diff --git a/components/email/__tests__/composer-a11y.test.tsx b/components/email/__tests__/composer-a11y.test.tsx
index 9534b61b9..3a9d3f39f 100644
--- a/components/email/__tests__/composer-a11y.test.tsx
+++ b/components/email/__tests__/composer-a11y.test.tsx
@@ -138,8 +138,9 @@ vi.mock('@/stores/template-store', () => {
   return { useTemplateStore: hook };
 });
 
+const toastError = vi.hoisted(() => vi.fn());
 vi.mock('@/stores/toast-store', () => ({
-  toast: { info: () => {}, error: () => {}, success: () => {} },
+  toast: { info: () => {}, error: toastError, success: () => {} },
 }));
 
 vi.mock('@/lib/plugin-hooks', () => ({
@@ -394,14 +395,17 @@ describe('attachment uploads (SR-16)', () => {
     expect(bar).toHaveAttribute('aria-valuetext', 'attachment_progress:45');
   });
 
-  it('says in words that an upload failed and announces it', async () => {
+  // The error toast is a live region of its own; the composer saying it
+  // too would read the failure twice.
+  it('says in words that an upload failed and reports it once', async () => {
     uploadClient(() => Promise.reject(new Error('boom')));
     render(<EmailComposer initialData={DRAFT} />);
     await attach(new File(['%PDF'], 'report.pdf', { type: 'application/pdf' }));
 
     await waitFor(() => expect(screen.getByText('attachment_upload_failed')).toBeInTheDocument());
     expect(screen.queryByRole('progressbar')).toBeNull();
-    expect(liveRegion()).toHaveTextContent('upload_failed:report.pdf');
+    expect(toastError).toHaveBeenCalledWith('upload_failed:report.pdf');
+    expect(liveRegion()).not.toHaveTextContent('upload_failed');
   });
 });
 
diff --git a/components/email/__tests__/composer-close-guard.test.tsx b/components/email/__tests__/composer-close-guard.test.tsx
index e934e97ee..1ce1de0e3 100644
--- a/components/email/__tests__/composer-close-guard.test.tsx
+++ b/components/email/__tests__/composer-close-guard.test.tsx
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ import { describe, it, expect, vi } from 'vitest';
 import React from 'react';
 import { EmailComposer } from '../email-composer';
 import { useAuthStore } from '@/stores/auth-store';
+import { LIVE_REGION_IDS } from '@/lib/announce';
 
 // ─── Heavy component mocks (mirrors reply-addressing.test.tsx) ────────────────
 
@@ -322,6 +323,28 @@ describe('composer close guard with a follow-up', () => {
     await waitFor(() => expect(afterClose).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1));
   });
 
+  it('tells screen readers the draft was saved when the user saves, not on autosave', async () => {
+    const createDraft = vi.fn().mockResolvedValue('draft-9');
+    useAuthStore.setState({
+      client: { createDraft, getEmail: vi.fn(), hasDelayedSend: () => false, getMaxDelayedSend: () => 0 } as never,
+    });
+    const polite = () => document.getElementById(LIVE_REGION_IDS.polite);
+    try {
+      const { requestCloseRef, afterClose } = renderWithCloseRef();
+      await waitFor(() => expect(createDraft).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1), { timeout: 4000 });
+      await new Promise((r) => setTimeout(r, 200));
+      expect(polite()?.textContent ?? '').not.toContain('draft_saved');
+
+      fireEvent.change(screen.getByDisplayValue('Half-written more'), { target: { value: 'Half-written more and more' } });
+      act(() => requestCloseRef.current!(afterClose));
+      fireEvent.click(within(await screen.findByRole('alertdialog')).getByText('save'));
+
+      await waitFor(() => expect(polite()?.textContent).toContain('draft_saved'));
+    } finally {
+      useAuthStore.setState({ client: null });
+    }
+  });
+
   it('drops the follow-up when the save fails and the rescue takes over', async () => {
     // When the server refuses the draft, the composer text survives only via
     // the unmount stash into the continue-draft slot (#702). That rescue
diff --git a/components/email/email-composer.tsx b/components/email/email-composer.tsx
index 0e8749ec0..6d0f7e011 100644
--- a/components/email/email-composer.tsx
+++ b/components/email/email-composer.tsx
@@ -141,6 +141,7 @@ import { isValidEmail } from "@/lib/validation";
 import { composeTextStyle, composeTextStyleCss } from "@/components/email/font-size";
 import { buildMentionCandidates, type MentionCandidate } from "@/lib/recipient-mentions";
 import { describeRecipientChanges, recipientDisplayName, type RecipientChange, type RecipientFields } from "@/lib/recipient-announcements";
+import { announce as announceStatus } from "@/lib/announce";
 import { normalizeCid } from "@/lib/attachment-visibility";
 import { RichTextEditor } from "@/components/email/rich-text-editor";
 import { isRecipientMentionActive } from "@/components/email/recipient-mention";
@@ -2277,8 +2278,8 @@ export function EmailComposer({
       } catch (error) {
         if (controller?.signal.aborted) continue;
         debug.error(`Failed to upload ${file.name}:`, error);
+        // The error toast reads itself out (components/ui/toast.tsx).
         toast.error(t('upload_failed', { filename: file.name }));
-        announce(t('upload_failed', { filename: file.name }));
 
         setAttachments(prev =>
           prev.map(att =>
@@ -2289,7 +2290,7 @@ export function EmailComposer({
         );
       }
     }
-  }, [client, t, plainTextMode, announce]);
+  }, [client, t, plainTextMode]);
 
   const handleImageUpload = useCallback(async (
     file: File,
@@ -2745,13 +2746,17 @@ export function EmailComposer({
   // racing two `Email/set { destroy, create }` requests against the same
   // draftId, which left orphan drafts and (when EmailSubmission failed)
   // looked like "send didn't happen" (#303).
-  const saveDraft = (opts: { auto?: boolean } = {}): Promise<string | null> => {
+  const saveDraft = (opts: { auto?: boolean; announce?: boolean } = {}): Promise<string | null> => {
     const previous = inflightSaveRef.current;
     const promise = (async (): Promise<string | null> => {
       if (previous) {
         try { await previous; } catch { /* prior failure already reported */ }
       }
-      return saveDraftOnce(!!opts.auto);
+      const id = await saveDraftOnce(!!opts.auto);
+      // Only the save the user asked for is read out: autosave would say it
+      // every minute, and the save before sending is followed by "Sent".
+      if (opts.announce && id && !saveFailedRef.current) announceStatus(t('draft_saved'));
+      return id;
     })();
     inflightSaveRef.current = promise;
     promise.finally(() => {
@@ -3777,7 +3782,7 @@ export function EmailComposer({
     // close attempt just re-opened this dialog - Discard was the only way out
     // (#702). Requests carry a deadline now, so a broken save resolves.
     try {
-      await saveDraft();
+      await saveDraft({ announce: true });
       if (saveFailedRef.current) {
         // The server never took the draft. Clearing stateRef here would drop the
         // message on the floor with nothing but a toast, so leave the text in