Graph rail and hover UX pass (2026-06-25)

Verdict: Note-page local graphs, Journal/Projects sidebars, and Home/Notes overview graphs now share one hover-tip system (10% paper wash, HTML overlay). Per-note graph geometry is deterministic from link topology, not a random seed. Independent sidebar scroll and condensed-page promotion remain backlog.

Continuation of 2026-06-25 audit maintenance pass — same session, graph/UX scope.

Shipped

Note page (Note.astro + constellation.ts)

• Local graph moved to top of right rail (graph → TOC → backlinks).
• Deterministic layout via deriveLocalGeometry() — domain angles, link mass, angular span; no hash(slug) rotation.
• Variable node budgets (A+C): landmarks = min(⌊√direct⌋, uniqueDomains, 4); sats/landmark 1 or 2; cap derived per note.
• Flattened rail: proportional Y squeeze, 118px height, graph bleeds ±20px into column gap.
• Smaller nodes; subtle current-node ring (note rail only).
• HTML hover tip — centered above node, 10% color-mix(paper) wash, no border box; canvas labels off on note rail.

Journal + Projects graphs

• Distinguished from note rail via noteRailLocal vs localSeedLabels / localHoverTip.
• Persistent canvas titles on seed/project nodes only; neighbors use hover tip.
• Projects page restored: 2fr / 1fr grid matching Journal — cards left, vertical orient="vertical" graph right, sticky aside.
• Project seeds = current projects from collection (dynamic).

Home spine + Notes full graph

• HTML hover tips for hovered node + neighborhood (overviewHoverTips).
• Label separation — iterative nudge so neighbor titles don’t stack; full graph caps at 12 neighbor tips by degree.
• Spine hub labels stay on canvas; hover neighbors use HTML tips.

Search / journal surfaces (earlier in session)

• Single inline search in Chrome.astro; ⌘K focuses it; removed width animation (sticky blur jank).
• pagefind-client.ts runtime load; ensure-pagefind.mjs for dev.
• update-journal-surfaces.mjs — 5 recent entries, calendar recent-first; Journal calendar nav pill.
• update-notes-catalog.mjs; repair-links.mjs (38 wiki files).
• Journal index trimmed to 5 recent + calendar link.

Key files

Area	Paths
Graph logic	src/islands/constellation.ts
Graph shell	src/components/Constellation.astro
Note layout	src/layouts/Note.astro
Projects / Journal	src/pages/projects.astro, src/pages/journal.astro
Search	src/components/Chrome.astro, src/islands/search-inline.ts, src/lib/pagefind-client.ts

Constants worth tuning later

• LOCAL_RAIL_AR_BOOST, LOCAL_X_STRETCH, LOCAL_FIT_BOOST — rail flatten/zoom
• localSpineBudget() thresholds — node count spread
• Tip wash: color-mix(paper 10%) in Constellation.astro
• Overview neighbor cap: 12 on full graph

Backlog (discussed, not done)

• Independent scroll on note page (body vs sidebar panes) — user asked; not implemented.
• Condensed pages, H5 ledger, mature promotion, remove flavors-preview.css.
• Map page / domain graphs — unchanged hover model.

Resume here

1. User said hold on further graph tweaks — test Home/Notes hover separation on dense hubs.
2. If note rail scroll still annoys → implement split overflow-y panes on desktop only.
3. Run npm run build before dev (Pagefind); dev at localhost:4321.