3 files changed, 85 insertions, 8 deletions
diff --git a/internal/config/config.toml b/internal/config/config.toml
index 9c379e7..cfcb85b 100644
--- a/internal/config/config.toml
+++ b/internal/config/config.toml
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ width            = 0        # CLI wrap width; 0 = detect terminal
 all              = false    # default to all parts (true) or just the gospel (false)
 offline          = false    # true = never fetch; read only harvested sigla + cache
 web_theme        = "transfiguration"  # built-in order/season theme or a user theme in ~/.config/lectio/themes/
-web_port         = 0        # lectio-web port; 0 = auto-pick a free port
+web_port         = 0        # lectio-web port; 0 = try 1099, then any free port
 web_display      = "horizontal"  # lectio-web layout: "horizontal" (stacked), "vertical" (columns), "interlinear" (verse-by-verse)
 
 # Which parts to show. Both tables are commented out -> every part is shown.
diff --git a/internal/web/server.go b/internal/web/server.go
index d484b69..5886f0f 100644
--- a/internal/web/server.go
+++ b/internal/web/server.go
@@ -270,9 +270,12 @@ type lookupColumn struct {
 // applies to a section's own citation via render.GatherVersion, not a
 // free-typed lookup) against each requested version. Shared by lookupHandler
 // (the HTMX partial) and indexHandler (so a bookmarked/shared "/?ref=..."
-// link shows the same result instead of an empty pane). An empty ref
-// renders nothing, matching lookupHandler's previous no-op behavior.
+// link shows the same result instead of an empty pane). ref is trimmed of
+// surrounding whitespace here so both routes treat a whitespace-only ref
+// identically; an empty (or now-empty) ref renders nothing, matching
+// lookupHandler's previous no-op behavior.
 func renderLookup(ref string, versions []string) template.HTML {
+	ref = strings.TrimSpace(ref)
 	if ref == "" {
 		return ""
 	}
@@ -293,7 +296,7 @@ func renderLookup(ref string, versions []string) template.HTML {
 // its doc comment for the lookup semantics).
 func lookupHandler(cfg config.Config) http.HandlerFunc {
 	return func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
-		ref := strings.TrimSpace(r.URL.Query().Get("ref"))
+		ref := r.URL.Query().Get("ref") // renderLookup trims whitespace
 		w.Header().Set("Content-Type", "text/html; charset=utf-8")
 		io.WriteString(w, string(renderLookup(ref, requestVersions(cfg, r))))
 	}
@@ -322,11 +325,27 @@ func themeCSSHandler(cfg config.Config) http.HandlerFunc {
 	}
 }
 
-// Run starts lectio-web: listens on cfg.WebPort (0 picks a free OS port),
-// prints the URL, best-effort opens it in a browser, and serves until the
-// listener errors.
+// defaultWebPort is the port chooseListener prefers when cfg.WebPort is 0.
+const defaultWebPort = 1099
+
+// chooseListener binds the port to serve on. port==0 means "prefer
+// defaultWebPort (1099), else let the OS pick a free port"; a non-zero port
+// is bound exactly (and its bind error surfaced if the port is in use).
+func chooseListener(port int) (net.Listener, error) {
+	if port != 0 {
+		return net.Listen("tcp", fmt.Sprintf(":%d", port))
+	}
+	if ln, err := net.Listen("tcp", fmt.Sprintf(":%d", defaultWebPort)); err == nil {
+		return ln, nil
+	}
+	return net.Listen("tcp", ":0") // 1099 taken -> any free port
+}
+
+// Run starts lectio-web: listens on cfg.WebPort via chooseListener (0
+// prefers 1099, falling back to a free OS port), prints the URL, best-effort
+// opens it in a browser, and serves until the listener errors.
 func Run(cfg config.Config) error {
-	ln, err := net.Listen("tcp", fmt.Sprintf(":%d", cfg.WebPort))
+	ln, err := chooseListener(cfg.WebPort)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
diff --git a/internal/web/server_test.go b/internal/web/server_test.go
index b5cf78a..0268d3b 100644
--- a/internal/web/server_test.go
+++ b/internal/web/server_test.go
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package web
 
 import (
+	"net"
 	"net/http"
 	"net/http/httptest"
 	"os"
@@ -196,3 +197,60 @@ func TestServer(t *testing.T) {
 		}
 	})
 }
+
+// TestChooseListener exercises chooseListener's port-selection logic
+// directly (no HTTP serving): port==0 prefers defaultWebPort (1099) and
+// falls back to a free OS port when 1099 is taken, and a non-zero port is
+// bound exactly. Sandboxed/CI environments may not permit binding 1099 (or
+// may race another process for it), so those assertions t.Skip rather than
+// fail the suite.
+func TestChooseListener(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Run("zero port returns a listener with a non-zero port", func(t *testing.T) {
+		ln, err := chooseListener(0)
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("chooseListener(0) error: %v", err)
+		}
+		defer ln.Close()
+		port := ln.Addr().(*net.TCPAddr).Port
+		if port == 0 {
+			t.Errorf("chooseListener(0) returned port 0, want non-zero")
+		}
+	})
+
+	t.Run("falls back to a free port when 1099 is taken", func(t *testing.T) {
+		pre, err := net.Listen("tcp", ":1099")
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Skipf("cannot bind :1099 in this environment, skipping fallback assertion: %v", err)
+		}
+		defer pre.Close()
+
+		ln, err := chooseListener(0)
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("chooseListener(0) error while 1099 is taken: %v", err)
+		}
+		defer ln.Close()
+		port := ln.Addr().(*net.TCPAddr).Port
+		if port == 1099 {
+			t.Errorf("chooseListener(0) returned 1099 even though it was already taken")
+		}
+	})
+
+	t.Run("explicit non-zero port is bound exactly", func(t *testing.T) {
+		probe, err := net.Listen("tcp", ":0")
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Skipf("cannot bind :0 to pick a free port in this environment: %v", err)
+		}
+		want := probe.Addr().(*net.TCPAddr).Port
+		probe.Close()
+
+		ln, err := chooseListener(want)
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Skipf("could not bind explicit port %d (likely a race with another process): %v", want, err)
+		}
+		defer ln.Close()
+		got := ln.Addr().(*net.TCPAddr).Port
+		if got != want {
+			t.Errorf("chooseListener(%d) bound port %d, want exactly %d", want, got, want)
+		}
+	})
+}