My template targets ~/org/zettel.org under the "Items" header. The file looks like this (including the empty line): * Items * foo I then start and abort capture by running (org-capture nil "z"). The file is changed to become thus: * Items ** foo When I do this without the newline, the file is unchanged, as expected. So it seems to be purely a problem when there's an empty line after the target. (I doubt the autogenerated part of this email is readable but I didn't want to alter it in case there's some reason it has so much whitespace.) Emacs : GNU Emacs 28.0.50 (build 1, x86_64-pc-linux-gnu, GTK+ Version 3.24.20, cairo version 1.16.0) of 2020-10-06 Package: Org mode version 9.3 (release_9.3 @ /usr/local/share/emacs/28.0.50/lisp/org/) current state: ============== (setq org-src-mode-hook '(org-src-babel-configure-edit-buffer org-src-mode-configure-edit-buffer) org-link-shell-confirm-function 'yes-or-no-p org-insert-heading-respect-content t org-metadown-hook '(org-babel-pop-to-session-maybe) org-clock-out-hook '(org-clock-remove-empty-clock-drawer) org-html-format-inlinetask-function 'org-html-format-inlinetask-default-function org-odt-format-headline-function 'org-odt-format-headline-default-function org-agenda-files '("~/org/") org-ascii-format-inlinetask-function 'org-ascii-format-inlinetask-default org-reveal-start-hook '(org-decrypt-entry) org-mode-hook '(#[0 "\301\211 \207" [imenu-create-index-function org-imenu-get-tree] 2] #[0 "\305 \306 >\203 \0\307\n\310\311#\210\307 \312\313#\210\307 \314\315#\210\306 >\203,\0\307\n\316\317#\210\307\n\320\321#\210\322 >\203>\0\307 \323\324#\210\307 \325\324#\210\326 >\203P\0\307\n\327\317#\210\307\n\330\321#\210\331 >\203_\0\332\311\f\333BC\334#\210\335 >\203k\0\332\311\336\334#\210\337 >\203w\0\332\311\340\334#\210\341\342\343\344\311$\210\345\342\311\"\210\342\207" [org-mouse-context-menu-function org-mouse-features org-mouse-map org-mode-map org-outline-regexp org-mouse-context-menu context-menu org-defkey [mouse-3] nil [mouse-3] org-mouse-show-context-menu [down-mouse-1] org-mouse-down-mouse [C-drag-mouse-1] org-mouse-move-tree [C-down-mouse-1] org-mouse-move-tree-start yank-link [S-mouse-2] org-mouse-yank-link [drag-mouse-3] move-tree [drag-mouse-3] [down-mouse-3] activate-stars font-lock-add-keywords (0 `(face org-link mouse-face highlight keymap ,org-mouse-map) 'prepend) t activate-bullets (("^[ ]*\\([-+*]\\|[0-9]+[.)]\\) +" (1 `(face org-link keymap ,org-mouse-map mouse-face highlight) 'prepend) ) ) activate-checkboxes (("^[ ]*\\([-+*]\\|[0-9]+[.)]\\) +\\(\\[[ X]\\]\\)" (2 `(face bold keymap ,org-mouse-map mouse-face highlight) t) ) ) ad-add-advice org-open-at-point (org-mouse-open-at-point nil t (advice lambda nil (let ((context (org-context) ) ) (cond ((assq :headline-stars context) (org-cycle) ) ((assq :checkbox context) (org-toggle-checkbox) ) ((assq :item-bullet context) (let ((org-cycle-include-plain-lists t) ) (org-cycle) ) ) ((org-footnote-at-reference-p) nil) (t ad-do-it) ) ) ) ) around ad-activate] 5] #[0 "\300\301\302\303\304$\207" [add-hook change-major-mode-hook org-show-all append local] 5] #[0 "\300\301\302\303\304$\207" [add-hook change-major-mode-hook org-babel-show-result-all append local] 5] org-babel-result-hide-spec org-babel-hide-all-hashes) org-odt-format-drawer-function #[514 "\207" [] 3 "\n\n(fn NAME CONTENTS)"] org-archive-hook '(org-attach-archive-delete-maybe) org-confirm-elisp-link-function 'yes-or-no-p org-agenda-before-write-hook '(org-agenda-add-entry-text) org-metaup-hook '(org-babel-load-in-session-maybe) org-bibtex-headline-format-function #[257 "\300 \236A\207" [:title] 3 "\n\n(fn ENTRY)"] org-latex-format-drawer-function #[514 "\207" [] 3 "\n\n(fn _ CONTENTS)"] org-babel-pre-tangle-hook '(save-buffer) org-tab-first-hook '(org-babel-hide-result-toggle-maybe org-babel-header-arg-expand) org-ascii-format-drawer-function #[771 " \207" [] 4 "\n\n(fn NAME CONTENTS WIDTH)"] org-occur-hook '(org-first-headline-recenter) org-agenda-mode-hook '(#[0 "\302 \303 \304\305#\210\303 \306\307#\210\303 \310\311#\210\303 \312\313#\210\303 \314\315#\207" [org-mouse-context-menu-function org-agenda-mode-map org-mouse-agenda-context-menu org-defkey [mouse-3] org-mouse-show-context-menu [down-mouse-3] org-mouse-move-tree-start [C-mouse-4] org-agenda-earlier [C-mouse-5] org-agenda-later [drag-mouse-3] #[257 "\300 !\211\301\267\202 \0\302\303!\202 \0\304\303!\202 \0\305\207" [org-mouse-get-gesture #s (hash-table size 2 test eq rehash-size 1.5 rehash-threshold 0.8125 purecopy t data (:left 9 :right 15) ) org-agenda-earlier 1 org-agenda-later nil] 4 "\n\n(fn EVENT)" "e"] ] 4] ) org-cycle-hook '(org-cycle-hide-archived-subtrees org-cycle-show-empty-lines org-optimize-window-after-visibility-change) org-speed-command-hook '(org-speed-command-activate org-babel-speed-command-activate) org-M-RET-may-split-line nil org-odt-format-inlinetask-function 'org-odt-format-inlinetask-default-function org-confirm-shell-link-function 'yes-or-no-p org-link-parameters '(("attachment" :follow org-attach-open-link :export org-attach-export-link :complete org-attach-complete-link) ("id" :follow org-id-open) ("eww" :follow eww :store org-eww-store-link) ("rmail" :follow org-rmail-open :store org-rmail-store-link) ("mhe" :follow org-mhe-open :store org-mhe-store-link) ("irc" :follow org-irc-visit :store org-irc-store-link :export org-irc-export) ("info" :follow org-info-open :export org-info-export :store org-info-store-link) ("gnus" :follow org-gnus-open :store org-gnus-store-link) ("docview" :follow org-docview-open :export org-docview-export :store org-docview-store-link) ("bibtex" :follow org-bibtex-open :store org-bibtex-store-link) ("bbdb" :follow org-bbdb-open :export org-bbdb-export :complete org-bbdb-complete-link :store org-bbdb-store-link) ("w3m" :store org-w3m-store-link) ("file+sys") ("file+emacs") ("shell" :follow org-link--open-shell) ("news" :follow #[257 "\301\300\302 Q!\207" ["news" browse-url ":"] 5 "\n\n(fn URL)"]) ("mailto" :follow #[257 "\301\300\302 Q!\207" ["mailto" browse-url ":"] 5 "\n\n(fn URL)"]) ("https" :follow #[257 "\301\300\302 Q!\207" ["https" browse-url ":"] 5 "\n\n(fn URL)"]) ("http" :follow #[257 "\301\300\302 Q!\207" ["http" browse-url ":"] 5 "\n\n(fn URL)"]) ("ftp" :follow #[257 "\301\300\302 Q!\207" ["ftp" browse-url ":"] 5 "\n\n(fn URL)"]) ("help" :follow org-link--open-help) ("file" :complete org-link-complete-file) ("elisp" :follow org-link--open-elisp) ("doi" :follow org-link--open-doi)) org-latex-format-headline-function 'org-latex-format-headline-default-function org-capture-templates '(("z" "Zettel" entry (file+headline "zettel.org" "Items") "* %?\n :PROPERTIES:\n :ID: %(uuidgen-4)\n :created: %U\n :END:\n%i") ("Z" "" entry (file+headline "zettel.org" "Items") #'org-zettel-template)) org-link-elisp-confirm-function 'yes-or-no-p org-latex-format-inlinetask-function 'org-latex-format-inlinetask-default-function org-html-format-drawer-function #[514 "\207" [] 3 "\n\n(fn NAME CONTENTS)"] org-html-format-headline-function 'org-html-format-headline-default-function org-default-notes-file "~/org/zettel.org" )