diff --git a/crates/wingfoil-python/README.md b/crates/wingfoil-python/README.md
index 176adf9a5..8ff243fee 100644
--- a/crates/wingfoil-python/README.md
+++ b/crates/wingfoil-python/README.md
@@ -223,6 +223,7 @@ I/O sources are module-level functions taking the graph first — see
 | `.fold(init, f)` | Fold into an accumulator seeded from `init`, emitting it after each fold. |
 | `.reduce(f)` | Like `fold`, but the first value seeds the accumulator. |
 | `.difference()` | Emit `value - previous` (quiet on the first). |
+| `.pairwise()` | Emit `(previous, current)` tuples (quiet on the first); works for non-arithmetic values. |
 | `.neg()` | Arithmetic negation — Python `-value` / `__neg__` (`5 -> -5`). **Not** a logical `not` (`True -> -1`, not `False`) and **not** a bitwise `~` (`5 -> -5`, not `-6`); for those use `.map(lambda v: not v)` or `.map(lambda v: ~v)`. |
 | `.bimap(other, f)` | Combine two streams through `f(this, other)`, whenever either ticks. |
 
diff --git a/crates/wingfoil-python/src/graph.rs b/crates/wingfoil-python/src/graph.rs
index 2c852b699..e52680f9b 100644
--- a/crates/wingfoil-python/src/graph.rs
+++ b/crates/wingfoil-python/src/graph.rs
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ use std::time::Duration;
 use anyhow::{Context, Result};
 use pyo3::IntoPyObject;
 use pyo3::prelude::*;
+use pyo3::types::PyTuple;
 use wingfoil::interp::{Builder, Handle, Runner, SlotRef};
 use wingfoil::op::{Activation, Ctx, Tick};
 use wingfoil::prelude::{Burst, GraphBuilder, SourceOps, Stream, StreamOps, Upstream};
@@ -450,6 +451,37 @@ impl PyStream {
         self.wrap(self.stream.difference())
     }
 
+    /// Emit successive `(previous, current)` tuples, staying quiet until a
+    /// previous value exists. Unlike [`difference`](Self::difference), this
+    /// works for non-arithmetic Python values, and its tuple output composes
+    /// directly with [`split`](Self::split).
+    pub fn pairwise(&self) -> PyStream {
+        let paired = self.stream.wire(move |b: &mut Builder, h| {
+            b.register_op1(
+                h,
+                "pairwise",
+                Activation::NONE,
+                (),
+                || None::<PyElement>,
+                move |_cfg: &mut (), previous: &mut Option<PyElement>, value: &PyElement, _ctx| {
+                    let out = match previous.take() {
+                        Some(previous) => Python::attach(|py| -> Result<Tick<PyElement>> {
+                            let pair = PyTuple::new(py, [previous.value(), value.value()])
+                                .map_err(|err| {
+                                    anyhow::anyhow!("Python pairwise tuple construction: {err}")
+                                })?;
+                            Ok(Tick::Value(PyElement::new(pair.into_any().unbind())))
+                        })?,
+                        None => Tick::Quiet,
+                    };
+                    *previous = Some(value.clone());
+                    Ok(out)
+                },
+            )
+        });
+        self.wrap(paired)
+    }
+
     /// Negate each value **arithmetically** — Python `-value` (`__neg__`), so
     /// `5 -> -5` and `5.0 -> -5.0`. Exposed to Python as `neg`.
     ///
@@ -1414,6 +1446,26 @@ mod tests {
         assert_eq!(1, v); // 1,2,3,4 -> deltas 1,1,1
     }
 
+    #[test]
+    fn pairwise_is_quiet_until_a_previous_string_exists() {
+        let g = PyGraph::new();
+        let pairs = g
+            .counter(Duration::from_nanos(100))
+            .map(lambda("lambda n: f'v{n}'"))
+            .pairwise()
+            .collect();
+        run_cycles(&g, 3);
+        let rows: Vec<(i64, (String, String))> =
+            Python::attach(|py| pairs.value().value().extract(py).unwrap());
+        assert_eq!(
+            vec![
+                (100, ("v1".to_string(), "v2".to_string())),
+                (200, ("v2".to_string(), "v3".to_string())),
+            ],
+            rows
+        );
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn neg_arithmetically_negates_an_integer() {
         let g = PyGraph::new();
diff --git a/crates/wingfoil-python/src/python.rs b/crates/wingfoil-python/src/python.rs
index b8a03994c..faeeba8cf 100644
--- a/crates/wingfoil-python/src/python.rs
+++ b/crates/wingfoil-python/src/python.rs
@@ -206,6 +206,11 @@ impl Stream {
         Stream(self.0.difference())
     }
 
+    /// Emit successive `(previous, current)` tuples (quiet on the first).
+    fn pairwise(&self) -> Stream {
+        Stream(self.0.pairwise())
+    }
+
     /// Negate each value arithmetically: `-value`, i.e. Python `__neg__`.
     /// `5` becomes `-5`, `5.0` becomes `-5.0`.
     ///
diff --git a/crates/wingfoil-python/tests/test_interop.py b/crates/wingfoil-python/tests/test_interop.py
index ed0c01907..9df1ced7a 100644
--- a/crates/wingfoil-python/tests/test_interop.py
+++ b/crates/wingfoil-python/tests/test_interop.py
@@ -478,6 +478,17 @@ def test_difference_of_counter_is_one():
     assert out.value() == 1  # 1,2,3,4 -> deltas 1,1,1
 
 
+def test_pairwise_splits_previous_and_current_strings():
+    g = wf.Graph()
+    values = g.counter(period_nanos=100).map(lambda n: f"v{n}")
+    previous, current = values.pairwise().split()
+    previous = previous.collect()
+    current = current.collect()
+    g.run(cycles=3)
+    assert previous.value() == [(100, "v1"), (200, "v2")]
+    assert current.value() == [(100, "v2"), (200, "v3")]
+
+
 def test_delay_re_emits_each_value_later():
     g = wf.Graph()
     out = g.counter(period_nanos=100).delay(200).collect()