diff --git a/job-tracker-ui/src/cv-builder-deep-link.test.tsx b/job-tracker-ui/src/cv-builder-deep-link.test.tsx
index 3781a43..6b771ff 100644
--- a/job-tracker-ui/src/cv-builder-deep-link.test.tsx
+++ b/job-tracker-ui/src/cv-builder-deep-link.test.tsx
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import React from 'react';
 import '@testing-library/jest-dom';
-import { render, screen } from '@testing-library/react';
-import { MemoryRouter, Route, Routes } from 'react-router-dom';
+import { fireEvent, render, screen } from '@testing-library/react';
+import { createMemoryRouter, RouterProvider } from 'react-router-dom';
 
 import CvBuilderEditor from './views/CvBuilderEditor';
 import { I18nProvider } from './i18n/I18nProvider';
@@ -37,14 +37,14 @@ const variant = {
 };
 
 function renderAt(id: number) {
+  const router = createMemoryRouter([
+    { path: '/career/builder/:id', element: <CvBuilderEditor /> },
+    { path: '/career/builder', element: <div>CV list destination</div> },
+  ], { initialEntries: [`/career/builder/${id}`] });
   return render(
     <I18nProvider>
       <ToastProvider>
-        <MemoryRouter initialEntries={[`/career/builder/${id}`]} future={{ v7_startTransition: true, v7_relativeSplatPath: true }}>
-          <Routes>
-            <Route path="/career/builder/:id" element={<CvBuilderEditor />} />
-          </Routes>
-        </MemoryRouter>
+        <RouterProvider router={router} future={{ v7_startTransition: true }} />
       </ToastProvider>
     </I18nProvider>,
   );
@@ -52,6 +52,7 @@ function renderAt(id: number) {
 
 beforeEach(() => {
   jest.clearAllMocks();
+  mockedApi.put.mockReset();
   mockedApi.post.mockResolvedValue({ data: { themeId: 'nordic', html: '<p>cv</p>', suggestedFileName: 'cv.pdf' } } as any);
 });
 
@@ -91,3 +92,44 @@ test("another user's variant is refused by the server and never rendered", async
 
   expect(await screen.findByText(/Could not open this CV/i)).toBeInTheDocument();
 });
+
+test('invalid names are explained and are not silently autosaved', async () => {
+  routeGet(() => Promise.resolve({ data: variant } as any));
+  renderAt(3);
+
+  fireEvent.change(await screen.findByLabelText('CV name'), { target: { value: '' } });
+
+  expect(screen.getByText('Enter a name before saving.')).toBeInTheDocument();
+  expect(screen.getByRole('button', { name: 'Save now' })).toBeDisabled();
+  expect(mockedApi.put).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+});
+
+test('failed autosave is visible and can be retried with the latest data', async () => {
+  routeGet(() => Promise.resolve({ data: variant } as any));
+  mockedApi.put.mockRejectedValueOnce(new Error('offline')).mockResolvedValueOnce({ data: variant } as any);
+  renderAt(3);
+
+  fireEvent.change(await screen.findByLabelText('Headline override'), { target: { value: 'Platform Engineer' } });
+  expect(screen.getByText('Unsaved')).toBeInTheDocument();
+  fireEvent.click(screen.getByRole('button', { name: 'Save now' }));
+
+  expect(await screen.findByText('Save failed')).toBeInTheDocument();
+  fireEvent.click(screen.getByRole('button', { name: 'Save now' }));
+  expect(await screen.findByText('Saved')).toBeInTheDocument();
+  expect(mockedApi.put).toHaveBeenLastCalledWith('/cv/variants/3', expect.objectContaining({
+    name: 'Backend CV',
+    settings: expect.objectContaining({ headline: 'Platform Engineer' }),
+  }));
+});
+
+test('internal navigation warns and can be cancelled before discarding a pending edit', async () => {
+  routeGet(() => Promise.resolve({ data: variant } as any));
+  const confirm = jest.spyOn(window, 'confirm').mockReturnValue(false);
+  renderAt(3);
+
+  fireEvent.change(await screen.findByLabelText('Headline override'), { target: { value: 'Unsaved headline' } });
+  fireEvent.click(screen.getByRole('button', { name: 'Back to CVs' }));
+  expect(confirm).toHaveBeenCalledWith('This CV has unsaved changes. Leave and discard them?');
+  expect(screen.getByDisplayValue('Backend CV')).toBeInTheDocument();
+  confirm.mockRestore();
+});
diff --git a/job-tracker-ui/src/views/CvBuilderEditor.tsx b/job-tracker-ui/src/views/CvBuilderEditor.tsx
index 288c43b..d3566ff 100644
--- a/job-tracker-ui/src/views/CvBuilderEditor.tsx
+++ b/job-tracker-ui/src/views/CvBuilderEditor.tsx
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import React, { useCallback, useEffect, useMemo, useRef, useState } from "react";
-import { useNavigate, useParams } from "react-router-dom";
+import { useBlocker, useNavigate, useParams } from "react-router-dom";
 
 import {
   Alert, Box, Button, Chip, Collapse, Divider, FormControl, FormControlLabel, IconButton, InputLabel,
@@ -67,6 +67,9 @@ export default function CvBuilderEditor() {
   const [loadError, setLoadError] = useState<string | null>(null);
 
   const saveTimer = useRef<ReturnType<typeof setTimeout> | null>(null);
+  const saveRevision = useRef(0);
+  const latestSettings = useRef<CvVariantSettings | null>(null);
+  const latestName = useRef("");
   const previewTimer = useRef<ReturnType<typeof setTimeout> | null>(null);
   const iframeRef = useRef<HTMLIFrameElement | null>(null);
   const scrollRef = useRef<HTMLDivElement | null>(null);
@@ -96,8 +99,12 @@ export default function CvBuilderEditor() {
   }, [variantId]);
 
   const applyVariant = (variant: CvVariant) => {
+    if (saveTimer.current) clearTimeout(saveTimer.current);
+    saveRevision.current += 1;
     setName(variant.name);
     setSettings(variant.settings);
+    latestName.current = variant.name;
+    latestSettings.current = variant.settings;
     setIsPublic(variant.isPublic);
     setPublicSlug(variant.publicSlug);
     setSaveState("saved");
@@ -123,23 +130,40 @@ export default function CvBuilderEditor() {
     };
   }, [settings]);
 
+  const performSave = useCallback(async (next: CvVariantSettings, nextName: string, revision: number) => {
+    setSaveState("saving");
+    try {
+      await cvBuilderApi.save(variantId, { name: nextName, settings: next, source: "autosave" });
+      if (saveRevision.current === revision) setSaveState("saved");
+      return true;
+    } catch {
+      if (saveRevision.current === revision) setSaveState("error");
+      return false;
+    }
+  }, [variantId]);
+
   const scheduleSave = useCallback(
-    (next: CvVariantSettings, nextName?: string) => {
+    (next: CvVariantSettings, nextName = latestName.current) => {
+      latestSettings.current = next;
+      latestName.current = nextName;
+      const revision = ++saveRevision.current;
       setSaveState("unsaved");
       if (saveTimer.current) clearTimeout(saveTimer.current);
+      if (!nextName.trim()) return;
       saveTimer.current = setTimeout(async () => {
-        setSaveState("saving");
-        try {
-          await cvBuilderApi.save(variantId, { name: nextName ?? name, settings: next, source: "autosave" });
-          setSaveState("saved");
-        } catch {
-          setSaveState("error");
-        }
+        await performSave(next, nextName, revision);
       }, 800);
     },
-    [variantId, name],
+    [performSave],
   );
 
+  const retrySave = useCallback(async () => {
+    if (!latestSettings.current || !latestName.current.trim()) return false;
+    if (saveTimer.current) clearTimeout(saveTimer.current);
+    const revision = ++saveRevision.current;
+    return performSave(latestSettings.current, latestName.current, revision);
+  }, [performSave]);
+
   const update = (patch: Partial<CvVariantSettings>) => {
     setSettings((prev) => {
       if (!prev) return prev;
@@ -151,9 +175,33 @@ export default function CvBuilderEditor() {
 
   const renameVariant = (value: string) => {
     setName(value);
+    latestName.current = value;
     if (settings) scheduleSave(settings, value);
   };
 
+  const hasUnsavedChanges = saveState === "unsaved" || saveState === "saving" || saveState === "error";
+  const blocker = useBlocker(hasUnsavedChanges);
+
+  useEffect(() => {
+    if (blocker.state !== "blocked") return;
+    if (window.confirm("This CV has unsaved changes. Leave and discard them?")) blocker.proceed();
+    else blocker.reset();
+  }, [blocker]);
+
+  useEffect(() => {
+    const warnBeforeUnload = (event: BeforeUnloadEvent) => {
+      if (!hasUnsavedChanges) return;
+      event.preventDefault();
+      event.returnValue = "";
+    };
+    window.addEventListener("beforeunload", warnBeforeUnload);
+    return () => window.removeEventListener("beforeunload", warnBeforeUnload);
+  }, [hasUnsavedChanges]);
+
+  useEffect(() => () => {
+    if (saveTimer.current) clearTimeout(saveTimer.current);
+  }, []);
+
   const togglePublic = async () => {
     try {
       const updated = await cvBuilderApi.setPublic(variantId, !isPublic);
@@ -238,8 +286,9 @@ export default function CvBuilderEditor() {
         <Stack direction="row" alignItems="center" spacing={1} sx={{ mb: 1 }}>
           <Tooltip title="Back to CVs"><IconButton size="small" onClick={() => navigate("/career/builder")}><ArrowBackIcon fontSize="small" /></IconButton></Tooltip>
           <TextField variant="standard" fullWidth value={name} onChange={(e) => renameVariant(e.target.value)}
+            error={!name.trim()} helperText={!name.trim() ? "Enter a name before saving." : undefined}
             slotProps={{ input: { style: { fontWeight: 800, fontSize: "1.05rem" } }, htmlInput: { "aria-label": "CV name" } }} />
-          <SaveBadge state={saveState} />
+          <SaveBadge state={saveState} canRetry={!!name.trim()} onRetry={() => void retrySave()} />
         </Stack>
         <Stack direction="row" spacing={1} sx={{ mb: 1, flexWrap: "wrap", gap: 1 }}>
           <Button size="small" variant="outlined" startIcon={<PictureAsPdfIcon />} onClick={exportPdf}>PDF</Button>
@@ -322,7 +371,7 @@ function EditorSkeleton() {
   );
 }
 
-function SaveBadge({ state }: { state: SaveState }) {
+function SaveBadge({ state, canRetry, onRetry }: { state: SaveState; canRetry: boolean; onRetry: () => void }) {
   const map: Record<SaveState, { label: string; color: "default" | "warning" | "success" | "error" }> = {
     idle: { label: "", color: "default" },
     unsaved: { label: "Unsaved", color: "warning" },
@@ -332,7 +381,14 @@ function SaveBadge({ state }: { state: SaveState }) {
   };
   const m = map[state];
   if (!m.label) return null;
-  return <Chip size="small" label={m.label} color={m.color} variant="outlined" aria-live="polite" />;
+  return (
+    <Stack spacing={0.5} alignItems="flex-end" aria-live="polite">
+      <Chip size="small" label={m.label} color={m.color} variant="outlined" />
+      {(state === "unsaved" || state === "error") ? (
+        <Button size="small" disabled={!canRetry} onClick={onRetry}>Save now</Button>
+      ) : null}
+    </Stack>
+  );
 }
 
 // ---------- Content tab ----------