diff --git a/gertty/mywid.py b/gertty/mywid.py
index 06cb586..12d986a 100644
--- a/gertty/mywid.py
+++ b/gertty/mywid.py
@@ -120,7 +120,7 @@ class HyperText(urwid.Text):
         self._mouse_press_item = None
         self.selectable_items = []
         self.focused_index = None
-        self.last_focused_index = None
+        self.last_focused_index = 0
         super(HyperText, self).__init__(markup, align, wrap, layout)
 
     def focusFirstItem(self):
diff --git a/gertty/view/change.py b/gertty/view/change.py
index ac7ec88..69c2bb7 100644
--- a/gertty/view/change.py
+++ b/gertty/view/change.py
@@ -269,6 +269,17 @@ class ChangeMessageBox(mywid.HyperText):
             comment_text = commentlink.run(app, comment_text)
         self.set_text(text+comment_text)
 
+class CommitMessageBox(mywid.HyperText):
+    def __init__(self, app, message):
+        self.app = app
+        super(CommitMessageBox, self).__init__(message)
+
+    def set_text(self, text):
+        text = [text]
+        for commentlink in self.app.config.commentlinks:
+            text = commentlink.run(self.app, text)
+        super(CommitMessageBox, self).set_text(text)
+
 class ChangeView(urwid.WidgetWrap):
     _help = """
 <c>      Checkout the most recent revision into the local repo.
@@ -319,7 +330,7 @@ class ChangeView(urwid.WidgetWrap):
             row = urwid.Columns([(12, urwid.Text(('change-header', l), wrap='clip')), v])
             change_info.append(row)
         change_info = urwid.Pile(change_info)
-        self.commit_message = urwid.Text(u'')
+        self.commit_message = CommitMessageBox(app, u'')
         votes = mywid.Table([])
         self.depends_on = urwid.Pile([])
         self.depends_on_rows = {}
@@ -344,6 +355,8 @@ class ChangeView(urwid.WidgetWrap):
 
         self.checkGitRepo()
         self.refresh()
+        self.listbox.set_focus(0)
+        top.set_focus(0)
 
     def checkGitRepo(self):
         missing_revisions = set()