diff --git a/app/api/post-preview/[slug]/route.ts b/app/api/post-preview/[slug]/route.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..9c4f463f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/api/post-preview/[slug]/route.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+import { NextResponse } from "next/server";
+import { isSafeSlug } from "@/config/paths";
+import { getPostMetadata } from "@/utils/content/posts";
+import { getPostPreviewData } from "@/utils/content/preview";
+
+// Prerendered per post so archive-page hover cards don't need every excerpt
+// shipped in the page payload.
+export const dynamic = "force-static";
+
+export const generateStaticParams = async () => {
+  return getPostMetadata().map((post) => ({ slug: post.slug }));
+};
+
+export async function GET(
+  _request: Request,
+  { params }: { params: Promise<{ slug: string }> }
+) {
+  const { slug } = await params;
+  const preview = isSafeSlug(slug) ? getPostPreviewData(slug) : null;
+  if (!preview) {
+    return NextResponse.json({ error: "Not found" }, { status: 404 });
+  }
+  return NextResponse.json(preview);
+}
diff --git a/components/posts/MarkdownContent.tsx b/components/posts/MarkdownContent.tsx
index f4d42316..d90a7246 100644
--- a/components/posts/MarkdownContent.tsx
+++ b/components/posts/MarkdownContent.tsx
@@ -1,9 +1,21 @@
 import ReactMarkdown from "react-markdown";
 import type { Components } from "react-markdown";
 import { codeToHtml } from "shiki";
+import { isSafeSlug } from "@/config/paths";
+import { getPostPreviewData } from "@/utils/content/preview";
 import CopyButton from "./CopyButton";
+import PostLinkPreview from "./PostLinkPreview";
 import { baseComponents, remarkPlugins, rehypePlugins } from "./markdownConfig";
 
+// Internal post links get a hover preview card. Matches relative and absolute
+// forms; anything else falls through to a plain anchor.
+function postSlugFromHref(href: string): string | null {
+  const match = href.match(/^(?:https?:\/\/bneo\.xyz)?\/posts\/([^/#?]+)$/);
+  if (!match) return null;
+  const slug = decodeURIComponent(match[1]);
+  return isSafeSlug(slug) ? slug : null;
+}
+
 // Server component: fenced code is highlighted with shiki at render time
 // (build time for static pages), so no highlighting JS ships to the client.
 // Both themes are emitted as CSS variables; globals.css flips them on .dark.
@@ -38,6 +50,18 @@ async function CodeBlock({
 
 const components: Components = {
   ...baseComponents,
+  a({ href, children }) {
+    const slug = href ? postSlugFromHref(href) : null;
+    const preview = slug ? getPostPreviewData(slug) : null;
+    if (preview) {
+      return (
+        <PostLinkPreview slug={preview.slug} preview={preview}>
+          {children}
+        </PostLinkPreview>
+      );
+    }
+    return <a href={href}>{children}</a>;
+  },
   pre({ node, children }) {
     const codeNode = node?.children[0] as
       | {
diff --git a/components/posts/PostLinkPreview.tsx b/components/posts/PostLinkPreview.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..4b029ca0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/components/posts/PostLinkPreview.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,119 @@
+"use client";
+
+import { useRef, useState } from "react";
+import type { ReactNode } from "react";
+import Link from "next/link";
+import {
+  useFloating,
+  autoUpdate,
+  offset,
+  flip,
+  shift,
+  useHover,
+  useFocus,
+  useDismiss,
+  useRole,
+  useInteractions,
+  FloatingPortal,
+  safePolygon,
+} from "@floating-ui/react";
+import type { PostPreviewData } from "@/utils/content/preview";
+
+// Hover card for internal post links. Markdown links pass `preview` resolved
+// on the server; list contexts with too many posts to inline (e.g. the
+// archive) pass only `slug` and the data is fetched once on first hover.
+const PostLinkPreview = ({
+  slug,
+  preview: initialPreview,
+  className,
+  children,
+}: {
+  slug: string;
+  preview?: PostPreviewData;
+  className?: string;
+  children: ReactNode;
+}) => {
+  const [isOpen, setIsOpen] = useState(false);
+  const [preview, setPreview] = useState(initialPreview ?? null);
+  const fetched = useRef(false);
+
+  const onOpenChange = (open: boolean) => {
+    setIsOpen(open);
+    if (open && !preview && !fetched.current) {
+      fetched.current = true;
+      fetch(`/api/post-preview/${slug}`)
+        .then((res) => (res.ok ? res.json() : null))
+        .then((data) => data && setPreview(data))
+        .catch(() => {});
+    }
+  };
+
+  const { refs, floatingStyles, context } = useFloating({
+    open: isOpen,
+    onOpenChange,
+    placement: "top",
+    whileElementsMounted: autoUpdate,
+    middleware: [
+      offset(8),
+      flip({ fallbackAxisSideDirection: "start" }),
+      shift({ padding: 8 }),
+    ],
+  });
+
+  const hover = useHover(context, {
+    move: false,
+    delay: { open: 150, close: 0 },
+    handleClose: safePolygon(),
+  });
+  const focus = useFocus(context);
+  const dismiss = useDismiss(context);
+  const role = useRole(context, { role: "tooltip" });
+
+  const { getReferenceProps, getFloatingProps } = useInteractions([
+    hover,
+    focus,
+    dismiss,
+    role,
+  ]);
+
+  return (
+    <>
+      <Link
+        href={`/posts/${slug}`}
+        ref={refs.setReference}
+        className={className}
+        {...getReferenceProps()}
+      >
+        {children}
+      </Link>
+      {isOpen && preview && (
+        <FloatingPortal>
+          <div
+            // floating-ui's refs object exposes callback refs by design
+            // eslint-disable-next-line react-hooks/refs
+            ref={refs.setFloating}
+            style={floatingStyles}
+            {...getFloatingProps()}
+            className="z-50 max-w-xs p-3 rounded-md shadow-md border border-japanese-shiraumenezu dark:border-white/10 bg-japanese-hakuji dark:bg-dark-tag"
+          >
+            <p className="text-xs font-bold text-japanese-sumiiro dark:text-japanese-nyuhakushoku mb-0.5">
+              {preview.title}
+            </p>
+            <p className="text-[10px] text-japanese-ginnezu mb-1.5">
+              {new Date(preview.date).toLocaleDateString("en-US", {
+                year: "numeric",
+                month: "long",
+                day: "numeric",
+              })}
+            </p>
+            <p className="text-[11px] leading-relaxed text-japanese-nezumiiro dark:text-japanese-ginnezu">
+              {preview.excerpt}
+            </p>
+          </div>
+        </FloatingPortal>
+      )}
+    </>
+  );
+};
+
+export default PostLinkPreview;
diff --git a/components/posts/PostPreview.tsx b/components/posts/PostPreview.tsx
index dc49c2e4..85e08e3f 100644
--- a/components/posts/PostPreview.tsx
+++ b/components/posts/PostPreview.tsx
@@ -1,10 +1,10 @@
-import Link from "next/link";
 import { PostMetadata } from "@/types/post";
+import PostLinkPreview from "./PostLinkPreview";
 
 const PostPreview = (props: PostMetadata) => {
   return (
-    <Link
-      href={`/posts/${props.slug}`}
+    <PostLinkPreview
+      slug={props.slug}
       className="group relative flex justify-between items-center cursor-crosshair text-sm md:text-base"
     >
       <p className="text-japanese-sumiiro dark:text-japanese-shironezu group-hover:underline">
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ const PostPreview = (props: PostMetadata) => {
       <p className="text-japanese-nezumiiro dark:text-japanese-ginnezu shrink-0 ml-4">
         {props.date}
       </p>
-    </Link>
+    </PostLinkPreview>
   );
 };
 
diff --git a/utils/content/preview.ts b/utils/content/preview.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..fc30f66c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/utils/content/preview.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+import fs from "fs";
+import { getPostPath } from "@/config/paths";
+import { getPostContent, getPostMetadata } from "./posts";
+
+export interface PostPreviewData {
+  slug: string;
+  title: string;
+  date: string;
+  excerpt: string;
+}
+
+const EXCERPT_WORDS = 40;
+
+/** Rough markdown → plain text, good enough for a short excerpt. */
+function stripMarkdown(markdown: string): string {
+  return markdown
+    .replace(/```[\s\S]*?```/g, " ")
+    .replace(/!\[[^\]]*\]\([^)]*\)/g, " ")
+    .replace(/\[([^\]]*)\]\([^)]*\)/g, "$1")
+    .replace(/<[^>]+>/g, " ")
+    .replace(/^#{1,6}\s+/gm, "")
+    .replace(/^>\s?/gm, "")
+    .replace(/[*_`~]/g, "")
+    .replace(/\s+/g, " ")
+    .trim();
+}
+
+/** Preview card data for an internal /posts/<slug> link, or null. */
+export function getPostPreviewData(slug: string): PostPreviewData | null {
+  if (!fs.existsSync(getPostPath(slug))) return null;
+
+  const post = getPostMetadata().find((p) => p.slug === slug);
+  if (!post) return null;
+
+  const words = stripMarkdown(getPostContent(slug).content).split(" ");
+  const excerpt =
+    words.slice(0, EXCERPT_WORDS).join(" ") +
+    (words.length > EXCERPT_WORDS ? " …" : "");
+
+  return { slug, title: post.title, date: post.date, excerpt };
+}