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tickets/064-promql-panel-input-clobbered-by-autosave.md

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+# 064 — Typing a panel's PromQL query gets clobbered by in-flight autosave responses
+
+## Summary
+
+In `webapp/src/components/Dashboards.tsx`, the panel query `<input>`
+(`:408-411`) is bound directly to `draft.panels[...].promql` /
+`updatePanel`, and `draft` is autosaved via a 600ms-debounced effect
+(`AUTOSAVE_DEBOUNCE_MS = 600`, line 34; effect at `:190-214`). On save
+success, `setDraft(saved)` (`:203`) unconditionally replaces the entire
+local draft with the server's response — including whatever `promql`
+string was in flight at request time. If the user types more characters
+after the debounce fires but before the save response returns, those
+keystrokes exist only in local `draft` state and get overwritten the
+instant the stale `saved` response resolves, producing the reported
+"characters inserted then removed" behavior. A second effect
+(`Dashboards.tsx:184-188`) also resets `draft` whenever `dashboards`
+changes — which the same save's `setDashboards` call triggers —
+compounding the race.
+
+## Scope
+
+- Stop unconditionally overwriting in-flight-edited fields on autosave
+  response. Options (pick one, document the choice):
+  - Track which panel/field is actively focused/being edited and skip
+    overwriting that specific field when reconciling `saved` into
+    `draft`.
+  - Only merge server-assigned fields (ids, timestamps) from `saved`
+    into `draft` rather than replacing `draft` wholesale.
+  - Guard the reconciliation with a "pending edits since request was
+    sent" check, applying `saved` only when no newer local edit
+    occurred after the request was issued.
+- Also fix the related staleness effect at `Dashboards.tsx:184-188` so
+  it doesn't clobber in-progress edits when `dashboards` changes as a
+  side effect of the same save.
+- This does not require adopting Redux or another state library — the
+  fix is local to this component's save/edit reconciliation.
+
+## Acceptance criteria
+
+- Typing continuously in a panel's PromQL input while an autosave
+  round-trip is in flight never drops or reorders characters.
+- Autosave still persists the query to the backend and other
+  server-assigned fields (ids, etc.) still get reconciled into local
+  state correctly.
+
+## Depends on
+
+None.