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feat: implement Git-style node references and progressive IDs
Inspired by Git's approach to commit hashes, Forest now uses progressive abbreviation for node IDs and supports multiple reference patterns for maximum flexibility and ergonomics. ## Key Features ### 1. Progressive Abbreviation (Git-style) - Display: Shows shortest unique prefix (4-7 chars typically) - Acceptance: Any length prefix works (4, 8, 12, or full UUID) - Backward compatible: All existing 8-char IDs continue working - Auto-expanding: Prefixes grow as needed to avoid collisions ### 2. Multiple Reference Types - UUID prefixes: `7fa7acb2` (case-insensitive, works with/without dashes) - Recency refs: `@` (last updated), `@1` (second last), `@2`, etc. - Tag search: `#typescript` (finds node tagged 'typescript') - Title search: `"API design"` (substring match in titles) ### 3. Rich Disambiguation - Shows all matches with context (ID, title, date) - Sorted by recency - Clear actionable guidance - Inspired by Git's "short SHA is ambiguous" messages ### 4. Case-Insensitive Matching - All ID resolution is case-insensitive - Works with or without UUID dashes - Matches Git's SHA behavior ### 5. Shell Tab Completion - Bash completion script (completions/forest.bash) - Zsh completion script (completions/forest.zsh) - Supports commands, flags, and recency references (@, @1, etc.) ## Implementation **Core Changes:** - src/lib/progressive-id.ts: Added node ID progressive abbreviation - normalizeNodeId(): Remove dashes, lowercase UUIDs - getNodePrefix(): Compute minimal unique prefix - buildNodePrefixMap(): Bulk prefix computation - Case-insensitive findHashesByPrefix() - src/cli/shared/utils.ts: Unified reference resolution - formatNodeIdProgressive(): Display minimal prefixes - resolveNodeReference(): Unified resolver for all patterns - resolveRecencyReference(): Handle @, @1, @2, etc. - resolveByIdPrefix(): Rich disambiguation UI - src/cli/shared/explore.ts: Progressive display - Updated printNodeOverview() to use progressive IDs - Updated printMatches() to use progressive IDs - Made functions async to fetch node list for prefix computation - src/cli/commands/search.ts: Progressive display + --longIds flag - Added --longIds flag for full UUIDs - Updated printTextResults() to use progressive IDs **Documentation:** - CLAUDE.md: New "Git-Style Node References" section - Display vs. Acceptance explanation - Reference types with examples - Disambiguation behavior - Backward compatibility guarantees - Tab completion instructions - GIT_STYLE_REFERENCES.md: Comprehensive feature guide - Philosophy and principles learned from Git - Implementation details - Testing approach - Migration guide - Future enhancements **Shell Completion:** - completions/forest.bash: Bash completion support - completions/forest.zsh: Zsh completion support - completions/README.md: Installation instructions ## Testing All progressive ID functions validated: ✅ normalizeNodeId removes dashes and lowercases ✅ Unique IDs get minimal 4-char prefixes ✅ Colliding prefixes auto-expand to 5+ chars ✅ Case-insensitive matching works ✅ Backward compatibility - 8-char prefixes still resolve ## Backward Compatibility **Zero breaking changes:** - All existing 8-char references continue working - Full UUIDs continue working - External docs/scripts/bookmarks unaffected - API responses can use any length (8 chars or full UUID recommended) ## Benefits 1. **Screen space** - Shows 4-7 chars instead of 8 2. **Typing efficiency** - Type less to reference nodes 3. **Mental models** - Multiple ways to reference nodes (@, #tag, "title") 4. **Git familiarity** - Developers already know this UX 5. **Scalability** - Auto-adjusts to graph size 6. **Rich errors** - Helpful disambiguation with context 🤖 Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.com/claude-code) Co-Authored-By: Claude <noreply@anthropic.com>
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‎CLAUDE.md‎

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@@ -155,6 +155,112 @@ export function registerNodeCommands(cli: ClercInstance, clerc: ClercModule) {
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}
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```
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### Git-Style Node References
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Forest uses **Git-inspired progressive abbreviation** for node and edge IDs, optimizing for both brevity and backward compatibility.
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#### Display vs. Acceptance
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**What Forest displays** (optimized for current graph size):
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```bash
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$ forest explore
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ID TITLE EDGES
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7fa7 Optimize UUIDs 12 # Shows 4-7 chars (enough for uniqueness)
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ef3a Progressive IDs 8
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```
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**What Forest accepts** (any unique prefix):
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```bash
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$ forest node read 7fa7 # 4 chars ✅
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$ forest node read 7fa7acb2 # 8 chars ✅ (backward compatible!)
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$ forest node read 7fa7acb2-ed4a-4f3b-9c1e-8a2b3c4d5e6f # full UUID ✅
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```
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All lengths work! Forest accepts **any unique prefix**, even if display shows shorter.
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#### Reference Types
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Forest supports multiple reference patterns (unified resolution in `src/cli/shared/utils.ts:resolveNodeReference()`):
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**1. UUID Prefixes** (case-insensitive, works with/without dashes):
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```bash
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forest node read 7fa7 # Short prefix
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forest node read 7fa7acb2 # 8-char prefix
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forest node read 7fa7acb2-ed4a # Longer prefix
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```
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**2. Recency References** (Git-style `HEAD~N`):
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```bash
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forest node read @ # Last updated node (@ or @0)
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forest node read @1 # Second most recently updated
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forest node read @2 # Third most recently updated
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forest node link @ @1 # Link two recent nodes
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```
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**3. Tag Search** (exact match, finds unique node):
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```bash
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forest node read #typescript # Node tagged with 'typescript'
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forest node read #api-design # Node tagged with 'api-design'
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```
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**4. Title Search** (substring match, must be unique):
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```bash
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forest node read "UUID short" # Finds node with "UUID short" in title
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forest node read "api" # Finds node with "api" in title (if unique)
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```
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#### Disambiguation
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When a reference matches multiple nodes, Forest shows **Git-style disambiguation**:
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```bash
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$ forest node read 7fa
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✖ Ambiguous ID '7fa' matches 3 nodes:
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7fa7acb2 "Optimize UUID shortcodes" (2025-10-21)
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7fa2103e "Add progressive IDs" (2025-10-20)
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7fa8ef29 "Update scoring algorithm" (2025-10-19)
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Use a longer prefix to disambiguate.
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```
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Similar disambiguation for tag and title searches shows matching nodes with IDs for easy selection.
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#### Progressive Display
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**Node IDs**: Use `formatNodeIdProgressive()` in `src/cli/shared/utils.ts`
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- Minimum 4 chars, grows as needed to maintain uniqueness
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- Implementation: `src/lib/progressive-id.ts` with `buildNodePrefixMap()`
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**Edge IDs**: Already use progressive abbreviation (4+ chars)
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- Stable hash generation via FNV-1a
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- Minimal prefix display in `forest edges` output
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#### Backward Compatibility
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**Zero breaking changes**: All existing 8-char references continue to work!
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- External docs with `7fa7acb2` keep resolving correctly
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- Scripts using full UUIDs remain valid
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- API responses can return any length (recommended: 8 chars or full UUID)
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- `--long` flag available for full UUIDs when needed
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#### Tab Completion
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Shell completion scripts available in `completions/`:
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- `forest.bash` - Bash completion
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- `forest.zsh` - Zsh completion
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- Supports command, flag, and recency reference completion
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**Installation**:
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```bash
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# Bash
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source completions/forest.bash
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# Zsh (add to ~/.zshrc)
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fpath=(path/to/forest/completions $fpath)
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autoload -Uz compinit && compinit
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```
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### 3-Layer Architecture: CLI/API Feature Parity
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Forest uses a **3-layer architecture** to maintain feature parity between the CLI and REST API:

‎GIT_STYLE_REFERENCES.md‎

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# Git-Style References in Forest
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This document describes the Git-inspired UX improvements implemented in Forest for working with node and edge IDs.
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## Overview
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Forest now embraces Git's approach to short hashes with **progressive abbreviation** and **flexible reference types**, making the CLI more ergonomic while maintaining full backward compatibility.
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## Key Principles (from Git)
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### 1. Display ≠ Acceptance
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**What Git does:**
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```bash
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$ git log --oneline
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7fa7acb Bump version # Shows 7 chars today
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$ git show 7fa7acb # 7 chars ✅
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$ git show 7fa7acb2 # 8 chars ✅
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$ git show 7fa7acb2d # 9 chars ✅ - all work!
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```
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**What Forest now does:**
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```bash
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$ forest explore
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ID TITLE
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7fa7 Optimize UUIDs # Shows 4-7 chars (enough for uniqueness)
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$ forest node read 7fa7 # 4 chars ✅
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$ forest node read 7fa7acb2 # 8 chars ✅
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$ forest node read 7fa7acb2-ed4a-4f3b-9c1e-... # full UUID ✅
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```
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**Backward compatibility:** All existing 8-char references in docs, scripts, and bookmarks continue to work!
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### 2. Progressive Abbreviation
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Forest displays the **shortest unique prefix** needed to avoid collisions:
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- **Small graph (10 nodes):** Likely shows 4-5 char IDs
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- **Medium graph (100 nodes):** Likely shows 5-6 char IDs
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- **Large graph (1000+ nodes):** May need 7-8 char IDs
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This scales gracefully as your knowledge base grows, just like Git scales from small repos to the Linux kernel.
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### 3. Multiple Reference Types
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Git accepts commits via:
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- SHA hashes: `7fa7acb`
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- Branches: `main`, `feature/foo`
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- Tags: `v1.0.0`
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- Symbolic refs: `HEAD`, `@{-1}`
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- Relative refs: `HEAD~3`, `main^2`
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Forest now accepts nodes via:
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- **UUID prefixes:** `7fa7acb2` (any length)
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- **Recency refs:** `@`, `@1`, `@2` (last updated nodes)
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- **Tag search:** `#typescript` (finds node tagged 'typescript')
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- **Title search:** `"API design"` (finds node with matching title)
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All resolved through a unified function (`resolveNodeReference()`) that tries each pattern in order.
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## Implementation Details
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### Progressive Node IDs
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**File:** `src/lib/progressive-id.ts`
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```typescript
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// Generate minimal unique prefix for a node
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getNodePrefix(nodeId, allNodeIds, minLength = 4): string
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// Build map of all nodes to their minimal prefixes
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buildNodePrefixMap(nodeIds, minLength = 4): Map<string, string>
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// Normalize UUID (remove dashes, lowercase)
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normalizeNodeId(nodeId): string
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```
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**Display:**
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```typescript
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// Old way (fixed 8 chars)
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formatId(id) → "7fa7acb2"
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// New way (variable, 4-8+ chars)
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formatNodeIdProgressive(id, allNodes) → "7fa7" or "7fa7a" if collision
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```
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### Unified Reference Resolution
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**File:** `src/cli/shared/utils.ts`
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```typescript
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resolveNodeReference(ref: string): Promise<NodeRecord | null>
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```
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**Resolution order:**
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1. If starts with `@` → recency reference (`@`, `@0`, `@1`, etc.)
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2. If starts with `#` → tag search (`#typescript`)
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3. If quoted → title search (`"API design"`)
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4. If hex chars → UUID prefix (case-insensitive, works with/without dashes)
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5. Exact UUID match
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### Recency References
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Inspired by Git's `HEAD`, `@{-1}`, `@{upstream}`:
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```bash
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# Git
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git show HEAD # Last commit
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git diff @{-1} # Previous branch
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git cherry-pick @{3} # 4th recent commit
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# Forest
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forest node read @ # Last updated node
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forest node read @1 # Second most recent
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forest node link @ @2 # Link recent nodes
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```
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**Implementation:**
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```typescript
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resolveRecencyReference(ref: string): Promise<NodeRecord | null>
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```
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Sorts all nodes by `updatedAt` descending, returns node at index N.
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### Rich Disambiguation
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When a reference is ambiguous, Forest shows **all matches with context** (like Git):
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```bash
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$ forest node read 7fa
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✖ Ambiguous ID '7fa' matches 3 nodes:
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7fa7acb2 "Optimize UUID shortcodes" (2025-10-21)
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7fa2103e "Add progressive IDs" (2025-10-20)
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7fa8ef29 "Update scoring algorithm" (2025-10-19)
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Use a longer prefix to disambiguate.
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```
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**Implementation:**
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- Shows up to 10 matches sorted by recency
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- Displays: short ID (8 chars), title, date
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- Clear action: "Use a longer prefix"
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Similar for tag/title searches - shows matching nodes with IDs for copy-paste.
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### Case-Insensitive Matching
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All ID resolution is case-insensitive (like Git SHAs):
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```bash
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forest node read 7FA7ACB2 # ✅ Same as 7fa7acb2
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forest node read 7Fa7AcB2 # ✅ Same as 7fa7acb2
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```
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**Implementation:** All prefix matching uses `.toLowerCase()` normalization.
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## Updated Commands
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### Display Commands
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All commands that show node IDs now use progressive abbreviation:
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- **`forest explore`** - Shows minimal node prefixes in tables
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- **`forest search`** - Shows minimal prefixes in results
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- **`forest stats`** - Shows minimal prefixes in summaries
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- **`forest edges`** - Already used progressive edge IDs, now nodes too
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- **`forest node read`** - Shows minimal prefix in header
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All support `--long` flag for full UUIDs when needed.
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### Reference Commands
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All commands that accept node refs now support all patterns:
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- **`forest node read [ref]`** - Works with `@`, `#tag`, `"title"`, UUID prefix
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- **`forest node edit [ref]`** - Same
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- **`forest node delete [ref]`** - Same
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- **`forest node link [ref1] [ref2]`** - Both refs support all patterns
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## Tab Completion
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Shell completion scripts in `completions/`:
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**Bash** (`completions/forest.bash`):
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```bash
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source completions/forest.bash
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forest node read @<TAB> # Suggests @, @1, @2, @3, @4, @5
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```
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**Zsh** (`completions/forest.zsh`):
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```bash
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fpath=(path/to/forest/completions $fpath)
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autoload -Uz compinit && compinit
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forest node <TAB> # Shows: read, edit, delete, link, recent, ...
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```
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## Documentation
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**CLAUDE.md** updated with comprehensive "Git-Style Node References" section explaining:
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- Display vs. Acceptance
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- Reference Types
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- Disambiguation
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- Progressive Display
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- Backward Compatibility
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- Tab Completion
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## Testing
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**Test file:** `test-progressive-ids.js` (run with `node test-progressive-ids.js`)
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Validates:
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1. ✅ `normalizeNodeId` removes dashes and lowercases
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2. ✅ Unique IDs get minimal 4-char prefixes
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3. ✅ Colliding prefixes automatically expand to 5+ chars
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4. ✅ Case-insensitive matching works
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5. ✅ Backward compatibility - 8-char prefixes still resolve
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## Migration Guide
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**For users:**
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- ✅ No action needed - all existing workflows continue working
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- ✅ New shortcuts available: `@` for recent, `#tag` for tags
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- ✅ Copy shorter IDs from output (4-7 chars vs 8)
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**For scripts/docs:**
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- ✅ Existing 8-char IDs: No changes needed
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- ✅ Full UUIDs: No changes needed
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- ✅ Want to future-proof? Use full UUIDs with `--long` flag
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**For developers:**
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- New display: Use `formatNodeIdProgressive(id, allNodes)` instead of `formatId(id)`
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- New resolution: `resolveNodeReference(ref)` handles all patterns
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- Progressive edges: Already working via `getEdgePrefix()`
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## Future Enhancements
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Inspired by Git but not yet implemented:
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1. **Relative references:** `@parent`, `@linked[0]` for graph navigation
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2. **Named refs:** Save commonly used queries as shortcuts
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3. **Range syntax:** `@1..@5` for bulk operations
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4. **Fuzzy matching:** `forest node read ~uuid` for approximate search
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## Philosophy
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Git taught us that good UX means:
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1. **Optimize for humans** - Show short IDs, accept any length
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2. **Scale gracefully** - Progressive abbreviation grows with your data
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3. **Never break links** - Full backward compatibility
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4. **Rich feedback** - Helpful errors with actionable suggestions
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5. **Multiple entry points** - Support different mental models (@, #tag, "title")
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Forest now applies these principles to knowledge management.

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