diff --git a/tabbed-wlroots.c b/tabbed-wlroots.c
index 512a9a1..0de45b9 100644
--- a/tabbed-wlroots.c
+++ b/tabbed-wlroots.c
@@ -1430,8 +1430,8 @@ static void bridge_dc_device_selection(void *data,
     if (offer && offer == bridge.dc_echo_offer) {
         bridge.dc_echo_offer = NULL;
         bridge_mimes_reset();
-        if (offer)
-            zwlr_data_control_offer_v1_destroy(offer);
+        zwlr_data_control_offer_v1_destroy(offer);
+        bridge.dc_pending_echo = false;
         return;
     }
     bridge.dc_pending_echo = false;
@@ -1516,12 +1516,20 @@ static void bridge_dd_data_offer(void *data, struct wl_data_device *dev,
 static void bridge_dd_selection(void *data, struct wl_data_device *dev,
                                 struct wl_data_offer *offer) {
     (void)data; (void)dev;
+    if (!offer) {
+        /* Focus blip: the host selection is momentarily gone (or we lost
+           keyboard focus).  Keep the last-known nested selection and, above
+           all, leave the pending-echo flags intact so an in-flight dc/dd
+           set_selection reply is still recognized as our own echo. */
+        bridge_mimes_reset();
+        return;
+    }
     bridge_prefetch_cancel();
-    if (offer && offer == bridge.dd_echo_offer) {
+    if (offer == bridge.dd_echo_offer) {
         bridge.dd_echo_offer = NULL;
         bridge_mimes_reset();
-        if (offer)
-            wl_data_offer_destroy(offer);
+        wl_data_offer_destroy(offer);
+        bridge.dd_pending_echo = false;
         return;
     }
     bridge.dc_pending_echo = false;
@@ -1529,12 +1537,6 @@ static void bridge_dd_selection(void *data, struct wl_data_device *dev,
     if (bridge.dd_offer)
         wl_data_offer_destroy(bridge.dd_offer);
     bridge.dd_offer = offer;
-    if (!offer) {
-        /* selection cleared, or we lost keyboard focus: keep the last-known
-           nested selection rather than emptying it on every focus change */
-        bridge_mimes_reset();
-        return;
-    }
     bridge_prefetch_start();
     bridge_mirror_to_nested();
 }
@@ -1889,11 +1891,18 @@ static void host_kbd_enter(void *data, struct wl_keyboard *kbd, uint32_t serial,
                            struct wl_surface *surface, struct wl_array *keys)
 {
     (void)data; (void)kbd; (void)surface; (void)keys;
-    /* Remember the enter serial for host clipboard set_selection, and drop any
-       stale echo guard from a set_selection made while unfocused. */
+    /* Remember the enter serial for host clipboard set_selection.  Only the
+       focus-based wl_data_device backend can hold a stale echo guard (a
+       set_selection sent with a no-longer-valid serial gets no reply): drop it
+       on refocus there.  The data-control backend echoes independently of
+       focus, so its in-flight guard must be preserved here, or the host's echo
+       of our own set_selection is mistaken for a real selection and mirrored
+       back into an endless set_selection/receive loop. */
     bridge.kbd_serial = serial;
-    bridge.dc_pending_echo = false;
-    bridge.dd_pending_echo = false;
+    if (bridge.backend == BRIDGE_BACKEND_WL_DATA_DEVICE) {
+        bridge.dc_pending_echo = false;
+        bridge.dd_pending_echo = false;
+    }
     if (bridge.host_set_pending && server.seat->selection_source &&
             server.seat->selection_source->impl != &bridge_inner_source_impl) {
         bridge.host_set_pending = false;