diff --git a/captcha.lib.php b/captcha.lib.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8d43894
--- /dev/null
+++ b/captcha.lib.php
@@ -0,0 +1,72 @@
+<?php
+/*
+ * Google reCAPTCHA v2. The keys come from RECAPTCHA_SITE_KEY and
+ * RECAPTCHA_SECRET in .env. When the secret is missing or Google cannot
+ * be reached, every check fails (and the reason is logged), so a broken
+ * configuration never turns the captcha off.
+ */
+require_once(__DIR__ . '/config.lib.php');
+require_once(__DIR__ . '/html.lib.php');
+
+define('CAPTCHA_PASS_SECONDS', 30 * 60);
+
+function captcha_script() {
+  return '<script src="https://www.google.com/recaptcha/api.js" async defer></script>';
+}
+
+function captcha_widget() {
+  return '<div class="g-recaptcha" data-sitekey="'.form_value(config('RECAPTCHA_SITE_KEY')).'"></div>';
+}
+
+// Ask Google whether the captcha in this POST was solved
+function captcha_verify_response() {
+  $response = $_POST['g-recaptcha-response'] ?? '';
+  if (!is_string($response) || $response === '')
+    return FALSE;
+  $secret = (string)config('RECAPTCHA_SECRET');
+  if ($secret === '') {
+    error_log('xxx: RECAPTCHA_SECRET is not set, so every captcha check fails');
+    return FALSE;
+  }
+  $context = stream_context_create(array('http' => array(
+    'method'  => 'POST',
+    'header'  => "Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded\r\n",
+    'content' => http_build_query(array(
+      'secret'   => $secret,
+      'response' => $response,
+      'remoteip' => $_SERVER['REMOTE_ADDR'] ?? '',
+    )),
+    'timeout' => 10,
+  )));
+  $reply = @file_get_contents('https://www.google.com/recaptcha/api/siteverify', FALSE, $context);
+  if ($reply === FALSE) {
+    error_log('xxx: could not reach the reCAPTCHA server');
+    return FALSE;
+  }
+  $result = json_decode($reply);
+  return is_object($result) && !empty($result->success);
+}
+
+/*
+ * For story submissions: a solved captcha counts for CAPTCHA_PASS_SECONDS
+ * in this session, so the preview and the submit need only one captcha.
+ * captcha_used() ends the pass once a story is saved.
+ */
+function captcha_passed() {
+  return !empty($_SESSION['captcha_ok']) && $_SESSION['captcha_ok'] > time() - CAPTCHA_PASS_SECONDS;
+}
+
+function captcha_check() {
+  if (captcha_passed())
+    return TRUE;
+  if (captcha_verify_response()) {
+    $_SESSION['captcha_ok'] = time();
+    return TRUE;
+  }
+  return FALSE;
+}
+
+function captcha_used() {
+  unset($_SESSION['captcha_ok']);
+}
+?>
diff --git a/publish/index.php b/publish/index.php
index ea4774d..10acb40 100644
--- a/publish/index.php
+++ b/publish/index.php
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ require_once("../session.lib.php");
     <link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="xxx.org.za RSS feed" href="/feed" />
 <?php include_once('tinymce_init.inc.php'); ?>
 <?php if (!$is_admin ) { ?>
-    <script src="https://www.google.com/recaptcha/api.js"></script>
+    <?= captcha_script() ?>
 <?php } ?>
   </head>
 <?php 
diff --git a/publish/login.php b/publish/login.php
index 6ff2918..31fbe9f 100644
--- a/publish/login.php
+++ b/publish/login.php
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ if ( ! isset($_SERVER['HTTPS'])) {
 require_once("../session.lib.php");
 $denied = NULL;
 $wait_minutes = 0;
+$captcha_failed = FALSE;
 $is_admin = NULL;
 if (isset($_SESSION['editor'])) {
   session_write_close();
@@ -16,6 +17,9 @@ if (isset($_SESSION['editor'])) {
 } else if (isset($_POST['login']) && ($wait = login_blocked_for((string)($_POST['username'] ?? ''))) > 0) {
   $denied = TRUE;
   $wait_minutes = (int)ceil($wait / 60);
+} else if (isset($_POST['login']) && !captcha_verify_response()) {
+  $denied = TRUE;
+  $captcha_failed = TRUE;
 } else if (isset($_POST['login'])) {
   include_once('../open_db.lib.php');
   $table = "editors";
@@ -76,6 +80,7 @@ if (isset($_SESSION['editor'])) {
     <link rel='stylesheet' type='text/css' href='../publish/style.css' />
     <script type="text/javascript" src="../utilities.js"></script>
     <link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="xxx.org.za RSS feed" href="/feed" />
+    <?= captcha_script() ?>
   </head>
 <?php flush(); ?>
 <body>
@@ -89,6 +94,8 @@ if (isset($_SESSION['editor'])) {
 <?php 
 if ($wait_minutes)
   echo "<p><strong>Too many failed logins. Please try again in $wait_minutes minute".($wait_minutes == 1 ? "" : "s").".</strong></p>\n";
+else if ($captcha_failed)
+  echo "<p><strong>Please complete the captcha.</strong></p>\n";
 else if ($denied) 
   echo "<p><strong>Access denied. Please try again.</strong></p>\n";
 ?>
@@ -112,6 +119,8 @@ else if ($denied)
     <input type="checkbox" id="remember" name="remember" checked />
     </div>
 
+    <?= captcha_widget() ?>
+
     <div class="leftcolumn"></div>
     <div class="submission">
       <button type="submit" id="login" name="login" value="1">Login</button>
diff --git a/publish/post.lib.php b/publish/post.lib.php
index 1a91ac3..3addd41 100644
--- a/publish/post.lib.php
+++ b/publish/post.lib.php
@@ -115,6 +115,10 @@ function save_data($id = NULL) {
   if (!$is_admin && $action == 'submit')
     $_SESSION['allow_queue_image'] = $id;
 
+  // A visitor's next story needs a new captcha
+  if (!$is_admin)
+    captcha_used();
+
   // Prune filesystem
   if ($image_file)
     prune_images($image_file);
@@ -189,7 +193,7 @@ function prune_images($image_file) {
  */
 $validate = array();
 function validate_data() {
-  global $validate;
+  global $validate, $is_admin;
   // extract POST variables
   $result = get_post_data(TRUE);
   // assign their keys and values to the symbol table
@@ -197,6 +201,10 @@ function validate_data() {
   $upload_error = $_FILES['upload']['error']    ?? UPLOAD_ERR_NO_FILE;
   $upload_tmp   = $_FILES['upload']['tmp_name'] ?? '';
 
+  // Visitors must solve the captcha before a preview or a save
+  if (!$is_admin && !captcha_check()) {
+    $validate['captcha'] = 'Please complete the captcha.';
+  }
 
   if (!$author) {
     $validate['author'] = "You have not submitted an author.";
diff --git a/publish/preview.inc.php b/publish/preview.inc.php
index 378fb84..35f9ccb 100644
--- a/publish/preview.inc.php
+++ b/publish/preview.inc.php
@@ -2,25 +2,6 @@
 $result = get_post_data(TRUE);
 extract($result[0], EXTR_OVERWRITE);
 
-if (isset($_POST['g-recaptcha-response'])) {
-  $captcha = $_POST['g-recaptcha-response'];
-  if (! $captcha) {
-    $validate['captcha'] = 'Invalid captcha. Please try again.';
-    include('./write.inc.php');
-    return;
-  }
-  $captcha_resp = file_get_contents("https://www.google.com/recaptcha/api/siteverify?secret=".urlencode(config('RECAPTCHA_SECRET'))."&response=".
-      $captcha."&remoteip=".$_SERVER['REMOTE_ADDR']);
-  var_dump($captcha_resp);
-  // PHP 8 treats the bare word "success" as an undefined constant, so decode the JSON reply
-  $captcha_json = json_decode((string)$captcha_resp);
-  if (empty($captcha_json->success)) {
-    $validate['captcha'] = 'The words you typed in the captcha were not correct. Please try again.';
-    include('./write.inc.php');
-    return;
-  }
-}
-
 echo '<p>Please review your submission. Once you\'ve finished, please click "Submit" at the bottom of the page, or click "Preview" to check it again.</p>';
 
 // Keep a new image outside the web root until the story is saved;
diff --git a/publish/style.css b/publish/style.css
index e7f1108..3dfa5b4 100644
--- a/publish/style.css
+++ b/publish/style.css
@@ -148,8 +148,8 @@ ul.error-box li {
 }
 
 #main .grid div.g-recaptcha {
-  overflow: inherit;
-  margin-left: 120px;
+  grid-column: 2;
+  margin: 5px 0;
 }
 #captcha #recaptcha_image {
   margin-left: 120px;
diff --git a/publish/write.inc.php b/publish/write.inc.php
index 8ef0548..14fa83f 100644
--- a/publish/write.inc.php
+++ b/publish/write.inc.php
@@ -103,8 +103,9 @@ if (isset($file_src) || isset($img)) {
 </div>
 
 <?php
-  if (!$is_admin && (($action == "") || isset($validate['captcha']))) {
-    echo '<div class="g-recaptcha" data-sitekey="'.htmlspecialchars(config('RECAPTCHA_SITE_KEY')).'"></div>';
+  // Visitors solve the captcha once; the session remembers it until the story is saved
+  if (!$is_admin && !captcha_passed()) {
+    echo captcha_widget();
   }
 
   if ($is_admin) {
diff --git a/session.lib.php b/session.lib.php
index 72422d2..a56296e 100644
--- a/session.lib.php
+++ b/session.lib.php
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 <?php
 require_once(realpath(dirname(__FILE__) . '/open_db.lib.php'));
 require_once(__DIR__ . '/html.lib.php');
+require_once(__DIR__ . '/captcha.lib.php');
 
 $is_admin = FALSE;