diff --git a/go.mod b/go.mod
index 74f24e8..69189ed 100644
--- a/go.mod
+++ b/go.mod
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ require (
 	github.com/blang/semver v3.5.1+incompatible
 	github.com/fsnotify/fsnotify v1.4.9 // indirect
 	github.com/gcla/deep v1.0.2
-	github.com/gcla/gowid v1.2.1-0.20210817042717-048ae42d28f3
+	github.com/gcla/gowid v1.2.1-0.20210820032031-cfd3f37ca741
 	github.com/gcla/tail v1.0.1-0.20190505190527-650e90873359
 	github.com/gdamore/tcell v1.3.1-0.20200115030318-bff4943f9a29
 	github.com/go-test/deep v1.0.2 // indirect
diff --git a/go.sum b/go.sum
index 64dd834..cbd9cf6 100644
--- a/go.sum
+++ b/go.sum
@@ -57,12 +57,8 @@ github.com/fsnotify/fsnotify v1.4.9 h1:hsms1Qyu0jgnwNXIxa+/V/PDsU6CfLf6CNO8H7IWo
 github.com/fsnotify/fsnotify v1.4.9/go.mod h1:znqG4EE+3YCdAaPaxE2ZRY/06pZUdp0tY4IgpuI1SZQ=
 github.com/gcla/deep v1.0.2 h1:qBOx6eepcOSRYnHJ+f2ih4hP4Vca1YnLtXxp73n5KWI=
 github.com/gcla/deep v1.0.2/go.mod h1:evE9pbpSGhItmFoBIk8hPOIC/keKTGYhFl6Le1Av+GE=
-github.com/gcla/gowid v1.2.1-0.20210730201604-e21cc1dff36b h1:mIGVx3Kq19ln5E25pwQtxCNmKi6rbrUhOgAtA1Vx+BE=
-github.com/gcla/gowid v1.2.1-0.20210730201604-e21cc1dff36b/go.mod h1:jQwZ6fAAnaylA+MkfgXLzjG0mTMStYixffw2jY0qG4k=
-github.com/gcla/gowid v1.2.1-0.20210806031049-f60cd69d4bd7 h1:4v2rkKvFsirRgM3C2UMPoxWxwM7Q9hlL/P31oB0YfIQ=
-github.com/gcla/gowid v1.2.1-0.20210806031049-f60cd69d4bd7/go.mod h1:jQwZ6fAAnaylA+MkfgXLzjG0mTMStYixffw2jY0qG4k=
-github.com/gcla/gowid v1.2.1-0.20210817042717-048ae42d28f3 h1:dWk9qzXXFwkWVP3UM+kJQ52FztZqof5cWx3Af6DG4t8=
-github.com/gcla/gowid v1.2.1-0.20210817042717-048ae42d28f3/go.mod h1:jQwZ6fAAnaylA+MkfgXLzjG0mTMStYixffw2jY0qG4k=
+github.com/gcla/gowid v1.2.1-0.20210820032031-cfd3f37ca741 h1:eeOU9lh9s7imJI/DMUxEwJS6vma8dC+d9ZKcxn8Nos4=
+github.com/gcla/gowid v1.2.1-0.20210820032031-cfd3f37ca741/go.mod h1:jQwZ6fAAnaylA+MkfgXLzjG0mTMStYixffw2jY0qG4k=
 github.com/gcla/tail v1.0.1-0.20190505190527-650e90873359 h1:3xEhacR7pIJV8daurdBygptxhzTJeYFqJp1V6SDl+pE=
 github.com/gcla/tail v1.0.1-0.20190505190527-650e90873359/go.mod h1:Wn+pZpM98JHSOYkPDtmdvlqmc0OzQGHWOsHB2d28WtQ=
 github.com/gcla/tcell v1.1.2-0.20200927150251-decc2045f510 h1:TlEZ0DHOvn0P79nHtkfemw7XFn2h8Lacd6AZpXrPU/o=
diff --git a/ui/ui.go b/ui/ui.go
index 4483b63..393ae55 100644
--- a/ui/ui.go
+++ b/ui/ui.go
@@ -1441,7 +1441,7 @@ func lastLineMode(app gowid.IApp) {
 	MiniBuffer.Register("unmap", unmapCommand{w: keyMapper})
 	MiniBuffer.Register("help", helpCommand{})
 
-	minibuffer.Open(MiniBuffer, mbView, ratio(1.0), fixed, app)
+	minibuffer.Open(MiniBuffer, mbView, ratio(1.0), app)
 }
 
 //======================================================================
diff --git a/widgets/minibuffer/minibuffer.go b/widgets/minibuffer/minibuffer.go
index 4166352..56fe335 100644
--- a/widgets/minibuffer/minibuffer.go
+++ b/widgets/minibuffer/minibuffer.go
@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@ type Widget struct {
 	selections *list.Widget
 	ed         *edit.Widget
 	pl         *pile.Widget
+	ov         *overlay.Widget
 	showAll    bool // true if the user hits tab with nothing in the minibuffer. I don't
 	// want to display all completions if the buffer is empty because it fills the screen
 	// and looks ugly. So this is a hack to allow the completions to be displayed
@@ -146,11 +147,11 @@ func New() *Widget {
 		[]gowid.IContainerWidget{
 			&gowid.ContainerWidget{
 				IWidget: top,
-				D:       gowid.RenderFlow{},
+				D:       gowid.RenderWithWeight{W: 1},
 			},
 			&gowid.ContainerWidget{
 				IWidget: bottom,
-				D:       gowid.RenderFlow{},
+				D:       gowid.RenderWithUnits{U: 1},
 			},
 		},
 		pile.Options{
@@ -175,6 +176,7 @@ func New() *Widget {
 				BackgroundStyle: gowid.MakePaletteRef("cmdline"),
 				ButtonStyle:     gowid.MakePaletteRef("cmdline-button"),
 				BorderStyle:     gowid.MakePaletteRef("cmdline-border"),
+				Modal:           true,
 			},
 		),
 		compl:   top,
@@ -433,10 +435,13 @@ func (w *Widget) updateCompletions(app gowid.IApp) {
 
 	}
 
+	w.ov.SetHeight(gowid.RenderWithUnits{U: 3 + len(complWidgets)}, app)
+
 	walker := list.NewSimpleListWalker(complWidgets)
 	if len(complWidgets) > 0 {
 		walker.SetFocus(walker.Last(), app)
 		selections := list.New(walker)
+		selections.GoToBottom(app)
 		sl2 := keepselected.New(selections)
 		w.compl.SetSubWidget(sl2, app)
 		w.selections = selections
@@ -447,9 +452,11 @@ func (w *Widget) updateCompletions(app gowid.IApp) {
 	}
 }
 
-func Open(w dialog.IOpenExt, container gowid.ISettableComposite, width gowid.IWidgetDimension, height gowid.IWidgetDimension, app gowid.IApp) {
-	ov := overlay.New(w, container.SubWidget(),
-		gowid.VAlignBottom{}, height, // Intended to mean use as much vertical space as you need
+// w is minibuffer
+// container is main view
+func Open(w *Widget, container gowid.ISettableComposite, width gowid.IWidgetDimension, app gowid.IApp) {
+	w.ov = overlay.New(w, container.SubWidget(),
+		gowid.VAlignBottom{}, gowid.RenderWithUnits{U: 3}, // Intended to mean use as much vertical space as you need
 		gowid.HAlignLeft{Margin: 5, MarginRight: 5}, width)
 
 	if _, ok := width.(gowid.IRenderFixed); ok {
@@ -459,7 +466,7 @@ func Open(w dialog.IOpenExt, container gowid.ISettableComposite, width gowid.IWi
 	}
 	w.SetSavedSubWidget(container.SubWidget(), app)
 	w.SetSavedContainer(container, app)
-	container.SetSubWidget(ov, app)
+	container.SetSubWidget(w.ov, app)
 	w.SetOpen(true, app)
 }