diff --git a/docs/Lua API.rst b/docs/Lua API.rst
index a333d9fa0..9ac64fd7c 100644
--- a/docs/Lua API.rst	
+++ b/docs/Lua API.rst	
@@ -3578,7 +3578,10 @@ It adds the following methods:
 
   Adds the screen to the display stack with the given screen as the parent;
   if parent is not specified, places this one one topmost. Before calling
-  ``dfhack.screen.show``, calls ``self:onAboutToShow(parent)``.
+  ``dfhack.screen.show``, calls ``self:onAboutToShow(parent)``. Note that
+  ``onAboutToShow()`` can dismiss active screens, and therefore change the
+  potential parent. If parent is not specified, this function will re-detect the
+  current topmost window after ``self:onAboutToShow(parent)`` returns.
 
 * ``screen:onAboutToShow(parent)`` *(for overriding)*
 
diff --git a/docs/changelog.txt b/docs/changelog.txt
index deb15d478..b44bb3e0b 100644
--- a/docs/changelog.txt
+++ b/docs/changelog.txt
@@ -73,6 +73,7 @@ changelog.txt uses a syntax similar to RST, with a few special sequences:
 - ``widgets.FilteredList`` now allows all punctuation to be typed into the filter and can match search keys that start with punctuation.
 - ``widgets.ListBox``: minimum height of dialog is now calculated correctly when there are no items in the list (e.g. when a filter doesn't match anything)
 - Lua wrappers for functions reverse-engineered from ambushing unit code: ``isHidden(unit)``, ``isFortControlled(unit)``, ``getOuterContainerRef(unit)``, ``getOuterContainerRef(item)``
+- ``dwarfmode.MenuOverlay``: if ``sidebar_mode`` attribute is set, automatically manage entering a specific sidebar mode on show and restoring the previous sidebar mode on dismiss
 - ``dwarfmode.enterSidebarMode()``: passing ``df.ui_sidebar_mode.DesignateMine`` now always results in you entering ``DesignateMine`` mode and not ``DesignateChopTrees``, even when you looking at the surface where the default designation mode is ``DesignateChopTrees``
 - New string class function: ``string:escape_pattern()`` escapes regex special characters within a string
 - ``widgets.Panel``: if ``autoarrange_subviews`` is set, ``Panel``\s will now automatically lay out widgets vertically according to their current height.  This allows you to have widgets dynamically change height or become visible/hidden and you don't have to worry about recalculating frame layouts
diff --git a/library/lua/gui.lua b/library/lua/gui.lua
index da82f0543..187d558e5 100644
--- a/library/lua/gui.lua
+++ b/library/lua/gui.lua
@@ -537,8 +537,11 @@ function Screen:show(parent)
     if self._native then
         error("This screen is already on display")
     end
+    self:onAboutToShow(parent or dfhack.gui.getCurViewscreen(true))
+
+    -- if we're autodetecting the parent, refresh the parent handle in case the
+    -- original parent has been dismissed by onAboutToShow()'s actions
     parent = parent or dfhack.gui.getCurViewscreen(true)
-    self:onAboutToShow(parent)
     if not dscreen.show(self, parent.child) then
         error('Could not show screen')
     end
diff --git a/library/lua/gui/dwarfmode.lua b/library/lua/gui/dwarfmode.lua
index 65caccc01..b79f7a9b7 100644
--- a/library/lua/gui/dwarfmode.lua
+++ b/library/lua/gui/dwarfmode.lua
@@ -436,14 +436,41 @@ MenuOverlay = defclass(MenuOverlay, DwarfOverlay)
 MenuOverlay.ATTRS {
     frame_inset = 0,
     frame_background = gui.CLEAR_PEN,
+
+    -- if sidebar_mode is set, we will enter the specified sidebar mode on show
+    -- and restore the previous sidebar mode on dismiss. otherwise it is up to
+    -- the caller to ensure we are in a sidebar mode where the menu is visible.
+    sidebar_mode = DEFAULT_NIL,
 }
 
 function MenuOverlay:computeFrame(parent_rect)
     return self.df_layout.menu, gui.inset_frame(self.df_layout.menu, self.frame_inset)
 end
 
-function MenuOverlay:onAboutToShow(below)
-    MenuOverlay.super.onAboutToShow(self,below)
+function MenuOverlay:onAboutToShow(parent)
+    if not dfhack.isMapLoaded() then
+        -- sidebar menus are only valid when a fort map is loaded
+        error('A fortress map must be loaded.')
+    end
+
+    if self.sidebar_mode then
+        self.saved_sidebar_mode = df.global.ui.main.mode
+        -- what mode should we restore when this window is dismissed? ideally, we'd
+        -- restore the mode that the user has set, but we should fall back to
+        -- restoring the default mode if either of the following conditions are
+        -- true:
+        -- 1) enterSidebarMode doesn't support getting back into the current mode
+        -- 2) a dfhack viewscreen is currently visible. in this case, we can't trust
+        --    that the current sidebar mode was set by the user. it could just be a
+        --    MenuOverlay subclass that is currently being shown that has set the
+        --    sidebar mode for its own purposes.
+        if not SIDEBAR_MODE_KEYS[self.saved_sidebar_mode]
+                or dfhack.gui.getCurFocus(true):find('^dfhack/') then
+            self.saved_sidebar_mode = df.ui_sidebar_mode.Default
+        end
+
+        enterSidebarMode(self.sidebar_mode)
+    end
 
     self:updateLayout()
     if not self.df_layout.menu then
@@ -451,6 +478,12 @@ function MenuOverlay:onAboutToShow(below)
     end
 end
 
+function MenuOverlay:onDismiss()
+    if self.saved_sidebar_mode then
+        enterSidebarMode(self.saved_sidebar_mode)
+    end
+end
+
 function MenuOverlay:render(dc)
     self:renderParent()