diff --git a/src/app.rs b/src/app.rs
index e90cecb..5755079 100644
--- a/src/app.rs
+++ b/src/app.rs
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ use serde::{Deserialize, Serialize};
 use crate::answers::{Answer, SelfTransitionAnswer, TransitionAnswers, TransitionItem};
 use crate::auth::{current_user, User};
 use crate::content::{is_qualified, Alternative, Question, Responsible, Transition};
-use crate::resource::{get_requirement_options, get_resource};
+use crate::resource::{get_requirement_binding, get_requirement_options, get_resource};
 
 /// The visible site name/wordmark - "portal" is just this codebase's
 /// working title, not necessarily what any given deployment is called.
@@ -758,6 +758,58 @@ fn AlternativeCard(
 
                                                 let sig = field_map.get(&req.name).copied().unwrap_or_else(|| RwSignal::new(String::new()));
 
+                                                // A bound field watches a sibling and loads its own value from
+                                                // the bind's resource whenever the sibling changes. An empty
+                                                // sibling never fetches - and never clears an edit.
+                                                if let Some(bind) = req
+                                                    .bind
+                                                    .clone()
+                                                    .filter(|_| !matches!(req.kind.as_str(), "select" | "file"))
+                                                {
+                                                    let watched_select = select_field_map.get(&bind.field).copied();
+                                                    let watched_text = field_map.get(&bind.field).copied();
+                                                    let param_name = bind.param_name().to_string();
+                                                    let q = question_id.clone();
+                                                    let a = alt_name.clone();
+                                                    let f = feature_name.clone();
+                                                    let rname = req.name.clone();
+                                                    let bound = Resource::new(
+                                                        move || {
+                                                            let value = watched_select
+                                                                .map(|s| s.get().first().cloned().unwrap_or_default())
+                                                                .or_else(|| watched_text.map(|s| s.get()))
+                                                                .unwrap_or_default();
+                                                            (q.clone(), a.clone(), f.clone(), rname.clone(), param_name.clone(), value)
+                                                        },
+                                                        |(q, a, f, r, p, value)| async move {
+                                                            if value.is_empty() {
+                                                                return Ok(serde_json::Value::Null);
+                                                            }
+                                                            let params = std::collections::HashMap::from([(p, value)]);
+                                                            get_requirement_binding(q, a, f, r, params).await
+                                                        },
+                                                    );
+                                                    Effect::new(move |_| {
+                                                        if let Some(Ok(value)) = bound.get() {
+                                                            let text = match value {
+                                                                serde_json::Value::Null => return,
+                                                                serde_json::Value::String(s) => s,
+                                                                // apply_jq wraps every yield in an array - a
+                                                                // single string yield unwraps to itself.
+                                                                serde_json::Value::Array(items) if items.len() == 1 => {
+                                                                    match &items[0] {
+                                                                        serde_json::Value::String(s) => s.clone(),
+                                                                        other => serde_json::to_string_pretty(other).unwrap_or_default(),
+                                                                    }
+                                                                }
+                                                                other => serde_json::to_string_pretty(&other).unwrap_or_default(),
+                                                            };
+                                                            sig.set(text);
+                                                        }
+                                                    });
+                                                }
+                                                let is_bound = req.bind.is_some();
+
                                                 if req.kind == "select" {
                                                     let select_sig = select_field_map
                                                         .get(&req.name)
@@ -864,6 +916,7 @@ fn AlternativeCard(
                                                                 view! {
                                                                     <textarea
                                                                         id=field_id.clone()
+                                                                        class:bound=is_bound
                                                                         placeholder=placeholder.clone()
                                                                         required=required
                                                                         prop:value=move || sig.get()
diff --git a/src/content.rs b/src/content.rs
index 251c660..f76a9ac 100644
--- a/src/content.rs
+++ b/src/content.rs
@@ -226,6 +226,33 @@ pub struct Requirement {
     /// stable id. Defaults to trying `_id` then `id`.
     #[serde(default)]
     pub id_field: Option<String>,
+    /// Load this field's value from a resource whenever a sibling
+    /// field changes - e.g. a file select populating a textarea with
+    /// the selected file's current content.
+    #[serde(default)]
+    pub bind: Option<Bind>,
+}
+
+/// A field's live data source, parameterized by a sibling field's
+/// value. When the sibling changes, `resource` is fetched with the
+/// value as a parameter and the result replaces this field's value
+/// (an empty sibling never fetches, and never clears an edit).
+#[derive(Clone, Debug, Serialize, Deserialize)]
+pub struct Bind {
+    /// The sibling requirement (same alternative) to watch.
+    pub field: String,
+    /// The parameter name the sibling's value is sent as - `{name}`
+    /// templates into a Url source's path, otherwise it's appended as
+    /// a query pair. Defaults to `field`.
+    #[serde(default)]
+    pub param: Option<String>,
+    pub resource: ResourceSpec,
+}
+
+impl Bind {
+    pub fn param_name(&self) -> &str {
+        self.param.as_deref().unwrap_or(&self.field)
+    }
 }
 
 fn default_requirement_type() -> String {
@@ -429,6 +456,14 @@ pub fn validate_questions(
                     }
                 }
             }
+            // Bind targets resolve across the whole alternative, same
+            // scope as the signal maps the renderer builds.
+            let sibling_names: std::collections::HashSet<&str> = alternative
+                .features
+                .iter()
+                .flat_map(|f| f.requirements.iter())
+                .map(|r| r.name.as_str())
+                .collect();
             for feature in &alternative.features {
                 for requirement in &feature.requirements {
                     if requirement.kind == "select" && requirement.resource.is_none() {
@@ -437,6 +472,16 @@ pub fn validate_questions(
                             question.id, alternative.name, feature.name, requirement.name
                         );
                     }
+                    if let Some(bind) = &requirement.bind {
+                        if bind.field == requirement.name
+                            || !sibling_names.contains(bind.field.as_str())
+                        {
+                            anyhow::bail!(
+                                "question {:?} alternative {:?} feature {:?}: requirement {:?} binds to {:?}, which is not another requirement on this alternative",
+                                question.id, alternative.name, feature.name, requirement.name, bind.field
+                            );
+                        }
+                    }
                 }
                 let Some(resource) = &feature.resource else {
                     continue;
@@ -758,4 +803,50 @@ alternatives:
         let questions = std::collections::HashMap::from([(question.id.clone(), question)]);
         assert!(validate_questions(&questions, &Default::default()).is_ok());
     }
+
+    fn question_with_bind(bind_field: &str) -> std::collections::HashMap<String, Question> {
+        let question: Question = serde_yaml::from_str(&format!(
+            r#"
+id: /b
+name: B
+alternatives:
+  - name: A
+    features:
+      - name: ""
+        requirements:
+          - name: picker
+            type: select
+            resource:
+              public: true
+              source: {{ kind: url, url: "https://x.example/list" }}
+          - name: body
+            type: textarea
+            bind:
+              field: {bind_field}
+              resource:
+                public: true
+                source: {{ kind: url, url: "https://x.example/item/{{picker}}" }}
+"#
+        ))
+        .unwrap();
+        std::collections::HashMap::from([(question.id.clone(), question)])
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn bind_to_sibling_passes() {
+        assert!(validate_questions(&question_with_bind("picker"), &Default::default()).is_ok());
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn bind_to_missing_sibling_is_rejected() {
+        let err =
+            validate_questions(&question_with_bind("bogus"), &Default::default()).unwrap_err();
+        assert!(err.to_string().contains("not another requirement"));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn bind_to_itself_is_rejected() {
+        let err = validate_questions(&question_with_bind("body"), &Default::default()).unwrap_err();
+        assert!(err.to_string().contains("not another requirement"));
+    }
 }
diff --git a/src/resource.rs b/src/resource.rs
index 2bbfafc..485cf18 100644
--- a/src/resource.rs
+++ b/src/resource.rs
@@ -76,6 +76,37 @@ pub async fn get_requirement_options(
     fetch_resource_value(&state, resource, &params).await
 }
 
+/// The `Requirement.bind`-backed counterpart to
+/// `get_requirement_options`: fetches the resource a bound field
+/// loads its value from, parameterized by the watched sibling's value
+/// (already inside `params`, keyed by the bind's param name).
+#[server]
+pub async fn get_requirement_binding(
+    question_id: String,
+    alternative: String,
+    feature_name: String,
+    requirement_name: String,
+    // See get_resource's `params` for why this is needed.
+    #[server(default)]
+    params: std::collections::HashMap<String, String>,
+) -> Result<serde_json::Value, ServerFnError> {
+    use crate::server::AppState;
+
+    let state = expect_context::<AppState>();
+    let feature = find_feature(&state, &question_id, &alternative, &feature_name)?;
+    let requirement = feature
+        .requirements
+        .iter()
+        .find(|r| r.name == requirement_name)
+        .ok_or_else(|| ServerFnError::new("unknown requirement"))?;
+    let bind = requirement
+        .bind
+        .as_ref()
+        .ok_or_else(|| ServerFnError::new("requirement has no binding"))?;
+    authorize_resource(&bind.resource).await?;
+    fetch_resource_value(&state, &bind.resource, &params).await
+}
+
 /// Scoped to the named alternative first, not flattened across all of
 /// them - a feature name (often just "") is only unique within its own
 /// alternative, not across a whole question. Flattening silently
@@ -239,15 +270,60 @@ async fn fetch_gitea_json(
 /// that stops being true - `assert_public_https_url` fails closed on
 /// anything that isn't `https://` and actually resolves to a public
 /// address, not just a syntactically-plausible one.
+/// Substitutes `{name}` placeholders in `url` with percent-encoded
+/// param values (keeping `/`, since file paths legitimately contain
+/// it) and returns the substituted url plus the params that were NOT
+/// consumed by a placeholder. Runs before the SSRF check, so a value
+/// can't steer the fetch anywhere the check wouldn't allow.
+#[cfg(feature = "ssr")]
+fn template_url(
+    url: &str,
+    params: &std::collections::HashMap<String, String>,
+) -> (String, std::collections::HashMap<String, String>) {
+    let mut out = url.to_string();
+    let mut leftover = std::collections::HashMap::new();
+    for (k, v) in params {
+        let placeholder = format!("{{{k}}}");
+        if out.contains(&placeholder) {
+            let encoded: String = v
+                .split('/')
+                .map(|seg| urlencoding_encode(seg))
+                .collect::<Vec<_>>()
+                .join("/");
+            out = out.replace(&placeholder, &encoded);
+        } else {
+            leftover.insert(k.clone(), v.clone());
+        }
+    }
+    (out, leftover)
+}
+
+/// Minimal percent-encoding for a single path segment - everything but
+/// unreserved characters.
+#[cfg(feature = "ssr")]
+fn urlencoding_encode(seg: &str) -> String {
+    let mut out = String::with_capacity(seg.len());
+    for b in seg.bytes() {
+        match b {
+            b'A'..=b'Z' | b'a'..=b'z' | b'0'..=b'9' | b'-' | b'.' | b'_' | b'~' => {
+                out.push(b as char)
+            }
+            _ => out.push_str(&format!("%{b:02X}")),
+        }
+    }
+    out
+}
+
 #[cfg(feature = "ssr")]
 async fn fetch_url_json(
     url: &str,
     params: &std::collections::HashMap<String, String>,
 ) -> Result<serde_json::Value, ServerFnError> {
-    let mut parsed = assert_public_https_url(url)
+    let (templated, leftover) = template_url(url, params);
+    let mut parsed = assert_public_https_url(&templated)
         .await
         .map_err(|e| ServerFnError::new(e.to_string()))?;
-    for (k, v) in params {
+    for (k, v) in &leftover {
         parsed.query_pairs_mut().append_pair(k, v);
     }
     let client = openidconnect::reqwest::Client::new();
@@ -412,4 +488,28 @@ mod tests {
         assert!(!is_public_ip(&link_local));
         assert!(is_public_ip(&public));
     }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn template_url_substitutes_and_keeps_slashes() {
+        let params = std::collections::HashMap::from([
+            ("path".to_string(), "questions/a b.yaml".to_string()),
+            ("ref".to_string(), "main".to_string()),
+        ]);
+        let (url, leftover) =
+            template_url("https://x.example/api/contents/{path}", &params);
+        // `/` survives, the space percent-encodes, and the param that
+        // matched a placeholder is consumed.
+        assert_eq!(url, "https://x.example/api/contents/questions/a%20b.yaml");
+        assert_eq!(leftover.len(), 1);
+        assert_eq!(leftover.get("ref").map(String::as_str), Some("main"));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn jq_base64d_decodes_gitea_content() {
+        // "id: /x\n" base64-encoded, in the shape Gitea's contents API
+        // returns a file as.
+        let fixture = serde_json::json!({ "content": "aWQ6IC94Cg==", "encoding": "base64" });
+        let out = apply_jq(".content | @base64d", &fixture).unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(out, serde_json::json!(["id: /x\n"]));
+    }
 }
diff --git a/style/main.css b/style/main.css
index edfa96e..2ffdacc 100644
--- a/style/main.css
+++ b/style/main.css
@@ -422,6 +422,16 @@ textarea {
   resize: vertical;
 }
 
+/* A bound textarea holds loaded source text - monospace, roomy, no
+   soft-wrap surprises. */
+textarea.bound {
+  font-family: ui-monospace, "SF Mono", Menlo, Consolas, monospace;
+  font-size: 0.85rem;
+  min-height: 16rem;
+  white-space: pre;
+  overflow-x: auto;
+}
+
 input:focus,
 textarea:focus {
   outline: none;