diff --git a/skills/clipboard_url_fetch.py b/skills/clipboard_url_fetch.py
index bbf3523..fb0ef5d 100644
--- a/skills/clipboard_url_fetch.py
+++ b/skills/clipboard_url_fetch.py
@@ -39,19 +39,30 @@
 SKILL_MCP_EXPOSE = False  # local-only; no value over MCP since clipboard isn't shared
 
 # ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
-# Phase 2 Step 6 declarative trigger.
-# Fires when the clipboard preview contains an http(s) URL.
-# Pattern is conservative: bounded character class, no whitespace,
-# no quote chars (avoids accidentally matching JSON-encoded URLs as part
-# of a larger blob).
+# Phase 2 Step 6 declarative trigger — DISABLED BY DEFAULT.
+#
+# Auto-firing on every URL copied to clipboard turned out to be too noisy in
+# practice — the average user copies several URLs per minute while working,
+# and `require_confirmation: True` produced one ask_user notification per
+# fresh URL despite the 10-min cooldown. The trigger was firing every ~7 min
+# with each new URL, blocking the agent runner queue and burying real
+# notifications under "codec-triggers is asking a question" spam.
+#
+# Manual paths still work. Say "fetch the link" / "summarize this URL" or
+# call the skill via MCP / chat / voice — `run()` reads the clipboard at
+# invocation time. The skill itself is fully functional; only the
+# auto-fire-on-clipboard-pattern path is muted.
+#
+# To re-enable, uncomment the dict below. Future work: per-skill enable
+# flag in `~/.codec/triggers.json` so users toggle without editing code.
 # ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
-SKILL_OBSERVATION_TRIGGER = {
-    "type": "clipboard_pattern",
-    "pattern": r"https?://[^\s<>'\"]+",
-    "cooldown_seconds": 600,        # 10-min per-trigger cooldown
-    "require_confirmation": True,   # ask user before fetch
-    "destructive": False,           # read-only operation
-}
+# SKILL_OBSERVATION_TRIGGER = {
+#     "type": "clipboard_pattern",
+#     "pattern": r"https?://[^\s<>'\"]+",
+#     "cooldown_seconds": 600,        # 10-min per-trigger cooldown
+#     "require_confirmation": True,   # ask user before fetch
+#     "destructive": False,           # read-only operation
+# }
 
 
 import re
diff --git a/skills/shift_report.py b/skills/shift_report.py
index efbd8b4..f926a9b 100644
--- a/skills/shift_report.py
+++ b/skills/shift_report.py
@@ -490,13 +490,38 @@ def run(task: str = "", app: str = "", ctx: str = "") -> str:
     return run_with_trigger_kind(trigger_kind)
 
 
+_MANUAL_COOLDOWN_SECONDS = 300   # 5 min — protects against runaway loops
+
+
+def _manual_cooldown_active() -> bool:
+    """Returns True if a manual shift_report fired within the last
+    `_MANUAL_COOLDOWN_SECONDS` seconds. Prevents button-mash and
+    polling-loop spam from hammering the audit log."""
+    state = _load_state()
+    last = state.get("last_fired_at")
+    if not last or state.get("last_trigger_kind") != "manual":
+        return False
+    try:
+        last_dt = datetime.fromisoformat(last.replace("Z", "+00:00"))
+    except (ValueError, TypeError):
+        return False
+    elapsed = (datetime.now(timezone.utc) - last_dt).total_seconds()
+    return elapsed < _MANUAL_COOLDOWN_SECONDS
+
+
 def run_with_trigger_kind(trigger_kind: str) -> str:
     """Internal entry — used by codec_observer when it knows the trigger
-    kind. Per-day dedup means time AND idle on the same day fire once."""
+    kind. Per-day dedup means time AND idle on the same day fire once.
+    Manual fires bypass per-day dedup but are protected by a 5-min
+    cooldown so a button-mash or polling loop can't pile up reports."""
     if not _enabled():
         return "Shift report is disabled."
     if trigger_kind != "manual" and already_fired_today():
         return f"Shift report already fired today ({trigger_kind} suppressed)."
+    if trigger_kind == "manual" and _manual_cooldown_active():
+        return ("Shift report fired in the last 5 minutes — "
+                "suppressed to prevent loop spam. "
+                "Run again after the cooldown if you need a fresh one.")
 
     # Lazy-import codec_audit so the skill loads cleanly even in stripped envs
     try:
@@ -526,8 +551,9 @@ def _log_event(*a, **kw):
     report = _assemble_shift_report(trigger_kind)
     nid = _post_notification(report)
     saved_path = _maybe_auto_save(report, cfg)
-    if trigger_kind != "manual":
-        mark_fired_today(trigger_kind)
+    # Always mark — manual fires need the timestamp for the 5-min cooldown
+    # check above; idle/time still need it for per-day dedup.
+    mark_fired_today(trigger_kind)
 
     duration_ms = (time.monotonic() - t0) * 1000.0
     try:
diff --git a/tests/test_shift_report.py b/tests/test_shift_report.py
index 689ae31..d0806dc 100644
--- a/tests/test_shift_report.py
+++ b/tests/test_shift_report.py
@@ -250,6 +250,37 @@ def test_manual_trigger_bypasses_dedup(temp_state):
     assert len(notifs) == 1
 
 
+def test_manual_5min_cooldown_suppresses_repeats(temp_state):
+    """Two manual fires within 5 min — second is suppressed to prevent
+    button-mash / polling-loop spam. The audit-log loop spotted on
+    2026-05-03 (8 fires in 12 min) motivated this floor."""
+    # First manual fire — should succeed and set last_trigger_kind=manual
+    result1 = shift_report.run("shift report")
+    assert "Shift report posted" in result1
+    # Second manual fire immediately after — suppressed
+    result2 = shift_report.run("shift report")
+    assert "last 5 minutes" in result2
+    notifs = json.loads((temp_state / "notifications.json").read_text())
+    assert len(notifs) == 1   # only the first fire created a notification
+
+
+def test_manual_cooldown_does_not_block_after_5min(temp_state):
+    """Cooldown is time-based; if the last manual fire was >5 min ago,
+    a new manual fire goes through."""
+    from datetime import datetime, timezone, timedelta
+    # Seed state with a manual fire from 6 minutes ago
+    old = (datetime.now(timezone.utc) - timedelta(minutes=6)).isoformat(timespec="seconds")
+    shift_report._save_state({
+        "last_fired_date": shift_report._today_local_date(),
+        "last_fired_at": old,
+        "last_trigger_kind": "manual",
+    })
+    # New manual fire should NOT be suppressed
+    assert shift_report._manual_cooldown_active() is False
+    result = shift_report.run("shift report")
+    assert "Shift report posted" in result
+
+
 # ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 # Kill switch + config (3)
 # ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────