diff --git a/ui/b/aboutdialog.js b/ui/b/aboutdialog.js
index d68ef6cb..ced9d608 100644
--- a/ui/b/aboutdialog.js
+++ b/ui/b/aboutdialog.js
@@ -3,10 +3,11 @@
 
 import { LitComponent, html, render, noChange, JsExtract, docs, ref } from '../little.js';
 import * as Util from "../util.js";
+import * as Dom from "../dom.js";
 
 // == HTML ==
 const HTML = (t, d) => html`
-<dialog class="floating-dialog [&:not([open])]:hidden" ${ref (h => t.dialog = h)} @cancel=${t.close_dialog} @pointerdown=${t.backdrop_click}>
+<dialog class="floating-dialog [&:not([open])]:hidden" ${ref (h => t.dialog = h)} @close=${t.close_dialog}>
   <div class="dialog-header">
     About ANKLANG
   </div>
@@ -14,7 +15,7 @@ const HTML = (t, d) => html`
     ${INFOS_HTML (t, d)}
   </c-grid>
   <div class="dialog-footer">
-    <button class="button-xl" autofocus @click=${t.close_dialog} > Close </button>
+    <button class="button-xl" autofocus @click=${e => t.dialog.close()} > Close </button>
   </div>
 </dialog>`;
 const INFOS_HTML = (t, d) =>
@@ -61,7 +62,7 @@ export class BAboutDialog extends LitComponent {
     }
     if (this.shown && !this.dialog.open && this.info_pairs.length > 0) {
       document.startViewTransition (async () => {
-	this.dialog.showModal();
+	Dom.show_modal (this.dialog);
 	await Promise.all ([this.updateComplete, info_promise]);
       });
     }
@@ -81,13 +82,6 @@ export class BAboutDialog extends LitComponent {
       this.dialog.close();
     super.disconnectedCallback();
   }
-  backdrop_click (event)
-  {
-    if (event.target === event.currentTarget &&                           // target must be DIALOG or backdrop
-	(event.offsetX < 0 || event.offsetX > event.target.offsetWidth || // click must be outside
-	 event.offsetY < 0 || event.offsetY > event.target.offsetHeight)) // which is backdrop
-      this.close_dialog (event);
-  }
 }
 customElements.define ('b-aboutdialog', BAboutDialog);
 
diff --git a/ui/b/app.js b/ui/b/app.js
index 9c77ea94..c9d85d83 100644
--- a/ui/b/app.js
+++ b/ui/b/app.js
@@ -99,13 +99,13 @@ export class AppClass {
   }
   async load_project_checked (project_or_path) {
     const err = await this.load_project (project_or_path);
-    if (err !== Ase.Error.NONE)
-      App.async_button_dialog ("Project Loading Error",
-			       "Failed to open project.\n" +
-			       displayfs (project_or_path) + ":\n" +
-			       await Ase.server.error_blurb (err), [
-				 { label: 'Dismiss', autofocus: true },
-			       ], 'ERROR');
+    if (err !== Ase.Error.NONE) {
+      let errblurb = Ase.server.error_blurb (err);
+      let msg = '# File IO Error\n  \n  \n';
+      msg += 'Failed to load project:\n\n';
+      msg += '`' + displayfs (project_or_path) + ": " + await errblurb + '`';
+      App.show_notice (msg);
+    }
     return err;
   }
   async load_project (project_or_path) {
diff --git a/ui/b/contextmenu.js b/ui/b/contextmenu.js
index 5279f919..114896dd 100644
--- a/ui/b/contextmenu.js
+++ b/ui/b/contextmenu.js
@@ -62,6 +62,7 @@ import { LitComponent, html, render, noChange, JsExtract, docs, ref } from '../l
 import * as Util from "../util.js";
 import * as Kbd from '../kbd.js';
 import { text_content, get_uri, valid_uri, has_uri } from '../dom.js';
+import * as Dom from "../dom.js";
 
 // == STYLE ==
 JsExtract.css`
@@ -362,7 +363,7 @@ class BContextMenu extends LitComponent {
     return (async () => {
       await this.updateComplete; // needed to access this.dialog
       this.reposition = true;
-      this.dialog.showModal();
+      Dom.show_modal (this.dialog);
       this.blur();
       App.zmove(); // force changes to be picked up
       // check items (and this used to handle auto-focus)
diff --git a/ui/b/crawlerdialog.js b/ui/b/crawlerdialog.js
index 9e76024d..5b2dce7e 100644
--- a/ui/b/crawlerdialog.js
+++ b/ui/b/crawlerdialog.js
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ import { Signal, State, Computed, Watcher, tracking_wrapper } from "../signal.js
 import { get_uri } from '../dom.js';
 import * as Util from "../util.js";
 import * as Kbd from "../kbd.js";
+import * as Dom from "../dom.js";
 
 // == STYLE ==
 JsExtract.css`
@@ -195,7 +196,7 @@ class BCrawlerDialog extends LitComponent {
     if (!this.shown && this.dialog.open)
       this.dialog.close();
     if (this.shown && !this.dialog.open)
-      this.dialog.showModal();
+      Dom.show_modal (this.dialog);
   }
   connectedCallback()
   {
diff --git a/ui/b/devicepanel.js b/ui/b/devicepanel.js
index 6e083c78..ba375e2c 100644
--- a/ui/b/devicepanel.js
+++ b/ui/b/devicepanel.js
@@ -55,10 +55,9 @@ b-devicepanel {
   }
   position: relative;
   &::after {
-    position: absolute; left:0; top:0; right:0; bottom:0;
-    content: ' '; pointer-events: none;
+    @apply absolute pointer-events-none inset-0;
+    content: ' '; z-index: 9; //* raise above scrolled siblings */
     box-shadow: inset -10px 0 7px -7px #000, inset 10px 0 7px -7px #000;
-    z-index: 9; //* raise above scrolled siblings */
   }
 }`;
 
diff --git a/ui/b/icon.js b/ui/b/icon.js
index ade0ef46..f2ed0642 100644
--- a/ui/b/icon.js
+++ b/ui/b/icon.js
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ import * as Dom from "../dom.js";
 // == STYLE ==
 JsExtract.css`
 b-icon { // not using shadow-root here
-  display: inline-flex !important;
+  display: inline-flex;
   place-content: center center;
   flex-wrap: wrap; /* needed for align-content:center */
   &[hflip]		{ transform: scaleX(-1); }
diff --git a/ui/b/menubar.js b/ui/b/menubar.js
index 700bcedf..c50612d4 100644
--- a/ui/b/menubar.js
+++ b/ui/b/menubar.js
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ const HTML = (t, d) =>  html`
 	  <b-icon ic="bc-folder" ></b-icon>
 	  <b-icon ic="bc-menumore" ></b-icon>
 	</div>
-	<b-contextmenu ${ref (h => t.filemenu = h)} id="g-filemenu" .activate=${activate} .isactive=${isactive} startfocus1 >
+	<b-contextmenu ${ref (h => t.filemenu = h)} id="g-filemenu" .activate=${activate} .isactive=${isactive} >
 	  <button ic="fa-file-o"	kbd="Ctrl+N"		uri="loadnew" >	New Project		</button>
 	  <button ic="fa-file-audio-o" 	kbd="Ctrl+O"		uri="load"    >	Open Project…		</button>
 	  <button ic="mi-save_alt"     	kbd="Ctrl+S"		uri="save"    >	Save Project		</button>
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ const HTML = (t, d) =>  html`
 	  <b-icon ic="mi-draw" ></b-icon>
 	  <b-icon ic="bc-menumore" ></b-icon>
 	</div>
-	<b-contextmenu ${ref (h => t.editmenu = h)} id="g-editmenu" .activate=${activate} .isactive=${isactive} startfocus >
+	<b-contextmenu ${ref (h => t.editmenu = h)} id="g-editmenu" .activate=${activate} .isactive=${isactive} >
 	  <button ic="mi-undo" .disabled=${!true} kbd="Ctrl+Z"       uri="undo">	Undo	</button>
 	  <button ic="mi-redo" .disabled=${!true} kbd="Shift+Ctrl+Z" uri="redo">	Redo	</button>
 	</b-contextmenu>
@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ const HTML = (t, d) =>  html`
 	  <b-icon ic="fa-eye" ></b-icon>
 	  <b-icon ic="bc-menumore" ></b-icon>
 	</div>
-	<b-contextmenu ${ref (h => t.viewmenu = h)} id="g-viewmenu" .activate=${activate} .isactive=${isactive} startfocus >
+	<b-contextmenu ${ref (h => t.viewmenu = h)} id="g-viewmenu" .activate=${activate} .isactive=${isactive} >
 	  <button ic="mi-fullscreen" .disabled=${!document.fullscreenEnabled}
 		  kbd="F11" uri="fullscreen">	Toggle Fullscreen	</button>
 	  ${ELECTRON_MENUITEMS (t)}
@@ -92,7 +92,7 @@ const HTML = (t, d) =>  html`
 	  <b-icon ic="fa-life-ring" ></b-icon>
 	  <b-icon ic="bc-menumore" ></b-icon>
 	</div>
-	<b-contextmenu ${ref (h => t.helpmenu = h)} id="g-helpmenu" .activate=${activate} .isactive=${isactive} startfocus >
+	<b-contextmenu ${ref (h => t.helpmenu = h)} id="g-helpmenu" .activate=${activate} .isactive=${isactive} >
 	  <button ic="mi-chrome_reader_mode"	uri="user-manual">	Anklang Manual…		</button>
 	  <button ic="mi-chrome_reader_mode"	uri="dev-manual">	Development Reference…	</button>
 	  <b-menuseparator></b-menuseparator>
@@ -185,7 +185,7 @@ async function activate (uri, event)
 				   (Electron ?
 				    [ 'Discard Changes', { label: 'Cancel', autofocus: true }, 'Save' ] :
 				    [ 'Discard Changes', { label: 'Cancel', autofocus: true },
-				      { label: 'Save', disabled: true } ]),
+				      { label: 'Save', disabled: false } ]),
 				   'QUESTION');
       v = await v;
       if (v == 0)
@@ -301,21 +301,18 @@ async function save_project (asnew = false) {
       if (replace != 1)
 	return false;
     }
-  const err = await App.save_project (filename);
-  if (err === Ase.Error.NONE)
-    {
-      filename = await Data.project.saved_filename();
-      let msg = '### Project Saved\n';
-      msg += '  \n  \nProject saved to: ``' + displayfs (filename) + '``\n';
-      App.show_notice (msg);
-      return true;
-    }
-  await App.async_button_dialog ("File IO Error",
-				 "Failed to save project.\n" +
-				 displayfs (filename) + ": " +
-				 await Ase.server.error_blurb (err), [
-				   { label: 'Dismiss', autofocus: true }
-				 ], 'ERROR');
-  return false;
+  let msg, err = await App.save_project (filename);
+  if (err === Ase.Error.NONE) {
+    filename = await Data.project.saved_filename(); // get canonicalized form
+    msg = '### Project Saved\n  \n  \n';
+    msg += 'Project successfully saved to:\n\n`' + displayfs (filename) + '`\n';
+  } else {
+    let errblurb = Ase.server.error_blurb (err);
+    msg = '# File IO Error\n  \n  \n';
+    msg += 'Failed to save project:\n\n';
+    msg += '`' + displayfs (filename) + ": " + await errblurb + '`';
+  }
+  App.show_notice (msg);
+  return err === Ase.Error.NONE;
 }
 let save_project_last_dir = "~MUSIC";
diff --git a/ui/dom.js b/ui/dom.js
index 509d025a..bc24f7cd 100644
--- a/ui/dom.js
+++ b/ui/dom.js
@@ -98,3 +98,46 @@ export function text_content (element, with_children = true)
       s += element.childNodes[i].textContent;
   return s;
 }
+
+/// Show a `dialog` via showModal() and close it on backdrop clicks.
+export function show_modal (dialog)
+{
+  if (dialog.open) return;
+  // close dialog on backdrop clicks, but:
+  // - avoid matching text-select drags that end up on backdrop area
+  // - avoid matching Enter-click event coordinates from input-submit with clientX*clientY==0
+  // - avoid matching an outside popup click, after a previous pointerdown+Escape combination
+  // - avoid re-popup by clicking on outside menu button and closing early on pointerdown
+  let pointer_outside = false; // must reset on every dialog.showModal()
+  const pointerdown = event => {
+    pointer_outside = (event.buttons && event.target === dialog && // backdrop has target==dialog
+		       (event.offsetX < 0 || event.offsetX >= event.target.offsetWidth ||
+			event.offsetY < 0 || event.offsetY >= event.target.offsetHeight));
+  };
+  const pointerup = event => {
+    if (pointer_outside && event.target === dialog && // backdrop as target is dialog
+	(event.offsetX < 0 || event.offsetX >= event.target.offsetWidth ||
+	 event.offsetY < 0 || event.offsetY >= event.target.offsetHeight))
+      dialog.close();
+    else
+      pointer_outside = false;
+  };
+  const mousedown = event => {
+    // prevent focus on the dialog itself
+    if (event.buttons)
+      event.preventDefault();
+  };
+  const capture = { capture: true };
+  const close = event => {
+    dialog.removeEventListener ('pointerdown', pointerdown, capture);
+    dialog.removeEventListener ('pointerup', pointerup);
+    dialog.removeEventListener ('mousedown', mousedown);
+    dialog.removeEventListener ('close', close);
+  };
+  dialog.addEventListener ('pointerdown', pointerdown, capture);
+  dialog.addEventListener ('pointerup', pointerup);
+  dialog.addEventListener ('mousedown', mousedown);
+  dialog.addEventListener ('close', close);
+  dialog.showModal();
+  return dialog;
+}