diff --git a/clients/terminal.c b/clients/terminal.c
index 1b36ba9d..92549071 100644
--- a/clients/terminal.c
+++ b/clients/terminal.c
@@ -391,7 +391,6 @@ struct terminal {
 	cairo_font_extents_t extents;
 	cairo_scaled_font_t *font_normal, *font_bold;
 
-	uint32_t tag;
 	struct wl_selection *selection;
 	struct wl_selection_offer *selection_offer;
 	uint32_t selection_offer_has_text;
@@ -1978,34 +1977,11 @@ static const struct wl_selection_listener selection_listener = {
 	selection_listener_cancelled
 };
 
-static gboolean
-selection_io_func(GIOChannel *source, GIOCondition condition, gpointer data)
-{
-	struct terminal *terminal = data;
-	char buffer[256];
-	unsigned int len;
-	int fd;
-
-	fd = g_io_channel_unix_get_fd(source);
-	len = read(fd, buffer, sizeof buffer);
-
-	write(terminal->master, buffer, len);
-
-	close(fd);
-	g_source_remove(terminal->tag);
-
-	g_io_channel_unref(source);
-
-	return TRUE;
-}
-
 static int
 handle_bound_key(struct terminal *terminal,
 		 struct input *input, uint32_t sym, uint32_t time)
 {
 	struct wl_shell *shell;
-	GIOChannel *channel;
-	int fd;
 
 	switch (sym) {
 	case XK_C:
@@ -2019,14 +1995,11 @@ handle_bound_key(struct terminal *terminal,
 
 		return 1;
 	case XK_V:
-		if (input_offers_mime_type(input, "text/plain")) {
-			fd = input_receive_mime_type(input, "text/plain");
-			channel = g_io_channel_unix_new(fd);
-			terminal->tag = g_io_add_watch(channel, G_IO_IN,
-						       selection_io_func,
-						       terminal);
-		}
-
+		/* Just pass the master fd of the pty to receive the
+		 * selection. */
+		if (input_offers_mime_type(input, "text/plain"))
+			input_receive_mime_type(input, "text/plain",
+						terminal->master);
 		return 1;
 	case XK_X:
 		/* cut selection; terminal doesn't do cut */
diff --git a/clients/window.c b/clients/window.c
index f598bcd2..e2e59d10 100644
--- a/clients/window.c
+++ b/clients/window.c
@@ -1323,23 +1323,18 @@ input_offers_mime_type(struct input *input, const char *type)
 	return 0;
 }
 
-int
-input_receive_mime_type(struct input *input, const char *type)
+void
+input_receive_mime_type(struct input *input, const char *type, int fd)
 {
 	struct selection_offer *offer = input->offer;
-	int p[2];
 
-	pipe(p);
 	/* FIXME: A number of things can go wrong here: the object may
 	 * not be the current selection offer any more (which could
 	 * still work, but the source may have gone away or just
 	 * destroyed its wl_selection) or the offer may not have the
 	 * requested type after all (programmer/client error,
 	 * typically) */
-	wl_selection_offer_receive(offer->offer, type, p[1]);
-	close(p[1]);
-
-	return p[0];
+	wl_selection_offer_receive(offer->offer, type, fd);
 }
 
 static void
diff --git a/clients/window.h b/clients/window.h
index 7d6afdc5..27811f3f 100644
--- a/clients/window.h
+++ b/clients/window.h
@@ -232,8 +232,8 @@ input_get_input_device(struct input *input);
 
 int
 input_offers_mime_type(struct input *input, const char *type);
-int
-input_receive_mime_type(struct input *input, const char *type);
+void
+input_receive_mime_type(struct input *input, const char *type, int fd);
 
 
 #endif