diff --git a/src/AcDream.App/UI/IItemListDragHandler.cs b/src/AcDream.App/UI/IItemListDragHandler.cs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..817effa0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/AcDream.App/UI/IItemListDragHandler.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+namespace AcDream.App.UI;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// A panel controller implements this and registers itself on each of its
+/// <see cref="UiItemList"/>s. Port of retail's <c>m_dragHandler</c> vtable
+/// (<c>RegisterItemListDragHandler</c>, decomp 230461; confirmed acclient
+/// 0x004a539e + the gmToolbarUI block 0x004bdd89).
+/// <para><see cref="OnDragOver"/> decides the accept/reject OVERLAY only (advisory).
+/// <see cref="HandleDropRelease"/> is authoritative — it performs the action, or
+/// no-ops to reject.</para>
+/// </summary>
+public interface IItemListDragHandler
+{
+    /// <summary>True ⇒ the target cell shows the accept (green) frame; false ⇒ reject (red).</summary>
+    bool OnDragOver(UiItemList targetList, UiItemSlot targetCell, ItemDragPayload payload);
+
+    /// <summary>Perform the drop (issue the per-panel wire action), or no-op to reject.</summary>
+    void HandleDropRelease(UiItemList targetList, UiItemSlot targetCell, ItemDragPayload payload);
+}
diff --git a/src/AcDream.App/UI/ItemDragPayload.cs b/src/AcDream.App/UI/ItemDragPayload.cs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..b06728d4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/AcDream.App/UI/ItemDragPayload.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+namespace AcDream.App.UI;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// Where a dragged item came from — the retail <c>InqDropIconInfo</c> flag
+/// distinction (<c>flags &amp; 0xE == 0</c> fresh-from-inventory vs
+/// <c>flags &amp; 4</c> within-list reorder) expressed as a typed enum. The drop
+/// handler maps SourceKind + target back to the fresh-vs-reorder decision.
+/// Decomp anchors: gmToolbarUI 0x004bd162 / 0x004bd1af; InqDropIconInfo 230533.
+/// </summary>
+public enum ItemDragSource { Inventory, ShortcutBar, Equipment, Ground }
+
+/// <summary>
+/// Snapshot of a drag-in-progress, taken at drag-begin (so a server move arriving
+/// mid-drag can't mutate it under us). Port of retail's <c>m_dragElement</c> +
+/// <c>InqDropIconInfo</c> out-params (objId/container/flags, decomp 230533).
+/// <para><c>SourceContainer</c> is intentionally NOT stored: the handler resolves the
+/// LIVE container via <c>ClientObjectTable.Get(ObjId).ContainerId</c> at drop — the
+/// same container id retail reads off the dragged element, single source of truth.</para>
+/// </summary>
+public sealed record ItemDragPayload(
+    uint ObjId,                 // dragged weenie guid (retail itemID, +0x5FC)
+    ItemDragSource SourceKind,  // what kind of slot it left
+    int SourceSlot,             // the source cell's SlotIndex (retail m_lastShortcutNumDragged)
+    UiItemSlot SourceCell);     // back-ref: reorder-restore / clear source state / ghost
diff --git a/src/AcDream.App/UI/UiItemList.cs b/src/AcDream.App/UI/UiItemList.cs
index 761d4db3..6c4ce9bf 100644
--- a/src/AcDream.App/UI/UiItemList.cs
+++ b/src/AcDream.App/UI/UiItemList.cs
@@ -24,6 +24,14 @@ public sealed class UiItemList : UiElement
 
     public Func<uint, (uint tex, int w, int h)>? SpriteResolve { get; set; }
 
+    /// <summary>The drag handler this list routes drops to (a panel controller).
+    /// Null = the list accepts no drops. Retail: UIElement_ItemList::m_dragHandler.</summary>
+    public IItemListDragHandler? DragHandler { get; private set; }
+
+    /// <summary>Register the panel's drag handler on this list. Retail:
+    /// UIElement_ItemList::RegisterItemListDragHandler (decomp 230461).</summary>
+    public void RegisterDragHandler(IItemListDragHandler handler) => DragHandler = handler;
+
     /// <summary>Convenience for single-cell slots (the toolbar): the first cell.
     /// Valid only while the list has at least one cell; after <see cref="Flush"/>
     /// (the inventory-phase rebuild path) the list is empty until <see cref="AddItem"/>
diff --git a/tests/AcDream.App.Tests/UI/DragDropSpineTests.cs b/tests/AcDream.App.Tests/UI/DragDropSpineTests.cs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..b6f67bfc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/AcDream.App.Tests/UI/DragDropSpineTests.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+using AcDream.App.UI;
+using Xunit;
+
+namespace AcDream.App.Tests.UI;
+
+public class DragDropSpineTests
+{
+    // A spy handler used across the spine tests.
+    private sealed class SpyHandler : IItemListDragHandler
+    {
+        public bool AcceptResult = true;
+        public (UiItemList list, UiItemSlot cell, ItemDragPayload payload)? LastOver;
+        public (UiItemList list, UiItemSlot cell, ItemDragPayload payload)? LastDrop;
+
+        public bool OnDragOver(UiItemList list, UiItemSlot cell, ItemDragPayload p)
+        { LastOver = (list, cell, p); return AcceptResult; }
+
+        public void HandleDropRelease(UiItemList list, UiItemSlot cell, ItemDragPayload p)
+        { LastDrop = (list, cell, p); }
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void Payload_holdsAllFields()
+    {
+        var src = new UiItemSlot();
+        var p = new ItemDragPayload(0x5001u, ItemDragSource.ShortcutBar, 3, src);
+        Assert.Equal(0x5001u, p.ObjId);
+        Assert.Equal(ItemDragSource.ShortcutBar, p.SourceKind);
+        Assert.Equal(3, p.SourceSlot);
+        Assert.Same(src, p.SourceCell);
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void UiItemList_registerDragHandler_roundtrips()
+    {
+        var list = new UiItemList(_ => (0u, 0, 0));
+        Assert.Null(list.DragHandler);
+        var h = new SpyHandler();
+        list.RegisterDragHandler(h);
+        Assert.Same(h, list.DragHandler);
+    }
+}