diff --git a/AGENTS.md b/AGENTS.md
index bea3bb7..c8fb8c6 100644
--- a/AGENTS.md
+++ b/AGENTS.md
@@ -100,8 +100,17 @@ not for the public pages. See `docs/design-principles.md` for the design.
   the banner pen — everything saves immediately as you edit (brand/title
   debounced, slug on commit since it renames the path), tree rows navigate
   in place without transitions when focused, and the front page is a
-  root-only row whose empty slug is editable like any other (empty child
-  lists become drop zones while dragging). The two pens swap the docked
+  root-only row whose empty slug is editable like any other. Every
+  non-empty list (and the root) ends with a non-draggable ➕ footer row
+  (vuedraggable `#footer` slot): clicking it starts a new pending page at
+  that level, and while dragging it is the list's "end of list" drop
+  target. Dropping ON the lower part of a row moves the page under that
+  row (the child list's container invisibly overlaps its own row's bottom
+  via negative margin — Sortable inserts it as the first child natively),
+  while a row's exposed top edge inserts a sibling before it. Row
+  indentation is structural (each nested list margin-indents itself), so a
+  dragged row previews its whole subtree at the target list's depth. The
+  two pens swap the docked
   panel for the other editor; clicking the open editor's own pen closes it. Normally dynamic-imported onto the content page by
   pagerite.js when a 🖊️ edit link is clicked (the link carries
   `data-editor-src`/`data-editor-css`/`data-editor-mode`); the `/_/admin`
diff --git a/docs/design-principles.md b/docs/design-principles.md
index 1fe147d..e21c202 100644
--- a/docs/design-principles.md
+++ b/docs/design-principles.md
@@ -167,14 +167,18 @@ evolves.
   insert `![alt](/_/f/hash.ext)` at the cursor.
 - The **structure panel** (vue-draggable tree of the whole site, in site
   mode) covers page management: reorder any menu level, drag across
-  sections (empty child lists appear as drop zones while dragging), add,
-  delete (two clicks: the button arms, then deletes — no dialogs).
-  Every node is a real label — content-less category rows offer a
-  ➕ to give them a landing page.
+  sections, add, delete (two clicks: the button arms, then deletes — no
+  dialogs). Every node is a real label — content-less category rows offer
+  a ➕ to give them a landing page.
   Deleting a category removes only its landing page (the label and its
-  subpages stay). The ➕ in the panel header starts a new page as a
-  local-only tree row that can be dragged into place before its title and
-  slug are filled in; it is persisted only on commit. Rows are always
+  subpages stay). Every non-empty list ends with a ➕ row that starts a
+  new page as a local-only tree row at that level; the row can be dragged
+  into place before its title and slug are filled in and is persisted only
+  on commit. While dragging, these ➕ rows double as "end of this list"
+  drop targets; dropping ON the lower part of a row makes the page that
+  row's first child (even a leaf's, creating a sublist), while a row's
+  exposed top edge inserts a sibling before it. A dragged row's
+  indentation previews the target list's depth. Rows are always
   editable: titles save while typing, slug edits commit on blur/Enter
   since they rename the path (moving the whole subtree). The front page
   is the root row with an empty slug — renaming it away leaves no front
diff --git a/frontend/src/SiteEditor.vue b/frontend/src/SiteEditor.vue
index 81e1e69..d69cf75 100644
--- a/frontend/src/SiteEditor.vue
+++ b/frontend/src/SiteEditor.vue
@@ -157,12 +157,13 @@ function followMove(oldPath, newPath) {
 }
 
 // --- New page flow -------------------------------------------------------
-// The ➕ in the pages header adds a *pending* row to the tree: a local-only
-// item that can be dragged into place before anything is filled in. It is
-// persisted only on commit (✓/Enter), at wherever it currently sits.
+// The ➕ row at the end of any list adds a *pending* row there: a
+// local-only item that can be dragged into place before anything is
+// filled in. It is persisted only on commit (✓/Enter), at wherever it
+// currently sits.
 const pending = ref(null)
 
-function newPage() {
+function newPage(list) {
   if (pending.value) return // one at a time
   pending.value = {
     slug: '',
@@ -174,7 +175,7 @@ function newPage() {
     children: [],
     pending: true,
   }
-  tree.value.push(pending.value)
+  list.push(pending.value)
 }
 
 // Where does the pending row currently sit? -> {parentPath, list, index}.
@@ -431,6 +432,7 @@ provide('structureHandlers', {
   addContent,
   commitPending,
   discardPending,
+  newPage,
 })
 
 // --- Banner editing ------------------------------------------------------
@@ -644,12 +646,6 @@ onUnmounted(() => {
 
     <section class="block structure">
       <StructureTree :nodes="tree" />
-      <button
-        type="button"
-        class="add"
-        title="new page — drag the new row into place, then fill in title and slug"
-        @click="newPage"
-      >➕</button>
     </section>
   </div>
 </template>
@@ -774,21 +770,4 @@ onUnmounted(() => {
   overflow-y: auto;
   min-height: 0;
 }
-
-/* Icon buttons (➕) keep the emoji's own color, no button chrome. */
-.structure .add {
-  align-self: flex-start; /* don't stretch to the block's full width */
-  margin-top: 0.3rem;
-  margin-left: 1.2em; /* align with the row titles, past the drag handle */
-  padding: 0.1rem 0.3rem;
-  background: none;
-  border: none;
-  font-size: 1rem;
-  cursor: pointer;
-  opacity: 0.7;
-}
-
-.structure .add:hover {
-  opacity: 1;
-}
 </style>
diff --git a/frontend/src/StructureTree.vue b/frontend/src/StructureTree.vue
index de24fd3..936957e 100644
--- a/frontend/src/StructureTree.vue
+++ b/frontend/src/StructureTree.vue
@@ -7,9 +7,15 @@
 // the slug commits on blur/Enter since it renames the path, moving the
 // whole subtree. Nodes without content are category labels that redirect
 // to their first child; the ➕ on their row gives them a landing page.
-// The ➕ in the panel header adds a *pending* row: a local-only item that
-// can be dragged into place before its title/slug are filled in, and is
-// persisted to the server only on commit (✓/Enter, Esc discards).
+// Every non-empty list (and the root list) ends with a ➕ footer row:
+// clicking it adds a *pending* row (a local-only item persisted to the
+// server only on commit, ✓/Enter, Esc discards) at the end of that list,
+// and while dragging it doubles as the list's "end of list" drop target.
+// Leaf pages have no ➕ row of their own, but every row's child list is a
+// drop target: its (invisible) container box reaches up over the bottom of
+// its row, so dropping ON a row makes it a child (first position), while
+// dropping on the row's top edge inserts a sibling before it. See the
+// `.node > .treelist` style.
 // The front page is the root row with an empty slug: renaming it away
 // leaves no front page, and giving another top-level row the empty slug
 // makes it the front page. Delete is a two-step inline button (no dialog).
@@ -59,8 +65,8 @@ function onMove(evt) {
   return true
 }
 
-// While dragging, reveal empty child lists as drop zones (style.css) so a
-// page can be moved under a childless page.
+// While dragging, the child-list overlap strips become hit-testable (see
+// styles). Purely functional — nothing is shown or resized.
 function onStart() {
   document.body.classList.add('tree-dragging')
 }
@@ -85,12 +91,12 @@ function onEnd() {
   >
     <template #item="{ element }">
       <div class="node">
-        <!-- Indentation is row padding, not a container margin, so the
-             slug and action columns stay aligned across nesting levels. -->
+        <!-- Indentation is structural: each nested treelist margin-indents
+             itself relative to its parent (see styles), so a dragged row
+             previews its whole subtree at the target list's depth. -->
         <div
           class="row"
           :class="{ current: element.path === handlers.current() }"
-          :style="depth ? { paddingLeft: `${depth * 1.1}rem` } : null"
         >
           <span class="drag" title="drag to reorder/move">⠿</span>
           <template v-if="element.pending">
@@ -161,26 +167,77 @@ function onEnd() {
         />
       </div>
     </template>
+    <!-- Non-draggable footer (vuedraggable slot): a ➕ row at the end of
+         the list. Clicking adds a pending page at this level; while
+         dragging it is the list's "end of list" drop target. Only shown
+         where the list has items (or at the root, to add the first page). -->
+    <template #footer>
+      <div v-if="nodes.length || !depth" class="add-row">
+        <button
+          type="button"
+          class="add"
+          title="new page here — fill in title and slug, then drag into place if needed"
+          @click="handlers.newPage(nodes)"
+        >➕</button>
+      </div>
+    </template>
   </draggable>
 </template>
 
 <style scoped>
 .treelist {
   min-height: 0;
+  /* Flex column so the ➕ footer can render last via `order` even when
+     Sortable's end-of-list insertion appends the preview after it in the
+     DOM (order only affects painting; Sortable's item rect math and
+     vuedraggable's index mapping still see the logical DOM order). */
+  display: flex;
+  flex-direction: column;
+  /* Child lists overlap the bottom of their own row (below); the overlap
+     strip must not block clicks on the row's inputs, so containers are
+     hit-test transparent and only the rows re-enable pointer events. */
+  pointer-events: none;
+}
+
+/* While dragging, the overlap strips become hit-testable so a row's child
+   list can be targeted. No visual change. */
+body.tree-dragging .treelist {
+  pointer-events: auto;
+}
+
+/* A node's child list indents itself (structural indentation: a dragged
+   row's subtree follows its head to the target depth automatically) and
+   reaches up over the bottom ~60% of its row: the negative top margin
+   pulls the container up, the equal padding pushes its children back
+   down — zero layout or visual effect, but while dragging Sortable sees
+   the lower part of the row as inside the child list and natively inserts
+   there as the first child (a leaf's empty child list becomes a sublist
+   this way). The exposed top strip of the row remains the parent list's
+   target = sibling before this row. */
+.node > .treelist {
+  margin-top: -0.95rem;
+  padding-top: 0.95rem;
+  margin-left: 1.1rem;
 }
 
 .node {
   margin-left: 0.2rem;
 }
 
-/* Grid rows: handle / title / slug / actions line up as columns. Rows are
-   full width at every level (indentation is row padding) and the slug and
-   action columns are fixed-width, so they align across nesting levels. */
+/* Grid rows: handle / title / slug / actions line up as columns within a
+   level (nesting indents the whole list container, so columns align per
+   level, not across levels). */
 .row {
   display: grid;
   grid-template-columns: 1.2em minmax(3rem, 1fr) 7rem 5rem;
   align-items: baseline;
   gap: 0.35rem;
+  /* Vertical spacing widens the drop zones: the exposed top strip is the
+     "sibling before" target, the overlapped bottom is "child of". */
+  padding-top: 0.15rem;
+  padding-bottom: 0.15rem;
+  /* Rows (and the ➕ row) stay clickable despite .treelist's pointer-events: none. */
+  pointer-events: auto;
 }
 
 .row.current .title-edit {
@@ -263,4 +320,28 @@ function onEnd() {
 .ghost {
   opacity: 0.4;
 }
+
+/* The ➕ footer row: subtle always-visible "add here" button at the end of
+   a list; while dragging it is the list's "end of list" drop target. */
+.add-row {
+  min-height: 1.1rem;
+  display: flex;
+  align-items: center;
+  pointer-events: auto; /* see .row */
+  order: 1; /* always render after the rows, even mid-drag (see .treelist) */
+}
+
+.add {
+  margin-left: 1.2em; /* align with the row titles, past the drag handle */
+  padding: 0 0.3rem;
+  background: none;
+  border: none;
+  font-size: 0.9rem;
+  cursor: pointer;
+  opacity: 0.5;
+}
+
+.add:hover {
+  opacity: 1;
+}
 </style>
diff --git a/frontend/src/assets/style.css b/frontend/src/assets/style.css
index ce03454..55e85d7 100644
--- a/frontend/src/assets/style.css
+++ b/frontend/src/assets/style.css
@@ -191,14 +191,6 @@ body.editing #sidebar {
   }
 }
 
-/* Site structure tree: while dragging, empty child lists appear as drop
-   zones so a page can be moved under a childless page. */
-body.tree-dragging .treelist:empty {
-  min-height: 1.2rem;
-  outline: 1px dashed var(--line);
-  border-radius: 4px;
-}
-
 /* The banner's own pen: opens the site editor (banner + structure).
    Qualified with `button` to beat the later .edit-link rule's left offset
    (both classes apply to the same element). */
@@ -211,15 +203,10 @@ button.banner-edit-link {
   font: inherit;
   border: none;
   cursor: pointer;
-  opacity: 0.55;
   background: none;
   padding: 0;
 }
 
-.banner-edit-link:hover {
-  opacity: 1;
-}
-
 #sidebar {
   grid-column: 1;
   /* Pinned to the page's left edge (not the article's) and kept in view