Strange "Somebody else is owning the clipboard" message #3172

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1. laeubi

   added

   triage

   on May 7, 2026
2. laeubi

   added the

   Bug

   issue type on May 7, 2026
3. examon

   added

   area:input-keyboardKeyboard shortcuts, keybindings, copy/paste, clipboard, mouse, and text inputKeyboard shortcuts, keybindings, copy/paste, clipboard, mouse, and text input

   area:terminal-renderingDisplay and rendering: flickering, scrolling, line wrapping, output formattingDisplay and rendering: flickering, scrolling, line wrapping, output formatting

   on May 7, 2026
4. github-actions

   removed

   triage

   on May 7, 2026
5. HerrDerb commented on May 29, 2026

   

   HerrDerb

   on May 29, 2026

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   What the heck is this? It is a really strange and dodgy output

   👍React with 👍1Reacted by Shawn Cicoria
6. dagranzow commented on Aug 5, 2026

   

   dagranzow

   on Aug 5, 2026

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   I have this too. I can reproduce it quite easily.

   Steps to reproduce

   1. Start copilot session
   2. Copy any output from the terminal which runs copilot (mark + right click OR STRG + SHIFT + C)
   3. Now go to a different window and copy something (e.g. URL from browser tab)
   4. Message in copilot appears: Somebody else owns the clipboard now (message can neither be deleted by DEL nor backspace)
   5. Copy any output from the copilot terminal again (mark + right click OR STRG + SHIFT + C)
   6. Now go to a different window and copy something (e.g. URL from browser tab)
   7. Go back to copilot terminal and paste clipboard contents
   8. RESULT: Terminal output broken

   Visual

   

   ---

   System

   • OS: Ubuntu 24.04. LTS
   • Desktop ENV: KDE Plasma 5.27.12
   • Terminal App: konsole 23.08.5
   • Copilot: GitHub Copilot CLI 1.0.78
7. xjamesmorris commented on Sep 29, 2026

   

   xjamesmorris

   on Sep 29, 2026

   Last edited by xjamesmorris

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   I am seeing this currently with:

   • GitHub Copilot CLI 1.0.90-1
   • Fedora 44

   I've only just started seeing this recently. It's messing up the UI and making it difficult to work.

   Report from Astra on my system:

   Found the cause: this is a Copilot clipboard-library bug, not a tmux error or evidence that another person has your clipboard. The exact symptom is tracked in  github/copilot-cli  issue #3172, which is still open.

   On your machine, I confirmed Ptyxis 50.1 on GNOME/Wayland, and found the exact message inside Copilot 1.0.90-1’s native module, alongside its bundled  clipboard-rs 0.3.5  source references.

   What happens: the library’s X11 clipboard handler receives a normal  SelectionClear  event when another application replaces its clipboard contents. It then unconditionally prints “Somebody else owns the clipboard now” directly to standard output. That output bypasses Copilot’s screen rendering, explaining the intrusive message and potentially disturbed layout. “Somebody” means another clipboard-owning application—not another user.

   This explains why removing tmux did not help: the offending code is inside Copilot’s dependency. The proper fix is to remove or redirect that diagnostic in the bundled library, not change your tmux configuration. The upstream report describes the same message and layout corruption.
8. copilot-cli-bot commented on Oct 2, 2026

   

   copilot-cli-botBot

   on Oct 2, 2026

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   This appears to be resolved as of GitHub Copilot CLI v1.0.91. Please update to that release or a newer stable version. We're closing this as completed. If it still happens, please comment with your version and reproduction steps.
9. copilot-cli-bot

   closed this as completedon Oct 2, 2026
10. fmigneault commented on Oct 7, 2026

    

    fmigneault

    on Oct 7, 2026

    Last edited by fmigneault

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    I have 1.0.92 installed and still seeing this regurlarly.
    https://github.com/apps/copilot-cli-bot closed this too early?
11. laeubi commented on Oct 7, 2026

    

    laeubi

    on Oct 7, 2026

    Author

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    @copilot-cli-bot closed this too early?

    Yes it is a bit unfortunate - the bot seem to only close things that are idle for a longer time or that it can not validate hoping for humans reporting back. e.g. in this case the referenced

    appears to be resolved as of GitHub Copilot CLI v1.0.91.

    give no indication at all that anything in this area was touched (and of course regular users have no way to reopen an issue anyways).

    👍React with 👍1Reacted by Francis Charette-Migneault