diff --git a/src/App.tsx b/src/App.tsx
index 5bd84e2..6cab616 100644
--- a/src/App.tsx
+++ b/src/App.tsx
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ import {
   updateSplitRatio,
   swapLeaves,
   findNeighborInDirection,
+  MIN_PANE_PX,
   type Direction,
   serialize,
   deserialize,
@@ -145,9 +146,41 @@ export default function App() {
     return () => clearInterval(interval);
   }, []);
 
+  // notify is defined up here (and not next to dismissNotification) because
+  // the split callback below uses it to warn when a pane is too small to
+  // subdivide further. Build-mode tsc balks on use-before-declaration.
+  const notify = useCallback((message: string) => {
+    const id = nextNotifIdRef.current++;
+    setNotifications((ns) => [...ns, { id, message }]);
+    window.setTimeout(() => {
+      setNotifications((ns) => ns.filter((n) => n.id !== id));
+    }, 5000);
+  }, []);
+
   // ---- orchestration callbacks --------------------------------------------
   const split = useCallback(
     (leafId: NodeId, orientation: Orientation) => {
+      // Refuse the split if it would produce a child pane below MIN_PANE_PX
+      // — otherwise spamming the split buttons shrinks panes into nothing.
+      const container = paneWrapRef.current;
+      if (container) {
+        const slot = flattenLayout(treeRef.current).leaves.find(
+          (s) => s.leaf.id === leafId,
+        );
+        if (slot) {
+          const rect = container.getBoundingClientRect();
+          const paneW = slot.box.width * rect.width;
+          const paneH = slot.box.height * rect.height;
+          const childW = orientation === "h" ? paneW / 2 : paneW;
+          const childH = orientation === "v" ? paneH / 2 : paneH;
+          if (childW < MIN_PANE_PX || childH < MIN_PANE_PX) {
+            notify(
+              `Pane too small to split — would create ${Math.round(childW)}×${Math.round(childH)}px (min ${MIN_PANE_PX}px)`,
+            );
+            return;
+          }
+        }
+      }
       setTree((t) => {
         const parent = findLeaf(t, leafId);
         const inherit = parent
@@ -156,7 +189,7 @@ export default function App() {
         return splitLeaf(t, leafId, orientation, inherit);
       });
     },
-    [defaultDistro],
+    [defaultDistro, notify],
   );
 
   const close = useCallback(
@@ -317,14 +350,6 @@ export default function App() {
     [],
   );
 
-  const notify = useCallback((message: string) => {
-    const id = nextNotifIdRef.current++;
-    setNotifications((ns) => [...ns, { id, message }]);
-    window.setTimeout(() => {
-      setNotifications((ns) => ns.filter((n) => n.id !== id));
-    }, 5000);
-  }, []);
-
   const dismissNotification = useCallback((id: number) => {
     setNotifications((ns) => ns.filter((n) => n.id !== id));
   }, []);
diff --git a/src/lib/layout/Gutter.tsx b/src/lib/layout/Gutter.tsx
index 8cb85e3..66cd982 100644
--- a/src/lib/layout/Gutter.tsx
+++ b/src/lib/layout/Gutter.tsx
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { useCallback, useRef, useState, type PointerEvent } from "react";
-import type { GutterInfo } from "./tree";
+import { type GutterInfo, MIN_PANE_PX } from "./tree";
 
 /**
  * A draggable gutter at a split boundary.
@@ -59,7 +59,15 @@ export default function Gutter({
         info.orientation === "h"
           ? (xFrac - pb.left) / pb.width
           : (yFrac - pb.top) / pb.height;
-      const ratio = Math.max(0.05, Math.min(0.95, rawRatio));
+      // Clamp so neither child shrinks below MIN_PANE_PX. If the parent
+      // box is so small that two min-sized panes don't fit, fall back to
+      // 0.05 / 0.95 (ugly but functional).
+      const parentPx =
+        info.orientation === "h" ? rect.width * pb.width : rect.height * pb.height;
+      const minByPx = parentPx > 0 ? MIN_PANE_PX / parentPx : 0.05;
+      const minRatio = Math.min(0.45, Math.max(0.05, minByPx));
+      const maxRatio = 1 - minRatio;
+      const ratio = Math.max(minRatio, Math.min(maxRatio, rawRatio));
       pendingRatioRef.current = ratio;
       if (rafRef.current == null) {
         rafRef.current = requestAnimationFrame(flushPending);
diff --git a/src/lib/layout/tree.ts b/src/lib/layout/tree.ts
index 59a4836..4d60116 100644
--- a/src/lib/layout/tree.ts
+++ b/src/lib/layout/tree.ts
@@ -253,6 +253,12 @@ export function setAllBroadcast(root: TreeNode, on: boolean): TreeNode {
   return { ...root, a, b };
 }
 
+/** Minimum width/height (px) we allow a pane to shrink to. Just enough for
+ *  the toolbar + a few cols/rows of usable terminal. Used by the split
+ *  handler (to refuse subdividing a pane that's already too small) and by
+ *  the gutter drag (to clamp ratios so neither child drops below this). */
+export const MIN_PANE_PX = 180;
+
 // --- flat layout (for absolute-positioned rendering) ------------------------
 
 /** Normalised bounding box: top/left/width/height as fractions [0, 1]. */