diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/terminal-pane/TerminalPane.tsx b/src/renderer/src/components/terminal-pane/TerminalPane.tsx
index 2b58732f0ea..647835068eb 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/components/terminal-pane/TerminalPane.tsx
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/terminal-pane/TerminalPane.tsx
@@ -227,8 +227,10 @@ import { formatTerminalPasteExecutionError } from './terminal-paste-errors'
 import { resolveTerminalPasteRuntime } from './terminal-paste-runtime'
 import { getTerminalPasteSshRemotePlatform } from './terminal-paste-ssh-platform'
 import {
+  captureTerminalPanePasteFocusSnapshot,
   isTerminalPanePasteFocusCurrent,
-  isTerminalPanePasteTargetCurrent
+  isTerminalPanePasteTargetCurrent,
+  type TerminalPanePasteFocusSnapshot
 } from './terminal-paste-target-state'
 import { writeTerminalPastePtyInput } from './terminal-pty-paste-writer'
 import {
@@ -1952,7 +1954,7 @@ function TerminalPane(
     const executePanePasteText = async (
       pane: ManagedPane,
       source: TerminalPasteSource,
-      activeElementAtDispatch: Element | null,
+      focusAtDispatch: TerminalPanePasteFocusSnapshot,
       text: string,
       options?: TerminalPasteTextOptions
     ): Promise<void> => {
@@ -1993,7 +1995,7 @@ function TerminalPane(
           }
           return isTerminalPanePasteFocusCurrent({
             requireSameFocusedElement: keyboardOwnedPaste,
-            activeElementAtDispatch,
+            focusAtDispatch,
             paneContainer: pane.container
           })
         },
@@ -2044,7 +2046,7 @@ function TerminalPane(
         useAppStore.getState(),
         worktreeId
       )
-      const activeElementAtDispatch = document.activeElement
+      const focusAtDispatch = captureTerminalPanePasteFocusSnapshot(pane.container)
       void pasteTerminalClipboard({
         readClipboardText,
         saveClipboardImageAsTempFile: window.api.ui.saveClipboardImageAsTempFile,
@@ -2052,7 +2054,7 @@ function TerminalPane(
         runtimeEnvironmentId,
         protectedMultilineTextPasteOptions: resolvePaneProtectedMultilinePasteOptions(pane),
         pasteText: (text, options) =>
-          executePanePasteText(pane, source, activeElementAtDispatch, text, options),
+          executePanePasteText(pane, source, focusAtDispatch, text, options),
         onTextPasteError: () =>
           setTerminalError('Paste failed: clipboard text is too large for a safe terminal paste.'),
         onImagePasteError: (error) => setTerminalError(formatClipboardImagePasteError(error))
@@ -2187,6 +2189,10 @@ function TerminalPane(
       if (!pane) {
         return
       }
+      const focusAtDispatch = captureTerminalPanePasteFocusSnapshot(
+        pane.container,
+        activeElementAtDispatch
+      )
       const connectionId = getConnectionId(worktreeId) ?? null
       const runtimeEnvironmentId = getRuntimeEnvironmentIdForWorktree(
         useAppStore.getState(),
@@ -2199,7 +2205,7 @@ function TerminalPane(
         runtimeEnvironmentId,
         protectedMultilineTextPasteOptions: resolvePaneProtectedMultilinePasteOptions(pane),
         pasteText: (text, options) =>
-          executePanePasteText(pane, 'app-menu', activeElementAtDispatch, text, options),
+          executePanePasteText(pane, 'app-menu', focusAtDispatch, text, options),
         onTextPasteError: () =>
           setTerminalError('Paste failed: clipboard text is too large for a safe terminal paste.'),
         onImagePasteError: (error) => setTerminalError(formatClipboardImagePasteError(error))
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/terminal-pane/terminal-paste-target-state.test.ts b/src/renderer/src/components/terminal-pane/terminal-paste-target-state.test.ts
index 4d35ef7cfbe..b5ab747aec0 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/components/terminal-pane/terminal-paste-target-state.test.ts
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/terminal-pane/terminal-paste-target-state.test.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import { describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest'
 import {
+  captureTerminalPanePasteFocusSnapshot,
   isTerminalPanePasteFocusCurrent,
   isTerminalPanePasteTargetCurrent
 } from './terminal-paste-target-state'
@@ -121,7 +122,7 @@ describe('terminal paste target state', () => {
     expect(
       isTerminalPanePasteFocusCurrent({
         requireSameFocusedElement: true,
-        activeElementAtDispatch: terminalInput,
+        focusAtDispatch: { element: terminalInput, ownedByPane: true },
         paneContainer,
         activeElement: terminalInput
       })
@@ -136,7 +137,7 @@ describe('terminal paste target state', () => {
     expect(
       isTerminalPanePasteFocusCurrent({
         requireSameFocusedElement: true,
-        activeElementAtDispatch: terminalInput,
+        focusAtDispatch: { element: terminalInput, ownedByPane: true },
         paneContainer,
         activeElement: renameInput
       })
@@ -151,7 +152,7 @@ describe('terminal paste target state', () => {
     expect(
       isTerminalPanePasteFocusCurrent({
         requireSameFocusedElement: true,
-        activeElementAtDispatch: terminalInput,
+        focusAtDispatch: { element: terminalInput, ownedByPane: true },
         paneContainer,
         activeElement: body
       })
@@ -161,18 +162,42 @@ describe('terminal paste target state', () => {
   it('keeps keyboard-owned paste current when xterm replaces its helper textarea', () => {
     const originalTerminalInput = makeElement('textarea', ['xterm-helper-textarea'])
     const replacementTerminalInput = makeElement('textarea', ['xterm-helper-textarea'])
-    const paneContainer = makePaneContainerFor([originalTerminalInput, replacementTerminalInput])
+    let acceptedElements: readonly Element[] = [originalTerminalInput]
+    const paneContainer = {
+      contains: vi.fn((element: Element | null) => acceptedElements.includes(element as Element))
+    } as unknown as Element
+    const focusAtDispatch = captureTerminalPanePasteFocusSnapshot(
+      paneContainer,
+      originalTerminalInput
+    )
+    acceptedElements = [replacementTerminalInput]
 
+    expect(focusAtDispatch.ownedByPane).toBe(true)
     expect(
       isTerminalPanePasteFocusCurrent({
         requireSameFocusedElement: true,
-        activeElementAtDispatch: originalTerminalInput,
+        focusAtDispatch,
         paneContainer,
         activeElement: replacementTerminalInput
       })
     ).toBe(true)
   })
 
+  it('rejects a replacement helper when the dispatch focus was never owned by the pane', () => {
+    const outsideInput = makeElement('input')
+    const replacementTerminalInput = makeElement('textarea', ['xterm-helper-textarea'])
+    const paneContainer = makePaneContainerFor([replacementTerminalInput])
+
+    expect(
+      isTerminalPanePasteFocusCurrent({
+        requireSameFocusedElement: true,
+        focusAtDispatch: { element: outsideInput, ownedByPane: false },
+        paneContainer,
+        activeElement: replacementTerminalInput
+      })
+    ).toBe(false)
+  })
+
   it('rejects keyboard-owned paste when focus moves to another control in the pane', () => {
     const terminalInput = makeElement('textarea', ['xterm-helper-textarea'])
     const searchInput = makeElement('input')
@@ -181,7 +206,7 @@ describe('terminal paste target state', () => {
     expect(
       isTerminalPanePasteFocusCurrent({
         requireSameFocusedElement: true,
-        activeElementAtDispatch: terminalInput,
+        focusAtDispatch: { element: terminalInput, ownedByPane: true },
         paneContainer,
         activeElement: searchInput
       })
@@ -196,7 +221,7 @@ describe('terminal paste target state', () => {
     expect(
       isTerminalPanePasteFocusCurrent({
         requireSameFocusedElement: false,
-        activeElementAtDispatch: terminalInput,
+        focusAtDispatch: { element: terminalInput, ownedByPane: true },
         paneContainer,
         activeElement: otherInput
       })
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/terminal-pane/terminal-paste-target-state.ts b/src/renderer/src/components/terminal-pane/terminal-paste-target-state.ts
index 1f42adfaae9..0ffdbeb8a7a 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/components/terminal-pane/terminal-paste-target-state.ts
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/terminal-pane/terminal-paste-target-state.ts
@@ -38,23 +38,39 @@ export function isTerminalPanePasteTargetCurrent({
   )
 }
 
+export type TerminalPanePasteFocusSnapshot = {
+  element: Element | null
+  ownedByPane: boolean
+}
+
+export function captureTerminalPanePasteFocusSnapshot(
+  paneContainer: Element,
+  element: Element | null = typeof document === 'undefined' ? null : document.activeElement
+): TerminalPanePasteFocusSnapshot {
+  return {
+    element,
+    ownedByPane: element === null || paneContainer.contains(element)
+  }
+}
+
 export type TerminalPanePasteFocusState = {
   requireSameFocusedElement: boolean
-  activeElementAtDispatch: Element | null
+  focusAtDispatch: TerminalPanePasteFocusSnapshot
   paneContainer: Element
   activeElement?: Element | null
 }
 
 export function isTerminalPanePasteFocusCurrent({
   requireSameFocusedElement,
-  activeElementAtDispatch,
+  focusAtDispatch,
   paneContainer,
   activeElement = typeof document === 'undefined' ? null : document.activeElement
 }: TerminalPanePasteFocusState): boolean {
+  const activeElementAtDispatch = focusAtDispatch.element
   if (!requireSameFocusedElement || activeElementAtDispatch === null) {
     return true
   }
-  if (!paneContainer.contains(activeElementAtDispatch)) {
+  if (!focusAtDispatch.ownedByPane) {
     return false
   }
   if (activeElement === activeElementAtDispatch) {