When a user loses the edit lock while a form or modal is still open — due to a timeout, network interruption, or another user forcibly taking the lock — any unsaved changes are preserved as a draft. The next time the user enters edit mode, they are offered the option to restore their draft.
Losing the edit lock mid-edit currently means losing whatever you were typing. For long-form inputs like project descriptions or notes, this is a significant frustration. Draft recovery ensures that unexpected interruptions do not result in lost work.
When a form is open in edit mode, its current contents are periodically saved to browser local storage as a draft, keyed to the workspace and the specific record being edited. If the lock is lost before saving, the form closes gracefully. The next time the user opens the same form with an active edit lock, a banner at the top offers to restore the previous draft: "You have unsaved changes from your last session. Restore?" Accepting populates the form with the draft; dismissing clears it.