diff --git a/src/components/Output/ZPLOutput.sourceEdit.test.tsx b/src/components/Output/ZPLOutput.sourceEdit.test.tsx
index 14bc292f..0faae399 100644
--- a/src/components/Output/ZPLOutput.sourceEdit.test.tsx
+++ b/src/components/Output/ZPLOutput.sourceEdit.test.tsx
@@ -48,6 +48,7 @@ vi.mock("./ZplCodeMirror", () => {
   return { default: MockCodeMirror };
 });
 import { ZPLOutput } from "./ZPLOutput";
+import { DialogShell } from "../ui/DialogShell";
 import { useLabelStore } from "../../store/labelStore";
 import type { LabelObject, Page } from "@zplab/core/types/Group";
 
@@ -234,7 +235,7 @@ describe("leaving the editor", () => {
     const confirm = () => within(screen.getByRole("alertdialog"));
     expect(confirm().getByText(t().output.editSourceDiscardBody)).toBeTruthy();
     expect(review().getByRole("button", { name: t().output.editSourceConfirmApply })).toBeTruthy();
-    // The deferred blur apply stays suspended across the handover. No apply, no second review.
+    // Focus crossing from the review into the question must not apply, or a second review opens.
     await act(async () => {
       await new Promise((r) => setTimeout(r, 0));
     });
@@ -266,7 +267,7 @@ describe("leaving the editor", () => {
     expect(copiedTexts).toEqual(["^XA^FDedited^FS^XZ"]);
   });
 
-  it("asks before discarding a modified buffer, and the question suspends the blur apply", async () => {
+  it("asks before discarding a modified buffer, and the question holds the blur apply", async () => {
     const { container } = render(<ZPLOutput onResizeMouseDown={vi.fn()} />);
     typeDraft("^XA^JZY^FO10,10^A0N,30,30^FDX^FS^XZ");
     fireEvent.click(screen.getByRole("button", { name: t().app.cancel }));
@@ -593,6 +594,54 @@ describe("outside pointerdown", () => {
   });
 });
 
+describe("a modal above the panel", () => {
+  const Modal = ({ onAction }: { onAction: () => void }) => (
+    <DialogShell portal onClose={vi.fn()} describedBy="modal-body" boxClassName="">
+      <p id="modal-body">settings</p>
+      <button onClick={onAction}>setting</button>
+    </DialogShell>
+  );
+
+  it("takes clicks while an unappliable buffer holds the session", () => {
+    const action = vi.fn();
+    render(
+      <>
+        <Modal onAction={action} />
+        <ZPLOutput onResizeMouseDown={vi.fn()} />
+      </>,
+    );
+    typeDraft("^XA^FO10,10^A0N,30,30^FDbroken^FS");
+    const setting = screen.getByRole("button", { name: "setting" });
+    fireEvent.pointerDown(setting);
+    fireEvent.click(setting);
+    expect(action).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    expect(useLabelStore.getState().sourceEdit.status).toBe("editing");
+    expect(useLabelStore.getState().sourceShadow?.refusal ?? null).toBeNull();
+  });
+
+  it("keeps the focus it took instead of handing it back to the editor", async () => {
+    const { container, rerender } = render(<ZPLOutput onResizeMouseDown={vi.fn()} />);
+    typeDraft("^XA^FO10,10^A0N,30,30^FDbroken^FS");
+    editor().focus();
+    rerender(
+      <>
+        <Modal onAction={vi.fn()} />
+        <ZPLOutput onResizeMouseDown={vi.fn()} />
+      </>,
+    );
+    vi.spyOn(document, "hasFocus").mockReturnValue(true);
+    const setting = screen.getByRole("button", { name: "setting" });
+    setting.focus();
+    fireEvent.focusOut(panelRoot(container));
+    await act(async () => {
+      await new Promise((r) => setTimeout(r, 0));
+    });
+    expect(useLabelStore.getState().sourceEdit.status).toBe("editing");
+    expect(useLabelStore.getState().sourceShadow?.refusal ?? null).toBeNull();
+    expect(document.activeElement).toBe(setting);
+  });
+});
+
 describe("keyboard focus after button exits", () => {
   it("returns to the editor on a clean footer apply", () => {
     render(<ZPLOutput onResizeMouseDown={vi.fn()} />);
diff --git a/src/components/Output/ZplSourceEditor.tsx b/src/components/Output/ZplSourceEditor.tsx
index a395ce3f..1f1487c1 100644
--- a/src/components/Output/ZplSourceEditor.tsx
+++ b/src/components/Output/ZplSourceEditor.tsx
@@ -199,7 +199,7 @@ function SessionChrome({
     focusEditor();
   };
 
-  /** Returns whether the session ended (a held session swallows the click). */
+  /** Returns whether the session ended. */
   const handleApply = (explicit = false): boolean => {
     // An untouched buffer must not commit: the reparse would still rename
     // variables and replace ids, pure loss for a no-op edit.
@@ -237,11 +237,7 @@ function SessionChrome({
     return false;
   };
 
-  useSessionExit(panelRef, {
-    onExit: handleApply,
-    onEscape: requestCancel,
-    suspended: pendingPlan !== null || confirmDiscard || confirmNew,
-  });
+  useSessionExit(panelRef, { onExit: handleApply, onEscape: requestCancel });
 
   return (
     <>
diff --git a/src/hooks/useSessionExit.ts b/src/hooks/useSessionExit.ts
index d32b8f8b..8385efe3 100644
--- a/src/hooks/useSessionExit.ts
+++ b/src/hooks/useSessionExit.ts
@@ -1,11 +1,11 @@
 import { useEffect, useLayoutEffect, useRef, type RefObject } from 'react';
 
 /** The source-edit session's exit surface on a panel root. Not useDismiss:
- *  capture phase, focusout fallback, and a held exit (onExit false: refusal
- *  or confirm dialog) swallows the click so nothing fires under it. */
+ *  capture phase, a focusout fallback, and a held exit that swallows the
+ *  click so nothing fires under it. */
 export function useSessionExit(
   panelRef: RefObject<HTMLElement | null>,
-  handlers: { onExit: () => boolean; onEscape: () => void; suspended: boolean },
+  handlers: { onExit: () => boolean; onEscape: () => void },
 ): void {
   // Latest closures for the raw DOM listeners (mounted once per session).
   // Layout effect: synced before paint, so no user event sees a stale closure.
@@ -18,14 +18,15 @@ export function useSessionExit(
     const root = panelRef.current;
     if (!root) return;
     let timer: ReturnType<typeof setTimeout> | undefined;
+    // Under a modal's backdrop a held session would swallow every click, so a modal is no exit.
+    const modalOpen = () => document.querySelector('[aria-modal="true"]') !== null;
     // Capture-phase, so the exit lands BEFORE the target's own handlers and
     // chrome/stage clicks act on the unfrozen store in the same click. (A
     // click on a canvas OBJECT still needs a second one: the apply re-ids
     // the Konva node under the pointer mid-gesture.)
     const onPointerDown = (e: PointerEvent) => {
-      if (handlersRef.current.suspended) return;
       const target = e.target as Element | null;
-      if (!target || root.contains(target)) return;
+      if (!target || root.contains(target) || modalOpen()) return;
       if (!handlersRef.current.onExit()) {
         e.preventDefault();
         e.stopPropagation();
@@ -51,10 +52,10 @@ export function useSessionExit(
       // window blur (alt-tab) keeps the session; only focus moving elsewhere
       // in the app is "the one person now works the canvas".
       timer = setTimeout(() => {
-        if (handlersRef.current.suspended) return;
         if (!document.hasFocus()) return;
         const active = document.activeElement;
         if (active && root.contains(active)) return;
+        if (modalOpen()) return;
         handlersRef.current.onExit();
       }, 0);
     };