You are a constitutional council ranking individual git commits for ownership allocation.

Compare these two commits. Decide which contributed more lasting value to the project.

Judge substance, not spectacle:
- Prefer correct, lasting design and real bugfixes over churn, formatting, renames, or generated noise.
- Prefer clarity and necessity over sheer line count. A small precise change can beat a large diffuse one.
- Do not favor a side merely because its patch is longer or noisier.
- Weight what the change does for the project, not the contributor's name.

Return ONLY a JSON object: {"winner": "A" or "B", "ratio": "N:M", "explanation": "..."}
The explanation must cite concrete differences in the patches (1-3 sentences).

Side A — contributor: tommy-mor
Side A — commit message:
[3f35edab] progress

Side A — unified diff (full patch):
diff --git a/server/src/api/mod.rs b/server/src/api/mod.rs
index a10ce662105cff8fad949c6b83f7035ce79bed18..a986f706ea4b261cbaf004c02b4cf84184b41371 100644
--- a/server/src/api/mod.rs
+++ b/server/src/api/mod.rs
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ mod helpers;
 mod rpc;
 mod stream;
 mod validate;
+mod ui_html;
 mod web_post;
 
 pub use auth::{
@@ -33,6 +34,7 @@ pub use stream::{get_html_stream, get_stream};
 
 pub use validate::{normalize_room_and_thread, validate_ingest_document, ValidatedIngest};
 
+pub use ui_html::post_ui_html;
 pub use web_post::{check_web_ingest, post_web_ingest, post_web_redact};
 
 #[cfg(test)]
diff --git a/server/src/api/ui_html.rs b/server/src/api/ui_html.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..2b40a72059981d558768f73d189b991f3448c257
--- /dev/null
+++ b/server/src/api/ui_html.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,139 @@
+//! Single `POST /ui` entry for browser [`crate::html::ui_action::HtmlUiAction`] (JSON in `__rpc__` + holes).
+
+use axum::{
+    body::Body,
+    extract::State,
+    http::{header, HeaderMap, StatusCode},
+    response::{IntoResponse, Response},
+    Form,
+};
+use axum_extra::extract::cookie::CookieJar;
+use std::collections::HashMap;
+
+use crate::{
+    api::{
+        auth::optional_principal,
+        web_post::{run_check_web_ingest, run_post_web_ingest, run_post_web_redact, WebPostForm, WebRedactForm},
+    },
+    html::{
+        fragment_public_new_thread_form, fragment_room_new_thread_form, login_to_post_hint_markup,
+        parse_html_ui_from_form, user_can_post_room, user_can_view_room, HtmlUiAction, JsBuilder,
+        ThreadNav,
+    },
+    state::AppState,
+};
+
+pub async fn post_ui_html(
+    State(state): State<AppState>,
+    headers: HeaderMap,
+    jar: CookieJar,
+    Form(form): Form<HashMap<String, String>>,
+) -> impl IntoResponse {
+    let action = match parse_html_ui_from_form(&form) {
+        Ok(a) => a,
+        Err(e) => return ui_js_warn(&e.to_string()).into_response(),
+    };
+
+    match action {
+        HtmlUiAction::PostIngest {
+            room,
+            thread_tag,
+            text,
+            error_target,
+            form_id,
+        } => {
+            run_post_web_ingest(
+                &state,
+                &headers,
+                &jar,
+                WebPostForm {
+                    room,
+                    thread_tag,
+                    text,
+                    error_target,
+                    form_id,
+                },
+            )
+            .await
+        }
+        HtmlUiAction::CheckIngest {
+            room,
+            thread_tag,
+            text,
+            error_target,
+            form_id,
+        } => {
+            run_check_web_ingest(
+                &state,
+                &headers,
+                &jar,
+                WebPostForm {
+                    room,
+                    thread_tag,
+                    text,
+                    error_target,
+                    form_id,
+                },
+            )
+            .await
+        }
+        HtmlUiAction::RedactPost { post_id } => {
+            run_post_web_redact(&state, &headers, &jar, WebRedactForm { post_id }).await
+        }
+        HtmlUiAction::ExpandPublicNewThreadForm => {
+            let reduced = state.reduced.read().await;
+            let user = optional_principal(&headers, &jar, &reduced);
+            drop(reduced);
+            let markup = if user.is_some() {
+                fragment_public_new_thread_form(true)
+            } else {
+                login_to_post_hint_markup()
+            };
+            JsBuilder::new()
+                .morph_selector("#public-new-thread-ui-slot", markup)
+                .into_response()
+        }
+        HtmlUiAction::ExpandRoomNewThreadForm { room_wire } => {
+            let room_wire = room_wire.trim().to_string();
+            if room_wire.is_empty() {
+                return ui_js_warn("missing room").into_response();
+            }
+            let reduced = state.reduced.read().await;
+            let user = optional_principal(&headers, &jar, &reduced);
+            if !reduced.rooms.contains(&room_wire) {
+                drop(reduced);
+                return ui_js_warn("room not found").into_response();
+            }
+            if !user_can_view_room(&reduced, &room_wire, user.as_deref()) {
+                drop(reduced);
+                return ui_js_warn("forbidden").into_response();
+            }
+            let can_post = user
+                .as_ref()
+                .map(|u| user_can_post_room(&reduced, &room_wire, u))
+                .unwrap_or(false);
+            drop(reduced);
+            let Some(nav) = ThreadNav::from_room_id(&room_wire) else {
+                return ui_js_warn("bad room").into_response();
+            };
+            let markup = if can_post {
+                fragment_room_new_thread_form(&nav, true)
+            } else {
+                login_to_post_hint_markup()
+            };
+            JsBuilder::new()
+                .morph_selector("#room-new-thread-ui-slot", markup)
+                .into_response()
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+fn ui_js_warn(msg: &str) -> Response {
+    use crate::html::js_string_literal;
+    let js = format!("console.warn({});", js_string_literal(msg));
+    Response::builder()
+        .status(StatusCode::OK)
+        .header(header::CONTENT_TYPE, "text/javascript; charset=utf-8")
+        .body(Body::from(js))
+        .unwrap()
+}
diff --git a/server/src/api/web_post.rs b/server/src/api/web_post.rs
index a64010e382d3039821c836a5529adad0fe67cce5..265025f41ff1548d05b2d2d5d84202245388053f 100644
--- a/server/src/api/web_post.rs
+++ b/server/src/api/web_post.rs
@@ -222,8 +222,18 @@ pub async fn post_web_redact(
     jar: CookieJar,
     Form(form): Form<WebRedactForm>,
 ) -> impl IntoResponse {
+    run_post_web_redact(&state, &headers, &jar, form).await
+}
+
+/// Shared with [`crate::api::ui_html::post_ui_html`].
+pub(crate) async fn run_post_web_redact(
+    state: &AppState,
+    headers: &HeaderMap,
+    jar: &CookieJar,
+    form: WebRedactForm,
+) -> Response {
     let reduced = state.reduced.read().await;
-    let Some(_username) = optional_principal(&headers, &jar, &reduced) else {
+    let Some(_username) = optional_principal(headers, jar, &reduced) else {
         drop(reduced);
         return js_redirect("/login").into_response();
     };
@@ -239,8 +249,8 @@ pub async fn post_web_redact(
         return js_redirect("/login").into_response();
     };
 
-    match rpc_post_redact(&state, &headers, form.post_id).await {
-        Ok(RpcResult::RedactPostOk {}) => redact_success_response(&state).await.into_response(),
+    match rpc_post_redact(state, headers, form.post_id).await {
+        Ok(RpcResult::RedactPostOk {}) => redact_success_response(state).await.into_response(),
         Ok(_) => (StatusCode::BAD_REQUEST, "unexpected response").into_response(),
         Err((msg, hint)) => {
             let detail = hint.as_deref().unwrap_or("");
@@ -255,8 +265,18 @@ pub async fn post_web_ingest(
     jar: CookieJar,
     Form(form): Form<WebPostForm>,
 ) -> impl IntoResponse {
+    run_post_web_ingest(&state, &headers, &jar, form).await
+}
+
+/// Shared with [`crate::api::ui_html::post_ui_html`] (`POST /ui`).
+pub(crate) async fn run_post_web_ingest(
+    state: &AppState,
+    headers: &HeaderMap,
+    jar: &CookieJar,
+    form: WebPostForm,
+) -> Response {
     let reduced = state.reduced.read().await;
-    let Some(_username) = optional_principal(&headers, &jar, &reduced) else {
+    let Some(_username) = optional_principal(headers, jar, &reduced) else {
         drop(reduced);
         return js_redirect("/login").into_response();
     };
@@ -282,8 +302,8 @@ pub async fn post_web_ingest(
             .into_response();
     }
 
-    match rpc_post_with_bearer(&state, &bearer, room.clone(), thread_tag.clone(), text).await {
-        Ok(RpcResult::PostOk { .. }) => post_success_response(&state, &form, &headers, &jar)
+    match rpc_post_with_bearer(state, &bearer, room.clone(), thread_tag.clone(), text).await {
+        Ok(RpcResult::PostOk { .. }) => post_success_response(state, &form, headers, jar)
             .await
             .into_response(),
         Ok(_) => form_js_error(&form, "unexpected response", "Post did not return PostOk.").into_response(),
@@ -297,8 +317,18 @@ pub async fn check_web_ingest(
     jar: CookieJar,
     Form(form): Form<WebPostForm>,
 ) -> impl IntoResponse {
+    run_check_web_ingest(&state, &headers, &jar, form).await
+}
+
+/// Shared with [`crate::api::ui_html::post_ui_html`] (`POST /ui`).
+pub(crate) async fn run_check_web_ingest(
+    state: &AppState,
+    headers: &HeaderMap,
+    jar: &CookieJar,
+    form: WebPostForm,
+) -> Response {
     let reduced = state.reduced.read().await;
-    let Some(_username) = optional_principal(&headers, &jar, &reduced) else {
+    let Some(_username) = optional_principal(headers, jar, &reduced) else {
         drop(reduced);
         return js_redirect("/login").into_response();
     };
@@ -324,7 +354,7 @@ pub async fn check_web_ingest(
         return js_clear_errors(&form_error_target(&form)).into_response();
     }
 
-    match rpc_check_with_bearer(&state, &bearer, room, form.text.clone()).await {
+    match rpc_check_with_bearer(state, &bearer, room, form.text.clone()).await {
         Ok(RpcResult::CheckOk { .. }) => js_clear_errors(&form_error_target(&form)).into_response(),
         Ok(_) => form_js_error(&form, "unexpected response", "Check did not return CheckOk.").into_response(),
         Err((msg, hint)) => form_js_error(&form, &msg, hint.as_deref().unwrap_or("")).into_response(),
diff --git a/server/src/form_template.rs b/server/src/form_template.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..3709c2c09a859da006e4af173413d5d235bc19be
--- /dev/null
+++ b/server/src/form_template.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,142 @@
+//! Plan2-style JSON templates with `{"$form": "field_name"}` holes, filled from
+//! `application/x-www-form-urlencoded` (or any `String` → `String` map) **before**
+//! deserializing into a typed struct.
+//!
+//! # Wire format
+//!
+//! Templates are **compact JSON** (`serde_json::to_string`): one line, no pretty
+//! printing, strings escaped per JSON rules (`\"`, `\n`, etc.). Embed that string
+//! in HTML attributes or text nodes with normal HTML escaping (e.g. maud), not
+//! bespoke encodings.
+//!
+//! # Power vs flat hidden fields
+//!
+//! A form is always a string→string map. You can fake depth with dotted keys (`a.b.c`),
+//! but one structured blob (`__rpc__` = compact JSON) gives you nested objects,
+//! arrays, and optional fields without inventing a new naming scheme each time.
+//!
+//! # Security
+//!
+//! Substitution runs **before** `serde` into your command type. It does not fix
+//! authorization: if the client can replace the hidden `__rpc__` value, they can
+//! change the command shape unless you validate (signed blob, server-side session
+//! context, or treat the blob as hints only). Same threat model as any hidden field.
+
+use serde::Serialize;
+use serde_json::Value;
+use std::collections::HashMap;
+
+/// Serialize a value to compact JSON for a hidden `__rpc__` (or similar) field.
+pub fn template_json_compact<T: Serialize>(v: &T) -> serde_json::Result<String> {
+    serde_json::to_string(v)
+}
+
+/// Recursively walk the JSON AST and replace `{"$form": "key"}` with the submitted
+/// string for `key` (empty if missing). Other keys are unchanged.
+pub fn substitute_form_vars(val: &mut Value, form_data: &HashMap<String, String>) {
+    match val {
+        Value::Object(map) => {
+            if map.len() == 1 {
+                if let Some(Value::String(field_name)) = map.get("$form") {
+                    let submitted = form_data
+                        .get(field_name.as_str())
+                        .map(|s| s.as_str())
+                        .unwrap_or("");
+                    *val = Value::String(submitted.to_string());
+                    return;
+                }
+            }
+            for v in map.values_mut() {
+                substitute_form_vars(v, form_data);
+            }
+        }
+        Value::Array(arr) => {
+            for v in arr.iter_mut() {
+                substitute_form_vars(v, form_data);
+            }
+        }
+        _ => {}
+    }
+}
+
+/// Parse JSON, apply [`substitute_form_vars`], return the mutated value.
+pub fn fill_template_from_form(
+    template_json: &str,
+    form_data: &HashMap<String, String>,
+) -> Result<Value, serde_json::Error> {
+    let mut v: Value = serde_json::from_str(template_json)?;
+    substitute_form_vars(&mut v, form_data);
+    Ok(v)
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+    use serde::Deserialize;
+
+    #[derive(Debug, Deserialize, PartialEq, Eq)]
+    struct Demo {
+        room: String,
+        thread_tag: String,
+        nested: Nested,
+    }
+
+    #[derive(Debug, Deserialize, PartialEq, Eq)]
+    struct Nested {
+        text: String,
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn holes_become_strings() {
+        let json = r#"{
+            "room": "public",
+            "thread_tag": {"$form": "tag"},
+            "nested": {"text": {"$form": "body"}}
+        }"#;
+        let mut form = HashMap::new();
+        form.insert("tag".into(), "foo".into());
+        form.insert("body".into(), "hello\nworld".into());
+
+        let v = fill_template_from_form(json, &form).unwrap();
+        let d: Demo = serde_json::from_value(v).unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(
+            d,
+            Demo {
+                room: "public".into(),
+                thread_tag: "foo".into(),
+                nested: Nested {
+                    text: "hello\nworld".into(),
+                },
+            }
+        );
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn missing_form_key_is_empty_string() {
+        let json = r#"{"x": {"$form": "nope"}}"#;
+        let mut form = HashMap::new();
+        form.insert("other".into(), "y".into());
+        let v = fill_template_from_form(json, &form).unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(v["x"], "");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn array_of_holes() {
+        let json = r#"{"items": [{"$form": "a"}, {"$form": "b"}]}"#;
+        let mut form = HashMap::new();
+        form.insert("a".into(), "1".into());
+        form.insert("b".into(), "2".into());
+        let v = fill_template_from_form(json, &form).unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(v["items"], serde_json::json!(["1", "2"]));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn template_json_compact_escapes_and_single_line() {
+        let s = template_json_compact(&serde_json::json!({
+            "x": "quote\"and\nnewline"
+        }))
+        .unwrap();
+        assert!(!s.contains('\n'));
+        assert!(s.contains("\\\"") || s.contains("\\n"));
+    }
+}
diff --git a/server/src/html/forum.rs b/server/src/html/forum.rs
index f789e347dc136f8ffd356f4492f0bd76cea04bf0..b1c037f3dd93c7bb96d6624cab6019228432c501 100644
--- a/server/src/html/forum.rs
+++ b/server/src/html/forum.rs
@@ -11,12 +11,15 @@ use crate::{
     api::optional_principal,
     canonical_path::{canonicalize_item, canonicalize_tag},
     events::ThreadCapability,
+    form_template::template_json_compact,
     identity::parse_username,
     reducer::{scope_from_room_wire, ReducerState, ScopeId},
     state::AppState,
     timeago,
 };
 
+use super::ui_action::{HtmlUiAction, UI_RPC_FIELD};
+
 use super::{
     bc_segment, bc_threads, cli_panel, layout, now_ms, profile_href, recency_class,
     render_linkified_with_embeds_in_scope, theme_from_jar, theme_next_from_uri, JsBuilder,
@@ -289,7 +292,7 @@ fn rooms_for_user(reduced: &ReducerState, username: &str) -> Vec<String> {
     v
 }
 
-fn user_can_view_room(reduced: &ReducerState, room_id: &str, username: Option<&str>) -> bool {
+pub(crate) fn user_can_view_room(reduced: &ReducerState, room_id: &str, username: Option<&str>) -> bool {
     if !reduced.rooms.contains(room_id) {
         return false;
     }
@@ -299,7 +302,7 @@ fn user_can_view_room(reduced: &ReducerState, room_id: &str, username: Option<&s
     reduced.user_has_cap(room_id, u, ThreadCapability::View)
 }
 
-fn user_can_post_room(reduced: &ReducerState, room_id: &str, username: &str) -> bool {
+pub(crate) fn user_can_post_room(reduced: &ReducerState, room_id: &str, username: &str) -> bool {
     reduced.user_has_cap(room_id, username, ThreadCapability::Post)
 }
 
@@ -591,7 +594,6 @@ pub async fn home(
     let nav = ThreadNav::public();
     let reduced_read = state.reduced.read().await;
     let strip = auth_strip(&headers, &jar, &reduced_read);
-    let show_forms = user.is_some();
     drop(reduced_read);
 
     let page = layout(
@@ -617,8 +619,14 @@ pub async fn home(
                 }
             }
             p class="muted" { "dark = time-ordered · light = vote-ranked" }
+            div class="thread-feed-toolbar" {
+                form method="POST" action="/ui" {
+                    input type="hidden" name=(UI_RPC_FIELD) value=(expand_public_new_thread_rpc_value());
+                    button type="submit" class="section-add-btn" { "+" }
+                }
+            }
+            div id="public-new-thread-ui-slot" {}
             (render_thread_feed(Some(&nav), "thread-feed", &public_rows, now))
-            (new_thread_form_public(show_forms))
             (cli_panel("npx slugsocial public forum list"))
         },
         None,
@@ -901,7 +909,13 @@ pub async fn room_page(
             h3 { "threads" }
             (render_thread_feed(Some(&nav), "room-thread-feed", &rows, now))
             @if show_new {
-                (new_thread_form_for_room(&nav, show_new))
+                div class="thread-feed-toolbar" {
+                    form method="POST" action="/ui" {
+                        input type="hidden" name=(UI_RPC_FIELD) value=(expand_room_new_thread_rpc_value(&nav));
+                        button type="submit" class="section-add-btn" { "+" }
+                    }
+                }
+                div id="room-new-thread-ui-slot" {}
             }
             (cli_panel(&forum_cli))
             (cli_panel(&garden_cli))
@@ -945,6 +959,31 @@ fn new_thread_form_for_room(nav: &ThreadNav, show: bool) -> Markup {
     }
 }
 
+pub(crate) fn expand_public_new_thread_rpc_value() -> String {
+    template_json_compact(&HtmlUiAction::ExpandPublicNewThreadForm).expect("static json")
+}
+
+pub(crate) fn expand_room_new_thread_rpc_value(nav: &ThreadNav) -> String {
+    template_json_compact(&HtmlUiAction::ExpandRoomNewThreadForm {
+        room_wire: nav.room_wire.clone(),
+    })
+    .expect("static json")
+}
+
+pub(crate) fn login_to_post_hint_markup() -> Markup {
+    html! {
+        p class="muted" { "log in to post" }
+    }
+}
+
+pub(crate) fn fragment_public_new_thread_form(show: bool) -> Markup {
+    new_thread_form_public(show)
+}
+
+pub(crate) fn fragment_room_new_thread_form(nav: &ThreadNav, show: bool) -> Markup {
+    new_thread_form_for_room(nav, show)
+}
+
 async fn thread_post_view_inner(
     state: AppState,
     tag: String,
diff --git a/server/src/html/mod.rs b/server/src/html/mod.rs
index 53041a0cf0b30e6f20749c92ecc15a4e9ac56e09..a4fd2dd60ac283f7eb9b2e64522501b21d1e27e9 100644
--- a/server/src/html/mod.rs
+++ b/server/src/html/mod.rs
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ mod editor;
 mod forum;
 mod garden;
 mod search;
+pub mod ui_action;
 use breadcrumb_path::OntologyPath;
 
 pub use auth::{auth_complete_page, auth_signed_in_fragment, choose_username_error_fragment, choose_username_page};
@@ -27,9 +28,15 @@ pub use forum::{
     thread_post_collapse_deleted, thread_post_expand, thread_post_expand_deleted, thread_post_view,
     thread_view, ThreadNav,
 };
+
+pub(crate) use forum::{
+    fragment_public_new_thread_form, fragment_room_new_thread_form, login_to_post_hint_markup,
+    user_can_post_room, user_can_view_room,
+};
 pub use garden::{garden_index, ontology_path, room_garden_index, room_ontology_path};
 pub use search::{search_page, search_results_fragment};
 pub use forum::user_profile_page;
+pub use ui_action::{parse_html_ui_from_form, HtmlUiAction, HtmlUiParseError, UI_RPC_FIELD};
 
 /// Public profile URL path for a stored username (no `@`).
 pub(crate) fn profile_href(username: &str) -> String {
diff --git a/server/src/html/ui_action.rs b/server/src/html/ui_action.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..3bc69ecbb7e16a59d2d393b2d59f9cd3fedb12b1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/server/src/html/ui_action.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,116 @@
+//! Browser-only UI commands: JSON in hidden `__rpc__` plus hole fill ([`crate::form_template`]).
+//! Not part of [`slug_types::RpcCommand`] (CLI / JSON API).
+
+use crate::form_template::fill_template_from_form;
+use serde::{Deserialize, Serialize};
+use serde_json::Value;
+use std::collections::HashMap;
+use thiserror::Error;
+
+/// Form field name for the compact JSON template (possibly with `{"$form":"…"}` holes).
+pub const UI_RPC_FIELD: &str = "__rpc__";
+
+/// HTML form / fetch `POST /ui` payload after template fill and deserialization.
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize, PartialEq, Eq)]
+#[serde(tag = "action", rename_all = "snake_case")]
+pub enum HtmlUiAction {
+    /// Same semantics as `POST /post` (forum ingest).
+    PostIngest {
+        room: String,
+        thread_tag: String,
+        text: String,
+        #[serde(default)]
+        error_target: Option<String>,
+        #[serde(default)]
+        form_id: Option<String>,
+    },
+    /// Same as `POST /post/check`.
+    CheckIngest {
+        room: String,
+        thread_tag: String,
+        text: String,
+        #[serde(default)]
+        error_target: Option<String>,
+        #[serde(default)]
+        form_id: Option<String>,
+    },
+    /// Same as `POST /post/redact`.
+    RedactPost {
+        post_id: String,
+    },
+    /// Morph `#public-new-thread-ui-slot` to the new-thread form (or login hint).
+    ExpandPublicNewThreadForm,
+    /// Morph `#room-new-thread-ui-slot` for the given room wire id.
+    ExpandRoomNewThreadForm {
+        room_wire: String,
+    },
+}
+
+#[derive(Debug, Error)]
+pub enum HtmlUiParseError {
+    #[error("missing __rpc__ field")]
+    MissingRpc,
+    #[error("invalid template json: {0}")]
+    Template(serde_json::Error),
+    #[error("invalid ui action: {0}")]
+    Action(serde_json::Error),
+}
+
+/// Parse `__rpc__` JSON, apply `$form` holes from the rest of the form map, deserialize.
+pub fn parse_html_ui_from_form(form: &HashMap<String, String>) -> Result<HtmlUiAction, HtmlUiParseError> {
+    let template = form
+        .get(UI_RPC_FIELD)
+        .ok_or(HtmlUiParseError::MissingRpc)?;
+    let mut hole_map = form.clone();
+    hole_map.remove(UI_RPC_FIELD);
+    let v: Value = fill_template_from_form(template, &hole_map).map_err(HtmlUiParseError::Template)?;
+    serde_json::from_value(v).map_err(HtmlUiParseError::Action)
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+
+    #[test]
+    fn round_trip_post_ingest_with_holes() {
+        let template = serde_json::json!({
+            "action": "post_ingest",
+            "room": "public",
+            "thread_tag": {"$form": "thread_tag"},
+            "text": {"$form": "text"},
+            "error_target": "e",
+            "form_id": "f",
+        });
+        let mut form = HashMap::new();
+        form.insert(
+            UI_RPC_FIELD.to_string(),
+            serde_json::to_string(&template).unwrap(),
+        );
+        form.insert("thread_tag".into(), "x".into());
+        form.insert("text".into(), "body".into());
+
+        let a = parse_html_ui_from_form(&form).unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(
+            a,
+            HtmlUiAction::PostIngest {
+                room: "public".into(),
+                thread_tag: "x".into(),
+                text: "body".into(),
+                error_target: Some("e".into()),
+                form_id: Some("f".into()),
+            }
+        );
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn expand_public_unit_variant() {
+        let template = serde_json::json!({ "action": "expand_public_new_thread_form" });
+        let mut form = HashMap::new();
+        form.insert(
+            UI_RPC_FIELD.to_string(),
+            serde_json::to_string(&template).unwrap(),
+        );
+        let a = parse_html_ui_from_form(&form).unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(a, HtmlUiAction::ExpandPublicNewThreadForm);
+    }
+}
diff --git a/server/src/lib.rs b/server/src/lib.rs
index b9d4b79791ba8dd3a3c26ff777943a2548092de5..5f5b6b0f01b29350c7415e5801ec5caa74f0b452 100644
--- a/server/src/lib.rs
+++ b/server/src/lib.rs
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ pub mod paths;
 pub mod api;
 pub mod canonical_path;
 pub mod dsl;
+pub mod form_template;
 pub mod html;
 pub mod event_log;
 pub mod events;
@@ -33,6 +34,7 @@ pub fn create_app(state: AppState) -> Router {
         .route("/post", post(api::post_web_ingest))
         .route("/post/redact", post(api::post_web_redact))
         .route("/post/check", post(api::check_web_ingest))
+        .route("/ui", post(api::post_ui_html))
         .route("/theme", post(crate::html::post_theme))
         .route("/sse", get(api::get_html_stream))
         .route("/stream", get(api::get_stream))


Side B — contributor: tommy-mor
Side B — commit message:
[40b975bf] nice

Side B — unified diff (full patch):
diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index 266e876bb7ccbe788beb1d5bd53ad5b45ee5825b..2cea973082716e761ef6f5dd5886acc08ff9aac0 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -222,6 +222,12 @@ dependencies = [
  "syn",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "dotenvy"
+version = "0.15.7"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "1aaf95b3e5c8f23aa320147307562d361db0ae0d51242340f558153b4eb2439b"
+
 [[package]]
 name = "encoding_rs"
 version = "0.8.35"
@@ -1238,6 +1244,7 @@ version = "0.0.1"
 dependencies = [
  "axum",
  "axum-extra",
+ "dotenvy",
  "maud",
  "reqwest",
  "serde",
diff --git a/server/Cargo.toml b/server/Cargo.toml
index 4677fedcb45292eebebe7e9cf6ce2f5738f18ddf..bd600138b613bd0f546bdec217a5334cdcb20aa5 100644
--- a/server/Cargo.toml
+++ b/server/Cargo.toml
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ tower-http = { version = "0.5", features = ["trace"] }
 tracing = "0.1"
 tracing-subscriber = { version = "0.3", features = ["env-filter"] }
 reqwest = { version = "0.12", features = ["json"] }
+dotenvy = "0.15"
 
 [dev-dependencies]
 reqwest = { version = "0.12", features = ["json"] }
diff --git a/server/src/api/ui_html.rs b/server/src/api/ui_html.rs
index d2024bd4582bcc8482b461b2ba4fedbd8bff7c66..b33a84e8bb5e817b26592868d88090e6d664d950 100644
--- a/server/src/api/ui_html.rs
+++ b/server/src/api/ui_html.rs
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ use axum::{
 use std::collections::HashMap;
 
 use crate::{
-    html::{input_panel, js_string_literal, ranking_panel, JsBuilder},
+    html::{entity_section, input_panel, js_string_literal, ranking_panel, JsBuilder},
     parser::parse_reddit_url,
     path_types::ItemId,
     reddit::ensure_partial_tree,
@@ -87,6 +87,20 @@ pub async fn post_ui_html(
                     .into_response()
             }
         },
+        HtmlUiAction::FetchEntity { item } => {
+            let id = parse_item_param(&item);
+            if id.is_root() {
+                return ui_js_warn("nothing to fetch for the root").into_response();
+            }
+            state.queue_entity_fetch(id.clone());
+            let tree = state.tree.read().await;
+            let empty = crate::reducer::NodeState::default();
+            let node = tree.get(&id).unwrap_or(&empty);
+            let panel = entity_section(&id, node, true);
+            JsBuilder::new()
+                .morph_selector("#entity-section", panel)
+                .into_response()
+        },
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/server/src/events.rs b/server/src/events.rs
index ed5be6b13b9d46e838831d6ce0f96f569b401730..07ce24b5e56cf72b0b442c3c3241efbf6c3b006a 100644
--- a/server/src/events.rs
+++ b/server/src/events.rs
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 use serde::{Deserialize, Serialize};
+use serde_json::Value;
 
 #[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize)]
 #[serde(tag = "type", rename_all = "snake_case")]
@@ -18,4 +19,10 @@ pub enum Event {
     },
     /// Register a node path in the fractal tree (no external fetch).
     NodeEnsured { id: String },
+    /// Full upstream API payload for a node (domain-specific view derived at replay/render time).
+    EntityImported {
+        id: String,
+        ts: i64,
+        payload: Value,
+    },
 }
diff --git a/server/src/html/mod.rs b/server/src/html/mod.rs
index df6505021d9f446c2b453e20e3eb3cf696a111f9..caf1309c8d93b47104499c57f9cc35ee7631fbb9 100644
--- a/server/src/html/mod.rs
+++ b/server/src/html/mod.rs
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ use crate::{
     form_template::template_json_compact,
     path_types::ItemId,
     ranking::{top_bottom, RankedItem},
+    reddit::is_fetchable,
     reducer::{GroupState, NodeState},
     state::AppState,
     ui_action::UI_RPC_FIELD,
@@ -151,7 +152,7 @@ pub fn breadcrumb_path(item: &ItemId) -> Markup {
 fn entity_panel(node: &NodeState) -> Markup {
     html! {
         @if let Some(data) = &node.data {
-            section id="entity-panel" class="demo-panel entity-card" {
+            div id="entity-panel" class="entity-card" {
                 h2 { (data.title) }
                 @if let Some(author) = &data.author {
                     p class="muted small" { "by " (author) }
@@ -164,6 +165,42 @@ fn entity_panel(node: &NodeState) -> Markup {
     }
 }
 
+/// Reddit/API import control — only shown on fetchable pages; never auto-fires.
+pub fn fetch_entity_panel(item: &ItemId, has_data: bool, fetching: bool) -> Markup {
+    if !is_fetchable(item) {
+        return html! {};
+    }
+    let label = if fetching {
+        "Fetching…"
+    } else if has_data {
+        "Fetch more"
+    } else {
+        "Fetch from Reddit"
+    };
+    let rpc = template_json_compact(&serde_json::json!({
+        "action": "fetch_entity",
+        "item": item.as_str(),
+    }))
+    .expect("fetch_entity rpc template");
+    html! {
+        form method="post" action="/ui" id="fetch-entity-form" class="fetch-entity-form" {
+            input type="hidden" name=(UI_RPC_FIELD) value=(rpc);
+            button type="submit" class="btn-secondary" disabled=(fetching) { (label) }
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+/// Entity card + explicit fetch control (morphed as `#entity-section`).
+pub fn entity_section(item: &ItemId, node: &NodeState, fetching: bool) -> Markup {
+    let has_data = node.data.is_some();
+    html! {
+        section id="entity-section" class="demo-panel" {
+            (entity_panel(node))
+            (fetch_entity_panel(item, has_data, fetching))
+        }
+    }
+}
+
 fn rank_list(label: &str, items: &[RankedItem], start_rank: usize) -> Markup {
     html! {
         @if !items.is_empty() {
@@ -260,7 +297,7 @@ async fn item_page(state: AppState, uri: Uri, item: ItemId) -> Markup {
         h1 { "sorter" }
         (input_panel("", None))
         (breadcrumb_path(&item))
-        (entity_panel(node))
+        (entity_section(&item, node, false))
         (ranking_panel(&item, group))
     };
     layout("sorter2", body, views)
@@ -272,16 +309,5 @@ pub async fn home(State(state): State<AppState>, uri: Uri) -> impl IntoResponse
 
 pub async fn browse(State(state): State<AppState>, uri: Uri) -> impl IntoResponse {
     let item = ItemId::from_browse_uri(uri.path()).unwrap_or(ItemId::root());
-    if item.as_str().starts_with("reddit.com") {
-        let needs_fetch = {
-            let tree = state.tree.read().await;
-            tree.get(&item)
-                .map(|n| n.data.is_none())
-                .unwrap_or(true)
-        };
-        if needs_fetch {
-            state.reddit.request_fetch(item.clone());
-        }
-    }
     item_page(state, uri, item).await
 }
diff --git a/server/src/main.rs b/server/src/main.rs
index c22ec6c9f5358e5ec99fb83210dc351938505a93..1f0cddc39302b35b0cd6a6219f44c9d59202facf 100644
--- a/server/src/main.rs
+++ b/server/src/main.rs
@@ -2,6 +2,10 @@ use sorter2_server::state::AppConfig;
 
 #[tokio::main]
 async fn main() -> Result<(), Box<dyn std::error::Error + Send + Sync>> {
+    if std::env::var("SORTER2_SKIP_DOTENV").is_err() {
+        let _ = dotenvy::dotenv();
+    }
+
     tracing_subscriber::fmt()
         .with_env_filter(
             tracing_subscriber::EnvFilter::try_from_default_env()
diff --git a/server/src/reddit.rs b/server/src/reddit.rs
index 90053ad03b1d7c8e94f325dd4ee64c2b4f7da900..ff0f01e57b18af878eb5be3efc47204a7673589d 100644
--- a/server/src/reddit.rs
+++ b/server/src/reddit.rs
@@ -6,11 +6,15 @@ use std::time::{Duration, Instant};
 
 use reqwest::{header, Client, StatusCode};
 use serde::Deserialize;
+use serde_json::Value;
 use tokio::sync::{mpsc, RwLock};
 
 use crate::{
+    event_log::EventLog,
+    events::Event,
+    html::now_ms,
     path_types::ItemId,
-    reducer::{EntityData, GlobalTree},
+    reducer::GlobalTree,
 };
 
 /// Bootstrap blank nodes along a URL path so breadcrumbs and voting work before fetch.
@@ -20,6 +24,8 @@ pub fn ensure_partial_tree(tree: &mut GlobalTree, id: &ItemId) {
 
 pub struct RedditCommand {
     pub id: ItemId,
+    /// User-initiated fetch bypasses the in-memory "recently fetched" cache.
+    pub force: bool,
 }
 
 #[derive(Clone)]
@@ -33,19 +39,31 @@ struct RedditCredentials {
     client_secret: String,
 }
 
+#[derive(Clone)]
+pub struct RedditApiConfig {
+    pub api_base: String,
+    pub oauth_base: String,
+    pub user_agent: String,
+    creds: Option<RedditCredentials>,
+}
+
 struct OAuthToken {
     access_token: String,
     expires_at: Instant,
 }
 
 impl RedditBroker {
-    pub fn spawn(tree: Arc<RwLock<GlobalTree>>, user_agent: &str) -> Self {
+    pub fn spawn(
+        tree: Arc<RwLock<GlobalTree>>,
+        event_log: Arc<EventLog>,
+        config: RedditApiConfig,
+    ) -> Self {
         let (tx, rx) = mpsc::channel(100);
 
         let mut headers = header::HeaderMap::new();
         headers.insert(
             header::USER_AGENT,
-            header::HeaderValue::from_str(user_agent).expect("valid user agent"),
+            header::HeaderValue::from_str(&config.user_agent).expect("valid user agent"),
         );
 
         let client = Client::builder()
@@ -54,22 +72,38 @@ impl RedditBroker {
             .build()
             .expect("reqwest client");
 
-        let creds = RedditCredentials::from_env();
-        tokio::spawn(reddit_worker(rx, tree, client, creds));
+        tokio::spawn(reddit_worker(rx, tree, event_log, client, config));
 
         Self { tx }
     }
 
-    /// Fire-and-forget: queue a fetch; worker updates the tree when done.
-    pub fn request_fetch(&self, id: ItemId) {
-        let _ = self.tx.try_send(RedditCommand { id });
+    /// Queue a fetch; drops when the channel is full (backpressure).
+    pub fn request_fetch(&self, id: ItemId, force: bool) {
+        let _ = self.tx.try_send(RedditCommand { id, force });
+    }
+}
+
+impl RedditApiConfig {
+    pub fn from_env() -> Self {
+        Self {
+            api_base: reddit_api_base(),
+            oauth_base: reddit_oauth_base(),
+            user_agent: default_user_agent(),
+            creds: RedditCredentials::from_env(),
+        }
     }
 }
 
 impl RedditCredentials {
+    /// Reddit's OAuth docs call these "client id" and "client secret"; the app
+    /// registration UI often labels them "app id" / "app secret" — same values.
     fn from_env() -> Option<Self> {
-        let client_id = std::env::var("REDDIT_CLIENT_ID").ok()?;
-        let client_secret = std::env::var("REDDIT_CLIENT_SECRET").ok()?;
+        let client_id = std::env::var("REDDIT_CLIENT_ID")
+            .or_else(|_| std::env::var("REDDIT_APP_ID"))
+            .ok()?;
+        let client_secret = std::env::var("REDDIT_CLIENT_SECRET")
+            .or_else(|_| std::env::var("REDDIT_APP_SECRET"))
+            .ok()?;
         if client_id.is_empty() || client_secret.is_empty() {
             return None;
         }
@@ -80,29 +114,63 @@ impl RedditCredentials {
     }
 }
 
+pub fn reddit_api_base() -> String {
+    std::env::var("REDDIT_API_BASE").unwrap_or_else(|_| "https://www.reddit.com".into())
+}
+
+pub fn reddit_oauth_base() -> String {
+    std::env::var("REDDIT_OAUTH_BASE").unwrap_or_else(|_| "https://www.reddit.com".into())
+}
+
 pub fn default_user_agent() -> String {
     std::env::var("REDDIT_USER_AGENT").unwrap_or_else(|_| {
         "web:sorter2.social:v0.0.1 (by /u/sorter2)".to_string()
     })
 }
 
+/// True when this node can be loaded from the Reddit JSON API.
+pub fn is_fetchable(id: &ItemId) -> bool {
+    !map_item_to_reddit_api(id, "https://example.com").is_empty()
+}
+
+/// Derive UI-facing fields from a stored payload (Reddit-specific when under reddit.com).
+pub fn entity_view_from_payload(id: &ItemId, payload: &Value) -> Option<crate::reducer::EntityData> {
+    if id.as_str().starts_with("reddit.com") {
+        return parse_reddit_view(id, payload);
+    }
+    None
+}
+
+/// Apply a full API payload to the in-memory tree (view derived for known domains).
+pub fn apply_entity_import(tree: &mut GlobalTree, id: &ItemId, payload: Value) {
+    let view = entity_view_from_payload(id, &payload);
+    tree.apply_entity_raw(id, payload, view);
+}
+
 async fn reddit_worker(
     mut rx: mpsc::Receiver<RedditCommand>,
     tree: Arc<RwLock<GlobalTree>>,
+    event_log: Arc<EventLog>,
     client: Client,
-    creds: Option<RedditCredentials>,
+    config: RedditApiConfig,
 ) {
     let mut in_flight = HashSet::new();
     let mut recently_fetched: HashMap<ItemId, Instant> = HashMap::new();
     let mut current_delay = Duration::from_secs(1);
     let mut oauth: Option<OAuthToken> = None;
     let cache_ttl = Duration::from_secs(300);
+    let creds = config.creds.clone();
+    let api_base = config.api_base.clone();
+    let oauth_base = config.oauth_base.clone();
 
     while let Some(cmd) = rx.recv().await {
         let now = Instant::now();
         recently_fetched.retain(|_, t| now.duration_since(*t) < cache_ttl);
 
-        if in_flight.contains(&cmd.id) || recently_fetched.contains_key(&cmd.id) {
+        if in_flight.contains(&cmd.id) {
+            continue;
+        }
+        if !cmd.force && recently_fetched.contains_key(&cmd.id) {
             continue;
         }
 
@@ -112,18 +180,26 @@ async fn reddit_worker(
         tokio::time::sleep(current_delay).await;
 
         if let Some(c) = &creds {
-            oauth = ensure_oauth_token(&client, c, oauth.take()).await;
+            oauth = ensure_oauth_token(&client, &oauth_base, c, oauth.take()).await;
         }
 
         let token = oauth.as_ref().map(|t| t.access_token.as_str());
-        let use_oauth = token.is_some();
 
-        match do_fetch(&client, &fetch_id, use_oauth, token).await {
-            Ok(FetchOutcome::Entity(data)) => {
-                let mut w = tree.write().await;
-                w.set_entity_data(&fetch_id, data);
-                recently_fetched.insert(fetch_id.clone(), Instant::now());
-                current_delay = Duration::from_millis(600);
+        match do_fetch(&client, &api_base, &fetch_id, token).await {
+            Ok(FetchOutcome::Payload(payload)) => {
+                let ts = now_ms();
+                let event = Event::EntityImported {
+                    id: fetch_id.as_str().to_string(),
+                    ts,
+                    payload: payload.clone(),
+                };
+                if let Err(e) = event_log.append(&event).await {
+                    tracing::warn!("event log append failed for {}: {}", fetch_id, e);
+                } else {
+                    apply_entity_import(&mut *tree.write().await, &fetch_id, payload);
+                    recently_fetched.insert(fetch_id.clone(), Instant::now());
+                    current_delay = Duration::from_millis(600);
+                }
             }
             Ok(FetchOutcome::NotFound) => {
                 recently_fetched.insert(fetch_id.clone(), Instant::now());
@@ -149,13 +225,14 @@ async fn reddit_worker(
 }
 
 enum FetchOutcome {
-    Entity(EntityData),
+    Payload(Value),
     NotFound,
     RateLimited { reset_secs: u64 },
 }
 
 async fn ensure_oauth_token(
     client: &Client,
+    oauth_base: &str,
     creds: &RedditCredentials,
     existing: Option<OAuthToken>,
 ) -> Option<OAuthToken> {
@@ -165,8 +242,13 @@ async fn ensure_oauth_token(
         }
     }
 
+    let url = format!(
+        "{}/api/v1/access_token",
+        oauth_base.trim_end_matches('/')
+    );
+
     let resp = client
-        .post("https://www.reddit.com/api/v1/access_token")
+        .post(&url)
         .basic_auth(&creds.client_id, Some(&creds.client_secret))
         .form(&[("grant_type", "client_credentials")])
         .send()
@@ -207,11 +289,11 @@ async fn ensure_oauth_token(
 
 async fn do_fetch(
     client: &Client,
+    api_base: &str,
     id: &ItemId,
-    use_oauth: bool,
     bearer: Option<&str>,
 ) -> Result<FetchOutcome, String> {
-    let url = map_item_to_reddit_api(id, use_oauth);
+    let url = map_item_to_reddit_api(id, api_base);
     if url.is_empty() {
         return Ok(FetchOutcome::NotFound);
     }
@@ -241,10 +323,8 @@ async fn do_fetch(
         return Ok(FetchOutcome::RateLimited { reset_secs: reset });
     }
 
-    let bytes = resp.bytes().await.map_err(|e| e.to_string())?;
-    Ok(parse_reddit_json(id, &bytes)
-        .map(FetchOutcome::Entity)
-        .unwrap_or(FetchOutcome::NotFound))
+    let payload: Value = resp.json().await.map_err(|e| e.to_string())?;
+    Ok(FetchOutcome::Payload(payload))
 }
 
 fn rate_limit_remaining(resp: &reqwest::Response) -> Option<u64> {
@@ -264,18 +344,14 @@ fn rate_limit_reset_secs(resp: &reqwest::Response) -> u64 {
         .unwrap_or(5)
 }
 
-/// Map canonical item id to Reddit JSON API URL.
-pub fn map_item_to_reddit_api(id: &ItemId, oauth: bool) -> String {
+/// Map canonical item id to a Reddit JSON API URL under `api_base`.
+pub fn map_item_to_reddit_api(id: &ItemId, api_base: &str) -> String {
     let path = id.as_str();
     if !path.starts_with("reddit.com/") && path != "reddit.com" {
         return String::new();
     }
 
-    let base = if oauth {
-        "https://oauth.reddit.com"
-    } else {
-        "https://www.reddit.com"
-    };
+    let base = api_base.trim_end_matches('/');
 
     let segments: Vec<&str> = path.split('/').collect();
 
@@ -293,18 +369,17 @@ pub fn map_item_to_reddit_api(id: &ItemId, oauth: bool) -> String {
     String::new()
 }
 
-fn parse_reddit_json(id: &ItemId, bytes: &[u8]) -> Option<EntityData> {
-    let v: serde_json::Value = serde_json::from_slice(bytes).ok()?;
+fn parse_reddit_view(id: &ItemId, v: &Value) -> Option<crate::reducer::EntityData> {
     let segments: Vec<&str> = id.as_str().split('/').collect();
 
     if segments.iter().any(|&p| p == "comments") {
-        parse_post_listing(&v)
+        parse_post_listing(v)
     } else {
-        parse_subreddit_about(&v)
+        parse_subreddit_about(v)
     }
 }
 
-fn parse_subreddit_about(v: &serde_json::Value) -> Option<EntityData> {
+fn parse_subreddit_about(v: &Value) -> Option<crate::reducer::EntityData> {
     let data = v.get("data")?;
     let title = data
         .get("title")
@@ -323,7 +398,7 @@ fn parse_subreddit_about(v: &serde_json::Value) -> Option<EntityData> {
         .filter(|s| !s.is_empty())
         .map(|s| s.to_string());
 
-    Some(EntityData {
+    Some(crate::reducer::EntityData {
         title,
         author: None,
         body_html,
@@ -331,10 +406,9 @@ fn parse_subreddit_about(v: &serde_json::Value) -> Option<EntityData> {
     })
 }
 
-fn parse_post_listing(v: &serde_json::Value) -> Option<EntityData> {
+fn parse_post_listing(v: &Value) -> Option<crate::reducer::EntityData> {
     let listing = v.as_array()?.first()?;
-    let child = listing
-        .pointer("/data/children/0/data")?;
+    let child = listing.pointer("/data/children/0/data")?;
     let title = child.get("title")?.as_str()?.to_string();
     let author = child
         .get("author")
@@ -352,7 +426,7 @@ fn parse_post_listing(v: &serde_json::Value) -> Option<EntityData> {
         .filter(|s| s.starts_with("http"))
         .map(|s| s.to_string());
 
-    Some(EntityData {
+    Some(crate::reducer::EntityData {
         title,
         author,
         body_html,
@@ -368,48 +442,51 @@ mod tests {
     fn map_subreddit_about_url() {
         let id = ItemId::parse("reddit.com/r/rust").unwrap();
         assert_eq!(
-            map_item_to_reddit_api(&id, false),
+            map_item_to_reddit_api(&id, "https://www.reddit.com"),
             "https://www.reddit.com/r/rust/about.json?raw_json=1"
         );
         assert_eq!(
-            map_item_to_reddit_api(&id, true),
-            "https://oauth.reddit.com/r/rust/about.json?raw_json=1"
+            map_item_to_reddit_api(&id, "http://127.0.0.1:9999"),
+            "http://127.0.0.1:9999/r/rust/about.json?raw_json=1"
         );
     }
 
     #[test]
     fn map_post_url() {
-        let id =
-            ItemId::parse("reddit.com/r/amitheasshole/comments/1trnvdl").unwrap();
+        let id = ItemId::parse("reddit.com/r/amitheasshole/comments/1trnvdl").unwrap();
         assert_eq!(
-            map_item_to_reddit_api(&id, false),
+            map_item_to_reddit_api(&id, "https://www.reddit.com"),
             "https://www.reddit.com/r/amitheasshole/comments/1trnvdl.json?raw_json=1"
         );
     }
 
     #[test]
-    fn map_non_reddit_empty() {
-        let id = ItemId::opaque("example.com/foo");
-        assert!(map_item_to_reddit_api(&id, false).is_empty());
+    fn is_fetchable_reddit_sub() {
+        let id = ItemId::parse("reddit.com/r/rust").unwrap();
+        assert!(is_fetchable(&id));
+        assert!(!is_fetchable(&ItemId::opaque("example.com/x")));
     }
 
     #[test]
     fn parse_subreddit_fixture() {
-        let json = r#"{"kind":"t5","data":{"title":"Rust","display_name":"rust","public_description":"systems"}}"#;
-        let entity = parse_reddit_json(
+        let json = include_str!("../../test/fixtures/reddit/r_rust_about.json");
+        let v: Value = serde_json::from_str(json).unwrap();
+        let entity = entity_view_from_payload(
             &ItemId::parse("reddit.com/r/rust").unwrap(),
-            json.as_bytes(),
+            &v,
         )
         .unwrap();
-        assert_eq!(entity.title, "Rust");
+        assert_eq!(entity.title, "The Rust Programming Language");
+        assert!(entity.body_html.as_ref().is_some_and(|b| b.contains("Rust")));
     }
 
     #[test]
     fn parse_post_fixture() {
         let json = r#"[{"kind":"Listing","data":{"children":[{"kind":"t3","data":{"title":"AITA","author":"op","selftext_html":"&lt;p&gt;hi&lt;/p&gt;","thumbnail":"https://b.thumbs.redditmedia.com/x.jpg"}}]}}]"#;
-        let entity = parse_reddit_json(
+        let v: Value = serde_json::from_str(json).unwrap();
+        let entity = entity_view_from_payload(
             &ItemId::parse("reddit.com/r/x/comments/abc").unwrap(),
-            json.as_bytes(),
+            &v,
         )
         .unwrap();
         assert_eq!(entity.title, "AITA");
diff --git a/server/src/reducer.rs b/server/src/reducer.rs
index 077f700bf00ddefe18ffd004bb5288bdc7c4adaf..60db81a562e3590775012573225a76ba82a14563 100644
--- a/server/src/reducer.rs
+++ b/server/src/reducer.rs
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 use std::collections::{HashMap, HashSet, VecDeque};
 
 use serde::{Deserialize, Serialize};
+use serde_json::Value;
 
 use crate::path_types::ItemId;
 
@@ -128,6 +129,9 @@ pub struct EntityData {
 #[derive(Debug, Clone, Default)]
 pub struct NodeState {
     pub id: ItemId,
+    /// Full imported API JSON (persisted in the event log).
+    pub entity_raw: Option<Value>,
+    /// Domain-specific view derived from `entity_raw` (e.g. Reddit title/author).
     pub data: Option<EntityData>,
     pub children: HashSet<ItemId>,
     pub local_ranking: GroupState,
@@ -197,10 +201,11 @@ impl GlobalTree {
         }
     }
 
-    pub fn set_entity_data(&mut self, id: &ItemId, data: EntityData) {
+    pub fn apply_entity_raw(&mut self, id: &ItemId, payload: Value, view: Option<EntityData>) {
         self.ensure_path(id);
         if let Some(node) = self.nodes.get_mut(id) {
-            node.data = Some(data);
+            node.entity_raw = Some(payload);
+            node.data = view;
         }
     }
 }
diff --git a/server/src/state.rs b/server/src/state.rs
index 8c03aa60c15aee803a534439400b69935b1a3d84..d71d1079a8f486cdab15795384aef0b81b32544d 100644
--- a/server/src/state.rs
+++ b/server/src/state.rs
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ use crate::{
     events::Event,
     journal::JournalClient,
     path_types::ItemId,
-    reddit::{default_user_agent, RedditBroker},
+    reddit::{apply_entity_import, RedditApiConfig, RedditBroker},
     reducer::{GlobalTree, VoteData},
     views::ViewStore,
 };
@@ -108,13 +108,18 @@ impl AppState {
                             tree.ensure_path(&parsed);
                         }
                     }
+                    Event::EntityImported { id, payload, .. } => {
+                        if let Some(parsed) = ItemId::parse(&id).or_else(|| ItemId::from_url(&id)) {
+                            apply_entity_import(&mut tree, &parsed, payload);
+                        }
+                    }
                 }
             }
         }
 
         let tree = Arc::new(RwLock::new(tree));
         let journal = JournalClient::spawn(tree.clone(), event_log.clone());
-        let reddit = RedditBroker::spawn(tree.clone(), &default_user_agent());
+        let reddit = RedditBroker::spawn(tree.clone(), event_log.clone(), RedditApiConfig::from_env());
 
         Self {
             cfg: Arc::new(cfg),
@@ -135,10 +140,14 @@ impl AppState {
             let mut w = self.tree.write().await;
             w.ensure_path(id);
         }
-        self.reddit.request_fetch(id.clone());
         Ok(())
     }
 
+    /// User-initiated Reddit/API import (via "Fetch more" — never on paste or navigate).
+    pub fn queue_entity_fetch(&self, id: ItemId) {
+        self.reddit.request_fetch(id, true);
+    }
+
     pub async fn record_vote(
         &self,
         parent: &ItemId,
@@ -169,6 +178,44 @@ impl AppState {
 #[cfg(test)]
 mod tests {
     use super::{normalize_scope, parse_item_param};
+    use crate::{
+        event_log::EventLog,
+        events::Event,
+        path_types::ItemId,
+        reddit::apply_entity_import,
+        reducer::GlobalTree,
+    };
+    use serde_json::json;
+
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn replay_entity_imported_restores_view() {
+        let tmp = tempfile::tempdir().unwrap();
+        let log_path = tmp.path().join("events.jsonl");
+        let log = EventLog::new(log_path.to_string_lossy().into_owned());
+        let payload = json!({"kind":"t5","data":{"title":"Rust","display_name":"rust"}});
+        log.append(&Event::EntityImported {
+            id: "reddit.com/r/rust".into(),
+            ts: 1,
+            payload: payload.clone(),
+        })
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+
+        let mut tree = GlobalTree::new();
+        let (events, _) = log.load_all().await.unwrap();
+        for ev in events {
+            if let Event::EntityImported { id, payload, .. } = ev {
+                let parsed = ItemId::parse(&id).unwrap();
+                apply_entity_import(&mut tree, &parsed, payload);
+            }
+        }
+        let node = tree.get(&ItemId::parse("reddit.com/r/rust").unwrap()).unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(node.data.as_ref().unwrap().title, "Rust");
+        assert_eq!(
+            node.entity_raw.as_ref().unwrap()["data"]["display_name"],
+            "rust"
+        );
+    }
 
     #[test]
     fn normalize_scope_strips_prefix_and_lowercases() {
diff --git a/server/src/ui_action.rs b/server/src/ui_action.rs
index d798874d1d94c0dfee59ec1ff703f9ee6ef432c0..3d6a49a2a3fb950752827efe1f5a049308f09baf 100644
--- a/server/src/ui_action.rs
+++ b/server/src/ui_action.rs
@@ -26,6 +26,10 @@ pub enum HtmlUiAction {
     ParseQuery {
         query: String,
     },
+    /// Fetch upstream entity data for the current page (explicit user action only).
+    FetchEntity {
+        item: String,
+    },
 }
 
 #[derive(Debug, Error)]
diff --git a/server/static/sorter.css b/server/static/sorter.css
index 36f68d415cea33c8562d5d02c0c9d4c5b225a782..1f9f5158414902d43a380dd899232c70d8cf5d63 100644
--- a/server/static/sorter.css
+++ b/server/static/sorter.css
@@ -52,6 +52,25 @@ body {
   filter: brightness(1.1);
 }
 
+.btn-secondary {
+  background: transparent;
+  color: var(--accent);
+  border: 1px solid var(--border);
+  padding: 0.4rem 0.85rem;
+  font-size: 0.9rem;
+  cursor: pointer;
+  margin-top: 0.75rem;
+}
+
+.btn-secondary:disabled {
+  opacity: 0.6;
+  cursor: wait;
+}
+
+.fetch-entity-form {
+  margin-top: 0.5rem;
+}
+
 code {
   font-size: 0.85em;
   background: var(--bg);
diff --git a/test/fixtures/reddit/r_rust_about.json b/test/fixtures/reddit/r_rust_about.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..bb7fd74ab00d63356d9b672a775996ed155b984d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/fixtures/reddit/r_rust_about.json
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+{
+  "kind": "t5",
+  "data": {
+    "user_flair_background_color": null,
+    "submit_text_html": null,
+    "banner_img": "",
+    "user_is_banned": null,
+    "wiki_enabled": true,
+    "show_media": true,
+    "id": "2qh0i",
+    "display_name": "rust",
+    "title": "The Rust Programming Language",
+    "public_description": "A place for all things related to the Rust programming language.",
+    "public_description_html": "&lt;!-- SC_OFF --&gt;&lt;div class=\"md\"&gt;&lt;p&gt;A place for all things related to the Rust programming language.&lt;/p&gt;\n&lt;/div&gt;&lt;!-- SC_ON --&gt;",
+    "icon_img": "https://styles.redditmedia.com/t5_2qh0i/styles/communityIcon_kfqpknb2j6j51.png",
+    "community_icon": "https://styles.redditmedia.com/t5_2qh0i/styles/communityIcon_kfqpknb2j6j51.png",
+    "subscribers": 350000,
+    "active_user_count": 1200,
+    "over18": false
+  }
+}
diff --git a/test/reddit_import.clj b/test/reddit_import.clj
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..54edaedeef08718c8f184d6aa468d8e6415068c7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/reddit_import.clj
@@ -0,0 +1,116 @@
+(ns test.reddit-import
+  (:require [babashka.process :as process]
+            [clojure.java.io :as io]
+            [clojure.string :as str]
+            [clojure.test :refer [deftest is testing]])
+  (:import [com.sun.net.httpserver HttpServer HttpHandler HttpExchange]
+           [java.net InetSocketAddress]))
+
+(defn- repo-root []
+  (.getCanonicalPath (io/file (System/getProperty "user.dir"))))
+
+(defn- pick-port []
+  (with-open [s (java.net.ServerSocket. 0)]
+    (.getLocalPort s)))
+
+(defn- start-mock-reddit [port fixtures-dir]
+  (let [fixture (io/file fixtures-dir "r_rust_about.json")
+        body (.getBytes (slurp fixture) "UTF-8")
+        server (HttpServer/create (InetSocketAddress. "127.0.0.1" port) 0)
+        handler
+        (proxy [HttpHandler] []
+          (handle [^HttpExchange exchange]
+            (.sendResponseHeaders exchange 200 (alength body))
+            (let [out (.getResponseBody exchange)]
+              (.write out body)
+              (.close out))))]
+    (.createContext server "/" handler)
+    (.setExecutor server nil)
+    (.start server)
+    (fn stop []
+      (.stop server 0))))
+
+(defn- wait-health [base-url ms]
+  (let [deadline (+ (System/currentTimeMillis) ms)
+        url (str base-url "/healthz")]
+    (loop []
+      (let [resp (try
+                   (process/shell {:out :string :err :string}
+                                  "curl" "-sf" url)
+                   (catch Exception _ nil))]
+        (if (and resp (zero? (:exit resp)) (= "ok" (str/trim (:out resp ""))))
+          true
+          (if (< (System/currentTimeMillis) deadline)
+            (do (Thread/sleep 200) (recur))
+            false))))))
+
+(defn- curl-post-ui [base rpc-json]
+  (process/shell {:out :string :err :string}
+                 "curl" "-sf" "-X" "POST" (str base "/ui")
+                 "--data-urlencode" (str "__rpc__=" rpc-json)))
+
+(defn- wait-event-log [path ms]
+  (let [deadline (+ (System/currentTimeMillis) ms)]
+    (loop []
+      (if (.exists (io/file path))
+        true
+        (if (< (System/currentTimeMillis) deadline)
+          (do (Thread/sleep 200) (recur))
+          false)))))
+
+(deftest reddit-fetch-via-mock-api
+  (testing "Fetch more queues import; event log stores full payload; page shows title"
+    (let [root (repo-root)
+          fixtures (str root "/test/fixtures/reddit")
+          data-dir (.getAbsolutePath
+                    (doto (io/file (System/getProperty "java.io.tmpdir")
+                                   (str "sorter2-reddit-" (System/currentTimeMillis)))
+                      (.mkdirs)))
+          reddit-port (pick-port)
+          app-port (pick-port)
+          reddit-base (str "http://127.0.0.1:" reddit-port)
+          app-base (str "http://127.0.0.1:" app-port)
+          bin (str root "/target/release/sorter2-server")
+          stop-mock (start-mock-reddit reddit-port fixtures)]
+      (try
+        (is (zero? (:exit (process/shell {:dir root}
+                                         "cargo" "build" "--release" "--package" "sorter2-server")))
+            "release build succeeds")
+        (let [proc (process/process {:dir root
+                                     :env (into (into {} (System/getenv))
+                                                {"SORTER2_SKIP_DOTENV" "1"
+                                                 "SORTER2_DATA_DIR" data-dir
+                                                 "SORTER2_EVENT_LOG" (str data-dir "/events.jsonl")
+                                                 "PORT" (str app-port)
+                                                 "REDDIT_API_BASE" reddit-base
+                                                 "REDDIT_OAUTH_BASE" reddit-base
+                                                 "REDDIT_CLIENT_ID" ""
+                                                 "REDDIT_CLIENT_SECRET" ""
+                                                 "REDDIT_APP_ID" ""
+                                                 "REDDIT_APP_SECRET" ""})
+                                     :out :string
+                                     :err :string}
+                                    bin)]
+          (try
+            (is (wait-health app-base 20000) "app healthz")
+            (let [browse-url (str app-base "/~/https://reddit.com/r/rust")
+                  before (:out (process/shell {:out :string :err :string}
+                                              "curl" "-sf" browse-url))]
+              (is (str/includes? before "Fetch from Reddit"))
+              (is (not (str/includes? before "The Rust Programming Language")))
+              (let [rpc "{\"action\":\"fetch_entity\",\"item\":\"reddit.com/r/rust\"}"
+                    post (curl-post-ui app-base rpc)
+                    log-path (str data-dir "/events.jsonl")]
+                (is (zero? (:exit post)) "fetch_entity POST succeeds")
+                (is (wait-event-log log-path 10000) "event log written")
+                (let [after (:out (process/shell {:out :string :err :string}
+                                                 "curl" "-sf" browse-url))
+                      log (slurp (io/file log-path))]
+                  (is (str/includes? after "The Rust Programming Language"))
+                  (is (str/includes? log "\"type\":\"entity_imported\""))
+                  (is (str/includes? log "\"subscribers\":350000"))
+                  (is (str/includes? log "\"display_name\":\"rust\"")))))
+            (finally
+              (process/destroy proc))))
+        (finally
+          (stop-mock))))))