diff --git a/docs/progress.md b/docs/progress.md
index 33f3227..39bd446 100644
--- a/docs/progress.md
+++ b/docs/progress.md
@@ -7,6 +7,39 @@ Updated: 2026-02-22
 - After every sensible code/documentation change set, create a git commit as
   the last step so the next agent session can pick up from clean checkpoints.
 
+## Latest Milestone (2026-02-22): Quick-Capture Dialog Controller Lifecycle Fix
+
+Fixed a runtime crash when creating captures/notes from profile-context quick
+actions (`TextEditingController was used after being disposed`) caused by a
+dialog animation/disposal race.
+
+- Root cause
+  - quick-capture dialogs in `People` and graph `Person Insights` created a
+    local `TextEditingController`, passed it into `showDialog(...)`, then
+    disposed it immediately after `await showDialog(...)`
+  - the dialog route can still rebuild during dismiss animation, which caused
+    the `TextField` to touch a disposed controller
+
+- Fixes
+  - `lib/features/people/people_view.dart`
+    - replaced ad-hoc quick text capture dialog with stateful
+      `_QuickTextCaptureDialog` that owns and disposes its controller internally
+  - `lib/features/dashboard/dashboard_view.dart`
+    - replaced ad-hoc quick text capture dialog with stateful
+      `_InsightQuickTextCaptureDialog` with the same lifecycle fix
+  - both dialogs now also show inline `Required` validation instead of silent
+    no-op when pressing save with empty text
+
+- Similar issue scan
+  - searched the codebase for the same anti-pattern (local
+    `TextEditingController` created outside dialog widget and disposed after
+    `showDialog`)
+  - no remaining occurrences found after patching these two flows
+
+- Validation
+  - `flutter analyze` -> pass
+  - `flutter test` -> pass
+
 ## Latest Milestone (2026-02-22): Preference Review UI (People + Graph Insights)
 
 Exposed the new chat-derived preference signals in the main person detail
diff --git a/lib/features/dashboard/dashboard_view.dart b/lib/features/dashboard/dashboard_view.dart
index 7c0130e..1fc26e6 100644
--- a/lib/features/dashboard/dashboard_view.dart
+++ b/lib/features/dashboard/dashboard_view.dart
@@ -1323,39 +1323,12 @@ class _PersonInsightsPage extends ConsumerWidget {
     required String title,
     required String hintText,
   }) async {
-    final TextEditingController controller = TextEditingController();
-    final String? result = await showDialog<String>(
+    return showDialog<String>(
       context: context,
       builder: (BuildContext context) {
-        return AlertDialog(
-          title: Text(title),
-          content: TextField(
-            controller: controller,
-            minLines: 2,
-            maxLines: 4,
-            decoration: InputDecoration(hintText: hintText),
-          ),
-          actions: <Widget>[
-            TextButton(
-              onPressed: () => Navigator.of(context).pop(),
-              child: const Text('Cancel'),
-            ),
-            FilledButton(
-              onPressed: () {
-                final String value = controller.text.trim();
-                if (value.isEmpty) {
-                  return;
-                }
-                Navigator.of(context).pop(value);
-              },
-              child: const Text('Save'),
-            ),
-          ],
-        );
+        return _InsightQuickTextCaptureDialog(title: title, hintText: hintText);
       },
     );
-    controller.dispose();
-    return result;
   }
 
   Widget _insightAvatar({
@@ -1881,6 +1854,80 @@ class _InsightQuickReminderDialogState
   }
 }
 
+class _InsightQuickTextCaptureDialog extends StatefulWidget {
+  const _InsightQuickTextCaptureDialog({
+    required this.title,
+    required this.hintText,
+  });
+
+  final String title;
+  final String hintText;
+
+  @override
+  State<_InsightQuickTextCaptureDialog> createState() =>
+      _InsightQuickTextCaptureDialogState();
+}
+
+class _InsightQuickTextCaptureDialogState
+    extends State<_InsightQuickTextCaptureDialog> {
+  late final TextEditingController _controller;
+  bool _attemptedSubmit = false;
+
+  @override
+  void initState() {
+    super.initState();
+    _controller = TextEditingController();
+  }
+
+  @override
+  void dispose() {
+    _controller.dispose();
+    super.dispose();
+  }
+
+  @override
+  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
+    final String value = _controller.text.trim();
+    return AlertDialog(
+      title: Text(widget.title),
+      content: TextField(
+        controller: _controller,
+        minLines: 2,
+        maxLines: 4,
+        autofocus: true,
+        onChanged: (_) {
+          if (_attemptedSubmit) {
+            setState(() {});
+          }
+        },
+        decoration: InputDecoration(
+          hintText: widget.hintText,
+          errorText: _attemptedSubmit && value.isEmpty ? 'Required' : null,
+        ),
+      ),
+      actions: <Widget>[
+        TextButton(
+          onPressed: () => Navigator.of(context).pop(),
+          child: const Text('Cancel'),
+        ),
+        FilledButton(
+          onPressed: () {
+            final String submitted = _controller.text.trim();
+            if (submitted.isEmpty) {
+              setState(() {
+                _attemptedSubmit = true;
+              });
+              return;
+            }
+            Navigator.of(context).pop(submitted);
+          },
+          child: const Text('Save'),
+        ),
+      ],
+    );
+  }
+}
+
 class _InsightSectionCard extends StatelessWidget {
   const _InsightSectionCard({
     required this.title,
diff --git a/lib/features/people/people_view.dart b/lib/features/people/people_view.dart
index 83b9889..4f0905c 100644
--- a/lib/features/people/people_view.dart
+++ b/lib/features/people/people_view.dart
@@ -672,39 +672,12 @@ class PeopleView extends ConsumerWidget {
     required String title,
     required String hintText,
   }) async {
-    final TextEditingController controller = TextEditingController();
-    final String? result = await showDialog<String>(
+    return showDialog<String>(
       context: context,
       builder: (BuildContext context) {
-        return AlertDialog(
-          title: Text(title),
-          content: TextField(
-            controller: controller,
-            minLines: 2,
-            maxLines: 4,
-            decoration: InputDecoration(hintText: hintText),
-          ),
-          actions: <Widget>[
-            TextButton(
-              onPressed: () => Navigator.of(context).pop(),
-              child: const Text('Cancel'),
-            ),
-            FilledButton(
-              onPressed: () {
-                final String value = controller.text.trim();
-                if (value.isEmpty) {
-                  return;
-                }
-                Navigator.of(context).pop(value);
-              },
-              child: const Text('Save'),
-            ),
-          ],
-        );
+        return _QuickTextCaptureDialog(title: title, hintText: hintText);
       },
     );
-    controller.dispose();
-    return result;
   }
 }
 
@@ -2046,6 +2019,76 @@ class _PersonEditorDialog extends StatelessWidget {
   }
 }
 
+class _QuickTextCaptureDialog extends StatefulWidget {
+  const _QuickTextCaptureDialog({required this.title, required this.hintText});
+
+  final String title;
+  final String hintText;
+
+  @override
+  State<_QuickTextCaptureDialog> createState() =>
+      _QuickTextCaptureDialogState();
+}
+
+class _QuickTextCaptureDialogState extends State<_QuickTextCaptureDialog> {
+  late final TextEditingController _controller;
+  bool _attemptedSubmit = false;
+
+  @override
+  void initState() {
+    super.initState();
+    _controller = TextEditingController();
+  }
+
+  @override
+  void dispose() {
+    _controller.dispose();
+    super.dispose();
+  }
+
+  @override
+  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
+    final String value = _controller.text.trim();
+    return AlertDialog(
+      title: Text(widget.title),
+      content: TextField(
+        controller: _controller,
+        minLines: 2,
+        maxLines: 4,
+        autofocus: true,
+        onChanged: (_) {
+          if (_attemptedSubmit) {
+            setState(() {});
+          }
+        },
+        decoration: InputDecoration(
+          hintText: widget.hintText,
+          errorText: _attemptedSubmit && value.isEmpty ? 'Required' : null,
+        ),
+      ),
+      actions: <Widget>[
+        TextButton(
+          onPressed: () => Navigator.of(context).pop(),
+          child: const Text('Cancel'),
+        ),
+        FilledButton(
+          onPressed: () {
+            final String submitted = _controller.text.trim();
+            if (submitted.isEmpty) {
+              setState(() {
+                _attemptedSubmit = true;
+              });
+              return;
+            }
+            Navigator.of(context).pop(submitted);
+          },
+          child: const Text('Save'),
+        ),
+      ],
+    );
+  }
+}
+
 class _PersonEditorBottomSheet extends StatelessWidget {
   const _PersonEditorBottomSheet({
     required this.title,