zulip/zulip

Close unedited drafts with "down" at the end

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#38,846 opened on Apr 6, 2026

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 (17 comments) (0 reactions) (1 assignee)Python (7,339 forks)batch import
UI experimentarea: composearea: compose (misc)help wantedin progress

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Description

Users can accidentally open a draft when clicking on a messages as part of their message feed navigation experience, and it can be awkward to get out of it.

We should try having the "down" arrow close an open draft when both of the following hold:

  • The cursor is already at the end of the draft (so "down" has nowhere to go). This is the initial state when a draft is opened.
  • The draft has not been edited since opening the compose box.

CZO thread: #feedback > Drafts getting in the way

Contributor guide

Research direction
Investigate the compose box component and its keydown event handlers. Trace how drafts are opened and track edit state. Look for existing handling of arrow keys and cursor position.
Tech stack
javascripttypescript
Domain
frontend
Issue type
Feature
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
3
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
Half day
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
Active
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
Mostly clear
Prerequisites
JavaScriptReact
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
60