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:
[bf118bdf] Sanitize Reddit entity body HTML before rendering.

Use ammonia at render time so untrusted selftext_html cannot execute scripts in our origin.

Co-authored-by: Cursor <cursoragent@cursor.com>

Side A — unified diff (full patch):
diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index 3dec7cb72a182dc654a37dca8ba0b49d77504daa..0dd4fce5fb6400ae153cca4e3dbf5a5158e6d8b4 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -11,6 +11,19 @@ dependencies = [
  "memchr",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "ammonia"
+version = "4.1.2"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "17e913097e1a2124b46746c980134e8c954bc17a6a59bb3fde96f088d126dde6"
+dependencies = [
+ "cssparser",
+ "html5ever",
+ "maplit",
+ "tendril",
+ "url",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "anyhow"
 version = "1.0.102"
@@ -355,6 +368,29 @@ version = "0.2.4"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "460fbee9c2c2f33933d720630a6a0bac33ba7053db5344fac858d4b8952d77d5"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "cssparser"
+version = "0.35.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "4e901edd733a1472f944a45116df3f846f54d37e67e68640ac8bb69689aca2aa"
+dependencies = [
+ "cssparser-macros",
+ "dtoa-short",
+ "itoa",
+ "phf",
+ "smallvec",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "cssparser-macros"
+version = "0.6.1"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "13b588ba4ac1a99f7f2964d24b3d896ddc6bf847ee3855dbd4366f058cfcd331"
+dependencies = [
+ "quote",
+ "syn",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "deranged"
 version = "0.5.8"
@@ -381,6 +417,21 @@ version = "0.15.7"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "1aaf95b3e5c8f23aa320147307562d361db0ae0d51242340f558153b4eb2439b"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "dtoa"
+version = "1.0.11"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "4c3cf4824e2d5f025c7b531afcb2325364084a16806f6d47fbc1f5fbd9960590"
+
+[[package]]
+name = "dtoa-short"
+version = "0.3.5"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "cd1511a7b6a56299bd043a9c167a6d2bfb37bf84a6dfceaba651168adfb43c87"
+dependencies = [
+ "dtoa",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "durable"
 version = "0.2.0"
@@ -482,6 +533,16 @@ dependencies = [
  "percent-encoding",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "futf"
+version = "0.1.5"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "df420e2e84819663797d1ec6544b13c5be84629e7bb00dc960d6917db2987843"
+dependencies = [
+ "mac",
+ "new_debug_unreachable",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "futures-channel"
 version = "0.3.32"
@@ -614,6 +675,17 @@ version = "0.5.0"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "2304e00983f87ffb38b55b444b5e3b60a884b5d30c0fca7d82fe33449bbe55ea"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "html5ever"
+version = "0.35.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "55d958c2f74b664487a2035fe1dadb032c48718a03b63f3ab0b8537db8549ed4"
+dependencies = [
+ "log",
+ "markup5ever",
+ "match_token",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "http"
 version = "1.4.1"
@@ -974,6 +1046,15 @@ version = "0.8.2"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "92daf443525c4cce67b150400bc2316076100ce0b3686209eb8cf3c31612e6f0"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "lock_api"
+version = "0.4.14"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "224399e74b87b5f3557511d98dff8b14089b3dadafcab6bb93eab67d3aace965"
+dependencies = [
+ "scopeguard",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "log"
 version = "0.4.30"
@@ -990,6 +1071,40 @@ dependencies = [
  "libc",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "mac"
+version = "0.1.1"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "c41e0c4fef86961ac6d6f8a82609f55f31b05e4fce149ac5710e439df7619ba4"
+
+[[package]]
+name = "maplit"
+version = "1.0.2"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "3e2e65a1a2e43cfcb47a895c4c8b10d1f4a61097f9f254f183aee60cad9c651d"
+
+[[package]]
+name = "markup5ever"
+version = "0.35.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "311fe69c934650f8f19652b3946075f0fc41ad8757dbb68f1ca14e7900ecc1c3"
+dependencies = [
+ "log",
+ "tendril",
+ "web_atoms",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "match_token"
+version = "0.35.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "ac84fd3f360fcc43dc5f5d186f02a94192761a080e8bc58621ad4d12296a58cf"
+dependencies = [
+ "proc-macro2",
+ "quote",
+ "syn",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "matchers"
 version = "0.2.0"
@@ -1092,6 +1207,12 @@ dependencies = [
  "tempfile",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "new_debug_unreachable"
+version = "1.0.6"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "650eef8c711430f1a879fdd01d4745a7deea475becfb90269c06775983bbf086"
+
 [[package]]
 name = "nom"
 version = "7.1.3"
@@ -1175,6 +1296,29 @@ dependencies = [
  "vcpkg",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "parking_lot"
+version = "0.12.5"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "93857453250e3077bd71ff98b6a65ea6621a19bb0f559a85248955ac12c45a1a"
+dependencies = [
+ "lock_api",
+ "parking_lot_core",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "parking_lot_core"
+version = "0.9.12"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "2621685985a2ebf1c516881c026032ac7deafcda1a2c9b7850dc81e3dfcb64c1"
+dependencies = [
+ "cfg-if",
+ "libc",
+ "redox_syscall",
+ "smallvec",
+ "windows-link",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "peeking_take_while"
 version = "0.1.2"
@@ -1187,6 +1331,58 @@ version = "2.3.2"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "9b4f627cb1b25917193a259e49bdad08f671f8d9708acfd5fe0a8c1455d87220"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "phf"
+version = "0.11.3"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "1fd6780a80ae0c52cc120a26a1a42c1ae51b247a253e4e06113d23d2c2edd078"
+dependencies = [
+ "phf_macros",
+ "phf_shared",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "phf_codegen"
+version = "0.11.3"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "aef8048c789fa5e851558d709946d6d79a8ff88c0440c587967f8e94bfb1216a"
+dependencies = [
+ "phf_generator",
+ "phf_shared",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "phf_generator"
+version = "0.11.3"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "3c80231409c20246a13fddb31776fb942c38553c51e871f8cbd687a4cfb5843d"
+dependencies = [
+ "phf_shared",
+ "rand 0.8.6",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "phf_macros"
+version = "0.11.3"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "f84ac04429c13a7ff43785d75ad27569f2951ce0ffd30a3321230db2fc727216"
+dependencies = [
+ "phf_generator",
+ "phf_shared",
+ "proc-macro2",
+ "quote",
+ "syn",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "phf_shared"
+version = "0.11.3"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "67eabc2ef2a60eb7faa00097bd1ffdb5bd28e62bf39990626a582201b7a754e5"
+dependencies = [
+ "siphasher",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "pin-project-lite"
 version = "0.2.17"
@@ -1223,6 +1419,12 @@ dependencies = [
  "zerocopy",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "precomputed-hash"
+version = "0.1.1"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "925383efa346730478fb4838dbe9137d2a47675ad789c546d150a6e1dd4ab31c"
+
 [[package]]
 name = "prettyplease"
 version = "0.2.37"
@@ -1379,6 +1581,15 @@ dependencies = [
  "rand_core 0.9.5",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "redox_syscall"
+version = "0.5.18"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "ed2bf2547551a7053d6fdfafda3f938979645c44812fbfcda098faae3f1a362d"
+dependencies = [
+ "bitflags 2.11.1",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "regex"
 version = "1.12.3"
@@ -1563,6 +1774,12 @@ dependencies = [
  "windows-sys 0.61.2",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "scopeguard"
+version = "1.2.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "94143f37725109f92c262ed2cf5e59bce7498c01bcc1502d7b9afe439a4e9f49"
+
 [[package]]
 name = "security-framework"
 version = "3.7.0"
@@ -1683,6 +1900,12 @@ dependencies = [
  "libc",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "siphasher"
+version = "1.0.3"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "8ee5873ec9cce0195efcb7a4e9507a04cd49aec9c83d0389df45b1ef7ba2e649"
+
 [[package]]
 name = "slab"
 version = "0.4.12"
@@ -1709,6 +1932,7 @@ dependencies = [
 name = "sorter2-server"
 version = "0.0.1"
 dependencies = [
+ "ammonia",
  "async-stream",
  "axum",
  "axum-extra",
@@ -1742,6 +1966,31 @@ version = "1.2.1"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "6ce2be8dc25455e1f91df71bfa12ad37d7af1092ae736f3a6cd0e37bc7810596"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "string_cache"
+version = "0.8.9"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "bf776ba3fa74f83bf4b63c3dcbbf82173db2632ed8452cb2d891d33f459de70f"
+dependencies = [
+ "new_debug_unreachable",
+ "parking_lot",
+ "phf_shared",
+ "precomputed-hash",
+ "serde",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "string_cache_codegen"
+version = "0.5.4"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "c711928715f1fe0fe509c53b43e993a9a557babc2d0a3567d0a3006f1ac931a0"
+dependencies = [
+ "phf_generator",
+ "phf_shared",
+ "proc-macro2",
+ "quote",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "subtle"
 version = "2.6.1"
@@ -1813,6 +2062,17 @@ dependencies = [
  "windows-sys 0.61.2",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "tendril"
+version = "0.4.3"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "d24a120c5fc464a3458240ee02c299ebcb9d67b5249c8848b09d639dca8d7bb0"
+dependencies = [
+ "futf",
+ "mac",
+ "utf-8",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "thiserror"
 version = "1.0.69"
@@ -2116,6 +2376,12 @@ version = "2.1.3"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "daf8dba3b7eb870caf1ddeed7bc9d2a049f3cfdfae7cb521b087cc33ae4c49da"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "utf-8"
+version = "0.7.6"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "09cc8ee72d2a9becf2f2febe0205bbed8fc6615b7cb429ad062dc7b7ddd036a9"
+
 [[package]]
 name = "utf8_iter"
 version = "1.0.4"
@@ -2281,6 +2547,18 @@ dependencies = [
  "wasm-bindgen",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "web_atoms"
+version = "0.1.3"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "57ffde1dc01240bdf9992e3205668b235e59421fd085e8a317ed98da0178d414"
+dependencies = [
+ "phf",
+ "phf_codegen",
+ "string_cache",
+ "string_cache_codegen",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "windows-link"
 version = "0.2.1"
diff --git a/server/Cargo.toml b/server/Cargo.toml
index 47659ff82fbfb50972eb2b87575e80f66e572ba4..27f552c20b97ef28cdde4cb6b1a4980375135111 100644
--- a/server/Cargo.toml
+++ b/server/Cargo.toml
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ serde = { version = "1", features = ["derive"] }
 serde_json = "1"
 thiserror = "1"
 maud = { version = "0.26", features = ["axum"] }
+ammonia = "4.1"
 tower = "0.5"
 tower-http = { version = "0.5", features = ["trace"] }
 tracing = "0.1"
diff --git a/server/src/fetch/html.rs b/server/src/fetch/html.rs
index dadf050515f0473943dad97df5d318032c8cb385..5b160c6b8bd216dfaf80149854aec0566cd00460 100644
--- a/server/src/fetch/html.rs
+++ b/server/src/fetch/html.rs
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ use maud::{html, Markup};
 
 use crate::{
     form_template::template_json_compact,
+    html::sanitize::entity_body_html,
     path_types::ItemId,
     reddit::{is_children_fetchable, is_fetchable},
     reducer::NodeState,
@@ -27,7 +28,7 @@ pub fn entity_panel(node: &NodeState) -> Markup {
                     p class="muted small" { "by " (author) }
                 }
                 @if let Some(body) = &data.body_html {
-                    div class="entity-body" { (maud::PreEscaped(body)) }
+                    div class="entity-body" { (maud::PreEscaped(entity_body_html(body))) }
                 }
             }
         }
diff --git a/server/src/html/mod.rs b/server/src/html/mod.rs
index e180a0ca542a33e2300c0a4809e6b9cfee07ecfe..a58cbbee3490a08a625cb06df06848c59a615d65 100644
--- a/server/src/html/mod.rs
+++ b/server/src/html/mod.rs
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ use crate::{
     ui_action::UI_RPC_FIELD,
 };
 
+pub mod sanitize;
 pub mod vote;
 
 const SORTER_CSS: &str = include_str!("../../static/sorter.css");
diff --git a/server/src/html/sanitize.rs b/server/src/html/sanitize.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..6685ed2535281b9fd5d65b042cbc5a11c5d4df37
--- /dev/null
+++ b/server/src/html/sanitize.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+//! Whitelist sanitization for untrusted HTML fragments (e.g. Reddit `selftext_html`).
+
+use std::sync::LazyLock;
+
+use ammonia::Builder;
+
+static ENTITY_BODY: LazyLock<Builder<'static>> = LazyLock::new(|| {
+    let mut b = Builder::default();
+    b.strip_comments(true);
+    b.link_rel(Some("noopener noreferrer"));
+    b
+});
+
+/// Sanitize HTML safe for embedding in our pages via [`maud::PreEscaped`].
+pub fn entity_body_html(raw: &str) -> String {
+    ENTITY_BODY.clean(raw).to_string()
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::entity_body_html;
+
+    #[test]
+    fn keeps_benign_markup() {
+        assert_eq!(
+            entity_body_html("<p>release notes</p>"),
+            "<p>release notes</p>"
+        );
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn strips_scripts_and_event_handlers() {
+        let raw = "<p>ok</p><script>alert(1)</script><img src=x onerror=alert(1)>";
+        let clean = entity_body_html(raw);
+        assert!(!clean.contains("<script"));
+        assert!(!clean.contains("onerror"));
+        assert!(clean.contains("<p>ok</p>"));
+    }
+}
diff --git a/server/src/render/reddit.rs b/server/src/render/reddit.rs
index c4f98fc760c32ce1b41a91bd41e97908bd198937..7f840aa33b734a31d8cf3341a0581c8bcb9bbcf3 100644
--- a/server/src/render/reddit.rs
+++ b/server/src/render/reddit.rs
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 use maud::{html, Markup};
 
 use crate::{
+    html::sanitize::entity_body_html,
     path_types::ItemId,
     reducer::{EntityData, GlobalTree, NodeState},
 };
@@ -57,7 +58,7 @@ fn post_entity_card(data: &EntityData) -> Markup {
                 }
             }
             @if let Some(body) = &data.body_html {
-                div class="entity-body" { (maud::PreEscaped(body)) }
+                div class="entity-body" { (maud::PreEscaped(entity_body_html(body))) }
             }
         }
     }


Side B — contributor: tommy-mor
Side B — commit message:
[c59951f5] fixed canonical item paths business

Side B — unified diff (full patch):
diff --git a/server/src/html/breadcrumb_path.rs b/server/src/html/breadcrumb_path.rs
index 12ad2c84faf2fbb693015d4552e45b5c54d587b9..c8a3937923161a6ff248bd77e87eff0dc6fe9ab0 100644
--- a/server/src/html/breadcrumb_path.rs
+++ b/server/src/html/breadcrumb_path.rs
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-use crate::path_types::CanonicalItemUrl;
+use crate::path_types::{tilde_http_path_to_canonical, CanonicalItemUrl};
 
 /// Semantic view of an ontology path for rendering and routing decisions.
 pub(super) struct OntologyPath {
@@ -11,16 +11,7 @@ impl OntologyPath {
     /// Path is the `*path` segment from `/~/*path` (e.g. `topic/a`). Always treat it as under `~/`
     /// so it canonicalizes to `https://slug.social/~/…`, not the non-tilde site path.
     pub(super) fn from_input(path: &str) -> Self {
-        let p = path.trim_start_matches('/');
-        let raw = if p.starts_with("http://") || p.starts_with("https://") {
-            p.to_string()
-        } else if p.is_empty() {
-            "~/".to_string()
-        } else {
-            format!("~/{}", p)
-        };
-        let canonical = CanonicalItemUrl::parse(&raw)
-            .unwrap_or_else(|| CanonicalItemUrl::parse("~/").unwrap());
+        let canonical = tilde_http_path_to_canonical(path);
         Self::from_canonical(canonical)
     }
 
@@ -37,7 +28,7 @@ impl OntologyPath {
     }
 
     pub(super) fn root() -> Self {
-        Self::from_canonical(CanonicalItemUrl::parse("~/").unwrap())
+        Self::from_canonical(CanonicalItemUrl::ontology_root())
     }
 
     pub(super) fn is_root(&self) -> bool {
diff --git a/server/src/html/garden.rs b/server/src/html/garden.rs
index d58d9b46f575eb6b7e4971086b07dda75ca2f645..319feb15a6b68d2b5df98b4289fedbc9bdd048d3 100644
--- a/server/src/html/garden.rs
+++ b/server/src/html/garden.rs
@@ -459,6 +459,8 @@ struct ItemPageViewModel {
     item: String,
     body: Option<String>,
     sibling_rank: Option<SiblingRank>,
+    /// False at the tilde ontology root (`~/`): sibling-rank footnote does not apply.
+    item_has_parent: bool,
     child_rankings: ChildrenRankings,
     rank_history: Vec<RankHistoryEntryView>,
     /// Forum threads that mention or vote on this item.
@@ -470,11 +472,12 @@ fn build_sibling_rank(
     scope: &ScopeId,
     item: &CanonicalItemUrl,
 ) -> Option<SiblingRank> {
+    let item = item.clone().normalized_storage();
     let content = reduced
         .content_for_scope(scope)
         .unwrap_or_else(|| reduced.public());
     let group = &content.ranking_group;
-    let parent = item.parent()?;
+    let parent = item.parent()?.normalized_storage();
     let siblings: Vec<CanonicalItemUrl> = content
         .item_children
         .get(&parent)
@@ -492,7 +495,7 @@ fn build_sibling_rank(
     if scoped_idxs.is_empty() {
         return None;
     }
-    let current_idx = *group.item_to_idx.get(item)?;
+    let current_idx = *group.item_to_idx.get(&item)?;
     if !scoped_idxs.contains(&current_idx) {
         return None;
     }
@@ -520,7 +523,7 @@ fn build_sibling_rank(
         .filter_map(|li| local_to_global.get(*li).copied())
         .collect();
     let ranked = ranked_items_subset(group, &comp_global, 10000, 1e-8);
-    let position = ranked.iter().position(|r| &r.item == item)? + 1;
+    let position = ranked.iter().position(|r| r.item == item)? + 1;
     Some(SiblingRank {
         position,
         component_size: ranked.len(),
@@ -597,7 +600,9 @@ fn build_item_page_view_model(
         .content_for_scope(scope)
         .unwrap_or_else(|| reduced.public());
     let item_key = CanonicalItemUrl::parse(item)
-        .unwrap_or_else(|| CanonicalItemUrl::parse("~/").unwrap());
+        .unwrap_or_else(|| CanonicalItemUrl::parse("~/").unwrap())
+        .normalized_storage();
+    let item_has_parent = item_key.parent().is_some();
     let child_rankings = build_children_rankings(content, &item_key);
 
     let rank_history = build_rank_history(reduced, scope, item_key.as_str());
@@ -617,6 +622,7 @@ fn build_item_page_view_model(
             .cloned()
             .or_else(|| reduced.public().item_bodies.get(&item_key).cloned()),
         sibling_rank: build_sibling_rank(reduced, scope, &item_key),
+        item_has_parent,
         child_rankings,
         rank_history,
         threads,
@@ -652,7 +658,7 @@ async fn render_scope_view(
                             (format!("#{} of {}", rank.position, rank.component_size))
                         }
                         span class="muted" { (format!("({} siblings)", rank.sibling_total)) }
-                    } @else {
+                    } @else if model.item_has_parent {
                         span class="muted" { "unranked among siblings" }
                     }
                 }
@@ -815,6 +821,18 @@ mod tests {
         }));
     }
 
+    fn apply_ingest_room(state: &mut ReducerState, ts: i64, room_id: &str, raw: &str) {
+        state.apply_event(Event::Ingest(Ingest {
+            ts,
+            id: format!("ing-{ts}"),
+            raw: raw.to_string(),
+            principal: "testuser".to_string(),
+            delegate: Some("00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000:test:local/test".to_string()),
+            room_id: room_id.to_string(),
+            thread_tag: String::new(),
+        }));
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn item_page_model_includes_body_and_unranked_without_votes() {
         let mut reduced = ReducerState::default();
@@ -885,4 +903,85 @@ mod tests {
                 || model.child_rankings.unranked_items.contains(&CanonicalItemUrl("https://slug.social/~/topic/kid2".to_string()))
         );
     }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn item_page_room_scope_root_lists_top_level_children() {
+        let mut reduced = ReducerState::default();
+        apply_ingest_room(
+            &mut reduced,
+            1,
+            "9ab12cd/my-room",
+            "@00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000:test:local/test\n~/t1 {a}\n~/t2 {b}\n",
+        );
+        use crate::path_types::CanonicalItemUrl;
+        let root = CanonicalItemUrl::ontology_root();
+        let model = build_item_page_view_model(
+            &reduced,
+            &ScopeId::Room("9ab12cd/my-room".to_string()),
+            root.as_str(),
+        );
+        assert!(!model.item_has_parent);
+        assert_eq!(model.child_rankings.unranked_items.len(), 2);
+        let set: std::collections::HashSet<&str> = model
+            .child_rankings
+            .unranked_items
+            .iter()
+            .map(|u| u.as_str())
+            .collect();
+        assert!(set.contains("https://slug.social/~/t1"));
+        assert!(set.contains("https://slug.social/~/t2"));
+    }
+
+    /// Top-level `~/a` vs `~/b` votes form one ranked component under the ontology root.
+    #[test]
+    fn item_page_room_scope_root_shows_ranked_child_group() {
+        let mut reduced = ReducerState::default();
+        apply_ingest_room(
+            &mut reduced,
+            1,
+            "9ab12cd/my-room",
+            "@00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000:test:local/test\n\
+             ~/a {a}\n~/b {b}\n~/a 2:1 ~/b {because}\n",
+        );
+        use crate::path_types::CanonicalItemUrl;
+        let root = CanonicalItemUrl::ontology_root();
+        let model = build_item_page_view_model(
+            &reduced,
+            &ScopeId::Room("9ab12cd/my-room".to_string()),
+            root.as_str(),
+        );
+        assert_eq!(model.child_rankings.component_rankings.len(), 1);
+        assert_eq!(model.child_rankings.component_rankings[0].pairs, 1);
+        let names: Vec<&str> = model.child_rankings.component_rankings[0]
+            .ranked
+            .iter()
+            .map(|r| r.item.as_str())
+            .collect();
+        assert_eq!(
+            names,
+            vec!["https://slug.social/~/a", "https://slug.social/~/b"]
+        );
+        assert!(model.child_rankings.unranked_items.is_empty());
+    }
+
+    /// Legacy `https://slug.social/~/` spelling still resolves children under the real root key.
+    #[test]
+    fn item_page_model_normalizes_legacy_tilde_root_storage_url() {
+        let mut reduced = ReducerState::default();
+        apply_ingest(
+            &mut reduced,
+            1,
+            "@00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000:test:local/test\n~/x {x}\n",
+        );
+        let model = build_item_page_view_model(
+            &reduced,
+            &ScopeId::Public,
+            "https://slug.social/~/",
+        );
+        assert_eq!(model.child_rankings.unranked_items.len(), 1);
+        assert_eq!(
+            model.child_rankings.unranked_items[0].as_str(),
+            "https://slug.social/~/x"
+        );
+    }
 }
diff --git a/server/src/path_types.rs b/server/src/path_types.rs
index 4c8075bbd488f1b9a5eda9e03ced83f6238c6d5e..361a9d446c9043cbdea5f060db2e8633c2fd9bf9 100644
--- a/server/src/path_types.rs
+++ b/server/src/path_types.rs
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
 //! Re-exports — implementations live in `slug-types` (`paths` module).
 
-pub use slug_types::paths::{CanonicalItemUrl, RelativePath, TildePath};
+pub use slug_types::paths::{
+    tilde_http_path_to_canonical, CanonicalItemUrl, RelativePath, TildeHttpPathTail, TildePath,
+};
diff --git a/server/src/scope_rank.rs b/server/src/scope_rank.rs
index dc640848232b7e79142bfeeea3003c9023f84854..d656b2f0a0a3623ca6b234b746beaaca8ae6017d 100644
--- a/server/src/scope_rank.rs
+++ b/server/src/scope_rank.rs
@@ -149,9 +149,10 @@ pub fn build_rankings_for_item_set(content: &ContentState, items_in_scope: &[Can
 /// Build connected-component rankings for direct children of parent_scope.
 /// Matches the HTML garden view: multiple components, isolates, no-vote items.
 pub fn build_children_rankings(content: &ContentState, parent: &CanonicalItemUrl) -> ChildrenRankings {
+    let parent = parent.clone().normalized_storage();
     let items: Vec<CanonicalItemUrl> = content
         .item_children
-        .get(parent)
+        .get(&parent)
         .map(|s| s.iter().cloned().collect())
         .unwrap_or_default();
     build_rankings_for_item_set(content, &items)
diff --git a/server/tests/integration.rs b/server/tests/integration.rs
index f9c218378f6a173e56ae1cec797b3c492986eac0..d4c5bfe9c6f1c71dc61878bd8c5e729b1b7c69ef 100644
--- a/server/tests/integration.rs
+++ b/server/tests/integration.rs
@@ -704,6 +704,62 @@ async fn test_private_room_post_links_use_private_garden_routes() {
     assert!(garden_body.contains(&format!("/r/{room_short}/{room_slug}/t/garden-thread")));
 }
 
+#[tokio::test]
+async fn test_private_room_garden_root_lists_top_level_tilde_children() {
+    let (addr, _tmp, _log, _handle) = create_test_server().await;
+    let client = reqwest::Client::builder()
+        .redirect(reqwest::redirect::Policy::none())
+        .build()
+        .unwrap();
+    let bearer = test_bearer();
+
+    let create = rpc_batch(
+        &client,
+        addr,
+        Some(&bearer),
+        serde_json::json!([{
+            "RoomCreate": { "slug": "garden-root-list" }
+        }]),
+    )
+    .await;
+    let room_id = create["results"][0]["result"]["RoomCreated"]["room_id"]
+        .as_str()
+        .unwrap()
+        .to_string();
+    let (room_short, room_slug) = room_id.split_once('/').unwrap();
+
+    let rpc = ui_post_ingest_rpc(
+        &room_id,
+        "ing",
+        "~/test1 {wow}\n~/test2 {wow2}\n~/test1 2:1 ~/test2 {because}\n",
+    );
+    let post = client
+        .post(format!("http://{addr}/ui"))
+        .header("Authorization", format!("Bearer {bearer}"))
+        .form(&[("__rpc__", rpc.as_str())])
+        .send()
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(post.status(), reqwest::StatusCode::OK);
+
+    let root_page = client
+        .get(format!("http://{addr}/r/{room_short}/{room_slug}/~"))
+        .header("Authorization", format!("Bearer {bearer}"))
+        .send()
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+    assert!(root_page.status().is_success());
+    let body = root_page.text().await.unwrap();
+    assert!(
+        body.contains("ranked child groups"),
+        "expected garden child panel: {}",
+        body.len()
+    );
+    assert!(body.contains("~/test1"));
+    assert!(body.contains("~/test2"));
+    assert!(body.contains("ordering 1"));
+}
+
 #[tokio::test]
 async fn test_post_check_returns_targeted_js_error_for_missing_thread_tag() {
     let (addr, _tmp, _log, _handle) = create_test_server().await;
diff --git a/test/browser_public_garden.clj b/test/browser_public_garden.clj
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..7bea08e1cf2c8f5b1a94b0640a46e9ba5607b19b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/browser_public_garden.clj
@@ -0,0 +1,100 @@
+(ns test.browser-public-garden
+  "Regression: ingest ontology items in the public room via RPC, then open /~ in the browser
+   and assert ranked + unranked paths appear (HTML garden index — not JSON API)."
+  (:require [babashka.fs :as fs]
+            [cheshire.core :as json]
+            [clojure.string :as str]
+            [clojure.test :refer [deftest is]]
+            [com.blockether.spel.core :as core]
+            [com.blockether.spel.locator :as locator]
+            [com.blockether.spel.page :as page]
+            [test.common :as common]
+            [test.oauth :as oauth]))
+
+(defn- wait-for-text [pg selector expected timeout-ms]
+  (let [deadline (+ (System/currentTimeMillis) timeout-ms)]
+    (loop []
+      (let [text (locator/text-content (page/locator pg selector))]
+        (if (and (string? text) (str/includes? text expected))
+          true
+          (if (< (System/currentTimeMillis) deadline)
+            (do (Thread/sleep 200) (recur))
+            false))))))
+
+(defn public-garden-flow! []
+  (println "\n━━━ browser public room garden index (RPC seed + GET /~) ━━━\n")
+
+  (common/letlocals
+   (bind build (common/run-cargo-build-release! ["slugsocial-server"]))
+   (is (zero? (:exit build)) "cargo build succeeds")
+   (bind server-bin "target/release/slugsocial-server")
+
+   (bind tmp-dir (str (fs/create-temp-dir {:prefix "slug-browser-pub-garden-"})))
+   (bind slug-port (common/pick-port))
+   (bind google-port (common/pick-port))
+   (bind base-url (str "http://127.0.0.1:" slug-port))
+   (bind google-url (str "http://127.0.0.1:" google-port))
+
+   (bind !server (atom nil))
+   (bind !google (atom nil))
+   (bind server-env (common/slug-server-env tmp-dir base-url google-url slug-port))
+   (try
+     (reset! !google (oauth/start-mock-google google-port
+                                              :google-users ["google-user-alice"]))
+     (reset! !server (common/start-server server-bin server-env))
+     (is (common/wait-for-server base-url 10000) "server responds to /healthz")
+
+     (let [alice-token (oauth/fetch-bearer-token! base-url :username "alice")
+           thread-tag "browser-pub-garden"
+           ;; Ranked pair at root + one isolate so both panels are exercised.
+           raw (str "# " thread-tag "\n\n"
+                    "~/br-pub-a {alpha}\n"
+                    "~/br-pub-b {beta}\n"
+                    "~/br-pub-c {gamma}\n"
+                    "~/br-pub-a 2:1 ~/br-pub-b {browser regression vote}\n")
+           post-resp (oauth/http-post-json
+                      (str base-url "/api/v0/rpc")
+                      [{"Post" {"room" "public"
+                                "thread_tag" thread-tag
+                                "text" raw
+                                "return_rank_diff" false}}]
+                      :headers {"Authorization" (str "Bearer " alice-token)})
+           post-json (json/parse-string (:body post-resp) false)
+           _ (is (true? (get-in post-json ["results" 0 "ok"])) "seed public post via rpc")
+           rank-resp (oauth/http-post-json
+                      (str base-url "/api/v0/rpc")
+                      [{"GetGardenRank" {"room" "public"
+                                         "parent_path" "~"
+                                         "depth" 1}}])
+           rank-json (json/parse-string (:body rank-resp) false)
+           _ (is (true? (get-in rank-json ["results" 0 "ok"])) "GetGardenRank ok")
+           comps (get-in rank-json ["results" 0 "result" "GardenRank" "components"])
+           _ (is (pos? (count comps)) "rank API reports at least one component")]
+       (core/with-playwright [pw]
+         (core/with-browser [browser (core/launch-chromium pw {:headless true :channel "chrome"})]
+           (core/with-context [ctx (core/new-context browser)]
+             (core/with-page [pg (core/new-page-from-context ctx)]
+               (page/navigate pg (str base-url "/login"))
+               (is (wait-for-text pg "body" "@alice" 15000) "alice session after login")
+               (page/navigate pg (str base-url "/~"))
+               (is (wait-for-text pg "body" "paths" 15000) "public garden index shows paths heading")
+               (is (wait-for-text pg "body" "ordering" 10000)
+                   "ranked child group meta visible")
+               (is (wait-for-text pg "body" "~/br-pub-a" 10000) "ranked list shows ~/br-pub-a")
+               (is (wait-for-text pg "body" "~/br-pub-b" 10000) "ranked list shows ~/br-pub-b")
+               (is (wait-for-text pg "body" "unranked" 10000) "unranked section present")
+               (is (wait-for-text pg "body" "~/br-pub-c" 10000)
+                   "unranked list shows ~/br-pub-c"))))))
+
+     (finally
+       (when-some [s @!server] (common/kill-server s))
+       (when-some [g @!google] ((:stop-fn g)))
+       (fs/delete-tree tmp-dir)))
+
+   nil))
+
+(defn public-garden-browser-test [& _args]
+  (public-garden-flow!))
+
+(deftest browser-public-garden-index-check
+  (public-garden-flow!))
diff --git a/tests.edn b/tests.edn
index 56fdfa4f29383ad305fd8068783e4efe2ed334a0..6e96432ba766461b4233c75dc48db2633483e5e0 100644
--- a/tests.edn
+++ b/tests.edn
@@ -16,7 +16,8 @@
    :ns-patterns ["^test\\.browser-sse$"
                  "^test\\.browser-ui-morph$"
                  "^test\\.browser-post-redact$"
-                 "^test\\.browser-room-delete$"]
+                 "^test\\.browser-room-delete$"
+                 "^test\\.browser-public-garden$"]
    :kaocha.filter/skip-meta [:skip]
    :parallel? false}]
  :plugins [:kaocha.plugin/junit-xml]
diff --git a/types/src/lib.rs b/types/src/lib.rs
index 8cea90238ef6207d65ecdb2903b8958fafb213d2..edbb923e4d7d41ad82dfc254c3bd697562383527 100644
--- a/types/src/lib.rs
+++ b/types/src/lib.rs
@@ -4,8 +4,9 @@ pub mod paths;
 pub mod timeago;
 
 pub use paths::{
-    canonicalize_item, canonicalize_tag, item_parent_path, item_path_segments, CanonicalItemUrl,
-    ForumThreadUrl, GardenItemUrl, RelativePath, TildeOntologyPath, TildePath,
+    canonicalize_item, canonicalize_tag, item_parent_path, item_path_segments, normalize_slug_ontology_storage_url,
+    CanonicalItemUrl, ForumThreadUrl, GardenItemUrl, RelativePath, SLUG_TILDE_ONTOLOGY_ROOT,
+    TildeHttpPathTail, TildeOntologyPath, TildePath, tilde_http_path_to_canonical,
 };
 
 /// Max characters returned for a garden item body unless `full=true` / `--full` (API + CLI).
diff --git a/types/src/paths.rs b/types/src/paths.rs
index 668323ed777f360f2838a0dfe6eae68905d1183b..8971f599a7ebcf399f60c306d35ee28d0f581194 100644
--- a/types/src/paths.rs
+++ b/types/src/paths.rs
@@ -1,5 +1,13 @@
 //! Canonical paths, storage ids, and JSON href newtypes. All normalization and
 //! room-aware URL rules for items live here.
+//!
+//! ## String kinds (parse in this module only)
+//!
+//! - **[`canonicalize_item`] / [`CanonicalItemUrl`]** — graph storage key and DSL form; tilde
+//!   ontology root is always [`SLUG_TILDE_ONTOLOGY_ROOT`] (no `…/~/` trailing slash only).
+//! - **[`TildeHttpPathTail`]** — capture from `GET /~/*path` or `…/r/…/~/…` (the `*path` segment).
+//! - **`-/…` wire form** — external items; see [`canonicalize_item`] dash branch.
+//! - **[`GardenItemUrl`], [`ForumThreadUrl`]** — JSON / browser href surfaces.
 
 use std::borrow::Borrow;
 use std::fmt;
@@ -7,6 +15,23 @@ use std::ops::Deref;
 
 use serde::{Deserialize, Serialize};
 
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// Slug tilde ontology (single storage form for `~/`)
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+/// Canonical absolute URL for the tilde ontology **root** (`~/` in UI). Used as the
+/// `item_children` parent key for top-level items and must match [`CanonicalItemUrl::ontology_root`].
+pub const SLUG_TILDE_ONTOLOGY_ROOT: &str = "https://slug.social/~";
+
+/// Collapse legacy or parser variants of the ontology root to [`SLUG_TILDE_ONTOLOGY_ROOT`].
+pub fn normalize_slug_ontology_storage_url(s: &str) -> String {
+    if s == "https://slug.social/~/" {
+        SLUG_TILDE_ONTOLOGY_ROOT.to_string()
+    } else {
+        s.to_string()
+    }
+}
+
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 // Normalization (moved from server `canonical_path`)
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -89,6 +114,9 @@ pub fn canonicalize_item(input: &str) -> String {
         .join("/");
 
     if is_tilde {
+        if tail.is_empty() {
+            return SLUG_TILDE_ONTOLOGY_ROOT.to_string();
+        }
         format!("https://slug.social/~/{}", tail)
     } else if tail.is_empty() {
         "https://slug.social".to_string()
@@ -173,7 +201,7 @@ impl CanonicalItemUrl {
         if c.is_empty() {
             None
         } else {
-            Some(Self(c))
+            Some(Self(normalize_slug_ontology_storage_url(&c)))
         }
     }
 
@@ -181,8 +209,19 @@ impl CanonicalItemUrl {
         &self.0
     }
 
+    /// Collapses legacy slug ontology root spellings so [`HashMap`] keys match the reducer graph.
+    pub fn normalized_storage(self) -> Self {
+        Self(normalize_slug_ontology_storage_url(self.as_str()))
+    }
+
     pub fn tilde_tail(&self) -> Option<&str> {
-        self.0.strip_prefix("https://slug.social/~/")
+        if let Some(tail) = self.0.strip_prefix("https://slug.social/~/") {
+            return Some(tail);
+        }
+        if self.0 == SLUG_TILDE_ONTOLOGY_ROOT || self.0 == "https://slug.social/~/" {
+            return Some("");
+        }
+        None
     }
 
     pub fn last_segment(&self) -> &str {
@@ -193,7 +232,7 @@ impl CanonicalItemUrl {
     }
 
     pub fn ontology_root() -> Self {
-        Self("https://slug.social/~".to_string())
+        Self(SLUG_TILDE_ONTOLOGY_ROOT.to_string())
     }
 
     pub fn parent(&self) -> Option<Self> {
@@ -234,9 +273,13 @@ impl CanonicalItemUrl {
 
     /// `-/` representation for external `https://…` items, `~/…` for slug ontology, else unchanged.
     pub fn display_path(&self) -> String {
-        if let Some(tail) = self.0.strip_prefix("https://slug.social/~/") {
-            format!("~/{}", tail)
-        } else if let Some(tail) = self.0.strip_prefix("https://") {
+        if let Some(tail) = self.tilde_tail() {
+            if tail.is_empty() {
+                return "~/".to_string();
+            }
+            return format!("~/{}", tail);
+        }
+        if let Some(tail) = self.0.strip_prefix("https://") {
             if tail.starts_with("slug.social") {
                 self.0.clone()
             } else {
@@ -276,6 +319,37 @@ impl CanonicalItemUrl {
     }
 }
 
+/// HTTP route capture: path segment after `~/` in `GET /~/*path` or `…/r/…/~/…` (empty = ontology root).
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, PartialEq, Eq, Hash)]
+pub struct TildeHttpPathTail(pub String);
+
+impl TildeHttpPathTail {
+    pub fn new(path_segment: &str) -> Self {
+        Self(path_segment.trim_start_matches('/').to_string())
+    }
+
+    pub fn as_str(&self) -> &str {
+        &self.0
+    }
+
+    pub fn to_canonical(&self) -> CanonicalItemUrl {
+        tilde_http_path_to_canonical(self.as_str())
+    }
+}
+
+/// Map the router's tilde tail (e.g. `topic/a`, or empty for root) to a [`CanonicalItemUrl`].
+pub fn tilde_http_path_to_canonical(path_segment: &str) -> CanonicalItemUrl {
+    let p = path_segment.trim_start_matches('/');
+    let raw = if p.starts_with("http://") || p.starts_with("https://") {
+        p.to_string()
+    } else if p.is_empty() {
+        "~/".to_string()
+    } else {
+        format!("~/{}", p)
+    };
+    CanonicalItemUrl::parse(&raw).unwrap_or_else(|| CanonicalItemUrl::ontology_root())
+}
+
 impl fmt::Display for CanonicalItemUrl {
     fn fmt(&self, f: &mut fmt::Formatter<'_>) -> fmt::Result {
         self.0.fmt(f)
@@ -557,6 +631,44 @@ mod tests {
     fn canonical_parent_root_is_none() {
         let root = CanonicalItemUrl::parse("~/").unwrap();
         assert!(root.parent().is_none());
+        assert_eq!(root.as_str(), SLUG_TILDE_ONTOLOGY_ROOT);
+        assert_eq!(root, CanonicalItemUrl::ontology_root());
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn tilde_ontology_root_unifies_forms() {
+        assert_eq!(canonicalize_item("~/"), SLUG_TILDE_ONTOLOGY_ROOT);
+        assert_eq!(
+            normalize_slug_ontology_storage_url("https://slug.social/~/"),
+            SLUG_TILDE_ONTOLOGY_ROOT.to_string()
+        );
+        assert_eq!(
+            CanonicalItemUrl::parse("https://slug.social/~/")
+                .unwrap()
+                .as_str(),
+            SLUG_TILDE_ONTOLOGY_ROOT
+        );
+        let legacy = CanonicalItemUrl("https://slug.social/~/".to_string());
+        assert_eq!(legacy.normalized_storage().as_str(), SLUG_TILDE_ONTOLOGY_ROOT);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn tilde_http_path_tail_maps_router_segment() {
+        assert_eq!(
+            TildeHttpPathTail::new("").to_canonical(),
+            CanonicalItemUrl::ontology_root()
+        );
+        assert_eq!(
+            tilde_http_path_to_canonical("topic/x").as_str(),
+            "https://slug.social/~/topic/x"
+        );
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn display_path_slug_ontology_root() {
+        let r = CanonicalItemUrl::ontology_root();
+        assert_eq!(r.display_path(), "~/");
+        assert_eq!(r.tilde_tail(), Some(""));
     }
 
     #[test]