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/draw/group.typ b/src/core/draw/group.typ
index 25aafaf..8604eaa 100644
--- a/src/core/draw/group.typ
+++ b/src/core/draw/group.typ
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 #import "/src/cetz.typ": draw
 
 #import "/src/consts.typ": *
-#import "/src/core/utils.typ": get-ctx, set-ctx
+#import "/src/core/utils.typ": get-ctx, set-ctx, expand-parent-group
 
 #let render-start(grp) = get-ctx(ctx => {
   let grp = grp
@@ -18,14 +18,21 @@
     )
   )
   ctx.groups = ctx.groups.map(g => {
-    if g.at(1).min-i == grp.min-i { g.at(2) += 1 }
-    if g.at(1).max-i == grp.max-i { g.at(3) += 1 }
+    if g.group.min-i == grp.min-i { g.start-lvl += 1 }
+    if g.group.max-i == grp.max-i { g.end-lvl += 1 }
     g
   })
   if grp.grp-type == "alt" {
     grp.insert("elses", ())
   }
-  ctx.groups.push((ctx.y, grp, 0, 0))
+  ctx.groups.push((
+    start-y: ctx.y,
+    group: grp,
+    start-lvl: 0,
+    end-lvl: 0,
+    min-x: ctx.x-pos.at(grp.min-i) - 10,
+    max-x: ctx.x-pos.at(grp.max-i) + 10
+  ))
   ctx.y -= m.height / 1pt
 
   set-ctx(c => {
@@ -87,9 +94,16 @@
 
 #let render-end(group) = get-ctx(ctx => {
   ctx.y -= Y-SPACE
-  let (start-y, group, start-lvl, end-lvl) = ctx.groups.pop()
-  let x0 = ctx.x-pos.at(group.min-i) - start-lvl * 10 - 20
-  let x1 = ctx.x-pos.at(group.max-i) + end-lvl * 10 + 20
+  let (
+    start-y,
+    group,
+    start-lvl,
+    end-lvl,
+    min-x,
+    max-x
+  ) = ctx.groups.pop()
+  let x0 = min-x - 10
+  let x1 = max-x + 10
   
   draw-group(x0, x1, start-y, ctx.y, group)
 
@@ -104,12 +118,14 @@
     c.groups = ctx.groups
     return c
   })
+
+  expand-parent-group(x0, x1)
 })
 
 #let render-else(else_) = set-ctx(ctx => {
   ctx.y -= Y-SPACE
   let m = measure(text([\[#else_.desc\]], weight: "bold", size: .8em))
-  ctx.groups.last().at(1).elses.push((
+  ctx.groups.last().group.elses.push((
     ctx.y, else_
   ))
   ctx.y -= m.height / 1pt
diff --git a/src/core/draw/note.typ b/src/core/draw/note.typ
index d8b353d..33b33aa 100644
--- a/src/core/draw/note.typ
+++ b/src/core/draw/note.typ
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 #import "/src/cetz.typ": draw
 
 #import "/src/consts.typ": *
-#import "/src/core/utils.typ": get-ctx, set-ctx
+#import "/src/core/utils.typ": get-ctx, set-ctx, expand-parent-group
 
 #let get-size(note) = {
   let PAD = if note.shape == "hex" {NOTE-HEX-PAD} else {NOTE-PAD}
@@ -159,5 +159,7 @@
         return c
       })
     }
+
+    expand-parent-group(x0, x2)
   })
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/core/draw/sequence.typ b/src/core/draw/sequence.typ
index 0d0ae47..49103e6 100644
--- a/src/core/draw/sequence.typ
+++ b/src/core/draw/sequence.typ
@@ -67,9 +67,12 @@
   if comment != none {
     h = calc.max(h, measure(comment).height / 1pt + 6)
   }
-  if "linked-note" in seq {
-    h = calc.max(h, note.get-size(seq.linked-note).height / 2)
-  }
+  h = calc.max(
+    h,
+    ..seq.linked-notes.map(n => {
+      note.get-size(n).height / 2
+    })
+  )
   ctx.y -= h
 
   let start-info = (
@@ -165,9 +168,8 @@
   )
 
   let y0 = start-info.y
-  if "linked-note" in seq {
-    // TODO: adapt note.render
-    (seq.linked-note.draw)(seq.linked-note, y: start-info.y, forced: true)
+  for n in seq.linked-notes {
+    (n.draw)(n, y: start-info.y, forced: true)
   }
 
   let flip-mark = end-info.i <= start-info.i
@@ -348,9 +350,14 @@
     ctx.lifelines.at(i2) = dst-line
   }
 
-  if "linked-note" in seq {
-    let m = note.get-size(seq.linked-note)
-    end-info.y = calc.min(end-info.y, y0 - m.height / 2)
+  if seq.linked-notes.len() != 0 {
+    end-info.y = calc.min(
+      end-info.y,
+      y0 - calc.max(..seq.linked-notes.map(n => {
+        let m = note.get-size(n)
+        return m.height / 2
+      }))
+    )
   }
 
   set-ctx(c => {
diff --git a/src/core/renderer.typ b/src/core/renderer.typ
index 1b5418c..1bb3297 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)
@@ -220,7 +220,7 @@
 }
 
 /// Compute remaining widths for longer sequences (spanning multiple columns)
-#let long-seq-min-col-widths(cells, widths) = {
+#let long-seq-min-col-widths(participants, cells, widths) = {
   let widths = widths
   let multicol-cells = cells.filter(c => c.i2 - c.i1 > 1)
   multicol-cells = multicol-cells.sorted(key: c => {
@@ -228,13 +228,23 @@
   })
   for cell in multicol-cells {
     let m = measure(cell.cell)
+
+    let i1 = cell.i1
+    let i2 = cell.i2 - 1
+    let i = i2
+    if cell.i1 == 0 and participants.at(0).name == "[" {
+      i = 0
+      i1 += 1
+      i2 += 1
+    }
     let width = (
       m.width / 1pt +
       COMMENT-PAD -
-      widths.slice(cell.i1, cell.i2 - 1).sum()
+      widths.slice(i1, i2).sum()
     )
-    widths.at(cell.i2 - 1) = calc.max(
-      widths.at(cell.i2 - 1), width
+    
+    widths.at(i) = calc.max(
+      widths.at(i), width
     )
   }
   return widths
@@ -307,7 +317,7 @@
   widths = notes-min-col-widths(elements, widths, pars-i)
   widths = simple-seq-min-col-widths(cells, widths)
   widths = self-seq-min-col-widths(cells, widths)
-  widths = long-seq-min-col-widths(cells, widths)
+  widths = long-seq-min-col-widths(participants, cells, widths)
   widths = col-widths-add-lifelines(participants, widths)
   widths = process-col-elements(elements, widths, pars-i)
   return widths
diff --git a/src/core/setup.typ b/src/core/setup.typ
index 3d8f7fe..7873526 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 = (
@@ -141,8 +141,8 @@
       note.pos = pars.last().last()
     }
 
-    let seq = ctx.last-seq.seq
-    seq.insert("linked-note", note)
+    let seq = ctx.elmts.at(ctx.last-seq.i)
+    seq.linked-notes.push(note)
     ctx.elmts.at(ctx.last-seq.i) = seq
   }
   if note.aligned {
@@ -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/core/utils.typ b/src/core/utils.typ
index 7698037..4d6d003 100644
--- a/src/core/utils.typ
+++ b/src/core/utils.typ
@@ -104,4 +104,14 @@
 #let get-ctx(func) = draw.get-ctx(c => {
   let ctx = c.shared-state.chronos
   func(ctx)
+})
+
+#let expand-parent-group(x0, x1) = set-ctx(ctx => {
+  if ctx.groups.len() != 0 {
+    let group = ctx.groups.last()
+    group.min-x = calc.min(group.min-x, x0)
+    group.max-x = calc.max(group.max-x, x1)
+    ctx.groups.last() = group
+  }
+  return ctx
 })
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/misc.typ b/src/misc.typ
index 86eb4a0..1bd0ce8 100644
--- a/src/misc.typ
+++ b/src/misc.typ
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 #import "core/draw/delay.typ"
+#import "core/draw/event.typ": render as evt-render
 #import "core/draw/separator.typ"
 #import "core/draw/sync.typ"
 #import "core/utils.typ": set-ctx
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
   ),)
 }
diff --git a/src/sequence.typ b/src/sequence.typ
index c99df3a..a328f4a 100644
--- a/src/sequence.typ
+++ b/src/sequence.typ
@@ -38,7 +38,8 @@
     disable-src: disable-src,
     destroy-src: destroy-src,
     lifeline-style: lifeline-style,
-    slant: slant
+    slant: slant,
+    linked-notes: ()
   ),)
 }
 
diff --git a/tests/sequence/special-par/ref/1.png b/tests/sequence/special-par/ref/1.png
index 1259a7e..cce43e8 100644
Binary files a/tests/sequence/special-par/ref/1.png and b/tests/sequence/special-par/ref/1.png differ