diff --git a/crates/ui-egui/src/panels/timeline.rs b/crates/ui-egui/src/panels/timeline.rs
index ac4caf53..f0a33db1 100644
--- a/crates/ui-egui/src/panels/timeline.rs
+++ b/crates/ui-egui/src/panels/timeline.rs
@@ -2234,6 +2234,13 @@ fn interact(app: &mut FilmcraftApp, ui: &mut egui::Ui, seq: &Sequence, layout: &
             g => g,
         };
         let started = match (tool, grab) {
+            // a middle-button drag pans whatever the tool and whatever it starts on, as in the
+            // monitors (#824) and DaVinci Resolve (#1490); only a primary press is kept in
+            // `pressed`, so the pan starts from where the button went down
+            _ if resp.drag_started_by(egui::PointerButton::Middle) => {
+                let last = ctx.input(|i| i.pointer.press_origin()).unwrap_or(p);
+                Some(Drag::Pan { last, start_scroll: app.ui.timeline.target_scroll, start_v: app.ui.timeline.v_scroll })
+            }
             (_, Grab::Other(Hit::Ruler)) => Some(Drag::Scrub { initial: app.session.playhead() }),
             (Tool::Hand, _) => Some(Drag::Pan { last: p, start_scroll: app.ui.timeline.target_scroll, start_v: app.ui.timeline.v_scroll }),
             (Tool::Zoom, _) => {
diff --git a/crates/ui-egui/tests/timeline_middle_pan_ui.rs b/crates/ui-egui/tests/timeline_middle_pan_ui.rs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..a9426616
--- /dev/null
+++ b/crates/ui-egui/tests/timeline_middle_pan_ui.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,145 @@
+//! Headless UI tests of the middle mouse button in the Timeline (#1490): a middle-button drag pans
+//! the view, whatever the tool and whatever it starts on, and never selects, moves or cuts a clip.
+//! The Program and Source monitors already pan with it (#824).
+
+use std::sync::mpsc::{Sender, channel};
+
+use egui_kittest::Harness;
+use filmcraft_engine::Session;
+use filmcraft_ui_egui::FilmcraftApp;
+use filmcraft_ui_egui::control::ControlRequest;
+use serde_json::{Value, json};
+
+struct Driver {
+    harness: Harness<'static, FilmcraftApp>,
+    tx: Sender<ControlRequest>,
+}
+
+impl Driver {
+    fn demo() -> Self {
+        let mut session = Session::default();
+        session.execute("file.openDemoProject", json!({})).expect("demo project");
+        let (tx, rx) = channel();
+        let app = FilmcraftApp::new(session).with_control(rx);
+        let harness = Harness::builder().with_size(egui::vec2(1600.0, 980.0)).with_max_steps(10_000).build_eframe(move |_cc| app);
+        let mut d = Driver { harness, tx };
+        d.frames(4);
+        d
+    }
+
+    fn frames(&mut self, n: usize) {
+        for _ in 0..n {
+            let ctx = self.harness.ctx.clone();
+            let mut raw = std::mem::take(self.harness.input_mut());
+            eframe::App::raw_input_hook(self.harness.state_mut(), &ctx, &mut raw);
+            *self.harness.input_mut() = raw;
+            self.harness.step();
+        }
+    }
+
+    fn ok(&mut self, method: &str, params: Value) -> Value {
+        let (req, reply) = ControlRequest::new(method, params.clone());
+        self.tx.send(req).unwrap();
+        for _ in 0..600 {
+            self.frames(1);
+            if let Ok(v) = reply.try_recv() {
+                assert_eq!(v["ok"], json!(true), "{method} {params} failed: {v}");
+                return v["result"].clone();
+            }
+        }
+        panic!("no reply to {method} {params}");
+    }
+
+    fn exec(&mut self, command: &str, params: Value) -> Value {
+        self.ok("engine.execute", json!({"command": command, "params": params}))
+    }
+
+    fn rect(&mut self, id: &str) -> egui::Rect {
+        let v = self.ok("ui.elements", json!({"prefix": id}));
+        let e = v.as_array().unwrap().iter().find(|e| e["id"] == id).unwrap_or_else(|| panic!("no element {id}")).clone();
+        let r: Vec<f32> = e["rect"].as_array().unwrap().iter().map(|x| x.as_f64().unwrap() as f32).collect();
+        egui::Rect::from_min_size(egui::pos2(r[0], r[1]), egui::vec2(r[2], r[3]))
+    }
+
+    fn send(&mut self, e: egui::Event) {
+        self.harness.input_mut().events.push(e);
+        self.frames(1);
+    }
+
+    fn middle(&mut self, pos: egui::Pos2, pressed: bool) {
+        self.send(egui::Event::PointerButton { pos, button: egui::PointerButton::Middle, pressed, modifiers: egui::Modifiers::NONE });
+    }
+
+    /// Drag with the middle button from `from` to `to`, in small steps, a frame each.
+    fn middle_drag(&mut self, from: egui::Pos2, to: egui::Pos2) {
+        self.send(egui::Event::PointerMoved(from));
+        self.middle(from, true);
+        for k in 1..=8 {
+            self.send(egui::Event::PointerMoved(from.lerp(to, k as f32 / 8.0)));
+        }
+        self.middle(to, false);
+        self.frames(2);
+    }
+
+    /// A clip of Video 1 in view, wide enough to start a drag on: its id, its start (ticks) and
+    /// its rectangle, with nothing selected and the view at a known zoom and scroll.
+    fn setup(&mut self) -> (u64, i64, egui::Rect) {
+        self.ok("ui.set", json!({"focused": "Timeline", "timeline": {"pps": 50.0, "scroll": 4.0}}));
+        self.frames(4);
+        self.exec("timeline.select", json!({"clips": []}));
+        let shown = self.ok("ui.elements", json!({"prefix": "timeline.clip."}));
+        let shown: Vec<String> = shown.as_array().unwrap().iter().map(|e| e["id"].as_str().unwrap().to_string()).collect();
+        let seq = self.exec("sequence.inspect", json!({}));
+        for it in seq["video"][0]["items"].as_array().unwrap().clone() {
+            let (clip, start) = (it["clip"].as_u64().unwrap(), it["start"].as_i64().unwrap());
+            let id = format!("timeline.clip.{clip}");
+            if shown.contains(&id) {
+                let r = self.rect(&id);
+                if r.width() > 40.0 && r.center().x > 600.0 {
+                    return (clip, start, r);
+                }
+            }
+        }
+        panic!("no clip of Video 1 in view");
+    }
+
+    fn start_of(&mut self, clip: u64) -> i64 {
+        let seq = self.exec("sequence.inspect", json!({}));
+        let items = seq["video"][0]["items"].as_array().unwrap().clone();
+        items.iter().find(|i| i["clip"] == clip).map(|i| i["start"].as_i64().unwrap()).unwrap_or_else(|| panic!("clip {clip} gone"))
+    }
+
+    fn clips(&mut self) -> usize {
+        let seq = self.exec("sequence.inspect", json!({}));
+        seq["video"][0]["items"].as_array().unwrap().len()
+    }
+
+    fn app(&mut self) -> &mut FilmcraftApp {
+        self.harness.state_mut()
+    }
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn a_middle_button_drag_on_a_clip_pans_and_leaves_the_clip_alone() {
+    let mut d = Driver::demo();
+    let (clip, start, r) = d.setup();
+    let from = r.center();
+    d.middle_drag(from, from - egui::vec2(200.0, 0.0));
+    let scroll = d.app().ui.timeline.target_scroll;
+    assert!((scroll - 8.0).abs() < 1e-6, "200 pt to the left at 50 pt a second scrolls 4 s later: {scroll}");
+    assert!(d.app().session.state.selection.is_empty(), "the middle button selects nothing");
+    assert_eq!(d.start_of(clip), start, "the clip stays where it was");
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn a_middle_button_drag_pans_whatever_the_tool() {
+    let mut d = Driver::demo();
+    d.ok("ui.set", json!({"tool": "Razor"}));
+    let (_, _, r) = d.setup();
+    let before = d.clips();
+    let from = r.center();
+    d.middle_drag(from, from - egui::vec2(200.0, 0.0));
+    let scroll = d.app().ui.timeline.target_scroll;
+    assert!((scroll - 8.0).abs() < 1e-6, "the Razor tool pans with the middle button too: {scroll}");
+    assert_eq!(d.clips(), before, "the middle button cuts nothing");
+}