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:
[15e1037a] url stuff

Side A — unified diff (full patch):
diff --git a/server/src/url_rules/graph.rs b/server/src/url_rules/graph.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..f7ac0f9a551a1727cb2f9294778c283b9885b147
--- /dev/null
+++ b/server/src/url_rules/graph.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,831 @@
+//! Semantic URL graph: DFA traversal on host + path, query in context, generic fallback.
+
+use std::collections::HashMap;
+use std::sync::OnceLock;
+
+use url::Url;
+
+use super::graph_builder::GraphBuilder;
+use super::parse::{normalize_match_host, strip_tracking_query, UrlParts};
+
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Default)]
+pub struct Context {
+    pub vars: HashMap<String, String>,
+    pub query: HashMap<String, String>,
+}
+
+pub type CanonicalFn = fn(&Context) -> Option<String>;
+
+#[derive(Clone, Copy)]
+pub enum EdgePattern {
+    Literal(&'static str),
+    Variable(&'static str),
+    /// Absorb any trailing segment without leaving this node (e.g. post title slug).
+    AbsorbAny,
+    /// Absorb segment when `cond(seg)` (e.g. subreddit listing suffix).
+    AbsorbIf(fn(&str) -> bool),
+}
+
+pub struct Edge {
+    pub pattern: EdgePattern,
+    pub target: &'static str,
+}
+
+pub struct Node {
+    pub edges: Vec<Edge>,
+    pub canonical: CanonicalFn,
+    pub parent: Option<&'static str>,
+}
+
+impl Node {
+    pub(crate) fn empty() -> Self {
+        Self {
+            edges: Vec::new(),
+            canonical: |_| None,
+            parent: None,
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+pub struct Graph {
+    pub nodes: HashMap<&'static str, Node>,
+}
+
+static GRAPH: OnceLock<Graph> = OnceLock::new();
+
+pub fn graph() -> &'static Graph {
+    GRAPH.get_or_init(build_graph)
+}
+
+impl Graph {
+    pub fn resolve_canonical(&self, parts: &UrlParts) -> Option<String> {
+        let mut query = parts.query.clone();
+        strip_tracking_query(&mut query);
+        let mut ctx = Context {
+            vars: HashMap::new(),
+            query,
+        };
+
+        if let Some(node_id) = self.traverse(parts, &mut ctx) {
+            if let Some(canon) = (self.nodes.get(node_id)?.canonical)(&ctx) {
+                return Some(canon);
+            }
+        }
+        Some(generic_canonical(parts))
+    }
+
+    pub fn breadcrumbs(&self, parts: &UrlParts) -> Vec<String> {
+        let mut query = parts.query.clone();
+        strip_tracking_query(&mut query);
+        let mut ctx = Context {
+            vars: HashMap::new(),
+            query,
+        };
+
+        if let Some(mut node_id) = self.traverse(parts, &mut ctx) {
+            let mut paths = Vec::new();
+            loop {
+                let node = match self.nodes.get(node_id) {
+                    Some(n) => n,
+                    None => break,
+                };
+                if let Some(url) = (node.canonical)(&ctx) {
+                    if paths.last() != Some(&url) {
+                        paths.push(url);
+                    }
+                }
+                match node.parent {
+                    Some(p) => node_id = p,
+                    None => break,
+                }
+            }
+            paths.reverse();
+            if !paths.is_empty() {
+                return paths;
+            }
+        }
+        generic_breadcrumbs(parts)
+    }
+
+    fn traverse(&self, parts: &UrlParts, ctx: &mut Context) -> Option<&'static str> {
+        let host = parts.match_host();
+        let mut node_id = match host.as_str() {
+            "reddit.com" => "reddit_root",
+            "youtube.com" => "youtube_root",
+            "youtu.be" => "youtu_be_entry",
+            _ => return None,
+        };
+
+        let segs: Vec<&str> = parts.path_segments.iter().map(String::as_str).collect();
+        let mut i = 0;
+        while i < segs.len() {
+            let seg = segs[i];
+            match self.follow_edge(node_id, seg, ctx) {
+                Ok(next) => {
+                    node_id = next;
+                    i += 1;
+                }
+                Err(()) => {
+                    if self.try_absorb(node_id, seg) {
+                        i += 1;
+                        continue;
+                    }
+                    return None;
+                }
+            }
+        }
+        Some(node_id)
+    }
+
+    fn follow_edge(
+        &self,
+        node_id: &'static str,
+        seg: &str,
+        ctx: &mut Context,
+    ) -> Result<&'static str, ()> {
+        let node = self.nodes.get(node_id).ok_or(())?;
+        for edge in &node.edges {
+            match edge.pattern {
+                EdgePattern::Literal(lit) if lit == seg => return Ok(edge.target),
+                EdgePattern::Variable(name) => {
+                    ctx.vars.insert(name.to_string(), seg.to_string());
+                    return Ok(edge.target);
+                }
+                EdgePattern::AbsorbAny
+                | EdgePattern::AbsorbIf(_)
+                | EdgePattern::Literal(_)
+                | EdgePattern::Variable(_) => {}
+            }
+        }
+        Err(())
+    }
+
+    fn try_absorb(&self, node_id: &'static str, seg: &str) -> bool {
+        let node = match self.nodes.get(node_id) {
+            Some(n) => n,
+            None => return false,
+        };
+        for edge in &node.edges {
+            match edge.pattern {
+                EdgePattern::AbsorbAny => return true,
+                EdgePattern::AbsorbIf(cond) if cond(seg) => return true,
+                EdgePattern::AbsorbIf(_) | EdgePattern::Literal(_) | EdgePattern::Variable(_) => {}
+            }
+        }
+        false
+    }
+
+    /// Test hook: terminal graph node and captured context after traversal.
+    #[cfg(test)]
+    pub fn traverse_terminal(&self, parts: &UrlParts) -> Option<(&'static str, Context)> {
+        let mut query = parts.query.clone();
+        strip_tracking_query(&mut query);
+        let mut ctx = Context {
+            vars: HashMap::new(),
+            query,
+        };
+        let node = self.traverse(parts, &mut ctx)?;
+        Some((node, ctx))
+    }
+}
+
+fn is_reddit_listing_suffix(seg: &str) -> bool {
+    matches!(seg, "hot" | "top" | "new" | "rising" | "controversial")
+}
+
+/// Percent-encode a path or query fragment so `&`, `?`, etc. cannot break URL structure.
+fn enc(s: &str) -> String {
+    urlencoding::encode(s).into_owned()
+}
+
+// --- Canonical formatters ---
+
+fn canon_reddit_root(_: &Context) -> Option<String> {
+    Some("https://reddit.com".to_string())
+}
+
+fn canon_reddit_r_hub(_: &Context) -> Option<String> {
+    Some("https://reddit.com/r".to_string())
+}
+
+fn canon_reddit_subreddit(ctx: &Context) -> Option<String> {
+    let sub = ctx.vars.get("subreddit")?;
+    Some(format!(
+        "https://reddit.com/r/{}",
+        enc(&sub.to_ascii_lowercase())
+    ))
+}
+
+fn canon_reddit_post(ctx: &Context) -> Option<String> {
+    let sub = ctx.vars.get("subreddit")?.to_ascii_lowercase();
+    let id = ctx.vars.get("post_id")?;
+    Some(format!(
+        "https://reddit.com/r/{}/comments/{}",
+        enc(&sub),
+        enc(id)
+    ))
+}
+
+fn canon_youtube_root(_: &Context) -> Option<String> {
+    Some("https://youtube.com".to_string())
+}
+
+fn canon_youtube_watch(ctx: &Context) -> Option<String> {
+    let v = ctx
+        .query
+        .get("v")
+        .or_else(|| ctx.vars.get("video_id"))?;
+    Some(format!("https://youtube.com/watch?v={}", enc(v)))
+}
+
+fn canon_youtu_be(ctx: &Context) -> Option<String> {
+    let v = ctx.vars.get("vid_id")?;
+    Some(format!("https://youtube.com/watch?v={}", enc(v)))
+}
+
+pub fn build_graph() -> Graph {
+    GraphBuilder::new()
+        .node("reddit_root")
+        .canonical(canon_reddit_root)
+        .edge(EdgePattern::Literal("r"), "reddit_r_hub")
+        .node("reddit_r_hub")
+        .parent("reddit_root")
+        .canonical(canon_reddit_r_hub)
+        .edge(EdgePattern::Variable("subreddit"), "reddit_subreddit")
+        .node("reddit_subreddit")
+        .parent("reddit_r_hub")
+        .canonical(canon_reddit_subreddit)
+        .edge(
+            EdgePattern::AbsorbIf(is_reddit_listing_suffix),
+            "reddit_subreddit",
+        )
+        .edge(EdgePattern::Literal("comments"), "reddit_comments_gate")
+        .node("reddit_comments_gate")
+        .parent("reddit_subreddit")
+        .canonical(canon_reddit_subreddit)
+        .edge(EdgePattern::Variable("post_id"), "reddit_post")
+        .node("reddit_post")
+        .parent("reddit_subreddit")
+        .canonical(canon_reddit_post)
+        .edge(EdgePattern::AbsorbAny, "reddit_post")
+        .node("youtube_root")
+        .canonical(canon_youtube_root)
+        .edge(EdgePattern::Literal("watch"), "youtube_watch")
+        .edge(EdgePattern::Literal("shorts"), "youtube_shorts_gate")
+        .node("youtube_watch")
+        .parent("youtube_root")
+        .canonical(canon_youtube_watch)
+        .node("youtube_shorts_gate")
+        .parent("youtube_root")
+        .canonical(canon_youtube_root)
+        .edge(EdgePattern::Variable("video_id"), "youtube_watch")
+        .node("youtu_be_entry")
+        .canonical(canon_youtube_root)
+        .edge(EdgePattern::Variable("vid_id"), "youtu_be_video")
+        .node("youtu_be_video")
+        .parent("youtube_root")
+        .canonical(canon_youtu_be)
+        .build()
+}
+
+// --- Generic internet fallback ---
+
+pub fn generic_canonical(parts: &UrlParts) -> String {
+    let host = normalize_match_host(&parts.host);
+    let path_segments: Vec<String> = parts.path_segments.clone();
+    let mut query = parts.query.clone();
+    strip_tracking_query(&mut query);
+
+    let mut url = if path_segments.is_empty() {
+        Url::parse(&format!("https://{host}"))
+            .unwrap_or_else(|_| Url::parse("https://invalid").unwrap())
+    } else {
+        let path = format!("/{}", path_segments.join("/"));
+        Url::parse(&format!("https://{host}{path}"))
+            .unwrap_or_else(|_| Url::parse("https://invalid").unwrap())
+    };
+
+    if !query.is_empty() {
+        let mut pairs: Vec<_> = query.iter().collect();
+        pairs.sort_by(|a, b| a.0.cmp(b.0));
+        url.query_pairs_mut().clear();
+        for (k, v) in pairs {
+            url.query_pairs_mut().append_pair(k, v);
+        }
+    }
+
+    let mut s = url.to_string();
+    if path_segments.is_empty() {
+        s = s.trim_end_matches('/').to_string();
+    }
+    s
+}
+
+pub fn generic_breadcrumbs(parts: &UrlParts) -> Vec<String> {
+    let host = normalize_match_host(&parts.host);
+    let n = parts.path_segments.len();
+    let mut out = Vec::new();
+
+    let base = generic_canonical(&UrlParts {
+        scheme: "https".to_string(),
+        host: host.clone(),
+        path_segments: vec![],
+        query: HashMap::new(),
+    });
+    out.push(base);
+
+    for i in 0..n {
+        let segs: Vec<String> = parts.path_segments[..=i].to_vec();
+        let url = generic_canonical(&UrlParts {
+            scheme: "https".to_string(),
+            host: host.clone(),
+            path_segments: segs,
+            query: HashMap::new(),
+        });
+        if out.last() != Some(&url) {
+            out.push(url);
+        }
+    }
+    out
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+    use crate::url_rules::parse::test_parts;
+
+    fn g() -> &'static Graph {
+        graph()
+    }
+
+    fn canon(parts: &UrlParts) -> String {
+        g().resolve_canonical(parts).unwrap()
+    }
+
+    fn crumbs(parts: &UrlParts) -> Vec<String> {
+        g().breadcrumbs(parts)
+    }
+
+    fn terminal(parts: &UrlParts) -> Option<&'static str> {
+        g().traverse_terminal(parts).map(|(n, _)| n)
+    }
+
+    fn vars(parts: &UrlParts) -> HashMap<String, String> {
+        g().traverse_terminal(parts)
+            .map(|(_, c)| c.vars)
+            .unwrap_or_default()
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn youtu_be_malicious_segment_encoded_not_injected() {
+        let p = test_parts("youtu.be", &["abc&t=1"], &[]);
+        assert_eq!(canon(&p), "https://youtube.com/watch?v=abc%26t%3D1");
+        assert!(!canon(&p).contains("abc&t=1"));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn youtube_query_v_encoded() {
+        let p = test_parts("youtube.com", &["watch"], &[("v", "a&b=c")]);
+        assert_eq!(canon(&p), "https://youtube.com/watch?v=a%26b%3Dc");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn absorb_patterns_live_on_edges_not_in_engine() {
+        let g = build_graph();
+        let sub = g.nodes.get("reddit_subreddit").unwrap();
+        assert!(sub
+            .edges
+            .iter()
+            .any(|e| matches!(e.pattern, EdgePattern::AbsorbIf(_))));
+        let post = g.nodes.get("reddit_post").unwrap();
+        assert!(post
+            .edges
+            .iter()
+            .any(|e| matches!(e.pattern, EdgePattern::AbsorbAny)));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn builder_rejects_missing_parent() {
+        let result = std::panic::catch_unwind(|| {
+            GraphBuilder::new()
+                .node("orphan")
+                .parent("nonexistent_parent")
+                .build();
+        });
+        assert!(result.is_err());
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn generic_canonical_forces_https_and_strips_www() {
+        let p = test_parts("www.example.com", &["blog", "post"], &[]);
+        assert_eq!(canon(&p), "https://example.com/blog/post");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn generic_canonical_sorts_query_keys() {
+        let p = test_parts("example.com", &["search"], &[("q", "rust"), ("page", "2")]);
+        assert_eq!(canon(&p), "https://example.com/search?page=2&q=rust");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn generic_canonical_strips_tracking_from_query() {
+        let p = test_parts(
+            "news.ycombinator.com",
+            &["item"],
+            &[("id", "1"), ("utm_medium", "social")],
+        );
+        assert_eq!(canon(&p), "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn generic_breadcrumbs_cumulative_path() {
+        let p = test_parts("paulgraham.com", &["articles", "lisp.html"], &[]);
+        assert_eq!(
+            crumbs(&p),
+            vec![
+                "https://paulgraham.com",
+                "https://paulgraham.com/articles",
+                "https://paulgraham.com/articles/lisp.html"
+            ]
+        );
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn generic_breadcrumbs_domain_only() {
+        let p = test_parts("example.com", &[], &[]);
+        assert_eq!(crumbs(&p), vec!["https://example.com"]);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn unknown_host_uses_generic_not_graph() {
+        let p = test_parts("hackernews.com", &["item", "123"], &[]);
+        assert_eq!(terminal(&p), None);
+        assert_eq!(canon(&p), "https://hackernews.com/item/123");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn traverse_captures_subreddit_variable() {
+        let p = test_parts("reddit.com", &["r", "Rust"], &[]);
+        assert_eq!(terminal(&p), Some("reddit_subreddit"));
+        assert_eq!(vars(&p).get("subreddit").map(String::as_str), Some("Rust"));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn traverse_captures_post_id() {
+        let p = test_parts("reddit.com", &["r", "aww", "comments", "abc123"], &[]);
+        assert_eq!(terminal(&p), Some("reddit_post"));
+        assert_eq!(vars(&p).get("post_id").map(String::as_str), Some("abc123"));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn traverse_absorbs_listing_suffix_stays_on_subreddit() {
+        let p = test_parts("reddit.com", &["r", "rust", "hot"], &[]);
+        assert_eq!(terminal(&p), Some("reddit_subreddit"));
+        assert_eq!(canon(&p), "https://reddit.com/r/rust");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn traverse_absorbs_all_listing_suffixes() {
+        for suffix in ["hot", "top", "new", "rising", "controversial"] {
+            let p = test_parts("reddit.com", &["r", "test", suffix], &[]);
+            assert_eq!(terminal(&p), Some("reddit_subreddit"), "suffix {suffix}");
+            assert_eq!(canon(&p), "https://reddit.com/r/test", "suffix {suffix}");
+        }
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn traverse_absorbs_post_title_slug() {
+        let p = test_parts(
+            "reddit.com",
+            &["r", "rust", "comments", "aaa", "my_great_post_title"],
+            &[],
+        );
+        assert_eq!(terminal(&p), Some("reddit_post"));
+        assert_eq!(canon(&p), "https://reddit.com/r/rust/comments/aaa");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn traverse_unknown_segment_falls_back_to_generic() {
+        let p = test_parts("reddit.com", &["r", "rust", "wiki", "faq"], &[]);
+        assert_eq!(terminal(&p), None);
+        assert_eq!(canon(&p), "https://reddit.com/r/rust/wiki/faq");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn traverse_youtube_watch_requires_v_in_query() {
+        let p = test_parts("youtube.com", &["watch"], &[("v", "xyz")]);
+        assert_eq!(terminal(&p), Some("youtube_watch"));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn traverse_youtu_be_captures_vid_id() {
+        let p = test_parts("youtu.be", &["dQw4w9WgXcQ"], &[]);
+        assert_eq!(terminal(&p), Some("youtu_be_video"));
+        assert_eq!(vars(&p).get("vid_id").map(String::as_str), Some("dQw4w9WgXcQ"));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn traverse_shorts_sets_video_id_var() {
+        let p = test_parts("youtube.com", &["shorts", "abc99"], &[]);
+        assert_eq!(terminal(&p), Some("youtube_watch"));
+        assert_eq!(vars(&p).get("video_id").map(String::as_str), Some("abc99"));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn reddit_domain_canonical() {
+        let p = test_parts("reddit.com", &[], &[]);
+        assert_eq!(canon(&p), "https://reddit.com");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn reddit_r_hub_canonical() {
+        let p = test_parts("reddit.com", &["r"], &[]);
+        assert_eq!(terminal(&p), Some("reddit_r_hub"));
+        assert_eq!(canon(&p), "https://reddit.com/r");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn reddit_subreddit_lowercases_name() {
+        let p = test_parts("reddit.com", &["r", "AmITheAsshole"], &[]);
+        assert_eq!(canon(&p), "https://reddit.com/r/amitheasshole");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn reddit_host_aliases_old_new_www() {
+        for host in ["old.reddit.com", "new.reddit.com", "www.reddit.com"] {
+            let p = test_parts(host, &["r", "rust"], &[]);
+            assert_eq!(canon(&p), "https://reddit.com/r/rust", "host {host}");
+        }
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn reddit_post_strips_slug_and_query() {
+        let p = test_parts(
+            "old.reddit.com",
+            &["r", "Rust", "comments", "1abc", "title_slug_here"],
+            &[("sort", "new")],
+        );
+        assert_eq!(canon(&p), "https://reddit.com/r/rust/comments/1abc");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn reddit_post_multiple_slugs_absorbed() {
+        let p = test_parts(
+            "reddit.com",
+            &["r", "x", "comments", "id1", "slug1", "extra"],
+            &[],
+        );
+        assert_eq!(canon(&p), "https://reddit.com/r/x/comments/id1");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn reddit_listing_with_query_only() {
+        let p = test_parts("www.reddit.com", &["r", "programming"], &[("sort", "top")]);
+        assert_eq!(canon(&p), "https://reddit.com/r/programming");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn reddit_subreddit_breadcrumbs_include_r_hub() {
+        let p = test_parts("reddit.com", &["r", "movies"], &[]);
+        assert_eq!(
+            crumbs(&p),
+            vec![
+                "https://reddit.com",
+                "https://reddit.com/r",
+                "https://reddit.com/r/movies"
+            ]
+        );
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn reddit_post_breadcrumbs_skip_comments_node() {
+        let p = test_parts("reddit.com", &["r", "aww", "comments", "1trnvdl"], &[]);
+        let c = crumbs(&p);
+        assert!(!c.iter().any(|u| u.ends_with("/comments")));
+        assert_eq!(
+            c.last().map(String::as_str),
+            Some("https://reddit.com/r/aww/comments/1trnvdl")
+        );
+        assert!(c.contains(&"https://reddit.com/r/aww".to_string()));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn reddit_post_parent_is_subreddit_not_comments() {
+        let p = test_parts("reddit.com", &["r", "aww", "comments", "1trnvdl"], &[]);
+        let c = crumbs(&p);
+        let parent = c.get(c.len() - 2).unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(parent, "https://reddit.com/r/aww");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn reddit_domain_parent_is_none_in_breadcrumb_chain() {
+        let p = test_parts("reddit.com", &[], &[]);
+        assert_eq!(crumbs(&p), vec!["https://reddit.com"]);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn youtube_watch_canonical_uses_v_only() {
+        let p = test_parts("youtube.com", &["watch"], &[("v", "abc"), ("t", "99")]);
+        assert_eq!(canon(&p), "https://youtube.com/watch?v=abc");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn youtube_query_order_independent() {
+        let a = test_parts("youtube.com", &["watch"], &[("v", "abc"), ("t", "4")]);
+        let b = test_parts("youtube.com", &["watch"], &[("t", "4"), ("v", "abc")]);
+        assert_eq!(canon(&a), canon(&b));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn youtube_host_aliases() {
+        for host in ["www.youtube.com", "m.youtube.com"] {
+            let p = test_parts(host, &["watch"], &[("v", "x")]);
+            assert_eq!(canon(&p), "https://youtube.com/watch?v=x", "host {host}");
+        }
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn youtube_shorts_canonical_matches_watch() {
+        let shorts = test_parts("youtube.com", &["shorts", "vid123"], &[]);
+        let watch = test_parts("youtube.com", &["watch"], &[("v", "vid123")]);
+        assert_eq!(canon(&shorts), canon(&watch));
+        assert_eq!(canon(&shorts), "https://youtube.com/watch?v=vid123");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn youtu_be_matches_youtube_watch() {
+        let be = test_parts("youtu.be", &["dQw4w9WgXcQ"], &[]);
+        let watch = test_parts("youtube.com", &["watch"], &[("v", "dQw4w9WgXcQ")]);
+        assert_eq!(canon(&be), canon(&watch));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn youtube_breadcrumbs_domain_then_watch() {
+        let p = test_parts("youtube.com", &["watch"], &[("v", "abc")]);
+        assert_eq!(
+            crumbs(&p),
+            vec!["https://youtube.com", "https://youtube.com/watch?v=abc"]
+        );
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn youtu_be_breadcrumbs_include_youtube_domain() {
+        let p = test_parts("youtu.be", &["abc"], &[]);
+        let c = crumbs(&p);
+        assert_eq!(c.first().map(String::as_str), Some("https://youtube.com"));
+        assert_eq!(
+            c.last().map(String::as_str),
+            Some("https://youtube.com/watch?v=abc")
+        );
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn parsed_urls_match_hand_built_parts() {
+        let raw = "https://www.reddit.com/r/rust/comments/aaa/title/?utm=x";
+        let parsed = UrlParts::parse(raw).unwrap();
+        let hand = test_parts(
+            "www.reddit.com",
+            &["r", "rust", "comments", "aaa", "title"],
+            &[("utm", "x")],
+        );
+        assert_eq!(canon(&parsed), canon(&hand));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn equivalence_cluster_youtube_formats() {
+        let urls = [
+            "https://youtu.be/abc123",
+            "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abc123",
+            "https://youtube.com/watch?v=abc123&t=1",
+            "https://m.youtube.com/watch?t=1&v=abc123",
+        ];
+        let canonical: Vec<_> = urls
+            .iter()
+            .map(|u| canon(&UrlParts::parse(u).unwrap()))
+            .collect();
+        assert!(canonical.iter().all(|c| *c == "https://youtube.com/watch?v=abc123"));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn equivalence_cluster_reddit_post_formats() {
+        let urls = [
+            "https://old.reddit.com/r/Rust/comments/aaa/slug/",
+            "reddit.com/r/rust/comments/aaa/other_slug",
+            "https://reddit.com/r/RUST/comments/aaa",
+        ];
+        let canonical: Vec<_> = urls
+            .iter()
+            .map(|u| canon(&UrlParts::parse(u).unwrap()))
+            .collect();
+        assert!(
+            canonical
+                .iter()
+                .all(|c| *c == "https://reddit.com/r/rust/comments/aaa")
+        );
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn graph_nodes_all_have_valid_parent_links() {
+        let g = build_graph();
+        for (id, node) in &g.nodes {
+            if let Some(parent) = node.parent {
+                assert!(g.nodes.contains_key(parent), "node {id} parent {parent}");
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn graph_terminal_canonical_always_succeeds_for_reddit_paths() {
+        let cases: &[(&[&str], &str)] = &[
+            (&["r", "rust"], "https://reddit.com/r/rust"),
+            (
+                &["r", "rust", "comments", "x"],
+                "https://reddit.com/r/rust/comments/x",
+            ),
+        ];
+        for (segs, want) in cases {
+            let p = test_parts("reddit.com", segs, &[]);
+            assert_eq!(canon(&p), *want);
+        }
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn breadcrumb_parent_walk_matches_parent_url_semantics() {
+        let p = test_parts("reddit.com", &["r", "aww", "comments", "id1"], &[]);
+        let c = crumbs(&p);
+        assert_eq!(c.len(), 4);
+        assert_eq!(
+            c.get(c.len() - 2).map(String::as_str),
+            Some("https://reddit.com/r/aww")
+        );
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn youtube_watch_without_v_falls_back_to_generic() {
+        let p = test_parts("youtube.com", &["watch"], &[]);
+        assert_eq!(terminal(&p), Some("youtube_watch"));
+        assert_eq!(canon(&p), "https://youtube.com/watch");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn reddit_only_comments_path_stops_at_gate() {
+        let p = test_parts("reddit.com", &["r", "rust", "comments"], &[]);
+        assert_eq!(terminal(&p), Some("reddit_comments_gate"));
+        assert_eq!(canon(&p), "https://reddit.com/r/rust");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn generic_deep_path_many_segments() {
+        let segs: Vec<&str> = (0..10)
+            .map(|i| match i {
+                0 => "a",
+                1 => "b",
+                2 => "c",
+                3 => "d",
+                4 => "e",
+                5 => "f",
+                6 => "g",
+                7 => "h",
+                8 => "i",
+                _ => "j",
+            })
+            .collect();
+        let p = test_parts("site.com", &segs, &[]);
+        assert_eq!(crumbs(&p).len(), 11);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn traverse_literal_r_required_for_subreddit() {
+        let p = test_parts("reddit.com", &["rust"], &[]);
+        assert_eq!(terminal(&p), None);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn http_scheme_upgraded_via_generic_fallback_host() {
+        let parsed = UrlParts::parse("http://example.com/page").unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(canon(&parsed), "https://example.com/page");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn each_graph_node_canonical_is_invokable() {
+        let g = build_graph();
+        let empty = Context::default();
+        for (id, node) in &g.nodes {
+            let _ = (node.canonical)(&empty);
+            let _ = id;
+        }
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn reddit_double_listing_suffix_both_absorbed() {
+        let p = test_parts("reddit.com", &["r", "rust", "hot", "new"], &[]);
+        assert_eq!(terminal(&p), Some("reddit_subreddit"));
+        assert_eq!(canon(&p), "https://reddit.com/r/rust");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn youtu_be_empty_path_stays_at_entry() {
+        let p = test_parts("youtu.be", &[], &[]);
+        assert_eq!(terminal(&p), Some("youtu_be_entry"));
+    }
+}
diff --git a/server/src/url_rules/graph_builder.rs b/server/src/url_rules/graph_builder.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..243204ad5ca514fff459057956080cacb5bf38e2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/server/src/url_rules/graph_builder.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,73 @@
+//! Declarative construction of the URL graph with build-time link validation.
+
+use std::collections::HashMap;
+
+use super::graph::{CanonicalFn, Edge, EdgePattern, Graph, Node};
+
+pub struct GraphBuilder {
+    nodes: HashMap<&'static str, Node>,
+    current: Option<&'static str>,
+}
+
+impl GraphBuilder {
+    pub fn new() -> Self {
+        Self {
+            nodes: HashMap::new(),
+            current: None,
+        }
+    }
+
+    pub fn node(mut self, id: &'static str) -> Self {
+        self.nodes.entry(id).or_insert_with(Node::empty);
+        self.current = Some(id);
+        self
+    }
+
+    pub fn canonical(mut self, f: CanonicalFn) -> Self {
+        let id = self.current.expect("canonical() without node()");
+        self.nodes.get_mut(id).expect("node missing").canonical = f;
+        self
+    }
+
+    pub fn parent(mut self, parent_id: &'static str) -> Self {
+        let id = self.current.expect("parent() without node()");
+        self.nodes.get_mut(id).expect("node missing").parent = Some(parent_id);
+        self
+    }
+
+    pub fn edge(mut self, pattern: EdgePattern, target: &'static str) -> Self {
+        let id = self.current.expect("edge() without node()");
+        self.nodes
+            .get_mut(id)
+            .expect("node missing")
+            .edges
+            .push(Edge { pattern, target });
+        self
+    }
+
+    pub fn build(self) -> Graph {
+        for (id, node) in &self.nodes {
+            if let Some(parent) = node.parent {
+                assert!(
+                    self.nodes.contains_key(parent),
+                    "node {id}: parent {parent} does not exist"
+                );
+            }
+            for edge in &node.edges {
+                if !matches!(
+                    edge.pattern,
+                    EdgePattern::AbsorbAny | EdgePattern::AbsorbIf(_)
+                ) {
+                    assert!(
+                        self.nodes.contains_key(edge.target),
+                        "node {id}: edge target {} does not exist",
+                        edge.target
+                    );
+                }
+            }
+        }
+        Graph {
+            nodes: self.nodes,
+        }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/server/src/url_rules/mod.rs b/server/src/url_rules/mod.rs
index 9e1445346ce77a49dd6a7e7713bf9c57aef353cc..ba4ac662acc7bd4d50ee34613eb7eb6fccbfb17b 100644
--- a/server/src/url_rules/mod.rs
+++ b/server/src/url_rules/mod.rs
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 //! URL canonicalization and hierarchy via a semantic graph (DFA + generic fallback).
 
 mod graph;
+mod graph_builder;
 mod parse;
 mod registry;
 
diff --git a/server/src/url_rules/parse.rs b/server/src/url_rules/parse.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..19d0c82feb718817168b8b445fcbfa39cf6aa6ba
--- /dev/null
+++ b/server/src/url_rules/parse.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,169 @@
+//! Parse raw strings into host, path segments, and query (order-independent).
+
+use std::collections::HashMap;
+
+use url::Url;
+
+#[derive(Debug, Clone)]
+pub struct UrlParts {
+    pub scheme: String,
+    pub host: String,
+    pub path_segments: Vec<String>,
+    pub query: HashMap<String, String>,
+}
+
+impl UrlParts {
+    pub fn parse(raw: &str) -> Option<Self> {
+        let trimmed = raw.trim();
+        if trimmed.is_empty() {
+            return None;
+        }
+
+        let with_scheme = if trimmed.contains("://") {
+            trimmed.to_string()
+        } else if trimmed.starts_with("r/") || trimmed.starts_with("/r/") {
+            let rest = trimmed.trim_start_matches('/').trim_start_matches("r/");
+            format!("https://reddit.com/r/{rest}")
+        } else if trimmed.contains('.') && !trimmed.starts_with('/') {
+            format!("https://{trimmed}")
+        } else {
+            trimmed.to_string()
+        };
+
+        let url = Url::parse(&with_scheme).ok()?;
+        let host = url.host_str()?.to_string();
+        let path_segments: Vec<String> = url
+            .path_segments()
+            .map(|segs| segs.filter(|s| !s.is_empty()).map(str::to_string).collect())
+            .unwrap_or_default();
+
+        let mut query = HashMap::new();
+        for (k, v) in url.query_pairs() {
+            query.insert(k.into_owned(), v.into_owned());
+        }
+
+        Some(Self {
+            scheme: url.scheme().to_string(),
+            path_segments,
+            query,
+            host,
+        })
+    }
+
+    /// Host normalized for graph entry matching (lowercase, aliases).
+    pub fn match_host(&self) -> String {
+        normalize_match_host(&self.host)
+    }
+}
+
+pub fn normalize_match_host(host: &str) -> String {
+    let h = host
+        .strip_prefix("www.")
+        .unwrap_or(host)
+        .to_ascii_lowercase();
+    match h.as_str() {
+        "old.reddit.com" | "new.reddit.com" => "reddit.com".to_string(),
+        "m.youtube.com" => "youtube.com".to_string(),
+        _ => h,
+    }
+}
+
+pub fn strip_tracking_query(query: &mut HashMap<String, String>) {
+    query.retain(|k, _| {
+        let lower = k.to_ascii_lowercase();
+        !(lower.starts_with("utm_")
+            || matches!(
+                lower.as_str(),
+                "fbclid" | "gclid" | "ref" | "ref_src" | "ref_source" | "mc_cid" | "mc_eid"
+            ))
+    });
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+pub(crate) fn test_parts(host: &str, segs: &[&str], query: &[(&str, &str)]) -> UrlParts {
+    UrlParts {
+        scheme: "https".to_string(),
+        host: host.to_string(),
+        path_segments: segs.iter().map(|s| (*s).to_string()).collect(),
+        query: query
+            .iter()
+            .map(|(k, v)| (k.to_string(), v.to_string()))
+            .collect(),
+    }
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+
+    #[test]
+    fn parse_full_url_splits_host_path_query() {
+        let p = UrlParts::parse("https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abc&t=4").unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(p.host, "www.youtube.com");
+        assert_eq!(p.path_segments, vec!["watch"]);
+        assert_eq!(p.query.get("v").map(String::as_str), Some("abc"));
+        assert_eq!(p.query.get("t").map(String::as_str), Some("4"));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn parse_r_shortcut_expands_to_reddit() {
+        let p = UrlParts::parse("r/rust").unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(p.match_host(), "reddit.com");
+        assert_eq!(p.path_segments, vec!["r", "rust"]);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn parse_slash_r_shortcut() {
+        let p = UrlParts::parse("/r/aww").unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(p.path_segments, vec!["r", "aww"]);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn parse_schemeless_host_path() {
+        let p = UrlParts::parse("reddit.com/r/rust/comments/aaa/slug").unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(p.match_host(), "reddit.com");
+        assert_eq!(
+            p.path_segments,
+            vec!["r", "rust", "comments", "aaa", "slug"]
+        );
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn parse_empty_returns_none() {
+        assert!(UrlParts::parse("").is_none());
+        assert!(UrlParts::parse("   ").is_none());
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn normalize_match_host_reddit_aliases() {
+        assert_eq!(normalize_match_host("old.reddit.com"), "reddit.com");
+        assert_eq!(normalize_match_host("NEW.reddit.com"), "reddit.com");
+        assert_eq!(normalize_match_host("www.reddit.com"), "reddit.com");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn normalize_match_host_youtube_aliases() {
+        assert_eq!(normalize_match_host("m.youtube.com"), "youtube.com");
+        assert_eq!(normalize_match_host("www.youtube.com"), "youtube.com");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn strip_tracking_query_removes_known_params() {
+        let mut q = HashMap::from([
+            ("v".into(), "1".into()),
+            ("utm_source".into(), "x".into()),
+            ("fbclid".into(), "y".into()),
+            ("ref".into(), "z".into()),
+        ]);
+        strip_tracking_query(&mut q);
+        assert_eq!(q.len(), 1);
+        assert_eq!(q.get("v").map(String::as_str), Some("1"));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn strip_tracking_query_utm_prefix() {
+        let mut q = HashMap::from([("utm_campaign".into(), "email".into())]);
+        strip_tracking_query(&mut q);
+        assert!(q.is_empty());
+    }
+}
diff --git a/server/src/url_rules/registry_tests.rs b/server/src/url_rules/registry_tests.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..7b76b550f808f590e011469fdae02adf603b43d2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/server/src/url_rules/registry_tests.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,195 @@
+//! End-to-end tests for the public registry API (`canonicalize_raw`, breadcrumbs, parent).
+
+use super::registry::{
+    canonicalize_raw, looks_like_url, navigable_breadcrumbs, parent_url, resolve_id,
+};
+
+fn canon(raw: &str) -> String {
+    canonicalize_raw(raw).unwrap().canonical
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn looks_like_url_positive_cases() {
+    for raw in [
+        "https://reddit.com/r/rust",
+        "r/rust",
+        "/r/aww",
+        "reddit.com/r/x",
+        "www.example.com/path",
+        "youtu.be/abc",
+    ] {
+        assert!(looks_like_url(raw), "{raw}");
+    }
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn looks_like_url_negative_cases() {
+    for raw in ["alpha", "beta", "", "hello world", "no-dots"] {
+        assert!(!looks_like_url(raw), "{raw}");
+    }
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn resolve_id_matches_canonicalize_raw() {
+    let raw = "https://youtu.be/xyz";
+    assert_eq!(
+        resolve_id(raw).as_deref(),
+        Some(canon(raw).as_str())
+    );
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn canonicalize_empty_returns_none() {
+    assert!(canonicalize_raw("").is_none());
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn alias_when_slug_stripped() {
+    let r = canonicalize_raw(
+        "https://reddit.com/r/rust/comments/aaa/very_long_title_slug",
+    )
+    .unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(r.canonical, "https://reddit.com/r/rust/comments/aaa");
+    assert!(r.alias_of.is_some());
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn alias_none_when_already_canonical() {
+    let raw = "https://reddit.com/r/rust";
+    let r = canonicalize_raw(raw).unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(r.canonical, raw);
+    assert!(r.alias_of.is_none());
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn parent_url_subreddit_under_r_hub() {
+    assert_eq!(
+        parent_url("https://reddit.com/r/movies").as_deref(),
+        Some("https://reddit.com/r")
+    );
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn parent_url_domain_has_none() {
+    assert_eq!(parent_url("https://reddit.com").as_deref(), None);
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn parent_url_generic_site() {
+    assert_eq!(
+        parent_url("https://example.com/a/b").as_deref(),
+        Some("https://example.com/a")
+    );
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn breadcrumbs_from_canonical_string_roundtrip() {
+    let id = "https://reddit.com/r/golang/comments/abc123";
+    let crumbs = navigable_breadcrumbs(id);
+    assert_eq!(crumbs.last().map(String::as_str), Some(id));
+}
+
+// --- Table: Reddit raw URLs → canonical ---
+
+#[test]
+fn reddit_canonical_matrix() {
+    let cases: &[(&str, &str)] = &[
+        ("r/rust", "https://reddit.com/r/rust"),
+        ("/r/aww", "https://reddit.com/r/aww"),
+        ("https://reddit.com/r/rust", "https://reddit.com/r/rust"),
+        (
+            "https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/new",
+            "https://reddit.com/r/programming",
+        ),
+        (
+            "https://old.reddit.com/r/test/comments/xyz/slug/",
+            "https://reddit.com/r/test/comments/xyz",
+        ),
+        (
+            "reddit.com/r/Movies/comments/abc/Title_Case_Slug",
+            "https://reddit.com/r/movies/comments/abc",
+        ),
+    ];
+    for (raw, want) in cases {
+        assert_eq!(canon(raw), *want, "raw={raw}");
+    }
+}
+
+// --- Table: YouTube raw URLs → canonical ---
+
+#[test]
+fn youtube_canonical_matrix() {
+    let cases: &[(&str, &str)] = &[
+        (
+            "https://youtube.com/watch?v=abc",
+            "https://youtube.com/watch?v=abc",
+        ),
+        (
+            "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abc&t=1&feature=share",
+            "https://youtube.com/watch?v=abc",
+        ),
+        ("https://youtu.be/abc", "https://youtube.com/watch?v=abc"),
+        (
+            "https://youtube.com/shorts/abc",
+            "https://youtube.com/watch?v=abc",
+        ),
+    ];
+    for (raw, want) in cases {
+        assert_eq!(canon(raw), *want, "raw={raw}");
+    }
+}
+
+// --- Table: generic sites ---
+
+#[test]
+fn generic_canonical_matrix() {
+    let cases: &[(&str, &str)] = &[
+        (
+            "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38472",
+            "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38472",
+        ),
+        (
+            "https://www.github.com/rust-lang/rust/issues/1?utm_source=x",
+            "https://github.com/rust-lang/rust/issues/1",
+        ),
+        ("https://example.com", "https://example.com"),
+    ];
+    for (raw, want) in cases {
+        assert_eq!(canon(raw), *want, "raw={raw}");
+    }
+}
+
+// --- Phantom /comments/ regression (sorter2-specific) ---
+
+#[test]
+fn phantom_comments_not_in_breadcrumbs_for_post() {
+    let crumbs = navigable_breadcrumbs("https://reddit.com/r/rust/comments/aaa");
+    assert!(!crumbs.iter().any(|c| c.ends_with("/comments")));
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn phantom_comments_not_sibling_of_subreddit_in_breadcrumb_chain() {
+    let crumbs = navigable_breadcrumbs("https://reddit.com/r/rust/comments/aaa");
+    let subs: Vec<_> = crumbs
+        .iter()
+        .filter(|c| c.contains("/r/rust") && !c.contains("/comments/"))
+        .collect();
+    assert_eq!(subs, vec!["https://reddit.com/r/rust"]);
+}
+
+// --- Distinct items must stay distinct ---
+
+#[test]
+fn different_posts_different_canonical() {
+    let a = canon("https://reddit.com/r/rust/comments/aaa");
+    let b = canon("https://reddit.com/r/rust/comments/bbb");
+    assert_ne!(a, b);
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn different_subreddits_different_canonical() {
+    assert_ne!(
+        canon("https://reddit.com/r/rust"),
+        canon("https://reddit.com/r/golang")
+    );
+}


Side B — contributor: tommy-mor
Side B — commit message:
[07715165] nice

Side B — unified diff (full patch):
diff --git a/server/src/api/ui_html.rs b/server/src/api/ui_html.rs
index c3c62a76f424010d77a6090c84dd0b82098f573e..da2536112faea313352624cf2ce0ddd0ab3377c1 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::{demo_counter_panel, js_string_literal, ranking_panel, JsBuilder},
+    html::{js_string_literal, ranking_panel, JsBuilder},
     parser::parse_reddit_url,
     parser_render::parser_panel_morph,
     state::AppState,
@@ -35,13 +35,6 @@ pub async fn post_ui_html(
     };
 
     match action {
-        HtmlUiAction::BumpDemoCounter => {
-            let count = state.bump_demo_counter().await;
-            let panel = demo_counter_panel(count, state.event_log.path().to_string_lossy().as_ref());
-            JsBuilder::new()
-                .morph_selector("#demo-counter-panel", panel)
-                .into_response()
-        }
         HtmlUiAction::RecordVote {
             a,
             b,
@@ -54,8 +47,8 @@ pub async fn post_ui_html(
             {
                 return ui_js_warn(&e).into_response();
             }
-            let mut group = state.group.write().await;
-            let panel = ranking_panel(&mut group);
+            let group = state.group.read().await;
+            let panel = ranking_panel(&group);
             JsBuilder::new()
                 .morph_selector("#ranking-panel", panel)
                 .into_response()
@@ -87,20 +80,6 @@ mod tests {
         assert!(matches!(err, HtmlUiParseError::MissingRpc));
     }
 
-    #[test]
-    fn bump_action_deserializes() {
-        let template = serde_json::json!({ "action": "bump_demo_counter" });
-        let mut form = HashMap::new();
-        form.insert(
-            UI_RPC_FIELD.to_string(),
-            serde_json::to_string(&template).unwrap(),
-        );
-        assert_eq!(
-            parse_html_ui_from_form(&form).unwrap(),
-            HtmlUiAction::BumpDemoCounter
-        );
-    }
-
     #[test]
     fn record_vote_action_deserializes() {
         let template = serde_json::json!({
diff --git a/server/src/events.rs b/server/src/events.rs
index b969242534e184d4f0a689543a479670b08a18df..eff80aef0257f706d2341f666e63d6a3d921bf6e 100644
--- a/server/src/events.rs
+++ b/server/src/events.rs
@@ -5,8 +5,6 @@ use serde::{Deserialize, Serialize};
 pub enum Event {
     /// Page view recorded (path → counter in views.json).
     ViewRecorded { path: String, ts: i64 },
-    /// Demo counter bump from `POST /ui` (persisted in the single JSONL log).
-    DemoCounterBumped { ts: i64, value: u64 },
     /// Pairwise comparison vote (replayed into [`crate::reducer::GroupState`] on boot).
     VoteRecorded {
         ts: i64,
diff --git a/server/src/html/mod.rs b/server/src/html/mod.rs
index 5b1d0b5a887d89e7e80796aa7a6c8ed5baaf2782..d69ed962b5c8625bc83c933b1825f2cc1d0868e2 100644
--- a/server/src/html/mod.rs
+++ b/server/src/html/mod.rs
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ use crate::{
     form_template::template_json_compact,
     parser_action::ParserAction,
     parser_render::parser_panel,
-    ranking::ranked_items,
+    ranking::ranked_items_cached,
     reducer::GroupState,
     state::AppState,
     ui_action::UI_RPC_FIELD,
@@ -199,10 +199,8 @@ fn layout(title: &str, body: Markup, views: u64, theme: &str, theme_next: &str)
     }
 }
 
-pub fn ranking_panel(group: &mut GroupState) -> Markup {
-    const MAX_ITERS: usize = 10_000;
-    const TOL: f64 = 1e-8;
-    let items = ranked_items(group, MAX_ITERS, TOL);
+pub fn ranking_panel(group: &GroupState) -> Markup {
+    let items = ranked_items_cached(group);
     html! {
         section id="ranking-panel" class="demo-panel" {
             h2 { "Ranking" }
@@ -260,35 +258,6 @@ pub fn vote_panel() -> Markup {
 }
 
 
-pub fn demo_counter_panel(count: u64, event_log_path: &str) -> Markup {
-    let rpc = template_json_compact(&serde_json::json!({ "action": "bump_demo_counter" }))
-        .expect("rpc json");
-    html! {
-        section id="demo-counter-panel" class="demo-panel" {
-            h1 { "sorter2" }
-            p class="muted" {
-                "Pairwise ranking scaffold — votes persist to JSONL and replay on boot."
-            }
-            p class="demo-count" {
-                strong { "Counter: " }
-                span id="demo-count-value" { (count) }
-            }
-            p class="muted small" {
-                "Event log: " code { (event_log_path) }
-            }
-            form method="post" action="/ui" id="demo-bump-form" {
-                input type="hidden" name=(UI_RPC_FIELD) value=(rpc);
-                button type="submit" class="btn-primary" { "Bump (POST /ui → eval JS)" }
-            }
-            p class="muted small" {
-                "Uses hidden "
-                code { "__rpc__" }
-                " JSON + Idiomorph morph — no full page reload."
-            }
-        }
-    }
-}
-
 pub async fn home(
     State(state): State<AppState>,
     jar: CookieJar,
@@ -297,16 +266,15 @@ pub async fn home(
     let path = uri.path().to_string();
     state.views.increment(path.clone());
     let views = state.views.get_views(&path);
-    let count = *state.demo_counter.read().await;
     let theme = theme_from_jar(&jar);
     let theme_next = theme_next_from_uri(&uri);
-    let mut group = state.group.write().await;
+    let group = state.group.read().await;
     let empty_action = ParserAction::suggest(String::new(), None);
     let body = html! {
+        h1 { "sorter2" }
         (parser_panel("", &empty_action))
         (vote_panel())
-        (ranking_panel(&mut group))
-        (demo_counter_panel(count, state.event_log.path().to_string_lossy().as_ref()))
+        (ranking_panel(&group))
     };
     layout("sorter2", body, views, theme, &theme_next)
 }
diff --git a/server/src/lib.rs b/server/src/lib.rs
index 6716c5b282e7980a7a0f03d63ad8b25eda61cc55..fa423640d598f4ba97a5885d228e78d7b97f7a22 100644
--- a/server/src/lib.rs
+++ b/server/src/lib.rs
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ pub mod parser_render;
 pub mod path_types;
 pub mod ranking;
 pub mod reducer;
+pub mod settlement;
 pub mod state;
 pub mod ui_action;
 pub mod views;
diff --git a/server/src/ranking.rs b/server/src/ranking.rs
index 89d3280126a8d8f841721ce8cb63ff735d68752a..2d706762792ba9239bb3f1c2e4974a2fde908013 100644
--- a/server/src/ranking.rs
+++ b/server/src/ranking.rs
@@ -91,6 +91,11 @@ pub fn compute_group_ranking(group: &mut GroupState, max_iters: usize, tol: f64)
 
 pub fn ranked_items(group: &mut GroupState, max_iters: usize, tol: f64) -> Vec<RankedItem> {
     compute_group_ranking(group, max_iters, tol);
+    ranked_items_cached(group)
+}
+
+/// Read cached scores without recomputing (HTTP fast path).
+pub fn ranked_items_cached(group: &GroupState) -> Vec<RankedItem> {
     let mut items: Vec<RankedItem> = group
         .idx_to_item
         .iter()
@@ -105,7 +110,12 @@ pub fn ranked_items(group: &mut GroupState, max_iters: usize, tol: f64) -> Vec<R
     items
 }
 
-fn compute_scores_from_edges(n: usize, edges: impl Iterator<Item = ((usize, usize), f64)>, max_iters: usize, tol: f64) -> Vec<f64> {
+pub fn compute_scores_from_edges(
+    n: usize,
+    edges: impl Iterator<Item = ((usize, usize), f64)>,
+    max_iters: usize,
+    tol: f64,
+) -> Vec<f64> {
     if n == 0 {
         return vec![];
     }
diff --git a/server/src/settlement.rs b/server/src/settlement.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..1f722ceaea62cda22c28ab71551f259fbf049b81
--- /dev/null
+++ b/server/src/settlement.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,114 @@
+use std::sync::Arc;
+
+use tokio::sync::{mpsc, oneshot, RwLock};
+
+use crate::{
+    event_log::EventLog,
+    events::Event,
+    ranking::compute_scores_from_edges,
+    reducer::{GroupState, VoteData},
+};
+
+const MAX_ITERS: usize = 10_000;
+const TOL: f64 = 1e-8;
+
+pub struct SettlementCommand {
+    pub vote: VoteData,
+    pub event: Event,
+    pub reply: oneshot::Sender<Result<(), String>>,
+}
+
+#[derive(Clone)]
+pub struct SettlementClient {
+    tx: mpsc::Sender<SettlementCommand>,
+}
+
+impl SettlementClient {
+    pub fn spawn(group: Arc<RwLock<GroupState>>, event_log: Arc<EventLog>) -> Self {
+        let (tx, rx) = mpsc::channel(64);
+        tokio::spawn(settlement_worker(rx, group, event_log));
+        Self { tx }
+    }
+
+    pub async fn record_vote(&self, vote: VoteData, event: Event) -> Result<(), String> {
+        let (reply, rx) = oneshot::channel();
+        self.tx
+            .send(SettlementCommand {
+                vote,
+                event,
+                reply,
+            })
+            .await
+            .map_err(|_| "settlement worker stopped".to_string())?;
+        rx.await
+            .map_err(|_| "settlement worker stopped".to_string())?
+    }
+}
+
+async fn settlement_worker(
+    mut rx: mpsc::Receiver<SettlementCommand>,
+    group: Arc<RwLock<GroupState>>,
+    event_log: Arc<EventLog>,
+) {
+    while let Some(first) = rx.recv().await {
+        let mut batch = vec![first];
+        while let Ok(more) = rx.try_recv() {
+            batch.push(more);
+        }
+
+        let mut disk_err: Option<String> = None;
+        for cmd in &batch {
+            if let Err(e) = event_log.append(&cmd.event).await {
+                disk_err = Some(e.to_string());
+                break;
+            }
+        }
+
+        if let Some(err) = disk_err {
+            for cmd in batch {
+                let _ = cmd.reply.send(Err(err.clone()));
+            }
+            continue;
+        }
+
+        let (edges, n) = {
+            let mut w = group.write().await;
+            for cmd in &batch {
+                w.apply_vote(cmd.vote.clone());
+            }
+            (w.edges.clone(), w.idx_to_item.len())
+        };
+
+        let new_scores = compute_scores_from_edges(
+            n,
+            edges.iter().map(|(&k, &v)| (k, v)),
+            MAX_ITERS,
+            TOL,
+        );
+
+        {
+            let mut w = group.write().await;
+            w.cached_scores = new_scores;
+            w.dirty = false;
+        }
+
+        for cmd in batch {
+            let _ = cmd.reply.send(Ok(()));
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+/// Compute ranking cache from current in-memory edges (startup replay only).
+pub fn warm_ranking_cache(group: &mut GroupState) {
+    if !group.dirty {
+        return;
+    }
+    let n = group.idx_to_item.len();
+    group.cached_scores = compute_scores_from_edges(
+        n,
+        group.edges.iter().map(|(&k, &v)| (k, v)),
+        MAX_ITERS,
+        TOL,
+    );
+    group.dirty = false;
+}
diff --git a/server/src/state.rs b/server/src/state.rs
index 8ec9902e2ecc31cf8208f7ad6365891dc5537eed..1922541a4064c2de1df2d993a461cae783320e05 100644
--- a/server/src/state.rs
+++ b/server/src/state.rs
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ use crate::{
     event_log::EventLog,
     events::Event,
     reducer::{GroupState, VoteData},
+    settlement::{warm_ranking_cache, SettlementClient},
     views::ViewStore,
 };
 
@@ -38,8 +39,8 @@ pub struct AppState {
     pub cfg: Arc<AppConfig>,
     pub event_log: Arc<EventLog>,
     pub views: ViewStore,
-    pub demo_counter: Arc<RwLock<u64>>,
     pub group: Arc<RwLock<GroupState>>,
+    settlement: SettlementClient,
 }
 
 impl AppState {
@@ -48,14 +49,10 @@ impl AppState {
         let views_path = format!("{}/views.json", cfg.data_dir);
         let views = ViewStore::new(&views_path);
 
-        let mut demo_counter: u64 = 0;
         let mut group = GroupState::new();
         if let Ok((events, _)) = event_log.load_all().await {
             for ev in events {
                 match ev {
-                    Event::DemoCounterBumped { value, .. } => {
-                        demo_counter = demo_counter.max(value);
-                    }
                     Event::VoteRecorded {
                         ts,
                         a,
@@ -74,30 +71,20 @@ impl AppState {
             }
         }
 
+        warm_ranking_cache(&mut group);
+
+        let group = Arc::new(RwLock::new(group));
+        let settlement = SettlementClient::spawn(group.clone(), event_log.clone());
+
         Self {
             cfg: Arc::new(cfg),
             event_log,
             views,
-            demo_counter: Arc::new(RwLock::new(demo_counter)),
-            group: Arc::new(RwLock::new(group)),
+            group,
+            settlement,
         }
     }
 
-    pub async fn bump_demo_counter(&self) -> u64 {
-        let mut guard = self.demo_counter.write().await;
-        *guard += 1;
-        let value = *guard;
-        drop(guard);
-
-        let ts = crate::html::now_ms();
-        let _ = self
-            .event_log
-            .append(&Event::DemoCounterBumped { ts, value })
-            .await;
-
-        value
-    }
-
     pub async fn record_vote(
         &self,
         a: &str,
@@ -109,23 +96,14 @@ impl AppState {
         let vote = VoteData::from_recorded(ts, a, b, ratio_left, ratio_right)
             .ok_or_else(|| "invalid vote: need two distinct non-empty items".to_string())?;
 
-        {
-            let mut group = self.group.write().await;
-            group.apply_vote(vote.clone());
-        }
-
-        let _ = self
-            .event_log
-            .append(&Event::VoteRecorded {
-                ts,
-                a: vote.a.as_str().to_string(),
-                b: vote.b.as_str().to_string(),
-                ratio_left: vote.ratio_left,
-                ratio_right: vote.ratio_right,
-            })
-            .await
-            .map_err(|e| e.to_string())?;
+        let event = Event::VoteRecorded {
+            ts,
+            a: vote.a.as_str().to_string(),
+            b: vote.b.as_str().to_string(),
+            ratio_left: vote.ratio_left,
+            ratio_right: vote.ratio_right,
+        };
 
-        Ok(())
+        self.settlement.record_vote(vote, event).await
     }
 }
diff --git a/server/src/ui_action.rs b/server/src/ui_action.rs
index 1d488e1ad1d8fd81bd9d016d69255adfe9b22fc8..5d94c84113607b3bcd8d31d03ef5b8e1b87b67a7 100644
--- a/server/src/ui_action.rs
+++ b/server/src/ui_action.rs
@@ -12,8 +12,6 @@ pub const UI_RPC_FIELD: &str = "__rpc__";
 #[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize, PartialEq, Eq)]
 #[serde(tag = "action", rename_all = "snake_case")]
 pub enum HtmlUiAction {
-    /// Demo: morph `#demo-counter-panel` after bumping the persisted counter.
-    BumpDemoCounter,
     /// Record a pairwise vote and morph `#ranking-panel`.
     RecordVote {
         a: String,
@@ -52,18 +50,6 @@ pub fn parse_html_ui_from_form(
 mod tests {
     use super::*;
 
-    #[test]
-    fn bump_demo_counter_round_trip() {
-        let template = serde_json::json!({ "action": "bump_demo_counter" });
-        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::BumpDemoCounter);
-    }
-
     #[test]
     fn record_vote_round_trip_with_form_holes() {
         let template = serde_json::json!({
diff --git a/server/tests/integration_health.rs b/server/tests/integration_health.rs
index 8a58bc14aac68c779e7ce4ffa57d27b3220e9953..1d816e008b9bf629967e3b3c786c41afefc284e3 100644
--- a/server/tests/integration_health.rs
+++ b/server/tests/integration_health.rs
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ async fn healthz_ok() {
 }
 
 #[tokio::test]
-async fn home_has_demo_panel() {
+async fn home_has_main_panels() {
     let (addr, _tmp) = start_test_server().await;
     let client = reqwest::Client::new();
     let html = client
diff --git a/server/tests/integration_ui.rs b/server/tests/integration_ui.rs
index bee79407dec120699a083f1a75adf9291e207fc7..7ede46d681fefbe25b1d98fc33520a185515eb1c 100644
--- a/server/tests/integration_ui.rs
+++ b/server/tests/integration_ui.rs
@@ -25,33 +25,6 @@ async fn start_test_server() -> (SocketAddr, TempDir) {
     (addr, tmp)
 }
 
-#[tokio::test]
-async fn post_ui_bump_returns_javascript_morph() {
-    let (addr, tmp) = start_test_server().await;
-    let rpc = serde_json::json!({ "action": "bump_demo_counter" }).to_string();
-    let mut form = HashMap::new();
-    form.insert(UI_RPC_FIELD.to_string(), rpc);
-
-    let client = reqwest::Client::new();
-    let body = client
-        .post(format!("http://{addr}/ui"))
-        .form(&form)
-        .send()
-        .await
-        .unwrap()
-        .text()
-        .await
-        .unwrap();
-
-    assert!(body.contains("Idiomorph.morph"));
-    assert!(body.contains("demo-counter-panel"));
-    assert!(body.contains("Counter:"));
-
-    let log_path = tmp.path().join("events.jsonl");
-    let log = std::fs::read_to_string(log_path).unwrap();
-    assert!(log.contains("demo_counter_bumped"));
-}
-
 #[tokio::test]
 async fn post_ui_record_vote_morphs_ranking_and_persists() {
     let (addr, tmp) = start_test_server().await;
@@ -90,8 +63,8 @@ async fn post_ui_record_vote_morphs_ranking_and_persists() {
         port: 0,
     };
     let state = create_app_state(cfg).await;
-    let mut group = state.group.write().await;
-    let ranked = sorter2_server::ranking::ranked_items(&mut group, 10_000, 1e-8);
+    let group = state.group.read().await;
+    let ranked = sorter2_server::ranking::ranked_items_cached(&group);
     assert_eq!(ranked.len(), 2);
     assert_eq!(ranked[0].item.as_str(), "alpha");
 }
diff --git a/test/smoke.clj b/test/smoke.clj
index b332324743b58baf3fe96d7477353749f137feae..11887c48282088e140d823a88ba616f6325835b3 100644
--- a/test/smoke.clj
+++ b/test/smoke.clj
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@
             false))))))
 
 (deftest http-smoke-against-running-server
-  (testing "build, start, healthz, home contains RPC demo"
+  (testing "build, start, healthz, home contains main panels"
     (let [root (repo-root)
           data-dir (.getAbsolutePath (doto (io/file (System/getProperty "java.io.tmpdir")
                                                    (str "sorter2-smoke-" (System/currentTimeMillis)))