diff --git a/docs/notes.typ b/docs/notes.typ
index 3b783eb..3c4b72e 100644
--- a/docs/notes.typ
+++ b/docs/notes.typ
@@ -5,13 +5,15 @@
 /// - color (color): The note's color
 /// - shape (str): The note's shape (see @@SHAPES for accepted values)
 /// - aligned (bool): True if the note is aligned with another note, in which case `side` must be `"over"`, false otherwise
+/// - allow-overlap (bool): If set to `false`, the note will try to reserve space in the column to avoid overlapping with neighboring participants. If set to `true`, the not will overlap other participants
 #let _note(
   side,
   content,
   pos: none,
   color: rgb("#FEFFDD"),
   shape: "default",
-  aligned: false
+  aligned: false,
+  allow-overlap: true
 ) = {}
 
 /// Accepted values for `shape` argument of @@_note()
diff --git a/manual.pdf b/manual.pdf
index 2875d03..8c067ce 100644
Binary files a/manual.pdf and b/manual.pdf differ
diff --git a/src/core/renderer.typ b/src/core/renderer.typ
index 1b5418c..fde03d0 100644
--- a/src/core/renderer.typ
+++ b/src/core/renderer.typ
@@ -82,12 +82,12 @@
   let (p1, p2) = (none, none)
   let cell = none
   if note.side == "left" {
-    p1 = "["
+    p1 = note.pos2
     p2 = note.pos
     cell = get-note-box(note)
   } else if note.side == "right" {
     p1 = note.pos
-    p2 = "]"
+    p2 = note.pos2
     cell = get-note-box(note)
   } else if note.side == "over" and note.aligned-with != none {
     let box1 = get-note-box(note)
diff --git a/src/core/setup.typ b/src/core/setup.typ
index 3d8f7fe..81b2a74 100644
--- a/src/core/setup.typ
+++ b/src/core/setup.typ
@@ -126,8 +126,8 @@
     "linked",
     note.pos == none and note.side != "across"
   )
+  let names = ctx.participants.map(p => p.name)
   if note.pos == none and note.side != "across" {
-    let names = ctx.participants.map(p => p.name)
     let i1 = names.position(n => n == ctx.last-seq.p1)
     let i2 = names.position(n => n == ctx.last-seq.p2)
     let pars = (
@@ -150,10 +150,26 @@
     n.aligned-with = note
     ctx.elmts.at(ctx.last-note.i) = n
   }
-  if note.side == "left" {
-    ctx.linked.push("[")
-  } else if note.side == "right" {
-    ctx.linked.push("]")
+
+  if note.side in ("left", "right") {
+    let i = names.position(n => n == note.pos)
+    let pos2 = note.pos
+    if note.side == "left" {
+      if i <= 0 or note.allow-overlap {
+        ctx.linked.push("[")
+        pos2 = "["
+      } else {
+        pos2 = names.at(i - 1)
+      }
+    } else if note.side == "right" {
+      if i >= names.len() - 1 or note.allow-overlap {
+        ctx.linked.push("]")
+        pos2 = "]"
+      } else {
+        pos2 = names.at(i + 1)
+      }
+    }
+    note.insert("pos2", pos2)
   }
 
   let pars = none
diff --git a/src/note.typ b/src/note.typ
index 948b8d5..01e6b31 100644
--- a/src/note.typ
+++ b/src/note.typ
@@ -14,7 +14,15 @@
   "hex"
 )
 
-#let _note(side, content, pos: none, color: COL-NOTE, shape: "default", aligned: false) = {
+#let _note(
+  side,
+  content,
+  pos: none,
+  color: COL-NOTE,
+  shape: "default",
+  aligned: false,
+  allow-overlap: true
+) = {
   if side == "over" {
     if pos == none {
       panic("Pos cannot be none with side 'over'")
@@ -37,6 +45,7 @@
     color: color,
     shape: shape,
     aligned: aligned,
-    aligned-with: none
+    aligned-with: none,
+    allow-overlap: allow-overlap
   ),)
 }