Remove [[wiki-links]], backlinks and the graph

Operator, 2026-08-22 (note 2897): ThoughtSync is an intermediary surface. You
write here because it's easy — a notebook in your pocket — and later you recall
the thing and go finish it somewhere else. Recall is the product; organization
is secondary. A linking system is organization, and it isn't what this is for.

So: `[[wiki-links]]`, backlinks, the `[[` autocomplete, the note_links table,
`/api/notes/link-search`, `/api/notes/<id>/backlinks`, the whole graph blueprint
and GraphView. Rust core loses `extract_links`, `backlinks`, `link_search` and
`create_titled`; the desktop loses the three Tauri commands that exposed them.

This subsumes 982d24c rather than reverting it. That commit bound links to a
note id so a rename would stop rewriting other notes' bodies — real infra, but
infra for a feature that is now gone, and nothing it added survives. Alembic
0023 stays in the chain anyway: it shipped in an image and may already be
applied, and deleting an applied revision strands a database's version pointer.
0024 drops the table and takes the column with it. The history stays honest
about the fact that it existed for a day.

Two things deliberately kept, because they were serving recall and only
incidentally serving links:

- `/api/notes/titles` and the titles store. The command palette lists them so
  you can jump to a note by name. `resolve()` — the name→note lookup that only
  linking needed — is gone.
- `display_title`. Every note still has a name for search results and export
  filenames. What that name is FOR changed; that it exists did not.

`notes/links.py` is now `notes/tags.py`, holding the #tag→label reconciliation
it always also owned. A file called links.py with no links in it would have been
exactly the drift this removal is meant to end.

Also swept out on the way: `_escape_like`, whose only caller was link-search,
and the `graph` icon. Nothing lost that a person typed — note_links was always
derived, and the `[[text]]` is still sitting in every body it was written in.

frontend/src/components/AppShell.vue

@@ -49,7 +49,6 @@ const shortcuts = [
   { label: "New note (or just start typing)", keys: ["Enter", "c"] },
   { label: "Search", keys: ["/"] },
   { label: "Go to Board", keys: ["g", "b"] },
-  { label: "Go to Graph", keys: ["g", "g"] },
   { label: "Go to Reminders", keys: ["g", "r"] },
   { label: "Go to Timeline", keys: ["g", "t"] },
   { label: "Browse cards", keys: ["↑", "↓", "←", "→"] },
@@ -121,11 +120,6 @@ function onKeydown(e: KeyboardEvent) {
       void router.push("/");
       return;
     }
-    if (e.key === "g") {
-      e.preventDefault();
-      void router.push("/graph");
-      return;
-    }
     if (e.key === "r") {
       e.preventDefault();
       void router.push("/reminders");
@@ -207,7 +201,7 @@ watch(
  *
  * Keyed off the route name rather than each view declaring its own title, so the
  * label sits in one place and can't go missing (the board and search never had one)
- * or drift in styling (timeline, reminders and graph each had their own h1).
+ * or drift in styling (timeline and reminders each had their own h1).
  *
  * A label lens is named by the label itself — "Groceries" is what the user came
  * looking for; "Label" would tell them nothing they didn't already know.
@@ -224,8 +218,6 @@ const lensName = computed<string>(() => {
       return "Timeline";
     case "reminders":
       return "Reminders";
-    case "graph":
-      return "Graph";
     case "label":
       // The store may not have loaded yet on a deep link; fall back rather than
       // flashing an empty slot.
@@ -403,9 +395,6 @@ async function signOut() {
           <RouterLink to="/" class="nav-link" :class="route.name === 'board' ? 'nav-link-active' : ''">
             <Icon name="note" /> Notes
           </RouterLink>
-          <RouterLink to="/graph" class="nav-link" :class="route.name === 'graph' ? 'nav-link-active' : ''">
-            <Icon name="graph" /> Graph
-          </RouterLink>
 
           <div class="mt-3 flex items-center justify-between px-3 pb-1">
             <span class="text-xs font-semibold uppercase tracking-wide text-neutral-400">Labels</span>
@@ -522,7 +511,7 @@ async function signOut() {
            BoardView, so keying on the route would remount it — blanking the board
            and refetching, which is precisely the page-change feeling this is meant
            to remove. Unkeyed, Vue only transitions when the component TYPE changes
-           (board ↔ search ↔ timeline ↔ graph), and moving between the board's own
+           (board ↔ search ↔ timeline), and moving between the board's own
            lenses stays an in-place reflow that NoteGrid animates. -->
       <main id="main" tabindex="-1" class="min-w-0 flex-1 focus:outline-none">
         <RouterView v-slot="{ Component }">

frontend/src/components/CommandPalette.vue

@@ -42,7 +42,6 @@ const commands = computed<Row[]>(() => {
   const list: Row[] = [
     { id: "cmd:new", label: "New note", hint: "Action", run: compose },
     { id: "cmd:board", label: "Go to Board", hint: "Navigate", run: () => go("/") },
-    { id: "cmd:graph", label: "Go to Graph", hint: "Navigate", run: () => go("/graph") },
     { id: "cmd:reminders", label: "Go to Reminders", hint: "Navigate", run: () => go("/reminders") },
     { id: "cmd:timeline", label: "Go to Timeline", hint: "Navigate", run: () => go("/timeline") },
     { id: "cmd:archive", label: "Go to Archive", hint: "Navigate", run: () => go("/archive") },

frontend/src/components/Icon.vue

@@ -16,7 +16,6 @@ const paths: Record<string, string> = {
   check: '<path d="M20 6 9 17l-5-5"/>',
   checkbox: '<rect width="18" height="18" x="3" y="3" rx="2"/><path d="m9 12 2 2 4-4"/>',
   image: '<rect width="18" height="18" x="3" y="3" rx="2"/><circle cx="9" cy="9" r="2"/><path d="m21 15-3.086-3.086a2 2 0 0 0-2.828 0L6 21"/>',
-  graph: '<circle cx="18" cy="5" r="3"/><circle cx="6" cy="12" r="3"/><circle cx="18" cy="19" r="3"/><line x1="8.59" x2="15.42" y1="13.51" y2="17.49"/><line x1="15.41" x2="8.59" y1="6.51" y2="10.49"/>',
   bell: '<path d="M10.268 21a2 2 0 0 0 3.464 0"/><path d="M3.262 15.326A1 1 0 0 0 4 17h16a1 1 0 0 0 .74-1.673C19.41 13.956 18 12.499 18 8A6 6 0 0 0 6 8c0 4.499-1.411 5.956-2.738 7.326"/>',
   grip: '<circle cx="9" cy="5" r="1" fill="currentColor"/><circle cx="9" cy="12" r="1" fill="currentColor"/><circle cx="9" cy="19" r="1" fill="currentColor"/><circle cx="15" cy="5" r="1" fill="currentColor"/><circle cx="15" cy="12" r="1" fill="currentColor"/><circle cx="15" cy="19" r="1" fill="currentColor"/>',
   calendar: '<path d="M8 2v4"/><path d="M16 2v4"/><rect width="18" height="18" x="3" y="4" rx="2"/><path d="M3 10h18"/>',

frontend/src/components/MarkdownInline.vue

@@ -1,65 +1,17 @@
 <script setup lang="ts">
-import { computed } from "vue";
-import { useRouter } from "vue-router";
-import { useNotesStore, type NoteLinkRef } from "../stores/notes";
-import { useTitlesStore } from "../stores/titles";
 import type { InlineToken } from "../notes/markdown";
 
-const props = defineProps<{ tokens: InlineToken[]; links?: NoteLinkRef[] }>();
-
-const router = useRouter();
-const notes = useNotesStore();
-const titles = useTitlesStore();
-
-/**
- * Where a [[link]] token actually points, according to the server.
- *
- * Keyed on the normalized written text, which is what survives in the body — the
- * server resolved it to an id when the link was saved, so this keeps working after
- * the target has been renamed and the written text has gone stale.
- */
-const bound = computed(() => {
-  const map = new Map<string, NoteLinkRef>();
-  for (const l of props.links ?? []) map.set(l.norm, l);
-  return map;
-});
-
-/** What to SHOW for a link: the target's current name, else the text as written. */
-function label(token: string): string {
-  return bound.value.get(token.trim().toLowerCase())?.title ?? token;
-}
-
-// Open the target via the board's ?open=<id> mechanism, creating the note first if
-// the link names one that doesn't exist — which is a supported way to make a note.
-async function follow(token: string) {
-  const hit = bound.value.get(token.trim().toLowerCase());
-  if (hit) {
-    void router.push({ path: "/", query: { open: hit.id } });
-    return;
-  }
-  // No server binding: either this is running offline against the local store, or
-  // the link genuinely resolves to nothing. The name index answers the first case.
-  await titles.load();
-  const byName = titles.resolve(token);
-  const id = byName ? byName.id : (await notes.createTitled(token)).id;
-  if (!byName) await titles.reload();
-  void router.push({ path: "/", query: { open: id } });
-}
+// Emphasis and code only. `[[wiki-links]]` were the one token type that needed a
+// router, a store and a resolver behind it; they are gone (note 2897), and so is all
+// of that.
+defineProps<{ tokens: InlineToken[] }>();
 </script>
 
 <!-- Rendered tightly (no whitespace between tokens) so a token's own leading/trailing
      spaces are preserved and no extra spaces are introduced. -->
 <template
   ><template v-for="(t, i) in tokens" :key="i"
-    ><span
-      v-if="t.type === 'link'"
-      role="link"
-      tabindex="0"
-      class="cursor-pointer font-medium text-brand-700 underline-offset-2 hover:underline dark:text-brand"
-      @click.stop="follow(t.value)"
-      @keydown.enter.stop.prevent="follow(t.value)"
-      >{{ label(t.value) }}</span
-    ><strong v-else-if="t.type === 'bold'" class="font-semibold">{{ t.value }}</strong
+    ><strong v-if="t.type === 'bold'" class="font-semibold">{{ t.value }}</strong
     ><em v-else-if="t.type === 'italic'">{{ t.value }}</em
     ><code
       v-else-if="t.type === 'code'"

frontend/src/components/MarkdownText.vue

@@ -2,38 +2,35 @@
 import { computed } from "vue";
 import { parseMarkdown } from "../notes/markdown";
 import MarkdownInline from "./MarkdownInline.vue";
-import type { NoteLinkRef } from "../stores/notes";
 
-// `links` is the owning note's resolved [[links]], passed straight through to every
-// inline run — only MarkdownInline uses it, but only this component knows the note.
-const props = defineProps<{ text: string; links?: NoteLinkRef[] }>();
+const props = defineProps<{ text: string }>();
 const blocks = computed(() => parseMarkdown(props.text));
 </script>
 
 <template>
   <div class="space-y-1.5 break-words">
     <template v-for="(b, i) in blocks" :key="i">
-      <h3 v-if="b.type === 'h1'" class="text-base font-bold"><MarkdownInline :tokens="b.inline ?? []" :links="links" /></h3>
-      <h4 v-else-if="b.type === 'h2'" class="text-sm font-bold"><MarkdownInline :tokens="b.inline ?? []" :links="links" /></h4>
-      <h5 v-else-if="b.type === 'h3'" class="text-sm font-semibold"><MarkdownInline :tokens="b.inline ?? []" :links="links" /></h5>
+      <h3 v-if="b.type === 'h1'" class="text-base font-bold"><MarkdownInline :tokens="b.inline ?? []" /></h3>
+      <h4 v-else-if="b.type === 'h2'" class="text-sm font-bold"><MarkdownInline :tokens="b.inline ?? []" /></h4>
+      <h5 v-else-if="b.type === 'h3'" class="text-sm font-semibold"><MarkdownInline :tokens="b.inline ?? []" /></h5>
       <blockquote
         v-else-if="b.type === 'quote'"
         class="whitespace-pre-wrap border-l-2 border-neutral-300 pl-2 text-neutral-600 dark:border-neutral-600 dark:text-neutral-400"
       >
-        <MarkdownInline :tokens="b.inline ?? []" :links="links" />
+        <MarkdownInline :tokens="b.inline ?? []" />
       </blockquote>
       <ul v-else-if="b.type === 'ul'" class="list-disc space-y-0.5 pl-5">
-        <li v-for="(it, j) in b.items ?? []" :key="j"><MarkdownInline :tokens="it" :links="links" /></li>
+        <li v-for="(it, j) in b.items ?? []" :key="j"><MarkdownInline :tokens="it" /></li>
       </ul>
       <ol v-else-if="b.type === 'ol'" class="list-decimal space-y-0.5 pl-5">
-        <li v-for="(it, j) in b.items ?? []" :key="j"><MarkdownInline :tokens="it" :links="links" /></li>
+        <li v-for="(it, j) in b.items ?? []" :key="j"><MarkdownInline :tokens="it" /></li>
       </ol>
       <pre
         v-else-if="b.type === 'pre'"
         class="overflow-x-auto whitespace-pre-wrap rounded-md bg-black/5 p-2 font-mono text-xs dark:bg-white/10"
         >{{ b.value ?? "" }}</pre
       >
-      <p v-else class="whitespace-pre-wrap"><MarkdownInline :tokens="b.inline ?? []" :links="links" /></p>
+      <p v-else class="whitespace-pre-wrap"><MarkdownInline :tokens="b.inline ?? []" /></p>
     </template>
   </div>
 </template>

frontend/src/components/NoteCard.vue

@@ -237,7 +237,7 @@ onBeforeUnmount(() => document.removeEventListener("mousedown", onDocMousedown))
         {{ note.title }}
       </h3>
       <div v-if="note.body" class="text-sm text-neutral-700 dark:text-neutral-300">
-        <MarkdownText :text="note.body" :links="note.links" />
+        <MarkdownText :text="note.body" />
       </div>
       <p v-if="!note.title && !note.body && !note.attachments.length" class="text-sm italic text-neutral-400">
         Empty note

frontend/src/components/NoteEditor.vue

@@ -3,7 +3,6 @@ import { computed, nextTick, onMounted, ref, watch } from "vue";
 import { repo } from "../adapters";
 import { useNotesStore } from "../stores/notes";
 import { useConfigStore } from "../stores/config";
-import { useTitlesStore, type TitleEntry } from "../stores/titles";
 import ColorPicker from "./ColorPicker.vue";
 import Icon from "./Icon.vue";
 import LabelPicker from "./LabelPicker.vue";
@@ -27,7 +26,6 @@ const props = withDefaults(defineProps<{ note?: Note | null; initialBody?: strin
 const emit = defineEmits<{ (e: "close"): void; (e: "navigate", id: string): void }>();
 const notes = useNotesStore();
 const config = useConfigStore();
-const titles = useTitlesStore();
 
 const noteId = ref<string | null>(props.note?.id ?? null);
 const title = ref(props.note?.title ?? "");
@@ -40,7 +38,6 @@ const root = ref<HTMLElement | null>(null);
 const bodyInput = ref<HTMLTextAreaElement | null>(null);
 const fileInput = ref<HTMLInputElement | null>(null);
 const uploadError = ref("");
-const backlinks = ref<{ id: string; title: string }[]>([]);
 
 // Baseline for edit-mode change detection (save only when text actually changed).
 const baseline = ref<{ title: string | null; body: string; color: NoteColor }>({
@@ -163,7 +160,6 @@ function resetCompose(): void {
   labelList.value = [];
   createKind.value = "text";
   baseline.value = { title: null, body: "", color: "default" };
-  linkMenu.value = false;
   uploadError.value = "";
 }
 
@@ -242,22 +238,7 @@ function onBackdropMousedown(): void {
   void dismiss();
 }
 
-async function loadBacklinks(): Promise<void> {
-  if (!noteId.value) {
-    backlinks.value = [];
-    return;
-  }
-  try {
-    backlinks.value = await repo.notes.backlinks(noteId.value);
-  } catch {
-    backlinks.value = [];
-  }
-}
-watch(() => noteId.value, loadBacklinks);
-
 onMounted(async () => {
-  void titles.load();
-  void loadBacklinks();
   await nextTick();
   const el = bodyInput.value;
   el?.focus();
@@ -265,99 +246,6 @@ onMounted(async () => {
   if (el) el.selectionStart = el.selectionEnd = el.value.length;
 });
 
-// ---- outgoing links (edit mode) ----
-//
-// Two sources, in order. The note's SAVED links carry the server's binding, so a
-// target that has since been renamed still resolves and is listed under its current
-// name. A link just typed into the textarea has no saved row yet, and the name index
-// is the best that can be said about it until the note is saved.
-const outgoingLinks = computed(() => {
-  const boundByNorm = new Map((props.note?.links ?? []).map((l) => [l.norm, l]));
-  const re = /\[\[([^[\]]+)\]\]/g;
-  const seen = new Set<string>();
-  const out: { title: string; id: string | null }[] = [];
-  let match: RegExpExecArray | null;
-  while ((match = re.exec(body.value)) !== null) {
-    const t = match[1].trim();
-    const key = t.toLowerCase();
-    if (t && !seen.has(key)) {
-      seen.add(key);
-      const hit = boundByNorm.get(key);
-      out.push(hit ? { title: hit.title, id: hit.id } : { title: t, id: titles.resolve(t)?.id ?? null });
-    }
-  }
-  return out;
-});
-
-async function openLink(link: { title: string; id: string | null }) {
-  if (link.id) {
-    emit("navigate", link.id);
-    return;
-  }
-  const created = await notes.createTitled(link.title);
-  await titles.reload();
-  emit("navigate", created.id);
-}
-
-// ---- [[ link autocomplete in the body textarea ----
-const linkMenu = ref(false);
-const linkQuery = ref("");
-const linkStart = ref(-1);
-const linkSelected = ref(0);
-const linkMatches = ref<TitleEntry[]>([]);
-let linkTimer: ReturnType<typeof setTimeout> | undefined;
-
-function refreshLinkMatches() {
-  if (linkTimer) clearTimeout(linkTimer);
-  const q = linkQuery.value.trim();
-  linkTimer = setTimeout(async () => {
-    try {
-      const results = await repo.notes.linkSearch(q);
-      linkMatches.value = results.filter((r) => r.id !== noteId.value).slice(0, 8);
-    } catch {
-      linkMatches.value = [];
-    }
-    linkSelected.value = 0;
-  }, 120);
-}
-
-function onBodyInput() {
-  const el = bodyInput.value;
-  if (!el) return;
-  const caret = el.selectionStart ?? 0;
-  const text = body.value.slice(0, caret);
-  const open = text.lastIndexOf("[[");
-  if (open === -1) {
-    linkMenu.value = false;
-    return;
-  }
-  const between = text.slice(open + 2);
-  if (between.includes("]") || between.includes("\n")) {
-    linkMenu.value = false;
-    return;
-  }
-  linkQuery.value = between;
-  linkStart.value = open;
-  linkSelected.value = 0;
-  linkMenu.value = true;
-  refreshLinkMatches();
-}
-
-function insertLink(t: string) {
-  const el = bodyInput.value;
-  const caret = el?.selectionStart ?? body.value.length;
-  const before = body.value.slice(0, linkStart.value);
-  const after = body.value.slice(caret);
-  const insertion = `[[${t}]]`;
-  body.value = before + insertion + after;
-  linkMenu.value = false;
-  const pos = before.length + insertion.length;
-  void nextTick(() => {
-    el?.focus();
-    el?.setSelectionRange(pos, pos);
-  });
-}
-
 function onBodyKeydown(e: KeyboardEvent) {
   // Compose: Shift+Enter saves the note and starts a fresh one (rapid capture).
   if (isCreate.value && e.key === "Enter" && e.shiftKey) {
@@ -365,25 +253,6 @@ function onBodyKeydown(e: KeyboardEvent) {
     void commitAndContinue();
     return;
   }
-  if (!linkMenu.value || linkMatches.value.length === 0) return;
-  if (e.key === "ArrowDown") {
-    e.preventDefault();
-    linkSelected.value = Math.min(linkSelected.value + 1, linkMatches.value.length - 1);
-  } else if (e.key === "ArrowUp") {
-    e.preventDefault();
-    linkSelected.value = Math.max(linkSelected.value - 1, 0);
-  } else if (e.key === "Enter" || e.key === "Tab") {
-    const m = linkMatches.value[linkSelected.value];
-    if (m) {
-      e.preventDefault();
-      insertLink(m.title);
-    }
-  } else if (e.key === "Escape") {
-    // Close only the menu — don't let Esc bubble to the frame's close/commit.
-    e.preventDefault();
-    e.stopPropagation();
-    linkMenu.value = false;
-  }
 }
 
 function onTitleEnter(e: KeyboardEvent) {
@@ -694,37 +563,15 @@ function revPreview(rev: NoteRevision): string {
           @keydown.enter="onTitleEnter"
         />
 
-        <div v-if="!showChecklist" class="relative">
-          <textarea
-            ref="bodyInput"
-            v-model="body"
-            rows="8"
-            :placeholder="bodyPlaceholder"
-            class="w-full resize-none bg-transparent text-sm leading-relaxed outline-none placeholder:text-neutral-400"
-            @input="onBodyInput"
-            @keydown="onBodyKeydown"
-          />
-          <ul
-            v-if="linkMenu && linkMatches.length"
-            class="absolute left-0 top-full z-10 mt-1 max-h-48 w-64 overflow-y-auto rounded-lg border border-neutral-200 bg-white p-1 shadow-lg dark:border-neutral-700 dark:bg-neutral-800"
-          >
-            <li v-for="(m, i) in linkMatches" :key="m.id">
-              <button
-                type="button"
-                class="flex w-full items-center rounded-md px-2 py-1.5 text-left text-sm"
-                :class="
-                  i === linkSelected
-                    ? 'bg-brand/15 text-brand-700 dark:text-brand'
-                    : 'hover:bg-neutral-100 dark:hover:bg-neutral-700'
-                "
-                @mousemove="linkSelected = i"
-                @mousedown.prevent="insertLink(m.title)"
-              >
-                <span class="truncate">{{ m.title }}</span>
-              </button>
-            </li>
-          </ul>
-        </div>
+        <textarea
+          v-if="!showChecklist"
+          ref="bodyInput"
+          v-model="body"
+          rows="8"
+          :placeholder="bodyPlaceholder"
+          class="w-full resize-none bg-transparent text-sm leading-relaxed outline-none placeholder:text-neutral-400"
+          @keydown="onBodyKeydown"
+        />
         <NoteChecklist v-else class="py-1" :note-id="liveNote.id" :items="liveNote.items" editable />
 
         <div v-if="labelList.length" class="flex flex-wrap gap-1.5 pt-1">
@@ -793,43 +640,6 @@ function revPreview(rev: NoteRevision): string {
           </button>
         </div>
 
-        <div
-          v-if="!isCreate && (outgoingLinks.length || backlinks.length)"
-          class="flex flex-col gap-2 border-t border-neutral-100 pt-2 dark:border-neutral-800"
-        >
-          <div v-if="outgoingLinks.length">
-            <p class="mb-1 text-xs font-semibold uppercase tracking-wide text-neutral-400">Links</p>
-            <div class="flex flex-wrap gap-1.5">
-              <button
-                v-for="link in outgoingLinks"
-                :key="link.title"
-                type="button"
-                class="inline-flex items-center gap-1 rounded-full px-2 py-0.5 text-xs"
-                :class="
-                  link.id
-                    ? 'bg-brand/15 text-brand-700 dark:text-brand'
-                    : 'bg-black/5 text-neutral-500 dark:bg-white/10 dark:text-neutral-400'
-                "
-                :title="link.id ? `Open ${link.title}` : `Create ${link.title}`"
-                @click="openLink(link)"
-              >
-                {{ link.title }}<span v-if="!link.id" class="opacity-60">＋</span>
-              </button>
-            </div>
-          </div>
-          <div v-if="backlinks.length">
-            <p class="mb-1 text-xs font-semibold uppercase tracking-wide text-neutral-400">Linked from</p>
-            <div class="flex flex-wrap gap-1.5">
-              <button
-                v-for="b in backlinks"
-                :key="b.id"
-                type="button"
-                class="inline-flex items-center rounded-full bg-black/5 px-2 py-0.5 text-xs text-neutral-600 hover:bg-black/10 dark:bg-white/10 dark:text-neutral-300"
-                @click="emit('navigate', b.id)"
-              >
-                {{ b.title }}
-              </button>
-            </div>
           </div>
         </div>