diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 079e841..da56895 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ Leafdown uses lightweight [Keep a Changelog](https://keepachangelog.com/en/1.1.0
 - Traverse the article navigator with the arrow keys, `Home`, and `End`, and pass it with a single `Tab` instead of one per article.
 - Jump to an article by typing the start of its name while the navigator has focus.
 - Leave focus on the revealed row after `Reveal in sidebar`, instead of scrolling to it and leaving focus behind.
+- Keep focus in the article navigator when a folder refresh removes the focused row, instead of dropping it to the start of the window.
 - Announce the article navigator as a tree, with the nesting depth, sibling position, and expanded state of every row.
 - Keep empty folders in the article navigator reachable instead of skipping them.
 - Open the editor context popup with `Shift+F10` or the `Menu` key and operate every command in it from the keyboard.
diff --git a/docs/specification.md b/docs/specification.md
index a89588c..7094a13 100644
--- a/docs/specification.md
+++ b/docs/specification.md
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ Primary user interface surfaces:
 
 ### Article Navigator Traversal
 
-The article navigator is a tree and takes a single tab stop. Focus enters on the open document, or on the first row when no document is open.
+The article navigator is a tree and takes a single tab stop. Focus enters on the open document, or on the first row when no document is open. When a folder refresh removes the focused row, focus moves to the row that inherits the tab stop.
 
 - `ArrowDown` and `ArrowUp`: Move to the next or previous visible row, stopping at either end.
 - `ArrowRight`: Expand the focused directory, or move into it when it is already expanded.
diff --git a/src/features/folder-context/components/article-navigator.test.tsx b/src/features/folder-context/components/article-navigator.test.tsx
index 2f7472e..3c5d655 100644
--- a/src/features/folder-context/components/article-navigator.test.tsx
+++ b/src/features/folder-context/components/article-navigator.test.tsx
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
 
+import type { FolderContextState } from "@/features/folder-context";
 import {
   createEmptyFolderContext,
   createFolderContext,
@@ -16,6 +17,14 @@ const folderContext = createFolderContext();
 
 const nestedFolderContext = createFolderContext({ tree: createNestedArticleTree() });
 
+const nestedFolderContextWithoutSpec = createFolderContext({
+  tree: createNestedArticleTree({
+    children: createNestedArticleTree().children.map((child) =>
+      child.kind === "directory" ? { ...child, children: [] } : child,
+    ),
+  }),
+});
+
 const emptyFolderContext = createEmptyFolderContext();
 
 const folderContextWithScanWarning = createFolderContext({
@@ -250,6 +259,78 @@ describe("article-navigator", () => {
     expect(screen.getAllByRole("treeitem").filter((row) => row.tabIndex === 0)).toHaveLength(1);
   });
 
+  it("follows the tab stop when a rebuild removes the focused row", () => {
+    useArticleNavigatorStore.getState().expandDirectories([TEST_NESTED_DIRECTORY_PATH]);
+
+    const { rerender } = render(
+      <ArticleNavigator
+        activeArticlePath={null}
+        folderContext={nestedFolderContext}
+        onOpenArticle={vi.fn()}
+      />,
+    );
+
+    act(() => screen.getByRole("treeitem", { name: "spec.md" }).focus());
+    rerender(
+      <ArticleNavigator
+        activeArticlePath={null}
+        folderContext={nestedFolderContextWithoutSpec}
+        onOpenArticle={vi.fn()}
+      />,
+    );
+
+    const directory = screen.getByRole("treeitem", { name: "docs" });
+
+    expect(directory).toHaveFocus();
+    expect(directory.tabIndex).toBe(0);
+  });
+
+  it("leaves focus outside the navigator when a rebuild removes a row", () => {
+    useArticleNavigatorStore.getState().expandDirectories([TEST_NESTED_DIRECTORY_PATH]);
+
+    const renderTree = (folderContext: FolderContextState) => (
+      <>
+        <button type="button">Editor</button>
+        <ArticleNavigator
+          activeArticlePath={null}
+          folderContext={folderContext}
+          onOpenArticle={vi.fn()}
+        />
+      </>
+    );
+    const { rerender } = render(renderTree(nestedFolderContext));
+
+    act(() => screen.getByRole("treeitem", { name: "spec.md" }).focus());
+    act(() => screen.getByRole("button", { name: "Editor" }).focus());
+    rerender(renderTree(nestedFolderContextWithoutSpec));
+
+    expect(screen.getByRole("button", { name: "Editor" })).toHaveFocus();
+  });
+
+  it("does not claim focus from the document body when a rebuild removes a row", () => {
+    useArticleNavigatorStore.getState().expandDirectories([TEST_NESTED_DIRECTORY_PATH]);
+
+    const { rerender } = render(
+      <ArticleNavigator
+        activeArticlePath={null}
+        folderContext={nestedFolderContext}
+        onOpenArticle={vi.fn()}
+      />,
+    );
+
+    act(() => screen.getByRole("treeitem", { name: "spec.md" }).focus());
+    act(() => screen.getByRole("treeitem", { name: "spec.md" }).blur());
+    rerender(
+      <ArticleNavigator
+        activeArticlePath={null}
+        folderContext={nestedFolderContextWithoutSpec}
+        onOpenArticle={vi.fn()}
+      />,
+    );
+
+    expect(document.body).toHaveFocus();
+  });
+
   it("focuses the revealed row and hands it the tab stop", () => {
     render(
       <ArticleNavigator
diff --git a/src/features/folder-context/components/article-navigator.tsx b/src/features/folder-context/components/article-navigator.tsx
index 364ab1e..4b87cb9 100644
--- a/src/features/folder-context/components/article-navigator.tsx
+++ b/src/features/folder-context/components/article-navigator.tsx
@@ -204,8 +204,10 @@ function ArticleNavigatorRows({
   const revealRequestId = useArticleNavigatorStore((state) => state.revealRequestId);
   const [focus, setFocus] = useState<ArticleNavigatorFocus>({ path: null, requestId: 0 });
   const rowElementsRef = useRef(new Map<string, HTMLLIElement>());
+  const hasRowFocusRef = useRef(false);
   const typeaheadRef = useRef({ buffer: "", lastKeyAtMs: 0 });
   const focusedIndex = getArticleNavigatorFocusedIndex(rows, focus.path);
+  const focusedRowPath = rows[focusedIndex]?.path;
   const handledRevealRequestIdRef = useRef(0);
   const revealRowIndex = rows.findIndex(
     (row) =>
@@ -236,6 +238,18 @@ function ArticleNavigatorRows({
     rowElementsRef.current.get(revealRowPath)?.focus();
   }, [revealRequestId, revealRowIndex, revealRowPath]);
 
+  useEffect(() => {
+    if (
+      focusedRowPath === undefined ||
+      !hasRowFocusRef.current ||
+      document.activeElement !== document.body
+    ) {
+      return;
+    }
+
+    rowElementsRef.current.get(focusedRowPath)?.focus();
+  }, [focusedRowPath]);
+
   const focusRow = (index: number) => {
     const path = rows[index]?.path;
 
@@ -323,6 +337,9 @@ function ArticleNavigatorRows({
       <VirtualListContent
         aria-label="Articles"
         className="mx-1"
+        onBlur={() => {
+          hasRowFocusRef.current = false;
+        }}
         onKeyDown={handleKeyDown}
         role="tree"
       >
@@ -332,7 +349,10 @@ function ArticleNavigatorRows({
               key={row.path}
               isTabStop={index === focusedIndex}
               onActivate={() => activateRow(index)}
-              onFocus={() => setFocus((currentFocus) => ({ ...currentFocus, path: row.path }))}
+              onFocus={() => {
+                hasRowFocusRef.current = true;
+                setFocus((currentFocus) => ({ ...currentFocus, path: row.path }));
+              }}
               registerElement={(element) =>
                 registerRowElement(rowElementsRef.current, row, element)
               }