From 205e35f4193b825b70dd7be54f54e35345a2f11f Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: David Heinemeier Hansson <david@hey.com>
Date: Tue, 29 Sep 2026 21:19:22 +0200
Subject: [PATCH] Let a box's number leave a thread opened from that box

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
---
 internal/tui/mail.go     | 32 ++++++++++++++++++++----------
 internal/tui/tui_test.go | 43 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 2 files changed, 65 insertions(+), 10 deletions(-)

diff --git a/internal/tui/mail.go b/internal/tui/mail.go
index 4bf80774a..8e7d9a230 100644
--- a/internal/tui/mail.go
+++ b/internal/tui/mail.go
@@ -1799,14 +1799,31 @@ func (v *mailView) switchBox(index int) tea.Cmd {
 		return nil
 	}
 	if index == v.boxIndex {
-		// The box under the seen screen: its number or tab closes the screen the
-		// way esc does, landing on the list that is already there.
-		if v.seenActive {
-			v.clearSeen()
+		// The box already under a thread, a search, a bundle or the seen screen: its
+		// number closes whatever is open over it and lands on the list that is already
+		// there. Answering with nothing would let the key fall through to the thread,
+		// which swallows it, so 1 from a thread opened in the Imbox did nothing at all.
+		if !v.inThread && !v.searchActive && !v.bundleActive && !v.seenActive {
+			return nil
+		}
+		v.closeOverlays()
+		if v.requests.kind != mailRequestPostings {
 			v.requests.cancel()
 		}
-		return nil
+		v.notice = ""
+		return func() tea.Msg { return nil }
 	}
+	v.closeOverlays()
+	v.requests.cancel()
+	v.notice = ""
+	v.postingList.setPostings(nil)
+	v.boxIndex = index
+	return v.requestPostings(v.boxes[index])
+}
+
+// closeOverlays puts away everything a box's list can have open over it — a thread, a
+// search, a bundle, the Previously Seen screen — leaving the list itself.
+func (v *mailView) closeOverlays() {
 	v.inThread = false
 	v.threadNotice = ""
 	v.threadPosting = mail.Posting{}
@@ -1816,11 +1833,6 @@ func (v *mailView) switchBox(index int) tea.Cmd {
 	v.clearSearch()
 	v.clearBundle()
 	v.clearSeen()
-	v.requests.cancel()
-	v.notice = ""
-	v.postingList.setPostings(nil)
-	v.boxIndex = index
-	return v.requestPostings(v.boxes[index])
 }
 
 // openPreviouslySeen jumps to the Imbox's Previously Seen threads on their own screen,
diff --git a/internal/tui/tui_test.go b/internal/tui/tui_test.go
index 9ec0c5b25..ddb60002b 100644
--- a/internal/tui/tui_test.go
+++ b/internal/tui/tui_test.go
@@ -1355,6 +1355,49 @@ func openLinkThreadThroughModel(t *testing.T) model {
 	return m
 }
 
+// A box's number works from inside a thread, including the box the thread was opened
+// from: 1 in a thread read from the Imbox lands on the Imbox's list rather than falling
+// through to the thread, which swallowed it.
+func TestBoxNumbersLeaveAThread(t *testing.T) {
+	for _, testCase := range []struct {
+		key     string
+		wantBox int
+	}{
+		{key: "1", wantBox: 0},
+		{key: "2", wantBox: 1},
+	} {
+		t.Run(testCase.key, func(t *testing.T) {
+			m := openLinkThreadThroughModel(t)
+
+			updated, _ := m.Update(keyPress(testCase.key))
+			m = updated.(model)
+
+			if m.mailView.InThread() {
+				t.Errorf("%s left the thread open", testCase.key)
+			}
+			if m.mailView.boxIndex != testCase.wantBox {
+				t.Errorf("%s landed on box %d, want %d", testCase.key, m.mailView.boxIndex, testCase.wantBox)
+			}
+			if testCase.key == "1" && !strings.Contains(stripANSI(m.View().Content), "Meeting notes") {
+				t.Errorf("the Imbox's list is not on screen:\n%s", stripANSI(m.View().Content))
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+func TestBoxNumberForTheCurrentBoxClosesASearch(t *testing.T) {
+	v := mailWithPostings()
+	v.searchActive = true
+	v.searchQuery = "invoice"
+
+	if cmd := v.handleBoxShortcut("1"); cmd == nil {
+		t.Fatal("1 over a search in the Imbox should be handled")
+	}
+	if v.searchActive || v.boxIndex != 0 {
+		t.Errorf("searchActive=%v box=%d, want the Imbox's list", v.searchActive, v.boxIndex)
+	}
+}
+
 func TestRootModelKeepsGlobalTabForALinklessThread(t *testing.T) {
 	m := modelWithBoxes()
 	m.mailView.inThread = true