diff --git a/ui-tui-opentui-v2/src/entry/main.tsx b/ui-tui-opentui-v2/src/entry/main.tsx
index 00381179018..41c46f94cd4 100644
--- a/ui-tui-opentui-v2/src/entry/main.tsx
+++ b/ui-tui-opentui-v2/src/entry/main.tsx
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ import { getLog } from '../boundary/log.ts'
 import { acquireRenderer } from '../boundary/renderer.ts'
 import { makeAppLayer } from '../boundary/runtime.ts'
 import { createPromptHistory, dirHistoryPersister, loadDirHistory } from '../logic/history.ts'
+import { createPasteStore } from '../logic/pastes.ts'
 import { mapResumeHistory, mapSessionList } from '../logic/resume.ts'
 import { dispatchSlash, mapCompletions, planCompletion, readReplaceFrom, type SlashContext } from '../logic/slash.ts'
 import { createSessionStore, type SessionStore } from '../logic/store.ts'
@@ -184,6 +185,11 @@ export const run = Effect.fn('Tui.run')(function* (input: TuiInput) {
         persist: dirHistoryPersister(historyCwd)
       })
 
+      // Pasted-text store — created ONCE here so it survives the composer
+      // remounting (overlay open/close); a per-composer store would lose a
+      // pending `[Pasted text #N]` mid-compose and submit would send it literally.
+      const pasteStore = createPasteStore()
+
       // Contact point #2: boundary pushes decoded events into the Solid store.
       const gateway = yield* GatewayService
       yield* gateway.subscribe(event => store.apply(event))
@@ -388,6 +394,7 @@ export const run = Effect.fn('Tui.run')(function* (input: TuiInput) {
                 sessionId={() => gateway.sessionId()}
                 history={history}
                 onImagePaste={onImagePaste}
+                pasteStore={pasteStore}
               />
             </ThemeProvider>
           ),
diff --git a/ui-tui-opentui-v2/src/logic/pastes.ts b/ui-tui-opentui-v2/src/logic/pastes.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..1a9c4ff0677
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ui-tui-opentui-v2/src/logic/pastes.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
+/**
+ * Pasted-text placeholders (free-code's model). A large paste isn't dumped raw
+ * into the composer — instead a compact `[Pasted text #N +M lines]` chip is shown
+ * and the real content is held in a Map, then expanded back on submit. Pure + no
+ * OpenTUI imports → trivially unit-testable.
+ *
+ * The store is created ONCE per session (entry) and passed to the Composer, so it
+ * survives the composer remounting when overlays open/close (a per-composer store
+ * would lose a pending paste mid-compose).
+ */
+
+export interface PasteStore {
+  /** Register a pasted block; returns the placeholder to insert into the input. */
+  add(text: string): string
+  /** Replace every `[Pasted text #N …]` placeholder with its stored content. */
+  expand(input: string): string
+  /** Drop all stored pastes (call after a successful submit). */
+  clear(): void
+}
+
+// Matches `[Pasted text #12]` and `[Pasted text #12 +34 lines]`. The id is the key.
+const REF = /\[Pasted text #(\d+)(?: \+\d+ lines)?\]/g
+
+export function createPasteStore(): PasteStore {
+  const map = new Map<number, string>()
+  let seq = 0
+  return {
+    add(text) {
+      const id = ++seq
+      map.set(id, text)
+      const lines = text.split('\n').length
+      return lines > 1 ? `[Pasted text #${id} +${lines} lines]` : `[Pasted text #${id}]`
+    },
+    // String.replace(/g) is a SINGLE left-to-right pass over the ORIGINAL string,
+    // so content inserted for one ref is never re-scanned for another ref —
+    // a pasted block that itself contains `[Pasted text #k]` is safe.
+    expand(input) {
+      return (input ?? '').replace(REF, (m, id: string) => map.get(Number(id)) ?? m)
+    },
+    clear() {
+      map.clear()
+      seq = 0
+    }
+  }
+}
+
+/** A paste big enough to placeholder rather than inline (conservative thresholds). */
+export function shouldPlaceholder(text: string): boolean {
+  return text.split('\n').length >= 4 || text.length > 400
+}
diff --git a/ui-tui-opentui-v2/src/test/pastes.test.ts b/ui-tui-opentui-v2/src/test/pastes.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..fd93c5cc3b9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ui-tui-opentui-v2/src/test/pastes.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+/**
+ * Pasted-text store test — add returns a placeholder, expand restores the real
+ * content, multiple pastes round-trip, unknown refs pass through, single-pass
+ * replace keeps a self-referential paste safe. (input polish.)
+ */
+import { describe, expect, test } from 'bun:test'
+
+import { createPasteStore, shouldPlaceholder } from '../logic/pastes.ts'
+
+describe('createPasteStore', () => {
+  test('add returns a numbered placeholder with the line count', () => {
+    const s = createPasteStore()
+    expect(s.add('a\nb\nc')).toBe('[Pasted text #1 +3 lines]')
+    expect(s.add('single line')).toBe('[Pasted text #2]') // 1 line → no "+N lines"
+  })
+
+  test('expand restores the real content for each ref', () => {
+    const s = createPasteStore()
+    const p1 = s.add('FIRST\nblock')
+    const p2 = s.add('SECOND')
+    const input = `before ${p1} middle ${p2} after`
+    expect(s.expand(input)).toBe('before FIRST\nblock middle SECOND after')
+  })
+
+  test('unknown ref is left as-is (e.g. user typed it, or it was cleared)', () => {
+    const s = createPasteStore()
+    expect(s.expand('look [Pasted text #99] here')).toBe('look [Pasted text #99] here')
+  })
+
+  test('single-pass replace: a pasted block containing a ref literal is NOT re-expanded', () => {
+    const s = createPasteStore()
+    const p1 = s.add('code with [Pasted text #2] inside')
+    s.add('SHOULD-NOT-APPEAR')
+    // expanding the input replaces #1 with its content; the #2 inside that content
+    // is not re-scanned, so SHOULD-NOT-APPEAR never leaks in.
+    expect(s.expand(`x ${p1}`)).toBe('x code with [Pasted text #2] inside')
+  })
+
+  test('clear drops stored pastes and resets ids', () => {
+    const s = createPasteStore()
+    const p = s.add('gone')
+    s.clear()
+    expect(s.expand(p)).toBe(p) // no longer expandable
+    expect(s.add('fresh')).toBe('[Pasted text #1]') // seq reset
+  })
+
+  test('shouldPlaceholder: ≥4 lines OR >400 chars', () => {
+    expect(shouldPlaceholder('a\nb\nc\nd')).toBe(true) // 4 lines
+    expect(shouldPlaceholder('a\nb\nc')).toBe(false) // 3 lines
+    expect(shouldPlaceholder('x'.repeat(401))).toBe(true) // long
+    expect(shouldPlaceholder('short')).toBe(false)
+  })
+})
diff --git a/ui-tui-opentui-v2/src/view/App.tsx b/ui-tui-opentui-v2/src/view/App.tsx
index 0780ab4318b..3238b9c2269 100644
--- a/ui-tui-opentui-v2/src/view/App.tsx
+++ b/ui-tui-opentui-v2/src/view/App.tsx
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@
 import { Match, Switch } from 'solid-js'
 
 import type { PromptHistory } from '../logic/history.ts'
+import type { PasteStore } from '../logic/pastes.ts'
 import type { SessionStore } from '../logic/store.ts'
 import { Composer } from './composer.tsx'
 import { DimensionsProvider } from './dimensions.tsx'
@@ -39,6 +40,7 @@ export interface AppProps {
   readonly sessionId?: () => string | undefined
   readonly history?: PromptHistory
   readonly onImagePaste?: () => void
+  readonly pasteStore?: PasteStore
 }
 
 const NOOP = () => {}
@@ -97,6 +99,7 @@ export function App(props: AppProps) {
                     onDismiss={() => props.store.clearCompletions()}
                     history={props.history}
                     onImagePaste={props.onImagePaste}
+                    pasteStore={props.pasteStore}
                   />
                 }
               >
diff --git a/ui-tui-opentui-v2/src/view/composer.tsx b/ui-tui-opentui-v2/src/view/composer.tsx
index 06e1421b714..6ab8033afff 100644
--- a/ui-tui-opentui-v2/src/view/composer.tsx
+++ b/ui-tui-opentui-v2/src/view/composer.tsx
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ import { For, onMount, Show } from 'solid-js'
 
 import type { CompletionItem } from '../logic/store.ts'
 import type { PromptHistory } from '../logic/history.ts'
+import { type PasteStore, shouldPlaceholder } from '../logic/pastes.ts'
 import { useDimensions } from './dimensions.tsx'
 import { useTheme } from './theme.tsx'
 
@@ -82,6 +83,7 @@ export function Composer(props: {
   onDismiss?: (() => void) | undefined
   history?: PromptHistory | undefined
   onImagePaste?: (() => void) | undefined
+  pasteStore?: PasteStore | undefined
 }) {
   const theme = useTheme()
   const dims = useDimensions()
@@ -101,12 +103,15 @@ export function Composer(props: {
 
   const submit = () => {
     if (submitting || !ta) return
-    const text = ta.plainText.trim()
+    // Expand any `[Pasted text #N]` placeholders back to their full content before
+    // sending (item: pasted-text). No-op when nothing was placeheld.
+    const text = (props.pasteStore?.expand(ta.plainText) ?? ta.plainText).trim()
     if (!text) return
     submitting = true
     props.onSubmit(text)
     props.history?.push(text)
     ta.clear()
+    props.pasteStore?.clear()
     props.onDismiss?.()
     submitting = false
   }
@@ -206,12 +211,21 @@ export function Composer(props: {
           onMouseDown={() => ta?.focus()}
           onSubmit={submit}
           onPaste={(e: PasteEvent) => {
-            // An empty bracketed paste = an image-only clipboard (item 1) — read +
-            // attach it. Text pastes fall through to the textarea's native insert.
-            if (new TextDecoder().decode(e.bytes).trim() === '') {
+            const text = new TextDecoder().decode(e.bytes)
+            // An empty bracketed paste = an image-only clipboard (item 1) — read + attach it.
+            if (text.trim() === '') {
               e.preventDefault()
               props.onImagePaste?.()
+              return
             }
+            // A large paste becomes a compact `[Pasted text #N +M lines]` chip instead
+            // of flooding the input; the real text is expanded back on submit.
+            if (props.pasteStore && shouldPlaceholder(text)) {
+              e.preventDefault()
+              ta?.insertText(props.pasteStore.add(text))
+              return
+            }
+            // small pastes fall through to the textarea's native insert
           }}
           onContentChange={() => props.onType?.(ta?.plainText ?? '')}
         />