diff --git a/apps/ai-game-creator-shell/src/view/ui-editor/index.tsx b/apps/ai-game-creator-shell/src/view/ui-editor/index.tsx
index 16b53de8a..e60169b1f 100644
--- a/apps/ai-game-creator-shell/src/view/ui-editor/index.tsx
+++ b/apps/ai-game-creator-shell/src/view/ui-editor/index.tsx
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ import { ToolNavigation } from './components/ToolNavigation';
 import { WorkflowActionCard } from './components/WorkflowActionCard';
 import { WorkflowCompletionModal } from './components/WorkflowCompletionModal';
 import { UI_EDITOR_STEPS, type UiEditorStepId } from './model';
+import { handleUiEditorKeyDown } from './uiEditorKeyboardShortcuts';
 import {
   type UiEditorWorkflowProjection,
   useUiEditorSession,
@@ -89,60 +90,14 @@ export default function UiEditorPage({
   }, [session.save.isDirty]);
 
   useEffect(() => {
-    const isEditableTarget = (target: EventTarget | null) => {
-      const element = target instanceof HTMLElement ? target : null;
-      return Boolean(
-        element?.isContentEditable ||
-          element?.closest('input, textarea, select, [contenteditable="true"]'),
-      );
-    };
-    const isInteractiveTarget = (target: EventTarget | null) => {
-      const element = target instanceof Element ? target : null;
-      return Boolean(
-        (target instanceof HTMLElement && target.isContentEditable) ||
-          element?.closest(
-            'button, a, input, textarea, select, [contenteditable="true"], [role="button"], [role="dialog"], [aria-modal="true"]',
-          ),
-      );
-    };
-    const onKeyDown = (event: KeyboardEvent) => {
-      if (
-        (event.key === 'Delete' || event.key === 'Backspace') &&
-        !event.repeat &&
-        !event.defaultPrevented &&
-        !event.ctrlKey &&
-        !event.metaKey &&
-        !event.altKey &&
-        !event.shiftKey &&
-        !isInteractiveTarget(event.target)
-      ) {
-        if (selectedNodeId && activeImageId) {
-          const result = deleteNode(selectedNodeId, activeImageId);
-          if (result?.ok) {
-            event.preventDefault();
-            event.stopPropagation();
-            return;
-          }
-        }
-      }
-      if (
-        event.repeat ||
-        event.defaultPrevented ||
-        isEditableTarget(event.target) ||
-        (!event.ctrlKey && !event.metaKey)
-      ) {
-        return;
-      }
-      const isUndo = event.key.toLowerCase() === 'z' && !event.shiftKey;
-      const isRedo =
-        (event.key.toLowerCase() === 'z' && event.shiftKey) ||
-        (event.ctrlKey && event.key.toLowerCase() === 'y');
-      if (isUndo && historyUndo()) {
-        event.preventDefault();
-      } else if (isRedo && historyRedo()) {
-        event.preventDefault();
-      }
-    };
+    const onKeyDown = (event: KeyboardEvent) =>
+      handleUiEditorKeyDown(event, {
+        selectedNodeId,
+        activeImageId,
+        deleteNode,
+        historyUndo,
+        historyRedo,
+      });
     window.addEventListener('keydown', onKeyDown);
     return () => window.removeEventListener('keydown', onKeyDown);
   }, [activeImageId, deleteNode, historyRedo, historyUndo, selectedNodeId]);
diff --git a/apps/ai-game-creator-shell/src/view/ui-editor/uiEditorKeyboardShortcuts.ts b/apps/ai-game-creator-shell/src/view/ui-editor/uiEditorKeyboardShortcuts.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..90657f5b4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/ai-game-creator-shell/src/view/ui-editor/uiEditorKeyboardShortcuts.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,82 @@
+import type { NodeId } from '../../features/ui-editor/types/NodeId';
+import type { UIDesignImageId } from '../../features/ui-editor/types/UIDesignImageId';
+
+type DeleteResult = { ok: boolean } | undefined;
+
+export type UiEditorKeyboardActions = {
+  selectedNodeId: NodeId | null;
+  activeImageId: UIDesignImageId | null;
+  deleteNode: (nodeId: NodeId, treeId: UIDesignImageId) => DeleteResult;
+  historyUndo: () => boolean;
+  historyRedo: () => boolean;
+};
+
+function isEditableTarget(target: EventTarget | null) {
+  const element = target instanceof HTMLElement ? target : null;
+  return Boolean(
+    element?.isContentEditable ||
+      element?.closest('input, textarea, select, [contenteditable="true"]'),
+  );
+}
+
+function isInteractiveTarget(target: EventTarget | null) {
+  const element = target instanceof Element ? target : null;
+  return Boolean(
+    (target instanceof HTMLElement && target.isContentEditable) ||
+      element?.closest(
+        'button, a, input, textarea, select, [contenteditable="true"], [role="button"], [role="dialog"], [aria-modal="true"]',
+      ),
+  );
+}
+
+function isModalTarget(target: EventTarget | null) {
+  const element = target instanceof Element ? target : null;
+  return Boolean(element?.closest('[role="dialog"], [aria-modal="true"]'));
+}
+
+export function handleUiEditorKeyDown(
+  event: KeyboardEvent,
+  actions: UiEditorKeyboardActions,
+) {
+  if (isModalTarget(event.target)) return;
+
+  if (
+    (event.key === 'Delete' || event.key === 'Backspace') &&
+    !event.repeat &&
+    !event.defaultPrevented &&
+    !event.ctrlKey &&
+    !event.metaKey &&
+    !event.altKey &&
+    !event.shiftKey &&
+    !isInteractiveTarget(event.target)
+  ) {
+    if (actions.selectedNodeId && actions.activeImageId) {
+      const result = actions.deleteNode(
+        actions.selectedNodeId,
+        actions.activeImageId,
+      );
+      if (result?.ok) {
+        event.preventDefault();
+        event.stopPropagation();
+        return;
+      }
+    }
+  }
+  if (
+    event.repeat ||
+    event.defaultPrevented ||
+    isEditableTarget(event.target) ||
+    (!event.ctrlKey && !event.metaKey)
+  ) {
+    return;
+  }
+  const isUndo = event.key.toLowerCase() === 'z' && !event.shiftKey;
+  const isRedo =
+    (event.key.toLowerCase() === 'z' && event.shiftKey) ||
+    (event.ctrlKey && event.key.toLowerCase() === 'y');
+  if (isUndo && actions.historyUndo()) {
+    event.preventDefault();
+  } else if (isRedo && actions.historyRedo()) {
+    event.preventDefault();
+  }
+}
diff --git a/apps/ai-game-creator-shell/tests/uiEditorKeyboardShortcuts.test.ts b/apps/ai-game-creator-shell/tests/uiEditorKeyboardShortcuts.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..51ccc3514
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/ai-game-creator-shell/tests/uiEditorKeyboardShortcuts.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,62 @@
+// @vitest-environment jsdom
+
+import { fireEvent } from '@testing-library/react';
+import { afterEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest';
+
+import { handleUiEditorKeyDown } from '../src/view/ui-editor/uiEditorKeyboardShortcuts';
+
+describe('ui editor keyboard shortcuts', () => {
+  afterEach(() => {
+    document.body.replaceChildren();
+  });
+
+  it.each([
+    { key: 'z', ctrlKey: true },
+    { key: 'z', ctrlKey: true, shiftKey: true },
+    { key: 'y', ctrlKey: true },
+  ])('does not change history from inside a modal (%o)', (shortcut) => {
+    const dialog = document.createElement('div');
+    dialog.setAttribute('role', 'dialog');
+    const button = document.createElement('button');
+    dialog.append(button);
+    document.body.append(dialog);
+    const historyUndo = vi.fn(() => true);
+    const historyRedo = vi.fn(() => true);
+    const listener = (event: KeyboardEvent) =>
+      handleUiEditorKeyDown(event, {
+        selectedNodeId: null,
+        activeImageId: null,
+        deleteNode: vi.fn(),
+        historyUndo,
+        historyRedo,
+      });
+    window.addEventListener('keydown', listener);
+
+    fireEvent.keyDown(button, shortcut);
+
+    expect(historyUndo).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expect(historyRedo).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    window.removeEventListener('keydown', listener);
+  });
+
+  it('keeps undo available from a non-modal button', () => {
+    const button = document.createElement('button');
+    document.body.append(button);
+    const historyUndo = vi.fn(() => true);
+    const historyRedo = vi.fn(() => true);
+    const listener = (event: KeyboardEvent) =>
+      handleUiEditorKeyDown(event, {
+        selectedNodeId: null,
+        activeImageId: null,
+        deleteNode: vi.fn(),
+        historyUndo,
+        historyRedo,
+      });
+    window.addEventListener('keydown', listener);
+
+    fireEvent.keyDown(button, { key: 'z', ctrlKey: true });
+
+    expect(historyUndo).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    window.removeEventListener('keydown', listener);
+  });
+});