diff --git a/src/console.c b/src/console.c
index 44d692a..eefd572 100644
--- a/src/console.c
+++ b/src/console.c
@@ -775,7 +775,8 @@ static void kmscon_buffer_draw(struct kmscon_buffer *buf,
 
 static void kmscon_buffer_write(struct kmscon_buffer *buf, unsigned int x,
 				unsigned int y, kmscon_symbol_t ch,
-				const struct font_char_attr *attr)
+				const struct font_char_attr *attr,
+				unsigned int flags)
 {
 	struct line *line, **slot;
 	int ret;
@@ -816,7 +817,7 @@ static void kmscon_buffer_write(struct kmscon_buffer *buf, unsigned int x,
 			buf->scroll_fill = y + 1;
 	}
 
-	if (x >= line->size) {
+	if (line->size < buf->size_x) {
 		ret = resize_line(line, buf->size_x);
 		if (ret) {
 			log_warn("cannot resize line (%d); dropping input", ret);
@@ -824,6 +825,9 @@ static void kmscon_buffer_write(struct kmscon_buffer *buf, unsigned int x,
 		}
 	}
 
+	if ((flags & KMSCON_CONSOLE_INSERT) && x < (buf->size_x - 1))
+		memmove(&line->cells[x + 1], &line->cells[x],
+			sizeof(struct cell) * (buf->size_x - 1 - x));
 	line->cells[x].ch = ch;
 	memcpy(&line->cells[x].attr, attr, sizeof(*attr));
 }
@@ -1052,7 +1056,8 @@ void kmscon_console_draw(struct kmscon_console *con, struct font_screen *fscr)
 }
 
 void kmscon_console_write(struct kmscon_console *con, kmscon_symbol_t ch,
-			  const struct font_char_attr *attr)
+			  const struct font_char_attr *attr,
+			  unsigned int flags)
 {
 	unsigned int last;
 
@@ -1074,7 +1079,8 @@ void kmscon_console_write(struct kmscon_console *con, kmscon_symbol_t ch,
 		}
 	}
 
-	kmscon_buffer_write(con->cells, con->cursor_x, con->cursor_y, ch, attr);
+	kmscon_buffer_write(con->cells, con->cursor_x, con->cursor_y, ch, attr,
+			    flags);
 	con->cursor_x++;
 }
 
diff --git a/src/console.h b/src/console.h
index 857d07c..8528b8d 100644
--- a/src/console.h
+++ b/src/console.h
@@ -44,6 +44,8 @@ struct kmscon_console;
 
 /* console objects */
 
+#define KMSCON_CONSOLE_INSERT		0x01
+
 int kmscon_console_new(struct kmscon_console **out);
 void kmscon_console_ref(struct kmscon_console *con);
 void kmscon_console_unref(struct kmscon_console *con);
@@ -57,7 +59,8 @@ void kmscon_console_reset(struct kmscon_console *con);
 void kmscon_console_draw(struct kmscon_console *con, struct font_screen *fscr);
 
 void kmscon_console_write(struct kmscon_console *con, kmscon_symbol_t ch,
-			  const struct font_char_attr *attr);
+			  const struct font_char_attr *attr,
+			  unsigned int flags);
 void kmscon_console_newline(struct kmscon_console *con);
 void kmscon_console_move_to(struct kmscon_console *con, unsigned int x,
 							unsigned int y);
diff --git a/src/vte.c b/src/vte.c
index d29e2cc..e132b46 100644
--- a/src/vte.c
+++ b/src/vte.c
@@ -261,6 +261,18 @@ static void vte_write_debug(struct kmscon_vte *vte, const char *u8, size_t len,
 #define vte_write_raw(_vte, _u8, _len) \
 	vte_write_debug((_vte), (_u8), (_len), true, __FILE__, __LINE__)
 
+/* write to console */
+static void write_console(struct kmscon_vte *vte, kmscon_symbol_t sym)
+{
+	unsigned int flags;
+
+	flags = 0;
+	if (vte->flags & FLAG_INSERT_REPLACE_MODE)
+		flags |= KMSCON_CONSOLE_INSERT;
+
+	kmscon_console_write(vte->con, sym, &vte->cattr, flags);
+}
+
 /*
  * Reset VTE state
  * This performs a soft reset of the VTE. That is, everything is reset to the
@@ -361,7 +373,7 @@ static void do_execute(struct kmscon_vte *vte, uint32_t ctrl)
 		break;
 	case 0x1a: /* SUB */
 		/* Discard current escape sequence and show err-sym */
-		kmscon_console_write(vte->con, 0xbf, &vte->cattr);
+		write_console(vte, 0xbf);
 		break;
 	case 0x1b: /* ESC */
 		/* Invokes an escape sequence */
@@ -1026,7 +1038,7 @@ static void do_action(struct kmscon_vte *vte, uint32_t data, int action)
 			break;
 		case ACTION_PRINT:
 			sym = kmscon_symbol_make(vte_map(vte, data));
-			kmscon_console_write(vte->con, sym, &vte->cattr);
+			write_console(vte, sym);
 			break;
 		case ACTION_EXECUTE:
 			do_execute(vte, data);