diff --git a/packages/cli/src/ui/components/Footer.tsx b/packages/cli/src/ui/components/Footer.tsx
index 3e51acd740..6a803a39eb 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/ui/components/Footer.tsx
+++ b/packages/cli/src/ui/components/Footer.tsx
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ import { theme } from '../semantic-colors.js';
 import { shortenPath, tildeifyPath } from '@google/gemini-cli-core';
 import { ConsoleSummaryDisplay } from './ConsoleSummaryDisplay.js';
 import process from 'node:process';
-import Gradient from 'ink-gradient';
+import { ThemedGradient } from './ThemedGradient.js';
 import { MemoryUsageDisplay } from './MemoryUsageDisplay.js';
 import { ContextUsageDisplay } from './ContextUsageDisplay.js';
 import { DebugProfiler } from './DebugProfiler.js';
@@ -87,12 +87,10 @@ export const Footer: React.FC = () => {
           )}
           {!hideCWD &&
             (nightly ? (
-              <Gradient colors={theme.ui.gradient}>
-                <Text>
-                  {displayPath}
-                  {branchName && <Text> ({branchName}*)</Text>}
-                </Text>
-              </Gradient>
+              <ThemedGradient>
+                {displayPath}
+                {branchName && <Text> ({branchName}*)</Text>}
+              </ThemedGradient>
             ) : (
               <Text color={theme.text.link}>
                 {displayPath}
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/ui/components/GradientRegression.test.tsx b/packages/cli/src/ui/components/GradientRegression.test.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..1b4bc8a4f7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/cli/src/ui/components/GradientRegression.test.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,94 @@
+/**
+ * @license
+ * Copyright 2025 Google LLC
+ * SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+ */
+
+import { describe, it, expect, vi } from 'vitest';
+import { renderWithProviders } from '../../test-utils/render.js';
+import { Footer } from './Footer.js';
+import { StatsDisplay } from './StatsDisplay.js';
+import * as SessionContext from '../contexts/SessionContext.js';
+import type { SessionStatsState } from '../contexts/SessionContext.js';
+
+// Mock the theme module
+vi.mock('../semantic-colors.js', async (importOriginal) => {
+  const original =
+    await importOriginal<typeof import('../semantic-colors.js')>();
+  return {
+    ...original,
+    theme: {
+      ...original.theme,
+      ui: {
+        ...original.theme.ui,
+        gradient: [], // Empty array to potentially trigger the crash
+      },
+    },
+  };
+});
+
+// Mock the context to provide controlled data for testing
+vi.mock('../contexts/SessionContext.js', async (importOriginal) => {
+  const actual = await importOriginal<typeof SessionContext>();
+  return {
+    ...actual,
+    useSessionStats: vi.fn(),
+  };
+});
+
+const mockSessionStats: SessionStatsState = {
+  sessionId: 'test-session',
+  sessionStartTime: new Date(),
+  lastPromptTokenCount: 0,
+  promptCount: 0,
+  metrics: {
+    models: {},
+    tools: {
+      totalCalls: 0,
+      totalSuccess: 0,
+      totalFail: 0,
+      totalDurationMs: 0,
+      totalDecisions: { accept: 0, reject: 0, modify: 0, auto_accept: 0 },
+      byName: {},
+    },
+    files: { totalLinesAdded: 0, totalLinesRemoved: 0 },
+  },
+};
+
+const useSessionStatsMock = vi.mocked(SessionContext.useSessionStats);
+useSessionStatsMock.mockReturnValue({
+  stats: mockSessionStats,
+  getPromptCount: () => 0,
+  startNewPrompt: vi.fn(),
+});
+
+describe('Gradient Crash Regression Tests', () => {
+  it('<Footer /> should not crash when theme.ui.gradient has only one color (or empty) and nightly is true', () => {
+    const { lastFrame } = renderWithProviders(<Footer />, {
+      width: 120,
+      uiState: {
+        nightly: true, // Enable nightly to trigger Gradient usage logic
+        sessionStats: mockSessionStats,
+      },
+    });
+    // If it crashes, this line won't be reached or lastFrame() will throw
+    expect(lastFrame()).toBeDefined();
+    // It should fall back to rendering text without gradient
+    expect(lastFrame()).not.toContain('Gradient');
+  });
+
+  it('<StatsDisplay /> should not crash when theme.ui.gradient is empty', () => {
+    const { lastFrame } = renderWithProviders(
+      <StatsDisplay duration="1s" title="My Stats" />,
+      {
+        width: 120,
+        uiState: {
+          sessionStats: mockSessionStats,
+        },
+      },
+    );
+    expect(lastFrame()).toBeDefined();
+    // Ensure title is rendered
+    expect(lastFrame()).toContain('My Stats');
+  });
+});
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/ui/components/Header.tsx b/packages/cli/src/ui/components/Header.tsx
index 08b356ef89..8fd773be4d 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/ui/components/Header.tsx
+++ b/packages/cli/src/ui/components/Header.tsx
@@ -5,9 +5,8 @@
  */
 
 import type React from 'react';
-import { Box, Text } from 'ink';
-import Gradient from 'ink-gradient';
-import { theme } from '../semantic-colors.js';
+import { Box } from 'ink';
+import { ThemedGradient } from './ThemedGradient.js';
 import {
   shortAsciiLogo,
   longAsciiLogo,
@@ -26,26 +25,6 @@ interface HeaderProps {
   nightly: boolean;
 }
 
-const ThemedGradient: React.FC<{ children: React.ReactNode }> = ({
-  children,
-}) => {
-  const gradient = theme.ui.gradient;
-
-  if (gradient && gradient.length >= 2) {
-    return (
-      <Gradient colors={gradient}>
-        <Text>{children}</Text>
-      </Gradient>
-    );
-  }
-
-  if (gradient && gradient.length === 1) {
-    return <Text color={gradient[0]}>{children}</Text>;
-  }
-
-  return <Text>{children}</Text>;
-};
-
 export const Header: React.FC<HeaderProps> = ({
   customAsciiArt,
   version,
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/ui/components/StatsDisplay.tsx b/packages/cli/src/ui/components/StatsDisplay.tsx
index 8c7bacd7ab..964f98dfcb 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/ui/components/StatsDisplay.tsx
+++ b/packages/cli/src/ui/components/StatsDisplay.tsx
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
 
 import type React from 'react';
 import { Box, Text } from 'ink';
-import Gradient from 'ink-gradient';
+import { ThemedGradient } from './ThemedGradient.js';
 import { theme } from '../semantic-colors.js';
 import { formatDuration } from '../utils/formatters.js';
 import type { ModelMetrics } from '../contexts/SessionContext.js';
@@ -185,17 +185,7 @@ export const StatsDisplay: React.FC<StatsDisplayProps> = ({
 
   const renderTitle = () => {
     if (title) {
-      return theme.ui.gradient && theme.ui.gradient.length > 0 ? (
-        <Gradient colors={theme.ui.gradient}>
-          <Text bold color={theme.text.primary}>
-            {title}
-          </Text>
-        </Gradient>
-      ) : (
-        <Text bold color={theme.text.accent}>
-          {title}
-        </Text>
-      );
+      return <ThemedGradient bold>{title}</ThemedGradient>;
     }
     return (
       <Text bold color={theme.text.accent}>
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/ui/components/ThemedGradient.tsx b/packages/cli/src/ui/components/ThemedGradient.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..339626c04f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/cli/src/ui/components/ThemedGradient.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+/**
+ * @license
+ * Copyright 2025 Google LLC
+ * SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+ */
+
+import type React from 'react';
+import { Text, type TextProps } from 'ink';
+import Gradient from 'ink-gradient';
+import { theme } from '../semantic-colors.js';
+
+export const ThemedGradient: React.FC<TextProps> = ({ children, ...props }) => {
+  const gradient = theme.ui.gradient;
+
+  if (gradient && gradient.length >= 2) {
+    return (
+      <Gradient colors={gradient}>
+        <Text {...props}>{children}</Text>
+      </Gradient>
+    );
+  }
+
+  if (gradient && gradient.length === 1) {
+    return (
+      <Text color={gradient[0]} {...props}>
+        {children}
+      </Text>
+    );
+  }
+
+  return <Text {...props}>{children}</Text>;
+};
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/ui/hooks/useAnimatedScrollbar.test.tsx b/packages/cli/src/ui/hooks/useAnimatedScrollbar.test.tsx
index 3fd84ad7a5..32f4c0cedf 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/ui/hooks/useAnimatedScrollbar.test.tsx
+++ b/packages/cli/src/ui/hooks/useAnimatedScrollbar.test.tsx
@@ -70,4 +70,32 @@ describe('useAnimatedScrollbar', () => {
 
     expect(debugState.debugNumAnimatedComponents).toBe(0);
   });
+
+  it('should not crash if Date.now() goes backwards (regression test)', async () => {
+    // Only fake timers, keep Date real so we can mock it manually
+    vi.useFakeTimers({
+      toFake: ['setInterval', 'clearInterval', 'setTimeout', 'clearTimeout'],
+    });
+    const dateSpy = vi.spyOn(Date, 'now');
+    let currentTime = 1000;
+    dateSpy.mockImplementation(() => currentTime);
+
+    const { rerender } = render(<TestComponent isFocused={false} />);
+
+    // Start animation. This captures start = 1000.
+    rerender(<TestComponent isFocused={true} />);
+
+    // Simulate time going backwards before the next frame
+    currentTime = 900;
+
+    // Trigger the interval (33ms)
+    await act(async () => {
+      vi.advanceTimersByTime(50);
+    });
+
+    // If it didn't crash, we are good.
+    // Cleanup
+    dateSpy.mockRestore();
+    // Reset timers to default full fake for other tests (handled by afterEach/beforeEach usually, but here we overrode it)
+  });
 });
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/ui/hooks/useAnimatedScrollbar.ts b/packages/cli/src/ui/hooks/useAnimatedScrollbar.ts
index aeb1d79041..7ee3fb8ec9 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/ui/hooks/useAnimatedScrollbar.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/ui/hooks/useAnimatedScrollbar.ts
@@ -49,11 +49,15 @@ export function useAnimatedScrollbar(
     const unfocusedColor = theme.ui.dark;
     const startColor = colorRef.current;
 
+    if (!focusedColor || !unfocusedColor) {
+      return;
+    }
+
     // Phase 1: Fade In
     let start = Date.now();
     const animateFadeIn = () => {
       const elapsed = Date.now() - start;
-      const progress = Math.min(elapsed / fadeInDuration, 1);
+      const progress = Math.max(0, Math.min(elapsed / fadeInDuration, 1));
 
       setScrollbarColor(interpolateColor(startColor, focusedColor, progress));
 
@@ -69,7 +73,10 @@ export function useAnimatedScrollbar(
           start = Date.now();
           const animateFadeOut = () => {
             const elapsed = Date.now() - start;
-            const progress = Math.min(elapsed / fadeOutDuration, 1);
+            const progress = Math.max(
+              0,
+              Math.min(elapsed / fadeOutDuration, 1),
+            );
             setScrollbarColor(
               interpolateColor(focusedColor, unfocusedColor, progress),
             );
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/ui/themes/color-utils.test.ts b/packages/cli/src/ui/themes/color-utils.test.ts
index 9d6a11698a..d35fcb183e 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/ui/themes/color-utils.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/ui/themes/color-utils.test.ts
@@ -233,5 +233,26 @@ describe('Color Utils', () => {
     it('should return end color when factor is 1', () => {
       expect(interpolateColor('#ff0000', '#0000ff', 1)).toBe('#0000ff');
     });
+
+    it('should return start color when factor is < 0', () => {
+      expect(interpolateColor('#ff0000', '#0000ff', -0.5)).toBe('#ff0000');
+    });
+
+    it('should return end color when factor is > 1', () => {
+      expect(interpolateColor('#ff0000', '#0000ff', 1.5)).toBe('#0000ff');
+    });
+
+    it('should return valid color if one is empty but factor selects the valid one', () => {
+      expect(interpolateColor('', '#ffffff', 1)).toBe('#ffffff');
+      expect(interpolateColor('#ffffff', '', 0)).toBe('#ffffff');
+    });
+
+    it('should return empty string if either color is empty and factor does not select the valid one', () => {
+      expect(interpolateColor('', '#ffffff', 0.5)).toBe('');
+      expect(interpolateColor('#ffffff', '', 0.5)).toBe('');
+      expect(interpolateColor('', '', 0.5)).toBe('');
+      expect(interpolateColor('', '#ffffff', 0)).toBe('');
+      expect(interpolateColor('#ffffff', '', 1)).toBe('');
+    });
   });
 });
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/ui/themes/color-utils.ts b/packages/cli/src/ui/themes/color-utils.ts
index 1f326a4840..7f0054c3a0 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/ui/themes/color-utils.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/ui/themes/color-utils.ts
@@ -238,6 +238,15 @@ export function interpolateColor(
   color2: string,
   factor: number,
 ) {
+  if (factor <= 0 && color1) {
+    return color1;
+  }
+  if (factor >= 1 && color2) {
+    return color2;
+  }
+  if (!color1 || !color2) {
+    return '';
+  }
   const gradient = tinygradient(color1, color2);
   const color = gradient.rgbAt(factor);
   return color.toHexString();