diff --git a/src/ui/windows/send_tab.cpp b/src/ui/windows/send_tab.cpp
index 4df410e..60c734f 100644
--- a/src/ui/windows/send_tab.cpp
+++ b/src/ui/windows/send_tab.cpp
@@ -1416,21 +1416,20 @@ void RenderSendTab(App* app)
             paste_hovered = material::IsRectHovered(pasteBtnPos,
                 ImVec2(pasteBtnPos.x + pasteBtnSize.x, pasteBtnPos.y + pasteBtnSize.y));
 
-            // Handle preview state — don't modify s_to_address, just store preview text
-            if (paste_hovered && !s_paste_previewing) {
-                const char* clip = ImGui::GetClipboardText();
-                if (clip && clip[0] != '\0') {
-                    std::string trimmed(clip);
-                    while (!trimmed.empty() && (trimmed.front() == ' ' || trimmed.front() == '\n' || trimmed.front() == '\r' || trimmed.front() == '\t'))
-                        trimmed.erase(trimmed.begin());
-                    while (!trimmed.empty() && (trimmed.back() == ' ' || trimmed.back() == '\n' || trimmed.back() == '\r' || trimmed.back() == '\t'))
-                        trimmed.pop_back();
-                    // Preview any address, a mining one too: once pasted, the field explains why it can't be paid.
-                    bool looksValid = dragonx::util::isDragonXAddress(trimmed);
-                    if (looksValid && s_to_address[0] == '\0') {
-                        s_preview_text = trimmed;
-                        s_paste_previewing = true;
-                    }
+            // Handle preview state — don't modify s_to_address, just store preview text.
+            // The OS clipboard is only worth reading when the result can latch (field empty), polled on hover entry
+            // and then at most every 0.5 s (SDL's clipboard is a synchronous round-trip: 1-5 ms on X11, can stall).
+            static double s_nextClipPoll = 0.0;
+            if (!paste_hovered) s_nextClipPoll = 0.0;             // poll immediately on the next hover entry
+            if (paste_hovered && !s_paste_previewing && s_to_address[0] == '\0' &&
+                ImGui::GetTime() >= s_nextClipPoll) {
+                s_nextClipPoll = ImGui::GetTime() + 0.5;
+                // Copy immediately: the backend frees the previous clipboard buffer on the next call.
+                const std::string trimmed = dragonx::util::trimmedClipboardText(ImGui::GetClipboardText());
+                // Preview any address, a mining one too: once pasted, the field explains why it can't be paid.
+                if (!trimmed.empty() && dragonx::util::isDragonXAddress(trimmed)) {
+                    s_preview_text = trimmed;
+                    s_paste_previewing = true;
                 }
             } else if (!paste_hovered && s_paste_previewing) {
                 s_paste_previewing = false;
diff --git a/src/util/text_format.cpp b/src/util/text_format.cpp
index c6f5137..8b74dab 100644
--- a/src/util/text_format.cpp
+++ b/src/util/text_format.cpp
@@ -118,5 +118,18 @@ bool containsIgnoreCase(std::string_view haystack, std::string_view needle)
     return false;
 }
 
+std::string trimmedClipboardText(const char* clip, std::size_t maxBytes)
+{
+    if (!clip || clip[0] == '\0') return {};
+    std::size_t n = 0;
+    while (n <= maxBytes && clip[n] != '\0') ++n;
+    if (n > maxBytes) return {};
+    const auto ws = [](char c) { return c == ' ' || c == '\t' || c == '\n' || c == '\r'; };
+    std::size_t b = 0, e = n;
+    while (b < e && ws(clip[b])) ++b;
+    while (e > b && ws(clip[e - 1])) --e;
+    return std::string(clip + b, e - b);
+}
+
 } // namespace util
 } // namespace dragonx
diff --git a/src/util/text_format.h b/src/util/text_format.h
index 0b6731c..6586c22 100644
--- a/src/util/text_format.h
+++ b/src/util/text_format.h
@@ -82,5 +82,9 @@ std::string truncateMiddleToFit(const std::string& s, int minFront, int minBack,
     return build(lo);
 }
 
+// Clipboard text -> trimmed (ASCII whitespace ' ', \t, \n, \r) candidate string. Empty for a null/empty clip or one
+// longer than maxBytes (an address is < 100 bytes; this bounds the copy of a pathological multi-MB clipboard).
+std::string trimmedClipboardText(const char* clip, std::size_t maxBytes = 1024);
+
 } // namespace util
 } // namespace dragonx
diff --git a/tests/test_phase4.cpp b/tests/test_phase4.cpp
index 5868bb6..d5d11d6 100644
--- a/tests/test_phase4.cpp
+++ b/tests/test_phase4.cpp
@@ -18121,6 +18121,12 @@ void testContactsTextHelpers() {
         for (float maxW = -1; maxW < 700; maxW += 13.0f)
             EXPECT_EQ(dragonx::util::truncateMiddleToFit(s, 5, 5, maxW, meas), oldFit(s, 5, 5, maxW));
     }
+
+    EXPECT_EQ(dragonx::util::trimmedClipboardText(nullptr), std::string());
+    EXPECT_EQ(dragonx::util::trimmedClipboardText("  zs1abc\n"), std::string("zs1abc"));
+    EXPECT_EQ(dragonx::util::trimmedClipboardText("\t\r\n "), std::string());
+    EXPECT_EQ(dragonx::util::trimmedClipboardText(std::string(2000, 'a').c_str()), std::string());
+    EXPECT_EQ(dragonx::util::trimmedClipboardText(std::string(1024, 'a').c_str()).size(), (size_t)1024);
 }
 
 }  // namespace