diff --git a/crates/ui-egui/src/menus.rs b/crates/ui-egui/src/menus.rs
index 3b2ff265..68d62b58 100644
--- a/crates/ui-egui/src/menus.rs
+++ b/crates/ui-egui/src/menus.rs
@@ -497,10 +497,32 @@ pub fn invoke(app: &mut EffectcraftApp, ctx: &egui::Context, id: &str, params: V
 }
 
 /// Run an engine command and perform the frontend events it emitted right away.
+/// Commands that fill the internal clipboard.
+const COPY_COMMANDS: &[&str] =
+    &["edit.copy", "edit.cut", "edit.copyWithPropertyLinks", "edit.copyWithRelativePropertyLinks", "edit.copyExpressionOnly", "keys.copy", "effect.copy"];
+
+/// A line for the system clipboard naming what EffectCraft copied. The system clipboard must
+/// hold something: with nothing on it, the windowing layer sends no paste event for Ctrl+V.
+fn clipboard_note(s: &effectcraft_engine::Session) -> String {
+    let st = &s.state;
+    let n = |n: usize, one: &str, many: &str| format!("EffectCraft: {n} {}", if n == 1 { one } else { many });
+    if st.clip_is_keys && !st.key_clipboard.is_empty() {
+        n(st.key_clipboard.iter().map(|c| c.keys.len()).sum(), "keyframe", "keyframes")
+    } else if !st.effect_clipboard.is_empty() {
+        n(st.effect_clipboard.len(), "effect", "effects")
+    } else if st.link_clipboard.is_some() {
+        "EffectCraft: property links".into()
+    } else {
+        n(st.clipboard.len(), "layer", "layers")
+    }
+}
+
 fn run_engine(app: &mut EffectcraftApp, ctx: &egui::Context, id: &str, params: Value) -> Result<Value, String> {
     let r = app.session.execute(id, params).map_err(|e| e.to_string());
     if let Err(e) = &r {
         app.ui.status = e.clone();
+    } else if COPY_COMMANDS.contains(&id) && app.session.state.text_edit.is_none() {
+        ctx.copy_text(clipboard_note(&app.session));
     }
     let events = app.session.drain_events();
     for ev in events {
@@ -1217,7 +1239,13 @@ pub fn handle_shortcuts(app: &mut EffectcraftApp, ctx: &egui::Context) {
     if ctx.egui_wants_keyboard_input() {
         return;
     }
+    // Text editing in the viewer takes the clipboard events itself.
+    let clipboard = app.session.state.text_edit.is_none();
     let events: Vec<(egui::Key, egui::Modifiers)> = ctx.input(|i| {
+        // The windowing layer turns Ctrl+C / Ctrl+X / Ctrl+V into clipboard events instead of
+        // key presses: map them back to the keys (with the modifiers held) so Edit ▸ Copy, Cut,
+        // Paste and their variants (Ctrl+Alt+C…) run.
+        let held = if i.modifiers.command { i.modifiers } else { egui::Modifiers::COMMAND };
         i.events
             .iter()
             .filter_map(|e| match e {
@@ -1226,6 +1254,9 @@ pub fn handle_shortcuts(app: &mut EffectcraftApp, ctx: &egui::Context) {
                 {
                     Some((*key, *modifiers))
                 }
+                egui::Event::Copy if clipboard => Some((egui::Key::C, held)),
+                egui::Event::Cut if clipboard => Some((egui::Key::X, held)),
+                egui::Event::Paste(_) if clipboard => Some((egui::Key::V, held)),
                 _ => None,
             })
             .collect()
diff --git a/crates/ui-egui/tests/ui_keyframes.rs b/crates/ui-egui/tests/ui_keyframes.rs
index 6fc844d2..4f73d2be 100644
--- a/crates/ui-egui/tests/ui_keyframes.rs
+++ b/crates/ui-egui/tests/ui_keyframes.rs
@@ -79,3 +79,36 @@ fn a_key_drag_follows_the_pointer_for_its_whole_length() {
     drag(&mut h, ks[1], near, egui::Modifiers { shift: true, ..Default::default() });
     assert_eq!(key_times(&h, id)[1], 0.5, "snapped to the current time");
 }
+
+#[test]
+fn ctrl_c_and_ctrl_v_copy_and_paste_keys_at_the_current_time() {
+    let (mut h, id, uid) = harness();
+    let ks = keys(&h, uid);
+    // Click the 1 s key to select it, Ctrl+C (a clipboard event, not a key press).
+    h.input_mut().events.push(Event::PointerMoved(ks[1]));
+    h.step();
+    h.input_mut().events.push(Event::PointerButton { pos: ks[1], button: egui::PointerButton::Primary, pressed: true, modifiers: Default::default() });
+    h.step();
+    h.input_mut().events.push(Event::PointerButton { pos: ks[1], button: egui::PointerButton::Primary, pressed: false, modifiers: Default::default() });
+    h.run_steps(2);
+    assert_eq!(h.state().session.state.selected_keys.len(), 1);
+    h.input_mut().events.push(Event::Copy);
+    h.step();
+    let copied: Vec<String> = h
+        .output()
+        .platform_output
+        .commands
+        .iter()
+        .filter_map(|c| match c {
+            egui::OutputCommand::CopyText(t) => Some(t.clone()),
+            _ => None,
+        })
+        .collect();
+    assert_eq!(copied, ["EffectCraft: 1 keyframe"], "the system clipboard is filled, so Ctrl+V sends a paste event");
+    assert!(h.state().session.state.clip_is_keys);
+    // Move to 3 s, Ctrl+V: the key lands there.
+    h.state_mut().session.set_time(effectcraft_engine::time::Tick::from_seconds_f64(3.0));
+    h.input_mut().events.push(Event::Paste("EffectCraft: 1 keyframe".into()));
+    h.run_steps(2);
+    assert_eq!(key_times(&h, id), vec![0.0, 1.0, 3.0]);
+}