer``/``ToolResultRenderer`` dump the call as raw
+JSON with no awareness of the action. ``terminal`` has six actions with
+different shapes (``run`` carries a command + exit code, ``open`` a PID, …),
+so these renderers give each a compact, structured card like the filesystem
+renderers. Registered before the generic tool renderers (first accepting wins).
 """
 
 from __future__ import annotations
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@
 # result never floods the bubble (mirrors the generic tool renderer's 200-line
 # cap for non-filesystem tools).
 _MAX_LINES = 200
+_PREVIEW_MAX = 80
 
 
 def _truncate(text: str) -> str:
@@ -32,6 +33,20 @@
     return f"... [{dropped} lines truncated]\n" + "\n".join(lines[-_MAX_LINES:])
 
 
+def _preview(s: str | None, max_len: int = _PREVIEW_MAX) -> str:
+    """First line of a value plus a ``…(+N lines)`` hint, capped."""
+    if not s:
+        return ""
+    lines = s.splitlines()
+    first = lines[0]
+    if len(first) > max_len:
+        first = first[: max_len - 1] + "…"
+    more = len(lines) - 1
+    if more > 0:
+        return f"{first} …(+{more} lines)"
+    return first
+
+
 def _output_block(text: str, theme: Theme) -> Text:
     """Dim, truncated result text."""
     return Text(_truncate(text), style=theme.text_dim.hex)
@@ -155,4 +170,82 @@
         if not out.plain:
             # Nothing structured to show — fall back to the raw result text.
             return _output_block(text, theme)
+        return out
+
+
+class TerminalToolStartedRenderer(ContentRenderer):
+    """Styled ``tool_started`` card for ``terminal``.
+
+    Title: ``→ terminal <action>``. Body: the key argument for the action — the
+    command for ``run`` (accent, shell-prompt style), the terminal name +
+    description + background for ``open``, the terminal name for
+    close/status/send_input (plus the input preview for send_input) — instead of
+    a full JSON dump that floods the card with large ``command``/``input``.
+    """
+
+    def accepts(self, msg: dict) -> bool:
+        return msg.get("type") == "tool_started" and msg.get("tool") == "terminal"
+
+    def render(self, msg: dict) -> RenderableType:
+        theme = get_active_theme()
+        args = msg.get("args") or {}
+        action = args.get("action", "?")
+        body = self._summarize(action, args, theme)
+        panel = Panel(
+            body if body.plain else Text(""),
+            title=f"→ terminal {action}",
+            title_align="left",
+            border_style=theme.tool_border.hex,
+            box=ROUNDED,
+        )
+        if bool(msg.get("is_subagent", False)):
+            from rich.padding import Padding
+
+            return Padding(panel, (0, 0, 0, 2))
+        return panel
+
+    def _summarize(self, action: str, args: dict, theme: Theme) -> Text:
+        out = Text()
+
+        def kv(key: str, value, value_style: str = theme.text.hex) -> None:
+            if out.plain:
+                out.append("\n")
+            out.append(f"{key}: ", style=theme.text_dim.hex)
+            out.append(str(value), style=value_style)
+
+        if action == "run":
+            command = args.get("command")
+            if command:
+                # Shell-prompt style: the command is the headline, in accent.
+                out.append("$ ", style=theme.text_dim.hex)
+                out.append(_preview(command), style=theme.accent.hex)
+            if args.get("working_dir"):
+                kv("cwd", args.get("working_dir"))
+        elif action == "open":
+            name = args.get("terminal_name")
+            if name:
+                kv("name", name, theme.accent.hex)
+            description = args.get("description")
+            if description:
+                kv("desc", description)
+            if args.get("background"):
+                kv("background", "true")
+            command = args.get("command")
+            if command:
+                kv("command", _preview(command))
+        elif action in ("status", "close"):
+            name = args.get("terminal_name")
+            if name:
+                kv("name", name, theme.accent.hex)
+        elif action == "send_input":
+            name = args.get("terminal_name")
+            if name:
+                kv("name", name, theme.accent.hex)
+            inp = args.get("input")
+            if inp:
+                kv("input", _preview(inp))
+        elif action == "list":
+            # No per-call argument carries the headline; the result card shows
+            # the table. Keep the body empty (title alone).
+            pass
         return out
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/tests/clients/test_render_plain.py b/tests/clients/test_render_plain.py
index 2c86a33..932ec6f 100644
--- a/tests/clients/test_render_plain.py
+++ b/tests/clients/test_render_plain.py
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@
         {"type": "tool_started", "tool": "foo", "args": {"a": 1}},
         {"type": "tool_call", "tool": "foo", "result": "bar", "success": True},
         {"type": "tool_started", "tool": "filesystem", "args": {"action": "read", "path": "x.py"}},
+        {"type": "tool_started", "tool": "terminal", "args": {"action": "run", "command": "echo hi"}},
         {"type": "tool_call", "tool": "filesystem", "result": "ok", "success": True, "args": {"action": "read"}},
         {"type": "tool_started", "tool": "spawn_agent", "args": {"task": "do thing"}},
         {"type": "tool_call", "tool": "spawn_agent", "result": "done", "success": True},
diff --git a/tests/clients/test_terminal_renderer.py b/tests/clients/test_terminal_renderer.py
index 9004fae..7a65398 100644
--- a/tests/clients/test_terminal_renderer.py
+++ b/tests/clients/test_terminal_renderer.py
@@ -5,7 +5,10 @@
 from rich.console import Console
 from rich.text import Text
 
-from clients.terminal.tui.renderers.terminal import TerminalToolResultRenderer
+from clients.terminal.tui.renderers.terminal import (
+    TerminalToolResultRenderer,
+    TerminalToolStartedRenderer,
+)
 from clients.terminal.tui.themes import get_active_theme, set_active_theme
 
 
@@ -124,4 +127,75 @@
     text = _render_text(panel)
     assert "lines truncated]" in text
     assert "line 299" in text
-    assert "line 0" not in text
\ No newline at end of file
+    assert "line 0" not in text
+
+
+# ── tool_started cards ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+
+def _started(action, **kw):
+    msg = {"type": "tool_started", "tool": "terminal", "args": {"action": action}}
+    msg.update(kw)
+    return msg
+
+
+def test_started_accepts_only_terminal_tool_started() -> None:
+    r = TerminalToolStartedRenderer()
+    assert r.accepts(_started("run"))
+    assert not r.accepts({"type": "tool_started", "tool": "filesystem", "args": {}})
+    assert not r.accepts({"type": "tool_call", "tool": "terminal"})
+
+
+def test_started_run_shows_command() -> None:
+    set_active_theme("gnexus-dark")
+    panel = TerminalToolStartedRenderer().render(
+        _started("run", args={"action": "run", "command": "echo hi"})
+    )
+    assert "→ terminal run" in str(panel.title)
+    text = _render_text(panel)
+    assert "$ echo hi" in text
+
+
+def test_started_open_shows_name_desc_background() -> None:
+    set_active_theme("gnexus-dark")
+    panel = TerminalToolStartedRenderer().render(
+        _started(
+            "open",
+            args={"action": "open", "terminal_name": "dev", "description": "dev server",
+                  "background": True, "command": "npm start"},
+        )
+    )
+    assert "→ terminal open" in str(panel.title)
+    text = _render_text(panel)
+    assert "dev" in text
+    assert "dev server" in text
+    assert "background: true" in text
+    assert "npm start" in text
+
+
+def test_started_close_shows_name() -> None:
+    set_active_theme("gnexus-dark")
+    panel = TerminalToolStartedRenderer().render(
+        _started("close", args={"action": "close", "terminal_name": "dev"})
+    )
+    assert "→ terminal close" in str(panel.title)
+    text = _render_text(panel)
+    assert "dev" in text
+
+
+def test_started_send_input_shows_name_and_input() -> None:
+    set_active_theme("gnexus-dark")
+    panel = TerminalToolStartedRenderer().render(
+        _started("send_input", args={"action": "send_input", "terminal_name": "dev", "input": "yes\n"})
+    )
+    text = _render_text(panel)
+    assert "dev" in text
+    assert "yes" in text
+
+
+def test_started_list_empty_body() -> None:
+    set_active_theme("gnexus-dark")
+    panel = TerminalToolStartedRenderer().render(_started("list", args={"action": "list"}))
+    assert "→ terminal list" in str(panel.title)
+    # list has no per-call headline argument; body is empty (no crash, no JSON dump).
+    assert panel.renderable.plain == ""
\ No newline at end of file