--- a/browser/base/content/browser-places.js
+++ b/browser/base/content/browser-places.js
@@ -6,16 +6,17 @@
 //// StarUI
 
 var StarUI = {
   _itemId: -1,
   uri: null,
   _batching: false,
   _isNewBookmark: false,
   _autoCloseTimer: 0,
+  _selectionChanged: false,
 
   _element: function(aID) {
     return document.getElementById(aID);
   },
 
   // Edit-bookmark panel
   get panel() {
     delete this.panel;
@@ -126,35 +127,56 @@ var StarUI = {
               //    be enough.
               break;
             }
             this.panel.hidePopup();
             break;
         }
         break;
       case "mouseout":
+        if (this._selectionChanged) {
+          // Don't autoclose the popup if the user has made a selection,
+          // even if they subsequently mouseout.
+          break;
+        }
         // Explicit fall-through
-      case "popupshown":
+      case "popupshown": {
         // Don't handle events for descendent elements.
         if (aEvent.target != aEvent.currentTarget) {
           break;
         }
+
+        // namePicker is not added to the DOM until the overlay has been applied.
+        this._selectionChanged = false;
+        let namePicker = this._element("editBMPanel_namePicker");
+        namePicker.addEventListener("selectionchange", this, false);
+
         // auto-close if new and not interacted with
         if (this._isNewBookmark) {
           // 3500ms matches the timeout that Pocket uses in
           // browser/extensions/pocket/content/panels/js/saved.js
           let delay = 3500;
           if (this._closePanelQuickForTesting) {
             delay /= 10;
           }
           this._autoCloseTimer = setTimeout(() => {
             this.panel.hidePopup();
           }, delay);
         }
         break;
+      }
+      case "selectionchange": {
+        let namePicker = this._element("editBMPanel_namePicker");
+        // window.getSelection() returns no selection for XUL windows.
+        if (!namePicker.editor.selection.isCollapsed) {
+          clearTimeout(this._autoCloseTimer);
+          this._selectionChanged = true;
+        }
+        break;
+      }
     }
   },
 
   _overlayLoaded: false,
   _overlayLoading: false,
   showEditBookmarkPopup: Task.async(function* (aNode, aAnchorElement, aPosition, aIsNewBookmark) {
     // Slow double-clicks (not true double-clicks) shouldn't
     // cause the panel to flicker.

--- a/browser/base/content/test/general/browser_bookmark_popup.js
+++ b/browser/base/content/test/general/browser_bookmark_popup.js
@@ -247,11 +247,43 @@ add_task(function* ctrl_d_edit_bookmark_
     shouldAutoClose: true,
     popupHideFn() {
       document.getElementById("editBookmarkPanelRemoveButton").click();
     },
     isBookmarkRemoved: true,
   });
 });
 
+add_task(function* ctrl_d_new_bookmark_selection_mouseleave_no_autoclose() {
+  yield test_bookmarks_popup({
+    isNewBookmark: true,
+    popupShowFn(browser) {
+      EventUtils.synthesizeKey("D", {accelKey: true}, window);
+    },
+    *popupEditFn() {
+      let mouseMovePromise = BrowserTestUtils.waitForEvent(bookmarkPanel, "mousemove");
+      EventUtils.synthesizeMouseAtCenter(bookmarkPanel, {type: "mousemove"});
+      info("Waiting for mousemove event");
+      yield mouseMovePromise;
+      info("Got mousemove event");
+
+      yield new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(resolve, 400));
+      is(bookmarkPanel.state, "open", "Panel should still be open on mousemove");
+
+      EventUtils.synthesizeSelectionSet(0, 2, false, window);
+
+      let mouseOutPromise = BrowserTestUtils.waitForEvent(bookmarkPanel, "mouseout");
+      EventUtils.synthesizeMouse(bookmarkPanel, 0, 0, {type: "mouseout"});
+      EventUtils.synthesizeMouseAtCenter(document.documentElement, {type: "mousemove"});
+      info("Waiting for mouseout event");
+      yield mouseOutPromise;
+    },
+    shouldAutoClose: false,
+    popupHideFn() {
+      document.getElementById("editBookmarkPanelRemoveButton").click();
+    },
+    isBookmarkRemoved: true,
+  });
+});
+
 registerCleanupFunction(function() {
   delete StarUI._closePanelQuickForTesting;
-})
+});