diff --git a/components/editor/canvas-wrapper.tsx b/components/editor/canvas-wrapper.tsx
index 66debc4..442c256 100644
--- a/components/editor/canvas-wrapper.tsx
+++ b/components/editor/canvas-wrapper.tsx
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import { Component, type ReactNode } from "react";
 import { LiveblocksProvider, RoomProvider, ClientSideSuspense } from "@liveblocks/react/suspense";
 
 import { CanvasFlow } from "@/components/editor/canvas-flow";
+import { DraftlyLoader } from "@/components/ui/marketing/draftly-loader";
 import type { CanvasSaveStatus } from "@/hooks/use-canvas-autosave";
 
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -85,9 +86,9 @@ export function CanvasWrapper({
         <CanvasErrorBoundary>
           <ClientSideSuspense
             fallback={
-              <div className="flex h-full w-full items-center justify-center">
-                <p className="font-brand text-sm text-ink-soft">Connecting to canvas…</p>
-              </div>
+              // Fixed over the whole editor: the navbar and AI sidebar render outside this boundary.
+              // z-45 sits above the sidebars (z-20/z-40) and below dialogs (z-50).
+              <DraftlyLoader caption="Connecting to canvas" className="fixed inset-0 z-45" />
             }
           >
             <CanvasFlow
diff --git a/components/editor/project-dialogs.tsx b/components/editor/project-dialogs.tsx
index 5aa715f..b495ea4 100644
--- a/components/editor/project-dialogs.tsx
+++ b/components/editor/project-dialogs.tsx
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 "use client";
 
+import { Loader2 } from "lucide-react";
+
 import {
   PaperDialog,
   paperDestructiveButtonClass,
@@ -22,6 +24,20 @@ interface ProjectDialogsProps {
   onDelete: () => Promise<void>;
 }
 
+/** Button label that swaps to a spinner and progress text while the action runs. */
+function ActionLabel({ isLoading, idle, busy }: { isLoading: boolean; idle: string; busy: string }) {
+  if (!isLoading) {
+    return idle;
+  }
+
+  return (
+    <>
+      <Loader2 className="h-4 w-4 animate-spin" aria-hidden="true" />
+      {busy}
+    </>
+  );
+}
+
 export function ProjectDialogs({
   activeDialog,
   projectName,
@@ -50,8 +66,14 @@ export function ProjectDialogs({
             <button type="button" className={paperSecondaryButtonClass} onClick={onClose} disabled={isLoading}>
               Cancel
             </button>
-            <button type="submit" form="create-project-form" className={paperPrimaryButtonClass} disabled={isLoading}>
-              Create project
+            <button
+              type="submit"
+              form="create-project-form"
+              className={paperPrimaryButtonClass}
+              disabled={isLoading}
+              aria-busy={isLoading}
+            >
+              <ActionLabel isLoading={isLoading} idle="Create project" busy="Creating…" />
             </button>
           </>
         }
@@ -73,6 +95,7 @@ export function ProjectDialogs({
             onChange={(event) => onProjectNameChange(event.target.value)}
             placeholder="e.g. Payment Gateway Modernization"
             className={paperInputClass}
+            disabled={isLoading}
             autoFocus
           />
           <p className="flex flex-wrap items-baseline gap-x-2.5 font-mono text-xs">
@@ -99,8 +122,9 @@ export function ProjectDialogs({
               form="rename-project-form"
               className={paperPrimaryButtonClass}
               disabled={isLoading || projectName.trim().length === 0}
+              aria-busy={isLoading}
             >
-              Save
+              <ActionLabel isLoading={isLoading} idle="Save" busy="Saving…" />
             </button>
           </>
         }
@@ -121,6 +145,7 @@ export function ProjectDialogs({
             value={projectName}
             onChange={(event) => onProjectNameChange(event.target.value)}
             className={paperInputClass}
+            disabled={isLoading}
             autoFocus
           />
         </form>
@@ -145,8 +170,9 @@ export function ProjectDialogs({
               className={paperDestructiveButtonClass}
               onClick={() => void onDelete()}
               disabled={isLoading}
+              aria-busy={isLoading}
             >
-              Delete project
+              <ActionLabel isLoading={isLoading} idle="Delete project" busy="Deleting…" />
             </button>
           </>
         }
diff --git a/context/progress-tracker.md b/context/progress-tracker.md
index 8592bba..c46861c 100644
--- a/context/progress-tracker.md
+++ b/context/progress-tracker.md
@@ -1147,3 +1147,16 @@ Update this file whenever the current phase, active feature, or implementation s
     - Type check and lint pass. A tsx script over all 13 templates confirmed: every edge has handles, no node side
       holds two edges, max 4 edges per node, no overlapping nodes. It also covered `canConnect` cases and AI graph
       handles. Not checked in a browser.
+- Loading states for canvas connect and project actions (2026-09-15):
+    - `canvas-wrapper.tsx`: the `ClientSideSuspense` fallback is now `DraftlyLoader` (caption "Connecting to canvas",
+      `fixed inset-0 z-45`) instead of plain text. It covers the whole editor, navbar and AI sidebar included
+      (they render outside the Suspense boundary); z-45 is above the sidebars (z-20/z-40), below dialogs (z-50).
+      The connection error message is unchanged.
+    - `hooks/use-project-actions.ts`: `isLoading` = request in flight OR router transition pending. The
+      `router.push` / `router.refresh` after a successful create, rename or delete runs in `useTransition`
+      with `setActiveDialog(null)`, so the dialog stays open and busy until the new page / refreshed names
+      render. `closeDialog` and the submit handlers ignore calls while loading (no dismiss mid-action, no
+      double submit). Failed requests still leave the dialog open with no error message (unchanged).
+    - `project-dialogs.tsx`: primary buttons show a `Loader2` spinner with "Creating…", "Saving…",
+      "Deleting…" and `aria-busy`; name inputs are disabled while loading.
+    - Type check and lint pass. Not checked in a browser.
diff --git a/context/ui-context.md b/context/ui-context.md
index d8d4a14..0701d2c 100644
--- a/context/ui-context.md
+++ b/context/ui-context.md
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ barrel: `MarketingNavbar`, `MarketingButton`, `HandwrittenNote`,
 `SkillPill`, `DraftlyWordmark` (the two-face text lockup), `MatGrid` (the cutting-mat
 grid overlay), `DraftlyLoader` (the brand loading screen: swinging amber sticky note on
 notebook paper with a rotating Caveat status word; `tone` craft/plain, `pace`, `caption`, `fullScreen`;
-intended for waits like dashboard → editor and connecting to the canvas, not yet wired in). The auth layout sits on the mat with the wordmark and mini-canvas. Sign-in
+used as the canvas connecting fallback in `CanvasWrapper`; also intended for dashboard → editor waits). The auth layout sits on the mat with the wordmark and mini-canvas. Sign-in
 and sign-up are custom paper cards (`components/auth/sign-in-card.tsx`, `sign-up-card.tsx`)
 built on Clerk's `useSignIn()` / `useSignUp()` hooks, not the prebuilt `<SignIn />` /
 `<SignUp />`. Both share the card shell, SSO buttons, fields and CTA from
diff --git a/hooks/use-project-actions.ts b/hooks/use-project-actions.ts
index 6e9afc8..e541ab7 100644
--- a/hooks/use-project-actions.ts
+++ b/hooks/use-project-actions.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 "use client";
 
-import { useMemo, useState } from "react";
+import { useMemo, useState, useTransition } from "react";
 import { usePathname, useRouter } from "next/navigation";
 
 import type { SidebarProject } from "@/lib/project-data";
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ export interface ProjectActionsController {
   selectedProject: SidebarProject | null;
   projectName: string;
   roomIdPreview: string;
+  /** True from submit until the follow-up navigation or refresh has rendered. */
   isLoading: boolean;
   setProjectName: (value: string) => void;
   openCreateDialog: () => void;
@@ -60,7 +61,10 @@ export function useProjectActions(
   const [selectedProjectId, setSelectedProjectId] = useState<string | null>(null);
   const [projectName, setProjectName] = useState("");
   const [createSuffix, setCreateSuffix] = useState(createShortSuffix);
-  const [isLoading, setIsLoading] = useState(false);
+  const [isRequesting, setIsRequesting] = useState(false);
+  // Router updates run in a transition, so the dialog stays busy (and open) until the new UI renders.
+  const [isNavigating, startNavigation] = useTransition();
+  const isLoading = isRequesting || isNavigating;
 
   const selectedProject = useMemo(
     () => ownedProjects.find((project) => project.id === selectedProjectId) ?? null,
@@ -101,16 +105,24 @@ export function useProjectActions(
     setActiveDialog("delete");
   };
 
+  // A dialog can't be dismissed mid-action, otherwise a finished create could still navigate away.
   const closeDialog = () => {
+    if (isLoading) {
+      return;
+    }
+
     setActiveDialog(null);
-    setIsLoading(false);
   };
 
   const submitCreate = async () => {
+    if (isLoading) {
+      return;
+    }
+
     const nextName = projectName.trim();
     const roomId = roomIdPreview;
 
-    setIsLoading(true);
+    setIsRequesting(true);
     try {
       const response = await fetch("/api/projects", {
         method: "POST",
@@ -128,20 +140,22 @@ export function useProjectActions(
       }
 
       const payload = (await response.json()) as CreateProjectResponse;
-      closeDialog();
-      router.push(`/editor/${payload.project.id}`);
-      router.refresh();
+      startNavigation(() => {
+        setActiveDialog(null);
+        router.push(`/editor/${payload.project.id}`);
+        router.refresh();
+      });
     } finally {
-      setIsLoading(false);
+      setIsRequesting(false);
     }
   };
 
   const submitRename = async () => {
-    if (!selectedProject) {
+    if (!selectedProject || isLoading) {
       return;
     }
 
-    setIsLoading(true);
+    setIsRequesting(true);
     try {
       const response = await fetch(`/api/projects/${selectedProject.id}`, {
         method: "PATCH",
@@ -157,19 +171,21 @@ export function useProjectActions(
         return;
       }
 
-      closeDialog();
-      router.refresh();
+      startNavigation(() => {
+        setActiveDialog(null);
+        router.refresh();
+      });
     } finally {
-      setIsLoading(false);
+      setIsRequesting(false);
     }
   };
 
   const submitDelete = async () => {
-    if (!selectedProject) {
+    if (!selectedProject || isLoading) {
       return;
     }
 
-    setIsLoading(true);
+    setIsRequesting(true);
     try {
       const response = await fetch(`/api/projects/${selectedProject.id}`, {
         method: "DELETE",
@@ -179,18 +195,16 @@ export function useProjectActions(
         return;
       }
 
-      closeDialog();
-
-      const activeWorkspaceProjectId = getActiveWorkspaceProjectId(pathname);
-      if (activeWorkspaceProjectId === selectedProject.id) {
-        router.push("/editor");
+      const isDeletingActiveProject = getActiveWorkspaceProjectId(pathname) === selectedProject.id;
+      startNavigation(() => {
+        setActiveDialog(null);
+        if (isDeletingActiveProject) {
+          router.push("/editor");
+        }
         router.refresh();
-        return;
-      }
-
-      router.refresh();
+      });
     } finally {
-      setIsLoading(false);
+      setIsRequesting(false);
     }
   };