diff --git a/core/internal/server/clipboard/manager.go b/core/internal/server/clipboard/manager.go
index ae66adab2..ec71cbe64 100644
--- a/core/internal/server/clipboard/manager.go
+++ b/core/internal/server/clipboard/manager.go
@@ -1336,7 +1336,18 @@ func (m *Manager) reopenDB() {
 	m.db = db
 }
 
+var errSelectionUnavailable = errors.New("clipboard selection unavailable: tracking disabled or no data control protocol")
+
+// Both are bound once in NewManager; a disabled manager never binds them but
+// still serves copy requests, so callers must fail before touching history.
+func (m *Manager) canTakeSelection() bool {
+	return m.dataControlMgr != nil && m.dataDevice != nil
+}
+
 func (m *Manager) SetClipboard(data []byte, mimeType string) error {
+	if !m.canTakeSelection() {
+		return errSelectionUnavailable
+	}
 	if int64(len(data)) > m.config.MaxEntrySize {
 		return fmt.Errorf("data too large")
 	}
@@ -1352,6 +1363,9 @@ func (m *Manager) SetClipboard(data []byte, mimeType string) error {
 // representation plus its stored alternate, so history restores keep
 // both the text and image sides pasteable.
 func (m *Manager) SetClipboardEntry(entry *Entry) error {
+	if !m.canTakeSelection() {
+		return errSelectionUnavailable
+	}
 	if int64(len(entry.Data)) > m.config.MaxEntrySize {
 		return fmt.Errorf("data too large")
 	}
@@ -2157,6 +2171,9 @@ func (m *Manager) GetPinnedCount() int {
 }
 
 func (m *Manager) CopyFile(filePath string) error {
+	if !m.canTakeSelection() {
+		return errSelectionUnavailable
+	}
 	fileInfo, err := os.Stat(filePath)
 	if err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("file not found: %w", err)
diff --git a/core/internal/server/clipboard/manager_test.go b/core/internal/server/clipboard/manager_test.go
index 5cceec0f6..6c4083f18 100644
--- a/core/internal/server/clipboard/manager_test.go
+++ b/core/internal/server/clipboard/manager_test.go
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ import (
 	mocks_wlcontext "github.com/AvengeMedia/DankMaterialShell/core/internal/mocks/wlcontext"
 	"github.com/AvengeMedia/DankMaterialShell/core/internal/server/models"
 	"github.com/AvengeMedia/dankgo/ipc"
+	"github.com/AvengeMedia/dankgo/wayland/ext_data_control"
 )
 
 type clipboardTestConn struct {
@@ -48,14 +49,14 @@ func newTestManagerWithDB(t *testing.T) *Manager {
 	})
 
 	mockCtx := mocks_wlcontext.NewMockWaylandContext(t)
-	mockCtx.EXPECT().Post(mock.AnythingOfType("func()")).Run(func(fn func()) {
-		fn()
-	}).Maybe()
+	mockCtx.EXPECT().Post(mock.AnythingOfType("func()")).Return().Maybe()
 
 	return &Manager{
-		config: DefaultConfig(),
-		db:     db,
-		wlCtx:  mockCtx,
+		config:         DefaultConfig(),
+		db:             db,
+		wlCtx:          mockCtx,
+		dataControlMgr: &ext_data_control.ExtDataControlManagerV1{},
+		dataDevice:     &ext_data_control.ExtDataControlDeviceV1{},
 	}
 }
 
@@ -1015,3 +1016,27 @@ func TestHandleCopyEntry_OversizedFileEntryRestoresExactPath(t *testing.T) {
 	require.NotNil(t, resp.Result)
 	assert.Equal(t, path, (*resp.Result)["filePath"])
 }
+
+// A manager built with tracking disabled never binds data control but still
+// serves clipboard.copyFile; answering success there made dms screenshot skip
+// its local copy and leave the clipboard empty.
+func TestCopyFile_DisabledTrackingRefusesCopy(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Setenv("XDG_CACHE_HOME", t.TempDir())
+	t.Setenv("XDG_CONFIG_HOME", t.TempDir())
+
+	mockCtx := mocks_wlcontext.NewMockWaylandContext(t)
+	mockCtx.EXPECT().Display().Return(nil).Maybe()
+	mockCtx.EXPECT().Post(mock.AnythingOfType("func()")).Run(func(fn func()) { fn() }).Maybe()
+
+	cfg := DefaultConfig()
+	cfg.Disabled = true
+	m, err := NewManager(mockCtx, cfg)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	t.Cleanup(m.Close)
+
+	path := filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "shot.png")
+	require.NoError(t, os.WriteFile(path, []byte("png-bytes"), 0o644))
+
+	require.ErrorIs(t, m.CopyFile(path), errSelectionUnavailable)
+	assert.Empty(t, m.GetHistory())
+}
diff --git a/core/internal/server/sysupdate/backend_pkg.go b/core/internal/server/sysupdate/backend_pkg.go
index 33aa8be4d..b09a937df 100644
--- a/core/internal/server/sysupdate/backend_pkg.go
+++ b/core/internal/server/sysupdate/backend_pkg.go
@@ -5,23 +5,26 @@ import (
 	"errors"
 	"os/exec"
 	"regexp"
+	"runtime"
 	"strings"
 )
 
 func init() {
-	// FreeBSD's pkg(8) is the native binary package manager. Register it after
-	// the Linux backends; IsAvailable keeps this harmless on other systems.
 	RegisterSystemBackend(func() Backend { return &pkgBackend{} })
 }
 
 type pkgBackend struct{}
 
-func (pkgBackend) ID() string                         { return "pkg" }
-func (pkgBackend) DisplayName() string                { return "FreeBSD pkg" }
-func (pkgBackend) Repo() RepoKind                     { return RepoSystem }
-func (pkgBackend) NeedsAuth() bool                    { return true }
-func (pkgBackend) RunsInTerminal() bool               { return false }
-func (pkgBackend) IsAvailable(_ context.Context) bool { return commandExists("pkg") }
+func (pkgBackend) ID() string           { return "pkg" }
+func (pkgBackend) DisplayName() string  { return "FreeBSD pkg" }
+func (pkgBackend) Repo() RepoKind       { return RepoSystem }
+func (pkgBackend) NeedsAuth() bool      { return true }
+func (pkgBackend) RunsInTerminal() bool { return false }
+
+// Gentoo's mgorny-dev-scripts and other distros ship an unrelated pkg binary.
+func (pkgBackend) IsAvailable(_ context.Context) bool {
+	return runtime.GOOS == "freebsd" && commandExists("pkg")
+}
 
 // pkg upgrade -n prints upgrade rows like:
 //