diff --git a/docs/wiki/Boards-and-Agenda.md b/docs/wiki/Boards-and-Agenda.md
index fba3a43..f169dc5 100644
--- a/docs/wiki/Boards-and-Agenda.md
+++ b/docs/wiki/Boards-and-Agenda.md
@@ -93,9 +93,10 @@ as they do on the board.
 | `q`, `Esc` | close the back, back to the board |
 
 The description is markdown, written in the same editor as a document, vim
-and all: `:w` writes it to the card, `:q` or `Esc` in normal mode leaves, and
-`:q!` throws away what was not written. Leaving the tile while writing keeps
-what is written. A fenced block in a language is
+and all. It saves itself as the typing stops, as a document does; `:q` or `Esc`
+in normal mode leaves, and `:q!` lets go of what is not saved yet. Leaving the
+tile while writing keeps what is written. `[[` links a document by its title,
+and the card then shows among that document's cards. A fenced block in a language is
 coloured the way nvim colours it, written and read.
 
 Labels are lower case, and each name keeps its colour on every card and every
diff --git a/docs/wiki/Commands.md b/docs/wiki/Commands.md
index 31d7acb..a6c3217 100644
--- a/docs/wiki/Commands.md
+++ b/docs/wiki/Commands.md
@@ -99,7 +99,7 @@ The first list is the inbox, the last list is done.
 | `r` | reword the step |
 | `J / K` | move the step down / up |
 | `dd` | drop the step |
-| `e · i · Enter` | write the description, in the editor — :w writes it, :q or Esc in normal mode leaves |
+| `e · i · Enter` | write the description, in the editor — it saves itself, :q or Esc in normal mode leaves |
 | `a` | put on a label, or take it off — :label on the line, Tab offers the board's |
 | `R · D` | rename the card, its due date |
 | `H / L` | send the card to the list left / right |
@@ -209,12 +209,12 @@ do: `:w!`, `:space! <name>`, `:import!`.
 
 | command | what it does |
 | --- | --- |
-| `:write, :w` | save the open document — or the card's description being written |
+| `:write, :w` | save what is being written — the open document, a card's description, a note — rather than in a moment |
 | `:write!` | save even over a newer version saved somewhere else since this one was opened |
-| `:wq, :x` | save and leave insert/editor mode |
+| `:wq, :x` | leave the editor with everything written, as :q does |
 | `:wq!` | save over a newer version, as :w! does, and leave the editor |
-| `:quit, :q` | close the editor, or the document when already reading |
-| `:quit!` | discard changes and close the editor |
+| `:quit, :q` | leave the editor with what is waiting written first, or close the document when already reading |
+| `:quit!` | leave the editor, letting go of what is not saved yet |
 | `:edit, :e [id]` | edit the open document, or open a node by id |
 | `:edit!` | throw away the draft and re-read the document from the server |
 | `:name, :title, :rename <text>` | rename what is under the cursor — document, folder, or card on a board; bare, while writing, into the title |
diff --git a/docs/wiki/Guide.md b/docs/wiki/Guide.md
index ee4e695..b2baf17 100644
--- a/docs/wiki/Guide.md
+++ b/docs/wiki/Guide.md
@@ -64,8 +64,8 @@ its tiles, so switching away and back finds them as they were. More in
 ### Writing
 
 `i` edits the open document. The editor is CodeMirror with real vim keys:
-`ciw`, `dd`, visual mode, macros, `.` and the rest. `Esc` leaves insert mode,
-and `:q` leaves the editor.
+`ciw`, `dd`, visual mode, macros, `.` and the rest. What you write saves itself.
+`Esc` leaves insert mode, and `Esc` again or `:q` leaves the editor.
 
 ![The editor](../images/editor.png)
 
diff --git a/docs/wiki/Writing.md b/docs/wiki/Writing.md
index aa405c1..13cde3a 100644
--- a/docs/wiki/Writing.md
+++ b/docs/wiki/Writing.md
@@ -4,7 +4,15 @@
 
 `i` or `a` on an open document edits it. The editor is CodeMirror 6 with the
 vim keymap: motions, operators, text objects, visual mode, registers, macros
-and `.` all work, and `:w`, `:wq` and `:q!` do what they do in vim.
+and `.` all work. It is the one editor in the app: a card's description and a
+note in the scratchpad are written in it too, and behave the same way.
+
+- What is written saves itself (see [Saving](#saving)); `:w` saves sooner.
+- `:q`, or `Esc` in normal mode, leaves the editor with what is still waiting
+  written first. Where that fails, the text stays on screen. `:wq` is the same.
+- `:q!` leaves and lets go of what is not saved yet.
+- `[[` offers the titles of documents as you type, in a description or a note
+  as well as a document.
 
 ![The editor](../images/editor.png)
 
@@ -27,7 +35,9 @@ copies its address.
 ## Saving
 
 There is nothing to remember. Each change goes to the browser's storage as it is
-typed, and to the server a couple of seconds after typing stops.
+typed, and to the server a couple of seconds after typing stops. A card's
+description and a note are kept the same way, and the first three cases below
+hold for them too.
 
 - When the server cannot be reached, the draft stays in the browser and the
   save is tried again, less often the longer it fails, and at once when the
@@ -60,9 +70,9 @@ a body and the time it was last touched, newest on top.
 | `dd` | drop the note (asks y/N) |
 | `Q`, `q`, `Esc` | raise the scratchpad |
 
-A note is written in the same editor as a document, and saves itself a moment
-after each change: there is nothing to `:w`, though it does no harm. `Esc` in
-normal mode, or `:q`, goes back to the notes; a note left empty is not kept.
+A note is written in the same editor as a document, and saves itself the same
+way. `Esc` in normal mode, or `:q`, goes back to the notes; a note left empty is
+not kept.
 `:scratch <text>` takes a note from the command line without lowering the
 drawer.
 
diff --git a/web/src/lib/CardTile.svelte b/web/src/lib/CardTile.svelte
index dd00ac0..f75c2c5 100644
--- a/web/src/lib/CardTile.svelte
+++ b/web/src/lib/CardTile.svelte
@@ -80,21 +80,13 @@
 
       <section>
         <div class="label head"><span class="marker"></span>description</div>
-        {#if workspace.describing}
-          {#await import('./TextEditor.svelte')}
+        {#if workspace.describing && workspace.writing}
+          {#await import('./Editor.svelte')}
             <div class="empty label">loading editor</div>
-          {:then { default: TextEditor }}
-            <TextEditor
-              doc={workspace.description}
-              placeholder="what this card is about…"
-              dirty={workspace.descriptionDirty}
-              onchange={(text) => {
-                workspace.description = text
-                workspace.descriptionDirty = true
-              }}
-              onsave={() => workspace.guard(() => workspace.saveDescription())}
-              onleave={() => workspace.stopDescribing()}
-            />
+          {:then { default: Editor }}
+            {#key workspace.writing.session}
+              <Editor writing={workspace.writing} hint="what this card is about, in short — [[ links a document" />
+            {/key}
           {/await}
         {:else if html}
           <!-- svelte-ignore a11y_click_events_have_key_events, a11y_no_static_element_interactions, a11y_no_noninteractive_element_interactions -->
diff --git a/web/src/lib/Editor.svelte b/web/src/lib/Editor.svelte
index b8534b1..63d5f1b 100644
--- a/web/src/lib/Editor.svelte
+++ b/web/src/lib/Editor.svelte
@@ -133,7 +133,14 @@
 </script>
 
 <script lang="ts">
-  import { autocompletion, type CompletionContext, type CompletionResult } from '@codemirror/autocomplete'
+  /*
+   * One editor for everything written: a document's draft in its tile, and
+   * the short texts written in place — a card's description, a note. Vim,
+   * markdown, `[[` completion, the colours, the autosave behind it and the
+   * keys out of it are the same in each: `:w` writes sooner, `:q` or Esc in
+   * normal mode leaves with what is waiting written, `:q!` lets it go.
+   */
+  import { autocompletion, completionStatus, type CompletionContext, type CompletionResult } from '@codemirror/autocomplete'
   import { defaultKeymap, history, historyKeymap, indentWithTab } from '@codemirror/commands'
   import { markdown, markdownLanguage } from '@codemirror/lang-markdown'
   import { indentOnInput } from '@codemirror/language'
@@ -151,14 +158,38 @@
   import { editorTheme, highlighting, languages } from './editorTheme'
   import { embedSnippet } from './markdown'
   import { workspace, type Tile } from './store.svelte'
+  import type { Writing } from './writing.svelte'
 
-  /** The tile this editor writes in, which need not be the one with focus. */
-  const { tile }: { tile: Tile } = $props()
+  /**
+   * What is written: the draft of the document in `tile`, which need not be
+   * the one with focus, or the short text in `writing`, framed with a mode
+   * line of its own since no status line speaks for it — as tall as it needs,
+   * or filling what it is put in.
+   */
+  const {
+    tile,
+    writing,
+    hint = 'write…',
+    fill = false,
+  }: { tile?: Tile; writing?: Writing; hint?: string; fill?: boolean } = $props()
 
   let host = $state<HTMLDivElement>()
   let view: EditorView | undefined
+  let mode = $state('normal')
   const focus = () => view?.focus()
 
+  /*
+   * Esc, before vim sees it: in normal mode, or with no vim, it leaves, as
+   * `:q` does — unless it is closing the completions.
+   */
+  function onkeydown(event: KeyboardEvent) {
+    if (event.key !== 'Escape' || (workspace.vimEnabled && mode !== 'normal')) return
+    if (view && completionStatus(view.state) !== null) return
+    event.preventDefault()
+    event.stopPropagation()
+    void runCommand('quit')
+  }
+
   /*
    * `[[` offers the titles of documents as the search finds them, each with
    * where it sits; picking one closes the brackets.
@@ -172,7 +203,7 @@
     if (context.aborted) return null
     const options = found
       .filter((node) => node.kind === 'document' || node.kind === 'file')
-      .filter((node) => node.id !== tile.open?.id)
+      .filter((node) => node.id !== tile?.open?.id)
       .map((node) => {
         // What a `[[link]]` can hold: a name with no bracket or bar in it, or else the slug.
         const name = node.name.trim()
@@ -222,6 +253,14 @@
     })
   }
 
+  /** What a change, `Ctrl-S` and the starting text mean for what is written. */
+  const changed = (text: string) => {
+    if (writing) return writing.change(text)
+    tile!.draft.body = text
+    workspace.touch(tile)
+  }
+  const save = () => void workspace.guard(() => (writing ? workspace.saveWriting() : workspace.save({ tile })))
+
   onMount(() => {
     bindVim()
 
@@ -237,66 +276,68 @@
       autocompletion({ override: [titleCompletions], icons: false }),
       highlighting,
       EditorView.lineWrapping,
-      placeholder('write…'),
+      placeholder(hint),
       editorTheme,
+      ...(writing ? [EditorView.theme({ '.cm-content': { padding: '10px 14px', maxWidth: 'none' } })] : []),
       keymap.of([
-        {
-          key: 'Mod-s',
-          preventDefault: true,
-          run: () => (void workspace.guard(() => workspace.save({ tile })), true),
-        },
+        { key: 'Mod-s', preventDefault: true, run: () => (save(), true) },
         ...defaultKeymap,
         ...historyKeymap,
         indentWithTab,
       ]),
       EditorView.updateListener.of((update) => {
-        if (update.docChanged) {
-          tile.draft.body = update.state.doc.toString()
-          workspace.touch(tile)
-        }
-      }),
-      EditorView.domEventHandlers({
-        paste: (event) => {
-          const files = Array.from(event.clipboardData?.files ?? [])
-          if (files.length === 0) return false
-          event.preventDefault()
-          void uploadFiles(files)
-          return true
-        },
-        drop: (event) => {
-          const files = Array.from(event.dataTransfer?.files ?? [])
-          if (files.length === 0) return false
-          event.preventDefault()
-          void uploadFiles(files)
-          return true
-        },
+        if (update.docChanged) changed(update.state.doc.toString())
       }),
+      // A file goes into a document; a card or a note has nowhere to keep one.
+      ...(tile
+        ? [
+            EditorView.domEventHandlers({
+              paste: (event) => {
+                const files = Array.from(event.clipboardData?.files ?? [])
+                if (files.length === 0) return false
+                event.preventDefault()
+                void uploadFiles(files)
+                return true
+              },
+              drop: (event) => {
+                const files = Array.from(event.dataTransfer?.files ?? [])
+                if (files.length === 0) return false
+                event.preventDefault()
+                void uploadFiles(files)
+                return true
+              },
+            }),
+          ]
+        : []),
     ]
 
+    const text = writing ? writing.text : tile!.draft.body
     view = new EditorView({
-      state: EditorState.create({ doc: tile.draft.body, extensions }),
+      state: EditorState.create({ doc: text, extensions }),
       parent: host!,
     })
 
-    if (workspace.tile === tile) view.focus()
+    if (writing || workspace.tile === tile) view.focus()
 
     const cm = workspace.vimEnabled ? getCM(view) : null
     if (cm) {
-      // Keep the status line's mode indicator in step with the editor.
+      // Keep the mode line in step with the editor.
       const emitter = cm as unknown as {
         on?: (event: string, handler: (e: { mode: string }) => void) => void
       }
       emitter.on?.('vim-mode-change', (event) => {
-        tile.vimMode = event.mode
+        mode = event.mode
+        if (tile) tile.vimMode = event.mode
       })
 
-      // A fresh entry starts in insert mode; an existing one starts in normal
-      // mode, the way opening a file in vim does.
-      if (tile.enterInsert) {
-        tile.enterInsert = false
+      // A fresh entry starts in insert mode, and so does an empty short text,
+      // which is there to be written; anything else starts in normal mode,
+      // the way opening a file in vim does.
+      if (tile?.enterInsert || (writing && !text.trim())) {
+        if (tile) tile.enterInsert = false
         Vim.handleKey(cm, 'i', 'workspace')
       }
-    }
+    } else mode = 'insert'
   })
 
   /*
@@ -304,7 +345,7 @@
    * the hooks, and the rest stand by until their tile is focused.
    */
   $effect(() => {
-    if (workspace.tile !== tile) return
+    if (!tile || workspace.tile !== tile) return
     hooks.focusEditor = focus
     hooks.insertText = insertAtCursor
     hooks.headings = editorHeadings
@@ -319,15 +360,56 @@
   onDestroy(() => {
     view?.destroy()
     view = undefined
-    tile.vimMode = 'normal'
+    if (tile) tile.vimMode = 'normal'
   })
 </script>
 
-<div class="editor" bind:this={host}></div>
+<!-- svelte-ignore a11y_no_static_element_interactions -->
+<div class="writing" class:framed={writing} class:fill onkeydowncapture={onkeydown}>
+  <div class="editor" bind:this={host}></div>
+  {#if writing}
+    <div class="modeline label">
+      <span class="mode" class:insert={mode !== 'normal'}>{mode}</span>
+      {#if writing.dirty}<span class="dirty">+</span>{/if}
+      <span class="hint">saves itself · <span class="kbd">:q</span> leave · <span class="kbd">:q!</span> drop what is unsaved</span>
+    </div>
+  {/if}
+</div>
 
 <style>
-  .editor {
+  .writing {
     height: 100%;
+    display: flex;
+    flex-direction: column;
+  }
+  .editor {
+    flex: 1;
+    min-height: 0;
     overflow: hidden;
   }
+
+  /* A short text, written in place among other things. */
+  .framed {
+    height: auto;
+    border: 1px solid var(--light-dim);
+    border-radius: var(--radius-m);
+    background: var(--base);
+    overflow: hidden;
+  }
+  .framed .editor { flex: none; min-height: 10em; max-height: 50vh; overflow: auto; }
+  .framed.fill { height: 100%; }
+  .framed.fill .editor { flex: 1; max-height: none; }
+  .modeline {
+    display: flex;
+    align-items: center;
+    gap: 10px;
+    padding: 4px 12px;
+    border-top: 1px solid var(--rim);
+    background: var(--hull);
+    font-size: 10px;
+  }
+  .mode { padding: 0 8px; border-radius: var(--radius-s); background: var(--light-soft); color: var(--ink); }
+  .mode.insert { background: var(--light); }
+  .dirty { color: var(--light); }
+  .hint { margin-left: auto; color: var(--muted); text-transform: none; letter-spacing: 0.04em; }
 </style>
diff --git a/web/src/lib/Scratch.svelte b/web/src/lib/Scratch.svelte
index 71afd35..9ab1296 100644
--- a/web/src/lib/Scratch.svelte
+++ b/web/src/lib/Scratch.svelte
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@
   <div class="body">
     <ul class="notes" bind:this={list}>
       {#if workspace.scratchEditing && workspace.scratchNew}
-        <li class="at new"><span class="line">{headline(workspace.scratchDraft) || 'new note'}</span><span class="when">now</span></li>
+        <li class="at new"><span class="line">{headline(workspace.writing?.text ?? '') || 'new note'}</span><span class="when">now</span></li>
       {/if}
       {#each workspace.scratchNotes as entry, index (entry.id)}
         <!-- svelte-ignore a11y_click_events_have_key_events, a11y_no_noninteractive_element_interactions -->
@@ -64,20 +64,14 @@
     </ul>
 
     <div class="page">
-      {#if workspace.scratchEditing}
-        {#key workspace.scratchSession}
-          {#await import('./TextEditor.svelte')}
-            <div class="muted label">loading editor</div>
-          {:then { default: TextEditor }}
-            <TextEditor
-              doc={workspace.scratchDraft}
-              placeholder="anything — it saves itself; :keep makes it a document"
-              onchange={(text) => workspace.scratchChanged(text)}
-              onsave={() => workspace.guard(() => workspace.saveScratchNote())}
-              onleave={() => workspace.leaveScratchNote()}
-            />
-          {/await}
-        {/key}
+      {#if workspace.scratchEditing && workspace.writing}
+        {#await import('./Editor.svelte')}
+          <div class="muted label">loading editor</div>
+        {:then { default: Editor }}
+          {#key workspace.writing.session}
+            <Editor writing={workspace.writing} fill hint="anything — it saves itself; :keep makes it a document" />
+          {/key}
+        {/await}
       {:else if html}
         <!-- svelte-ignore a11y_no_static_element_interactions -->
         <article class="md" ondblclick={() => workspace.editScratchNote()}>
@@ -156,8 +150,6 @@
   .none { font-size: 12px; }
 
   .page { min-height: 0; overflow-y: auto; border-left: 1px solid var(--rim); padding-left: 16px; }
-  .page :global(.writing) { height: 100%; }
-  .page :global(.writing .editor) { flex: 1; max-height: none; }
   .page .md { font-size: 14px; }
   .hint { font-size: 12px; margin: 6px 0; }
 
diff --git a/web/src/lib/TextEditor.svelte b/web/src/lib/TextEditor.svelte
deleted file mode 100644
index bdaa1bc..0000000
--- a/web/src/lib/TextEditor.svelte
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,131 +0,0 @@
-<script lang="ts">
-  /*
-   * A short text written in place — a card's description, a scratch note —
-   * in the same editor as a document: vim, markdown, the colours. The owner
-   * keeps the text and says what writing and leaving do; Esc in normal mode
-   * leaves, since there is no tree underneath to go back to.
-   */
-  import { defaultKeymap, history, historyKeymap, indentWithTab } from '@codemirror/commands'
-  import { markdown, markdownLanguage } from '@codemirror/lang-markdown'
-  import { indentOnInput } from '@codemirror/language'
-  import { EditorState } from '@codemirror/state'
-  import { drawSelection, EditorView, highlightActiveLine, keymap, placeholder } from '@codemirror/view'
-  import { getCM, Vim, vim } from '@replit/codemirror-vim'
-  import { onDestroy, onMount } from 'svelte'
-  import { bindVim } from './Editor.svelte'
-  import { editorTheme, highlighting, languages } from './editorTheme'
-  import { workspace } from './store.svelte'
-
-  const {
-    doc,
-    placeholder: hint,
-    dirty = false,
-    onchange,
-    onsave,
-    onleave,
-  }: {
-    doc: string
-    placeholder: string
-    dirty?: boolean
-    onchange: (text: string) => void
-    onsave: () => void
-    onleave: () => void
-  } = $props()
-
-  let host = $state<HTMLDivElement>()
-  let view: EditorView | undefined
-  let mode = $state('normal')
-
-  /* Esc, before vim sees it: in normal mode it is the way out of the editor. */
-  function onkeydown(event: KeyboardEvent) {
-    if (event.key !== 'Escape' || (workspace.vimEnabled && mode !== 'normal')) return
-    event.preventDefault()
-    event.stopPropagation()
-    onleave()
-  }
-
-  onMount(() => {
-    bindVim()
-    view = new EditorView({
-      parent: host!,
-      state: EditorState.create({
-        doc,
-        extensions: [
-          ...(workspace.vimEnabled ? [vim({ status: false })] : []),
-          history(),
-          drawSelection(),
-          indentOnInput(),
-          highlightActiveLine(),
-          markdown({ base: markdownLanguage, codeLanguages: languages }),
-          highlighting,
-          EditorView.lineWrapping,
-          placeholder(hint),
-          editorTheme,
-          EditorView.theme({ '.cm-content': { padding: '10px 14px', maxWidth: 'none' } }),
-          keymap.of([
-            {
-              key: 'Mod-s',
-              preventDefault: true,
-              run: () => (onsave(), true),
-            },
-            ...defaultKeymap,
-            ...historyKeymap,
-            indentWithTab,
-          ]),
-          EditorView.updateListener.of((update) => {
-            if (update.docChanged) onchange(update.state.doc.toString())
-          }),
-        ],
-      }),
-    })
-    view.focus()
-
-    const cm = workspace.vimEnabled ? getCM(view) : null
-    if (cm) {
-      const emitter = cm as unknown as { on?: (event: string, handler: (e: { mode: string }) => void) => void }
-      emitter.on?.('vim-mode-change', (event) => (mode = event.mode))
-      // An empty text is there to be written, so it starts in insert mode.
-      if (!doc.trim()) Vim.handleKey(cm, 'i', 'workspace')
-    } else mode = 'insert'
-  })
-
-  onDestroy(() => {
-    view?.destroy()
-    view = undefined
-  })
-</script>
-
-<!-- svelte-ignore a11y_no_static_element_interactions -->
-<div class="writing" onkeydowncapture={onkeydown}>
-  <div class="editor" bind:this={host}></div>
-  <div class="modeline label">
-    <span class="mode" class:insert={mode !== 'normal'}>{mode}</span>
-    {#if dirty}<span class="dirty">+</span>{/if}
-    <span class="hint"><span class="kbd">:w</span> write · <span class="kbd">:q</span> leave · <span class="kbd">:q!</span> discard</span>
-  </div>
-</div>
-
-<style>
-  .writing {
-    display: flex;
-    flex-direction: column;
-    border: 1px solid var(--light-dim);
-    border-radius: var(--radius-m);
-    background: var(--base);
-    overflow: hidden;
-  }
-  .editor { min-height: 10em; max-height: 50vh; overflow: auto; }
-  .modeline {
-    display: flex;
-    align-items: center;
-    gap: 10px;
-    padding: 4px 12px;
-    border-top: 1px solid var(--rim);
-    background: var(--hull);
-    font-size: 10px;
-  }
-  .mode { padding: 0 8px; border-radius: var(--radius-s); background: var(--light-soft); color: var(--ink); }
-  .mode.insert { background: var(--light); }
-  .dirty { color: var(--light); }
-  .hint { margin-left: auto; color: var(--muted); text-transform: none; letter-spacing: 0.04em; }
-</style>
diff --git a/web/src/lib/actions.ts b/web/src/lib/actions.ts
index 220675f..80fd8d7 100644
--- a/web/src/lib/actions.ts
+++ b/web/src/lib/actions.ts
@@ -106,8 +106,7 @@ function tileKey(direction: Direction, shift: boolean) {
 export const actions: { [C in Context]: Record<ActionOf<C>, Run> } = {
   always: {
     save: () => {
-      if (workspace.scratchEditing) guard(() => workspace.saveScratchNote())
-      else if (workspace.describing) guard(() => workspace.saveDescription())
+      if (workspace.writing) guard(() => workspace.saveWriting())
       else if (workspace.open) guard(() => workspace.save())
     },
     close: () => void runCommand('close'),
@@ -308,7 +307,7 @@ export const actions: { [C in Context]: Record<ActionOf<C>, Run> } = {
   workspace: {
     /** Esc leaves one thing: the line, or fullscreen. */
     escape: () => {
-      if (workspace.describing || workspace.scratchEditing) return
+      if (workspace.writing) return
       if (hooks.closeCommandLine()) return
       if (workspace.fullscreen && !workspace.editing) return void (workspace.fullscreen = false)
       return false
diff --git a/web/src/lib/commands.ts b/web/src/lib/commands.ts
index 66258b3..5ea785e 100644
--- a/web/src/lib/commands.ts
+++ b/web/src/lib/commands.ts
@@ -62,11 +62,11 @@ export interface CommandSpec {
   args?: string
   group: Group
   help: string
-  run: (arg: string) => void | Promise<void>
+  run: (arg: string) => unknown
   /** What the argument can be, for Tab on the command line. */
   complete?: (arg: string) => string[]
   /** The forcing variant, `:name!` — vim hands the bang over as an argument. */
-  bang?: { help: string; run: (arg: string) => void | Promise<void> }
+  bang?: { help: string; run: (arg: string) => unknown }
 }
 
 /** Close the focused tile; the index of the one that has the focus after. */
@@ -326,20 +326,26 @@ const exportName = (title: string, at: number) => {
   return `${formatDay(at)}${slug ? `-${slug}` : ''}.md`
 }
 
+/*
+ * Out of the editor, one level down: what is waiting is written first, and
+ * where that fails the text stays on screen to be tried again or let go with
+ * `:q!`. A document `o` made and nothing was written in is not kept.
+ */
+async function leaveEditor() {
+  if (workspace.writing) return void workspace.leaveWriting()
+  if (await workspace.abandonIfBlank()) return hooks.focusList()
+  if (workspace.dirty && !(await workspace.guard(() => workspace.save()))) return
+  workspace.editing = false
+  hooks.focusList()
+}
+
 export const commands: CommandSpec[] = [
   {
     name: 'write',
     aliases: ['w'],
     group: 'editing',
-    help: "save the open document — or the card's description being written",
-    run: () =>
-      workspace.guard(() =>
-        workspace.scratchEditing
-          ? workspace.saveScratchNote()
-          : workspace.describing
-            ? workspace.saveDescription()
-            : workspace.save(),
-      ),
+    help: "save what is being written — the open document, a card's description, a note — rather than in a moment",
+    run: () => workspace.guard(() => (workspace.writing ? workspace.saveWriting() : workspace.save())),
     bang: {
       help: 'save even over a newer version saved somewhere else since this one was opened',
       run: () => workspace.guard(() => workspace.save({ force: true })),
@@ -349,24 +355,12 @@ export const commands: CommandSpec[] = [
     name: 'wq',
     aliases: ['x'],
     group: 'editing',
-    help: 'save and leave insert/editor mode',
-    run: async () => {
-      if (workspace.scratchEditing) return workspace.leaveScratchNote()
-      if (workspace.describing) {
-        await workspace.guard(() => workspace.saveDescription())
-        workspace.stopDescribing()
-        return
-      }
-      await workspace.guard(() => workspace.save())
-      workspace.editing = false
-      hooks.focusList()
-    },
+    help: 'leave the editor with everything written, as :q does',
+    run: () => leaveEditor(),
     bang: {
       help: 'save over a newer version, as :w! does, and leave the editor',
       run: async () => {
-        await workspace.guard(() => workspace.save({ force: true }))
-        workspace.editing = false
-        hooks.focusList()
+        if (await workspace.guard(() => workspace.save({ force: true }))) await leaveEditor()
       },
     },
   },
@@ -374,25 +368,23 @@ export const commands: CommandSpec[] = [
     name: 'quit',
     aliases: ['q'],
     group: 'editing',
-    help: 'close the editor, or the document when already reading',
+    help: 'leave the editor with what is waiting written first, or close the document when already reading',
     run: async () => {
-      if (workspace.scratchEditing) return workspace.leaveScratchNote()
-      if (workspace.describing) return void workspace.stopDescribing()
+      if (workspace.writing || workspace.editing) return leaveEditor()
       // A document `o` made and nothing was written in is not kept.
       if (await workspace.abandonIfBlank()) return hooks.focusList()
       if (workspace.dirty) {
         workspace.say('unsaved changes — :w to write, :q! to discard', 'error')
         return
       }
-      if (workspace.editing) workspace.editing = false
-      else if (workspace.tiles.length > 1) return focusTile(closeFocused())
-      else workspace.closeTile()
+      if (workspace.tiles.length > 1) return focusTile(closeFocused())
+      workspace.closeTile()
       hooks.focusList()
     },
     bang: {
-      help: 'discard changes and close the editor',
+      help: 'leave the editor, letting go of what is not saved yet',
       run: async () => {
-        if (workspace.describing) return void workspace.stopDescribing(true)
+        if (workspace.writing) return void workspace.leaveWriting(true)
         const open = workspace.open
         workspace.editing = false
         workspace.dirty = false
diff --git a/web/src/lib/keymap.ts b/web/src/lib/keymap.ts
index 7ff7447..19f29c6 100644
--- a/web/src/lib/keymap.ts
+++ b/web/src/lib/keymap.ts
@@ -173,7 +173,7 @@ export const bindings = [
   { context: 'card', keys: ['J'], action: 'nudgeDown', label: 'J / K', caps: ['J', 'K'], hint: 'order', help: 'move the step down / up' },
   { context: 'card', keys: ['K'], action: 'nudgeUp' },
   { context: 'card', keys: ['dd'], action: 'drop', hint: 'drop', help: 'drop the step' },
-  { context: 'card', keys: ['e', 'i', 'Enter'], action: 'describe', caps: ['e'], hint: 'describe', help: 'write the description, in the editor — :w writes it, :q or Esc in normal mode leaves' },
+  { context: 'card', keys: ['e', 'i', 'Enter'], action: 'describe', caps: ['e'], hint: 'describe', help: 'write the description, in the editor — it saves itself, :q or Esc in normal mode leaves' },
   { context: 'card', keys: ['a'], action: 'label', hint: 'label', help: "put on a label, or take it off — :label on the line, Tab offers the board's" },
   { context: 'card', keys: ['R'], action: 'rename', label: 'R · D', help: 'rename the card, its due date' },
   { context: 'card', keys: ['D'], action: 'due', hint: 'due' },
@@ -283,7 +283,10 @@ export const bindings = [
   { context: 'share', keys: ['y'], action: 'link', hint: 'new link' },
 
   // --- the editor's own keymap, described only ---------------------------------------
-  { context: 'editor', label: 'vim', help: 'the full keymap — hjkl, w/b, dd, ciw, visual mode, macros; :w writes' },
+  { context: 'editor', label: 'vim', help: 'the full keymap — hjkl, w/b, dd, ciw, visual mode, macros' },
+  { context: 'editor', label: 'autosave', help: 'a document, a description or a note saves itself as the typing stops; :w saves sooner' },
+  { context: 'editor', label: ':q · Esc', help: 'leave the editor, what is waiting written first — Esc in normal mode; :q! lets it go' },
+  { context: 'editor', label: '[[', help: 'link a document by its title, offered as you type' },
   { context: 'editor', label: 'drop · paste', help: 'an image, video or audio file attaches it' },
   { context: 'editor', label: '$x^2$ · $$…$$', help: 'set as math' },
   { context: 'editor', label: '```rust', help: 'a fenced block in a language is coloured as nvim colours it, written and read' },
diff --git a/web/src/lib/store.svelte.ts b/web/src/lib/store.svelte.ts
index 51b0e75..9f63d15 100644
--- a/web/src/lib/store.svelte.ts
+++ b/web/src/lib/store.svelte.ts
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ import {
   type VaultStatus,
 } from './api'
 import { formatBytes, formatDay, formatStamp, formatWeekday, isTouchDevice, parseDay, sealedNote, type Heading } from './util'
+import { AUTOSAVE_MS, Writing, type WritingKind } from './writing.svelte'
 
 export type Pane = 'list' | 'document'
 /**
@@ -259,7 +260,7 @@ class Workspace {
 
   /** `:close`: the focused tile goes, or with only one, what it shows. */
   closeTile() {
-    if (this.tile.kind === 'card' && this.describing && !this.stopDescribing()) return
+    this.#leaveCard()
     this.tile.clear()
     this.prune()
     if (!this.tile.empty) this.focusTile(this.focused)
@@ -324,25 +325,31 @@ class Workspace {
   /*
    * The scratchpad: a drawer that comes down from under the bar over whatever
    * is on screen, as the desktop's scratchpad does, with the notes taken in
-   * passing. `scratchEditing` is the note under the cursor being written;
-   * `scratchNew` a note not yet saved, which is only kept once it says
-   * something.
+   * passing.
    */
   scratchOpen = $state(false)
   scratchNotes = $state<ScratchNote[]>([])
   scratchCursor = $state(0)
-  scratchEditing = $state(false)
-  scratchNew = $state(false)
-  scratchDraft = $state('')
-  /** Counts the times a note was opened to write, so the editor is made anew only then. */
-  scratchSession = $state(0)
 
   /** The step of the open card's checklist under the cursor. */
   taskCursor = $state(0)
-  /** The open card's description is being written, and what it says so far. */
-  describing = $state(false)
-  description = $state('')
-  descriptionDirty = $state(false)
+  /*
+   * The short text being written in place, if one is: the description of the
+   * card turned over, or the note under the drawer's cursor. One at a time,
+   * as there is one place on screen each is written in.
+   */
+  writing = $state<Writing | null>(null)
+
+  get describing() {
+    return this.writing?.kind === 'description'
+  }
+  get scratchEditing() {
+    return this.writing?.kind === 'note'
+  }
+  /** The note being written has not been saved yet, so it is in no row. */
+  get scratchNew() {
+    return this.scratchEditing && this.writing?.id === null
+  }
 
   /** `z` on the board: show done cards older than a week too. */
   showOldDone = $state(false)
@@ -653,7 +660,6 @@ class Workspace {
    * server a couple of seconds after typing stops.
    */
 
-  static readonly AUTOSAVE_MS = 2500
   static readonly RECENT_DONE_DAYS = 7
 
   #stashKey(id: number) {
@@ -665,7 +671,7 @@ class Workspace {
     tile.dirty = true
     this.stash(tile)
     tile.stopAutosave()
-    tile.autosave = setTimeout(() => void this.#writeBack(tile), Workspace.AUTOSAVE_MS)
+    tile.autosave = setTimeout(() => void this.#writeBack(tile), AUTOSAVE_MS)
   }
 
   stash(tile = this.tile) {
@@ -722,6 +728,7 @@ class Workspace {
         tile.stopAutosave()
         void this.#writeBack(tile)
       }
+      if (this.writing?.dirty) void this.guard(() => this.saveWriting())
     })
     window.addEventListener('offline', () => {
       this.say('offline — what is typed is kept here, and saved once the server answers', 'error')
@@ -802,6 +809,7 @@ class Workspace {
       for (const tile of this.tiles) {
         if (tile.open && tile.dirty) await this.guard(() => this.save({ quiet: true, tile }))
       }
+      if (this.writing?.dirty) await this.guard(() => this.saveWriting())
       return
     }
     await this.loadSpaces(Workspace.addressedPath())
@@ -1884,15 +1892,54 @@ class Workspace {
   }
 
   /*
-   * Leaving a card's back while its description is being written: what is
-   * written is kept, as leaving a document's tile keeps its draft.
+   * Writing in place. A card's description and a note are written the way a
+   * document is: saved by themselves a moment after the typing stops, `:w`
+   * sooner, and `:q` or Esc leaves with what is still waiting written first.
    */
+
+  /** Begin writing `kind`: what it says on the server, unless this browser kept newer. */
+  #write(kind: WritingKind, id: number | null, text: string, write: (text: string, writing: Writing) => Promise<void>) {
+    const writing: Writing = new Writing(
+      kind,
+      id,
+      text,
+      (text) => write(text, writing),
+      (error, retry) =>
+        unreachable(error)
+          ? this.say(`not saved: the server cannot be reached — kept here, trying again in ${retry / 1000}s`, 'error')
+          : void this.guard(() => Promise.reject(error)),
+    )
+    this.writing = writing
+    if (writing.recovered) this.say(`recovered unsaved ${kind} — :w keeps it, :q! drops it`, 'error')
+  }
+
+  /** `:w`, Ctrl-S: what is written goes now rather than in a moment. */
+  async saveWriting() {
+    const writing = this.writing
+    if (!writing) return
+    await writing.save()
+    if (writing.kind === 'description') this.say('description written')
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * `:q`, Esc in normal mode: leave, with what is still waiting written
+   * first; `:q!` lets that go instead. False, and a word why, when writing
+   * failed, so the text stays on screen. A note left empty is not kept.
+   */
+  async leaveWriting(discard = false): Promise<boolean> {
+    const writing = this.writing
+    if (!writing) return true
+    if (discard) writing.discard()
+    else if (!(await this.guard(() => writing.save()))) return false
+    if (this.writing === writing) this.writing = null
+    const note = this.scratchNotes.find((n) => n.id === writing.id)
+    if (writing.kind === 'note' && note && !note.body.trim()) await this.guard(() => this.dropScratchNote(false, note))
+    return true
+  }
+
+  /** Leaving a card's back, or the drawer, while something is written there keeps it, as leaving a document's tile does. */
   #leaveCard() {
-    if (this.tile.kind !== 'card' || !this.describing) return
-    void this.guard(async () => {
-      if (this.descriptionDirty) await this.saveDescription()
-      this.stopDescribing(true)
-    })
+    if (this.tile.kind === 'card' && this.describing) void this.leaveWriting()
   }
 
   get scratchNote(): ScratchNote | undefined {
@@ -1904,83 +1951,46 @@ class Workspace {
     if (this.scratchOpen) return this.closeScratch()
     this.scratchNotes = await api.scratch()
     this.scratchCursor = Math.min(this.scratchCursor, Math.max(this.scratchNotes.length - 1, 0))
-    this.scratchEditing = false
     this.scratchOpen = true
   }
 
   async closeScratch() {
-    if (this.scratchEditing) await this.leaveScratchNote()
+    if (this.scratchEditing && !(await this.leaveWriting())) return
     this.scratchOpen = false
   }
 
   /** `o`: a new note at the top, written straight away. */
   newScratchNote() {
-    this.scratchNew = true
-    this.scratchDraft = ''
-    this.scratchSession++
-    this.scratchEditing = true
+    this.#writeNote(null, '')
   }
 
   /** `e`, `i`, Enter: write the note under the cursor. */
   editScratchNote() {
     const note = this.scratchNote
     if (!note) return this.newScratchNote()
-    this.scratchNew = false
-    this.scratchDraft = note.body
-    this.scratchSession++
-    this.scratchEditing = true
+    this.#writeNote(note.id, note.body)
   }
 
-  #scratchTimer: ReturnType<typeof setTimeout> | undefined
-  #scratchSaving: Promise<unknown> = Promise.resolve()
-
   /*
-   * A scratch note saves itself: nothing is asked of a note taken in passing,
-   * not even `:w`. Each change waits a moment for the next before it is
-   * written, and saves run one after another, so the first save of a new note
-   * has made it before the second looks for its id.
+   * A new note is only made once it says something. The note touched last
+   * goes to the top of the list, and the cursor with it.
    */
-  scratchChanged(text: string) {
-    this.scratchDraft = text
-    clearTimeout(this.#scratchTimer)
-    this.#scratchTimer = setTimeout(() => void this.guard(() => this.saveScratchNote()), 800)
-  }
-
-  saveScratchNote(): Promise<void> {
-    clearTimeout(this.#scratchTimer)
-    const run = this.#scratchSaving.then(async () => {
-      if (!this.scratchEditing) return
-      const text = this.scratchDraft
-      if (this.scratchNew) {
+  #writeNote(id: number | null, body: string) {
+    this.#write('note', id, body, async (text, writing) => {
+      if (writing.id === null) {
         if (!text.trim()) return
         const note = await api.createScratch(text)
+        writing.id = note.id
         this.scratchNotes = [note, ...this.scratchNotes]
-        this.scratchCursor = 0
-        this.scratchNew = false
-        return
+      } else {
+        const saved = await api.updateScratch(writing.id, text)
+        this.scratchNotes = [saved, ...this.scratchNotes.filter((n) => n.id !== saved.id)]
       }
-      const note = this.scratchNote
-      if (!note || note.body === text) return
-      const saved = await api.updateScratch(note.id, text)
-      // The note touched last goes to the top, and the cursor with it.
-      this.scratchNotes = [saved, ...this.scratchNotes.filter((n) => n.id !== saved.id)]
       this.scratchCursor = 0
     })
-    this.#scratchSaving = run.catch(() => {})
-    return run
   }
 
-  /** Esc, `:q`: back to the list, saved — and a note left empty is not kept. */
-  async leaveScratchNote() {
-    await this.guard(() => this.saveScratchNote())
-    const note = this.scratchNote
-    if (!this.scratchNew && note && !this.scratchDraft.trim()) await this.guard(() => this.dropScratchNote(false))
-    this.scratchEditing = false
-    this.scratchNew = false
-  }
-
-  async dropScratchNote(say = true) {
-    const note = this.scratchNote
+  async dropScratchNote(say = true, note = this.scratchNote) {
     if (!note) return
     await api.deleteScratch(note.id)
     this.scratchNotes = this.scratchNotes.filter((n) => n.id !== note.id)
@@ -2001,7 +2011,7 @@ class Workspace {
    * line is the title — a `# heading` or not — and the rest the body.
    */
   async keepScratchNote(title = '') {
-    if (this.scratchEditing) await this.saveScratchNote()
+    if (this.scratchEditing && !(await this.leaveWriting())) return
     const note = this.scratchNote
     if (!note) return this.say('no scratch note to keep', 'error')
     const parent = this.parentId ?? this.spaceId ?? this.spaces.find((space) => space.role !== 'diary')?.id
@@ -2016,8 +2026,7 @@ class Workspace {
     }
     const node = await api.createNode({ parent_id: parent, name, body })
     // Made first, dropped after: a failure in between leaves two copies, never none.
-    await this.dropScratchNote(false)
-    this.scratchEditing = false
+    await this.dropScratchNote(false, note)
     this.scratchOpen = false
     await this.refresh(node.id)
     await this.openNode(node.id)
@@ -2033,33 +2042,12 @@ class Workspace {
     this.overlay = 'none'
   }
 
-  /** `e`: write the description, from what it says now. */
+  /** `e`: write the description of the card turned over, from what it says now. */
   describe() {
     const card = this.card
     if (!card) return
-    this.description = card.body
-    this.descriptionDirty = false
-    this.describing = true
-  }
-
-  async saveDescription() {
-    const card = this.card
-    if (!card || !this.describing) return
-    // Named, as this also runs when the focus has just left the card.
-    await this.patchCard({ body: this.description }, card)
-    this.descriptionDirty = false
-    this.say(`"${card.title}" described`)
-  }
-
-  /** Stop writing; false, and a word why, while something is unsaved. */
-  stopDescribing(discard = false): boolean {
-    if (this.descriptionDirty && !discard) {
-      this.say('unsaved description — :w to write, :q! to discard', 'error')
-      return false
-    }
-    this.describing = false
-    this.descriptionDirty = false
-    return true
+    // Named, as the board's cursor may be on another card by the time it saves.
+    this.#write('description', card.id, card.body, (body) => this.patchCard({ body }, card).then(() => {}))
   }
 
   /*
@@ -2356,10 +2344,11 @@ class Workspace {
     localStorage.setItem('diary:clipboard', enabled ? 'on' : 'off')
   }
 
-  /** Surface a failed API call in the status line instead of the console. */
-  async guard(action: () => Promise<unknown>) {
+  /** Surface a failed API call in the status line instead of the console. True when it went through. */
+  async guard(action: () => Promise<unknown>): Promise<boolean> {
     try {
       await action()
+      return true
     } catch (error) {
       if (error instanceof ApiError && error.status === 401) {
         this.user = null
@@ -2372,6 +2361,7 @@ class Workspace {
       } else {
         this.say(error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error), 'error')
       }
+      return false
     }
   }
 }
diff --git a/web/src/lib/writing.svelte.ts b/web/src/lib/writing.svelte.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0a2c38d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/web/src/lib/writing.svelte.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,136 @@
+/*
+ * A short text written in place — a card's description, a note in the
+ * drawer — kept the way a document's draft is: in this browser on every
+ * change, cheap and synchronous, and on the server a moment after the typing
+ * stops. Nothing has to be asked of it: `:w` only writes sooner, and `:q`
+ * writes what is still waiting before it leaves.
+ */
+import { unreachable } from './api'
+
+/** How long the typing has to stop before a draft goes to the server. */
+export const AUTOSAVE_MS = 2500
+
+export type WritingKind = 'description' | 'note'
+
+let sessions = 0
+
+export class Writing {
+  /** Counts the times something was opened to write, so the editor is made anew only then. */
+  readonly session = ++sessions
+  /** The card or the note written, or null for a note not saved yet. */
+  id = $state<number | null>(null)
+  text = $state('')
+  /** Changed since the server last had it. */
+  dirty = $state(false)
+  /** The text was found in this browser, newer than what the server has. */
+  readonly recovered: boolean
+
+  #write: (text: string) => Promise<void>
+  #fail: (error: unknown, retry: number) => void
+  #timer: ReturnType<typeof setTimeout> | undefined
+  #saving: Promise<unknown> = Promise.resolve()
+  #retry = 0
+
+  /**
+   * `write` sends the text to the server, and may set `id` on the way, as
+   * the first save of a new note does. `fail` hears of an autosave that did
+   * not make it, and in how long one that found no server is tried again.
+   */
+  constructor(
+    readonly kind: WritingKind,
+    id: number | null,
+    text: string,
+    write: (text: string) => Promise<void>,
+    fail: (error: unknown, retry: number) => void,
+  ) {
+    this.id = id
+    this.#write = write
+    this.#fail = fail
+    const stashed = read(this.key)
+    this.recovered = stashed !== null && stashed !== text
+    this.text = this.recovered ? stashed! : text
+    this.dirty = this.recovered
+  }
+
+  get key() {
+    return `${this.kind}:draft:${this.id ?? 'new'}`
+  }
+
+  /** The editor's every change. */
+  change(text: string) {
+    this.text = text
+    this.dirty = true
+    keep(this.key, text)
+    clearTimeout(this.#timer)
+    this.#timer = setTimeout(() => void this.#autosave(), AUTOSAVE_MS)
+  }
+
+  /*
+   * Saves run one after another, so the first save of a new note has made it
+   * before the next looks for its id.
+   */
+  save(): Promise<void> {
+    clearTimeout(this.#timer)
+    const run = this.#saving.then(async () => {
+      if (!this.dirty) return
+      const text = this.text
+      const key = this.key
+      await this.#write(text)
+      forget(key)
+      if (this.text === text) this.dirty = false
+      // Typed on while it was on its way, or under a key the note has only now.
+      else keep(this.key, this.text)
+    })
+    this.#saving = run.catch(() => {})
+    return run
+  }
+
+  async #autosave() {
+    try {
+      await this.save()
+      this.#retry = 0
+    } catch (error) {
+      // Nothing is lost — it is kept here — but it is not on the server either,
+      // so a server that cannot be reached is tried again, less often the
+      // longer it stays away.
+      if (unreachable(error)) {
+        this.#retry = Math.min(Math.max(this.#retry * 2, 2000), 60_000)
+        this.#timer = setTimeout(() => void this.#autosave(), this.#retry)
+      }
+      this.#fail(error, this.#retry)
+    }
+  }
+
+  /** `:q!`: what the server does not have yet is let go. */
+  discard() {
+    clearTimeout(this.#timer)
+    forget(this.key)
+    this.dirty = false
+  }
+}
+
+/* A full or disabled localStorage must not stop the typing. */
+
+function read(key: string): string | null {
+  try {
+    return localStorage.getItem(key)
+  } catch {
+    return null
+  }
+}
+
+function keep(key: string, text: string) {
+  try {
+    localStorage.setItem(key, text)
+  } catch {
+    /* nothing to do */
+  }
+}
+
+function forget(key: string) {
+  try {
+    localStorage.removeItem(key)
+  } catch {
+    /* nothing to do */
+  }
+}