diff --git a/go.mod b/go.mod
index 10ed047..7faf8e4 100644
--- a/go.mod
+++ b/go.mod
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ require (
 	github.com/gdamore/tcell/v2 v2.13.10
 	github.com/rivo/tview v0.42.0
 	golang.org/x/image v0.47.0
+	golang.org/x/sys v0.49.0
 	golang.org/x/term v0.37.0
 )
 
@@ -13,6 +14,5 @@ require (
 	github.com/gdamore/encoding v1.0.1 // indirect
 	github.com/lucasb-eyer/go-colorful v1.3.0 // indirect
 	github.com/rivo/uniseg v0.4.7 // indirect
-	golang.org/x/sys v0.49.0 // indirect
 	golang.org/x/text v0.43.0 // indirect
 )
diff --git a/internal/ui/probe_unix.go b/internal/ui/probe_unix.go
index a412352..56dff2e 100644
--- a/internal/ui/probe_unix.go
+++ b/internal/ui/probe_unix.go
@@ -4,9 +4,11 @@ package ui
 
 import (
 	"bytes"
+	"errors"
 	"os"
 	"time"
 
+	"golang.org/x/sys/unix"
 	"golang.org/x/term"
 )
 
@@ -36,13 +38,37 @@ func probeKittyGraphics(timeout time.Duration) bool {
 	// A terminal that does not know APC sequences may print the query; erase it.
 	defer tty.WriteString("\r\x1b[2K")
 
-	if err := tty.SetReadDeadline(time.Now().Add(timeout)); err != nil {
-		return false
-	}
+	// The wait uses select(2): a read deadline does not work on a terminal
+	// device on macOS (kqueue does not support them), which made the probe
+	// give up at once there.
+	deadline := time.Now().Add(timeout)
 	var got []byte
 	buf := make([]byte, 256)
 	for {
-		n, err := tty.Read(buf)
+		left := time.Until(deadline)
+		if left <= 0 {
+			return false // no answer in time: assume no support
+		}
+		var fds unix.FdSet
+		fds.Set(fd)
+		tv := unix.NsecToTimeval(left.Nanoseconds())
+		n, err := unix.Select(fd+1, &fds, nil, nil, &tv)
+		if errors.Is(err, unix.EINTR) {
+			continue
+		}
+		if err != nil {
+			return false
+		}
+		if n == 0 {
+			continue // timed out; the loop ends above
+		}
+		n, err = unix.Read(fd, buf)
+		if errors.Is(err, unix.EINTR) || errors.Is(err, unix.EAGAIN) {
+			continue
+		}
+		if err != nil || n <= 0 {
+			return false
+		}
 		got = append(got, buf[:n]...)
 		if bytes.Contains(got, []byte("_Gi=31;OK")) {
 			return true
@@ -50,8 +76,5 @@ func probeKittyGraphics(timeout time.Duration) bool {
 		if da := bytes.Index(got, []byte("\x1b[?")); da >= 0 && bytes.IndexByte(got[da:], 'c') >= 0 {
 			return false // device attributes answered, graphics query not
 		}
-		if err != nil {
-			return false // timeout or error: assume no support
-		}
 	}
 }