diff --git a/src/nav.test.ts b/src/nav.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2d69b0d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/nav.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,109 @@
+import { describe, expect, test } from 'bun:test';
+import { routeSearchKey } from './nav';
+
+const SEARCH_KEYS = ['ArrowDown', 'ArrowUp', 'Enter', 'Escape'] as const;
+
+function runSearchKey(
+  key: string,
+  eventOptions: { isComposing?: boolean; keyCode?: number } = {},
+  stateOptions: { rowCount?: number; selectedIndex?: number } = {},
+) {
+  const calls = {
+    close: 0,
+    select: [] as number[],
+    activate: [] as number[],
+    preventDefault: 0,
+  };
+  routeSearchKey(
+    {
+      key,
+      isComposing: eventOptions.isComposing ?? false,
+      keyCode: eventOptions.keyCode ?? 0,
+      preventDefault: () => {
+        calls.preventDefault += 1;
+      },
+    },
+    {
+      modalOpen: true,
+      rowCount: stateOptions.rowCount ?? 3,
+      selectedIndex: stateOptions.selectedIndex ?? 1,
+      close: () => {
+        calls.close += 1;
+      },
+      select: (index) => calls.select.push(index),
+      activate: (index) => calls.activate.push(index),
+    },
+  );
+  return calls;
+}
+
+describe('search keyboard routing', () => {
+  for (const [signal, options] of [
+    ['isComposing', { isComposing: true }],
+    ['keyCode 229', { keyCode: 229 }],
+  ] as const) {
+    test.each(SEARCH_KEYS)(`leaves %s to IME when ${signal} is active`, (key) => {
+      expect(runSearchKey(key, options)).toEqual({
+        close: 0,
+        select: [],
+        activate: [],
+        preventDefault: 0,
+      });
+    });
+  }
+
+  test('keeps normal Escape close behavior after composition', () => {
+    expect(runSearchKey('Escape')).toEqual({
+      close: 1,
+      select: [],
+      activate: [],
+      preventDefault: 0,
+    });
+  });
+
+  test('keeps normal ArrowDown result selection after composition', () => {
+    expect(runSearchKey('ArrowDown')).toEqual({
+      close: 0,
+      select: [2],
+      activate: [],
+      preventDefault: 1,
+    });
+  });
+
+  test('keeps normal ArrowUp result selection after composition', () => {
+    expect(runSearchKey('ArrowUp')).toEqual({
+      close: 0,
+      select: [0],
+      activate: [],
+      preventDefault: 1,
+    });
+  });
+
+  test('keeps normal Enter result activation after composition', () => {
+    expect(runSearchKey('Enter')).toEqual({
+      close: 0,
+      select: [],
+      activate: [1],
+      preventDefault: 1,
+    });
+  });
+
+  test('keeps navigation clamped to the available result range', () => {
+    expect(runSearchKey('ArrowDown', {}, { selectedIndex: 2 }).select).toEqual([2]);
+    expect(runSearchKey('ArrowUp', {}, { selectedIndex: 0 }).select).toEqual([0]);
+  });
+
+  test('does not consume navigation or Enter when there are no results', () => {
+    expect(runSearchKey('ArrowDown', {}, { rowCount: 0 }).preventDefault).toBe(0);
+    expect(runSearchKey('Enter', {}, { rowCount: 0 }).preventDefault).toBe(0);
+  });
+
+  test('does not consume Enter before a result is selected', () => {
+    expect(runSearchKey('Enter', {}, { selectedIndex: -1 })).toEqual({
+      close: 0,
+      select: [],
+      activate: [],
+      preventDefault: 0,
+    });
+  });
+});
diff --git a/src/nav.ts b/src/nav.ts
index 5ad5f2c..385d984 100644
--- a/src/nav.ts
+++ b/src/nav.ts
@@ -50,22 +50,51 @@ const setSearchSelected = (i: number): void => {
   searchParent?.markDirty();
 };
 
-const onSearchKey = (e: KeyboardEvent): void => {
+function isSearchCompositionEvent(e: Pick<KeyboardEvent, 'isComposing' | 'keyCode'>): boolean {
+  // Some IME paths report the legacy process-key value without isComposing.
+  return e.isComposing || e.keyCode === 229;
+}
+
+interface SearchKeyState {
+  modalOpen: boolean;
+  rowCount: number;
+  selectedIndex: number;
+  close: () => void;
+  select: (index: number) => void;
+  activate: (index: number) => void;
+}
+
+export function routeSearchKey(
+  e: Pick<KeyboardEvent, 'key' | 'isComposing' | 'keyCode' | 'preventDefault'>,
+  state: SearchKeyState,
+): void {
+  if (isSearchCompositionEvent(e)) return;
   if (e.key === 'Escape') {
-    closeSearch();
+    state.close();
     return;
   }
-  if (!searchModal || searchNavRows.length === 0) return;
+  if (!state.modalOpen || state.rowCount === 0) return;
   if (e.key === 'ArrowDown') {
     e.preventDefault();
-    setSearchSelected(Math.min(searchSelected + 1, searchNavRows.length - 1));
+    state.select(Math.min(state.selectedIndex + 1, state.rowCount - 1));
   } else if (e.key === 'ArrowUp') {
     e.preventDefault();
-    setSearchSelected(Math.max(searchSelected - 1, 0));
-  } else if (e.key === 'Enter' && searchSelected >= 0) {
+    state.select(Math.max(state.selectedIndex - 1, 0));
+  } else if (e.key === 'Enter' && state.selectedIndex >= 0) {
     e.preventDefault();
-    searchNavRows[searchSelected].emit('click');
+    state.activate(state.selectedIndex);
   }
+}
+
+const onSearchKey = (e: KeyboardEvent): void => {
+  routeSearchKey(e, {
+    modalOpen: searchModal !== null,
+    rowCount: searchNavRows.length,
+    selectedIndex: searchSelected,
+    close: closeSearch,
+    select: setSearchSelected,
+    activate: (index) => searchNavRows[index].emit('click'),
+  });
 };
 
 const onSearchBackdrop = (e: PointerEvent): void => {