diff --git a/src/env_dispatch.cpp b/src/env_dispatch.cpp
index 28282f13e..9c3882ce0 100644
--- a/src/env_dispatch.cpp
+++ b/src/env_dispatch.cpp
@@ -484,6 +484,14 @@ static void initialize_curses_using_fallbacks(const environment_t &vars) {
 // Apply any platform-specific hacks to cur_term/
 static void apply_term_hacks(const environment_t &vars) {
     UNUSED(vars);
+    // Midnight Commander tries to extract the last line of the prompt,
+    // and does so in a way that is broken if you do `\r` after it,
+    // like we normally do.
+    // See https://midnight-commander.org/ticket/4258.
+    if (auto var = vars.get(L"MC_SID")) {
+        screen_set_midnight_commander_hack();
+    }
+
     // Be careful, variables like "enter_italics_mode" are #defined to dereference through cur_term.
     // See #8876.
     if (!cur_term) {
diff --git a/src/screen.cpp b/src/screen.cpp
index b6e1ea8c3..ef8fbf16f 100644
--- a/src/screen.cpp
+++ b/src/screen.cpp
@@ -75,6 +75,12 @@ static size_t try_sequence(const char *seq, const wchar_t *str) {
     return 0;  // this should never be executed
 }
 
+static bool midnight_commander_hack = false;
+
+void screen_set_midnight_commander_hack() {
+    midnight_commander_hack = true;
+}
+
 /// Returns the number of columns left until the next tab stop, given the current cursor position.
 static size_t next_tab_stop(size_t current_line_width) {
     // Assume tab stops every 8 characters if undefined.
@@ -905,7 +911,11 @@ void screen_t::update(const wcstring &left_prompt, const wcstring &right_prompt,
 
     // Also move the cursor to the beginning of the line here,
     // in case we're wrong about the width anywhere.
-    this->move(0, 0);
+    // Don't do it when running in midnight_commander because of
+    // https://midnight-commander.org/ticket/4258.
+    if (!midnight_commander_hack) {
+        this->move(0, 0);
+    }
 
     // Clear remaining lines (if any) if we haven't cleared the screen.
     if (!has_cleared_screen && need_clear_screen && clr_eol) {
diff --git a/src/screen.h b/src/screen.h
index 9c90fa44a..26bbb452b 100644
--- a/src/screen.h
+++ b/src/screen.h
@@ -330,4 +330,6 @@ class layout_cache_t : noncopyable_t {
 };
 
 maybe_t<size_t> escape_code_length(const wchar_t *code);
+
+void screen_set_midnight_commander_hack();
 #endif