diff --git a/docs/apps.md b/docs/apps.md
index f2669a6..3dc65e9 100644
--- a/docs/apps.md
+++ b/docs/apps.md
@@ -95,7 +95,7 @@ export default function ExampleApp({ setTitle }: AppProps) {
 |---|---|---|---|
 | Feed | `feed` | — | kind 1 timeline, Following/Global, composer (⌘↵ publishes) |
 | Profile | `profile` | `pubkey`, `relays?` | kind 0 metadata, the author's notes, follow/unfollow |
-| Note | `notes` | `id`, `relays?` | One note and its replies. **Not** a singleton |
+| Note | `notes` | `id?`, `relays?` | One note and its replies, or a blank local draft when `id` is absent. **Not** a singleton |
 | Reader | `articles` | `pubkey?`, `identifier?`, `kind?`, `relays?` | NIP-23 long-form, `react-markdown` |
 | Bookmarks | `bookmarks` | — | NIP-51 kind 10003 list — bookmarked notes and articles |
 | Relays | `relays` | — | Connection state, subscription count, measured latency |
diff --git a/src/apps/feed/index.tsx b/src/apps/feed/index.tsx
index dc25322..63e676e 100644
--- a/src/apps/feed/index.tsx
+++ b/src/apps/feed/index.tsx
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import { useEffect, useMemo, useState } from 'react';
 import { useNostr } from '@nostrify/react';
 import { useQuery } from '@tanstack/react-query';
-import { Globe, Loader2, Users } from 'lucide-react';
+import { FileText, Globe, Loader2, Users } from 'lucide-react';
 import type { NostrEvent } from '@nostrify/nostrify';
 import { AppBody, AppLayout, AppToolbar, EmptyState } from '@/components/os/AppChrome';
 import { NoteCard } from '@/components/nostr/NoteCard';
@@ -11,6 +11,8 @@ import { Skeleton } from '@/components/ui/skeleton';
 import { useCurrentUser } from '@/hooks/useCurrentUser';
 import { useMyFollows } from '@/hooks/useFollows';
 import { cn } from '@/lib/utils';
+import { useWindowManager } from '@/os/useWindowManager';
+import { isReply } from '@/lib/nostrUtils';
 import type { AppProps } from '@/os/types';
 
 type Scope = 'following' | 'global';
@@ -20,9 +22,17 @@ const PAGE_SIZE = 50;
 /**
  * A kind 1 event is only worth rendering if it has something to render. Relays
  * happily return blanks and oddities, so the feed validates before it draws.
+ * Replies (NIP-10 `e` tags) are excluded too: without their parent for
+ * context they read as indistinguishable, orphaned root posts — open the
+ * thread from the Note app instead.
  */
 function isRenderableNote(event: NostrEvent): boolean {
-  return event.kind === 1 && typeof event.content === 'string' && event.content.trim().length > 0;
+  return (
+    event.kind === 1 &&
+    typeof event.content === 'string' &&
+    event.content.trim().length > 0 &&
+    !isReply(event)
+  );
 }
 
 function useFeed(scope: Scope, authors: string[] | undefined) {
@@ -51,6 +61,7 @@ function useFeed(scope: Scope, authors: string[] | undefined) {
 
 export default function FeedApp({ setTitle }: AppProps) {
   const { user } = useCurrentUser();
+  const { openApp } = useWindowManager();
   const { data: follows } = useMyFollows();
   const [requestedScope, setScope] = useState<Scope>('following');
 
@@ -85,6 +96,15 @@ export default function FeedApp({ setTitle }: AppProps) {
         />
         <div className="ml-auto flex items-center gap-2">
           {query.isFetching && <Loader2 className="size-3.5 animate-spin text-muted-foreground" aria-hidden />}
+          <Button
+            variant="ghost"
+            size="sm"
+            className="h-7 gap-1.5 px-2 text-xs"
+            onClick={() => openApp('notes')}
+          >
+            <FileText className="size-3.5" aria-hidden />
+            New note
+          </Button>
           <Button
             variant="ghost"
             size="sm"
diff --git a/src/apps/notes/Draft.tsx b/src/apps/notes/Draft.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6481eb7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/apps/notes/Draft.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,107 @@
+import { useState } from 'react';
+import { Loader2, Send, Trash2 } from 'lucide-react';
+import { AppBody, AppLayout, AppToolbar } from '@/components/os/AppChrome';
+import { Button } from '@/components/ui/button';
+import { Textarea } from '@/components/ui/textarea';
+import { useCurrentUser } from '@/hooks/useCurrentUser';
+import { useLocalStorage } from '@/hooks/useLocalStorage';
+import { useNostrPublish } from '@/hooks/useNostrPublish';
+import { useToast } from '@/hooks/useToast';
+
+const DRAFT_KEY = 'layer-os:draft-note';
+
+/**
+ * A blank note kept as a local draft — not published until you say so, and
+ * not lost between sessions or windows in the meantime. This is the "open a
+ * new note" entry point (reachable from the Go menu, the command palette,
+ * and the Feed toolbar) for writing something before deciding it is worth
+ * publishing.
+ */
+export function DraftNote({ onPublished }: { onPublished: (id: string) => void }) {
+  const { user } = useCurrentUser();
+  const [draft, setDraft] = useLocalStorage(DRAFT_KEY, '');
+  const publish = useNostrPublish();
+  const { toast } = useToast();
+  const [confirmingDiscard, setConfirmingDiscard] = useState(false);
+
+  const trimmed = draft.trim();
+
+  const handlePublish = async () => {
+    // Guarded here too, not just via the button's `disabled` — React hasn't
+    // necessarily re-rendered with publish.isPending yet when a second click
+    // lands in the same tick, and mutateAsync itself doesn't dedupe calls.
+    if (!trimmed || publish.isPending) return;
+    try {
+      const event = await publish.mutateAsync({ kind: 1, content: trimmed, tags: [] });
+      setDraft('');
+      toast({ title: 'Note published' });
+      onPublished(event.id);
+    } catch (error) {
+      toast({
+        title: 'Could not publish',
+        description: error instanceof Error ? error.message : 'No relay accepted the note.',
+        variant: 'destructive',
+      });
+    }
+  };
+
+  const handleDiscard = () => {
+    if (!confirmingDiscard) {
+      setConfirmingDiscard(true);
+      return;
+    }
+    setDraft('');
+    setConfirmingDiscard(false);
+  };
+
+  return (
+    <AppLayout>
+      <AppToolbar>
+        <span className="text-[13px] font-medium">New Note</span>
+        <div className="ml-auto flex items-center gap-2">
+          {draft && (
+            <Button
+              variant="ghost"
+              size="sm"
+              className="h-7 gap-1.5 px-2 text-xs text-muted-foreground"
+              onClick={handleDiscard}
+              onBlur={() => setConfirmingDiscard(false)}
+            >
+              <Trash2 className="size-3.5" aria-hidden />
+              {confirmingDiscard ? 'Click again to discard' : 'Discard draft'}
+            </Button>
+          )}
+          {user && (
+            <Button
+              size="sm"
+              className="h-7 gap-1.5 px-2.5 text-xs"
+              onClick={handlePublish}
+              disabled={!trimmed || publish.isPending}
+            >
+              {publish.isPending ? (
+                <Loader2 className="size-3.5 animate-spin" aria-hidden />
+              ) : (
+                <Send className="size-3.5" aria-hidden />
+              )}
+              Publish
+            </Button>
+          )}
+        </div>
+      </AppToolbar>
+
+      <AppBody className="flex flex-col p-4">
+        <Textarea
+          value={draft}
+          onChange={(event) => setDraft(event.target.value)}
+          placeholder={
+            user
+              ? 'Write something… it’s kept as a local draft until you publish it.'
+              : 'Write something… it’s kept as a local draft on this device. Sign in to publish it.'
+          }
+          autoFocus
+          className="min-h-40 flex-1 resize-none border-0 bg-transparent p-0 text-[15px] leading-relaxed shadow-none focus-visible:ring-0"
+        />
+      </AppBody>
+    </AppLayout>
+  );
+}
diff --git a/src/apps/notes/index.tsx b/src/apps/notes/index.tsx
index 1e49919..a7f2155 100644
--- a/src/apps/notes/index.tsx
+++ b/src/apps/notes/index.tsx
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import { AuthorLine } from '@/components/nostr/AuthorLine';
 import { NoteContent } from '@/components/nostr/NoteContent';
 import { NoteCard } from '@/components/nostr/NoteCard';
 import { Composer } from '@/apps/feed/Composer';
+import { DraftNote } from './Draft';
 import { Button } from '@/components/ui/button';
 import { Skeleton } from '@/components/ui/skeleton';
 import { useCurrentUser } from '@/hooks/useCurrentUser';
@@ -51,7 +52,7 @@ function useReplies(id: string | undefined, relays: string[] | undefined) {
   });
 }
 
-export default function NotesApp({ params, setTitle }: AppProps) {
+export default function NotesApp({ params, setTitle, setParams }: AppProps) {
   const { user } = useCurrentUser();
   const id = params.id;
   const relays = decodeRelayHints(params.relays);
@@ -62,11 +63,11 @@ export default function NotesApp({ params, setTitle }: AppProps) {
   const name = note.data ? displayName(note.data.pubkey, author.data?.metadata) : undefined;
 
   useEffect(() => {
-    setTitle(name ? `Note by ${name}` : 'Note');
-  }, [name, setTitle]);
+    setTitle(id ? (name ? `Note by ${name}` : 'Note') : 'New Note');
+  }, [id, name, setTitle]);
 
   if (!id) {
-    return <EmptyState title="No note selected" hint="Open a note from the feed to read its thread." />;
+    return <DraftNote onPublished={(publishedId) => setParams({ ...params, id: publishedId })} />;
   }
 
   if (note.isLoading) {
diff --git a/src/apps/profile/index.tsx b/src/apps/profile/index.tsx
index ba9f76f..651aa7a 100644
--- a/src/apps/profile/index.tsx
+++ b/src/apps/profile/index.tsx
@@ -14,9 +14,14 @@ import { useCurrentUser } from '@/hooks/useCurrentUser';
 import { useMyFollows } from '@/hooks/useFollows';
 import { useNostrPublish } from '@/hooks/useNostrPublish';
 import { useToast } from '@/hooks/useToast';
-import { decodeRelayHints, displayName, npubOf, sanitizeUrl } from '@/lib/nostrUtils';
+import { decodeRelayHints, displayName, isReply, npubOf, sanitizeUrl } from '@/lib/nostrUtils';
 import type { AppProps } from '@/os/types';
 
+/**
+ * Replies are excluded here for the same reason as the Feed: without their
+ * parent for context, a reply on a profile's timeline reads as an orphaned
+ * root post rather than what it is.
+ */
 function useAuthorNotes(pubkey: string | undefined, relays: string[] | undefined) {
   const { nostr } = useNostr();
 
@@ -29,7 +34,7 @@ function useAuthorNotes(pubkey: string | undefined, relays: string[] | undefined
         { signal: AbortSignal.any([signal, AbortSignal.timeout(6000)]), relays },
       );
       return events
-        .filter((event) => event.content.trim().length > 0)
+        .filter((event) => event.content.trim().length > 0 && !isReply(event))
         .sort((a, b) => b.created_at - a.created_at);
     },
     staleTime: 60_000,
diff --git a/src/hooks/useLocalStorage.ts b/src/hooks/useLocalStorage.ts
index 73c2959..01966dc 100644
--- a/src/hooks/useLocalStorage.ts
+++ b/src/hooks/useLocalStorage.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,19 @@
-import { useState, useEffect } from 'react';
+import { useCallback, useEffect, useState } from 'react';
+
+/**
+ * Fired on `window` whenever `useLocalStorage` writes a key, so every
+ * component sharing that key *within this document* stays in sync — the
+ * native `storage` event only fires in *other* tabs/documents, never the
+ * one that made the write. Without this, e.g. two "New Note" draft windows
+ * open at once would silently diverge: each holds its own React state, both
+ * write to the same localStorage entry, and neither sees the other's edits.
+ */
+const LOCAL_STORAGE_EVENT = 'app:local-storage';
+
+interface LocalStorageEventDetail {
+  key: string;
+  value: string;
+}
 
 /**
  * Generic hook for managing localStorage state
@@ -24,17 +39,30 @@ export function useLocalStorage<T>(
     }
   });
 
-  const setValue = (value: T | ((prev: T) => T)) => {
-    try {
-      const valueToStore = value instanceof Function ? value(state) : value;
-      setState(valueToStore);
-      localStorage.setItem(key, serialize(valueToStore));
-    } catch (error) {
-      console.warn(`Failed to save ${key} to localStorage:`, error);
-    }
-  };
+  const setValue = useCallback(
+    (value: T | ((prev: T) => T)) => {
+      setState((prev) => {
+        try {
+          const valueToStore = value instanceof Function ? value(prev) : value;
+          const serialized = serialize(valueToStore);
+          localStorage.setItem(key, serialized);
+          window.dispatchEvent(
+            new CustomEvent<LocalStorageEventDetail>(LOCAL_STORAGE_EVENT, {
+              detail: { key, value: serialized },
+            }),
+          );
+          return valueToStore;
+        } catch (error) {
+          console.warn(`Failed to save ${key} to localStorage:`, error);
+          return prev;
+        }
+      });
+    },
+    [key, serialize],
+  );
 
-  // Sync with localStorage changes from other tabs
+  // Sync with localStorage changes from other tabs, and from other
+  // components sharing this key in this tab (see LOCAL_STORAGE_EVENT above).
   useEffect(() => {
     const handleStorageChange = (e: StorageEvent) => {
       if (e.key === key && e.newValue !== null) {
@@ -45,10 +73,23 @@ export function useLocalStorage<T>(
         }
       }
     };
+    const handleLocalChange = (e: Event) => {
+      const detail = (e as CustomEvent<LocalStorageEventDetail>).detail;
+      if (detail?.key !== key) return;
+      try {
+        setState(deserialize(detail.value));
+      } catch (error) {
+        console.warn(`Failed to sync ${key} from localStorage:`, error);
+      }
+    };
 
     window.addEventListener('storage', handleStorageChange);
-    return () => window.removeEventListener('storage', handleStorageChange);
+    window.addEventListener(LOCAL_STORAGE_EVENT, handleLocalChange);
+    return () => {
+      window.removeEventListener('storage', handleStorageChange);
+      window.removeEventListener(LOCAL_STORAGE_EVENT, handleLocalChange);
+    };
   }, [key, deserialize]);
 
   return [state, setValue] as const;
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}
diff --git a/src/lib/nostrUtils.test.ts b/src/lib/nostrUtils.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e90a105
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/lib/nostrUtils.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,78 @@
+import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest';
+import type { NostrEvent } from '@nostrify/nostrify';
+import { isReply, rootReference } from './nostrUtils';
+
+function note(tags: string[][]): NostrEvent {
+  return {
+    id: 'x',
+    pubkey: 'y',
+    created_at: 0,
+    kind: 1,
+    tags,
+    content: 'hello',
+    sig: '',
+  };
+}
+
+describe('isReply', () => {
+  it('is false for a root note with no e tag', () => {
+    expect(isReply(note([]))).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it('is true for a note with a marked root e tag', () => {
+    expect(isReply(note([['e', 'root-id', '', 'root']]))).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it('is true for a note using the deprecated positional e tag', () => {
+    expect(isReply(note([['e', 'parent-id']]))).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it('is false for a note that only mentions another event', () => {
+    expect(isReply(note([['e', 'mentioned-id', '', 'mention']]))).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it('is true for a note with a mention alongside a marked reply', () => {
+    expect(
+      isReply(
+        note([
+          ['e', 'root-id', '', 'root'],
+          ['e', 'mentioned-id', '', 'mention'],
+        ]),
+      ),
+    ).toBe(true);
+  });
+});
+
+describe('rootReference', () => {
+  it('prefers the marked root tag over positional ones', () => {
+    const event = note([
+      ['e', 'mention-id', '', 'mention'],
+      ['e', 'root-id', '', 'root'],
+    ]);
+    expect(rootReference(event)).toBe('root-id');
+  });
+
+  it('falls back to the first positional e tag per the deprecated scheme', () => {
+    const event = note([
+      ['e', 'root-id'],
+      ['e', 'reply-id'],
+    ]);
+    expect(rootReference(event)).toBe('root-id');
+  });
+
+  it('is undefined for a root note', () => {
+    expect(rootReference(note([]))).toBeUndefined();
+  });
+
+  it('is undefined for a note that only mentions another event', () => {
+    expect(rootReference(note([['e', 'mentioned-id', '', 'mention']]))).toBeUndefined();
+  });
+
+  it('ignores a mention when falling back to the positional scheme', () => {
+    const event = note([
+      ['e', 'mentioned-id', '', 'mention'],
+      ['e', 'root-id'],
+    ]);
+    expect(rootReference(event)).toBe('root-id');
+  });
+});
diff --git a/src/lib/nostrUtils.ts b/src/lib/nostrUtils.ts
index 7b1247d..76de0a9 100644
--- a/src/lib/nostrUtils.ts
+++ b/src/lib/nostrUtils.ts
@@ -93,15 +93,25 @@ export function tagValues(event: NostrEvent, name: string): string[] {
 
 /**
  * The event a reply points at, following NIP-10: prefer an explicit `root`
- * marker, fall back to the last positional `e` tag.
+ * marker, fall back to the first *unmarked* `e` tag (the deprecated scheme
+ * puts the root id first: `["e", <root-id>], ["e", <reply-id>]`). A `mention`
+ * or `reply`-only marker is never treated as the root — a mention isn't
+ * part of the thread, and a lone `reply` marker without `root` is malformed
+ * per NIP-10 rather than an implicit root.
  */
 export function rootReference(event: NostrEvent): string | undefined {
   const marked = event.tags.find(([name, , , marker]) => name === 'e' && marker === 'root');
   if (marked) return marked[1];
-  const positional = event.tags.filter(([name]) => name === 'e');
+  const positional = event.tags.filter(([name, , , marker]) => name === 'e' && !marker);
   return positional[0]?.[1];
 }
 
+/**
+ * True for a reply per NIP-10: a marked `root`/`reply` `e` tag, or an
+ * unmarked one (the deprecated positional scheme). An `e` tag marked
+ * `mention` alone does not make an event a reply — it cites another event
+ * without being part of its thread.
+ */
 export function isReply(event: NostrEvent): boolean {
-  return event.tags.some(([name]) => name === 'e');
+  return event.tags.some(([name, , , marker]) => name === 'e' && marker !== 'mention');
 }