diff --git a/viewport/Cargo.toml b/viewport/Cargo.toml
index d23effc..199c58b 100644
--- a/viewport/Cargo.toml
+++ b/viewport/Cargo.toml
@@ -29,9 +29,13 @@ filetime = "0.2"
 regex = "1"
 printpdf = { version = "0.9", default-features = false }
 
+[features]
+default = ["native-shell"]
+native-shell = ["arboard", "trash"]
+
 [target.'cfg(not(target_os = "ios"))'.dependencies]
-arboard = "3"
-trash = "5"
+arboard = { version = "3", optional = true }
+trash = { version = "5", optional = true }
 
 [build-dependencies]
 cbindgen = "0.29"
diff --git a/viewport/src/browser/model.rs b/viewport/src/browser/model.rs
index 3bb50b4..47ae089 100644
--- a/viewport/src/browser/model.rs
+++ b/viewport/src/browser/model.rs
@@ -281,14 +281,14 @@ pub fn trash(item_path: &Path) -> std::io::Result<()> {
     }
 }
 
-#[cfg(not(target_os = "ios"))]
+#[cfg(all(not(target_os = "ios"), feature = "native-shell"))]
 fn trash_crate_remove(path: &Path) -> Result<(), Box<dyn std::error::Error>> {
     trash::delete(path).map_err(|e| Box::new(e) as Box<dyn std::error::Error>)
 }
 
-#[cfg(target_os = "ios")]
+#[cfg(any(target_os = "ios", not(feature = "native-shell")))]
 fn trash_crate_remove(_path: &Path) -> Result<(), Box<dyn std::error::Error>> {
-    Err("trash crate not available on iOS; falling back to permanent delete".into())
+    Err("trash not available in embedded mode; falling back to permanent delete".into())
 }
 
 pub fn path_segments(current: &Path, root: &Path) -> Vec<(String, PathBuf)> {
diff --git a/viewport/src/editor/mod.rs b/viewport/src/editor/mod.rs
index 44fa6bd..33ec4b6 100644
--- a/viewport/src/editor/mod.rs
+++ b/viewport/src/editor/mod.rs
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ mod types;
 mod undo;
 mod update;
 pub use state::EditorState;
-#[cfg(not(target_os = "ios"))]
+#[cfg(all(not(target_os = "ios"), feature = "native-shell"))]
 pub use sidecar_io::write_clipboard_image_to_cache;
 pub use types::{
     Anchor, ComputedImage, ComputedTable, ComputedTree, ContextMenuState, FindState,
diff --git a/viewport/src/editor/sidecar_io.rs b/viewport/src/editor/sidecar_io.rs
index caed015..a3dae91 100644
--- a/viewport/src/editor/sidecar_io.rs
+++ b/viewport/src/editor/sidecar_io.rs
@@ -303,7 +303,7 @@ pub(super) fn load_image_from_path(src: &str) -> Option<ImageCacheEntry> {
 }
 
 /// encodes a clipboard image to PNG and writes it into the on-disk cache
-#[cfg(not(target_os = "ios"))]
+#[cfg(all(not(target_os = "ios"), feature = "native-shell"))]
 pub fn write_clipboard_image_to_cache(img: &arboard::ImageData) -> Option<String> {
     let dir = dirs::home_dir()?.join(".acord").join("cache").join("images");
     std::fs::create_dir_all(&dir).ok()?;
diff --git a/viewport/src/handle.rs b/viewport/src/handle.rs
index 0735248..7b268ed 100644
--- a/viewport/src/handle.rs
+++ b/viewport/src/handle.rs
@@ -20,12 +20,12 @@ use crate::palette;
 use crate::table_block::TableMessage;
 use crate::ViewportHandle;
 
-#[cfg(not(target_os = "ios"))]
+#[cfg(all(not(target_os = "ios"), feature = "native-shell"))]
 struct AcordClipboard {
     board: std::cell::RefCell<arboard::Clipboard>,
 }
 
-#[cfg(not(target_os = "ios"))]
+#[cfg(all(not(target_os = "ios"), feature = "native-shell"))]
 impl clipboard::Clipboard for AcordClipboard {
     fn read(&self, _kind: clipboard::Kind) -> Option<String> {
         let mut board = self.board.borrow_mut();
@@ -46,11 +46,11 @@ impl clipboard::Clipboard for AcordClipboard {
     }
 }
 
-/// iOS stub; UIPasteboard access handled on the Swift side via shell-action bus.
-#[cfg(target_os = "ios")]
+/// stub clipboard for iOS and embedded consumers without native-shell.
+#[cfg(any(target_os = "ios", not(feature = "native-shell")))]
 struct AcordClipboard;
 
-#[cfg(target_os = "ios")]
+#[cfg(any(target_os = "ios", not(feature = "native-shell")))]
 impl clipboard::Clipboard for AcordClipboard {
     fn read(&self, _kind: clipboard::Kind) -> Option<String> { None }
     fn write(&mut self, _kind: clipboard::Kind, _contents: String) {}
@@ -224,11 +224,11 @@ pub fn render(handle: &mut ViewportHandle) {
         &mut handle.renderer,
     );
 
-    #[cfg(not(target_os = "ios"))]
+    #[cfg(all(not(target_os = "ios"), feature = "native-shell"))]
     let mut clipboard = AcordClipboard {
         board: std::cell::RefCell::new(arboard::Clipboard::new().unwrap()),
     };
-    #[cfg(target_os = "ios")]
+    #[cfg(any(target_os = "ios", not(feature = "native-shell")))]
     let mut clipboard = AcordClipboard;
     let mut messages: Vec<Message> = Vec::new();
     let mut consumed: Vec<usize> = Vec::new();
@@ -673,13 +673,13 @@ pub fn render(handle: &mut ViewportHandle) {
         handle.state.update(msg);
     }
 
-    #[cfg(not(target_os = "ios"))]
+    #[cfg(all(not(target_os = "ios"), feature = "native-shell"))]
     if let Some(text) = handle.state.pending_clipboard.take() {
         if let Ok(mut board) = arboard::Clipboard::new() {
             let _ = board.set_text(text);
         }
     }
-    #[cfg(target_os = "ios")]
+    #[cfg(any(target_os = "ios", not(feature = "native-shell")))]
     let _ = handle.state.pending_clipboard.take();
 
     handle.state.tick();