diff --git a/evalboard/app/_components/__tests__/search-box.test.tsx b/evalboard/app/_components/__tests__/search-box.test.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..2b30f8ae
--- /dev/null
+++ b/evalboard/app/_components/__tests__/search-box.test.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,75 @@
+import { describe, expect, test, vi, beforeEach, afterEach } from "vitest";
+import { render, screen, act, fireEvent } from "@testing-library/react";
+
+// vi.hoisted ensures these are initialized before vi.mock hoists its factory.
+const { mockReplace, navState } = vi.hoisted(() => ({
+    mockReplace: vi.fn(),
+    navState: { q: "" as string },
+}));
+
+vi.mock("next/navigation", () => ({
+    useRouter: () => ({ replace: mockReplace }),
+    usePathname: () => "/",
+    useSearchParams: () => new URLSearchParams(navState.q ? `q=${navState.q}` : ""),
+}));
+
+const { SearchBox } = await import("../search-box");
+
+describe("SearchBox — typing-ahead race condition", () => {
+    beforeEach(() => {
+        vi.useFakeTimers();
+        mockReplace.mockClear();
+        navState.q = "";
+    });
+    afterEach(() => {
+        vi.useRealTimers();
+    });
+
+    test("preserves in-progress input when a navigation resolves mid-typing", () => {
+        // Reproduces the race: user types "foo" → debounce fires → user types
+        // more → navigation for "foo" resolves → input must NOT reset to "foo".
+        const { rerender } = render(<SearchBox />);
+        const input = screen.getByRole("textbox");
+
+        fireEvent.change(input, { target: { value: "foo" } });
+
+        // Debounce fires; typingAhead becomes false.
+        act(() => { vi.advanceTimersByTime(300); });
+        expect(mockReplace).toHaveBeenCalledOnce();
+
+        // User types more before the navigation resolves.
+        fireEvent.change(input, { target: { value: "foobar" } });
+
+        // Navigation for "foo" resolves — URL now reports "foo".
+        navState.q = "foo";
+        rerender(<SearchBox />);
+
+        // typingAhead is true, so the sync effect must NOT overwrite the input.
+        expect(input).toHaveValue("foobar");
+    });
+
+    test("syncs from URL when the user is not typing (external navigation)", () => {
+        // Back/forward nav or a tag click should still update the input when the
+        // user hasn't typed anything since the last URL write.
+        const { rerender } = render(<SearchBox />);
+        const input = screen.getByRole("textbox");
+
+        navState.q = "tag:alpha";
+        rerender(<SearchBox />);
+
+        expect(input).toHaveValue("tag:alpha");
+    });
+
+    test("clears the input when the URL is cleared externally", () => {
+        navState.q = "foo";
+        const { rerender } = render(<SearchBox />);
+        const input = screen.getByRole("textbox");
+
+        expect(input).toHaveValue("foo");
+
+        navState.q = "";
+        rerender(<SearchBox />);
+
+        expect(input).toHaveValue("");
+    });
+});
diff --git a/evalboard/app/_components/search-box.tsx b/evalboard/app/_components/search-box.tsx
index 2a0e35f8..52b9563d 100644
--- a/evalboard/app/_components/search-box.tsx
+++ b/evalboard/app/_components/search-box.tsx
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 "use client";
 
 import { usePathname, useRouter, useSearchParams } from "next/navigation";
-import { useEffect, useState } from "react";
+import { useEffect, useRef, useState } from "react";
 
 const Q_DEBOUNCE_MS = 300;
 
@@ -18,18 +18,28 @@ export function SearchBox({
 
     const urlQ = searchParams.get("q") ?? "";
     const [q, setQ] = useState(urlQ);
+    // True while the user has typed ahead of the last URL write. Prevents the
+    // URL-sync effect from overwriting in-progress input when a navigation
+    // triggered by the debounce resolves asynchronously.
+    const typingAhead = useRef(false);
 
     // Sync local state when the URL changes externally (back/forward, link
-    // clicks). The debounced write below early-returns when state and URL
-    // agree, so this can't loop.
+    // clicks). Skipped while the user is ahead of the URL to avoid clobbering
+    // in-progress input with a stale value from a just-resolved navigation.
     useEffect(() => {
+        if (typingAhead.current) return;
         setQ((prev) => (prev.trim() === urlQ ? prev : urlQ));
     }, [urlQ]);
 
     useEffect(() => {
         const trimmed = q.trim();
-        if (trimmed === urlQ) return;
+        if (trimmed === urlQ) {
+            typingAhead.current = false;
+            return;
+        }
+        typingAhead.current = true;
         const timer = setTimeout(() => {
+            typingAhead.current = false;
             // Read the live URL at fire time so a concurrent write (e.g. a
             // tag click that landed during the debounce) isn't clobbered.
             const params = new URLSearchParams(window.location.search);
@@ -40,6 +50,8 @@ export function SearchBox({
                 scroll: false,
             });
         }, Q_DEBOUNCE_MS);
+        // Don't clear typingAhead in cleanup — the timer was cancelled because
+        // the user typed another character, so they're still ahead of the URL.
         return () => clearTimeout(timer);
     }, [q, urlQ, pathname, router]);