diff --git a/frontend/app/block/blockutil.tsx b/frontend/app/block/blockutil.tsx
index cef13f16..57e31f8a 100644
--- a/frontend/app/block/blockutil.tsx
+++ b/frontend/app/block/blockutil.tsx
@@ -157,13 +157,14 @@ export const ConnectionButton = React.memo(
             const isLocal = util.isBlank(connection) || connection == "local";
             const connStatusAtom = getConnStatusAtom(connection);
             const connStatus = jotai.useAtomValue(connStatusAtom);
-            const showDisconnectedSlash = !isLocal && !connStatus?.connected;
+            let showDisconnectedSlash = false;
             let connIconElem: React.ReactNode = null;
             let color = "#53b4ea";
             const clickHandler = function () {
                 setConnModalOpen(true);
             };
             let titleText = null;
+            let shouldSpin = false;
             if (isLocal) {
                 color = "var(--grey-text-color)";
                 titleText = "Connected to Local Machine";
@@ -175,13 +176,27 @@ export const ConnectionButton = React.memo(
                 );
             } else {
                 titleText = "Connected to " + connection;
-                if (!connStatus?.connected) {
+                let iconName = "arrow-right-arrow-left";
+                if (connStatus?.status == "connecting") {
+                    color = "var(--warning-color)";
+                    titleText = "Connecting to " + connection;
+                    iconName = "rotate";
+                    shouldSpin = true;
+                } else if (connStatus?.status == "error") {
+                    color = "var(--error-color)";
+                    titleText = "Error connecting to " + connection;
+                    if (connStatus?.error != null) {
+                        titleText += " (" + connStatus.error + ")";
+                    }
+                    showDisconnectedSlash = true;
+                } else if (!connStatus?.connected) {
                     color = "var(--grey-text-color)";
                     titleText = "Disconnected from " + connection;
+                    showDisconnectedSlash = true;
                 }
                 connIconElem = (
                     <i
-                        className={clsx(util.makeIconClass("arrow-right-arrow-left", false), "fa-stack-1x")}
+                        className={clsx(util.makeIconClass(iconName, false), "fa-stack-1x")}
                         style={{ color: color, marginRight: 2 }}
                     />
                 );
@@ -189,7 +204,7 @@ export const ConnectionButton = React.memo(
 
             return (
                 <div ref={ref} className={clsx("connection-button")} onClick={clickHandler} title={titleText}>
-                    <span className="fa-stack connection-icon-box">
+                    <span className={clsx("fa-stack connection-icon-box", shouldSpin ? "fa-spin" : null)}>
                         {connIconElem}
                         <i
                             className="fa-slash fa-solid fa-stack-1x"
diff --git a/frontend/app/store/global.ts b/frontend/app/store/global.ts
index 33eee30c..f5580b60 100644
--- a/frontend/app/store/global.ts
+++ b/frontend/app/store/global.ts
@@ -568,12 +568,17 @@ async function loadConnStatus() {
 
 function subscribeToConnEvents() {
     waveEventSubscribe("connchange", null, (event: WaveEvent) => {
-        const connStatus = event.data as ConnStatus;
-        if (connStatus == null || util.isBlank(connStatus.connection)) {
-            return;
+        try {
+            const connStatus = event.data as ConnStatus;
+            if (connStatus == null || util.isBlank(connStatus.connection)) {
+                console.log("connchange2 early return");
+                return;
+            }
+            let curAtom = getConnStatusAtom(connStatus.connection);
+            globalStore.set(curAtom, connStatus);
+        } catch (e) {
+            console.log("connchange error", e);
         }
-        let curAtom = ConnStatusMap.get(connStatus.connection);
-        globalStore.set(curAtom, connStatus);
     });
 }
 
diff --git a/frontend/app/view/preview/preview.tsx b/frontend/app/view/preview/preview.tsx
index e4fb9ef7..c95b8c44 100644
--- a/frontend/app/view/preview/preview.tsx
+++ b/frontend/app/view/preview/preview.tsx
@@ -47,6 +47,7 @@ export class PreviewModel implements ViewModel {
     ceReadOnly: jotai.PrimitiveAtom<boolean>;
     isCeView: jotai.PrimitiveAtom<boolean>;
     previewTextRef: React.RefObject<HTMLDivElement>;
+    editMode: jotai.Atom<boolean>;
 
     fileName: jotai.Atom<string>;
     connection: jotai.Atom<string>;
@@ -114,6 +115,10 @@ export class PreviewModel implements ViewModel {
             const fileName = get(this.fileName);
             return iconForFile(mimeType, fileName);
         });
+        this.editMode = jotai.atom((get) => {
+            const blockData = get(this.blockAtom);
+            return blockData?.meta?.edit ?? false;
+        });
         this.viewName = jotai.atom("Preview");
         this.viewText = jotai.atom((get) => {
             if (get(this.isCeView)) {
diff --git a/frontend/types/gotypes.d.ts b/frontend/types/gotypes.d.ts
index d1091fac..c544c944 100644
--- a/frontend/types/gotypes.d.ts
+++ b/frontend/types/gotypes.d.ts
@@ -237,6 +237,7 @@ declare global {
         file?: string;
         url?: string;
         connection?: string;
+        edit?: boolean;
         history?: string[];
         "history:forward"?: string[];
         "display:name"?: string;
diff --git a/frontend/util/util.ts b/frontend/util/util.ts
index 994f3ed8..36735dcc 100644
--- a/frontend/util/util.ts
+++ b/frontend/util/util.ts
@@ -81,19 +81,19 @@ function jsonDeepEqual(v1: any, v2: any): boolean {
     return false;
 }
 
-function makeIconClass(icon: string, fw: boolean): string {
+function makeIconClass(icon: string, fw: boolean, opts?: { spin: boolean }): string {
     if (icon == null) {
         return null;
     }
     if (icon.match(/^(solid@)?[a-z0-9-]+$/)) {
         // strip off "solid@" prefix if it exists
         icon = icon.replace(/^solid@/, "");
-        return clsx(`fa fa-sharp fa-solid fa-${icon}`, fw ? "fa-fw" : null);
+        return clsx(`fa fa-sharp fa-solid fa-${icon}`, fw ? "fa-fw" : null, opts?.spin ? "fa-spin" : null);
     }
     if (icon.match(/^regular@[a-z0-9-]+$/)) {
         // strip off the "regular@" prefix if it exists
         icon = icon.replace(/^regular@/, "");
-        return clsx(`fa fa-sharp fa-regular fa-${icon}`, fw ? "fa-fw" : null);
+        return clsx(`fa fa-sharp fa-regular fa-${icon}`, fw ? "fa-fw" : null, opts?.spin ? "fa-spin" : null);
     }
     return null;
 }
diff --git a/pkg/remote/conncontroller/conncontroller.go b/pkg/remote/conncontroller/conncontroller.go
index d29957c8..ab268599 100644
--- a/pkg/remote/conncontroller/conncontroller.go
+++ b/pkg/remote/conncontroller/conncontroller.go
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ func (conn *SSHConn) FireConnChangeEvent() {
 		},
 		Data: status,
 	}
-	log.Printf("sending event: %+#v", event)
+	log.Printf("connstatus change %q => %s\n", conn.GetName(), status.Status)
 	wps.Broker.Publish(event)
 }
 
diff --git a/pkg/waveobj/metaconsts.go b/pkg/waveobj/metaconsts.go
index 7cfd7242..d6d18f46 100644
--- a/pkg/waveobj/metaconsts.go
+++ b/pkg/waveobj/metaconsts.go
@@ -18,6 +18,8 @@ const (
 
 	MetaKey_Connection                       = "connection"
 
+	MetaKey_Edit                             = "edit"
+
 	MetaKey_History                          = "history"
 	MetaKey_HistoryForward                   = "history:forward"
 
diff --git a/pkg/waveobj/wtypemeta.go b/pkg/waveobj/wtypemeta.go
index cfd52e9e..d964c206 100644
--- a/pkg/waveobj/wtypemeta.go
+++ b/pkg/waveobj/wtypemeta.go
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ type MetaTSType struct {
 	File           string   `json:"file,omitempty"`
 	Url            string   `json:"url,omitempty"`
 	Connection     string   `json:"connection,omitempty"`
+	Edit           bool     `json:"edit,omitempty"`
 	History        []string `json:"history,omitempty"`
 	HistoryForward []string `json:"history:forward,omitempty"`