diff --git a/src/xenia/kernel/xam/xam_input.cc b/src/xenia/kernel/xam/xam_input.cc
index 6179f7e5f..6b869916d 100644
--- a/src/xenia/kernel/xam/xam_input.cc
+++ b/src/xenia/kernel/xam/xam_input.cc
@@ -193,6 +193,21 @@ dword_result_t XamInputGetKeystrokeEx_entry(
   keystroke.Zero();
 
   if (kernel_state()->xam_state()->IsUIActive()) {
+    // RE aid: this early return hands the guest a SUCCESS with an empty
+    // keystroke without ever asking a driver, so scripted input goes silently
+    // dead for as long as any Xenia UI is up — including a dialog that was
+    // closed by its own [x] rather than by the menu toggle that decrements the
+    // counter. An invisible input blackout is expensive to diagnose from the
+    // outside; say so, rarely enough not to spam.
+    static std::atomic<uint32_t> swallowed{0};
+    const uint32_t n = swallowed.fetch_add(1, std::memory_order_relaxed);
+    if ((n % 600) == 0) {
+      XELOGW(
+          "[RE-INPUT] XamInputGetKeystrokeEx swallowed by IsUIActive "
+          "(dialogs={} nui={}, {} so far)",
+          kernel_state()->xam_state()->xam_dialogs_shown_.load(),
+          kernel_state()->xam_state()->xam_nui_dialogs_shown_.load(), n + 1);
+    }
     return X_ERROR_SUCCESS;
   }