diff --git a/osu.Framework.Tests/Visual/TestCaseTooltip.cs b/osu.Framework.Tests/Visual/TestCaseTooltip.cs
index ca67cd3740..d2a8b9b7e0 100644
--- a/osu.Framework.Tests/Visual/TestCaseTooltip.cs
+++ b/osu.Framework.Tests/Visual/TestCaseTooltip.cs
@@ -150,6 +150,8 @@ private class CustomTooltipSpriteText : Container, IHasTooltip
 
             public string TooltipText => tooltipText;
 
+            public double? AppearDelay => null;
+
             public CustomTooltipSpriteText(string displayedText, string tooltipText)
             {
                 this.tooltipText = tooltipText;
@@ -177,6 +179,8 @@ private class TooltipTooltipContainer : TooltipContainer, IHasTooltip
         {
             public string TooltipText { get; set; }
 
+            double? IHasTooltip.AppearDelay => null;
+
             public TooltipTooltipContainer(string tooltipText)
             {
                 TooltipText = tooltipText;
@@ -186,12 +190,16 @@ public TooltipTooltipContainer(string tooltipText)
         private class TooltipTextbox : TextBox, IHasTooltip
         {
             public string TooltipText => Text;
+
+            public double? AppearDelay => null;
         }
 
         private class TooltipBox : Box, IHasTooltip
         {
             public string TooltipText { get; set; }
 
+            public double? AppearDelay => null;
+
             public override bool HandleKeyboardInput => true;
             public override bool HandleMouseInput => true;
         }
diff --git a/osu.Framework/Graphics/Cursor/IHasTooltip.cs b/osu.Framework/Graphics/Cursor/IHasTooltip.cs
index eb44d17ede..6d2a520584 100644
--- a/osu.Framework/Graphics/Cursor/IHasTooltip.cs
+++ b/osu.Framework/Graphics/Cursor/IHasTooltip.cs
@@ -14,5 +14,10 @@ public interface IHasTooltip : IDrawable
         /// Tooltip that shows when hovering the drawable.
         /// </summary>
         string TooltipText { get; }
+
+        /// <summary>
+        /// The delay until the tooltip should be displayed. Null means the <see cref="TooltipContainer.AppearDelay"/> from the <see cref="TooltipContainer"/> containing the <see cref="Drawable"/> implementing this interface will be used.
+        /// </summary>
+        double? AppearDelay { get; }
     }
 }
diff --git a/osu.Framework/Graphics/Cursor/TooltipContainer.cs b/osu.Framework/Graphics/Cursor/TooltipContainer.cs
index a0848d73fa..59b37c7e1b 100644
--- a/osu.Framework/Graphics/Cursor/TooltipContainer.cs
+++ b/osu.Framework/Graphics/Cursor/TooltipContainer.cs
@@ -155,6 +155,7 @@ protected override void Update()
         private readonly List<TimedPosition> recentMousePositions = new List<TimedPosition>();
         private double lastRecordedPositionTime;
 
+        private IHasTooltip lastCandidate;
         /// <summary>
         /// Determines which drawable should currently receive a tooltip, taking into account
         /// <see cref="AppearDelay"/> and <see cref="AppearRadius"/>. Returns null if no valid
@@ -167,8 +168,19 @@ private IHasTooltip findTooltipTarget()
             if (inputManager.DraggedDrawable is IHasTooltip draggedTarget)
                 return hasValidTooltip(draggedTarget) ? draggedTarget : null;
 
+            IHasTooltip targetCandidate = FindTargets().FirstOrDefault(t => t.TooltipText != null);
+            // check this first - if we find no target candidate we still want to clear the recorded positions and update the lastCandidate.
+            if (targetCandidate != lastCandidate)
+            {
+                recentMousePositions.Clear();
+                lastCandidate = targetCandidate;
+            }
+            if (targetCandidate == null)
+                return null;
+
+            double appearDelay = targetCandidate.AppearDelay ?? AppearDelay;
             // Always keep 10 positions at equally-sized time intervals that add up to AppearDelay.
-            double positionRecordInterval = AppearDelay / 10;
+            double positionRecordInterval = appearDelay / 10;
             if (Time.Current - lastRecordedPositionTime >= positionRecordInterval)
             {
                 lastRecordedPositionTime = Time.Current;
@@ -179,11 +191,15 @@ private IHasTooltip findTooltipTarget()
                 });
             }
 
-            recentMousePositions.RemoveAll(t => Time.Current - t.Time > AppearDelay);
+            // check that we have recorded enough positions to make a judgement about whether or not the cursor has been standing still for the required amount of time.
+            // we can skip this if the appear-delay is set to 0, since then tooltips can appear instantly and we don't need to wait to record enough positions.
+            if (appearDelay > 0 && (recentMousePositions.Count == 0 || lastRecordedPositionTime - recentMousePositions[0].Time < appearDelay - positionRecordInterval))
+                return null;
+            recentMousePositions.RemoveAll(t => Time.Current - t.Time > appearDelay);
 
             // For determining whether to show a tooltip we first select only those positions
             // which happened within a shorter, alpha-adjusted appear delay.
-            double alphaModifiedAppearDelay = (1 - currentTooltip.Alpha) * AppearDelay;
+            double alphaModifiedAppearDelay = (1 - currentTooltip.Alpha) * appearDelay;
             var relevantPositions = recentMousePositions.Where(t => Time.Current - t.Time <= alphaModifiedAppearDelay);
 
             // We then check whether all relevant positions fall within a radius of AppearRadius within the
@@ -194,7 +210,7 @@ private IHasTooltip findTooltipTarget()
             float appearRadiusSq = AppearRadius * AppearRadius;
 
             if (relevantPositions.All(t => Vector2Extensions.DistanceSquared(t.Position, first) < appearRadiusSq))
-                return FindTargets().FirstOrDefault(t => t.TooltipText != null);
+                return targetCandidate;
 
             return null;
         }