diff --git a/js/id/actions/copy_entity.js b/js/id/actions/copy_entity.js
index af4a9138a..33a1cd000 100644
--- a/js/id/actions/copy_entity.js
+++ b/js/id/actions/copy_entity.js
@@ -1,8 +1,10 @@
-iD.actions.CopyEntity = function(entity, deep) {
+iD.actions.CopyEntity = function(id, fromGraph, deep) {
     var newEntities = [];
 
     var action = function(graph) {
-        newEntities = entity.copy(deep, graph);
+        var entity = fromGraph.entity(id);
+
+        newEntities = entity.copy(deep, fromGraph);
 
         for (var i = 0; i < newEntities.length; i++) {
             graph = graph.replace(newEntities[i]);
diff --git a/js/id/behavior/copy.js b/js/id/behavior/copy.js
index cc4647708..f2483ebda 100644
--- a/js/id/behavior/copy.js
+++ b/js/id/behavior/copy.js
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ iD.behavior.Copy = function(context) {
             }
         }
 
-        context.copiedIDs(canCopy);
+        context.copyIDs(canCopy);
     }
 
     function copy() {
diff --git a/js/id/behavior/paste.js b/js/id/behavior/paste.js
index 92bf92d31..7956e26b4 100644
--- a/js/id/behavior/paste.js
+++ b/js/id/behavior/paste.js
@@ -26,18 +26,20 @@ iD.behavior.Paste = function(context) {
 
         if (!iD.geo.pointInPolygon(mouse, viewport)) return;
 
-        var graph = context.graph(),
-            extent = iD.geo.Extent(),
-            oldIDs = context.copiedIDs(),
+        var extent = iD.geo.Extent(),
+            oldIDs = context.copyIDs(),
+            oldGraph = context.copyGraph(),
             newIDs = [],
             i, j;
 
+        if (!oldIDs.length) return;
+
         for (i = 0; i < oldIDs.length; i++) {
-            var oldEntity = graph.entity(oldIDs[i]),
-                action = iD.actions.CopyEntity(oldEntity, true),
+            var oldEntity = oldGraph.entity(oldIDs[i]),
+                action = iD.actions.CopyEntity(oldEntity.id, oldGraph, true),
                 newEntities;
 
-            extent._extend(oldEntity.extent(graph));
+            extent._extend(oldEntity.extent(oldGraph));
             context.perform(action);
 
             // First element in `newEntities` contains the copied Entity,
diff --git a/js/id/id.js b/js/id/id.js
index acd000a9c..58972fc2a 100644
--- a/js/id/id.js
+++ b/js/id/id.js
@@ -221,10 +221,12 @@ window.iD = function () {
     };
 
     /* Copy/Paste */
-    var copiedIDs = [];
-    context.copiedIDs = function(_) {
-        if (!arguments.length) return copiedIDs;
-        copiedIDs = _;
+    var copyIDs = [], copyGraph;
+    context.copyGraph = function() { return copyGraph; };
+    context.copyIDs = function(_) {
+        if (!arguments.length) return copyIDs;
+        copyIDs = _;
+        copyGraph = history.graph();
         return context;
     };
 
diff --git a/test/spec/actions/copy_entity.js b/test/spec/actions/copy_entity.js
index 15f0497a3..3b85f3ba9 100644
--- a/test/spec/actions/copy_entity.js
+++ b/test/spec/actions/copy_entity.js
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ describe("iD.actions.CopyEntity", function () {
     it("copies a Node and adds it to the graph", function () {
         var a = iD.Node({id: 'a'}),
             base = iD.Graph([a]),
-            head = iD.actions.CopyEntity(a)(base),
+            head = iD.actions.CopyEntity('a', base, false)(base),
             diff = iD.Difference(base, head),
             created = diff.created();
 
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ describe("iD.actions.CopyEntity", function () {
             b = iD.Node({id: 'b'}),
             w = iD.Way({id: 'w', nodes: ['a', 'b']}),
             base = iD.Graph([a, b, w]),
-            head = iD.actions.CopyEntity(w)(base),
+            head = iD.actions.CopyEntity('w', base, false)(base),
             diff = iD.Difference(base, head),
             created = diff.created();
 
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ describe("iD.actions.CopyEntity", function () {
             b = iD.Node({id: 'b'}),
             w = iD.Way({id: 'w', nodes: ['a', 'b']}),
             base = iD.Graph([a, b, w]),
-            head = iD.actions.CopyEntity(w, true)(base),
+            head = iD.actions.CopyEntity('w', base, true)(base),
             diff = iD.Difference(base, head),
             created = diff.created();
 
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ describe("iD.actions.CopyEntity", function () {
             w = iD.Way({id: 'w', nodes: ['a', 'b']}),
             r = iD.Relation({id: 'r', members: [{id: 'w'}]}),
             base = iD.Graph([a, b, w, r]),
-            head = iD.actions.CopyEntity(r)(base),
+            head = iD.actions.CopyEntity('r', base, false)(base),
             diff = iD.Difference(base, head),
             created = diff.created();
 
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ describe("iD.actions.CopyEntity", function () {
     //         w = iD.Way({id: 'w', nodes: ['a', 'b']}),
     //         r = iD.Relation({id: 'r', members: [{id: 'w'}]}),
     //         base = iD.Graph([a, b, w, r]),
-    //         head = iD.actions.CopyEntity(r, true)(base),
+    //         head = iD.actions.CopyEntity('r', base, true)(base),
     //         diff = iD.Difference(base, head),
     //         created = diff.created();
 
@@ -73,4 +73,34 @@ describe("iD.actions.CopyEntity", function () {
     //     expect(created[2]).to.be.an.instanceof(iD.Node);
     //     expect(created[3]).to.be.an.instanceof(iD.Node);
     // });
+
+    it("shallow copies from one graph to another", function () {
+        var a = iD.Node({id: 'a'}),
+            b = iD.Node({id: 'b'}),
+            w = iD.Way({id: 'w', nodes: ['a', 'b']}),
+            source = iD.Graph([a, b, w]),
+            base = iD.Graph(),
+            head = iD.actions.CopyEntity('w', source, false)(base),
+            diff = iD.Difference(base, head),
+            created = diff.created();
+
+        expect(created).to.have.length(1);
+        expect(created[0]).to.be.an.instanceof(iD.Way);
+    });
+
+    it("deep copies from one graph to another", function () {
+        var a = iD.Node({id: 'a'}),
+            b = iD.Node({id: 'b'}),
+            w = iD.Way({id: 'w', nodes: ['a', 'b']}),
+            source = iD.Graph([a, b, w]),
+            base = iD.Graph(),
+            head = iD.actions.CopyEntity('w', source, true)(base),
+            diff = iD.Difference(base, head),
+            created = diff.created();
+
+        expect(created).to.have.length(3);
+        expect(created[0]).to.be.an.instanceof(iD.Way);
+        expect(created[1]).to.be.an.instanceof(iD.Node);
+        expect(created[2]).to.be.an.instanceof(iD.Node);
+    });
 });