diff --git a/src/components/PostWindow.tsx b/src/components/PostWindow.tsx
index f916af3..3c07f61 100644
--- a/src/components/PostWindow.tsx
+++ b/src/components/PostWindow.tsx
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { useCallback, useRef, useState, useMemo } from "react";
+import { useCallback, useRef, useState, useMemo, useEffect } from "react";
 import { use$ } from "applesauce-react/hooks";
 import accountManager from "@/services/accounts";
 import { toast } from "sonner";
@@ -70,6 +70,22 @@ export function PostWindow({ kind = 1 }: PostWindowProps) {
     return new Set(pubkeys);
   }, [contactList]);
 
+  // Preload contact profiles for @ autocomplete
+  useEffect(() => {
+    if (contactPubkeys.size === 0) return;
+
+    // Load profiles for all contacts (trigger fetching if not in store)
+    const pubkeysArray = Array.from(contactPubkeys);
+    for (const pubkey of pubkeysArray) {
+      // Subscribe to profile - this triggers loading if not in store
+      const sub = eventStore.replaceable(0, pubkey).subscribe(() => {
+        // Profile loaded or updated
+      });
+      // Clean up subscription after initial load
+      setTimeout(() => sub.unsubscribe(), 1000);
+    }
+  }, [contactPubkeys]);
+
   // Filter profile search to only contacts
   const searchContactProfiles = useCallback(
     async (query: string): Promise<ProfileSearchResult[]> => {
diff --git a/src/components/editor/PostComposer.tsx b/src/components/editor/PostComposer.tsx
index 001affe..1c714f7 100644
--- a/src/components/editor/PostComposer.tsx
+++ b/src/components/editor/PostComposer.tsx
@@ -223,16 +223,20 @@ export const PostComposer = forwardRef<PostComposerHandle, PostComposerProps>(
         setExtractedMentions(mentions);
         setExtractedHashtags(hashtags);
 
-        // Auto-select new mentions
+        // Sync selected mentions with extracted mentions
+        // Remove mentions that are no longer in content
         setSelectedMentions((prev) => {
+          const stillPresent = prev.filter((m) => mentions.includes(m));
           const newMentions = mentions.filter((m) => !prev.includes(m));
-          return [...prev, ...newMentions];
+          return [...stillPresent, ...newMentions];
         });
 
-        // Auto-select new hashtags
+        // Sync selected hashtags with extracted hashtags
+        // Remove hashtags that are no longer in content
         setSelectedHashtags((prev) => {
+          const stillPresent = prev.filter((h) => hashtags.includes(h));
           const newHashtags = hashtags.filter((h) => !prev.includes(h));
-          return [...prev, ...newHashtags];
+          return [...stillPresent, ...newHashtags];
         });
       }
     };
diff --git a/src/index.css b/src/index.css
index 463fcb9..83cbad5 100644
--- a/src/index.css
+++ b/src/index.css
@@ -380,25 +380,35 @@ body.animating-layout
 }
 
 /* Multi-row editor styles for card variant */
+.editor-card {
+  display: flex;
+  flex-direction: column;
+  align-items: stretch;
+}
+
 .editor-card .ProseMirror {
   min-height: 6rem; /* 4 rows at 1.5rem line-height */
   overflow-y: auto;
   line-height: 1.5rem;
   padding: 0.75rem;
-  text-align: left;
+  text-align: left !important;
   vertical-align: top;
 }
 
 .editor-card .ProseMirror p {
   line-height: 1.5rem;
   margin-bottom: 0.5rem;
-  text-align: left;
+  text-align: left !important;
 }
 
 .editor-card .ProseMirror p:last-child {
   margin-bottom: 0;
 }
 
+.editor-card .ProseMirror p.is-editor-empty:first-child::before {
+  text-align: left !important;
+}
+
 /* Mention styles */
 .ProseMirror .mention {
   color: hsl(var(--primary));