diff --git a/packages/runtime-tests/integration/components/box.test.tsx b/packages/runtime-tests/integration/components/box.test.tsx
index eeb1c70..7489106 100644
--- a/packages/runtime-tests/integration/components/box.test.tsx
+++ b/packages/runtime-tests/integration/components/box.test.tsx
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { defineComponent, nextTick, ref } from "vue";
+import { defineComponent, nextTick, shallowRef } from "vue";
 import { expect, test } from "vite-plus/test";
 import { render } from "@vue-tui/testing";
 import { Box, Text } from "@vue-tui/runtime";
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ test("borderBottom:false suppresses bottom edge", async () => {
 });
 
 test("reactive borderTop:false update removes top edge", async () => {
-  const showTop = ref(true);
+  const showTop = shallowRef(true);
   const App = defineComponent(() => {
     return () => <Box borderStyle="single" borderTop={showTop.value} width={6} height={3} />;
   });
diff --git a/packages/runtime-tests/integration/components/conditional-list.test.tsx b/packages/runtime-tests/integration/components/conditional-list.test.tsx
index 3db40e2..d6f01f5 100644
--- a/packages/runtime-tests/integration/components/conditional-list.test.tsx
+++ b/packages/runtime-tests/integration/components/conditional-list.test.tsx
@@ -1,10 +1,10 @@
-import { defineComponent, nextTick, ref } from "vue";
+import { defineComponent, nextTick, shallowRef } from "vue";
 import { expect, test } from "vite-plus/test";
 import { render } from "@vue-tui/testing";
 import { Box, Text } from "@vue-tui/runtime";
 
 test("v-if toggle preserves sibling order", async () => {
-  const show = ref(true);
+  const show = shallowRef(true);
   const App = defineComponent(() => {
     return () => (
       <Box flexDirection="column">
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ test("v-if toggle preserves sibling order", async () => {
 });
 
 test("keyed v-for reorder renders in new order", async () => {
-  const items = ref([1, 2, 3]);
+  const items = shallowRef([1, 2, 3]);
   const App = defineComponent(() => {
     return () => (
       <Box flexDirection="column">
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ test("keyed v-for reorder renders in new order", async () => {
 });
 
 test("repeated list shuffles don't crash", async () => {
-  const items = ref([1, 2, 3, 4, 5]);
+  const items = shallowRef([1, 2, 3, 4, 5]);
   const App = defineComponent(() => {
     return () => (
       <Box flexDirection="column">
diff --git a/packages/runtime-tests/integration/components/static.test.tsx b/packages/runtime-tests/integration/components/static.test.tsx
index f0e420b..c8bcb69 100644
--- a/packages/runtime-tests/integration/components/static.test.tsx
+++ b/packages/runtime-tests/integration/components/static.test.tsx
@@ -1,11 +1,11 @@
 import { PassThrough } from "node:stream";
-import { defineComponent, nextTick, ref } from "vue";
+import { defineComponent, nextTick, shallowRef } from "vue";
 import { expect, test } from "vite-plus/test";
 import { render } from "@vue-tui/testing";
 import { Box, Text, Static, createApp } from "@vue-tui/runtime";
 
 test("Static appends new items above the dynamic frame", async () => {
-  const items = ref<string[]>([]);
+  const items = shallowRef<string[]>([]);
 
   const App = defineComponent(() => {
     return () => (
@@ -34,8 +34,8 @@ test("Static appends new items above the dynamic frame", async () => {
 });
 
 test("Static preserves prior items when new ones are added", async () => {
-  const logs = ref<string[]>([]);
-  const status = ref("idle");
+  const logs = shallowRef<string[]>([]);
+  const status = shallowRef("idle");
 
   const App = defineComponent(() => {
     return () => (
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ test("Static flush clears the dynamic frame first (non-debug mode)", async () =>
     },
   });
 
-  const items = ref<string[]>([]);
+  const items = shallowRef<string[]>([]);
   const App = defineComponent(() => () => (
     <Box>
       <Static items={items.value}>
@@ -177,7 +177,7 @@ test.todo(
 );
 
 test("Static items do not add blank lines to the dynamic frame", async () => {
-  const items = ref<string[]>([]);
+  const items = shallowRef<string[]>([]);
 
   const App = defineComponent(() => () => (
     <Box flexDirection="column">
diff --git a/packages/runtime-tests/integration/composables/use-input.test.tsx b/packages/runtime-tests/integration/composables/use-input.test.tsx
index b673b97..d9c43e5 100644
--- a/packages/runtime-tests/integration/composables/use-input.test.tsx
+++ b/packages/runtime-tests/integration/composables/use-input.test.tsx
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { defineComponent, ref } from "vue";
+import { defineComponent, shallowRef } from "vue";
 import { expect, test } from "vite-plus/test";
 import { render } from "@vue-tui/testing";
 import { Text, useInput, useStdout, type Key } from "@vue-tui/runtime";
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ test("useInput receives arrow keys", async () => {
 
 test("useInput respects isActive ref", async () => {
   const calls: string[] = [];
-  const active = ref(false);
+  const active = shallowRef(false);
   const App = defineComponent(() => {
     useInput((input) => calls.push(input), { isActive: active });
     return () => <Text>x</Text>;
@@ -192,7 +192,7 @@ test("useInput - ignore input if not active (isActive: false)", async () => {
 
 test("useInput - ignore input if not active (isActive ref toggled)", async () => {
   const calls: string[] = [];
-  const active = ref(false);
+  const active = shallowRef(false);
   const App = defineComponent(() => {
     useInput((input) => calls.push(input), { isActive: active });
     return () => <Text>x</Text>;
diff --git a/packages/runtime-tests/integration/counter.test.tsx b/packages/runtime-tests/integration/counter.test.tsx
index 76c6aee..1a0b3d8 100644
--- a/packages/runtime-tests/integration/counter.test.tsx
+++ b/packages/runtime-tests/integration/counter.test.tsx
@@ -1,11 +1,11 @@
-import { defineComponent, ref } from "vue";
+import { defineComponent, shallowRef } from "vue";
 import { expect, test } from "vite-plus/test";
 import { render } from "@vue-tui/testing";
 import { Box, Text, useInput } from "@vue-tui/runtime";
 
 test("counter responds to + and - keys", async () => {
   const Counter = defineComponent(() => {
-    const count = ref(0);
+    const count = shallowRef(0);
     useInput((input) => {
       if (input === "+") count.value++;
       if (input === "-") count.value--;
diff --git a/packages/runtime-tests/integration/focus/programmatic-focus.test.tsx b/packages/runtime-tests/integration/focus/programmatic-focus.test.tsx
index b7eb971..1e532b4 100644
--- a/packages/runtime-tests/integration/focus/programmatic-focus.test.tsx
+++ b/packages/runtime-tests/integration/focus/programmatic-focus.test.tsx
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { defineComponent, nextTick, ref, shallowRef } from "vue";
+import { defineComponent, nextTick, shallowRef } from "vue";
 import { expect, test } from "vite-plus/test";
 import { render } from "@vue-tui/testing";
 import { Box, Text, useFocus, useFocusManager } from "@vue-tui/runtime";
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ test("focus(id) programmatically focuses another component", async () => {
 });
 
 test("isActive=false prevents component from receiving focus", async () => {
-  const active = ref(false);
+  const active = shallowRef(false);
 
   const Item = defineComponent({
     props: { id: { type: String, required: true } },
@@ -76,7 +76,7 @@ test("isActive=false prevents component from receiving focus", async () => {
 });
 
 test("autoFocus + isActive=false does not focus at mount", async () => {
-  const active = ref(false);
+  const active = shallowRef(false);
 
   const App = defineComponent(() => {
     const { isFocused } = useFocus({ id: "item", autoFocus: true, isActive: active });
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ test("autoFocus + isActive=false does not focus at mount", async () => {
 });
 
 test("flipping isActive to false on focused item blurs it", async () => {
-  const active = ref(true);
+  const active = shallowRef(true);
 
   const App = defineComponent(() => {
     const { isFocused } = useFocus({ id: "item", autoFocus: true, isActive: active });
diff --git a/packages/runtime-tests/integration/focus/raw-mode-swap.test.tsx b/packages/runtime-tests/integration/focus/raw-mode-swap.test.tsx
index 9a7001e..f179e09 100644
--- a/packages/runtime-tests/integration/focus/raw-mode-swap.test.tsx
+++ b/packages/runtime-tests/integration/focus/raw-mode-swap.test.tsx
@@ -1,10 +1,10 @@
-import { defineComponent, nextTick, ref } from "vue";
+import { defineComponent, nextTick, shallowRef } from "vue";
 import { expect, test } from "vite-plus/test";
 import { render } from "@vue-tui/testing";
 import { Text, useFocus } from "@vue-tui/runtime";
 
 test("swapping focusable components never disables raw mode", async () => {
-  const showA = ref(true);
+  const showA = shallowRef(true);
 
   const Item = defineComponent(() => {
     useFocus();
diff --git a/packages/runtime-tests/integration/lifecycle/error-handling.test.tsx b/packages/runtime-tests/integration/lifecycle/error-handling.test.tsx
index 73ebcfe..ea00065 100644
--- a/packages/runtime-tests/integration/lifecycle/error-handling.test.tsx
+++ b/packages/runtime-tests/integration/lifecycle/error-handling.test.tsx
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { defineComponent, nextTick, ref } from "vue";
+import { defineComponent, nextTick, shallowRef } from "vue";
 import { expect, test } from "vite-plus/test";
 import { render } from "@vue-tui/testing";
 import { Text, useExit } from "@vue-tui/runtime";
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ test("setup() throw rejects render()", async () => {
 });
 
 test("render-time throw does not prevent unmount", async () => {
-  const trigger = ref(false);
+  const trigger = shallowRef(false);
   const App = defineComponent(() => {
     return () => {
       if (trigger.value) throw new Error("render boom");
diff --git a/packages/runtime-tests/integration/lifecycle/leak.test.tsx b/packages/runtime-tests/integration/lifecycle/leak.test.tsx
index 7ada70e..1386a43 100644
--- a/packages/runtime-tests/integration/lifecycle/leak.test.tsx
+++ b/packages/runtime-tests/integration/lifecycle/leak.test.tsx
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { defineComponent, nextTick, ref } from "vue";
+import { defineComponent, nextTick, shallowRef } from "vue";
 import { expect, test } from "vite-plus/test";
 import { render } from "@vue-tui/testing";
 import { Box, Text, useInput } from "@vue-tui/runtime";
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ test("100 render/unmount cycles leak zero yoga nodes", async () => {
 });
 
 test("raw mode stays on when one of two useInput components unmounts", async () => {
-  const showB = ref(true);
+  const showB = shallowRef(true);
 
   const Listener = defineComponent(() => {
     useInput(() => {});
diff --git a/packages/runtime-tests/integration/quickstart.test.tsx b/packages/runtime-tests/integration/quickstart.test.tsx
index 4c39965..15308b1 100644
--- a/packages/runtime-tests/integration/quickstart.test.tsx
+++ b/packages/runtime-tests/integration/quickstart.test.tsx
@@ -1,11 +1,11 @@
-import { defineComponent, ref } from "vue";
+import { defineComponent, shallowRef } from "vue";
 import { expect, test } from "vite-plus/test";
 import { render } from "@vue-tui/testing";
 import { Box, Text, useInput } from "@vue-tui/runtime";
 
 test("README quickstart code runs to a Count: 0 frame", async () => {
   const Counter = defineComponent(() => {
-    const count = ref(0);
+    const count = shallowRef(0);
     useInput((input) => {
       if (input === "+") count.value++;
       if (input === "-") count.value--;
diff --git a/packages/runtime-tests/integration/scheduler.test.tsx b/packages/runtime-tests/integration/scheduler.test.tsx
index 9a6ec63..75222d4 100644
--- a/packages/runtime-tests/integration/scheduler.test.tsx
+++ b/packages/runtime-tests/integration/scheduler.test.tsx
@@ -1,10 +1,10 @@
-import { defineComponent, nextTick, ref, watch } from "vue";
+import { defineComponent, nextTick, shallowRef, watch } from "vue";
 import { expect, test } from "vite-plus/test";
 import { render } from "@vue-tui/testing";
 import { Box, Text } from "@vue-tui/runtime";
 
 test("multiple mutations in one tick produce at most 1 new frame", async () => {
-  const count = ref(0);
+  const count = shallowRef(0);
   const App = defineComponent(() => {
     return () => <Text>{String(count.value)}</Text>;
   });
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ test("multiple mutations in one tick produce at most 1 new frame", async () => {
 });
 
 test("post-flush watch sees the same value the commit paints", async () => {
-  const count = ref(0);
+  const count = shallowRef(0);
   let observed = 0;
 
   const App = defineComponent(() => {
diff --git a/packages/testing/tests/render.test.tsx b/packages/testing/tests/render.test.tsx
index 53f006d..ecbee0e 100644
--- a/packages/testing/tests/render.test.tsx
+++ b/packages/testing/tests/render.test.tsx
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { nextTick, ref } from "vue";
+import { nextTick, shallowRef } from "vue";
 import { expect, test } from "vite-plus/test";
 import { render } from "../src/index.ts";
 import { Text } from "@vue-tui/runtime";
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ test("lastFrame captures rendered output", async () => {
 });
 
 test("frames accumulate on reactive updates", async () => {
-  const message = ref("first");
+  const message = shallowRef("first");
   const { lastFrame, frames } = await render(() => <Text>{message.value}</Text>);
   const initialCount = frames.length;
   expect(lastFrame()).toContain("first");