A gate-coupled MOSFET ESD protection circuit. The circuit has a gate-node potential controlled by an inverter and a timing control circuit. Unlike current-shunting ESD clamping devices that turn the MOSFET fully on during an ESD event, a pull-down element is included to form a voltage divider like circuit, such that the gate-node potential is limited to around 1 to 2 volts during a positive ESD transient event. Unlike GCNMOS (Gate-Coupled NMOS), the invention has better control of the transient gate potential for more effective triggering of the NMOS into snapback during an ESD event.