diff --git a/pkg/interface/src/views/components/DropdownSearch.tsx b/pkg/interface/src/views/components/DropdownSearch.tsx
index 982905891..6a12e5acd 100644
--- a/pkg/interface/src/views/components/DropdownSearch.tsx
+++ b/pkg/interface/src/views/components/DropdownSearch.tsx
@@ -35,6 +35,8 @@ interface DropdownSearchExtraProps<C> {
   onSelect: (c: C) => void;
   disabled?: boolean;
   placeholder?: string;
+  onChange?: (e: ChangeEvent<HTMLTextAreaElement>) => void;
+  onBlur?: (e: any) => void;
 }
 
 type DropdownSearchProps<C> = PropFunc<typeof Box> &
@@ -51,6 +53,8 @@ export function DropdownSearch<C>(props: DropdownSearchProps<C>) {
     renderCandidate,
     disabled,
     placeholder,
+    onChange = () => {},
+    onBlur = () => {},
     ...rest
   } = props;
 
@@ -101,8 +105,9 @@ export function DropdownSearch<C>(props: DropdownSearchProps<C>) {
     };
   }, [textarea.current, next, back, onEnter]);
 
-  const onChange = useCallback(
+  const changeCallback = useCallback(
     (e: ChangeEvent<HTMLTextAreaElement>) => {
+      onChange(e);
       search(e.target.value);
       setQuery(e.target.value);
     },
@@ -128,11 +133,12 @@ export function DropdownSearch<C>(props: DropdownSearchProps<C>) {
     <Box {...rest} position="relative" zIndex={9}>
       <Input
         ref={textarea}
-        onChange={onChange}
+        onChange={changeCallback}
         value={query}
         autocomplete="off"
         disabled={disabled}
         placeholder={placeholder}
+        onBlur={onBlur}
       />
       {dropdown.length !== 0 && query.length !== 0 && (
         <Box
diff --git a/pkg/interface/src/views/components/ShipSearch.tsx b/pkg/interface/src/views/components/ShipSearch.tsx
index 21d6c82a5..17242fc46 100644
--- a/pkg/interface/src/views/components/ShipSearch.tsx
+++ b/pkg/interface/src/views/components/ShipSearch.tsx
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
-import React, { useMemo, useCallback } from "react";
-import { Box, Label, Icon, Text, Row, Col } from "@tlon/indigo-react";
+import React, { useMemo, useCallback, ChangeEvent, useState, SyntheticEvent, useEffect } from "react";
+import { Box, Label, Icon, Text, Row, Col, ErrorLabel } from "@tlon/indigo-react";
 import _ from "lodash";
 import ob from "urbit-ob";
 import { useField } from "formik";
@@ -11,6 +11,8 @@ import { cite, deSig } from "~/logic/lib/util";
 import { Rolodex, Groups } from "~/types";
 import { HoverBox } from "./HoverBox";
 
+const INVALID_SHIP_ERR = "Invalid ship";
+
 interface InviteSearchProps {
   autoFocus?: boolean;
   disabled?: boolean;
@@ -45,25 +47,67 @@ const Candidate = ({ title, detail, selected, onClick }) => (
 
 export function ShipSearch(props: InviteSearchProps) {
   const { id, label, caption } = props;
-  const [{ value }, { error }, { setValue, setTouched }] = useField<string[]>(
-    props.id
+  const [{}, meta, { setValue, setTouched, setError: _setError }] = useField<string[]>({
+    name: id,
+    multiple: true
+  });
+
+  const setError = _setError as unknown as (s: string | undefined) => void;
+
+  const { error, touched } = meta;
+
+  const [selected, setSelected] = useState([] as string[]);
+  const [inputShip, setInputShip] = useState(undefined as string | undefined);
+  const [inputTouched, setInputTouched] = useState(false);
+
+  const checkInput = useCallback((valid: boolean, ship: string | undefined) => {
+    if(valid) {
+      setInputShip(ship);
+      setError(error === INVALID_SHIP_ERR ? undefined : error);
+    } else {
+      setError(INVALID_SHIP_ERR);
+      setInputTouched(false);
+    }
+  }, [setError, error, setInputTouched, setInputShip]);
+
+  const onChange = useCallback(
+    (e: any) => {
+      let ship = `~${deSig(e.target.value) || ""}`;
+      if(ob.isValidPatp(ship)) {
+        checkInput(true, ship);
+      } else {
+        checkInput(ship.length !== 1, undefined) 
+      }
+    },
+    [checkInput]
   );
 
+  const onBlur = useCallback(() => {
+    setInputTouched(true);
+  }, [setInputTouched]);
+
   const onSelect = useCallback(
     (s: string) => {
       setTouched(true);
-      setValue([...value, s]);
+      checkInput(true, undefined);
+      s = `~${deSig(s)}`;
+      setSelected(v => _.uniq([...v, s]))
     },
-    [setValue, value]
+    [setTouched, checkInput, setSelected]
   );
 
   const onRemove = useCallback(
     (s: string) => {
-      setValue(value.filter((v) => v !== s));
+      setSelected(ships => ships.filter(ship => ship !== s))
     },
-    [setValue, value]
+    [setSelected]
   );
 
+  useEffect(() => {
+    const newValue = inputShip ? [...selected, inputShip] : selected;
+    setValue(newValue);
+  }, [inputShip, selected])
+
   const [peers, nicknames] = useMemo(() => {
     const peerSet = new Set<string>();
     const contacts = new Map<string, string[]>();
@@ -125,20 +169,22 @@ export function ShipSearch(props: InviteSearchProps) {
         isExact={(s) => {
           const ship = `~${deSig(s)}`;
           const result = ob.isValidPatp(ship);
-          return result ? deSig(s) : undefined;
+          return result ? deSig(s) ?? undefined : undefined;
         }}
         placeholder="Search for ships"
         candidates={peers}
         renderCandidate={renderCandidate}
-        disabled={props.maxLength ? value.length >= props.maxLength : false}
+        disabled={props.maxLength ? selected.length >= props.maxLength : false}
         search={(s: string, t: string) =>
           t.toLowerCase().startsWith(s.toLowerCase())
         }
         getKey={(s: string) => s}
         onSelect={onSelect}
+        onChange={onChange}
+        onBlur={onBlur}
       />
       <Row minHeight="34px" flexWrap="wrap">
-        {value.map((s) => (
+        {selected.map((s) => (
           <Row
             fontFamily="mono"
             alignItems="center"
@@ -161,6 +207,11 @@ export function ShipSearch(props: InviteSearchProps) {
           </Row>
         ))}
       </Row>
+      <ErrorLabel
+        mt="3"
+        hasError={error === INVALID_SHIP_ERR ? inputTouched : !!(touched && error)}>
+        {error}
+      </ErrorLabel>
     </Col>
   );
 }
diff --git a/pkg/interface/src/views/landscape/components/InvitePopover.tsx b/pkg/interface/src/views/landscape/components/InvitePopover.tsx
index 2aac6d151..4c6a20acb 100644
--- a/pkg/interface/src/views/landscape/components/InvitePopover.tsx
+++ b/pkg/interface/src/views/landscape/components/InvitePopover.tsx
@@ -1,18 +1,18 @@
 import React, { useCallback, useRef, useMemo } from "react";
-import { Box, Text, Col, Button, Row } from "@tlon/indigo-react";
+import { Switch, Route, useHistory } from "react-router-dom";
+import { Formik, Form } from "formik";
 import * as Yup from 'yup';
+import { Box, Text, Col, Button, Row } from "@tlon/indigo-react";
 
 import { ShipSearch } from "~/views/components/ShipSearch";
 import { Association } from "~/types/metadata-update";
-import { Switch, Route, useHistory } from "react-router-dom";
-import { Formik, Form } from "formik";
 import { AsyncButton } from "~/views/components/AsyncButton";
 import { useOutsideClick } from "~/logic/lib/useOutsideClick";
 import { FormError } from "~/views/components/FormError";
 import { resourceFromPath } from "~/logic/lib/group";
 import GlobalApi from "~/logic/api/global";
 import { Groups, Rolodex, Workspace } from "~/types";
-import { ChipInput } from "~/views/components/ChipInput";
+import { deSig } from "~/logic/lib/util";
 
 interface InvitePopoverProps {
   baseUrl: string;
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ interface FormSchema {
 
 const formSchema = Yup.object({
   emails: Yup.array(Yup.string().email("Invalid email")),
-  ships: Yup.array(Yup.string())
+  ships: Yup.array(Yup.string()).min(1, "Must invite at least one ship")
 });
 
 export function InvitePopover(props: InvitePopoverProps) {
@@ -48,14 +48,14 @@ export function InvitePopover(props: InvitePopoverProps) {
 
   const onSubmit = async ({ ships, emails }: { ships: string[] }, actions) => {
     if(props.workspace.type === 'home') {
-      history.push(`/~landscape/dm/${ships[0]}`);
+      history.push(`/~landscape/dm/${deSig(ships[0])}`);
       return;
     }
     //  TODO: how to invite via email?
     try {
       const resource = resourceFromPath(association["group-path"]);
       await ships.reduce(
-        (acc, s) => acc.then(() => api.contacts.invite(resource, `~${s}`)),
+        (acc, s) => acc.then(() => api.contacts.invite(resource, `~${deSig(s)}`)),
         Promise.resolve()
       );
       actions.setStatus({ success: null });
@@ -97,9 +97,10 @@ export function InvitePopover(props: InvitePopoverProps) {
               initialValues={initialValues}
               onSubmit={onSubmit}
               validationSchema={formSchema}
+              validateOnBlur
             >
               <Form>
-                <Col gapY="3" p={3}>
+                <Col gapY="3" pt={3} px={3}>
                   <Box>
                     <Text>Invite to </Text>
                     <Text fontWeight="800">{title || "DM"}</Text>
@@ -122,13 +123,12 @@ export function InvitePopover(props: InvitePopoverProps) {
                   /> */}
                 </Col>
                 <Row
-                  borderTop={1}
-                  borderTopColor="washedGray"
                   justifyContent="flex-end"
+                  p={3}
                 >
                   <AsyncButton
                     border={0}
-                    color="blue"
+                    primary
                     loadingText="Inviting..."
                   >
                     Send