diff --git a/browser/base/content/test/browser_bug556061.js b/browser/base/content/test/browser_bug556061.js
index 0b8dd90af252..17e2c6d4f94f 100644
--- a/browser/base/content/test/browser_bug556061.js
+++ b/browser/base/content/test/browser_bug556061.js
@@ -35,53 +35,21 @@
  *
  * ***** END LICENSE BLOCK ***** */
 
-let cbSvc = Cc["@mozilla.org/widget/clipboard;1"].
-            getService(Ci.nsIClipboard);
-
 let testURL = "http://example.org/browser/browser/base/content/test/dummy_page.html";
 let testActionURL = "moz-action:switchtab," + testURL;
 let testTab;
-let clipboardText = "";
-let currentClipboardText = null;
-let clipboardPolls = 0;
-
-// The clipboard can have a string value without it being the one we expect, so
-// we'll check the current value against the previous value to see if it changed.
-// We can do this because our expected clipboard value should be different each
-// time we wait.
-function waitForClipboard() {
-  // Poll for a maximum of 5s (each run happens after 100ms).
-  if (++clipboardPolls > 50) {
-    // Log the failure.
-    ok(false, "Timed out while polling clipboard for pasted data");
-    // Cleanup and interrupt the test.
-    cleanup();
-    return;
-  }
-
-  let xferable = Cc["@mozilla.org/widget/transferable;1"].
-                 createInstance(Ci.nsITransferable);
-  xferable.addDataFlavor("text/unicode");
-  cbSvc.getData(xferable, cbSvc.kGlobalClipboard);
-  try {
-    let data = {};
-    xferable.getTransferData("text/unicode", data, {});
-    currentClipboardText = data.value.QueryInterface(Ci.nsISupportsString).data;
-  } catch (e) {}
-
-  if (currentClipboardText == clipboardText) {
-    setTimeout(waitForClipboard, 100);
-  } else {
-    clipboardText = currentClipboardText;
-    runNextTest();
-  }
-}
 
 function runNextTest() {
-  // reset clipboard polling count
-  clipboardPolls = 0;
-  // run next test, just assume we won't call in here without more tests
-  tests.shift()();
+  if (tests.length) {
+    let t = tests.shift();
+    waitForClipboard(t.expected, t.setup, function() {
+      t.success();
+      runNextTest();
+    }, cleanup);
+  }
+  else {
+    cleanup();
+  }
 }
 
 function cleanup() {
@@ -89,65 +57,64 @@ function cleanup() {
   finish();
 }
 
-// Tests in order. Some tests setup for the next actual test...
 let tests = [
-  function () {
-    // Set the urlbar to include the moz-action
-    gURLBar.value = testActionURL;
-    is(gURLBar.value, testActionURL, "gURLBar.value starts with correct value");
+  {
+    expected: testURL,
+    setup: function() {
+      gURLBar.value = testActionURL;
+      is(gURLBar.value, testActionURL, "gURLBar.value starts with correct value");
 
-    // Focus the urlbar so we can select it all & copy
-    gURLBar.focus();
-    gURLBar.select();
-    goDoCommand("cmd_copy");
-    waitForClipboard();
+      // Focus the urlbar so we can select it all & copy
+      gURLBar.focus();
+      gURLBar.select();
+      goDoCommand("cmd_copy");
+    },
+    success: function() {
+      is(gURLBar.value, testActionURL, "gURLBar.value didn't change when copying");
+    }
   },
-  function () {
-    is(clipboardText, testURL, "Clipboard has the correct value");
-    // We shouldn't have changed the value of gURLBar
-    is(gURLBar.value, testActionURL, "gURLBar.value didn't change when copying");
-
-    // Set selectionStart/End manually and make sure it matches the substring
-    gURLBar.selectionStart = 0;
-    gURLBar.selectionEnd = 10;
-    goDoCommand("cmd_copy");
-    waitForClipboard();
+  {
+    expected: testURL.substring(0, 10),
+    setup: function() {
+      // Set selectionStart/End manually and make sure it matches the substring
+      gURLBar.selectionStart = 0;
+      gURLBar.selectionEnd = 10;
+      goDoCommand("cmd_copy");
+    },
+    success: function() {
+      is(gURLBar.value, testActionURL, "gURLBar.value didn't change when copying");
+    }
   },
-  function () {
-    is(clipboardText, testURL.substring(0, 10), "Clipboard has the correct value");
-    is(gURLBar.value, testActionURL, "gURLBar.value didn't change when copying");
-
-    // Setup for cut test...
-    // Select all
-    gURLBar.select();
-    goDoCommand("cmd_cut");
-    waitForClipboard();
+  {
+    expected: testURL,
+    setup: function() {
+      // Setup for cut test...
+      // Select all
+      gURLBar.select();
+      goDoCommand("cmd_cut");
+    },
+    success: function() {
+      is(gURLBar.value, "", "gURLBar.value is now empty");
+    }
   },
-  function () {
-    is(clipboardText, testURL, "Clipboard has the correct value");
-    is(gURLBar.value, "", "gURLBar.value is now empty");
+  {
+    expected: testURL.substring(testURL.length - 10, testURL.length),
+    setup: function() {
+      // Reset urlbar value
+      gURLBar.value = testActionURL;
+      // Sanity check that we have the right value
+      is(gURLBar.value, testActionURL, "gURLBar.value starts with correct value");
 
-    // Reset urlbar value
-    gURLBar.value = testActionURL;
-    // Sanity check that we have the right value
-    is(gURLBar.value, testActionURL, "gURLBar.value starts with correct value");
-
-    // Now just select part of the value & cut that.
-    gURLBar.selectionStart = testURL.length - 10;
-    gURLBar.selectionEnd = testURL.length;
-
-    goDoCommand("cmd_cut");
-    waitForClipboard();
-  },
-  function () {
-    is(clipboardText, testURL.substring(testURL.length - 10, testURL.length),
-       "Clipboard has the correct value");
-    is(gURLBar.value, testURL.substring(0, testURL.length - 10), "gURLBar.value has the correct value");
-
-    // We're done, so just finish up
-    cleanup();
+      // Now just select part of the value & cut that.
+      gURLBar.selectionStart = testURL.length - 10;
+      gURLBar.selectionEnd = testURL.length;
+      goDoCommand("cmd_cut");
+    },
+    success: function() {
+      is(gURLBar.value, testURL.substring(0, testURL.length - 10), "gURLBar.value has the correct value");
+    }
   }
-]
+];
 
 function test() {
   waitForExplicitFinish();
diff --git a/testing/mochitest/browser-test.js b/testing/mochitest/browser-test.js
index 3a37cc1a3355..f1b94cf8f3de 100644
--- a/testing/mochitest/browser-test.js
+++ b/testing/mochitest/browser-test.js
@@ -306,6 +306,10 @@ function testScope(aTester, aTest) {
     self.SimpleTest.waitForFocus(callback, targetWindow, expectBlankPage);
   };
 
+  this.waitForClipboard = function test_waitForClipboard(expected, setup, success, failure) {
+    self.SimpleTest.waitForClipboard(expected, setup, success, failure);
+  };
+
   this.registerCleanupFunction = function test_registerCleanupFunction(aFunction) {
     self.__cleanupFunctions.push(aFunction);
   };
diff --git a/testing/mochitest/tests/SimpleTest/SimpleTest.js b/testing/mochitest/tests/SimpleTest/SimpleTest.js
index deec90bb82e5..17dcf1fb3ca9 100644
--- a/testing/mochitest/tests/SimpleTest/SimpleTest.js
+++ b/testing/mochitest/tests/SimpleTest/SimpleTest.js
@@ -350,6 +350,83 @@ SimpleTest.waitForFocus = function (callback, targetWindow, expectBlankPage) {
     }
 };
 
+SimpleTest.waitForClipboard_polls = 0;
+
+/*
+ * Polls the clipboard waiting for the expected value. A known value different than
+ * the expected value is put on the clipboard first (and also polled for) so we
+ * can be sure the value we get isn't just the expected value because it was already
+ * on the clipboard. This only uses the global clipboard and only for text/unicode
+ * values.
+ *
+ * @param aExpectedVal
+ *        The string value that is expected to be on the clipboard
+ * @param aSetupFn
+ *        A function responsible for setting the clipboard to the expected value,
+ *        called after the known value setting succeeds.
+ * @param aSuccessFn
+ *        A function called when the expected value is found on the clipboard.
+ * @param aFailureFn
+ *        A function called if the expected value isn't found on the clipboard
+ *        within 5s. It can also be called if the known value can't be found.
+ */
+SimpleTest.waitForClipboard = function(aExpectedVal, aSetupFn, aSuccessFn, aFailureFn) {
+    netscape.security.PrivilegeManager.enablePrivilege("UniversalXPConnect");
+
+    var cbSvc = Components.classes["@mozilla.org/widget/clipboard;1"].
+                getService(Components.interfaces.nsIClipboard);
+
+    // reset for the next use
+    function reset() {
+        SimpleTest.waitForClipboard_polls = 0;
+    }
+
+    function wait(expectedVal, successFn, failureFn) {
+        netscape.security.PrivilegeManager.enablePrivilege("UniversalXPConnect");
+
+        if (++SimpleTest.waitForClipboard_polls > 50) {
+            // Log the failure.
+            SimpleTest.ok(false, "Timed out while polling clipboard for pasted data. " +
+                                 "Expected " + expectedVal);
+            reset();
+            failureFn();
+            return;
+        }
+
+        var xferable = Components.classes["@mozilla.org/widget/transferable;1"].
+                       createInstance(Components.interfaces.nsITransferable);
+        xferable.addDataFlavor("text/unicode");
+        cbSvc.getData(xferable, cbSvc.kGlobalClipboard);
+        var data = {};
+        try {
+            xferable.getTransferData("text/unicode", data, {});
+            data = data.value.QueryInterface(Components.interfaces.nsISupportsString).data;
+        } catch (e) {}
+
+        if (data == expectedVal) {
+            // Don't show the success message when waiting for preExpectedVal
+            if (data != preExpectedVal)
+                SimpleTest.ok(true,
+                              "Clipboard has the correct value (" + expectedVal + ")");
+            reset();
+            successFn();
+        } else {
+            setTimeout(function() wait(expectedVal, successFn, failureFn), 100);
+        }
+    }
+
+    // First we wait for a known value != aExpectedVal
+    var preExpectedVal = aExpectedVal + "-waitForClipboard-known-value";
+    var cbHelperSvc = Components.classes["@mozilla.org/widget/clipboardhelper;1"].
+                      getService(Components.interfaces.nsIClipboardHelper);
+    cbHelperSvc.copyString(preExpectedVal);
+    wait(preExpectedVal, function() {
+        // Call the original setup fn
+        aSetupFn();
+        wait(aExpectedVal, aSuccessFn, aFailureFn);
+    }, aFailureFn);
+}
+
 /**
  * Executes a function shortly after the call, but lets the caller continue
  * working (or finish).