diff --git a/pkg/gocui/tcell_driver.go b/pkg/gocui/tcell_driver.go
index 885bcbabb..e70fc3440 100644
--- a/pkg/gocui/tcell_driver.go
+++ b/pkg/gocui/tcell_driver.go
@@ -366,7 +366,9 @@ func gocuiEventFromTcellEvent(tev tcell.Event) GocuiEvent {
 
 		// process button events (not wheel events)
 		button &= tcell.ButtonMask(0xff)
+		newButtonPress := false
 		if button != tcell.ButtonNone && lastMouseKey == tcell.ButtonNone {
+			newButtonPress = true
 			lastMouseKey = button
 			lastMouseMod = tev.Modifiers()
 			switch button {
@@ -410,9 +412,23 @@ func gocuiEventFromTcellEvent(tev tcell.Event) GocuiEvent {
 				}
 			// if we haven't released the left mouse button and we've moved the cursor then we're dragging
 			case MAYBE_DRAGGING:
-				if x != lastX || y != lastY {
-					dragState = DRAGGING
+				if x == lastX && y == lastY {
+					// Deliver the button press itself, but swallow held-button
+					// motion events within the same cell: they carry no new
+					// information, and if they fell through they would be
+					// delivered with the default MouseRelease key.
+					if !newButtonPress {
+						return GocuiEvent{Type: eventNone}
+					}
+					break
 				}
+				// The first movement is already part of the drag; give it the
+				// same key and modifier as the DRAGGING events below so it
+				// reaches drag bindings instead of being delivered with the
+				// default MouseRelease key.
+				dragState = DRAGGING
+				mouseMod = ModMotion
+				mouseKey = MouseLeft
 			case DRAGGING:
 				mouseMod = ModMotion
 				mouseKey = MouseLeft
diff --git a/pkg/gocui/tcell_driver_test.go b/pkg/gocui/tcell_driver_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..be36efe11
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/gocui/tcell_driver_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+package gocui
+
+import (
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/gdamore/tcell/v3"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+)
+
+func TestFirstMouseMovementAfterPressIsDragEvent(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Cleanup(resetMouseState)
+	resetMouseState()
+
+	pressEvent := gocuiEventFromTcellEvent(tcell.NewEventMouse(1, 2, tcell.ButtonPrimary, tcell.ModNone))
+	unchangedHeldEvent := gocuiEventFromTcellEvent(tcell.NewEventMouse(1, 2, tcell.ButtonPrimary, tcell.ModNone))
+	dragEvent := gocuiEventFromTcellEvent(tcell.NewEventMouse(1, 3, tcell.ButtonPrimary, tcell.ModNone))
+
+	assert.Equal(t, eventMouse, pressEvent.Type)
+	assert.Equal(t, MouseLeft, pressEvent.Key.KeyName())
+	assert.Equal(t, ModNone, pressEvent.Key.Mod())
+	assert.Equal(t, eventNone, unchangedHeldEvent.Type)
+	assert.Equal(t, eventMouse, dragEvent.Type)
+	assert.Equal(t, MouseLeft, dragEvent.Key.KeyName())
+	assert.Equal(t, ModMotion, dragEvent.Key.Mod())
+}
+
+func resetMouseState() {
+	lastMouseKey = tcell.ButtonNone
+	lastMouseMod = tcell.ModNone
+	dragState = NOT_DRAGGING
+	lastX = 0
+	lastY = 0
+}