diff --git a/packages/nuxt-cli/src/dev/tui/overlay.ts b/packages/nuxt-cli/src/dev/tui/overlay.ts
index 2433f67b0..98a97fc4a 100644
--- a/packages/nuxt-cli/src/dev/tui/overlay.ts
+++ b/packages/nuxt-cli/src/dev/tui/overlay.ts
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ import type { OverlayEntry } from './screen'
 
 import { styleText } from 'node:util'
 
-import { truncate } from '../../utils/formatting'
+import { truncate, visibleWidth } from '../../utils/formatting'
 
 import { MUTED, paint } from '../../utils/terminal-theme'
 import { formatHints, ScreenOverlay } from './screen'
@@ -154,16 +154,21 @@ export function formatEvent(event: DevLogEvent, columns: number, sameRequest = f
   const date = new Date(event.time)
   const clock = [date.getHours(), date.getMinutes(), date.getSeconds()].map(part => String(part).padStart(2, '0')).join(':')
   const time = styleText(MUTED, clock)
-  const tag = event.tag ? styleText(MUTED, `[${event.tag}] `) : ''
+  const budget = columns - messageColumn - 1
   const indent = ' '.repeat(messageColumn)
 
   const marker = event.repeats && event.repeats > 1 ? styleText(MUTED, ` ×${event.repeats}`) : ''
   const markerWidth = event.repeats && event.repeats > 1 ? ` ×${event.repeats}`.length : 0
 
+  const firstLineWidth = visibleWidth(event.message.split('\n', 1)[0] ?? '')
+  const tagRoom = Math.max(Math.floor(budget / 2), budget - markerWidth - firstLineWidth - 1)
+  const tag = event.tag && !event.request ? styleText(MUTED, `[${truncate(event.tag, Math.max(1, tagRoom - 2))}] `) : ''
+  const tagWidth = visibleWidth(tag)
+
   const lines = event.message
     .split('\n')
     .map((line, index) => {
-      const room = Math.max(20, columns - messageColumn - 1 - (index === 0 ? markerWidth : 0))
+      const room = Math.max(1, budget - (index === 0 ? markerWidth + tagWidth : 0))
       const text = colorBySeverity(truncate(line, room), event)
       return index === 0 ? `${text}${marker}` : text
     })
diff --git a/packages/nuxt-cli/src/dev/tui/screen.ts b/packages/nuxt-cli/src/dev/tui/screen.ts
index aaf0c8ba8..0eeb2c6d3 100644
--- a/packages/nuxt-cli/src/dev/tui/screen.ts
+++ b/packages/nuxt-cli/src/dev/tui/screen.ts
@@ -310,12 +310,12 @@ export abstract class ScreenOverlay {
     const visible = rows.slice(this.#top, this.#top + bodyRows)
 
     const frame = [
-      truncate(this.renderTitle(columns), columns),
+      this.renderTitle(columns),
       styleText(MUTED, '─'.repeat(Math.max(0, columns))),
       ...visible,
       ...Array.from({ length: bodyRows - visible.length }).fill('') as string[],
       this.#hintLine(),
-    ]
+    ].map(row => truncate(row, columns))
     this.#write(`\u001B[H\u001B[2J${frame.join('\n')}`)
   }
 
diff --git a/packages/nuxt-cli/test/unit/dev-tui.spec.ts b/packages/nuxt-cli/test/unit/dev-tui.spec.ts
index fd5738b1a..eeb0426b7 100644
--- a/packages/nuxt-cli/test/unit/dev-tui.spec.ts
+++ b/packages/nuxt-cli/test/unit/dev-tui.spec.ts
@@ -905,6 +905,49 @@ describe('log overlay', () => {
     expect(lines.join('\n')).toContain(coloured)
   })
 
+  it('counts the tag against the width a message is cut to', () => {
+    const [line] = formatEvent(event({ tag: '@nuxt/content', message: 'Processed 2 collections and 0 files in 59.89ms (0 cached, 0 parsed)' }), 60)
+    expect(strip(line!).length).toBeLessThanOrEqual(60)
+    expect(strip(line!)).toMatch(/^\d{2}:\d{2}:\d{2} \[@nuxt\/content\] Processed .*…$/)
+  })
+
+  it('keeps the repeat marker when a long tag leaves little room', () => {
+    const [line] = formatEvent(event({ tag: 'nuxt:devtools:config-retriever', message: 'defines Vite-specific options', repeats: 12 }), 38)
+    expect(strip(line!).length).toBeLessThanOrEqual(38)
+    expect(strip(line!)).toMatch(/^\d{2}:\d{2}:\d{2} \[nuxt:\S*…\] \S.* ×12$/)
+  })
+
+  it('keeps a long tag whole when the message leaves room for it', () => {
+    const [line] = formatEvent(event({ tag: 'nuxt:devtools:config-retriever', message: 'ok' }), 58)
+    expect(strip(line!)).toMatch(/^\d{2}:\d{2}:\d{2} \[nuxt:devtools:config-retriever\] ok$/)
+  })
+
+  it('never paints a row wider than the terminal', () => {
+    const events = new DevEventLog()
+    events.push(event({ tag: 'a'.repeat(60), message: 'b'.repeat(60) }))
+    events.push(event({ request: `GET /${'c'.repeat(120)}`, requestId: '1', message: 'boom' }))
+    const columns = Object.getOwnPropertyDescriptor(process.stdout, 'columns')
+    Object.defineProperty(process.stdout, 'columns', { value: 20, configurable: true })
+    const { overlay, lastFrame } = create(events)
+    try {
+      overlay.open()
+      overlay.handleKey({ name: 'y' })
+      expect(strip(lastFrame())).toContain('nothing selected')
+      for (const row of strip(lastFrame()).split('\n')) {
+        expect(row.length).toBeLessThanOrEqual(20)
+      }
+    }
+    finally {
+      overlay.handleKey({ name: 'q' })
+      if (columns) {
+        Object.defineProperty(process.stdout, 'columns', columns)
+      }
+      else {
+        Reflect.deleteProperty(process.stdout, 'columns')
+      }
+    }
+  })
+
   it('opens focused on the newest error', () => {
     const events = new DevEventLog()
     events.push(event({ message: 'all fine' }))