@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+---
+'@hyperdx/app': patch
+---
+
+Detail drawers now close when you click outside of them. On Search and Sessions,
+clicking outside the results table / session list dismisses the open drawer;
+clicks inside the drawer, its nested popups/modals, or the results table keep it
+open. This is on by default for row-table side panels (opt out with
+`closeOnClickOutside={false}`).
@@ -202,6 +202,12 @@ type SearchConfigFromSchema = z.infer<typeof SearchConfigSchema>;
 
 const QUERY_KEY_PREFIX = 'search';
 
+// Clicks inside the results panel keep the row side panel open (so users can
+// scroll the table or select a different row); clicks anywhere else on the page
+// dismiss it.
+const SEARCH_RESULTS_PANEL_KEEP_OPEN_SELECTOR =
+  '[data-testid="search-results-panel"]';
+
 // Helper function to get the default source id
 export function getDefaultSourceId(
   sources: { id: string; disabled?: boolean }[] | undefined,
@@ -2297,6 +2303,7 @@ export function DBSearchPage() {
         focusDate={directTraceFocusDate}
         onClose={closeDirectTraceSidePanel}
         onSourceChange={onDirectTraceSourceChange}
+        keepOpenSelector={SEARCH_RESULTS_PANEL_KEEP_OPEN_SELECTOR}
       />
       <Flex
         direction="column"
@@ -2613,7 +2620,12 @@ export function DBSearchPage() {
                       </div>
                     </>
                   ) : (
-                    <Box flex="1" mih="0" px="sm">
+                    <Box
+                      flex="1"
+                      mih="0"
+                      px="sm"
+                      data-testid="search-results-panel"
+                    >
                       {chartConfig &&
                         searchedConfig.source &&
                         dbSqlRowTableConfig && (
@@ -2622,6 +2634,9 @@ export function DBSearchPage() {
                             config={dbSqlRowTableConfig}
                             sourceId={searchedConfig.source}
                             tableId={columnSizeTableId}
+                            keepOpenSelector={
+                              SEARCH_RESULTS_PANEL_KEEP_OPEN_SELECTOR
+                            }
                             onSidebarOpen={onSidebarOpen}
                             onExpandedRowsChange={onExpandedRowsChange}
                             enabled={isReady}
 
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@ import {
 import SidePanelBreadcrumbs, {
   BreadcrumbItem,
 } from '@/components/SidePanelBreadcrumbs';
+import { useCloseOnClickOutside } from '@/hooks/useCloseOnClickOutside';
 import useResizable from '@/hooks/useResizable';
 import { WithClause } from '@/hooks/useRowWhere';
 import {
@@ -79,6 +80,8 @@ export default function SessionSidePanel({
   onLanguageChange,
   onClose,
   zIndex = 100,
+  closeOnClickOutside = true,
+  keepOpenSelector,
 }: {
   traceSource: TTraceSource;
   sessionSource: TSessionSource;
@@ -90,6 +93,8 @@ export default function SessionSidePanel({
   onLanguageChange?: (lang: 'sql' | 'lucene') => void;
   onClose: () => void;
   zIndex?: number;
+  closeOnClickOutside?: boolean;
+  keepOpenSelector?: string;
 }) {
   // A single in-place event view (session → event), persisted to the URL so it
   // survives reload and shared links. Deeper navigation (View Trace,
@@ -146,6 +151,14 @@ export default function SessionSidePanel({
 
   useHotkeys(['esc'], handleClose, { enabled: !selectedEvent });
 
+  // Match the Esc behavior: dismiss on outside click only at the session root,
+  // so deep in-panel navigation (event → trace → context) isn't skipped.
+  useCloseOnClickOutside({
+    enabled: closeOnClickOutside && sessionId != null && !selectedEvent,
+    keepOpenSelector,
+    onClose: handleClose,
+  });
+
   const shareSession = useCallback(async () => {
     const ok = await copyTextToClipboard(window.location.href);
     notifications.show(
 
@@ -215,6 +215,10 @@ function SessionCardList({
   );
 }
 
+// Clicks inside the session list keep the session side panel open (so users can
+// scroll or pick a different session); clicks anywhere else dismiss it.
+const SESSION_LIST_KEEP_OPEN_SELECTOR = '[data-testid="session-card-list"]';
+
 // TODO: This is a hack to set the default time range
 const defaultTimeRange = parseTimeQuery('Past 1h', false) as [Date, Date];
 const selectedSessionQueryStateMap = {
@@ -382,6 +386,7 @@ function SessionsPage() {
             onClose={() => {
               setSelectedSession(undefined);
             }}
+            keepOpenSelector={SESSION_LIST_KEEP_OPEN_SELECTOR}
             whereLanguage={whereLanguage || undefined}
             where={where || undefined}
             onLanguageChange={lang =>
@@ -474,7 +479,10 @@ function SessionsPage() {
                       <SessionSetupInstructions />
                     </Flex>
                   ) : (
-                    <div style={{ minHeight: 0 }}>
+                    <div
+                      style={{ minHeight: 0 }}
+                      data-testid="session-card-list"
+                    >
                       <SessionCardList
                         onClick={session => {
                           setSelectedSession(session);
 
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ import {
 } from '@mantine/core';
 import { IconCopy, IconKeyboard, IconShare, IconX } from '@tabler/icons-react';
 
+import { useCloseOnClickOutside } from '@/hooks/useCloseOnClickOutside';
 import useResizable from '@/hooks/useResizable';
 import { WithClause } from '@/hooks/useRowWhere';
 import useSidePanelStack, {
@@ -201,6 +202,10 @@ type DBRowSidePanelProps = {
   rowId: string | undefined;
   aliasWith?: WithClause[];
   onClose: () => void;
+  // Clicking outside the drawer (and outside `keepOpenSelector`) closes it.
+  // Enabled by default; pass `false` to opt out.
+  closeOnClickOutside?: boolean;
+  keepOpenSelector?: string;
 };
 
 type DBRowSidePanelInnerProps = DBRowSidePanelProps & {
@@ -1067,6 +1072,8 @@ export default function DBRowSidePanelErrorBoundary({
   rowId,
   aliasWith,
   source,
+  closeOnClickOutside = true,
+  keepOpenSelector,
 }: DBRowSidePanelProps) {
   const contextZIndex = useZIndex();
   const drawerZIndex = contextZIndex + 10;
@@ -1093,6 +1100,20 @@ export default function DBRowSidePanelErrorBoundary({
     onClose();
   }, [sidePanelStack, onClose, clearTraceWaterfallSearchState]);
 
+  useCloseOnClickOutside({
+    // Only close on outside click at the root level. When the user has
+    // navigated deeper (e.g. log row -> trace), Esc pops one level at a time
+    // via handlePanelBack; an outside click should not skip those levels and
+    // close the drawer entirely.
+    enabled:
+      closeOnClickOutside &&
+      rowId != null &&
+      sidePanelStack.sourceStack.length === 0 &&
+      sidePanelStack.navStack.length === 0,
+    keepOpenSelector,
+    onClose: _onClose,
+  });
+
   return (
     <Drawer
       opened={rowId != null}
 
@@ -46,8 +46,16 @@ interface Props {
   tableId?: string;
   errorVariant?: ChartErrorStateVariant;
   onResolvedColumnsChange?: (meta: ColumnMetaType[]) => void;
+  // Clicking outside the row side panel (and outside `keepOpenSelector`) closes
+  // it. Enabled by default; pass `false` to opt out.
+  closeOnClickOutside?: boolean;
+  keepOpenSelector?: string;
 }
 
+// Clicking the results table (selecting/switching rows, scrolling) keeps the
+// row side panel open by default; callers can widen this via `keepOpenSelector`.
+const DEFAULT_KEEP_OPEN_SELECTOR = '[data-testid="search-results-table"]';
+
 export default function DBSqlRowTableWithSideBar({
   sourceId,
   config,
@@ -67,6 +75,8 @@ export default function DBSqlRowTableWithSideBar({
   tableId,
   errorVariant,
   onResolvedColumnsChange,
+  closeOnClickOutside = true,
+  keepOpenSelector = DEFAULT_KEEP_OPEN_SELECTOR,
 }: Props) {
   const { data: sourceData } = useSource({ id: sourceId });
   const [rowId, setRowId] = useQueryState('rowWhere', parseAsStringEncoded);
@@ -111,6 +121,8 @@ export default function DBSqlRowTableWithSideBar({
           rowId={rowId ?? undefined}
           aliasWith={aliasWith}
           onClose={onCloseSidebar}
+          closeOnClickOutside={closeOnClickOutside}
+          keepOpenSelector={keepOpenSelector}
         />
       )}
       <DBSqlRowTable
 
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import { IconConnection } from '@tabler/icons-react';
 import DBTracePanel from '@/components/DBTracePanel';
 import EmptyState from '@/components/EmptyState';
 import { SourceSelectControlled } from '@/components/SourceSelect';
+import { useCloseOnClickOutside } from '@/hooks/useCloseOnClickOutside';
 import { useSource } from '@/source';
 
 interface DirectTraceSidePanelProps {
@@ -17,6 +18,8 @@ interface DirectTraceSidePanelProps {
   focusDate: Date;
   onClose: () => void;
   onSourceChange: (sourceId: string | null) => void;
+  closeOnClickOutside?: boolean;
+  keepOpenSelector?: string;
 }
 
 export default function DirectTraceSidePanel({
@@ -27,7 +30,15 @@ export default function DirectTraceSidePanel({
   focusDate,
   onClose,
   onSourceChange,
+  closeOnClickOutside = true,
+  keepOpenSelector,
 }: DirectTraceSidePanelProps) {
+  useCloseOnClickOutside({
+    enabled: closeOnClickOutside && opened,
+    keepOpenSelector,
+    onClose,
+  });
+
   const { control, setValue } = useForm<{ source: string | null }>({
     defaultValues: {
       source: traceSourceId ?? null,
 
@@ -0,0 +1,91 @@
+import { act, renderHook } from '@testing-library/react';
+
+import { useCloseOnClickOutside } from '@/hooks/useCloseOnClickOutside';
+
+function mouseDownOn(el: Element) {
+  act(() => {
+    el.dispatchEvent(
+      new MouseEvent('mousedown', { bubbles: true, cancelable: true }),
+    );
+  });
+}
+
+describe('useCloseOnClickOutside', () => {
+  afterEach(() => {
+    document.body.innerHTML = '';
+  });
+
+  it('closes when clicking a plain element outside the safe zones', () => {
+    const outside = document.createElement('div');
+    document.body.appendChild(outside);
+
+    const onClose = jest.fn();
+    renderHook(() => useCloseOnClickOutside({ enabled: true, onClose }));
+
+    mouseDownOn(outside);
+    expect(onClose).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+  });
+
+  it('does not close when clicking inside the keepOpen selector', () => {
+    const table = document.createElement('div');
+    table.setAttribute('data-testid', 'results');
+    const cell = document.createElement('span');
+    table.appendChild(cell);
+    document.body.appendChild(table);
+
+    const onClose = jest.fn();
+    renderHook(() =>
+      useCloseOnClickOutside({
+        enabled: true,
+        keepOpenSelector: '[data-testid="results"]',
+        onClose,
+      }),
+    );
+
+    mouseDownOn(cell);
+    expect(onClose).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
+  it('does not close when clicking inside a floating layer (dialog/dropdown)', () => {
+    const dialog = document.createElement('div');
+    dialog.setAttribute('role', 'dialog');
+    const dialogChild = document.createElement('button');
+    dialog.appendChild(dialogChild);
+
+    const dropdown = document.createElement('div');
+    dropdown.className = 'mantine-Select-dropdown';
+    const option = document.createElement('div');
+    dropdown.appendChild(option);
+
+    document.body.append(dialog, dropdown);
+
+    const onClose = jest.fn();
+    renderHook(() => useCloseOnClickOutside({ enabled: true, onClose }));
+
+    mouseDownOn(dialogChild);
+    mouseDownOn(option);
+    expect(onClose).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
+  it('does nothing while disabled and detaches its listener on cleanup', () => {
+    const outside = document.createElement('div');
+    document.body.appendChild(outside);
+
+    const onClose = jest.fn();
+    const { rerender, unmount } = renderHook(
+      ({ enabled }) => useCloseOnClickOutside({ enabled, onClose }),
+      { initialProps: { enabled: false } },
+    );
+
+    mouseDownOn(outside);
+    expect(onClose).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+
+    rerender({ enabled: true });
+    mouseDownOn(outside);
+    expect(onClose).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+
+    unmount();
+    mouseDownOn(outside);
+    expect(onClose).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+  });
+});