diff --git a/internal/ui/model.go b/internal/ui/model.go
index a0568dde..a994c070 100644
--- a/internal/ui/model.go
+++ b/internal/ui/model.go
@@ -1266,7 +1266,11 @@ func (m *AppModel) Update(msg tea.Msg) (tea.Model, tea.Cmd) {
 			m.scrollList.autoScroll = false
 		case tea.MouseWheelDown:
 			m.scrollList.ScrollBy(scrollLines)
-			if m.scrollList.AtBottom() {
+			// Only re-enable auto-scroll when the user is not actively
+			// selecting text. Otherwise a wheel-down during a drag-select
+			// would re-arm GotoBottom on the next stream chunk, shifting
+			// the highlighted row out from under the cursor.
+			if m.scrollList.AtBottom() && !m.scrollList.IsMouseDown() {
 				m.scrollList.autoScroll = true
 			}
 		}
@@ -1274,9 +1278,14 @@ func (m *AppModel) Update(msg tea.Msg) (tea.Model, tea.Cmd) {
 	// ── Mouse click selection (crush-style character-level) ──────────────────
 	case tea.MouseClickMsg:
 		if msg.Button == tea.MouseLeft {
-			// Calculate viewport-relative coordinates.
-			viewY := msg.Y - m.scrollbackYOffset
-			if viewY >= 0 && viewY < m.scrollList.height {
+			// Compute the scrollback origin from the current frame's layout
+			// rather than the stale cached value from the previous View().
+			// scrollbackYOffset/scrollList.height are only refreshed inside
+			// View() and lag behind any state change that resized the header
+			// (extension widgets, warning rows, etc.) since the last render.
+			yOff, vpHeight := m.currentScrollbackBounds()
+			viewY := msg.Y - yOff
+			if viewY >= 0 && viewY < vpHeight {
 				// Clear any previous selection on a new click.
 				// HandleMouseDown will set up new selection state.
 				if m.scrollList.HandleMouseDown(msg.X, viewY) {
@@ -1287,8 +1296,9 @@ func (m *AppModel) Update(msg tea.Msg) (tea.Model, tea.Cmd) {
 
 	// ── Mouse motion/drag for character-level selection ──────────────────────
 	case tea.MouseMotionMsg:
-		viewY := msg.Y - m.scrollbackYOffset
-		if viewY >= 0 && viewY < m.scrollList.height {
+		yOff, vpHeight := m.currentScrollbackBounds()
+		viewY := msg.Y - yOff
+		if viewY >= 0 && viewY < vpHeight {
 			m.scrollList.HandleMouseDrag(msg.X, viewY)
 		}
 
@@ -1618,10 +1628,16 @@ func (m *AppModel) Update(msg tea.Msg) (tea.Model, tea.Cmd) {
 
 	// ── Cancel timer expired ─────────────────────────────────────────────────
 	case uicore.CancelTimerExpiredMsg:
+		if m.canceling {
+			m.layoutDirty = true
+		}
 		m.canceling = false
 
 	// ── Ctrl+C reset timer expired ────────────────────────────────────────────
 	case uicore.CtrlCResetMsg:
+		if m.ctrlCPressedOnce {
+			m.layoutDirty = true
+		}
 		m.ctrlCPressedOnce = false
 
 	// ── Input submitted ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────
@@ -3763,7 +3779,12 @@ func (m *AppModel) appendStreamingChunk(role, content string) {
 		}
 		// Auto-scroll to bottom if enabled (iteratr pattern)
 		// Don't call SetItems() - the slice reference hasn't changed
-		if m.scrollList != nil {
+		//
+		// CRITICAL: never scroll the viewport while the user is actively
+		// selecting text (mouse button held). Doing so shifts the
+		// highlighted content out from under the cursor and produces the
+		// off-by-N-row drift users see when copy-selecting during streaming.
+		if m.scrollList != nil && !m.scrollList.IsMouseDown() {
 			if m.scrollList.autoScroll {
 				m.scrollList.GotoBottom()
 			} else if m.scrollList.AtBottom() {
@@ -3791,6 +3812,36 @@ func (m *AppModel) appendStreamingChunk(role, content string) {
 	m.refreshContent()
 }
 
+// currentScrollbackBounds returns the live (yOffset, viewportHeight) for the
+// scrollback region, computed from the current state — not from the cached
+// values populated inside View().
+//
+// scrollbackYOffset and scrollList.height are refreshed once per render, so
+// any state change that resizes the header (extension widget toggles,
+// warning rows, queued messages, etc.) leaves the cached values one frame
+// stale. Mouse click handlers in Update() can then place the cursor on the
+// wrong line, producing the off-by-N-row drift seen during copy-selection.
+//
+// This recomputes the header height by rendering it (cheap — the renderer
+// returns "" when no extension header is set) and recomputes the viewport
+// height the same way distributeHeight() does, so both inputs to the
+// y → (item, line) mapping are always current.
+func (m *AppModel) currentScrollbackBounds() (yOffset, viewportHeight int) {
+	// Force a fresh layout if anything in Update() marked the state dirty;
+	// otherwise scrollList.height still reflects the previous frame.
+	if m.layoutDirty {
+		m.distributeHeight()
+		m.layoutDirty = false
+	}
+	if headerView := m.renderHeaderFooter(m.getHeader); headerView != "" {
+		yOffset = lipgloss.Height(headerView)
+	}
+	if m.scrollList != nil {
+		viewportHeight = m.scrollList.height
+	}
+	return yOffset, viewportHeight
+}
+
 // distributeHeight recalculates child component heights after a window resize,
 // queue change, widget update, or state transition, and propagates the computed
 // stream height to the StreamComponent.
@@ -3863,7 +3914,20 @@ func (m *AppModel) distributeHeight() {
 		headerFooterLines += lipgloss.Height(footerView)
 	}
 
-	streamHeight := max(m.height-separatorLines-widgetLines-headerFooterLines-queuedLines-inputLines-statusBarLines, 0)
+	// Account for transient warning rows that View() injects between the
+	// scrollback and the separator. These flags are toggled by ESC/Ctrl+C
+	// handlers; without subtracting them here the joined view exceeds
+	// m.height by one line per active warning and the bottom of the screen
+	// gets silently clipped — which in turn invalidates scrollbackYOffset.
+	var warningLines int
+	if m.canceling {
+		warningLines++
+	}
+	if m.ctrlCPressedOnce {
+		warningLines++
+	}
+
+	streamHeight := max(m.height-separatorLines-widgetLines-headerFooterLines-queuedLines-inputLines-statusBarLines-warningLines, 0)
 
 	// In alt screen mode, give the calculated height to ScrollList instead of stream.
 	// The stream component still exists but is embedded as the last item in scrollList.
diff --git a/internal/ui/scrolllist.go b/internal/ui/scrolllist.go
index 6f1d06ef..b28ba1d7 100644
--- a/internal/ui/scrolllist.go
+++ b/internal/ui/scrolllist.go
@@ -60,10 +60,13 @@ func NewScrollList(width, height int) *ScrollList {
 }
 
 // SetItems replaces the items in the scroll list. If auto-scroll is enabled,
-// the viewport will scroll to the bottom to show the latest content.
+// the viewport will scroll to the bottom to show the latest content — EXCEPT
+// when the user is actively selecting text (mouse button held), in which case
+// the scroll position is locked so the highlighted content stays under the
+// cursor. The pending bottom-scroll is deferred to MouseUp.
 func (s *ScrollList) SetItems(items []MessageItem) {
 	s.items = items
-	if s.autoScroll {
+	if s.autoScroll && !s.sel.MouseDown {
 		s.GotoBottom()
 	}
 }
@@ -157,6 +160,10 @@ func (s *ScrollList) HandleMouseDown(x, y int) bool {
 // HandleMouseDrag handles mouse motion while button is held.
 // Updates the selection endpoint for character-level precision.
 // Returns true if selection was updated.
+//
+// Defensively disables auto-scroll on every drag update — even if the
+// MouseDown handler missed (e.g. click landed in viewport padding), any
+// active drag means the user is selecting and the viewport must not jump.
 func (s *ScrollList) HandleMouseDrag(x, y int) bool {
 	if !s.sel.MouseDown {
 		return false
@@ -171,6 +178,9 @@ func (s *ScrollList) HandleMouseDrag(x, y int) bool {
 		return false
 	}
 
+	// Hard-lock the viewport while dragging.
+	s.autoScroll = false
+
 	s.sel.DragItemIdx = itemIdx
 	s.sel.DragLineIdx = lineIdx
 	s.sel.DragCol = x
@@ -178,6 +188,13 @@ func (s *ScrollList) HandleMouseDrag(x, y int) bool {
 	return true
 }
 
+// IsMouseDown reports whether the user currently has the mouse button held
+// (i.e. a selection drag is in progress). Used by the parent model to avoid
+// re-enabling auto-scroll during streaming while the user is selecting.
+func (s *ScrollList) IsMouseDown() bool {
+	return s.sel.MouseDown
+}
+
 // HandleMouseUp handles mouse button release.
 // Returns true if there was an active selection.
 func (s *ScrollList) HandleMouseUp() bool {
diff --git a/internal/ui/scrolllist_test.go b/internal/ui/scrolllist_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..a88f9d23
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/ui/scrolllist_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,132 @@
+package ui
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+// fakeItem is a deterministic MessageItem for ScrollList tests.
+type fakeItem struct {
+	id    string
+	lines int
+}
+
+func (f *fakeItem) ID() string { return f.id }
+func (f *fakeItem) Render(_ int) string {
+	if f.lines <= 0 {
+		return ""
+	}
+	parts := make([]string, f.lines)
+	for i := range parts {
+		parts[i] = fmt.Sprintf("%s-line-%d", f.id, i)
+	}
+	return strings.Join(parts, "\n")
+}
+func (f *fakeItem) Height() int { return f.lines }
+
+// makeItems builds n fake items of `lines` height each.
+func makeItems(n, lines int) []MessageItem {
+	out := make([]MessageItem, n)
+	for i := range out {
+		out[i] = &fakeItem{id: fmt.Sprintf("item-%d", i), lines: lines}
+	}
+	return out
+}
+
+// TestScrollList_MouseDownPreventsAutoScroll verifies the core fix for the
+// copy-selection drift bug: while the user has the mouse button held
+// (drag-selecting), incoming content updates must NOT shift the viewport,
+// because doing so moves the highlighted content out from under the cursor.
+func TestScrollList_MouseDownPreventsAutoScroll(t *testing.T) {
+	sl := NewScrollList(80, 10)
+	sl.SetItems(makeItems(20, 2)) // 40 lines of content into a 10-line viewport
+	// Capture the auto-scrolled-to-bottom position.
+	startOffsetIdx := sl.offsetIdx
+	startOffsetLine := sl.offsetLine
+
+	// User clicks somewhere in the visible area, starting a drag-select.
+	if !sl.HandleMouseDown(5, 3) {
+		t.Fatalf("HandleMouseDown should accept a click inside the viewport")
+	}
+	if !sl.IsMouseDown() {
+		t.Fatalf("IsMouseDown should be true after HandleMouseDown")
+	}
+
+	// New content arrives. With autoScroll still true, SetItems would
+	// normally call GotoBottom() and shift the viewport. The fix should
+	// suppress that while MouseDown is held.
+	sl.SetItems(makeItems(30, 2)) // 60 lines now
+	if sl.offsetIdx != startOffsetIdx || sl.offsetLine != startOffsetLine {
+		t.Errorf("viewport scrolled during active drag: was (%d,%d), now (%d,%d)",
+			startOffsetIdx, startOffsetLine, sl.offsetIdx, sl.offsetLine)
+	}
+
+	// User releases the mouse — drag is over.
+	sl.HandleMouseUp()
+	if sl.IsMouseDown() {
+		t.Fatalf("IsMouseDown should be false after HandleMouseUp")
+	}
+
+	// After release, a fresh content update should resume auto-scrolling
+	// (move the offset to track the new bottom).
+	afterReleaseIdx := sl.offsetIdx
+	afterReleaseLine := sl.offsetLine
+	sl.SetItems(makeItems(50, 2))
+	if sl.offsetIdx == afterReleaseIdx && sl.offsetLine == afterReleaseLine {
+		t.Errorf("autoscroll did not resume after MouseUp: offset stuck at (%d,%d)",
+			afterReleaseIdx, afterReleaseLine)
+	}
+}
+
+// TestScrollList_DragDisablesAutoScroll verifies that any successful
+// HandleMouseDrag call clears autoScroll, even when HandleMouseDown didn't
+// observe it (e.g. a stale wheel-down event set it back to true mid-stream).
+func TestScrollList_DragDisablesAutoScroll(t *testing.T) {
+	sl := NewScrollList(80, 10)
+	sl.SetItems(makeItems(20, 2))
+
+	// Begin a selection.
+	if !sl.HandleMouseDown(5, 3) {
+		t.Fatalf("HandleMouseDown failed")
+	}
+	// Simulate an external code path that re-enabled autoScroll while
+	// MouseDown is still held (the precise condition that caused drift).
+	sl.autoScroll = true
+
+	// Drag motion should hard-lock the viewport again.
+	if !sl.HandleMouseDrag(10, 4) {
+		t.Fatalf("HandleMouseDrag failed")
+	}
+	if sl.autoScroll {
+		t.Errorf("HandleMouseDrag must clear autoScroll to prevent mid-drag jumps")
+	}
+}
+
+// TestScrollList_SetItemsRespectsMouseDown is the most direct regression
+// test: even with autoScroll enabled and new content appended at the
+// bottom, SetItems must not move the viewport while a mouse drag is in
+// progress. This is what caused the "highlighting shifts by 1+ rows
+// during streaming" symptom reported by the user.
+func TestScrollList_SetItemsRespectsMouseDown(t *testing.T) {
+	sl := NewScrollList(80, 5)
+	sl.SetItems(makeItems(10, 2)) // 20 lines into a 5-line viewport
+	// At bottom.
+	preIdx, preLine := sl.offsetIdx, sl.offsetLine
+
+	// Hold mouse down (no actual drag needed).
+	if !sl.HandleMouseDown(0, 0) {
+		t.Fatalf("HandleMouseDown failed")
+	}
+
+	// Append several more items as if streaming. With the bug, each
+	// SetItems would call GotoBottom and shift the offset.
+	for n := 11; n <= 15; n++ {
+		sl.SetItems(makeItems(n, 2))
+		if sl.offsetIdx != preIdx || sl.offsetLine != preLine {
+			t.Fatalf("viewport drifted during streaming with mouse held: "+
+				"start=(%d,%d) now=(%d,%d) after adding item %d",
+				preIdx, preLine, sl.offsetIdx, sl.offsetLine, n)
+		}
+	}
+}