diff --git a/src/Surface.zig b/src/Surface.zig
index 87a3037c7..8807c411f 100644
--- a/src/Surface.zig
+++ b/src/Surface.zig
@@ -142,6 +142,7 @@ const DerivedConfig = struct {
     confirm_close_surface: bool,
     mouse_interval: u64,
     macos_non_native_fullscreen: bool,
+    macos_option_as_alt: bool,
 
     pub fn init(alloc_gpa: Allocator, config: *const configpkg.Config) !DerivedConfig {
         var arena = ArenaAllocator.init(alloc_gpa);
@@ -158,6 +159,7 @@ const DerivedConfig = struct {
             .confirm_close_surface = config.@"confirm-close-surface",
             .mouse_interval = config.@"click-repeat-interval" * 1_000_000, // 500ms
             .macos_non_native_fullscreen = config.@"macos-non-native-fullscreen",
+            .macos_option_as_alt = config.@"macos-option-as-alt",
 
             // Assignments happen sequentially so we have to do this last
             // so that the memory is captured from allocs above.
@@ -985,7 +987,11 @@ pub fn preeditCallback(self: *Surface, preedit: ?u21) !void {
     try self.queueRender();
 }
 
-pub fn charCallback(self: *Surface, codepoint: u21) !void {
+pub fn charCallback(
+    self: *Surface,
+    codepoint: u21,
+    mods: input.Mods,
+) !void {
     const tracy = trace(@src());
     defer tracy.end();
 
@@ -1015,13 +1021,26 @@ pub fn charCallback(self: *Surface, codepoint: u21) !void {
         try self.io.terminal.scrollViewport(.{ .bottom = {} });
     }
 
-    // Ask our IO thread to write the data
     var data: termio.Message.WriteReq.Small.Array = undefined;
-    const len = try std.unicode.utf8Encode(codepoint, &data);
+
+    // Prefix our data with ESC if we have alt pressed.
+    var i: u8 = 0;
+    if (mods.alt) alt: {
+        // On macOS, we have to opt-in to using alt because option
+        // by default is a unicode character sequence.
+        if (comptime builtin.target.isDarwin()) {
+            if (!self.config.macos_option_as_alt) break :alt;
+        }
+
+        data[i] = 0x1b;
+        i += 1;
+    }
+
+    const len = try std.unicode.utf8Encode(codepoint, data[i..]);
     _ = self.io_thread.mailbox.push(.{
         .write_small = .{
             .data = data,
-            .len = len,
+            .len = len + i,
         },
     }, .{ .forever = {} });
 
diff --git a/src/apprt/embedded.zig b/src/apprt/embedded.zig
index de257cdd4..efd1480af 100644
--- a/src/apprt/embedded.zig
+++ b/src/apprt/embedded.zig
@@ -390,13 +390,23 @@ pub const Surface = struct {
         // We don't handle release events because we don't use them yet.
         if (action != .press and action != .repeat) return;
 
+        // If we're on macOS and we have macos-option-as-alt enabled,
+        // then we strip the alt modifier from the mods for translation.
+        const translate_mods = translate_mods: {
+            var translate_mods = mods;
+            if (self.app.config.@"macos-option-as-alt")
+                translate_mods.alt = false;
+
+            break :translate_mods translate_mods;
+        };
+
         // Translate our key using the keymap for our localized keyboard layout.
         var buf: [128]u8 = undefined;
         const result = try self.app.keymap.translate(
             &buf,
             &self.keymap_state,
             @intCast(keycode),
-            mods,
+            translate_mods,
         );
 
         // If we aren't composing, then we set our preedit to empty no matter what.
@@ -472,7 +482,7 @@ pub const Surface = struct {
 
         // Next, we want to call the char callback with each codepoint.
         while (it.nextCodepoint()) |cp| {
-            self.core_surface.charCallback(cp) catch |err| {
+            self.core_surface.charCallback(cp, mods) catch |err| {
                 log.err("error in char callback err={}", .{err});
                 return;
             };
@@ -481,7 +491,7 @@ pub const Surface = struct {
 
     pub fn charCallback(self: *Surface, cp_: u32) void {
         const cp = std.math.cast(u21, cp_) orelse return;
-        self.core_surface.charCallback(cp) catch |err| {
+        self.core_surface.charCallback(cp, .{}) catch |err| {
             log.err("error in char callback err={}", .{err});
             return;
         };
diff --git a/src/apprt/glfw.zig b/src/apprt/glfw.zig
index 9f222b2c3..44467cb9b 100644
--- a/src/apprt/glfw.zig
+++ b/src/apprt/glfw.zig
@@ -597,7 +597,8 @@ pub const Surface = struct {
             return;
         }
 
-        core_win.charCallback(codepoint) catch |err| {
+        // TODO: mods
+        core_win.charCallback(codepoint, .{}) catch |err| {
             log.err("error in char callback err={}", .{err});
             return;
         };
diff --git a/src/apprt/gtk.zig b/src/apprt/gtk.zig
index 47eec5b3e..d15a071df 100644
--- a/src/apprt/gtk.zig
+++ b/src/apprt/gtk.zig
@@ -1282,7 +1282,7 @@ pub const Surface = struct {
             };
             var it = view.iterator();
             while (it.nextCodepoint()) |cp| {
-                self.core_surface.charCallback(cp) catch |err| {
+                self.core_surface.charCallback(cp, mods) catch |err| {
                     log.err("error in char callback err={}", .{err});
                     return 0;
                 };
@@ -1390,7 +1390,7 @@ pub const Surface = struct {
         };
         var it = view.iterator();
         while (it.nextCodepoint()) |cp| {
-            self.core_surface.charCallback(cp) catch |err| {
+            self.core_surface.charCallback(cp, .{}) catch |err| {
                 log.err("error in char callback err={}", .{err});
                 return;
             };
diff --git a/src/config.zig b/src/config.zig
index ae41072a0..a5731289c 100644
--- a/src/config.zig
+++ b/src/config.zig
@@ -238,6 +238,19 @@ pub const Config = struct {
     /// animations.
     @"macos-non-native-fullscreen": bool = false,
 
+    /// If true, the Option key will be treated as Alt. This makes terminal
+    /// sequences expecting Alt to work properly, but will break Unicode
+    /// input sequences on macOS if you use them via the alt key. You may
+    /// set this to false to restore the macOS alt-key unicode sequences
+    /// but this will break terminal sequences expecting Alt to work.
+    ///
+    /// Note that if an Option-sequence doesn't produce a printable
+    /// character, it will be treated as Alt regardless of this setting.
+    /// (i.e. alt+ctrl+a).
+    ///
+    /// This does not work with GLFW builds.
+    @"macos-option-as-alt": bool = false,
+
     /// This is set by the CLI parser for deinit.
     _arena: ?ArenaAllocator = null,