diff --git a/pkg/interface/webterm/Buffer.tsx b/pkg/interface/webterm/Buffer.tsx
index 67b8f03c6..8d5ae2ce7 100644
--- a/pkg/interface/webterm/Buffer.tsx
+++ b/pkg/interface/webterm/Buffer.tsx
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ import useTermState from './state';
 import React from 'react';
 import { Box, Col } from '@tlon/indigo-react';
 import { makeTheme } from './lib/theme';
-import { showBlit, csi } from './lib/blit';
+import { showBlit, csi, hasBell } from './lib/blit';
 import { DEFAULT_SESSION } from './constants';
 import { retry } from './lib/retry';
 
@@ -180,7 +180,8 @@ export default function Buffer({ name, selected, dark }: BufferProps) {
         app: 'herm', path: '/session/' + name + '/view',
         event: (e) => {
           showBlit(ses.term, e);
-          if (e.bel && !selected) {
+          //NOTE  getting selected from state because selected prop is stale
+          if (hasBell(e) && (useTermState.getState().selected !== name)) {
             useTermState.getState().set((state) => {
               state.sessions[name].hasBell = true;
             });
diff --git a/pkg/interface/webterm/lib/blit.ts b/pkg/interface/webterm/lib/blit.ts
index cd25de168..e98f8fe75 100644
--- a/pkg/interface/webterm/lib/blit.ts
+++ b/pkg/interface/webterm/lib/blit.ts
@@ -73,3 +73,13 @@ export const showSlog = (term: Terminal, slog: string) => {
            + csi('r')
            + csi('u'));
 };
+
+export const hasBell = (blit: Blit) => {
+  if ('bel' in blit) {
+    return true;
+  } else if ('mor' in blit) {
+    return blit.mor.some(hasBell);
+  } else {
+    return false;
+  }
+}