Document Ownership

Document ownership controls who can edit a document.

What ownership means

Only one tab can edit a document at a time.

• Active tab → editable
• Other tabs → read-only

Why this exists

This prevents:

• Conflicting edits
• Accidental overwrites
• Broken version history

How ownership works

When a document is opened:

• The tab tries to become the editor
• If another tab is already editing → this tab becomes read-only

Read-only states

Cross-tab behavior

If you open the same document in another tab:

• One tab remains the editor
• Other tabs become read-only

Cross-browser behavior

Different browsers do not share ownership directly.

Instead:

• Changes are synced through versions
• Conflicts are prevented automatically

Taking over editing

You can take over editing:

• The current editor becomes read-only
• Your tab becomes editable

If a tab closes or crashes

• Ownership is released
• Another tab can take over

Key rules

• Only one editor at a time
• Read-only protects your work
• You can always take over

Learn more:

• Panel Modes
• Remote Sync

Advanced: Ownership & Leasing

For a deeper explanation of how this works, see Advanced: Ownership & Leasing.

Ownership is managed through a leasing system.

Lease behavior

• The active tab holds the lease
• It regularly signals that it is still active
• If it stops responding, the lease expires

Lease expiration

If a tab becomes inactive:

• Ownership is released automatically
• Another tab can take over

Takeover flow

When you take over:

1. Your tab requests ownership
2. The previous editor loses control
3. Your tab becomes editable

Why this model works

• Prevents multiple writers
• Recovers from crashes or inactive tabs
• Keeps editing predictable

For more system details:

Advanced: Sync & Conflict Resolution