diff --git a/src/firefly/js/tables/__tests__/InputCell-test.jsx b/src/firefly/js/tables/__tests__/InputCell-test.jsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..f503fbb977
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/firefly/js/tables/__tests__/InputCell-test.jsx
@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
+/*
+ * License information at https://github.com/Caltech-IPAC/firefly/blob/master/License.txt
+ */
+/*eslint-env node, jest */
+
+import React from 'react';
+import '@testing-library/jest-dom';
+import {act, fireEvent, render, screen} from '@testing-library/react';
+
+import {createInputCell, inputColumnRenderer} from '../ui/TableRenderer.js';
+
+const TIP = 'syntax help';
+
+const cellBuilders = {
+    createInputCell: () => createInputCell(TIP, 10, () => ({valid: true})),
+    inputColumnRenderer: () => inputColumnRenderer({tbl_id: 't1', cname: 'c', tooltips: TIP}),
+};
+
+const hover = (el) => {
+    fireEvent.mouseOver(el);
+    act(() => jest.advanceTimersByTime(1000));
+};
+
+describe.each(Object.keys(cellBuilders))('%s syntax tooltip', (name) => {
+    beforeEach(() => jest.useFakeTimers());
+    afterEach(() => jest.useRealTimers());
+
+    const data = [['a'], ['b']];
+
+    test('hover alone shows no tooltip', () => {
+        const Cell = cellBuilders[name]();
+        render(<Cell rowIndex={0} data={data} colIdx={0}/>);
+        hover(screen.getByRole('textbox'));
+        expect(screen.queryByRole('tooltip')).toBeNull();
+    });
+
+    test('focus + hover shows the tooltip', () => {
+        const Cell = cellBuilders[name]();
+        render(<Cell rowIndex={0} data={data} colIdx={0}/>);
+        const input = screen.getByRole('textbox');
+        act(() => input.focus());
+        hover(input);
+        expect(screen.getByRole('tooltip')).toHaveTextContent(TIP);
+    });
+
+    test('a cell reused for another row forgets focus that was never blurred', () => {
+        const Cell = cellBuilders[name]();
+        const {rerender} = render(<Cell rowIndex={0} data={data} colIdx={0}/>);
+        act(() => screen.getByRole('textbox').focus());
+        rerender(<Cell rowIndex={1} data={data} colIdx={0}/>);   // table swaps the row; the focused input is removed, no blur
+        hover(screen.getByRole('textbox'));
+        expect(screen.queryByRole('tooltip')).toBeNull();
+    });
+});
diff --git a/src/firefly/js/tables/ui/TableRenderer.js b/src/firefly/js/tables/ui/TableRenderer.js
index 8b67132172..51891c6f34 100644
--- a/src/firefly/js/tables/ui/TableRenderer.js
+++ b/src/firefly/js/tables/ui/TableRenderer.js
@@ -155,12 +155,14 @@ export function HeaderText({val, level='body-sm', sx, ...rest}) {
 }
 
 const blurEnter = ['blur','enter'];
+const syntaxTipProps = {enterDelay: 300};      // filter boxes and constraint cells can open their syntax tooltip quickly
 
 function Filter({cname, onFilter, filterInfo, tbl_id}) {
 
     const colGetter= () => getColumn(getTblById((tbl_id)), cname) ?? {};
     const col = useStoreConnector(colGetter);
     const [showTooltip, setShowTooltip] = useState(true);
+    const [editing, setEditing] = useState(false);       // the syntax tooltip shows only while this box has focus
     const dropdownEl = useRef(null);
 
     useEffect(() => {
@@ -191,13 +193,19 @@ function Filter({cname, onFilter, filterInfo, tbl_id}) {
             validator={validator}
             fieldKey={name}
             sx={{width: 1, '--Input-radius': ''}}
-            tooltip={showTooltip && FILTER_CONDITION_TTIPS}
+            tooltip={editing && showTooltip && FILTER_CONDITION_TTIPS}
             value={filterInfoCls.getFilter(name)}
             onChange={onFilter}
             actOn={blurEnter}
             showWarning={false}
             slotProps={{
-                input: {size:'sm', endDecorator }
+                input: {size:'sm', endDecorator, autoComplete: 'off'},
+                // Handle focus on the dropdown or checkboxes bubbling up and triggering the tooltip
+                control: {
+                    onFocus: (e) => setEditing(e.target.tagName === 'INPUT' && e.currentTarget.contains(e.target)),
+                    onBlur: () => setEditing(false),
+                },
+                tooltip: syntaxTipProps,
             }}
         />
     );
@@ -530,8 +538,14 @@ export const createInputCell = (tooltips, size = 10, validator, onChange, style)
         onChange && onChange(v, data, rowIndex, colIdx);
     };
 
-    return ({rowIndex, data, colIdx}) => {
-        const val = get(data, [rowIndex, colIdx]);
+    return function InputCell({rowIndex, data, colIdx}) {
+        const [editing, setEditing] = useState(false);       // the syntax tooltip shows only while this box has focus
+        const [shownRow, setShownRow] = useState(rowIndex);
+        if (shownRow !== rowIndex) {        // clear editing when a scroll moves the cell to another row
+            setShownRow(rowIndex);
+            setEditing(false);
+        }
+        const val = data?.[rowIndex]?.[colIdx];
 
 
         if (val === NOT_CELL_DATA) {
@@ -543,13 +557,14 @@ export const createInputCell = (tooltips, size = 10, validator, onChange, style)
                         key={rowIndex + '-' +colIdx}
                         validator={(v) => validator(v, data, rowIndex, colIdx)}
                         sx={{'.MuiInput-root':{'minHeight':'3px', 'borderRadius':4}}}
-                        tooltip={tooltips}
+                        tooltip={editing && tooltips}
                         size={size}
                         style={style}
                         value={val}
                         onChange={(v) => changeHandler(rowIndex, data, colIdx, v) }
                         actOn={['blur','enter']}
                         showWarning={false}
+                        slotProps={{input: {autoComplete: 'off'}, control: {onFocus: () => setEditing(true), onBlur: () => setEditing(false)}, tooltip: syntaxTipProps}}
                     />
                 </Box>
             );
@@ -571,7 +586,13 @@ export const createInputCell = (tooltips, size = 10, validator, onChange, style)
  */
 export const inputColumnRenderer = ({tbl_id, cname, tooltips, style={}, isReadOnly, validator, onChange, ...props}) => {
 
-    return ({rowIndex, data, colIdx}) => {
+    return function InputColumnCell({rowIndex, data, colIdx}) {
+        const [editing, setEditing] = useState(false);       // the tooltip shows only while this box has focus
+        const [shownRow, setShownRow] = useState(rowIndex);
+        if (shownRow !== rowIndex) {        // clear editing when a scroll moves the cell to another row
+            setShownRow(rowIndex);
+            setEditing(false);
+        }
         const val = get(data, [rowIndex, colIdx]);
         if (isReadOnly && isReadOnly(rowIndex, data, colIdx)) {
             return <div style={{width: '100%', height: '100%', ...style}}>{val}</div>;
@@ -582,11 +603,12 @@ export const inputColumnRenderer = ({tbl_id, cname, tooltips, style={}, isReadOn
                         key={rowIndex + '-' +colIdx}
                         sx={{'.MuiInput-root':{'minHeight':'3px', 'borderRadius':4}}}
                         validator={ validator && ((v) => validator(v, data, rowIndex, colIdx))}
-                        tooltip={tooltips}
+                        tooltip={editing && tooltips}
                         style={{width: '100%', boxSizing: 'border-box', ...style}}
                         value={val}
                         onChange={makeChangeHandler(rowIndex, data, colIdx, tbl_id, cname, validator, onChange)}
                         actOn={['blur','enter']}
+                        slotProps={{input: {autoComplete: 'off'}, control: {onFocus: () => setEditing(true), onBlur: () => setEditing(false)}, tooltip: syntaxTipProps}}
                     />
                 </Box>
             );
diff --git a/src/firefly/js/ui/tap/TapViewType.jsx b/src/firefly/js/ui/tap/TapViewType.jsx
index 5714d7ad33..a0e64cbf9b 100644
--- a/src/firefly/js/ui/tap/TapViewType.jsx
+++ b/src/firefly/js/ui/tap/TapViewType.jsx
@@ -548,8 +548,11 @@ function OpRender({ops, value, label='', sx, lineClamp, rowDesc='rows'}) {
     const op = ops.find((t) => t.value === value);
     if (!op) return 'none';
     const details= cleanUp(op.label,0);
+    const text = op.displayLabel ?? op.label;
+    const shown = cleanUp(text);
+    const isCut = shown !== cleanUp(text, 0);       // the tooltip only adds something when the shown text is cut short
     return (
-        <Tooltip title={
+        <Tooltip title={isCut &&
                 <Typography level='body-sm' component='div' width='30rem'>
                     <div dangerouslySetInnerHTML={{__html: `${details}`}}/>
                 </Typography>
@@ -580,7 +583,7 @@ function OpRender({ops, value, label='', sx, lineClamp, rowDesc='rows'}) {
                                     WebkitBoxOrient: 'vertical',
                                 } : {}}
                             sx={{whiteSpace:'normal', textAlign:'left'}}>
-                <div dangerouslySetInnerHTML={{__html: `${cleanUp(op.displayLabel??op.label)}`}}/>
+                <div dangerouslySetInnerHTML={{__html: `${shown}`}}/>
                 </Typography>
             </Stack>
         </Tooltip>