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:
[8d8230d1] reddit

Side A — unified diff (full patch):
diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 4c7073f9fac0c30fd2050d79a60ef447af58ebeb..ada462e900d24a3a6d08165d158c80f79c35a5a5 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -7,3 +7,4 @@
 data/
 repomix-output.xml
 dev-data/
+.env
diff --git a/server/Cargo.toml b/server/Cargo.toml
index 7906a8547d56b8e6a48ef59c37aa82a8510fdee9..4677fedcb45292eebebe7e9cf6ce2f5738f18ddf 100644
--- a/server/Cargo.toml
+++ b/server/Cargo.toml
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ tower = "0.5"
 tower-http = { version = "0.5", features = ["trace"] }
 tracing = "0.1"
 tracing-subscriber = { version = "0.3", features = ["env-filter"] }
+reqwest = { version = "0.12", features = ["json"] }
 
 [dev-dependencies]
 reqwest = { version = "0.12", features = ["json"] }
diff --git a/server/src/html/mod.rs b/server/src/html/mod.rs
index 2864407ed6e8ec284a1dc663acf1805534566b62..df6505021d9f446c2b453e20e3eb3cf696a111f9 100644
--- a/server/src/html/mod.rs
+++ b/server/src/html/mod.rs
@@ -272,5 +272,16 @@ 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/reddit.rs b/server/src/reddit.rs
index d203dca09245daf869b3aa942898447700ae69fb..90053ad03b1d7c8e94f325dd4ee64c2b4f7da900 100644
--- a/server/src/reddit.rs
+++ b/server/src/reddit.rs
@@ -1,4 +1,12 @@
-//! Reddit API import (async, decoupled from UI request path).
+//! Reddit API import via a single background worker (rate limits, dedup, backoff).
+
+use std::collections::{HashMap, HashSet};
+use std::sync::Arc;
+use std::time::{Duration, Instant};
+
+use reqwest::{header, Client, StatusCode};
+use serde::Deserialize;
+use tokio::sync::{mpsc, RwLock};
 
 use crate::{
     path_types::ItemId,
@@ -10,12 +18,401 @@ pub fn ensure_partial_tree(tree: &mut GlobalTree, id: &ItemId) {
     tree.ensure_path(id);
 }
 
-/// Placeholder for Reddit JSON import. Returns entity data when implemented.
-pub async fn fetch_reddit_entity(_id: &ItemId) -> Option<EntityData> {
-    None
+pub struct RedditCommand {
+    pub id: ItemId,
+}
+
+#[derive(Clone)]
+pub struct RedditBroker {
+    tx: mpsc::Sender<RedditCommand>,
+}
+
+#[derive(Clone)]
+struct RedditCredentials {
+    client_id: String,
+    client_secret: String,
+}
+
+struct OAuthToken {
+    access_token: String,
+    expires_at: Instant,
+}
+
+impl RedditBroker {
+    pub fn spawn(tree: Arc<RwLock<GlobalTree>>, user_agent: &str) -> 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"),
+        );
+
+        let client = Client::builder()
+            .default_headers(headers)
+            .timeout(Duration::from_secs(15))
+            .build()
+            .expect("reqwest client");
+
+        let creds = RedditCredentials::from_env();
+        tokio::spawn(reddit_worker(rx, tree, client, creds));
+
+        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 });
+    }
+}
+
+impl RedditCredentials {
+    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()?;
+        if client_id.is_empty() || client_secret.is_empty() {
+            return None;
+        }
+        Some(Self {
+            client_id,
+            client_secret,
+        })
+    }
+}
+
+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()
+    })
 }
 
-/// Apply fetched entity data to a node (called from async worker).
-pub fn apply_entity(tree: &mut GlobalTree, id: &ItemId, data: EntityData) {
-    tree.set_entity_data(id, data);
+async fn reddit_worker(
+    mut rx: mpsc::Receiver<RedditCommand>,
+    tree: Arc<RwLock<GlobalTree>>,
+    client: Client,
+    creds: Option<RedditCredentials>,
+) {
+    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);
+
+    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) {
+            continue;
+        }
+
+        in_flight.insert(cmd.id.clone());
+        let fetch_id = cmd.id.clone();
+
+        tokio::time::sleep(current_delay).await;
+
+        if let Some(c) = &creds {
+            oauth = ensure_oauth_token(&client, 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);
+            }
+            Ok(FetchOutcome::NotFound) => {
+                recently_fetched.insert(fetch_id.clone(), Instant::now());
+            }
+            Ok(FetchOutcome::RateLimited { reset_secs }) => {
+                let wait = Duration::from_secs(reset_secs.max(1));
+                tracing::warn!(
+                    "Reddit rate limit for {}; sleeping {}s",
+                    fetch_id,
+                    wait.as_secs()
+                );
+                tokio::time::sleep(wait).await;
+                current_delay = (current_delay * 2).min(Duration::from_secs(60));
+            }
+            Err(e) => {
+                tracing::warn!("Reddit fetch failed for {}: {}", fetch_id, e);
+                current_delay = (current_delay * 2).min(Duration::from_secs(60));
+            }
+        }
+
+        in_flight.remove(&fetch_id);
+    }
+}
+
+enum FetchOutcome {
+    Entity(EntityData),
+    NotFound,
+    RateLimited { reset_secs: u64 },
+}
+
+async fn ensure_oauth_token(
+    client: &Client,
+    creds: &RedditCredentials,
+    existing: Option<OAuthToken>,
+) -> Option<OAuthToken> {
+    if let Some(t) = existing {
+        if Instant::now() < t.expires_at - Duration::from_secs(60) {
+            return Some(t);
+        }
+    }
+
+    let resp = client
+        .post("https://www.reddit.com/api/v1/access_token")
+        .basic_auth(&creds.client_id, Some(&creds.client_secret))
+        .form(&[("grant_type", "client_credentials")])
+        .send()
+        .await;
+
+    let resp = match resp {
+        Ok(r) => r,
+        Err(e) => {
+            tracing::warn!("Reddit OAuth token request failed: {e}");
+            return None;
+        }
+    };
+
+    if !resp.status().is_success() {
+        tracing::warn!("Reddit OAuth token HTTP {}", resp.status());
+        return None;
+    }
+
+    #[derive(Deserialize)]
+    struct TokenResponse {
+        access_token: String,
+        expires_in: u64,
+    }
+
+    let body: TokenResponse = match resp.json().await {
+        Ok(b) => b,
+        Err(e) => {
+            tracing::warn!("Reddit OAuth token parse failed: {e}");
+            return None;
+        }
+    };
+
+    Some(OAuthToken {
+        access_token: body.access_token,
+        expires_at: Instant::now() + Duration::from_secs(body.expires_in),
+    })
+}
+
+async fn do_fetch(
+    client: &Client,
+    id: &ItemId,
+    use_oauth: bool,
+    bearer: Option<&str>,
+) -> Result<FetchOutcome, String> {
+    let url = map_item_to_reddit_api(id, use_oauth);
+    if url.is_empty() {
+        return Ok(FetchOutcome::NotFound);
+    }
+
+    let mut req = client.get(&url);
+    if let Some(token) = bearer {
+        req = req.bearer_auth(token);
+    }
+
+    let resp = req.send().await.map_err(|e| e.to_string())?;
+
+    if resp.status() == StatusCode::TOO_MANY_REQUESTS {
+        let reset = rate_limit_reset_secs(&resp);
+        return Ok(FetchOutcome::RateLimited { reset_secs: reset });
+    }
+
+    if resp.status() == StatusCode::SERVICE_UNAVAILABLE {
+        return Err("Reddit unavailable (503)".to_string());
+    }
+
+    if !resp.status().is_success() {
+        return Ok(FetchOutcome::NotFound);
+    }
+
+    if rate_limit_remaining(&resp) == Some(0) {
+        let reset = rate_limit_reset_secs(&resp);
+        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))
+}
+
+fn rate_limit_remaining(resp: &reqwest::Response) -> Option<u64> {
+    resp.headers()
+        .get("x-ratelimit-remaining")
+        .and_then(|v| v.to_str().ok())
+        .and_then(|s| s.parse::<f64>().ok())
+        .map(|f| f.floor() as u64)
+}
+
+fn rate_limit_reset_secs(resp: &reqwest::Response) -> u64 {
+    resp.headers()
+        .get("x-ratelimit-reset")
+        .and_then(|v| v.to_str().ok())
+        .and_then(|s| s.parse::<f64>().ok())
+        .map(|f| f.ceil() as 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 {
+    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 segments: Vec<&str> = path.split('/').collect();
+
+    if let Some(i) = segments.iter().position(|&p| p == "comments") {
+        if segments.len() > i + 1 {
+            let api_path = segments[1..=i + 1].join("/");
+            return format!("{base}/{api_path}.json?raw_json=1");
+        }
+    }
+
+    if segments.len() == 3 && segments[1] == "r" {
+        return format!("{base}/r/{}/about.json?raw_json=1", segments[2]);
+    }
+
+    String::new()
+}
+
+fn parse_reddit_json(id: &ItemId, bytes: &[u8]) -> Option<EntityData> {
+    let v: serde_json::Value = serde_json::from_slice(bytes).ok()?;
+    let segments: Vec<&str> = id.as_str().split('/').collect();
+
+    if segments.iter().any(|&p| p == "comments") {
+        parse_post_listing(&v)
+    } else {
+        parse_subreddit_about(&v)
+    }
+}
+
+fn parse_subreddit_about(v: &serde_json::Value) -> Option<EntityData> {
+    let data = v.get("data")?;
+    let title = data
+        .get("title")
+        .or_else(|| data.get("display_name"))
+        .and_then(|t| t.as_str())?
+        .to_string();
+    let body_html = data
+        .get("public_description_html")
+        .or_else(|| data.get("public_description"))
+        .and_then(|t| t.as_str())
+        .map(|s| s.to_string());
+    let thumb_url = data
+        .get("icon_img")
+        .or_else(|| data.get("community_icon"))
+        .and_then(|t| t.as_str())
+        .filter(|s| !s.is_empty())
+        .map(|s| s.to_string());
+
+    Some(EntityData {
+        title,
+        author: None,
+        body_html,
+        thumb_url,
+    })
+}
+
+fn parse_post_listing(v: &serde_json::Value) -> Option<EntityData> {
+    let listing = v.as_array()?.first()?;
+    let child = listing
+        .pointer("/data/children/0/data")?;
+    let title = child.get("title")?.as_str()?.to_string();
+    let author = child
+        .get("author")
+        .and_then(|a| a.as_str())
+        .filter(|a| *a != "[deleted]")
+        .map(|s| s.to_string());
+    let body_html = child
+        .get("selftext_html")
+        .and_then(|t| t.as_str())
+        .filter(|s| !s.is_empty())
+        .map(|s| s.to_string());
+    let thumb_url = child
+        .get("thumbnail")
+        .and_then(|t| t.as_str())
+        .filter(|s| s.starts_with("http"))
+        .map(|s| s.to_string());
+
+    Some(EntityData {
+        title,
+        author,
+        body_html,
+        thumb_url,
+    })
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+
+    #[test]
+    fn map_subreddit_about_url() {
+        let id = ItemId::parse("reddit.com/r/rust").unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(
+            map_item_to_reddit_api(&id, false),
+            "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"
+        );
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn map_post_url() {
+        let id =
+            ItemId::parse("reddit.com/r/amitheasshole/comments/1trnvdl").unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(
+            map_item_to_reddit_api(&id, false),
+            "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());
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn parse_subreddit_fixture() {
+        let json = r#"{"kind":"t5","data":{"title":"Rust","display_name":"rust","public_description":"systems"}}"#;
+        let entity = parse_reddit_json(
+            &ItemId::parse("reddit.com/r/rust").unwrap(),
+            json.as_bytes(),
+        )
+        .unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(entity.title, "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(
+            &ItemId::parse("reddit.com/r/x/comments/abc").unwrap(),
+            json.as_bytes(),
+        )
+        .unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(entity.title, "AITA");
+        assert_eq!(entity.author.as_deref(), Some("op"));
+    }
 }
diff --git a/server/src/state.rs b/server/src/state.rs
index cc1722f5a5bf4d415f2327ea585c488a15a75592..8c03aa60c15aee803a534439400b69935b1a3d84 100644
--- a/server/src/state.rs
+++ b/server/src/state.rs
@@ -5,9 +5,10 @@ use tokio::sync::RwLock;
 use crate::{
     event_log::EventLog,
     events::Event,
+    journal::JournalClient,
     path_types::ItemId,
+    reddit::{default_user_agent, RedditBroker},
     reducer::{GlobalTree, VoteData},
-    journal::JournalClient,
     views::ViewStore,
 };
 
@@ -73,6 +74,7 @@ pub struct AppState {
     pub views: ViewStore,
     pub tree: Arc<RwLock<GlobalTree>>,
     journal: JournalClient,
+    pub reddit: RedditBroker,
 }
 
 impl AppState {
@@ -112,6 +114,7 @@ impl AppState {
 
         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());
 
         Self {
             cfg: Arc::new(cfg),
@@ -119,6 +122,7 @@ impl AppState {
             views,
             tree,
             journal,
+            reddit,
         }
     }
 
@@ -127,8 +131,11 @@ impl AppState {
             id: id.as_str().to_string(),
         };
         self.event_log.append(&event).await.map_err(|e| e.to_string())?;
-        let mut w = self.tree.write().await;
-        w.ensure_path(id);
+        {
+            let mut w = self.tree.write().await;
+            w.ensure_path(id);
+        }
+        self.reddit.request_fetch(id.clone());
         Ok(())
     }
 
diff --git a/todo b/todo
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..d196e8cb4cc80ccb95eeff01c73607d520e13212
--- /dev/null
+++ b/todo
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+reddit import (only on explicit request)
+reddit rendering
+vote redering
+pair chosing
+nsfw gate
+
+logins (uuid user, two sides, oauths, and pseudonyms)


Side B — contributor: tommy-mor
Side B — commit message:
[674964ef] refactor: Deref for href newtypes, CanonicalItemUrl through resolve_item

- Implement Deref<Target=str> for GardenItemUrl, ForumThreadUrl, TildeOntologyPath
- resolve_item returns CanonicalItemUrl; validate uses HashSet<CanonicalItemUrl>
- compute_scope_rank_changes keys are CanonicalItemUrl; pair RPC uses Vec pool
- pick_random_distinct_canonical; connectivity stats on &[CanonicalItemUrl]
- Global rank unranked uses stored ids before GardenItemUrl mapping

Made-with: Cursor

Side B — unified diff (full patch):
diff --git a/server/src/api/helpers.rs b/server/src/api/helpers.rs
index 03b3e77911ccd662bec8635345dafe2593cf242e..1b291db83df7364a026f2e147e0a29a70a399371 100644
--- a/server/src/api/helpers.rs
+++ b/server/src/api/helpers.rs
@@ -30,13 +30,13 @@ pub fn now_ms() -> i64 {
     t.as_millis() as i64
 }
 
-/// Resolve an item path as a first-class canonical path.
-pub fn resolve_item(item: &str) -> Result<String, String> {
+/// Resolve DSL/user input to a stored canonical item id.
+pub fn resolve_item(item: &str) -> Result<CanonicalItemUrl, String> {
     let canonical = canonicalize_item(item);
     if canonical.is_empty() {
         return Err(format!("empty item path: `{}`", item));
     }
-    Ok(canonical)
+    Ok(CanonicalItemUrl(canonical))
 }
 
 pub fn parse_parent_specs(parent: Option<&String>) -> Vec<String> {
@@ -94,7 +94,7 @@ pub fn paginate_rankings(
     (out_components, out_unranked)
 }
 
-pub fn pick_random_distinct(items: &[String]) -> Option<(String, String)> {
+pub fn pick_random_distinct_canonical(items: &[CanonicalItemUrl]) -> Option<(CanonicalItemUrl, CanonicalItemUrl)> {
     use rand::seq::SliceRandom;
     if items.len() < 2 {
         return None;
@@ -123,15 +123,12 @@ pub fn is_pair_voted(group: &crate::reducer::GroupState, a: &str, b: &str) -> bo
     group.voted_pairs.contains(&(i, j))
 }
 
-pub fn compute_connectivity_stats(group: &crate::reducer::GroupState, pool: &[String]) -> ConnectivityStats {
+pub fn compute_connectivity_stats(group: &crate::reducer::GroupState, pool: &[CanonicalItemUrl]) -> ConnectivityStats {
     let n = pool.len();
 
     let global_idxs: Vec<Option<usize>> = pool
         .iter()
-        .map(|it| {
-            let key = CanonicalItemUrl(it.clone());
-            group.item_to_idx.get(&key).copied()
-        })
+        .map(|it| group.item_to_idx.get(it).copied())
         .collect();
     let present: Vec<usize> = global_idxs.iter().filter_map(|x| *x).collect();
 
diff --git a/server/src/api/mod.rs b/server/src/api/mod.rs
index cf22cb0129366c3aed031bc86f3197a4321cb806..a10ce662105cff8fad949c6b83f7035ce79bed18 100644
--- a/server/src/api/mod.rs
+++ b/server/src/api/mod.rs
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ pub use auth::{
 
 pub use helpers::{
     api_error, compute_connectivity_stats, is_pair_voted, now_ms, paginate_rankings,
-    parse_parent_specs, pick_random_distinct, resolve_item, sha256_hex, vote_touches_path,
+    parse_parent_specs, pick_random_distinct_canonical, resolve_item, sha256_hex, vote_touches_path,
 };
 
 pub use rpc::handle_rpc_batch;
diff --git a/server/src/api/rpc.rs b/server/src/api/rpc.rs
index 5f7d50188f1381267402f2e57e671234ef5db2fd..de0955d0887d32740e1fd18365205c5bdb53c247 100644
--- a/server/src/api/rpc.rs
+++ b/server/src/api/rpc.rs
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ use crate::{
 use super::auth::verify_bearer_principal;
 use super::helpers::{
     compute_connectivity_stats, is_pair_voted, now_ms, paginate_rankings, parse_parent_specs,
-    pick_random_distinct, resolve_item, vote_touches_path,
+    pick_random_distinct_canonical, resolve_item, vote_touches_path,
 };
 use super::validate::{normalize_room_and_thread, validate_ingest_document};
 
@@ -146,21 +146,21 @@ fn authorize_room_read(reduced: &ReducerState, headers: &HeaderMap, room: &str)
 }
 
 fn compute_scope_rank_changes(
-    parent: &str,
+    parent: &CanonicalItemUrl,
     before: &crate::scope_rank::ChildrenRankings,
     after: &crate::scope_rank::ChildrenRankings,
     room_wire: &str,
 ) -> Option<ScopeRankChanges> {
-    fn build_positions(rankings: &crate::scope_rank::ChildrenRankings) -> HashMap<String, Option<RankPosition>> {
+    fn build_positions(rankings: &crate::scope_rank::ChildrenRankings) -> HashMap<CanonicalItemUrl, Option<RankPosition>> {
         let mut map = HashMap::new();
         for comp in &rankings.component_rankings {
             let total = comp.ranked.len();
             for (i, item) in comp.ranked.iter().enumerate() {
-                map.insert(item.item.as_str().to_string(), Some(RankPosition { rank: i + 1, of: total }));
+                map.insert(item.item.clone(), Some(RankPosition { rank: i + 1, of: total }));
             }
         }
         for item in &rankings.unranked_items {
-            map.insert(item.as_str().to_string(), None);
+            map.insert(item.clone(), None);
         }
         map
     }
@@ -168,7 +168,7 @@ fn compute_scope_rank_changes(
     let before_pos = build_positions(before);
     let after_pos = build_positions(after);
 
-    let all_items: std::collections::BTreeSet<String> = before_pos.keys().cloned()
+    let all_items: std::collections::BTreeSet<CanonicalItemUrl> = before_pos.keys().cloned()
         .chain(after_pos.keys().cloned())
         .collect();
 
@@ -184,7 +184,7 @@ fn compute_scope_rank_changes(
         };
         if changed {
             changes.push(RankChange {
-                item: GardenItemUrl::from_storage_str(&item, room_wire),
+                item: GardenItemUrl::from_stored(&item, room_wire),
                 before: b,
                 after: a,
             });
@@ -203,11 +203,7 @@ fn compute_scope_rank_changes(
     });
 
     Some(ScopeRankChanges {
-        parent: if parent.is_empty() {
-            "/".to_string()
-        } else {
-            GardenItemUrl::from_storage_str(parent, room_wire).into_inner()
-        },
+        parent: GardenItemUrl::from_stored(parent, room_wire).into_inner(),
         changes,
     })
 }
@@ -473,8 +469,8 @@ async fn rpc_post(
         for s in &v.doc.statements {
             if let dsl::Stmt::Vote { item1, item2, .. } = s {
                 if let (Ok(a), Ok(b)) = (resolve_item(item1), resolve_item(item2)) {
-                    if let Some(p) = CanonicalItemUrl::parse(&a).and_then(|c| c.parent()) { parents.insert(p); }
-                    if let Some(p) = CanonicalItemUrl::parse(&b).and_then(|c| c.parent()) { parents.insert(p); }
+                    if let Some(p) = a.parent() { parents.insert(p); }
+                    if let Some(p) = b.parent() { parents.insert(p); }
                 }
             }
         }
@@ -525,7 +521,7 @@ async fn rpc_post(
             .filter_map(|p| {
                 let before = pre_rankings.get(p)?;
                 let after = crate::scope_rank::build_children_rankings(content, p);
-                compute_scope_rank_changes(p.as_str(), before, &after, &room_key)
+                compute_scope_rank_changes(p, before, &after, &room_key)
             })
             .collect();
         if v.is_empty() { None } else { Some(v) }
@@ -638,8 +634,8 @@ async fn rpc_check(
         for s in &v.doc.statements {
             if let dsl::Stmt::Vote { item1, item2, .. } = s {
                 if let (Ok(a), Ok(b)) = (resolve_item(item1), resolve_item(item2)) {
-                    if let Some(p) = CanonicalItemUrl::parse(&a).and_then(|c| c.parent()) { parents.insert(p); }
-                    if let Some(p) = CanonicalItemUrl::parse(&b).and_then(|c| c.parent()) { parents.insert(p); }
+                    if let Some(p) = a.parent() { parents.insert(p); }
+                    if let Some(p) = b.parent() { parents.insert(p); }
                 }
             }
         }
@@ -961,7 +957,7 @@ fn rpc_search(reduced: &ReducerState, q: &str, limit: usize, principal: Option<&
 async fn rpc_get_pair(state: &AppState, room: String, parent_path: String) -> Result<RpcResult, RpcErr> {
     let scope = scope_from_room_wire(&room);
     let reduced_arc = state.reduced.clone();
-    let pool: Vec<String> = {
+    let pool: Vec<CanonicalItemUrl> = {
         let reduced = reduced_arc.read().await;
         let content = content_for_room(&reduced, &room);
         let tmp = if parent_path.trim().is_empty() {
@@ -970,12 +966,11 @@ async fn rpc_get_pair(state: &AppState, room: String, parent_path: String) -> Re
             Some(parent_path.clone())
         };
         let specs = parse_parent_specs(tmp.as_ref());
-        let raw_pool: Vec<CanonicalItemUrl> = if specs.is_empty() {
+        if specs.is_empty() {
             content.ranking_group.idx_to_item.clone()
         } else {
             crate::scope_rank::resolve_scope(content, &specs)
-        };
-        raw_pool.into_iter().map(|it| it.0).collect()
+        }
     };
     if pool.len() < 2 {
         return Err((
@@ -983,31 +978,30 @@ async fn rpc_get_pair(state: &AppState, room: String, parent_path: String) -> Re
             Some("add items via ingest".into()),
         ));
     }
-    let selected: Option<(String, String)> = {
+    let selected: Option<(CanonicalItemUrl, CanonicalItemUrl)> = {
         let mut reduced = reduced_arc.write().await;
         let content = reduced.content.entry(scope.clone()).or_default();
         let group = &mut content.ranking_group;
         if group.idx_to_item.is_empty() {
-            pick_random_distinct(&pool)
+            pick_random_distinct_canonical(&pool)
         } else {
             let mut rng = rand::thread_rng();
-            let idxs: Vec<usize> = pool.iter()
-                .filter_map(|it| {
-                    let key = CanonicalItemUrl(it.clone());
-                    group.item_to_idx.get(&key).copied()
-                })
+            let idxs: Vec<usize> = pool
+                .iter()
+                .filter_map(|it| group.item_to_idx.get(it).copied())
                 .collect();
             let ranked = ranked_items_subset(group, &idxs, 10000, 1e-8);
-            let ranked_set: HashSet<String> = ranked.iter().map(|r| r.item.as_str().to_string()).collect();
-            let unsorted: Vec<String> = pool.iter()
+            let ranked_set: HashSet<CanonicalItemUrl> = ranked.iter().map(|r| r.item.clone()).collect();
+            let unsorted: Vec<CanonicalItemUrl> = pool
+                .iter()
                 .filter(|it| !ranked_set.contains(*it))
                 .cloned()
                 .collect();
-            let mut pick: Option<(String, String)> = None;
+            let mut pick: Option<(CanonicalItemUrl, CanonicalItemUrl)> = None;
             if !unsorted.is_empty() {
                 if let Some(left) = unsorted.choose(&mut rng).cloned() {
-                    let mut candidates: Vec<String> = if !ranked.is_empty() {
-                        ranked.iter().map(|r| r.item.as_str().to_string()).collect()
+                    let mut candidates: Vec<CanonicalItemUrl> = if !ranked.is_empty() {
+                        ranked.iter().map(|r| r.item.clone()).collect()
                     } else {
                         pool.clone()
                     };
@@ -1021,21 +1015,21 @@ async fn rpc_get_pair(state: &AppState, room: String, parent_path: String) -> Re
                     let a = ranked[i].item.as_str();
                     let b = ranked[i + 1].item.as_str();
                     if a != b && !is_pair_voted(group, a, b) {
-                        pick = Some((a.to_string(), b.to_string()));
+                        pick = Some((ranked[i].item.clone(), ranked[i + 1].item.clone()));
                         break;
                     }
                 }
                 if pick.is_none() {
                     for _ in 0..64 {
                         let (Some(a), Some(b)) = (pool.choose(&mut rng).cloned(), pool.choose(&mut rng).cloned()) else { break; };
-                        if a != b && !is_pair_voted(group, &a, &b) {
+                        if a != b && !is_pair_voted(group, a.as_str(), b.as_str()) {
                             pick = Some((a, b));
                             break;
                         }
                     }
                 }
             }
-            pick.or_else(|| pick_random_distinct(&pool))
+            pick.or_else(|| pick_random_distinct_canonical(&pool))
         }
     };
     let Some((left, right)) = selected else {
@@ -1043,8 +1037,8 @@ async fn rpc_get_pair(state: &AppState, room: String, parent_path: String) -> Re
     };
     let reduced = reduced_arc.read().await;
     let content = content_for_room(&reduced, &room);
-    let left_key = CanonicalItemUrl(left.clone());
-    let right_key = CanonicalItemUrl(right.clone());
+    let left_key = left.clone();
+    let right_key = right.clone();
     let lb = content.item_bodies.get(&left_key).cloned();
     let rb = content.item_bodies.get(&right_key).cloned();
     let th: Vec<String> = content
@@ -1058,8 +1052,8 @@ async fn rpc_get_pair(state: &AppState, room: String, parent_path: String) -> Re
         .collect();
     let cs = compute_connectivity_stats(&content.ranking_group, &pool);
     Ok(RpcResult::Pair(PairResponse {
-        left: GardenItemUrl::from_storage_str(&left, &room),
-        right: GardenItemUrl::from_storage_str(&right, &room),
+        left: GardenItemUrl::from_stored(&left, &room),
+        right: GardenItemUrl::from_stored(&right, &room),
         left_body: lb,
         right_body: rb,
         threads: th,
@@ -1554,7 +1548,7 @@ pub async fn handle_rpc_batch(
                     for r in items {
                         let pct = want_percent.then(|| ((r.score - bot) / range * 100.0).clamp(0.0, 100.0));
                         ranked.push(RankRow {
-                            item: GardenItemUrl::from_storage_str(r.item.as_str(), &room),
+                            item: GardenItemUrl::from_stored(&r.item, &room),
                             score: r.score,
                             percent: pct,
                         });
@@ -1562,11 +1556,11 @@ pub async fn handle_rpc_batch(
                 }
 
                 let ranked_total = ranked.len();
-                let mut unranked: Vec<String> = content
+                let mut unranked: Vec<CanonicalItemUrl> = content
                     .items
                     .iter()
                     .filter(|it| !group.item_to_idx.contains_key(*it))
-                    .map(|it| it.as_str().to_string())
+                    .cloned()
                     .collect();
                 unranked.sort();
                 let unranked_total = unranked.len();
@@ -1574,7 +1568,7 @@ pub async fn handle_rpc_batch(
                 let page: Vec<RankRow> = ranked
                     .into_iter()
                     .chain(unranked.into_iter().map(|it| RankRow {
-                        item: GardenItemUrl::from_storage_str(&it, &room),
+                        item: GardenItemUrl::from_stored(&it, &room),
                         score: 0.0,
                         percent: want_percent.then_some(0.0),
                     }))
@@ -1722,7 +1716,7 @@ pub async fn handle_rpc_batch(
                     .filter(|p| !parents.contains(p.as_str()))
                     .map(|p| GardenItemUrl::from_stored(p, &room))
                     .collect();
-                paths.sort_by(|a, b| a.as_str().cmp(b.as_str()));
+                paths.sort();
                 line_ok(RpcResult::Leaves(LeavesResponse { paths }))
                 }
             },
diff --git a/server/src/api/validate.rs b/server/src/api/validate.rs
index a51c783ee9785569b5a44c0b1572471fe00d174b..3c7aa80fd485cf247231fe5c5c7e6fea62f22534 100644
--- a/server/src/api/validate.rs
+++ b/server/src/api/validate.rs
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ pub fn validate_ingest_document(
     };
 
     let ts = super::helpers::now_ms();
-    let mut defined_in_doc: HashSet<String> = HashSet::new();
+    let mut defined_in_doc: HashSet<CanonicalItemUrl> = HashSet::new();
 
     for s in &doc.statements {
         match s {
@@ -66,14 +66,14 @@ pub fn validate_ingest_document(
                 let Some(body_text) = body else {
                     return Err((
                         StatusCode::BAD_REQUEST,
-                        format!("item missing body: {}", GardenItemUrl::from_storage_str(&item, room_wire)),
+                        format!("item missing body: {}", GardenItemUrl::from_stored(&item, room_wire)),
                         Some("items must be declared with bodies, e.g. `~/path/item { ... }`".to_string()),
                     ));
                 };
                 if body_text.trim().is_empty() {
                     return Err((
                         StatusCode::BAD_REQUEST,
-                        format!("item body is empty: {}", GardenItemUrl::from_storage_str(&item, room_wire)),
+                        format!("item body is empty: {}", GardenItemUrl::from_stored(&item, room_wire)),
                         Some("write at least one sentence inside `{ ... }`".to_string()),
                     ));
                 }
@@ -102,11 +102,8 @@ pub fn validate_ingest_document(
                 };
                 let missing: Vec<String> = [&a, &b]
                     .into_iter()
-                    .filter(|it| {
-                        let key = CanonicalItemUrl((*it).clone());
-                        !defined_in_doc.contains(*it) && !item_exists(&key)
-                    })
-                    .map(|it| GardenItemUrl::from_storage_str(it, room_wire).into_inner())
+                    .filter(|it| !defined_in_doc.contains(*it) && !item_exists(it))
+                    .map(|it| GardenItemUrl::from_stored(it, room_wire).into_inner())
                     .collect();
                 if !missing.is_empty() {
                     return Err((
@@ -120,11 +117,8 @@ pub fn validate_ingest_document(
                 }
                 let missing_body: Vec<String> = [&a, &b]
                     .into_iter()
-                    .filter(|it| {
-                        let key = CanonicalItemUrl((*it).clone());
-                        !defined_in_doc.contains(*it) && !body_exists(&key)
-                    })
-                    .map(|it| GardenItemUrl::from_storage_str(it, room_wire).into_inner())
+                    .filter(|it| !defined_in_doc.contains(*it) && !body_exists(it))
+                    .map(|it| GardenItemUrl::from_stored(it, room_wire).into_inner())
                     .collect();
                 if !missing_body.is_empty() {
                     return Err((
diff --git a/server/src/html/editor.rs b/server/src/html/editor.rs
index ecdd226b1b17d5f11d1b79f99add5759ef918281..26d648d7c8d6e5d53ce5ed7a051b44856fca2fcf 100644
--- a/server/src/html/editor.rs
+++ b/server/src/html/editor.rs
@@ -130,8 +130,8 @@ pub async fn editor_check(
                 for s in &v.doc.statements {
                     if let crate::dsl::Stmt::Vote { item1, item2, .. } = s {
                         if let (Ok(a), Ok(b)) = (resolve_item(item1), resolve_item(item2)) {
-                            if let Some(p) = crate::path_types::CanonicalItemUrl::parse(&a).and_then(|c| c.parent()) { parents.insert(p); }
-                            if let Some(p) = crate::path_types::CanonicalItemUrl::parse(&b).and_then(|c| c.parent()) { parents.insert(p); }
+                            if let Some(p) = a.parent() { parents.insert(p); }
+                            if let Some(p) = b.parent() { parents.insert(p); }
                         }
                     }
                 }
diff --git a/types/src/paths.rs b/types/src/paths.rs
index 2950a7502255927583fbacdfd2adb700f0b0c221..839684dfa0ecdd6c2572e2d8132ecee4d5c41bf8 100644
--- a/types/src/paths.rs
+++ b/types/src/paths.rs
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 
 use std::borrow::Borrow;
 use std::fmt;
+use std::ops::Deref;
 
 use serde::{Deserialize, Serialize};
 
@@ -319,6 +320,14 @@ impl fmt::Display for GardenItemUrl {
     }
 }
 
+impl Deref for GardenItemUrl {
+    type Target = str;
+
+    fn deref(&self) -> &Self::Target {
+        &self.0
+    }
+}
+
 fn garden_href_string(item: &str, room_wire: &str) -> String {
     let room = room_wire.trim();
     if room.is_empty() || room == "public" {
@@ -386,6 +395,14 @@ impl fmt::Display for ForumThreadUrl {
     }
 }
 
+impl Deref for ForumThreadUrl {
+    type Target = str;
+
+    fn deref(&self) -> &Self::Target {
+        &self.0
+    }
+}
+
 /// `~/a/b` style path for list UIs (paths index `path` field).
 #[derive(Debug, Clone, PartialEq, Eq, Hash, Serialize, Deserialize)]
 #[serde(transparent)]
@@ -412,6 +429,14 @@ impl fmt::Display for TildeOntologyPath {
     }
 }
 
+impl Deref for TildeOntologyPath {
+    type Target = str;
+
+    fn deref(&self) -> &Self::Target {
+        &self.0
+    }
+}
+
 #[cfg(test)]
 mod tests {
     use super::*;
@@ -452,6 +477,13 @@ mod tests {
         assert_eq!(c.tilde_segments(), Vec::<&str>::new());
     }
 
+    #[test]
+    fn garden_item_url_deref_to_str() {
+        let g = GardenItemUrl::from_storage_str("https://slug.social/~/x", "public");
+        let s: &str = &*g;
+        assert_eq!(s, "https://slug.social/~/x");
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn garden_public_passthrough_https() {
         let u = "https://slug.social/~/a/b";