zulip/zulip

Close unedited drafts with "down" at the end

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#38846 opened on Apr 6, 2026

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 (16 comments) (0 reactions) (1 assignee)Python (19,672 stars) (7,339 forks)batch import
UI experimentarea: composearea: compose (misc)help wantedin progress

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

Tech stack
javascript
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.
1-3 hours
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
blocked
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
clear
Prerequisites
JavaScript event handlingZulip compose box logicDraft state management
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
20
Research direction
Investigate the compose box code in static/js/compose.js to understand the draft opening and keyboard handling logic. The issue requires adding a condition on 'down' arrow key press when the cursor is at the end and the draft is unedited. The CZO thread linked may provide additional user feedback. Look for existing functions that handle arrow keys in the compose box.