diff --git a/NucleicRemote/NucleicRemote/Models/RemoteStore.swift b/NucleicRemote/NucleicRemote/Models/RemoteStore.swift
index ee74360..0736777 100644
--- a/NucleicRemote/NucleicRemote/Models/RemoteStore.swift
+++ b/NucleicRemote/NucleicRemote/Models/RemoteStore.swift
@@ -633,6 +633,63 @@ final class RemoteStore: ObservableObject {
         UserDefaults.standard.set(raw, forKey: Self.lastOpenedKey)
     }
 
+    // MARK: - Composer drafts (durable)
+
+    // Unsent composer text, kept until the user sends or clears the field. Unlike the ephemeral
+    // mesh typing buffer (`composerPendingText`, which is deliberately never persisted), these
+    // survive backgrounding, locking, view teardown, and a relaunch — so switching apps or
+    // locking the phone mid-message never loses what was typed. Persisted eagerly on every edit
+    // (small strings) so no scene-phase hook is needed to capture the latest value. Keyed by
+    // `SessionID.rawValue` for the in-session follow-up composer, and by project (or "" for the
+    // no-project picker) for the new-chat composer.
+    private static let sessionDraftsKey = "nucleic.composerDrafts"
+    private static let newChatDraftsKey = "nucleic.newChatDrafts"
+    private var sessionDrafts: [SessionID: String] = RemoteStore.loadSessionDrafts()
+    private var newChatDrafts: [String: String] = RemoteStore.loadNewChatDrafts()
+
+    private static func loadSessionDrafts() -> [SessionID: String] {
+        guard let raw = UserDefaults.standard.dictionary(forKey: sessionDraftsKey) else { return [:] }
+        return raw.reduce(into: [:]) { result, entry in
+            if let text = entry.value as? String { result[SessionID(rawValue: entry.key)] = text }
+        }
+    }
+    private static func loadNewChatDrafts() -> [String: String] {
+        UserDefaults.standard.dictionary(forKey: newChatDraftsKey) as? [String: String] ?? [:]
+    }
+
+    /// The saved follow-up draft for a session's composer, or "" if none.
+    func sessionDraft(_ id: SessionID) -> String { sessionDrafts[id] ?? "" }
+
+    /// Persist a session composer's draft — or drop it once the field is emptied, so a cleared
+    /// composer restores empty rather than reviving stale text.
+    func setSessionDraft(_ id: SessionID, _ text: String) {
+        if text.trimmingCharacters(in: .whitespacesAndNewlines).isEmpty {
+            guard sessionDrafts[id] != nil else { return }
+            sessionDrafts[id] = nil
+        } else {
+            sessionDrafts[id] = text
+        }
+        let raw = sessionDrafts.reduce(into: [String: String]()) { $0[$1.key.rawValue] = $1.value }
+        UserDefaults.standard.set(raw, forKey: Self.sessionDraftsKey)
+    }
+
+    private func newChatKey(_ project: ProjectID?) -> String { project?.rawValue ?? "" }
+
+    /// The saved new-chat prompt for a project scope (or the no-project picker), or "" if none.
+    func newChatDraft(_ project: ProjectID?) -> String { newChatDrafts[newChatKey(project)] ?? "" }
+
+    /// Persist the new-chat prompt for a project scope — or drop it once the field is emptied.
+    func setNewChatDraft(_ project: ProjectID?, _ text: String) {
+        let key = newChatKey(project)
+        if text.trimmingCharacters(in: .whitespacesAndNewlines).isEmpty {
+            guard newChatDrafts[key] != nil else { return }
+            newChatDrafts[key] = nil
+        } else {
+            newChatDrafts[key] = text
+        }
+        UserDefaults.standard.set(newChatDrafts, forKey: Self.newChatDraftsKey)
+    }
+
     /// Whether `summary` completed its work after the user last looked at it on this device.
     func unseenCompletion(_ summary: WireSessionSummary) -> Bool {
         let done = summary.status == .finished
diff --git a/NucleicRemote/NucleicRemote/Views/Composer.swift b/NucleicRemote/NucleicRemote/Views/Composer.swift
index bb7e1b3..ed7d8b0 100644
--- a/NucleicRemote/NucleicRemote/Views/Composer.swift
+++ b/NucleicRemote/NucleicRemote/Views/Composer.swift
@@ -322,7 +322,10 @@ struct NewChatAffordance: ViewModifier {
             .animation(.spring(response: 0.35, dampingFraction: 0.86), value: isPresented)
             .onChange(of: isPresented) { _, open in
                 if open {
-                    draft = ""
+                    // Restore any unsent prompt — the composer keeps what was typed until it's sent
+                    // or cleared, so dismissing the bar (or backgrounding/locking the phone) never
+                    // discards it.
+                    draft = store.newChatDraft(project?.id)
                     // Focus in the same turn the bar is presented so the keyboard rises immediately,
                     // riding up together with the bar (both animate from the bottom edge at t=0)
                     // instead of waiting for the spring to settle first — no perceptible delay
@@ -330,9 +333,13 @@ struct NewChatAffordance: ViewModifier {
                     draftFocused = true
                 } else {
                     draftFocused = false
-                    draft = ""
                 }
             }
+            // Durably save the prompt (cleared once the field empties, e.g. on send) so it survives
+            // dismissal and leaving the app — see `RemoteStore.setNewChatDraft`.
+            .onChange(of: draft) { _, text in
+                store.setNewChatDraft(project?.id, text)
+            }
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/NucleicRemote/NucleicRemote/Views/SessionDetailView.swift b/NucleicRemote/NucleicRemote/Views/SessionDetailView.swift
index 031f69e..9232d28 100644
--- a/NucleicRemote/NucleicRemote/Views/SessionDetailView.swift
+++ b/NucleicRemote/NucleicRemote/Views/SessionDetailView.swift
@@ -100,7 +100,12 @@ struct SessionDetailView: View {
                     Button("Discard", role: .destructive) { store.discard(sessionID) }
                     Button("Cancel", role: .cancel) {}
                 }
-                .onAppear { openToken = store.open(sessionID) }
+                .onAppear {
+                    openToken = store.open(sessionID)
+                    // Restore any unsent follow-up — the composer keeps what was typed across
+                    // backgrounding, locking, or the view being torn down and remounted.
+                    draft = store.sessionDraft(sessionID)
+                }
                 // Pass our own id + token so an iPad split-view A→B switch (which may mount B
                 // before A disappears) unsubscribes A without tearing down B's just-opened state —
                 // and so a covered duplicate of the *same* session tears down nothing at all.
@@ -119,6 +124,9 @@ struct SessionDetailView: View {
                 // and unlocks them. Leaving the detail ends it too.
                 .onChange(of: draft) { _, text in
                     store.composerDraftChanged(sessionID, text: text)
+                    // Durably save the draft (cleared once the field empties, e.g. on send) so it
+                    // survives leaving the app — see `RemoteStore.setSessionDraft`.
+                    store.setSessionDraft(sessionID, text)
                 }
                 .onDisappear { store.composerDraftEnded(sessionID) }
         }