diff --git a/movie_editor/frontend/log.js b/movie_editor/frontend/log.js
index 63d46918..4bf9e020 100644
--- a/movie_editor/frontend/log.js
+++ b/movie_editor/frontend/log.js
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 // Menubar "Log" button + a collapsible panel showing ComfyUI's real backend log
-// (tee'd stdout/stderr from the server). Polls only while open.
+// (tee'd stdout/stderr from the server). Polls only while open. Freezes during selection to preserve user interaction.
 (function () {
   const API = window.MovieEditorAPI;
   const right = document.querySelector(".menubar-right");
@@ -19,27 +19,141 @@
   panel.append(head, bodyEl);
   document.body.append(panel);
 
-  let timer = null, autoscroll = true;
+  let timer = null, autoscroll = true, lastText = "", isFrozen = false, isManuallyPaused = false, pendingText = null;
+
+  // Helper to check if a node is inside bodyEl (handles text nodes too).
+  function nodeInBody(node) {
+    return node === bodyEl || bodyEl.contains(node);
+  }
+
+  // Helper to check if user has a non-collapsed selection inside bodyEl.
+  function selectionInBody() {
+    const sel = window.getSelection();
+    if (sel.isCollapsed) return false;
+    return nodeInBody(sel.anchorNode) || nodeInBody(sel.focusNode);
+  }
 
   async function refresh() {
+    if (isManuallyPaused) return;
+
     try {
       const r = await API.log(800);
-      bodyEl.textContent = (r.lines || []).join("\n");
+      const newText = (r.lines || []).join("\n");
+
+      // Skip DOM write if text hasn't changed.
+      if (newText === lastText) return;
+
+      // If user is selecting, freeze updates and keep polling. textContent assignment
+      // destroys the text node tree, which nukes the selection mid-copy, so we defer the
+      // write until the selection is released or moves out of the log.
+      if (selectionInBody()) {
+        isFrozen = true;
+        pendingText = newText;
+        updateFreezeIndicator();
+        return;
+      }
+
+      // Update is safe to apply.
+      lastText = newText;
+      bodyEl.textContent = newText;
       if (autoscroll) bodyEl.scrollTop = bodyEl.scrollHeight;
+      if (isFrozen) {
+        isFrozen = false;
+        pendingText = null;
+        updateFreezeIndicator();
+      }
     } catch (e) {
-      bodyEl.textContent = "(log unavailable: " + e.message + ")";
+      const errMsg = "(log unavailable: " + e.message + ")";
+      lastText = errMsg;
+      bodyEl.textContent = errMsg;
     }
   }
+
   bodyEl.addEventListener("scroll", () => {
     autoscroll = bodyEl.scrollHeight - bodyEl.scrollTop - bodyEl.clientHeight < 40;
   });
 
-  function open() { panel.hidden = false; btn.classList.add("active"); autoscroll = true; refresh(); timer = setInterval(refresh, 1500); }
-  function close() { panel.hidden = true; btn.classList.remove("active"); clearInterval(timer); timer = null; }
+  function updateFreezeIndicator() {
+    const existingIndicator = actions.querySelector(".log-freeze-indicator");
+    if (isFrozen) {
+      if (!existingIndicator) {
+        const indicator = document.createElement("span");
+        indicator.className = "log-freeze-indicator";
+        indicator.textContent = "paused — selection held";
+        actions.insertBefore(indicator, actions.firstChild);
+      }
+    } else {
+      if (existingIndicator) existingIndicator.remove();
+    }
+  }
+
+  function open() {
+    panel.hidden = false;
+    btn.classList.add("active");
+    autoscroll = true;
+    isFrozen = false;
+    isManuallyPaused = false;
+    pendingText = null;
+    updatePauseButton();
+    updateFreezeIndicator();
+    refresh();
+    timer = setInterval(refresh, 1500);
+  }
+
+  function close() {
+    panel.hidden = true;
+    btn.classList.remove("active");
+    clearInterval(timer);
+    timer = null;
+    isFrozen = false;
+    isManuallyPaused = false;
+    pendingText = null;
+    updateFreezeIndicator();
+  }
+
   btn.onclick = () => (panel.hidden ? open() : close());
 
-  const copy = document.createElement("button"); copy.className = "btn ghost tiny"; copy.textContent = "Copy";
-  copy.onclick = () => { try { navigator.clipboard.writeText(bodyEl.textContent); copy.textContent = "Copied"; setTimeout(() => (copy.textContent = "Copy"), 1200); } catch (_) {} };
-  const x = document.createElement("button"); x.className = "btn ghost tiny"; x.textContent = "✕"; x.onclick = close;
-  actions.append(copy, x);
+  // Helper to get the currently selected text within bodyEl.
+  function getSelectedText() {
+    const sel = window.getSelection();
+    if (sel.isCollapsed) return null;
+    if (!nodeInBody(sel.anchorNode) && !nodeInBody(sel.focusNode)) return null;
+    return sel.toString();
+  }
+
+  const copy = document.createElement("button");
+  copy.className = "btn ghost tiny";
+  copy.textContent = "Copy";
+  copy.onclick = () => {
+    try {
+      const selectedText = getSelectedText();
+      const textToCopy = selectedText || lastText;
+      navigator.clipboard.writeText(textToCopy);
+      copy.textContent = selectedText ? "Copied selection" : "Copied";
+      setTimeout(() => (copy.textContent = "Copy"), 1200);
+    } catch (_) {}
+  };
+
+  const pauseBtn = document.createElement("button");
+  pauseBtn.className = "btn ghost tiny";
+  pauseBtn.textContent = "⏸ Pause";
+  pauseBtn.onclick = () => {
+    isManuallyPaused = !isManuallyPaused;
+    updatePauseButton();
+    // Refetch rather than flushing pendingText: nothing was polled while paused, so the
+    // only text held is whatever a selection froze earlier and it may be minutes stale.
+    if (!isManuallyPaused) { pendingText = null; refresh(); }
+  };
+
+  function updatePauseButton() {
+    pauseBtn.textContent = isManuallyPaused ? "▶ Resume" : "⏸ Pause";
+    pauseBtn.classList.toggle("on", isManuallyPaused);
+  }
+
+  const x = document.createElement("button");
+  x.className = "btn ghost tiny";
+  x.textContent = "✕";
+  x.onclick = close;
+
+  actions.append(copy, pauseBtn, x);
 })();
diff --git a/movie_editor/frontend/styles.css b/movie_editor/frontend/styles.css
index c116833c..1f7e6c0b 100644
--- a/movie_editor/frontend/styles.css
+++ b/movie_editor/frontend/styles.css
@@ -121,7 +121,8 @@ button, input, select, textarea { font-family: inherit; color: var(--text); }
 .log-panel[hidden] { display: none; }  /* explicit display:flex above would otherwise beat the hidden attribute */
 .log-head { display: flex; align-items: center; justify-content: space-between; padding: 7px 10px; border-bottom: 1px solid var(--line);
   font-family: var(--font-mono); font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px; text-transform: uppercase; color: var(--amber); }
-.log-actions { display: flex; gap: 6px; }
+.log-actions { display: flex; gap: 6px; align-items: center; }
+.log-freeze-indicator { font-family: var(--font-mono); font-size: 10px; color: var(--faint); white-space: nowrap; }
 .log-body { flex: 1; margin: 0; padding: 8px 10px; overflow: auto; white-space: pre-wrap; word-break: break-word;
   font-family: var(--font-mono); font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.45; color: var(--muted); background: #060606; }