diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 0e123ab..d9565b3 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -412,35 +412,47 @@ it shows:
 The Story Bible window indexes all Story Bible items from your project's character,
 location, lore, and other reference directories. It supports:
 
-* Automatic indexing from directories like `03-Characters`, `02-Story Bible`,
-  `Characters`, `Locations`, `Lore`, etc.
-* Two reference syntaxes in your draft text:
+* Automatic indexing from the first directory found: `03-Story-Bible` (the
+  bundled template's own folder), then `03-Characters`, `02-Story Bible`,
+  `Characters`, `Locations`, `Lore`, and so on.
+* **Automatic linking in the draft — no markup required.** A name spelled and
+  capitalized the same way as an item's `name:` or an `aliases:` entry is
+  matched wherever it appears in ordinary prose ("**Bixby** stood at the
+  door"). Two explicit syntaxes still work too, and win any overlap with an
+  automatic match:
   - Wiki-style: `[[Character Name]]` or `[[John Doe]]`
   - Mention-style: `@CharacterName` or `@John`
-* **Purple background highlighting** of Story Bible references in the editor
+* **Purple background highlighting** of every match — automatic or explicit —
+  in the editor. Hovering one shows a card with the item's name, type, and a
+  summary (see below), and a link to open its full entry; the card stays put
+  while you move the pointer onto it to click that link.
 * Click items in the Story Bible window to see all references to them in the current file
 * Click reference buttons to jump directly to that location in the editor
-* Metadata extraction from YAML frontmatter (id, title, type, **aliases** fields) or from filenames
+* Metadata extraction from YAML frontmatter (id, name, type, **aliases**,
+  **summary** fields) or from filenames
 * Case-insensitive search and lookup
 * **Aliases support**: References match item IDs, names, **and aliases** for flexible linking
 
 Character sheets in the `Characters` folder are automatically indexed, and any
-markdown file with YAML frontmatter containing `id:` and `title:` fields will be
-included in the index. You can also add an `aliases:` field with alternative names
-for a character or item:
+markdown file with YAML frontmatter containing `id:` and `name:` fields will be
+included in the index (`title:` is read too, if a sheet uses that word instead).
+You can also add `aliases:` for alternative names, and `summary:` for the one-line
+hover card:
 
 ```yaml
 ---
 id: john_smith
-title: "John Smith"
+name: "John Smith"
 type: character
 aliases: ["Johnny", "JS"]
+summary: "A retired locksmith dragged back for one last job."
 ---
 ```
 
-With aliases defined, references like `[[Johnny]]` or `@JS` will match the "John Smith"
-character entry. References in your draft text that match Story Bible items
-by ID, name, or alias are highlighted and clickable.
+With aliases defined, references like `[[Johnny]]`, `@JS`, or a bare "Johnny" in
+prose will all match the "John Smith" character entry. Every reference in your
+draft that matches a Story Bible item — by ID, name, or alias — is highlighted
+and clickable, whether or not you typed any markup to get it there.
 
 ### Story Bible Editor (Edit ▸ Story Bible…)
 
diff --git a/src/app/editor.rs b/src/app/editor.rs
index 2a4acd9..1549bcb 100644
--- a/src/app/editor.rs
+++ b/src/app/editor.rs
@@ -489,7 +489,7 @@ pub(super) fn build_editor_job(
     let mut job = LayoutJob::default();
     job.wrap.max_width = wrap_width;
 
-    if grammar.is_empty() && find.is_empty() {
+    if grammar.is_empty() && find.is_empty() && bible.is_empty() {
         job.append(text, 0.0, TextFormat::simple(font_id, color));
         return job;
     }
@@ -809,6 +809,33 @@ pub(super) fn toggle_line_comment(
 mod tests {
     use super::*;
 
+    #[test]
+    fn a_bible_only_reference_is_not_skipped_by_the_grammar_find_fast_path() {
+        // build_editor_job short-circuits to one plain run when there's
+        // nothing to highlight — a regression check that it doesn't take
+        // that shortcut when the only thing to highlight is a Story Bible
+        // mention (no grammar issues, no active search), which used to
+        // mean the purple background — and the hover card that depends on
+        // it being visible to find — never appeared for a name with no
+        // spelling issue of its own.
+        let text = "Protagonist stood at the door.";
+        let job = build_editor_job(
+            text,
+            14.0,
+            egui::Color32::WHITE,
+            &[],
+            &[],
+            None,
+            &[(0, 11)], // "Protagonist"
+            f32::INFINITY,
+        );
+        let highlighted = job
+            .sections
+            .iter()
+            .any(|s| s.format.background != egui::Color32::default());
+        assert!(highlighted, "a bible-only reference must still be formatted");
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn byte_to_char_is_the_inverse_of_char_to_byte() {
         // "café!" — é is 2 bytes, so byte and char indices diverge after it.
diff --git a/src/story_bible.rs b/src/story_bible.rs
index 236ddd7..975fef6 100644
--- a/src/story_bible.rs
+++ b/src/story_bible.rs
@@ -201,6 +201,7 @@ fn extract_from_frontmatter(relative_path: &str, content: &str) -> Option<StoryB
     }
 
     let mut name: Option<String> = None;
+    let mut title: Option<String> = None;
     let mut id: Option<String> = None;
     let mut item_type: Option<String> = None;
     let mut aliases: Vec<String> = Vec::new();
@@ -209,8 +210,13 @@ fn extract_from_frontmatter(relative_path: &str, content: &str) -> Option<StoryB
 
     for line in &lines[start + 1..end] {
         let trimmed = line.trim();
-        if trimmed.starts_with("title:") {
-            name = Some(trimmed["title:".len()..].trim().trim_matches('"').to_string());
+        // `name:` is what every bundled Story Bible template actually
+        // writes; `title:` is accepted too since a scene/draft file's own
+        // frontmatter uses that word and a sheet may borrow it by habit.
+        if trimmed.starts_with("name:") {
+            name = Some(trimmed["name:".len()..].trim().trim_matches('"').to_string());
+        } else if trimmed.starts_with("title:") {
+            title = Some(trimmed["title:".len()..].trim().trim_matches('"').to_string());
         } else if trimmed.starts_with("id:") {
             id = Some(trimmed["id:".len()..].trim().trim_matches('"').to_string());
         } else if trimmed.starts_with("type:") {
@@ -234,8 +240,8 @@ fn extract_from_frontmatter(relative_path: &str, content: &str) -> Option<StoryB
     // `summary:` wins if a sheet somehow has both.
     let summary = summary.or(description);
 
-    // Use name or filename as fallback
-    let name = name.unwrap_or_else(|| {
+    // Use name, then title, then the filename as fallback.
+    let name = name.or(title).unwrap_or_else(|| {
         Path::new(relative_path)
             .file_stem()
             .and_then(|s| s.to_str())
@@ -526,6 +532,34 @@ Some content here."#;
         assert_eq!(item.item_type, "character");
     }
 
+    #[test]
+    fn frontmatter_reads_name_the_way_every_bundled_template_actually_writes_it() {
+        // Every sheet the snowflake template ships — character, location,
+        // lore, object — writes `name:`, never `title:`. A regression check
+        // for the mismatch that made every item's name fall back to a
+        // filename-derived guess instead.
+        let content = r#"---
+id: bixby_reynolds
+name: Bixby Reynolds
+type: protagonist
+---
+
+# Bixby Reynolds"#;
+        let item = extract_from_frontmatter("main_characters/01_bixby.md", content).unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(item.name, "Bixby Reynolds");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn frontmatter_prefers_name_over_title_when_a_sheet_somehow_has_both() {
+        let content = r#"---
+name: Real Name
+title: Old Spelling
+---
+"#;
+        let item = extract_from_frontmatter("test.md", content).unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(item.name, "Real Name");
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn frontmatter_summary_feeds_the_hover_card() {
         let content = r#"---
@@ -725,6 +759,31 @@ description: The long version.
         assert_eq!(&"Bixby walked into the room."[refs[0].start..refs[0].end], "Bixby");
     }
 
+    #[test]
+    fn a_bare_mention_matches_against_a_real_disk_built_index() {
+        // The hand-built `index_with` above exercises the matching rules;
+        // this instead goes through `StoryBibleIndex::build`, the same path
+        // a real project's character sheet takes, as a check that nothing
+        // is lost crossing that boundary (frontmatter parsing, `id`
+        // lowercasing, and so on).
+        let dir = std::env::temp_dir().join(format!(
+            "md_manuscript_test_{}",
+            std::process::id()
+        ));
+        let _ = std::fs::remove_dir_all(&dir);
+        std::fs::create_dir_all(&dir).unwrap();
+        std::fs::write(
+            dir.join("protagonist.md"),
+            "---\nid: protagonist\nname: Protagonist\nsummary: \"hero\"\nslug: protagonist\ntype: protagonist\n---\n\n# Protagonist\n",
+        )
+        .unwrap();
+        let index = StoryBibleIndex::build(&dir);
+        let refs = find_references("Protagonist stood at the door.", &index);
+        std::fs::remove_dir_all(&dir).ok();
+        assert_eq!(refs.len(), 1);
+        assert_eq!(refs[0].item_id, "protagonist");
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn a_bare_mention_respects_word_boundaries() {
         let index = index_with("bixby", "Bixby", &[]);
diff --git a/templates/snowflake/{{ cookiecutter.project_name }}/03-Story-Bible/01-Characters/main_characters/01_character_template.md b/templates/snowflake/{{ cookiecutter.project_name }}/03-Story-Bible/01-Characters/main_characters/01_character_template.md
index 8d9937b..32c7029 100644
--- a/templates/snowflake/{{ cookiecutter.project_name }}/03-Story-Bible/01-Characters/main_characters/01_character_template.md	
+++ b/templates/snowflake/{{ cookiecutter.project_name }}/03-Story-Bible/01-Characters/main_characters/01_character_template.md	
@@ -1,6 +1,10 @@
 ---
 id: character_id
 name: Character Name
+# One line the app can show in a hover card when this name appears in a
+# draft — not a substitute for the full sheet below, just enough to
+# place them at a glance.
+summary: ""
 slug: character-name
 pronunciation: ""
 type: protagonist
@@ -10,7 +14,7 @@ gender: ""
 age: 0
 species: ""
 occupation: ""
- tags: []
+tags: []
 appearances: []
 related_characters: []
 related_locations: []
diff --git a/templates/snowflake/{{ cookiecutter.project_name }}/03-Story-Bible/01-Characters/main_characters/01_protagonist.md b/templates/snowflake/{{ cookiecutter.project_name }}/03-Story-Bible/01-Characters/main_characters/01_protagonist.md
index cf72ef9..70e4158 100644
--- a/templates/snowflake/{{ cookiecutter.project_name }}/03-Story-Bible/01-Characters/main_characters/01_protagonist.md	
+++ b/templates/snowflake/{{ cookiecutter.project_name }}/03-Story-Bible/01-Characters/main_characters/01_protagonist.md	
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 ---
 id: protagonist
 name: Protagonist
+summary: ""
 slug: protagonist
 pronunciation: ""
 type: protagonist
diff --git a/templates/snowflake/{{ cookiecutter.project_name }}/03-Story-Bible/01-Characters/main_characters/02_antagonist.md b/templates/snowflake/{{ cookiecutter.project_name }}/03-Story-Bible/01-Characters/main_characters/02_antagonist.md
index 0cbaafb..4ecbbd0 100644
--- a/templates/snowflake/{{ cookiecutter.project_name }}/03-Story-Bible/01-Characters/main_characters/02_antagonist.md	
+++ b/templates/snowflake/{{ cookiecutter.project_name }}/03-Story-Bible/01-Characters/main_characters/02_antagonist.md	
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 ---
 id: antagonist
 name: Antagonist
+summary: ""
 slug: antagonist
 pronunciation: ""
 type: antagonist
diff --git a/templates/snowflake/{{ cookiecutter.project_name }}/03-Story-Bible/README.md b/templates/snowflake/{{ cookiecutter.project_name }}/03-Story-Bible/README.md
index 96119ec..ea3ea68 100644
--- a/templates/snowflake/{{ cookiecutter.project_name }}/03-Story-Bible/README.md	
+++ b/templates/snowflake/{{ cookiecutter.project_name }}/03-Story-Bible/README.md	
@@ -75,6 +75,7 @@ The Story Bible is a comprehensive reference system that helps you maintain cons
    ---
    id: unique_id
    name: Character Name
+   summary: "One line the app can show in a hover card"
    slug: character-name
    type: protagonist|antagonist|ally|enemy|mentor
    status: active|draft|deceased|retired
@@ -142,6 +143,17 @@ Use `[[Link Text|file-name]]` or `[[file-name]]` to create cross-references:
 - **Related Event:** [[The War of Ashes|history/war_of_ashes]]
 ```
 
+### Automatic Linking in the Draft
+The app does not require `[[wiki-links]]` to connect a draft to the Story
+Bible — a name written in ordinary prose ("**Bixby** stood at the door") is
+matched automatically against every entry's `name:` and `aliases:`, as long
+as it's spelled and capitalized the same way in both places. Hovering a
+matched name shows a card with the entry's `summary:` field and a link that
+opens the full sheet; `[[wiki-links]]` and `@mentions` still work too, and
+take priority if they ever land on the same word. A character sheet with no
+`summary:` still gets matched and links open fine — the card just says so
+and lets you add one.
+
 ### Mermaid Diagrams
 Create visual relationship maps and timelines: