diff --git a/content/events.js b/content/events.js
index f202962a..1532d628 100644
--- a/content/events.js
+++ b/content/events.js
@@ -772,8 +772,17 @@ vimperator.Events = function () //{{{
                     vimperator.modes.main = vimperator.modes.TEXTAREA;
                 vimperator.buffer.lastInputField = elem;
             }
+            else if (vimperator.config.name == "Muttator" && (!elem || elem instanceof HTMLElement))
+            {
+                // we switch to -- MESSAGE -- mode for muttator, whenever no tree or an HTML element 
+                // which is NOT an input element is selected
+                vimperator.mode = vimperator.modes.MESSAGE;
+                return;
+            }
+
             else if (vimperator.mode == vimperator.modes.INSERT ||
                      vimperator.mode == vimperator.modes.TEXTAREA ||
+                //     vimperator.mode == vimperator.modes.MESSAGE ||
                      vimperator.mode == vimperator.modes.VISUAL)
             {
                // FIXME: currently this hack is disabled to make macros work
diff --git a/content/mappings.js b/content/mappings.js
index 3a434436..03c4a9da 100644
--- a/content/mappings.js
+++ b/content/mappings.js
@@ -355,12 +355,14 @@ vimperator.Mappings = function () //{{{
                     vimperator.modes.VISUAL,
                     vimperator.modes.HINTS,
                     vimperator.modes.COMMAND_LINE,
+                    vimperator.modes.MESSAGE,
                     vimperator.modes.CARET,
                     vimperator.modes.TEXTAREA];
 
     var noninsertModes = [vimperator.modes.NORMAL,
                           vimperator.modes.VISUAL,
                           vimperator.modes.HINTS,
+                          vimperator.modes.MESSAGE,
                           vimperator.modes.CARET,
                           vimperator.modes.TEXTAREA];
 
diff --git a/content/modes.js b/content/modes.js
index c7910e0b..81afc984 100644
--- a/content/modes.js
+++ b/content/modes.js
@@ -77,6 +77,8 @@ vimperator.modes = (function () //{{{
                 return "-- CARET" + ext;
             case vimperator.modes.TEXTAREA:
                 return "-- TEXTAREA" + ext;
+            case vimperator.modes.MESSAGE:
+                return "-- MESSAGE" + ext;
             case vimperator.modes.CUSTOM:
                 return "-- " + vimperator.plugins.mode + ext;
             default: // NORMAL mode
@@ -159,7 +161,8 @@ vimperator.modes = (function () //{{{
         COMMAND_LINE:     1 << 4,
         CARET:            1 << 5, // text cursor is visible
         TEXTAREA:         1 << 6, // text cursor is in a HTMLTextAreaElement
-        CUSTOM:           1 << 7,
+        MESSAGE:          1 << 7, // for now only used in Muttator when the message has focus
+        CUSTOM:           1 << 8,
         // extended modes, can include multiple modes, and even main modes
         EX:               1 << 10,
         INPUT_MULTILINE:  1 << 11,
@@ -177,7 +180,7 @@ vimperator.modes = (function () //{{{
         __iterator__: function ()
         {
             var modes = [this.NONE, this.NORMAL, this.INSERT, this.VISUAL, this.HINTS, 
-                         this.COMMAND_LINE, this.CARET, this.TEXTAREA, this.CUSTOM];
+                         this.COMMAND_LINE, this.CARET, this.TEXTAREA, this.MESSAGE, this.CUSTOM];
 
             for (var i = 0; i < modes.length; i++)
                 yield modes[i];
diff --git a/content/muttator.xul b/content/muttator.xul
index fb81e25b..516a4d7e 100644
--- a/content/muttator.xul
+++ b/content/muttator.xul
@@ -78,16 +78,16 @@ the terms of any one of the MPL, the GPL or the LGPL.
         </keyset>
 
         <statusbar id="status-bar" class="hl-StatusLine">
-            <hbox insertbefore="statusText" id="vimperator-statusline" flex="1" height="10" hidden="false" align="center">
-                <textbox class="plain" id="vimperator-statusline-field-url" readonly="false" flex="1" crop="end"/>
-                <label class="plain" id="vimperator-statusline-field-inputbuffer"    flex="0"/>
-                <label class="plain" id="vimperator-statusline-field-progress"       flex="0"/>
-                <label class="plain" id="vimperator-statusline-field-tabcount"       flex="0"/>
-                <label class="plain" id="vimperator-statusline-field-bufferposition" flex="0"/>
+            <hbox insertafter="statusTextBox" id="vimperator-statusline" flex="1" height="10" hidden="false" align="center">
+                <statusbarpanel class="plain" id="vimperator-statusline-field-url" readonly="false" flex="1" crop="end"/>
+                <statusbarpanel class="plain" id="vimperator-statusline-field-inputbuffer"    flex="0"/>
+                <statusbarpanel class="plain" id="vimperator-statusline-field-progress"       flex="0"/>
+                <statusbarpanel class="plain" id="vimperator-statusline-field-tabcount"       flex="0"/>
+                <statusbarpanel class="plain" id="vimperator-statusline-field-bufferposition" flex="0"/>
             </hbox>
             <!-- just hide them since other elements expect them -->
-            <statusbarpanel id="statusbar-display" hidden="true"/>
-            <statusbarpanel id="statusbar-progresspanel" hidden="true"/>
+            <statusbarpanel id="statusText" hidden="true"/>
+            <statusbarpanel id="statusbarpanel-progress" hidden="true"/>
         </statusbar>
 
         <vbox id="vimperator-container" hidden="false">
diff --git a/content/vim.js b/content/vim.js
index 477d4b98..51ab995e 100644
--- a/content/vim.js
+++ b/content/vim.js
@@ -164,7 +164,8 @@ const vimperator = (function () //{{{
                 document.commandDispatcher.focusedElement.blur();
 
             var elem = vimperator.config.mainWidget || content;
-            elem.focus();
+            if (elem != document.commandDispatcher.focusedElement)
+                elem.focus();
         },
 
         // partial sixth level expression evaluation