diff --git a/ROADMAP.md b/ROADMAP.md
index 90fe90f4e..fadacc4c9 100644
--- a/ROADMAP.md
+++ b/ROADMAP.md
@@ -171,7 +171,7 @@ Ranked; detail and the full milestone table in [docs/roadmap.md](docs/roadmap.md
 | 8 | 1.0 polish: performance, right-to-left, missing languages, keyboard-only (M14) | 55–95 |
 
 ## Progress log
-- **2026-10-16 (M7, #2516):** A paragraph number from `text_paragraphs` keeps naming the paragraph it listed after edits regroup the page: `text_edit` and `text_edit_layout` find it again by its text and box, and refuse one that was merged into a neighbour instead of rewriting the paragraph that took its number (`stale_paragraphs` lists the numbers gone). The inline editor's switch-paragraph click holds the same key. No stable identity across save and reopen yet (#2508).
+- **2026-10-16 (M7, #2516):** A paragraph number from `text_paragraphs` keeps naming the paragraph it listed after edits regroup the page: `text_edit`, `text_edit_layout` and `page_render`'s `hide_text_block` find it again by its text and box, and refuse one that was merged into a neighbour (the edited paragraph included) instead of rewriting the paragraph that took its number (`stale_paragraphs` lists the numbers gone). The inline editor's switch-paragraph click holds the same key. No stable identity across save and reopen yet (#2508).
 - **2026-10-19 (M14, #3373):** The main menu and its long submenus scroll in short windows, keeping their commands reachable. Estimates unchanged.
 
 - **2026-10-19 (M3, #3387):** Save-prompt shortcuts yield to later consent and utility dialogs; a synthetic UI regression checks that an edited document stays open. Estimates unchanged.
diff --git a/crates/automation/src/lib.rs b/crates/automation/src/lib.rs
index 2fc017088..e33b3242e 100644
--- a/crates/automation/src/lib.rs
+++ b/crates/automation/src/lib.rs
@@ -684,10 +684,12 @@ impl Automation {
                 let wanted: String = text.split_whitespace().collect();
                 let mut out = self.apply(&a, Edit::EditTextBlock { page, block: index, text, style })?;
                 let after = self.doc(&a)?.text_blocks(page);
-                // Only a paragraph that now shows the requested text is the edited one. A neighbour
-                // that overlaps the old box (overlaid text, a text layer) must not take its number.
+                // Only a paragraph that now shows exactly the requested text is the edited one. A
+                // neighbour that overlaps the old box (overlaid text, a text layer) must not take
+                // its number, and neither must a paragraph the edit merged it into: rewriting that
+                // one by this number would drop the neighbour's text.
                 let edited = block_overlapping(&after, moved)
-                    .filter(|&i| !wanted.is_empty() && after.get(i).is_some_and(|b| b.text.split_whitespace().collect::<String>().contains(&wanted)));
+                    .filter(|&i| !wanted.is_empty() && after.get(i).is_some_and(|b| b.text.split_whitespace().collect::<String>() == wanted));
                 if let Some(b) = edited.and_then(|i| after.get(i)) {
                     out["paragraph"] = json!({ "text": b.text, "lines": b.lines.len(), "font": b.base_font });
                 }
@@ -1897,11 +1899,13 @@ impl Automation {
             return Err(ToolError::InvalidArgs("choose only one of hide_text_block and hide_added_text".into()));
         }
         let out = if let Some(block) = block {
-            let index = usize::try_from(block)
-                .ok()
-                .and_then(|n| n.checked_sub(1))
-                .ok_or_else(|| ToolError::InvalidArgs("hide_text_block must be a positive paragraph index from text_paragraphs".into()))?;
-            self.doc(a)?.text_edit_preview(page, index).map_err(failed)?.render_background(scale).map_err(failed)?
+            if block < 1 {
+                return Err(ToolError::InvalidArgs("hide_text_block must be a positive paragraph index from text_paragraphs".into()));
+            }
+            // The number names the paragraph text_paragraphs listed, as it does for text_edit.
+            let doc = self.doc(a)?;
+            let index = self.paragraph_index(doc.id, page, block, &doc.text_blocks(page))?;
+            doc.text_edit_preview(page, index).map_err(failed)?.render_background(scale).map_err(failed)?
         } else if let Some(added) = added {
             let index = usize::try_from(added)
                 .ok()
diff --git a/crates/automation/src/tools.rs b/crates/automation/src/tools.rs
index 276b61cd3..aca072f45 100644
--- a/crates/automation/src/tools.rs
+++ b/crates/automation/src/tools.rs
@@ -161,7 +161,7 @@ pub fn tools() -> Vec<ToolDef> {
         t("page_render", "Render a page", "Render one page to a PNG image (default 96 dpi, at most 600).")
             .ro()
             .with(schema(json!({ "doc": doc(), "page": { "type": "integer", "minimum": 1 }, "dpi": { "type": "number", "minimum": 1, "maximum": 600 },
-                "hide_text_block": { "type": "integer", "minimum": 1, "description": "Render an inline editor background without this paragraph (index from text_paragraphs). Does not modify the document." },
+                "hide_text_block": { "type": "integer", "minimum": 1, "description": "Render an inline editor background without this paragraph (number from text_paragraphs, resolved as text_edit does: refused once an edit merged that paragraph into a neighbour). Does not modify the document." },
                 "hide_added_text": { "type": "integer", "minimum": 1, "description": "Render a retyping background without this added text item (added index from object_list). Mutually exclusive with hide_text_block. Does not modify the document." }
             }), &["doc", "page"])),
         t("object_list", "List editable objects", "List existing paragraphs, Image/Form artwork and added content once, with source kind/index references, displayed rectangles and document generation. Indexes change when content changes; use generation in object_move to reject stale references.")
diff --git a/crates/automation/tests/automation.rs b/crates/automation/tests/automation.rs
index de470b968..ef16e77d4 100644
--- a/crates/automation/tests/automation.rs
+++ b/crates/automation/tests/automation.rs
@@ -6923,7 +6923,7 @@ fn text_edit_refuses_a_paragraph_number_an_earlier_edit_regrouped() {
         "text_edit",
         json!({"doc":doc,"page":1,"paragraph":1,"text":"Alpha paragraph, first row.\nAlpha paragraph, second row.\nAlpha paragraph, a third row."}),
     );
-    assert_eq!(first["stale_paragraphs"], json!([2]), "the third row regroups Alpha with Bravo: {first}");
+    assert_eq!(first["stale_paragraphs"], json!([1, 2]), "the third row regroups Alpha with Bravo: {first}");
 
     // Paragraph 2 of the earlier listing was Bravo, which is now part of Alpha's paragraph.
     let stale = a.call("text_edit", &json!({"doc":doc,"page":1,"paragraph":2,"text":"Bravo paragraph, edited."}));
@@ -6942,6 +6942,55 @@ fn text_edit_refuses_a_paragraph_number_an_earlier_edit_regrouped() {
     std::fs::remove_dir_all(dir).unwrap();
 }
 
+/// An edit that merges its paragraph into a neighbour leaves no paragraph of its own to follow:
+/// the merged one holds the edited text too, but rewriting it by the edited paragraph's number
+/// would drop the neighbour's text (#2516).
+#[test]
+fn text_edit_does_not_follow_a_paragraph_into_the_one_it_merged_with() {
+    let dir = workdir("text-edit-merged-number");
+    std::fs::write(dir.join("p.pdf"), three_paragraph_pdf()).unwrap();
+    let mut a = auto(&dir);
+    let doc = ok(&mut a, "doc_open", json!({"path":"p.pdf"}))["doc"].as_u64().unwrap();
+    ok(&mut a, "text_paragraphs", json!({"doc":doc,"page":1}));
+    let first = ok(
+        &mut a,
+        "text_edit",
+        json!({"doc":doc,"page":1,"paragraph":1,"text":"Alpha paragraph, first row.\nAlpha paragraph, second row.\nAlpha paragraph, a third row."}),
+    );
+    assert!(first.get("paragraph").is_none(), "the result must not present the merged paragraph as the edited one: {first}");
+
+    // Paragraph 1 was Alpha. Alpha now shares a paragraph with Bravo, so the number is refused.
+    let again = a.call("text_edit", &json!({"doc":doc,"page":1,"paragraph":1,"text":"Alpha only."}));
+    assert!(matches!(&again, Err(ToolError::InvalidArgs(m)) if m.contains("text_paragraphs")), "{again:?}");
+    let text = page_text(&mut a, doc).join(" ");
+    assert!(text.contains("Bravo paragraph, a single row."), "Bravo is untouched: {text}");
+    assert!(!text.contains("Alpha only."), "nothing was rewritten: {text}");
+    std::fs::remove_dir_all(dir).unwrap();
+}
+
+/// The editor background preview takes the same paragraph number as `text_edit`, so it hides the
+/// paragraph the number named in the listing and refuses a number an edit made stale (#2516).
+#[test]
+fn page_render_hide_text_block_refuses_a_paragraph_number_an_earlier_edit_regrouped() {
+    let dir = workdir("hide-text-block-stale-number");
+    std::fs::write(dir.join("p.pdf"), three_paragraph_pdf()).unwrap();
+    let mut a = auto(&dir);
+    let doc = ok(&mut a, "doc_open", json!({"path":"p.pdf"}))["doc"].as_u64().unwrap();
+    ok(&mut a, "text_paragraphs", json!({"doc":doc,"page":1}));
+    ok(
+        &mut a,
+        "text_edit",
+        json!({"doc":doc,"page":1,"paragraph":1,"text":"Alpha paragraph, first row.\nAlpha paragraph, second row.\nAlpha paragraph, a third row."}),
+    );
+
+    // Paragraph 2 of the listing was Bravo, now inside Alpha's paragraph; position 2 is Charlie.
+    let stale = a.call("page_render", &json!({"doc":doc,"page":1,"dpi":72,"hide_text_block":2}));
+    assert!(matches!(&stale, Err(ToolError::InvalidArgs(m)) if m.contains("text_paragraphs")), "{:?}", stale.map(|_| ()));
+    // Paragraph 3 of the listing is Charlie, wherever it is now.
+    assert!(a.call("page_render", &json!({"doc":doc,"page":1,"dpi":72,"hide_text_block":3})).is_ok());
+    std::fs::remove_dir_all(dir).unwrap();
+}
+
 /// A number from the listing keeps naming its paragraph while other paragraphs are edited, and
 /// a paragraph can be edited twice in a row by the same number.
 #[test]
diff --git a/docs/editing-existing-text.md b/docs/editing-existing-text.md
index af213a6e5..b1f810b71 100644
--- a/docs/editing-existing-text.md
+++ b/docs/editing-existing-text.md
@@ -99,9 +99,10 @@ is included in the repository.
 
 A paragraph's number is its position in a list that is regrouped from geometry on every read,
 so an edit that merges two paragraphs, or splits one, moves the others. After `text_paragraphs`
-the numbers name the paragraphs *that listing showed*: `text_edit` and `text_edit_layout` find
-the paragraph again by its text and box, so editing paragraph 3 then paragraph 1 still edits the
-two the listing showed. A paragraph an edit merged into a neighbour (or changed) is refused with
+the numbers name the paragraphs *that listing showed*: `text_edit`, `text_edit_layout` and
+`page_render`'s `hide_text_block` find the paragraph again by its text and box, so editing paragraph 3 then paragraph 1 still edits the
+two the listing showed. A paragraph an edit merged into a neighbour (or changed) is refused, and so is the edited paragraph
+itself when the edit merged it into one, with
 a message to list the page again, instead of rewriting whichever paragraph took its number
 (#2516). The result of an edit names the numbers that are gone in `stale_paragraphs`. Listing
 a page again renumbers it. Without a listing, a number is a position in the page's current