diff --git a/apps/chanora_flutter/lib/main.dart b/apps/chanora_flutter/lib/main.dart
index c90fcf7..a81b6c0 100644
--- a/apps/chanora_flutter/lib/main.dart
+++ b/apps/chanora_flutter/lib/main.dart
@@ -1315,6 +1315,23 @@ class _ConnectFormState extends State<_ConnectForm> {
   //
   // and wire onTap: () => _kickFocus(_xxxFocus) on each TextField.
 
+  /// Dismisses the soft keyboard when the user taps outside any
+  /// TextField in this form. Wired into each TextField via the
+  /// built-in `onTapOutside` parameter (Flutter 3.10+), which uses
+  /// the framework's TapRegion machinery to detect taps outside the
+  /// field's region without us having to install an outer
+  /// GestureDetector (which previously caused a
+  /// '_dependents.isEmpty' assertion when modal-sheet pop sequences
+  /// raced the InheritedWidget dependency cleanup).
+  ///
+  /// Uses FocusManager.instance \u2014 a global singleton with no
+  /// BuildContext dependency \u2014 instead of FocusScope.of(context),
+  /// to avoid subscribing this widget's Element to any
+  /// InheritedWidget.
+  void _onTapOutside(PointerDownEvent _) {
+    FocusManager.instance.primaryFocus?.unfocus();
+  }
+
   @override
   void dispose() {
     _hostFocus.dispose();
@@ -1328,32 +1345,46 @@ class _ConnectFormState extends State<_ConnectForm> {
     final l10n = AppL10n.of(context);
     // Tap-outside-to-unfocus.
     //
-    // Initial implementation used HitTestBehavior.translucent which
-    // dispatched the tap to BOTH this GestureDetector and any
-    // descendant TextField. That meant every field tap fired
-    // FocusScope.unfocus() at the same time the TextField's own
-    // gesture path was attaching TextInput \u2014 the two animations
-    // raced each other, producing the user-visible 500\u20131000 ms lag +
-    // 'stuck' keyboard behaviour reported on iPhone iOS 18.
+    // Iteration history:
+    //   * 020be77/23bd1c7: Listener pre-arena requestFocus +
+    //     SystemChannels.textInput.show. Caused first-tap-not-focusing
+    //     AND post-attach keystroke lag (Listener wins arena,
+    //     EditableText loses).
+    //   * 79f8360: _kickFocus(unfocus + Future.microtask refocus) on
+    //     every TextField.onTap. Caused 500-1000 ms keyboard slide-up
+    //     lag (microtask deferral collides with iOS keyboard
+    //     CAAnimation).
+    //   * 6955547: GestureDetector(HitTestBehavior.opaque, onTap:
+    //     FocusScope.of(context).unfocus()) wrapping the Column.
+    //     Caused 'package:flutter/src/widgets/framework.dart line
+    //     6268 _dependents.isEmpty' assertion: the
+    //     FocusScope.of(context) call subscribes the GestureDetector's
+    //     Element to the _FocusScopeMarker InheritedWidget on every
+    //     build, and the modal-sheet pop sequence deactivates that
+    //     InheritedElement before the dependents fully clear,
+    //     tripping the debug assert.
     //
-    // Fixed by switching to HitTestBehavior.opaque. With opaque, the
-    // gesture arena still routes a tap on a TextField to that
-    // TextField's own recognizer (only one recognizer wins), so the
-    // outer onTap does NOT fire when the user taps a field. The
-    // outer onTap only fires when the user taps somewhere this
-    // GestureDetector receives that no child claimed \u2014 i.e. the
-    // empty padding between fields, the spacers, or below the
-    // bottom button row. That's exactly the tap-outside semantic we
-    // want, with zero interference on field taps.
-    return GestureDetector(
-      behavior: HitTestBehavior.opaque,
-      onTap: () => FocusScope.of(context).unfocus(),
-      child: Column(
-        crossAxisAlignment: CrossAxisAlignment.stretch,
-        children: [
+    // Current approach (no outer GestureDetector at all):
+    //   * Use TextField.onTapOutside (added Flutter 3.10+). Wired
+    //     per field. Uses FocusManager.instance (global, no
+    //     BuildContext dependency, no InheritedWidget race).
+    //   * iOS framework default for touch+mobile is to do NOTHING
+    //     on tap-outside (see flutter/widgets/editable_text.dart
+    //     _EditableTextTapOutsideAction:6748-6755) because the iOS
+    //     UX convention is 'swipe-down on the keyboard' or 'tap
+    //     Done' \u2014 not tap-outside. We override that explicitly
+    //     because most users expect tap-outside-to-dismiss in a
+    //     server-connect form context.
+    //   * No outer GestureDetector means zero gesture-arena
+    //     interference with the TextField's own tap recognizer \u2014
+    //     keyboard appears synchronously on first tap, no lag.
+    return Column(
+      crossAxisAlignment: CrossAxisAlignment.stretch,
+      children: [
         TextField(
           controller: widget.hostCtl,
           focusNode: _hostFocus,
+          onTapOutside: _onTapOutside,
           // Server addresses are URL-shaped: hostname or
           // hostname:port, all-lowercase ASCII, never user-
           // friendly prose. Configure the on-screen keyboard
@@ -1397,6 +1428,7 @@ class _ConnectFormState extends State<_ConnectForm> {
         TextField(
           controller: widget.nickCtl,
           focusNode: _nickFocus,
+          onTapOutside: _onTapOutside,
           textInputAction: TextInputAction.next,
           autocorrect: false,
           enableSuggestions: false,
@@ -1409,6 +1441,7 @@ class _ConnectFormState extends State<_ConnectForm> {
         TextField(
           controller: widget.passwordCtl,
           focusNode: _passwordFocus,
+          onTapOutside: _onTapOutside,
           obscureText: true,
           textInputAction: TextInputAction.done,
           autocorrect: false,
@@ -1438,7 +1471,6 @@ class _ConnectFormState extends State<_ConnectForm> {
           ],
         ),
       ],
-    ),
     );
   }
 }