diff --git a/packages/app/src/app/_layout.tsx b/packages/app/src/app/_layout.tsx
index bbd751d4b..812231b9a 100644
--- a/packages/app/src/app/_layout.tsx
+++ b/packages/app/src/app/_layout.tsx
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ import {
   useState,
   useSyncExternalStore,
 } from "react";
-import { useWindowDimensions, View } from "react-native";
+import { AppState, useWindowDimensions, View } from "react-native";
 import { GestureDetector, GestureHandlerRootView } from "react-native-gesture-handler";
 import { KeyboardProvider } from "react-native-keyboard-controller";
 import { SafeAreaProvider } from "react-native-safe-area-context";
@@ -97,6 +97,7 @@ import {
 import { getDaemonStartService } from "@/runtime/daemon-start-service";
 import { applyAppearance } from "@/screens/settings/appearance/apply-appearance";
 import { selectIsAgentListOpen, usePanelStore } from "@/stores/panel-store";
+import { flushDraftPersistStorage } from "@/stores/draft-store";
 import { THEME_TO_UNISTYLES, type ThemeName } from "@/styles/theme";
 import { installWebScrollbarStyles } from "@/styles/install-web-scrollbar-styles";
 import type { HostProfile } from "@/types/host-connection";
@@ -959,6 +960,14 @@ function RootAppTree() {
 
 export default function RootLayout() {
   useEffect(() => installWebScrollbarStyles(), []);
+  useEffect(() => {
+    const subscription = AppState.addEventListener("change", (nextState) => {
+      if (nextState !== "active") {
+        void flushDraftPersistStorage();
+      }
+    });
+    return () => subscription.remove();
+  }, []);
 
   return (
     <QueryProvider>
diff --git a/packages/app/src/stores/draft-store/index.ts b/packages/app/src/stores/draft-store/index.ts
index 5c116a8c5..71a8bf347 100644
--- a/packages/app/src/stores/draft-store/index.ts
+++ b/packages/app/src/stores/draft-store/index.ts
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ import {
   type DraftStoreState,
 } from "./state";
 import { migrateDraftInput, migratePersistedState, type MigrateLegacyImages } from "./migration";
+import { createDraftPersistStorage } from "./persistence";
 
 export type { DraftInput, DraftLifecycleState } from "./state";
 
@@ -49,6 +50,13 @@ type DraftStore = DraftStoreState & DraftStoreActions;
 
 const draftGenerations = new Map<string, number>();
 let gcScheduled = false;
+const draftPersistStorage = createDraftPersistStorage(
+  createJSONStorage<DraftStoreState>(() => AsyncStorage),
+);
+
+export function flushDraftPersistStorage(): Promise<void> {
+  return draftPersistStorage?.flush() ?? Promise.resolve();
+}
 
 function createDraftRecord(input: {
   draft: DraftInput;
@@ -378,7 +386,7 @@ export const useDraftStore = create<DraftStore>()(
     {
       name: "paseo-drafts",
       version: DRAFT_STORE_VERSION,
-      storage: createJSONStorage(() => AsyncStorage),
+      storage: draftPersistStorage,
       migrate: (persistedState) => {
         return migratePersistedState(persistedState, {
           migrateLegacyImages,
diff --git a/packages/app/src/stores/draft-store/persistence.test.ts b/packages/app/src/stores/draft-store/persistence.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..bae660abc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/app/src/stores/draft-store/persistence.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,109 @@
+import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
+import type { PersistStorage, StorageValue } from "zustand/middleware";
+import {
+  createDraftPersistStorage,
+  DRAFT_PERSIST_INTERVAL_MS,
+  type PersistenceScheduler,
+} from "./persistence";
+
+interface DraftState {
+  text: string;
+}
+
+function createDraftPersistence() {
+  let nowMs = 0;
+  let saved: StorageValue<DraftState> | null = null;
+  let scheduled: { callback: () => void; dueAt: number } | null = null;
+  const storage: PersistStorage<DraftState> = {
+    getItem: () => saved,
+    setItem: (_name, value) => {
+      saved = value;
+    },
+    removeItem: () => {
+      saved = null;
+    },
+  };
+  const scheduler: PersistenceScheduler = {
+    now: () => nowMs,
+    schedule: (callback, delayMs) => (scheduled = { callback, dueAt: nowMs + delayMs }),
+    cancel: () => {
+      scheduled = null;
+    },
+  };
+  const drafts = createDraftPersistStorage(storage, scheduler);
+
+  return {
+    save(text: string) {
+      drafts.setItem("drafts", { state: { text } });
+    },
+    remove() {
+      drafts.removeItem("drafts");
+    },
+    flush() {
+      return drafts.flush();
+    },
+    advance(ms: number) {
+      nowMs += ms;
+      if (scheduled && scheduled.dueAt <= nowMs) {
+        const { callback } = scheduled;
+        scheduled = null;
+        callback();
+      }
+    },
+    text() {
+      return saved?.state.text ?? null;
+    },
+  };
+}
+
+describe("draft persistence", () => {
+  it("checkpoints the first change and the latest change in each interval", () => {
+    const drafts = createDraftPersistence();
+
+    drafts.save("a");
+    drafts.save("ab");
+    drafts.save("abc");
+    expect(drafts.text()).toBe("a");
+
+    drafts.advance(DRAFT_PERSIST_INTERVAL_MS - 1);
+    expect(drafts.text()).toBe("a");
+
+    drafts.advance(1);
+    expect(drafts.text()).toBe("abc");
+  });
+
+  it("does not restore a pending draft after storage is cleared", () => {
+    const drafts = createDraftPersistence();
+
+    drafts.save("first checkpoint");
+    drafts.save("pending checkpoint");
+    drafts.remove();
+    drafts.advance(DRAFT_PERSIST_INTERVAL_MS);
+
+    expect(drafts.text()).toBeNull();
+  });
+
+  it("continues checkpointing the latest change across consecutive intervals", () => {
+    const drafts = createDraftPersistence();
+
+    drafts.save("first");
+    drafts.save("first interval");
+    drafts.advance(DRAFT_PERSIST_INTERVAL_MS);
+    expect(drafts.text()).toBe("first interval");
+
+    drafts.save("second");
+    drafts.save("second interval");
+    drafts.advance(DRAFT_PERSIST_INTERVAL_MS);
+    expect(drafts.text()).toBe("second interval");
+  });
+
+  it("flushes the latest pending change before the interval ends", async () => {
+    const drafts = createDraftPersistence();
+
+    drafts.save("first checkpoint");
+    drafts.save("pending checkpoint");
+    await drafts.flush();
+
+    expect(drafts.text()).toBe("pending checkpoint");
+  });
+});
diff --git a/packages/app/src/stores/draft-store/persistence.ts b/packages/app/src/stores/draft-store/persistence.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..ab7c374c5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/app/src/stores/draft-store/persistence.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,82 @@
+import type { PersistStorage } from "zustand/middleware";
+
+export const DRAFT_PERSIST_INTERVAL_MS = 200;
+
+export interface PersistenceScheduler {
+  now: () => number;
+  schedule: (callback: () => void, delayMs: number) => unknown;
+  cancel: (handle: unknown) => void;
+}
+
+export interface DraftPersistStorage<T> extends PersistStorage<T> {
+  flush: () => Promise<void>;
+}
+
+const systemScheduler: PersistenceScheduler = {
+  now: Date.now,
+  schedule: (callback, delayMs) => setTimeout(callback, delayMs),
+  cancel: (handle) => clearTimeout(handle as ReturnType<typeof setTimeout>),
+};
+
+export function createDraftPersistStorage<T>(
+  storage: PersistStorage<T>,
+  scheduler?: PersistenceScheduler,
+): DraftPersistStorage<T>;
+export function createDraftPersistStorage<T>(
+  storage: PersistStorage<T> | undefined,
+  scheduler?: PersistenceScheduler,
+): DraftPersistStorage<T> | undefined;
+export function createDraftPersistStorage<T>(
+  storage: PersistStorage<T> | undefined,
+  scheduler: PersistenceScheduler = systemScheduler,
+): DraftPersistStorage<T> | undefined {
+  if (!storage) {
+    return undefined;
+  }
+
+  let pending: { name: string; value: Parameters<typeof storage.setItem>[1] } | null = null;
+  let timer: unknown = null;
+  let lastWriteAt = -Infinity;
+
+  const cancelTimer = () => {
+    if (timer !== null) {
+      scheduler.cancel(timer);
+      timer = null;
+    }
+  };
+  const flush = async (): Promise<void> => {
+    cancelTimer();
+    const write = pending;
+    pending = null;
+    if (!write) {
+      return;
+    }
+    lastWriteAt = scheduler.now();
+    try {
+      await storage.setItem(write.name, write.value);
+    } catch (error) {
+      console.warn("[DraftStore] Failed to persist draft checkpoint", error);
+    }
+  };
+
+  return {
+    getItem: (name) => storage.getItem(name),
+    setItem: (name, value) => {
+      pending = { name, value };
+      const delay = DRAFT_PERSIST_INTERVAL_MS - (scheduler.now() - lastWriteAt);
+      if (delay <= 0) {
+        return flush();
+      }
+      timer ??= scheduler.schedule(() => {
+        void flush();
+      }, delay);
+    },
+    removeItem: (name) => {
+      cancelTimer();
+      pending = null;
+      lastWriteAt = scheduler.now();
+      return storage.removeItem(name);
+    },
+    flush,
+  };
+}