diff --git a/frontend/components/CellInput/pluto_autocomplete.js b/frontend/components/CellInput/pluto_autocomplete.js
index 0df4c5b6c4..3e9062bdb7 100644
--- a/frontend/components/CellInput/pluto_autocomplete.js
+++ b/frontend/components/CellInput/pluto_autocomplete.js
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ import { open_bottom_right_panel } from "../BottomRightPanel.js"
 import { ENABLE_CM_AUTOCOMPLETE_ON_TYPE } from "../CellInput.js"
 import { GlobalDefinitionsFacet } from "./go_to_definition_plugin.js"
 
-let { autocompletion, completionKeymap, completionStatus, acceptCompletion } = autocomplete
+let { autocompletion, completionKeymap, completionStatus, acceptCompletion, selectedCompletion } = autocomplete
 
 // These should be imported from  @codemirror/autocomplete, but they are not exported.
 const completionState = autocompletion()[1]
@@ -101,8 +101,11 @@ const pluto_autocomplete_keymap = [
  */
 let update_docs_from_autocomplete_selection = (on_update_doc_query) => {
     return EditorView.updateListener.of((update) => {
-        // Can't use this yet as it has not enough info to apply the change (source.from and source.to)
-        // let selected_completion = autocomplete.selectedCompletion(update.state)
+        // But we can use `selectedCompletion` to better check if the autocomplete is open
+        // (for some reason `autocompletion_state?.open != null` isn't enough anymore?)
+        // Sadly we still need `update.state.field(completionState, false)` as well because we can't
+        //   apply the result from `selectedCompletion()` yet (has no .from and .to, for example)
+        if (selectedCompletion(update.state) == null) return
 
         let autocompletion_state = update.state.field(completionState, false)
         let open_autocomplete = autocompletion_state?.open
@@ -123,6 +126,10 @@ let update_docs_from_autocomplete_selection = (on_update_doc_query) => {
         // Apply completion to state, which will yield us a `Transaction`.
         // The nice thing about this is that we can use the resulting state from the transaction,
         // without updating the actual state of the editor.
+        // NOTE This could bite someone who isn't familiar with this, but there isn't an easy way to fix it without a lot of console spam:
+        // .... THIS UPDATE WILL DO CONSOLE.LOG'S LIKE ANY UPDATE WOULD DO
+        // .... Which means you sometimes get double logs from codemirror extensions...
+        // .... Very disorienting 😵‍💫
         let result_transaction = update.state.update({
             changes: {
                 from,
@@ -183,9 +190,9 @@ const validFor = (text) => {
 /** Use the completion results from the Julia server to create CM completion objects. */
 const julia_code_completions_to_cm =
     (/** @type {PlutoRequestAutocomplete} */ request_autocomplete) => async (/** @type {autocomplete.CompletionContext} */ ctx) => {
-        if (writing_variable_name_or_keyword(ctx)) return null
         if (match_special_symbol_complete(ctx)) return null
-        if (ctx.tokenBefore(["Number", "Comment", "String", "TripleString"]) != null) return null
+        if (!ctx.explicit && writing_variable_name_or_keyword(ctx)) return null
+        if (!ctx.explicit && ctx.tokenBefore(["Number", "Comment", "String", "TripleString"]) != null) return null
 
         let to_complete = /** @type {String} */ (ctx.state.sliceDoc(0, ctx.pos))
 
@@ -196,9 +203,6 @@ const julia_code_completions_to_cm =
             to_complete = to_complete.slice(0, is_symbol_completion.from + 1) + to_complete.slice(is_symbol_completion.from + 2)
         }
 
-        // no path autocompletions
-        if (ctx.tokenBefore(["String"]) != null) return null
-
         const globals = ctx.state.facet(GlobalDefinitionsFacet)
         const is_already_a_global = (text) => text != null && Object.keys(globals).includes(text)
 
@@ -284,9 +288,9 @@ const julia_code_completions_to_cm =
     }
 
 const complete_anyword = async (/** @type {autocomplete.CompletionContext} */ ctx) => {
-    if (writing_variable_name_or_keyword(ctx)) return null
     if (match_special_symbol_complete(ctx)) return null
-    if (ctx.tokenBefore(["Number", "Comment", "String", "TripleString"]) != null) return null
+    if (!ctx.explicit && writing_variable_name_or_keyword(ctx)) return null
+    if (!ctx.explicit && ctx.tokenBefore(["Number", "Comment", "String", "TripleString"]) != null) return null
 
     const results_from_cm = await autocomplete.completeAnyWord(ctx)
     if (results_from_cm === null) return null
@@ -328,9 +332,9 @@ const writing_variable_name_or_keyword = (/** @type {autocomplete.CompletionCont
 
 /** @returns {Promise<autocomplete.CompletionResult?>} */
 const global_variables_completion = async (/** @type {autocomplete.CompletionContext} */ ctx) => {
-    if (writing_variable_name_or_keyword(ctx)) return null
     if (match_special_symbol_complete(ctx)) return null
-    if (ctx.tokenBefore(["Number", "Comment", "String", "TripleString"]) != null) return null
+    if (!ctx.explicit && writing_variable_name_or_keyword(ctx)) return null
+    if (!ctx.explicit && ctx.tokenBefore(["Number", "Comment", "String", "TripleString"]) != null) return null
 
     const globals = ctx.state.facet(GlobalDefinitionsFacet)
 
@@ -417,9 +421,9 @@ const special_symbols_completion = (/** @type {() => Promise<SpecialSymbols?>} *
     }
 
     return async (/** @type {autocomplete.CompletionContext} */ ctx) => {
-        if (writing_variable_name_or_keyword(ctx)) return null
         if (!match_special_symbol_complete(ctx)) return null
-        if (ctx.tokenBefore(["Number", "Comment"]) != null) return null
+        if (!ctx.explicit && writing_variable_name_or_keyword(ctx)) return null
+        if (!ctx.explicit && ctx.tokenBefore(["Number", "Comment"]) != null) return null
 
         const result = await get_special_symbols()