diff --git a/packages/react/README.md b/packages/react/README.md
index 5d665ef5..89ab9b71 100644
--- a/packages/react/README.md
+++ b/packages/react/README.md
@@ -60,12 +60,18 @@ Slash menu host items can include `keywords` to match hidden terms without chang
 
 Mount `WikilinkHoverCard` inside `MeowdownEditor` and render host-owned preview
 content from the hovered wiki link's `target`. Returning `null` renders no
-card.
+card. The render function may also return a promise: the card stays closed
+until it resolves, resolving to `null` (or rejecting) renders no card, and a
+result that lands after the pointer moved on is discarded, so a host can look
+up local content without ever flashing an empty card.
 
 ```tsx
 <MeowdownEditor initialMarkdown="See [[Project plan]]">
   <WikilinkHoverCard>
-    {(hit) => <LocalNotePreview key={hit.target} target={hit.target} />}
+    {async (hit) => {
+      const note = await readLocalNote(hit.target)
+      return note == null ? null : <LocalNotePreview note={note} />
+    }}
   </WikilinkHoverCard>
 </MeowdownEditor>
 ```
diff --git a/packages/react/src/components/wikilink-hover-card.test.tsx b/packages/react/src/components/wikilink-hover-card.test.tsx
index 44b62658..e15e9eab 100644
--- a/packages/react/src/components/wikilink-hover-card.test.tsx
+++ b/packages/react/src/components/wikilink-hover-card.test.tsx
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import '../testing/index.ts'
 
-import { createRef } from 'react'
-import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest'
+import { createRef, type ReactNode } from 'react'
+import { describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest'
 import { render } from 'vitest-browser-react'
 import { page } from 'vitest/browser'
 
@@ -94,6 +94,118 @@ describe('WikilinkHoverCard', () => {
     await expect.element(card, { timeout: 1000 }).toHaveTextContent('Preview: Known')
   })
 
+  it('opens with the resolved body of an async render function', async () => {
+    await unhover()
+    await render(
+      <MeowdownEditor initialMarkdown="see [[Note]] here" blockHandle={false}>
+        <WikilinkHoverCard>
+          {async (hit) => {
+            await new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, 50))
+            return <div>Async preview: {hit.target}</div>
+          }}
+        </WikilinkHoverCard>
+      </MeowdownEditor>,
+    )
+
+    await hover(pmRoot.getByTestId('wikilink'))
+    await expect.element(card).not.toBeInTheDocument()
+    await expect.element(card, { timeout: 2000 }).toHaveTextContent('Async preview: Note')
+  })
+
+  it('renders no card when the promise resolves to null', async () => {
+    await unhover()
+    await render(
+      <MeowdownEditor initialMarkdown="see [[Missing]] here" blockHandle={false}>
+        <WikilinkHoverCard>
+          {async () => {
+            await new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, 50))
+            return null
+          }}
+        </WikilinkHoverCard>
+      </MeowdownEditor>,
+    )
+
+    await hover(pmRoot.getByTestId('wikilink'))
+    await new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, 600))
+    await expect.element(card).not.toBeInTheDocument()
+  })
+
+  it('renders no card when the render promise rejects', async () => {
+    await unhover()
+    const consoleError = vi.spyOn(console, 'error').mockImplementation(() => {})
+    await render(
+      <MeowdownEditor initialMarkdown="see [[Broken]] here" blockHandle={false}>
+        <WikilinkHoverCard>
+          {async () => {
+            await new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, 50))
+            throw new Error('load failed')
+          }}
+        </WikilinkHoverCard>
+      </MeowdownEditor>,
+    )
+
+    await hover(pmRoot.getByTestId('wikilink'))
+    await new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, 600))
+    await expect.element(card).not.toBeInTheDocument()
+    expect(consoleError).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+      '[meowdown] wikilink hover card body rejected:',
+      expect.any(Error),
+    )
+    consoleError.mockRestore()
+  })
+
+  it('discards a result that resolves after the pointer left', async () => {
+    await unhover()
+    let resolveBody: ((node: ReactNode) => void) | undefined
+    await render(
+      <MeowdownEditor initialMarkdown="see [[Note]] here" blockHandle={false}>
+        <WikilinkHoverCard>
+          {() =>
+            new Promise<ReactNode>((resolve) => {
+              resolveBody = resolve
+            })
+          }
+        </WikilinkHoverCard>
+      </MeowdownEditor>,
+    )
+
+    await hover(pmRoot.getByTestId('wikilink'))
+    await vi.waitFor(() => expect(resolveBody).toBeDefined())
+    await unhover()
+    resolveBody?.(<div>Late preview</div>)
+    await new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, 200))
+    await expect.element(card).not.toBeInTheDocument()
+  })
+
+  it('shows only the newest target when an older promise resolves late', async () => {
+    await unhover()
+    const resolvers = new Map<string, (node: ReactNode) => void>()
+    await render(
+      <MeowdownEditor initialMarkdown="[[Alpha]] and [[Beta]]" blockHandle={false}>
+        <WikilinkHoverCard>
+          {(hit) =>
+            new Promise<ReactNode>((resolve) => {
+              resolvers.set(hit.target, resolve)
+            })
+          }
+        </WikilinkHoverCard>
+      </MeowdownEditor>,
+    )
+    const links = pmRoot.getByTestId('wikilink')
+
+    await hover(links.nth(0))
+    await vi.waitFor(() => expect(resolvers.has('Alpha')).toBe(true))
+    await hover(links.nth(1))
+    await vi.waitFor(() => expect(resolvers.has('Beta')).toBe(true))
+
+    resolvers.get('Alpha')?.(<div>Preview: Alpha</div>)
+    await new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, 100))
+    await expect.element(card).not.toBeInTheDocument()
+
+    resolvers.get('Beta')?.(<div>Preview: Beta</div>)
+    await expect.element(card, { timeout: 1000 }).toHaveTextContent('Preview: Beta')
+  })
+
   it('removes the card when the hovered link is deleted', async () => {
     await unhover()
     const handleRef = createRef<EditorHandle>()
diff --git a/packages/react/src/components/wikilink-hover-card.tsx b/packages/react/src/components/wikilink-hover-card.tsx
index 639e2f56..ac142e41 100644
--- a/packages/react/src/components/wikilink-hover-card.tsx
+++ b/packages/react/src/components/wikilink-hover-card.tsx
@@ -17,9 +17,13 @@ const CLOSE_DELAY = 200
 export interface WikilinkHoverCardProps {
   /**
    * Render the card body from the hovered wiki link. Returning `null` renders
-   * no card.
+   * no card. A returned promise keeps the card closed until it resolves;
+   * resolving to `null` or rejecting renders no card, and a result that lands
+   * after the pointer moved on is discarded. The function runs once per
+   * hovered link rather than on every render, and a new function identity
+   * re-runs it for the current link.
    */
-  readonly children: (hit: WikilinkHoverHit) => ReactNode
+  readonly children: (hit: WikilinkHoverHit) => ReactNode | Promise<ReactNode>
   /** Optional class applied to the popup, after the default card surface. */
   readonly className?: string
 }
@@ -32,6 +36,7 @@ export function WikilinkHoverCard({ children, className }: WikilinkHoverCardProp
   const lastRectRef = useRef<DOMRect>(null)
   const [displayed, setDisplayed] = useState<WikilinkHoverHit>()
   const [open, setOpen] = useState(false)
+  const [body, setBody] = useState<ReactNode>(null)
 
   const [hoverExtension] = useState(() => {
     return defineWikilinkHoverHandler((nextHit) => setHit(nextHit))
@@ -50,11 +55,41 @@ export function WikilinkHoverCard({ children, className }: WikilinkHoverCardProp
     return { getBoundingClientRect: getRect }
   }, [getRect])
 
+  // Resolve the body for the current request. A superseded request's result
+  // is discarded, and the previous body stays until the new one settles, so
+  // an open card does not flash empty while moving between links.
+  useEffect(() => {
+    let stale = false
+    const resolveBody = async () => {
+      try {
+        const resolved = await (displayed ? children(displayed) : null)
+        if (!stale) setBody(resolved)
+      } catch (error) {
+        if (stale) return
+        console.error('[meowdown] wikilink hover card body rejected:', error)
+        setBody(null)
+      }
+    }
+    void resolveBody()
+    return () => {
+      stale = true
+    }
+  }, [children, displayed])
+
   const hasDisplayed = !!displayed
+  const hasBody = body != null
 
   useEffect(() => {
     if (!hit) {
-      const timer = setTimeout(() => setOpen(false), CLOSE_DELAY)
+      // Without a visible body there is no close animation to preserve; the
+      // request drops right away and the next hover dwells afresh.
+      const timer = setTimeout(
+        () => {
+          setOpen(false)
+          if (!hasBody) setDisplayed(undefined)
+        },
+        hasBody ? CLOSE_DELAY : 0,
+      )
       return () => clearTimeout(timer)
     }
 
@@ -65,9 +100,7 @@ export function WikilinkHoverCard({ children, className }: WikilinkHoverCardProp
       setOpen(true)
     }, openDelay)
     return () => clearTimeout(timer)
-  }, [hit, hasDisplayed])
-
-  const body = displayed ? children(displayed) : null
+  }, [hit, hasDisplayed, hasBody])
 
   return (
     <PreviewCard.Root