diff --git a/packages/tui/src/tui-alt-screen.ts b/packages/tui/src/tui-alt-screen.ts
index c99c9b3c5..54b277a33 100644
--- a/packages/tui/src/tui-alt-screen.ts
+++ b/packages/tui/src/tui-alt-screen.ts
@@ -1142,11 +1142,18 @@ export class TuiAltScreen extends TuiBase implements ViewportTUI {
 		);
 	}
 
-	private getSelectionPoint(event: SgrMouseEvent, scrollView?: ScrollView): SelectionPoint | undefined {
+	private getSelectionPoint(
+		event: SgrMouseEvent,
+		scrollView?: ScrollView,
+		reference?: SelectionPoint,
+	): SelectionPoint | undefined {
 		const exclusion = this.getSelectionExclusionAt(event.x, event.y);
 		if (exclusion) {
 			if (!scrollView) return undefined;
-			const boundaryX = event.x < exclusion.col ? exclusion.col - 1 : exclusion.col + exclusion.width;
+			// Unlike a press, a drag may cross the excluded region: it has to snap to the
+			// edge the pointer came from, not always to the same one.
+			if (!reference) return undefined;
+			const boundaryX = reference.col > event.x ? exclusion.col + exclusion.width : exclusion.col - 1;
 			const point = this.getScrollSelectionPoint(scrollView, boundaryX, event.y);
 			if (point) return point;
 		}
@@ -1317,7 +1324,14 @@ export class TuiAltScreen extends TuiBase implements ViewportTUI {
 		const button = event.button & 3;
 		if (button !== 0 && !(event.release && button === 3)) return;
 		const anchorScrollView = this.selectionAnchor?.scrollView;
-		const point = this.getSelectionPoint(event, anchorScrollView);
+		// Motion and release continue an in-progress drag; a bare press starts a new one and
+		// must not start inside an excluded overlay.
+		const continuing = event.release || (event.button & 32) !== 0;
+		const point = this.getSelectionPoint(
+			event,
+			anchorScrollView,
+			continuing ? (this.selectionFocus ?? this.selectionAnchor) : undefined,
+		);
 		if (!point) {
 			this.selectionPressActive = false;
 			this.stopSelectionAutoScroll();
diff --git a/packages/tui/test/tui-alt-screen.test.ts b/packages/tui/test/tui-alt-screen.test.ts
index 42995fc28..bad7e62df 100644
--- a/packages/tui/test/tui-alt-screen.test.ts
+++ b/packages/tui/test/tui-alt-screen.test.ts
@@ -1492,6 +1492,76 @@ describe("TuiAltScreen", () => {
 		tui.stop();
 	});
 
+	it("snaps an excluded overlay drag to the edge the pointer came from", async () => {
+		const terminal = new RecordingTerminal(20, 2);
+		const copied: string[] = [];
+		const tui = new TuiAltScreen(terminal, undefined, undefined, {
+			copySelection: async (text) => {
+				copied.push(text);
+				return true;
+			},
+		});
+		tui.setLayoutRoot(new ScrollView(new Text("abcdefghijklmnopqrst", 0, 0), { primary: true }));
+		tui.showOverlay(new Text("SECRET", 0, 0), {
+			row: 0,
+			col: 5,
+			width: 6,
+			margin: 0,
+			nonCapturing: true,
+			selection: "exclude",
+		});
+		tui.start();
+		await terminal.waitForRender();
+
+		terminal.sendInput("\x1b[<0;1;1M");
+		terminal.sendInput("\x1b[<32;7;1M");
+		terminal.sendInput("\x1b[<0;7;1m");
+		await terminal.waitForRender();
+		assert.deepStrictEqual(copied, ["abcde"]);
+
+		terminal.sendInput("\x1b[<0;14;1M");
+		terminal.sendInput("\x1b[<32;7;1M");
+		terminal.sendInput("\x1b[<0;7;1m");
+		await terminal.waitForRender();
+		assert.deepStrictEqual(copied, ["abcde", "lmn"]);
+		tui.stop();
+	});
+
+	it("does not start a selection inside an excluded overlay while a selection exists", async () => {
+		const terminal = new RecordingTerminal(20, 2);
+		const copied: string[] = [];
+		const tui = new TuiAltScreen(terminal, undefined, undefined, {
+			copySelection: async (text) => {
+				copied.push(text);
+				return true;
+			},
+		});
+		tui.setLayoutRoot(new ScrollView(new Text("abcdefghijklmnopqrst", 0, 0), { primary: true }));
+		tui.showOverlay(new Text("SECRET", 0, 0), {
+			row: 0,
+			col: 5,
+			width: 6,
+			margin: 0,
+			nonCapturing: true,
+			selection: "exclude",
+		});
+		tui.start();
+		await terminal.waitForRender();
+
+		terminal.sendInput("\x1b[<0;1;1M");
+		terminal.sendInput("\x1b[<32;4;1M");
+		terminal.sendInput("\x1b[<0;4;1m");
+		await terminal.waitForRender();
+		assert.deepStrictEqual(copied, ["abcd"]);
+
+		terminal.sendInput("\x1b[<0;8;1M");
+		terminal.sendInput("\x1b[<32;3;1M");
+		terminal.sendInput("\x1b[<0;3;1m");
+		await terminal.waitForRender();
+		assert.deepStrictEqual(copied, ["abcd"]);
+		tui.stop();
+	});
+
 	it("does not repaint idle or zero-width selections on focus loss", async () => {
 		const terminal = new RecordingTerminal(20, 4);
 		const tui = new TuiAltScreen(terminal);