apps/web/src/import/VaultImportSection.tsx

@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ import type {
 } from '@dorfteich/shared';
 import { buildTree, labelDepth } from '@dorfteich/shared';
 import { useQuery, useQueryClient } from '@tanstack/react-query';
-import { useRef, useState } from 'react';
+import { useId, useRef, useState } from 'react';
 import { useTranslation } from 'react-i18next';
 import { Link } from 'react-router-dom';
 
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ import { FormError } from '../components/forms';
 import { labelsKey, usePondLabels } from '../labels/use-pond-labels';
 import { ApiError, apiGet, apiPost, apiUploadFile } from '../lib/api';
 import { useDismissable } from '../lib/use-dismissable';
+import { useModalFocus } from '../lib/use-modal-focus';
 
 const POLL_INTERVAL_MS = 1000;
 // Vault jobs process many notes and files — budget well past a single
@@ -83,6 +84,8 @@ function VaultImportDialog({
   const [frontmatter, setFrontmatter] = useState<VaultFrontmatterMode>('strip');
   const running = phase.kind === 'running';
   useDismissable(dialogRef, !running, onClose);
+  useModalFocus(dialogRef);
+  const titleId = useId();
 
   const pond = useQuery({
     queryKey: ['pond', pondSlug],
@@ -182,8 +185,17 @@ function VaultImportDialog({
 
   return (
     <div className="modal-overlay">
-      <div className="modal vault-import-dialog" role="dialog" aria-modal="true" ref={dialogRef}>
-        <h2 className="modal__title">{t('vault.title')}</h2>
+      <div
+        className="modal vault-import-dialog"
+        role="dialog"
+        aria-modal="true"
+        aria-labelledby={titleId}
+        tabIndex={-1}
+        ref={dialogRef}
+      >
+        <h2 className="modal__title" id={titleId}>
+          {t('vault.title')}
+        </h2>
         <FormError error={error} />
 
         {phase.kind === 'done' ? (

apps/web/src/lib/use-modal-focus.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,69 @@
+import { useEffect, type RefObject } from 'react';
+
+const FOCUSABLE =
+  'a[href], button:not([disabled]), input:not([disabled]), select:not([disabled]), ' +
+  'textarea:not([disabled]), [tabindex]:not([tabindex="-1"])';
+
+function visibleFocusables(container: HTMLElement): HTMLElement[] {
+  return [...container.querySelectorAll<HTMLElement>(FOCUSABLE)].filter(
+    (el) => el.getClientRects().length > 0,
+  );
+}
+
+/**
+ * Focus management for modal dialogs (issue #162, WCAG 2.4.3): moves focus
+ * into the dialog on mount (unless an autofocused child already holds it),
+ * keeps Tab/Shift+Tab cycling inside, and returns focus on unmount — to
+ * `restoreRef` if given (an element, or a container whose first focusable
+ * child is used; needed when the opening control unmounts with its menu),
+ * otherwise to the element focused when the dialog appeared.
+ */
+export function useModalFocus(
+  ref: RefObject<HTMLElement | null>,
+  restoreRef?: RefObject<HTMLElement | null>,
+): void {
+  useEffect(() => {
+    const dialog = ref.current;
+    if (!dialog) return undefined;
+    const opener = document.activeElement instanceof HTMLElement ? document.activeElement : null;
+
+    if (!dialog.contains(document.activeElement)) {
+      (visibleFocusables(dialog)[0] ?? dialog).focus();
+    }
+
+    function onKeyDown(event: KeyboardEvent): void {
+      if (event.key !== 'Tab') return;
+      const focusables = visibleFocusables(dialog!);
+      if (focusables.length === 0) {
+        event.preventDefault();
+        return;
+      }
+      const first = focusables[0]!;
+      const last = focusables[focusables.length - 1]!;
+      const active = document.activeElement;
+      const inside = dialog!.contains(active);
+      if (event.shiftKey && (active === first || !inside)) {
+        event.preventDefault();
+        last.focus();
+      } else if (!event.shiftKey && (active === last || !inside)) {
+        event.preventDefault();
+        first.focus();
+      }
+    }
+
+    document.addEventListener('keydown', onKeyDown, true);
+    return () => {
+      document.removeEventListener('keydown', onKeyDown, true);
+      const target = restoreRef?.current;
+      const restore =
+        target && target.isConnected
+          ? target.matches(FOCUSABLE)
+            ? target
+            : visibleFocusables(target)[0]
+          : opener && opener.isConnected
+            ? opener
+            : undefined;
+      restore?.focus();
+    };
+  }, [ref, restoreRef]);
+}

apps/web/src/pages/DeletePageDialog.tsx

@@ -1,9 +1,10 @@
-import { useRef, useState } from 'react';
+import { useId, useRef, useState } from 'react';
 import { useTranslation } from 'react-i18next';
 
 import { FormError } from '../components/forms';
 import { apiDelete } from '../lib/api';
 import { useDismissable } from '../lib/use-dismissable';
+import { useModalFocus } from '../lib/use-modal-focus';
 
 /**
  * The per-case delete decision for a page with subpages (issue #107/#109):
@@ -17,18 +18,23 @@ export function DeletePageDialog({
   childCount,
   onDeleted,
   onClose,
+  returnFocusRef,
 }: {
   pageId: string;
   title: string;
   childCount: number;
   onDeleted: () => void;
   onClose: () => void;
+  /** Where focus goes after closing when the opening control unmounted. */
+  returnFocusRef?: React.RefObject<HTMLElement | null>;
 }): React.JSX.Element {
   const { t } = useTranslation('editor');
   const [error, setError] = useState<unknown>(null);
   const [busy, setBusy] = useState(false);
   const dialogRef = useRef<HTMLDivElement>(null);
+  const titleId = useId();
   useDismissable(dialogRef, true, onClose);
+  useModalFocus(dialogRef, returnFocusRef);
 
   async function remove(mode: 'promote' | 'subtree'): Promise<void> {
     setError(null);
@@ -44,8 +50,17 @@ export function DeletePageDialog({
 
   return (
     <div className="modal-overlay">
-      <div className="modal delete-page-dialog" role="dialog" aria-modal="true" ref={dialogRef}>
-        <h2 className="modal__title">{t('page.deleteChildrenTitle')}</h2>
+      <div
+        className="modal delete-page-dialog"
+        role="dialog"
+        aria-modal="true"
+        aria-labelledby={titleId}
+        tabIndex={-1}
+        ref={dialogRef}
+      >
+        <h2 className="modal__title" id={titleId}>
+          {t('page.deleteChildrenTitle')}
+        </h2>
         <FormError error={error} />
         <p>{t('page.deleteChildrenHint', { title, count: childCount })}</p>
         <div className="modal__actions modal__actions--stacked">

apps/web/src/pages/MovePageDialog.tsx

@@ -1,12 +1,13 @@
 import type { PageListItemView, PondView, TreeNode } from '@dorfteich/shared';
 import { buildTree, collectSubtreeIds } from '@dorfteich/shared';
 import { useQuery, useQueryClient } from '@tanstack/react-query';
-import { useRef, useState } from 'react';
+import { useId, useRef, useState } from 'react';
 import { useTranslation } from 'react-i18next';
 
 import { FormError } from '../components/forms';
 import { apiGet, apiPatch } from '../lib/api';
 import { useDismissable } from '../lib/use-dismissable';
+import { useModalFocus } from '../lib/use-modal-focus';
 
 /**
  * "Move to…" dialog (issue #109): an indented parent picker over the page
@@ -19,17 +20,22 @@ export function MovePageDialog({
   pageId,
   pondSlug,
   onClose,
+  returnFocusRef,
 }: {
   pageId: string;
   pondSlug: string;
   onClose: () => void;
+  /** Where focus goes after closing when the opening control unmounted. */
+  returnFocusRef?: React.RefObject<HTMLElement | null>;
 }): React.JSX.Element {
   const { t } = useTranslation('editor');
   const queryClient = useQueryClient();
   const [error, setError] = useState<unknown>(null);
   const [busy, setBusy] = useState(false);
   const dialogRef = useRef<HTMLDivElement>(null);
+  const titleId = useId();
   useDismissable(dialogRef, true, onClose);
+  useModalFocus(dialogRef, returnFocusRef);
 
   const pond = useQuery({
     queryKey: ['pond', pondSlug],
@@ -81,8 +87,17 @@ export function MovePageDialog({
 
   return (
     <div className="modal-overlay">
-      <div className="modal move-dialog" role="dialog" aria-modal="true" ref={dialogRef}>
-        <h2 className="modal__title">{t('page.moveTitle')}</h2>
+      <div
+        className="modal move-dialog"
+        role="dialog"
+        aria-modal="true"
+        aria-labelledby={titleId}
+        tabIndex={-1}
+        ref={dialogRef}
+      >
+        <h2 className="modal__title" id={titleId}>
+          {t('page.moveTitle')}
+        </h2>
         <FormError error={error} />
         <ul className="move-dialog__options">
           <li>

apps/web/src/pages/PageActions.tsx

@@ -284,13 +284,19 @@ function PageOverflowMenu({
         </div>
       )}
       {moving && (
-        <MovePageDialog pageId={pageId} pondSlug={pondSlug} onClose={() => setMoving(false)} />
+        <MovePageDialog
+          pageId={pageId}
+          pondSlug={pondSlug}
+          onClose={() => setMoving(false)}
+          returnFocusRef={menuRef}
+        />
       )}
       {deleting && (
         <DeletePageDialog
           pageId={pageId}
           title={deleting.title}
           childCount={deleting.childCount}
+          returnFocusRef={menuRef}
           onDeleted={() => {
             setDeleting(null);
             void queryClient.invalidateQueries({ queryKey: ['pages'] });

apps/web/src/search/SearchPalette.tsx

@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import { LabelChips } from '../labels/LabelChips';
 import { usePondLabels } from '../labels/use-pond-labels';
 import { useCurrentPondRoute } from '../layout/use-pond-route';
 import { apiGet } from '../lib/api';
+import { useModalFocus } from '../lib/use-modal-focus';
 import { HighlightedSnippet } from './highlight';
 
 const RECENT_KEY = 'dorfteich.recentSearches';
@@ -45,6 +46,8 @@ export function SearchPalette({ onClose }: { onClose: () => void }): React.JSX.E
   const navigate = useNavigate();
   const { pondSlug } = useCurrentPondRoute();
   const inputRef = useRef<HTMLInputElement>(null);
+  const overlayRef = useRef<HTMLDivElement>(null);
+  useModalFocus(overlayRef);
 
   const pond = useQuery({
     queryKey: ['pond', pondSlug],
@@ -111,7 +114,13 @@ export function SearchPalette({ onClose }: { onClose: () => void }): React.JSX.E
   }
 
   return (
-    <div className="search-overlay" role="dialog" aria-modal="true" aria-label={t('title')}>
+    <div
+      className="search-overlay"
+      role="dialog"
+      aria-modal="true"
+      aria-label={t('title')}
+      ref={overlayRef}
+    >
       <div className="search-backdrop" onClick={onClose} aria-hidden />
       <div className="search-palette" onKeyDown={onKeyDown}>
         <input