tolaria/docs/adr/0015-auto-save-with-debounce.md

type, id, title, status, date

type	id	title	status	date
ADR	0015	Auto-save with 500ms debounce	active	2026-03-19

Context

Manual save (Cmd+S) was the only way to persist editor changes. Users occasionally lost work when switching notes or closing the app without saving. An auto-save mechanism was needed that balanced responsiveness (no perceived lag) with disk I/O efficiency (not writing on every keystroke).

Decision

Notes auto-save with a 500ms debounce after the last keystroke. The useEditorSave hook watches for editor content changes and triggers a save after 500ms of inactivity. The same save_note_content Rust command is used for both auto-save and manual save.

Options considered

• Option A (chosen): 500ms debounce auto-save — fast enough to feel instant, slow enough to batch rapid keystrokes. Downside: 500ms window where unsaved changes exist.
• Option B: Save on every change (no debounce) — zero data loss risk. Downside: excessive disk writes, poor performance, frequent git diffs.
• Option C: Save on note switch / app blur only — minimal disk writes. Downside: data loss if app crashes mid-edit, no live preview of changes in other views.

Consequences

• Users never need to manually save (Cmd+S still works as an immediate save).
• Auto-save triggers vault entry updates, keeping the note list, search, and relationships current.
• The same save path handles wikilink extraction and frontmatter parsing after save.
• Secondary windows (multi-window mode) each have their own auto-save via useEditorSaveWithLinks.
• Re-evaluation trigger: if 500ms is too aggressive for low-powered devices or network-synced vaults.