diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/plugins/hermes-bots/screen-pane-clipboard.test.tsx b/apps/desktop/src/plugins/hermes-bots/screen-pane-clipboard.test.tsx
index 88579f6566..ad8eec3dce 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/src/plugins/hermes-bots/screen-pane-clipboard.test.tsx
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/plugins/hermes-bots/screen-pane-clipboard.test.tsx
@@ -144,3 +144,15 @@ it('drops a paste while this viewer only watches (no lease)', async () => {
   expect(rfbs[0].clipboardPasteFrom).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
   view.unmount()
 })
+
+it('drops a paste over the bridge\'s 256 KiB cut-text cap instead of forwarding it', async () => {
+  const view = render(<BotScreenPane bot={bot} />)
+  await waitFor(() => expect(rfbs).toHaveLength(1))
+  await waitFor(() => expect(rfbs[0].viewOnly).toBe(false))
+
+  const oversized = 'a'.repeat(256 * 1024 + 1)
+  fireEvent.paste(rfbs[0].target, { clipboardData: { getData: () => oversized } })
+
+  expect(rfbs[0].clipboardPasteFrom).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
+  view.unmount()
+})
diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/plugins/hermes-bots/screen-pane.tsx b/apps/desktop/src/plugins/hermes-bots/screen-pane.tsx
index 9841545000..744c6483f5 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/src/plugins/hermes-bots/screen-pane.tsx
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/plugins/hermes-bots/screen-pane.tsx
@@ -62,6 +62,9 @@ const CLOSE_CONTROL_TAKEN = 4000
 /** Evictions arriving this soon after dialing count toward the loop budget; slower ones reset it. */
 const EVICTION_LOOP_WINDOW_MS = 10_000
 const MAX_RAPID_EVICTIONS = 3
+/** Mirrors tools/bot_desktop/rfb_filter.py's _MAX_CUT_TEXT: the bridge closes the display
+ *  socket on any ClientCutText over this, so an oversized paste must never reach the client. */
+const MAX_PASTE_CUT_TEXT = 256 * 1024
 
 async function loadRfb(): Promise<
   new (target: HTMLElement, socket: WebSocket, options?: Record<string, unknown>) => RfbLike
@@ -293,7 +296,7 @@ export function BotScreenPane({ bot }: { bot: RosterRow }) {
 
           const text = event.clipboardData?.getData('text')
 
-          if (text) {
+          if (text && text.length <= MAX_PASTE_CUT_TEXT) {
             event.preventDefault()
             client.clipboardPasteFrom(text)
           }