diff --git a/app/api/edges/route.ts b/app/api/edges/route.ts
index 23b53df..935ab53 100644
--- a/app/api/edges/route.ts
+++ b/app/api/edges/route.ts
@@ -27,10 +27,10 @@ export async function POST(request: NextRequest) {
     const body = await request.json();
     
     // Validate required fields
-    if (!body.from_node_id || !body.to_node_id) {
+    if (!body.from_node_id || !body.to_node_id || typeof body.explanation !== 'string') {
       return NextResponse.json({
         success: false,
-        error: 'Missing required fields: from_node_id and to_node_id are required'
+        error: 'Missing required fields: from_node_id, to_node_id, and explanation are required'
       }, { status: 400 });
     }
 
@@ -57,6 +57,21 @@ export async function POST(request: NextRequest) {
 
     const fromId = parseInt(body.from_node_id);
     const toId = parseInt(body.to_node_id);
+    const explanation = String(body.explanation || '').trim();
+
+    if (!explanation) {
+      return NextResponse.json({
+        success: false,
+        error: 'explanation is required and cannot be empty'
+      }, { status: 400 });
+    }
+
+    const skipInference = Boolean(body.skip_inference);
+    const createdVia = (() => {
+      const raw = typeof body.created_via === 'string' ? body.created_via : '';
+      if (['ui', 'agent', 'mcp', 'workflow', 'quicklink'].includes(raw)) return raw as any;
+      return 'ui' as const;
+    })();
 
     // Idempotency: prevent duplicate edges between same pair
     try {
@@ -76,8 +91,10 @@ export async function POST(request: NextRequest) {
     const edge = await edgeService.createEdge({
       from_node_id: fromId,
       to_node_id: toId,
-      context: body.context || {},
-      source: body.source
+      explanation,
+      created_via: createdVia,
+      source: body.source,
+      skip_inference: skipInference
     });
 
     return NextResponse.json({
diff --git a/app/api/nodes/[id]/regenerate-description/route.ts b/app/api/nodes/[id]/regenerate-description/route.ts
index 8ea0415..2207a87 100644
--- a/app/api/nodes/[id]/regenerate-description/route.ts
+++ b/app/api/nodes/[id]/regenerate-description/route.ts
@@ -4,6 +4,55 @@ import { generateDescription } from '@/services/database/descriptionService';
 
 export const runtime = 'nodejs';
 
+type NodeMetadata = { source?: string; channel_name?: string; author?: string; site_name?: string; type?: string } & Record<string, unknown>;
+
+function parseMetadata(raw: unknown): NodeMetadata | undefined {
+  if (!raw) return undefined;
+  if (typeof raw === 'string') {
+    try {
+      return JSON.parse(raw) as NodeMetadata;
+    } catch {
+      return undefined;
+    }
+  }
+  if (typeof raw === 'object') {
+    return raw as NodeMetadata;
+  }
+  return undefined;
+}
+
+async function enrichYoutubeMetadataIfMissing(link: string, metadata: NodeMetadata | undefined): Promise<NodeMetadata | undefined> {
+  const url = link.trim();
+  if (!url) return metadata;
+  if (!url.includes('youtube.com') && !url.includes('youtu.be')) return metadata;
+
+  const existing = metadata || {};
+  const hasCreatorHint = Boolean(
+    (typeof existing.author === 'string' && existing.author.trim()) ||
+    (typeof existing.channel_name === 'string' && existing.channel_name.trim())
+  );
+  if (hasCreatorHint) return existing;
+
+  try {
+    const oembedUrl = `https://www.youtube.com/oembed?url=${encodeURIComponent(url)}&format=json`;
+    const response = await fetch(oembedUrl, { signal: AbortSignal.timeout(6000) });
+    if (!response.ok) return existing;
+    const data = await response.json();
+    const authorName = typeof data.author_name === 'string' ? data.author_name.trim() : '';
+    const providerName = typeof data.provider_name === 'string' ? data.provider_name.trim() : '';
+    if (!authorName) return existing;
+
+    return {
+      ...existing,
+      source: typeof existing.source === 'string' && existing.source.trim().length > 0 ? existing.source : 'youtube',
+      channel_name: typeof existing.channel_name === 'string' && existing.channel_name.trim().length > 0 ? existing.channel_name : authorName,
+      site_name: typeof existing.site_name === 'string' && existing.site_name.trim().length > 0 ? existing.site_name : (providerName || 'YouTube'),
+    };
+  } catch {
+    return existing;
+  }
+}
+
 export async function POST(
   request: NextRequest,
   { params }: { params: Promise<{ id: string }> }
@@ -28,19 +77,25 @@ export async function POST(
       }, { status: 404 });
     }
 
+    const parsedMetadata = parseMetadata(node.metadata);
+    const enrichedMetadata = node.link
+      ? await enrichYoutubeMetadataIfMissing(node.link, parsedMetadata)
+      : parsedMetadata;
+
     // Generate new description using the description service
     const newDescription = await generateDescription({
       title: node.title,
       content: node.content || undefined,
       link: node.link || undefined,
-      metadata: node.metadata as { source?: string; channel_name?: string; author?: string; site_name?: string } | undefined,
-      type: (node.metadata as { type?: string } | null)?.type,
+      metadata: enrichedMetadata,
+      type: enrichedMetadata?.type,
       dimensions: node.dimensions || []
     });
 
     // Update the node with the new description
     const updatedNode = await nodeService.updateNode(nodeId, {
-      description: newDescription
+      description: newDescription,
+      metadata: enrichedMetadata ?? parsedMetadata ?? node.metadata
     });
 
     return NextResponse.json({
diff --git a/app/api/nodes/route.ts b/app/api/nodes/route.ts
index ab17cde..8469b2d 100644
--- a/app/api/nodes/route.ts
+++ b/app/api/nodes/route.ts
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import { autoEmbedQueue } from '@/services/embedding/autoEmbedQueue';
 import { hasSufficientContent } from '@/services/embedding/constants';
 import { DimensionService } from '@/services/database/dimensionService';
 import { generateDescription } from '@/services/database/descriptionService';
+import { scheduleAutoEdgeCreation } from '@/services/agents/autoEdge';
 
 export const runtime = 'nodejs';
 
@@ -126,6 +127,11 @@ export async function POST(request: NextRequest) {
       autoEmbedQueue.enqueue(node.id, { reason: 'node_created' });
     }
 
+    // Schedule auto-edge creation (fire-and-forget, non-blocking)
+    if (node.id) {
+      scheduleAutoEdgeCreation(node.id);
+    }
+
     return NextResponse.json({
       success: true,
       data: node,
diff --git a/apps/mcp-server/server.js b/apps/mcp-server/server.js
index 43d7b25..6de2348 100644
--- a/apps/mcp-server/server.js
+++ b/apps/mcp-server/server.js
@@ -159,8 +159,7 @@ const getNodesOutputSchema = {
 const createEdgeInputSchema = {
   sourceId: z.number().int().positive().describe('Source node ID'),
   targetId: z.number().int().positive().describe('Target node ID'),
-  type: z.string().optional().describe('Edge type/label'),
-  weight: z.number().min(0).max(1).optional().describe('Edge weight 0-1')
+  explanation: z.string().min(1).describe('REQUIRED: Why does this connection exist? Be specific.')
 };
 
 const createEdgeOutputSchema = {
@@ -191,8 +190,7 @@ const queryEdgesOutputSchema = {
 // rah_update_edge schemas
 const updateEdgeInputSchema = {
   id: z.number().int().positive().describe('Edge ID to update'),
-  type: z.string().optional().describe('New edge type/label'),
-  weight: z.number().min(0).max(1).optional().describe('New edge weight 0-1')
+  explanation: z.string().min(1).optional().describe('New explanation text (will re-infer relationship type)')
 };
 
 const updateEdgeOutputSchema = {
@@ -553,12 +551,13 @@ mcpServer.registerTool(
     inputSchema: createEdgeInputSchema,
     outputSchema: createEdgeOutputSchema
   },
-  async ({ sourceId, targetId, type, weight }) => {
+  async ({ sourceId, targetId, explanation }) => {
     const payload = {
-      source_id: sourceId,
-      target_id: targetId,
-      type: type || 'related',
-      weight: weight ?? 0.5
+      from_node_id: sourceId,
+      to_node_id: targetId,
+      explanation: explanation.trim(),
+      source: 'helper_name',
+      created_via: 'mcp'
     };
 
     const result = await callRaHApi('/api/edges', {
@@ -602,10 +601,10 @@ mcpServer.registerTool(
         count: edges.length,
         edges: edges.map(e => ({
           id: e.id,
-          source_id: e.source_id,
-          target_id: e.target_id,
-          type: e.type ?? null,
-          weight: e.weight ?? null
+          source_id: e.from_node_id,
+          target_id: e.to_node_id,
+          type: e.context?.type ?? null,
+          weight: typeof e.context?.confidence === 'number' ? e.context.confidence : null
         }))
       }
     };
@@ -620,18 +619,16 @@ mcpServer.registerTool(
     inputSchema: updateEdgeInputSchema,
     outputSchema: updateEdgeOutputSchema
   },
-  async ({ id, type, weight }) => {
-    const payload = {};
-    if (type !== undefined) payload.type = type;
-    if (weight !== undefined) payload.weight = weight;
-
-    if (Object.keys(payload).length === 0) {
-      throw new McpError(ErrorCode.InvalidParams, 'At least one field (type or weight) must be provided.');
+  async ({ id, explanation }) => {
+    if (typeof explanation !== 'string' || explanation.trim().length === 0) {
+      throw new McpError(ErrorCode.InvalidParams, 'explanation is required.');
     }
 
     const result = await callRaHApi(`/api/edges/${id}`, {
       method: 'PUT',
-      body: JSON.stringify(payload)
+      body: JSON.stringify({
+        context: { explanation: explanation.trim(), created_via: 'mcp' }
+      })
     });
 
     return {
diff --git a/apps/mcp-server/stdio-server.js b/apps/mcp-server/stdio-server.js
index e159000..f0d4ccc 100644
--- a/apps/mcp-server/stdio-server.js
+++ b/apps/mcp-server/stdio-server.js
@@ -108,8 +108,7 @@ const getNodesOutputSchema = {
 const createEdgeInputSchema = {
   sourceId: z.number().int().positive().describe('Source node ID'),
   targetId: z.number().int().positive().describe('Target node ID'),
-  type: z.string().optional().describe('Edge type/label'),
-  weight: z.number().min(0).max(1).optional().describe('Edge weight 0-1')
+  explanation: z.string().min(1).describe('REQUIRED: Why does this connection exist? Be specific.')
 };
 
 const createEdgeOutputSchema = {
@@ -140,8 +139,7 @@ const queryEdgesOutputSchema = {
 // rah_update_edge schemas
 const updateEdgeInputSchema = {
   id: z.number().int().positive().describe('Edge ID to update'),
-  type: z.string().optional().describe('New edge type/label'),
-  weight: z.number().min(0).max(1).optional().describe('New edge weight 0-1')
+  explanation: z.string().min(1).optional().describe('New explanation text (will re-infer relationship type)')
 };
 
 const updateEdgeOutputSchema = {
@@ -525,12 +523,13 @@ server.registerTool(
     inputSchema: createEdgeInputSchema,
     outputSchema: createEdgeOutputSchema
   },
-  async ({ sourceId, targetId, type, weight }) => {
+  async ({ sourceId, targetId, explanation }) => {
     const payload = {
       from_node_id: sourceId,
       to_node_id: targetId,
-      type: type || 'related',
-      weight: weight ?? 0.5
+      explanation: explanation.trim(),
+      source: 'helper_name',
+      created_via: 'mcp'
     };
 
     const result = await callRaHApi('/api/edges', {
@@ -592,18 +591,16 @@ server.registerTool(
     inputSchema: updateEdgeInputSchema,
     outputSchema: updateEdgeOutputSchema
   },
-  async ({ id, type, weight }) => {
-    const payload = {};
-    if (type !== undefined) payload.type = type;
-    if (weight !== undefined) payload.weight = weight;
-
-    if (Object.keys(payload).length === 0) {
-      throw new Error('At least one field (type or weight) must be provided.');
+  async ({ id, explanation }) => {
+    if (typeof explanation !== 'string' || explanation.trim().length === 0) {
+      throw new Error('explanation is required');
     }
 
     const result = await callRaHApi(`/api/edges/${id}`, {
       method: 'PUT',
-      body: JSON.stringify(payload)
+      body: JSON.stringify({
+        context: { explanation: explanation.trim(), created_via: 'mcp' }
+      })
     });
 
     return {
diff --git a/docs/2_schema.md b/docs/2_schema.md
index 2a319ac..2291383 100644
--- a/docs/2_schema.md
+++ b/docs/2_schema.md
@@ -58,18 +58,78 @@ Primary knowledge storage. Each row is a discrete knowledge item.
 ### edges
 Directed relationships between nodes (knowledge graph).
 
-**Columns:**
+**Important behavior:**
+- **Storage is directed** (`from_node_id → to_node_id`)
+- **UI treats connections as bidirectional** (a node shows edges where it is either `from` or `to`)
+- **Every new edge requires an explanation** (enforced in service layer)
+- **Every new edge is classified** into a structured `EdgeContext` (stored as JSON)
+
+**Columns (SQLite):**
 - `id` (INTEGER PK)
-- `from_node_id` (INTEGER FK → nodes.id)
-- `to_node_id` (INTEGER FK → nodes.id)
-- `source` (TEXT) - How edge was created (e.g., "user", "agent")
-- `context` (TEXT) - Relationship context/description
-- `user_feedback` (INTEGER) - User rating
+- `from_node_id` (INTEGER FK → nodes.id) — directed “from”
+- `to_node_id` (INTEGER FK → nodes.id) — directed “to”
+- `source` (TEXT) — creation source (`user`, `helper_name`, `ai_similarity`)
 - `created_at` (TEXT)
+- `context` (TEXT) — JSON blob (canonical; see `EdgeContext` below)
+- `explanation` (TEXT) — legacy column (currently not the canonical source of truth)
+- `user_feedback` (INTEGER) — user rating (not currently used in core flows)
 
 **Indexes:**
-- `idx_edges_from` - Fast "outgoing edges" queries
-- `idx_edges_to` - Fast "incoming edges" queries
+- `idx_edges_from` — fast “outgoing edges” queries
+- `idx_edges_to` — fast “incoming edges” queries
+
+#### EdgeContext (canonical relationship metadata)
+Stored as JSON in `edges.context`. This is the “Idea Genealogy” layer.
+
+```typescript
+interface EdgeContext {
+  // SYSTEM-INFERRED (AI + heuristics classify from explanation + node context)
+  category: 'attribution' | 'intellectual';
+  type:
+    | 'created_by'   // attribution: authorship/creation/founding
+    | 'features'     // attribution: appears in / host / guest / explicitly mentioned
+    | 'part_of'      // attribution: membership/container (episode→podcast, chapter→book, video→channel)
+    | 'source_of'    // intellectual: idea/insight came from source
+    | 'extends'      // intellectual: builds on
+    | 'supports'     // intellectual: evidence for
+    | 'contradicts'  // intellectual: in tension
+    | 'related_to';  // intellectual: fallback
+  confidence: number;   // 0–1
+  inferred_at: string;  // ISO timestamp
+
+  // PROVIDED BY USER/AGENT
+  explanation: string;  // required; free-form text (user can edit)
+
+  // SYSTEM-MANAGED
+  created_via: 'ui' | 'agent' | 'mcp' | 'workflow' | 'quicklink';
+}
+```
+
+#### Direction rule (how to write explanations)
+Explanations must read correctly **FROM → TO**:
+- `created_by`: **FROM** was created/authored/founded by **TO**
+- `features`: **FROM** features/mentions **TO**
+- `part_of`: **FROM** is part of **TO**
+- `source_of`: **FROM** came from / was inspired by **TO**
+
+#### Inference + guardrails
+On edge create and on explanation edits, RA-H:
+- runs lightweight **heuristics** for common phrases (e.g., “Created by …”, “Part of …”, “Came from …”, “Features …”)
+- otherwise runs an AI classification step to populate `category/type/confidence`
+
+The UI also provides 4 quick chips to reduce user cognitive load:
+- **Made by** → “Created by …”
+- **Part of** → “Part of …”
+- **Came from** → “Came from …”
+- **Related** → “Related to …”
+
+#### Where edges get created/updated
+All edge creation funnels through the service layer enforcement:
+- UI (`FocusPanel`) — requires explanation; allows editing explanation (re-infers)
+- REST API `POST /api/edges` — requires `explanation`
+- Tooling (`createEdge` tool) — requires `explanation`
+- MCP (`rah_create_edge`) — requires `explanation`
+- Workflows (e.g. `connect`, `integrate`) — call `createEdge` with `explanation`
 
 ### chunks
 Long-form content split into searchable pieces.
diff --git a/src/components/agents/AgentsPanel.tsx b/src/components/agents/AgentsPanel.tsx
index 356d9a4..8164ef0 100644
--- a/src/components/agents/AgentsPanel.tsx
+++ b/src/components/agents/AgentsPanel.tsx
@@ -202,11 +202,11 @@ export default function AgentsPanel({ openTabsData, activeTabId, activeDimension
           height: '100%',
           position: 'relative'
         }}>
-          {/* Top Bar - just collapse button */}
+          {/* Top Bar - collapse button + Add Stuff */}
           <div style={{
             display: 'flex',
             alignItems: 'center',
-            justifyContent: 'flex-start',
+            justifyContent: 'space-between',
             marginBottom: '24px'
           }}>
             {onCollapse && (
@@ -238,6 +238,13 @@ export default function AgentsPanel({ openTabsData, activeTabId, activeDimension
                 <Minimize2 size={14} />
               </button>
             )}
+            {/* Add Stuff - top right */}
+            <div style={{ maxWidth: '200px' }}>
+              <QuickAddInput
+                activeDelegations={orderedDelegations}
+                onSubmit={handleQuickAddSubmit}
+              />
+            </div>
           </div>
 
           {/* Center Section - Start button centered */}
@@ -280,7 +287,7 @@ export default function AgentsPanel({ openTabsData, activeTabId, activeDimension
                 }
               }}
             >
-              <span 
+              <span
                 className="start-text"
                 style={{
                   color: '#737373',
@@ -293,7 +300,7 @@ export default function AgentsPanel({ openTabsData, activeTabId, activeDimension
               >
                 Start
               </span>
-              <div 
+              <div
                 className="start-icon"
                 style={{
                   width: '44px',
@@ -314,14 +321,6 @@ export default function AgentsPanel({ openTabsData, activeTabId, activeDimension
               </div>
             </button>
           </div>
-
-          {/* Quick Add - at bottom, full width with padding */}
-          <div style={{ width: '100%', padding: '0 16px 16px 16px' }}>
-            <QuickAddInput
-              activeDelegations={orderedDelegations}
-              onSubmit={handleQuickAddSubmit}
-            />
-          </div>
         </div>
       ) : null}
 
@@ -399,7 +398,7 @@ export default function AgentsPanel({ openTabsData, activeTabId, activeDimension
               e.currentTarget.style.borderColor = '#1f1f1f';
             }}
           >
-            <span style={{ 
+            <span style={{
               display: 'flex',
               alignItems: 'center',
               justifyContent: 'center',
@@ -413,7 +412,7 @@ export default function AgentsPanel({ openTabsData, activeTabId, activeDimension
               fontWeight: 600,
               flexShrink: 0
             }}>+</span>
-            Capture
+            Add Stuff
           </button>
         </div>
         
diff --git a/src/components/agents/QuickAddInput.tsx b/src/components/agents/QuickAddInput.tsx
index d54c170..c198dcb 100644
--- a/src/components/agents/QuickAddInput.tsx
+++ b/src/components/agents/QuickAddInput.tsx
@@ -1,14 +1,11 @@
 "use client";
 
-import { useMemo, useState } from 'react';
-import type { ReactNode } from 'react';
+import { useState } from 'react';
 import type { AgentDelegation } from '@/services/agents/delegation';
 
-type QuickAddIntent = 'link' | 'note' | 'chat';
-
 interface QuickAddSubmitPayload {
   input: string;
-  mode: QuickAddIntent;
+  mode: 'link' | 'note' | 'chat';
   description?: string;
 }
 
@@ -17,63 +14,10 @@ interface QuickAddInputProps {
   onSubmit: (payload: QuickAddSubmitPayload) => Promise<void>;
 }
 
-const MODE_CONFIG: Array<{
-  key: QuickAddIntent;
-  label: string;
-  hint: string;
-  icon: ReactNode;
-}> = [
-  {
-    key: 'link',
-    label: 'Link',
-    hint: 'Drop URLs for auto extraction',
-    icon: (
-      <svg width="14" height="14" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" strokeWidth="2">
-        <path d="M10 13a5 5 0 0 0 7.54.35l2.12-2.12a5 5 0 1 0-7.07-7.07l-1.29 1.29" strokeLinecap="round" strokeLinejoin="round" />
-        <path d="M14 11a5 5 0 0 0-7.54-.35l-2.12 2.12a5 5 0 1 0 7.07 7.07l1.29-1.29" strokeLinecap="round" strokeLinejoin="round" />
-      </svg>
-    )
-  },
-  {
-    key: 'note',
-    label: 'Note',
-    hint: 'Quick note, no processing',
-    icon: (
-      <svg width="14" height="14" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" strokeWidth="2">
-        <path d="M14 2H6a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v16a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h12a2 2 0 0 0 2-2V8z" strokeLinecap="round" strokeLinejoin="round" />
-        <path d="M14 2v6h6" strokeLinecap="round" strokeLinejoin="round" />
-        <path d="M16 13H8" strokeLinecap="round" />
-        <path d="M16 17H8" strokeLinecap="round" />
-      </svg>
-    )
-  },
-  {
-    key: 'chat',
-    label: 'Chat',
-    hint: 'Paste conversations',
-    icon: (
-      <svg width="14" height="14" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" strokeWidth="2">
-        <path d="M21 15a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H9l-4 4V5a2 2 0 0 1 2-2h12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2z" strokeLinecap="round" strokeLinejoin="round" />
-      </svg>
-    )
-  }
-];
-
 export default function QuickAddInput({ activeDelegations, onSubmit }: QuickAddInputProps) {
   const [input, setInput] = useState('');
-  const [description, setDescription] = useState('');
   const [isPosting, setIsPosting] = useState(false);
   const [isExpanded, setIsExpanded] = useState(false);
-  const [manualMode, setManualMode] = useState<QuickAddIntent | null>(null);
-  const [autoMode, setAutoMode] = useState<QuickAddIntent>('link');
-
-  const effectiveMode: QuickAddIntent = manualMode ?? autoMode;
-
-  const currentPlaceholder = useMemo(() => {
-    if (effectiveMode === 'note') return 'Write a quick note...';
-    if (effectiveMode === 'chat') return 'Paste conversation...';
-    return 'Paste a link or write something...';
-  }, [effectiveMode]);
 
   const maxConcurrent = 5;
   const activeCount = activeDelegations.filter(
@@ -81,44 +25,17 @@ export default function QuickAddInput({ activeDelegations, onSubmit }: QuickAddI
   ).length;
   const isSoftLimited = activeCount >= maxConcurrent;
 
-  const inferChatIntent = (value: string) => {
-    const trimmed = value.trim();
-    if (!trimmed || manualMode) return;
-
-    const newlineCount = (trimmed.match(/\n/g)?.length ?? 0);
-    const looksLikeTranscript =
-      newlineCount >= 2 ||
-      /You said:|ChatGPT said:|Claude said:|Assistant:|User:/i.test(trimmed);
-
-    if (looksLikeTranscript && trimmed.length > 280) {
-      setAutoMode('chat');
-    }
-  };
-
-  const handleInputChange = (value: string) => {
-    setInput(value);
-    inferChatIntent(value);
-  };
-
-  const handleModeClick = (mode: QuickAddIntent) => {
-    setManualMode(mode);
-    setAutoMode(mode);
-  };
-
   const handleSubmit = async () => {
     if (!input.trim() || isPosting || isSoftLimited) return;
 
     setIsPosting(true);
     try {
+      // Mode is auto-detected server-side via quickAdd.ts detectInputType()
       await onSubmit({
         input: input.trim(),
-        mode: effectiveMode,
-        description: description.trim() || undefined
+        mode: 'link', // Default; actual type is inferred server-side
       });
       setInput('');
-      setDescription('');
-      setManualMode(null);
-      setAutoMode('link');
       setIsExpanded(false);
     } catch (error) {
       console.error('[QuickAddInput] Submit error:', error);
@@ -138,7 +55,7 @@ export default function QuickAddInput({ activeDelegations, onSubmit }: QuickAddI
     }
   };
 
-  // Collapsed state - visible trigger
+  // Collapsed state - prominent "ADD STUFF" button
   if (!isExpanded) {
     return (
       <button
@@ -147,114 +64,105 @@ export default function QuickAddInput({ activeDelegations, onSubmit }: QuickAddI
           display: 'flex',
           alignItems: 'center',
           justifyContent: 'center',
-          gap: '12px',
-          width: '100%',
-          padding: '16px 24px',
-          background: 'transparent',
-          border: '1px solid #333',
-          borderRadius: '12px',
-          color: '#888',
-          fontSize: '12px',
+          gap: '8px',
+          padding: '10px 16px',
+          background: 'rgba(34, 197, 94, 0.1)',
+          border: '1px solid rgba(34, 197, 94, 0.3)',
+          borderRadius: '8px',
+          color: '#22c55e',
+          fontSize: '11px',
           fontWeight: 600,
-          letterSpacing: '0.1em',
+          letterSpacing: '0.08em',
           textTransform: 'uppercase',
           cursor: 'pointer',
-          transition: 'all 0.2s ease'
+          transition: 'all 0.2s ease',
+          whiteSpace: 'nowrap',
+          boxShadow: '0 0 12px rgba(34, 197, 94, 0.15)'
         }}
         onMouseEnter={(e) => {
-          e.currentTarget.style.borderColor = '#444';
-          e.currentTarget.style.color = '#aaa';
-          e.currentTarget.style.background = '#1a1a1a';
+          e.currentTarget.style.background = 'rgba(34, 197, 94, 0.2)';
+          e.currentTarget.style.borderColor = '#22c55e';
+          e.currentTarget.style.boxShadow = '0 0 20px rgba(34, 197, 94, 0.25)';
         }}
         onMouseLeave={(e) => {
-          e.currentTarget.style.borderColor = '#333';
-          e.currentTarget.style.color = '#888';
-          e.currentTarget.style.background = 'transparent';
+          e.currentTarget.style.background = 'rgba(34, 197, 94, 0.1)';
+          e.currentTarget.style.borderColor = 'rgba(34, 197, 94, 0.3)';
+          e.currentTarget.style.boxShadow = '0 0 12px rgba(34, 197, 94, 0.15)';
         }}
       >
-        CAPTURE
         <span style={{
-          width: '22px',
-          height: '22px',
+          width: '18px',
+          height: '18px',
           borderRadius: '50%',
           background: '#22c55e',
           color: '#0a0a0a',
           display: 'flex',
           alignItems: 'center',
           justifyContent: 'center',
-          fontSize: '14px',
+          fontSize: '12px',
           fontWeight: 700
         }}>+</span>
+        Add Stuff
       </button>
     );
   }
 
-  // Expanded state
+  // Expanded state - full width overlay
   return (
     <div style={{
+      position: 'absolute',
+      top: '60px',
+      left: '20px',
+      right: '20px',
       display: 'flex',
       flexDirection: 'column',
       gap: '12px',
-      width: '100%',
-      background: 'transparent',
-      padding: '0',
+      background: '#0a0a0a',
+      padding: '16px',
+      borderRadius: '12px',
+      border: '1px solid #2a2a2a',
+      zIndex: 100,
       animation: 'fadeIn 150ms ease-out'
     }}>
-      {/* Mode tabs */}
-      <div style={{ display: 'flex', gap: '6px', alignItems: 'center' }}>
-        {MODE_CONFIG.map((mode) => {
-          const isActive = effectiveMode === mode.key;
-          return (
-            <button
-              key={mode.key}
-              type="button"
-              onClick={() => handleModeClick(mode.key)}
-              title={mode.hint}
-              style={{
-                display: 'flex',
-                alignItems: 'center',
-                gap: '6px',
-                padding: '8px 14px',
-                borderRadius: '8px',
-                border: isActive ? '1px solid #333' : '1px solid transparent',
-                background: isActive ? '#1a1a1a' : 'transparent',
-                color: isActive ? '#fff' : '#666',
-                fontSize: '12px',
-                fontWeight: 600,
-                cursor: 'pointer',
-                transition: 'all 0.15s ease',
-                textTransform: 'uppercase',
-                letterSpacing: '0.05em'
-              }}
-              onMouseEnter={(e) => {
-                if (!isActive) {
-                  e.currentTarget.style.color = '#999';
-                  e.currentTarget.style.background = '#1a1a1a';
-                }
-              }}
-              onMouseLeave={(e) => {
-                if (!isActive) {
-                  e.currentTarget.style.color = '#666';
-                  e.currentTarget.style.background = 'transparent';
-                }
-              }}
-            >
-              <span style={{ display: 'flex', opacity: isActive ? 1 : 0.7 }}>{mode.icon}</span>
-              {mode.label}
-            </button>
-          );
-        })}
-        
+      {/* Header */}
+      <div style={{
+        display: 'flex',
+        alignItems: 'center',
+        justifyContent: 'space-between'
+      }}>
+        <span style={{
+          color: '#22c55e',
+          fontSize: '11px',
+          fontWeight: 600,
+          letterSpacing: '0.1em',
+          textTransform: 'uppercase',
+          display: 'flex',
+          alignItems: 'center',
+          gap: '8px'
+        }}>
+          <span style={{
+            width: '18px',
+            height: '18px',
+            borderRadius: '50%',
+            background: '#22c55e',
+            color: '#0a0a0a',
+            display: 'flex',
+            alignItems: 'center',
+            justifyContent: 'center',
+            fontSize: '12px',
+            fontWeight: 700
+          }}>+</span>
+          Add Stuff
+        </span>
+
         {/* Close button */}
         <button
           onClick={() => {
             setIsExpanded(false);
             setInput('');
-            setDescription('');
           }}
           style={{
-            marginLeft: 'auto',
-            padding: '8px',
+            padding: '6px',
             background: 'transparent',
             border: 'none',
             color: '#666',
@@ -274,28 +182,29 @@ export default function QuickAddInput({ activeDelegations, onSubmit }: QuickAddI
         </button>
       </div>
 
-      {/* Input area - consistent height */}
+      {/* Input area - expanded */}
       <div style={{ position: 'relative' }}>
         <textarea
           value={input}
-          onChange={(e) => handleInputChange(e.target.value)}
+          onChange={(e) => setInput(e.target.value)}
           onKeyDown={handleKeyDown}
-          placeholder={currentPlaceholder}
+          placeholder="Paste a URL, note, or transcript — RA-H will figure out what it is."
           disabled={isPosting || isSoftLimited}
           autoFocus
           style={{
             width: '100%',
-            minHeight: '80px',
-            maxHeight: '200px',
-            padding: '12px 14px',
+            minHeight: '140px',
+            maxHeight: '300px',
+            padding: '14px 16px',
             background: '#0a0a0a',
             border: '1px solid #1f1f1f',
-            borderRadius: '8px',
+            borderRadius: '10px',
             color: '#e5e5e5',
             fontSize: '14px',
             fontFamily: 'inherit',
             outline: 'none',
             resize: 'none',
+            lineHeight: '1.6',
             transition: 'border-color 0.15s ease'
           }}
           onFocus={(e) => {
@@ -307,51 +216,6 @@ export default function QuickAddInput({ activeDelegations, onSubmit }: QuickAddI
         />
       </div>
 
-      {/* Description field - optional */}
-      <div style={{ position: 'relative' }}>
-        <textarea
-          value={description}
-          onChange={(e) => {
-            if (e.target.value.length <= 280) {
-              setDescription(e.target.value);
-            }
-          }}
-          onKeyDown={handleKeyDown}
-          placeholder="This is a... (optional)"
-          disabled={isPosting || isSoftLimited}
-          style={{
-            width: '100%',
-            minHeight: '50px',
-            maxHeight: '100px',
-            padding: '10px 14px',
-            background: '#0a0a0a',
-            border: '1px solid #1f1f1f',
-            borderRadius: '8px',
-            color: '#a5a5a5',
-            fontSize: '13px',
-            fontFamily: 'inherit',
-            outline: 'none',
-            resize: 'none',
-            transition: 'border-color 0.15s ease'
-          }}
-          onFocus={(e) => {
-            e.currentTarget.style.borderColor = '#333';
-          }}
-          onBlur={(e) => {
-            e.currentTarget.style.borderColor = '#1f1f1f';
-          }}
-        />
-        <span style={{
-          position: 'absolute',
-          bottom: '8px',
-          right: '10px',
-          fontSize: '10px',
-          color: description.length >= 260 ? '#f59e0b' : '#525252'
-        }}>
-          {description.length}/280
-        </span>
-      </div>
-
       {/* Footer */}
       <div style={{ display: 'flex', alignItems: 'center', justifyContent: 'space-between' }}>
         <span style={{ fontSize: '11px', color: '#525252' }}>
@@ -361,8 +225,8 @@ export default function QuickAddInput({ activeDelegations, onSubmit }: QuickAddI
           onClick={handleSubmit}
           disabled={!input.trim() || isPosting || isSoftLimited}
           style={{
-            width: '36px',
-            height: '36px',
+            width: '38px',
+            height: '38px',
             display: 'flex',
             alignItems: 'center',
             justifyContent: 'center',
@@ -386,9 +250,9 @@ export default function QuickAddInput({ activeDelegations, onSubmit }: QuickAddI
           }}
         >
           {isPosting ? (
-            <span style={{ 
-              width: '14px', 
-              height: '14px', 
+            <span style={{
+              width: '14px',
+              height: '14px',
               border: '2px solid #0a0a0a',
               borderTopColor: 'transparent',
               borderRadius: '50%',
diff --git a/src/components/focus/FocusPanel.tsx b/src/components/focus/FocusPanel.tsx
index 4e67b36..3737710 100644
--- a/src/components/focus/FocusPanel.tsx
+++ b/src/components/focus/FocusPanel.tsx
@@ -68,6 +68,7 @@ export default function FocusPanel({ openTabs, activeTab, onTabSelect, onNodeCli
   const [nodeSearchSuggestions, setNodeSearchSuggestions] = useState<NodeSearchResult[]>([]);
   const [selectedSearchIndex, setSelectedSearchIndex] = useState(0);
   const [edgeExplanation, setEdgeExplanation] = useState('');
+  const [pendingEdgeTarget, setPendingEdgeTarget] = useState<{ id: number; title: string } | null>(null);
   const [deletingEdge, setDeletingEdge] = useState<number | null>(null);
   const [edgeEditingId, setEdgeEditingId] = useState<number | null>(null);
   const [edgeEditingValue, setEdgeEditingValue] = useState<string>('');
@@ -296,7 +297,7 @@ export default function FocusPanel({ openTabs, activeTab, onTabSelect, onNodeCli
                 from_node_id: nodeId,
                 to_node_id: toId,
                 source: 'user',
-                context: { explanation: 'Referenced via @ mention', created_via: 'at_mention' }
+                explanation: 'Referenced via @ mention'
               })
             });
           }));
@@ -345,7 +346,7 @@ export default function FocusPanel({ openTabs, activeTab, onTabSelect, onNodeCli
               from_node_id: nodeId,
               to_node_id: toId,
               source: 'user',
-              context: { explanation: 'Referenced via @ mention', created_via: 'at_mention' }
+              explanation: 'Referenced via @ mention'
             })
           });
         }));
@@ -540,7 +541,7 @@ export default function FocusPanel({ openTabs, activeTab, onTabSelect, onNodeCli
             from_node_id: sourceNodeId,
             to_node_id: nodeId,
             source: 'user',
-            context: { explanation: 'Referenced via @ mention', created_via: 'at_mention' }
+              explanation: 'Referenced via @ mention'
           })
         });
       } catch (e) {
@@ -630,7 +631,8 @@ export default function FocusPanel({ openTabs, activeTab, onTabSelect, onNodeCli
   // Edge management functions (following same patterns as node functions)
 
   const handleEdgeNodeSelect = (targetNodeId: number, _targetNodeTitle?: string) => {
-    createEdgeWithExplanation(targetNodeId, '');
+    setPendingEdgeTarget({ id: targetNodeId, title: _targetNodeTitle || `Node ${targetNodeId}` });
+    setEdgeExplanation('');
   };
 
   // Handle node search keyboard navigation
@@ -648,13 +650,18 @@ export default function FocusPanel({ openTabs, activeTab, onTabSelect, onNodeCli
   };
 
   const handleSelectNodeSuggestion = (suggestion: NodeSearchResult) => {
-    createEdgeWithExplanation(suggestion.id, '');
-    setNodeSearchQuery('');
+    setPendingEdgeTarget({ id: suggestion.id, title: suggestion.title });
+    setEdgeExplanation('');
     setNodeSearchSuggestions([]);
   };
 
   const createEdgeWithExplanation = async (targetNodeId: number, explanation: string) => {
     if (activeNodeId === null) return;
+    const trimmed = (explanation || '').trim();
+    if (!trimmed) {
+      alert('Please add a short explanation for why this connection exists.');
+      return;
+    }
     try {
       const response = await fetch('/api/edges', {
         method: 'POST',
@@ -665,10 +672,7 @@ export default function FocusPanel({ openTabs, activeTab, onTabSelect, onNodeCli
           from_node_id: activeNodeId,
           to_node_id: targetNodeId,
           source: 'user',
-          context: {
-            explanation: explanation,
-            created_via: 'focus_panel'
-          }
+          explanation: trimmed
         }),
       });
 
@@ -682,6 +686,10 @@ export default function FocusPanel({ openTabs, activeTab, onTabSelect, onNodeCli
       // Reset state
       setAddingEdge(null);
       setEdgeExplanation('');
+      setPendingEdgeTarget(null);
+      setNodeSearchQuery('');
+      setNodeSearchSuggestions([]);
+      setShowConnectionsModal(false);
       
     } catch (error) {
       console.error('Error creating edge:', error);
@@ -807,14 +815,14 @@ export default function FocusPanel({ openTabs, activeTab, onTabSelect, onNodeCli
                   key={suggestion.id}
                   onClick={() => handleSelectNodeSuggestion(suggestion)}
                   style={{
-                    padding: '14px 16px',
+                    padding: '10px 14px',
                     cursor: 'pointer',
                     borderBottom: index < nodeSearchSuggestions.length - 1 ? '1px solid #1f1f1f' : 'none',
                     background: index === selectedSearchIndex ? '#1a1a1a' : 'transparent',
                     transition: 'background 100ms ease',
                     display: 'flex',
                     alignItems: 'center',
-                    gap: '12px'
+                    gap: '10px'
                   }}
                   onMouseEnter={(e) => {
                     if (index !== selectedSearchIndex) {
@@ -831,13 +839,13 @@ export default function FocusPanel({ openTabs, activeTab, onTabSelect, onNodeCli
                     display: 'inline-flex',
                     alignItems: 'center',
                     justifyContent: 'center',
-                    fontSize: '10px',
+                    fontSize: '9px',
                     fontWeight: 600,
                     color: '#0a0a0a',
                     background: '#22c55e',
-                    padding: '4px 8px',
+                    padding: '3px 6px',
                     borderRadius: '6px',
-                    minWidth: '28px',
+                    minWidth: '24px',
                     textAlign: 'center',
                     flexShrink: 0,
                     fontFamily: "'SF Mono', 'Fira Code', monospace"
@@ -845,7 +853,7 @@ export default function FocusPanel({ openTabs, activeTab, onTabSelect, onNodeCli
                     {suggestion.id}
                   </span>
                   <span style={{
-                    fontSize: '15px',
+                    fontSize: '13px',
                     color: '#e5e5e5',
                     overflow: 'hidden',
                     textOverflow: 'ellipsis',
@@ -861,6 +869,123 @@ export default function FocusPanel({ openTabs, activeTab, onTabSelect, onNodeCli
               ))}
             </div>
           )}
+
+          {/* Explanation (required) */}
+          {pendingEdgeTarget && (
+            <div style={{
+              marginTop: '10px',
+              background: '#0f0f0f',
+              border: '1px solid #262626',
+              borderRadius: '12px',
+              padding: '12px',
+              display: 'flex',
+              flexDirection: 'column',
+              gap: '10px'
+            }}>
+              <div style={{ color: '#e5e5e5', fontSize: '13px', fontWeight: 500 }}>
+                Connecting to: <span style={{ color: '#a3e635' }}>{pendingEdgeTarget.title}</span>
+              </div>
+              <div style={{ display: 'flex', gap: '8px', flexWrap: 'wrap' }}>
+                {[
+                  { label: 'Made by', value: 'Created by ' },
+                  { label: 'Part of', value: 'Part of ' },
+                  { label: 'Came from', value: 'Came from ' },
+                  { label: 'Related', value: 'Related to ' },
+                ].map((chip) => (
+                  <button
+                    key={chip.label}
+                    type="button"
+                    onClick={() => {
+                      setEdgeExplanation((prev) => {
+                        const trimmed = (prev || '').trim();
+                        return trimmed.length > 0 ? prev : chip.value;
+                      });
+                    }}
+                    style={{
+                      padding: '6px 10px',
+                      fontSize: '12px',
+                      borderRadius: '999px',
+                      border: '1px solid #262626',
+                      background: '#141414',
+                      color: '#e5e5e5',
+                      cursor: 'pointer',
+                    }}
+                    onMouseEnter={(e) => { e.currentTarget.style.background = '#1a1a1a'; }}
+                    onMouseLeave={(e) => { e.currentTarget.style.background = '#141414'; }}
+                    title={`Prefill: ${chip.value.trim()}`}
+                  >
+                    {chip.label}
+                  </button>
+                ))}
+              </div>
+              <textarea
+                value={edgeExplanation}
+                onChange={(e) => setEdgeExplanation(e.target.value)}
+                placeholder="Why does this connect? (e.g., 'Author of this book', 'Inspired this insight')"
+                rows={2}
+                style={{
+                  width: '100%',
+                  resize: 'vertical',
+                  background: '#141414',
+                  border: '1px solid #1f1f1f',
+                  color: '#fafafa',
+                  borderRadius: '10px',
+                  padding: '10px',
+                  fontSize: '13px',
+                  outline: 'none',
+                  fontFamily: 'inherit',
+                }}
+                onKeyDown={(e) => {
+                  if (e.key === 'Enter' && (e.metaKey || e.ctrlKey)) {
+                    e.preventDefault();
+                    createEdgeWithExplanation(pendingEdgeTarget.id, edgeExplanation);
+                  }
+                  if (e.key === 'Escape') {
+                    e.preventDefault();
+                    setPendingEdgeTarget(null);
+                    setEdgeExplanation('');
+                  }
+                }}
+              />
+              <div style={{ display: 'flex', gap: '8px', justifyContent: 'flex-end' }}>
+                <button
+                  onClick={() => {
+                    setPendingEdgeTarget(null);
+                    setEdgeExplanation('');
+                  }}
+                  style={{
+                    padding: '8px 10px',
+                    background: 'transparent',
+                    border: '1px solid #262626',
+                    color: '#a3a3a3',
+                    borderRadius: '10px',
+                    cursor: 'pointer',
+                    fontSize: '12px'
+                  }}
+                >
+                  Cancel
+                </button>
+                <button
+                  onClick={() => createEdgeWithExplanation(pendingEdgeTarget.id, edgeExplanation)}
+                  style={{
+                    padding: '8px 10px',
+                    background: '#22c55e',
+                    border: '1px solid #16a34a',
+                    color: '#0a0a0a',
+                    borderRadius: '10px',
+                    cursor: 'pointer',
+                    fontSize: '12px',
+                    fontWeight: 600
+                  }}
+                >
+                  Create connection
+                </button>
+              </div>
+              <div style={{ color: '#737373', fontSize: '11px' }}>
+                Tip: press <span style={{ fontFamily: 'monospace' }}>⌘</span>+<span style={{ fontFamily: 'monospace' }}>Enter</span> to create.
+              </div>
+            </div>
+          )}
         </div>
 
         {/* Existing Connections */}
@@ -877,11 +1002,11 @@ export default function FocusPanel({ openTabs, activeTab, onTabSelect, onNodeCli
             }
             const visible = edgesExpanded[activeTab] ? list : list.slice(0, 5);
             return (
-              <div style={{ display: 'flex', flexDirection: 'column', gap: '8px' }}>
+              <div style={{ display: 'flex', flexDirection: 'column', gap: '6px' }}>
                 {visible.map((connection) => (
-                  <div key={connection.id} style={{ display: 'flex', alignItems: 'center', gap: '8px', fontSize: '13px' }}>
+                  <div key={connection.id} style={{ display: 'flex', alignItems: 'center', gap: '6px', fontSize: '12px' }}>
                     <div style={{ flex: 1, display: 'flex', flexDirection: 'column', gap: '4px' }}>
-                      <div style={{ display: 'flex', alignItems: 'center', gap: '8px' }}>
+                      <div style={{ display: 'flex', alignItems: 'center', gap: '6px' }}>
                         <span style={{
                           display: 'inline-block',
                           fontSize: '10px',
@@ -896,7 +1021,7 @@ export default function FocusPanel({ openTabs, activeTab, onTabSelect, onNodeCli
                         }}>
                           {connection.connected_node.id}
                         </span>
-                        <span style={{ color: '#f8fafc', fontSize: '14px', fontWeight: 500 }}>{connection.connected_node.title}</span>
+                        <span style={{ color: '#f8fafc', fontSize: '13px', fontWeight: 500 }}>{connection.connected_node.title}</span>
                       </div>
                       {edgeEditingId === connection.edge.id ? (
                         <div style={{ display: 'flex', gap: '6px', alignItems: 'center' }}>
@@ -958,8 +1083,33 @@ export default function FocusPanel({ openTabs, activeTab, onTabSelect, onNodeCli
                         </div>
                       ) : (
                         <div style={{ display: 'flex', alignItems: 'center', gap: '8px' }}>
+                          {typeof connection.edge.context?.type === 'string' && (
+                            <span style={{
+                              fontSize: '10px',
+                              color: '#a3a3a3',
+                              background: '#1f1f1f',
+                              border: '1px solid #262626',
+                              padding: '2px 6px',
+                              borderRadius: '999px',
+                              textTransform: 'none'
+                            }}>
+                              {String(connection.edge.context.type).replace(/_/g, ' ')}
+                            </span>
+                          )}
                           {connection.edge.context?.explanation ? (
-                            <span style={{ color: '#94a3b8', fontSize: '12px' }}>— {connection.edge.context.explanation}</span>
+                            <span
+                              style={{
+                                color: '#94a3b8',
+                                fontSize: '12px',
+                                overflow: 'hidden',
+                                textOverflow: 'ellipsis',
+                                whiteSpace: 'nowrap',
+                                minWidth: 0,
+                              }}
+                              title={String(connection.edge.context.explanation)}
+                            >
+                              — {connection.edge.context.explanation}
+                            </span>
                           ) : (
                             <span style={{ color: '#64748b', fontSize: '12px', fontStyle: 'italic' }}>No explanation</span>
                           )}
@@ -986,7 +1136,7 @@ export default function FocusPanel({ openTabs, activeTab, onTabSelect, onNodeCli
                       disabled={deletingEdge === connection.edge.id}
                       style={{
                         color: deletingEdge === connection.edge.id ? '#64748b' : '#94a3b8',
-                        fontSize: '14px',
+                        fontSize: '12px',
                         background: 'transparent',
                         border: 'none',
                         cursor: deletingEdge === connection.edge.id ? 'not-allowed' : 'pointer',
@@ -2127,14 +2277,14 @@ export default function FocusPanel({ openTabs, activeTab, onTabSelect, onNodeCli
                     setNodeSearchSuggestions([]);
                   }}
                   style={{
-                    padding: '14px 20px',
+                    padding: '10px 16px',
                     cursor: 'pointer',
                     borderBottom: index < nodeSearchSuggestions.length - 1 ? '1px solid #1f1f1f' : 'none',
                     background: index === selectedSearchIndex ? '#1a1a1a' : 'transparent',
                     transition: 'background 100ms ease',
                     display: 'flex',
                     alignItems: 'center',
-                    gap: '14px'
+                    gap: '10px'
                   }}
                   onMouseEnter={(e) => {
                     e.currentTarget.style.background = '#1a1a1a';
@@ -2149,13 +2299,13 @@ export default function FocusPanel({ openTabs, activeTab, onTabSelect, onNodeCli
                     display: 'inline-flex',
                     alignItems: 'center',
                     justifyContent: 'center',
-                    fontSize: '10px',
+                    fontSize: '9px',
                     fontWeight: 600,
                     color: '#0a0a0a',
                     background: '#22c55e',
-                    padding: '4px 8px',
+                    padding: '3px 6px',
                     borderRadius: '6px',
-                    minWidth: '28px',
+                    minWidth: '24px',
                     textAlign: 'center',
                     flexShrink: 0,
                     fontFamily: "'SF Mono', 'Fira Code', monospace"
@@ -2163,7 +2313,7 @@ export default function FocusPanel({ openTabs, activeTab, onTabSelect, onNodeCli
                     {suggestion.id}
                   </span>
                   <span style={{
-                    fontSize: '14px',
+                    fontSize: '13px',
                     color: '#e5e5e5',
                     overflow: 'hidden',
                     textOverflow: 'ellipsis',
@@ -2196,6 +2346,126 @@ export default function FocusPanel({ openTabs, activeTab, onTabSelect, onNodeCli
             </div>
           )}
 
+          {/* Explanation prompt (required) */}
+          {pendingEdgeTarget && (
+            <div style={{
+              marginTop: '10px',
+              background: '#141414',
+              border: '1px solid #262626',
+              borderRadius: '16px',
+              padding: '16px 18px',
+              boxShadow: '0 0 0 1px rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.04), 0 24px 48px -12px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.6)',
+              display: 'flex',
+              flexDirection: 'column',
+              gap: '12px'
+            }}>
+              <div style={{ color: '#e5e5e5', fontSize: '13px', fontWeight: 600 }}>
+                Create connection to: <span style={{ color: '#a3e635' }}>{pendingEdgeTarget.title}</span>
+              </div>
+              <div style={{ display: 'flex', gap: '8px', flexWrap: 'wrap' }}>
+                {[
+                  { label: 'Made by', value: 'Created by ' },
+                  { label: 'Part of', value: 'Part of ' },
+                  { label: 'Came from', value: 'Came from ' },
+                  { label: 'Related', value: 'Related to ' },
+                ].map((chip) => (
+                  <button
+                    key={chip.label}
+                    type="button"
+                    onClick={() => {
+                      setEdgeExplanation((prev) => {
+                        const trimmed = (prev || '').trim();
+                        return trimmed.length > 0 ? prev : chip.value;
+                      });
+                    }}
+                    style={{
+                      padding: '6px 10px',
+                      fontSize: '12px',
+                      borderRadius: '999px',
+                      border: '1px solid #262626',
+                      background: '#0f0f0f',
+                      color: '#e5e5e5',
+                      cursor: 'pointer',
+                    }}
+                    onMouseEnter={(e) => { e.currentTarget.style.background = '#1a1a1a'; }}
+                    onMouseLeave={(e) => { e.currentTarget.style.background = '#0f0f0f'; }}
+                    title={`Prefill: ${chip.value.trim()}`}
+                  >
+                    {chip.label}
+                  </button>
+                ))}
+              </div>
+              <textarea
+                value={edgeExplanation}
+                onChange={(e) => setEdgeExplanation(e.target.value)}
+                placeholder="Why does this connect? (e.g., 'Author of this book', 'Inspired this insight')"
+                rows={2}
+                style={{
+                  width: '100%',
+                  resize: 'vertical',
+                  background: '#0f0f0f',
+                  border: '1px solid #333',
+                  color: '#fafafa',
+                  borderRadius: '12px',
+                  padding: '10px 12px',
+                  fontSize: '13px',
+                  outline: 'none',
+                  fontFamily: 'inherit'
+                }}
+                onKeyDown={(e) => {
+                  if (e.key === 'Enter' && (e.metaKey || e.ctrlKey)) {
+                    e.preventDefault();
+                    createEdgeWithExplanation(pendingEdgeTarget.id, edgeExplanation);
+                  }
+                  if (e.key === 'Escape') {
+                    e.preventDefault();
+                    setPendingEdgeTarget(null);
+                    setEdgeExplanation('');
+                  }
+                }}
+                autoFocus
+              />
+              <div style={{ display: 'flex', justifyContent: 'flex-end', gap: '8px' }}>
+                <button
+                  onClick={() => {
+                    setPendingEdgeTarget(null);
+                    setEdgeExplanation('');
+                  }}
+                  style={{
+                    padding: '8px 12px',
+                    background: '#262626',
+                    border: 'none',
+                    borderRadius: '10px',
+                    color: '#a3a3a3',
+                    fontSize: '12px',
+                    fontWeight: 600,
+                    cursor: 'pointer'
+                  }}
+                >
+                  Cancel
+                </button>
+                <button
+                  onClick={() => createEdgeWithExplanation(pendingEdgeTarget.id, edgeExplanation)}
+                  style={{
+                    padding: '8px 12px',
+                    background: '#22c55e',
+                    border: '1px solid #16a34a',
+                    borderRadius: '10px',
+                    color: '#0a0a0a',
+                    fontSize: '12px',
+                    fontWeight: 700,
+                    cursor: 'pointer'
+                  }}
+                >
+                  Create
+                </button>
+              </div>
+              <div style={{ color: '#737373', fontSize: '11px' }}>
+                Tip: press <span style={{ fontFamily: 'monospace' }}>⌘</span>+<span style={{ fontFamily: 'monospace' }}>Enter</span> to create.
+              </div>
+            </div>
+          )}
+
           {/* Existing Connections */}
           {!nodeSearchQuery && (
             <div style={{
@@ -2211,7 +2481,7 @@ export default function FocusPanel({ openTabs, activeTab, onTabSelect, onNodeCli
               minHeight: 0
             }}>
               <div style={{
-                padding: '16px 20px',
+                padding: '12px 16px',
                 borderBottom: '1px solid #1f1f1f',
                 fontSize: '12px',
                 color: '#737373',
@@ -2236,15 +2506,15 @@ export default function FocusPanel({ openTabs, activeTab, onTabSelect, onNodeCli
                       <div
                         key={connection.id}
                         style={{
-                          padding: '14px 20px',
+                          padding: '10px 16px',
                           borderBottom: '1px solid #1f1f1f',
                           display: 'flex',
                           flexDirection: 'column',
-                          gap: '8px'
+                          gap: '6px'
                         }}
                       >
                         {/* Connection header row */}
-                        <div style={{ display: 'flex', alignItems: 'center', gap: '12px' }}>
+                        <div style={{ display: 'flex', alignItems: 'center', gap: '10px' }}>
                           <span style={{
                             display: 'inline-flex',
                             alignItems: 'center',
@@ -2253,9 +2523,9 @@ export default function FocusPanel({ openTabs, activeTab, onTabSelect, onNodeCli
                             fontWeight: 600,
                             color: '#0a0a0a',
                             background: '#22c55e',
-                            padding: '4px 8px',
+                            padding: '3px 6px',
                             borderRadius: '6px',
-                            minWidth: '28px',
+                            minWidth: '24px',
                             textAlign: 'center',
                             flexShrink: 0,
                             fontFamily: "'SF Mono', 'Fira Code', monospace"
@@ -2266,7 +2536,7 @@ export default function FocusPanel({ openTabs, activeTab, onTabSelect, onNodeCli
                             onClick={() => onNodeClick?.(connection.connected_node.id)}
                             style={{
                               flex: 1,
-                              fontSize: '14px',
+                              fontSize: '13px',
                               color: '#e5e5e5',
                               cursor: 'pointer',
                               overflow: 'hidden',
@@ -2302,7 +2572,7 @@ export default function FocusPanel({ openTabs, activeTab, onTabSelect, onNodeCli
                         </div>
                         {/* Description row */}
                         {edgeEditingId === connection.edge.id ? (
-                          <div style={{ display: 'flex', gap: '8px', alignItems: 'center' }}>
+                          <div style={{ display: 'flex', gap: '6px', alignItems: 'center' }}>
                             <input
                               value={edgeEditingValue}
                               onChange={(e) => setEdgeEditingValue(e.target.value)}
@@ -2319,12 +2589,12 @@ export default function FocusPanel({ openTabs, activeTab, onTabSelect, onNodeCli
                               placeholder="Add explanation..."
                               style={{
                                 flex: 1,
-                                fontSize: '12px',
+                                fontSize: '11px',
                                 color: '#e5e5e5',
                                 background: '#0a0a0a',
                                 border: '1px solid #333',
                                 borderRadius: '6px',
-                                padding: '8px 10px',
+                                padding: '6px 8px',
                                 outline: 'none',
                                 fontFamily: 'inherit'
                               }}
@@ -2332,7 +2602,7 @@ export default function FocusPanel({ openTabs, activeTab, onTabSelect, onNodeCli
                             <button
                               onClick={() => saveEdgeExplanation(connection.edge.id, connection.edge.context)}
                               style={{
-                                padding: '6px 12px',
+                                padding: '5px 10px',
                                 background: '#22c55e',
                                 border: 'none',
                                 borderRadius: '6px',
@@ -2347,7 +2617,7 @@ export default function FocusPanel({ openTabs, activeTab, onTabSelect, onNodeCli
                             <button
                               onClick={cancelEditEdgeExplanation}
                               style={{
-                                padding: '6px 12px',
+                                padding: '5px 10px',
                                 background: '#262626',
                                 border: 'none',
                                 borderRadius: '6px',
@@ -2368,12 +2638,39 @@ export default function FocusPanel({ openTabs, activeTab, onTabSelect, onNodeCli
                               color: connection.edge.context?.explanation ? '#888' : '#525252',
                               cursor: 'pointer',
                               padding: '4px 0',
-                              fontStyle: connection.edge.context?.explanation ? 'normal' : 'italic'
+                              fontStyle: connection.edge.context?.explanation ? 'normal' : 'italic',
+                              display: 'flex',
+                              alignItems: 'center',
+                              gap: '8px'
                             }}
                             onMouseEnter={(e) => { e.currentTarget.style.color = '#aaa'; }}
                             onMouseLeave={(e) => { e.currentTarget.style.color = connection.edge.context?.explanation ? '#888' : '#525252'; }}
                           >
-                            {(connection.edge.context?.explanation as string) || 'Click to add explanation...'}
+                            {typeof connection.edge.context?.type === 'string' && (
+                              <span style={{
+                                fontSize: '10px',
+                                color: '#a3a3a3',
+                                background: '#0f0f0f',
+                                border: '1px solid #262626',
+                                padding: '2px 6px',
+                                borderRadius: '999px',
+                                flexShrink: 0
+                              }}>
+                                {String(connection.edge.context.type).replace(/_/g, ' ')}
+                              </span>
+                            )}
+                            <span
+                              style={{
+                                flex: 1,
+                                minWidth: 0,
+                                overflow: 'hidden',
+                                textOverflow: 'ellipsis',
+                                whiteSpace: 'nowrap',
+                              }}
+                              title={String(connection.edge.context?.explanation || '')}
+                            >
+                              {(connection.edge.context?.explanation as string) || 'Click to add explanation...'}
+                            </span>
                           </div>
                         )}
                       </div>
diff --git a/src/config/workflows/connect.ts b/src/config/workflows/connect.ts
index 018d162..51ec1f1 100644
--- a/src/config/workflows/connect.ts
+++ b/src/config/workflows/connect.ts
@@ -19,7 +19,11 @@ WORKFLOW STEPS
    Call createEdge for each:
    - from_node_id: focused node ID
    - to_node_id: related node ID
-   - context: { explanation: "brief reason" }
+   - explanation: "brief reason for this connection"
+   Direction rule: write the explanation so it reads FROM → TO.
+   Examples:
+   - Episode → Podcast: "Episode of this podcast"
+   - Book → Author: "Written by"
 
 4. DONE
    Reply: "Linked [NODE:id:title] → [list of connected nodes as NODE:id:title]"
diff --git a/src/config/workflows/integrate.ts b/src/config/workflows/integrate.ts
index 39efde8..f9dc788 100644
--- a/src/config/workflows/integrate.ts
+++ b/src/config/workflows/integrate.ts
@@ -30,7 +30,11 @@ WORKFLOW STEPS
    For each connection found, call createEdge:
    - from_node_id: the focused node ID
    - to_node_id: the connected node ID
-   - context: { explanation: "why this connection matters" }
+   - explanation: "why this connection matters"
+   Direction rule: write the explanation so it reads FROM → TO.
+   Examples:
+   - Insight → Source: "Came from / inspired by"
+   - Episode → Podcast: "Episode of this podcast"
 
    The tool handles duplicates gracefully - if edge exists, it returns an error and you continue.
 
diff --git a/src/services/agents/autoEdge.ts b/src/services/agents/autoEdge.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f4b0bf1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/services/agents/autoEdge.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,245 @@
+/**
+ * Auto-Edge Creation Service
+ *
+ * After Quick Capture creates a node, this service:
+ * 1. Extracts candidate entity strings from the node's description
+ * 2. Looks up existing entity nodes by exact title match
+ * 3. Creates edges with explanations for matches
+ *
+ * This is a "fast path" for obvious connections only - conservative by design.
+ */
+
+import { nodeService, edgeService } from '@/services/database';
+import { Node } from '@/types/database';
+
+// Entity-like dimensions where we expect to find referenceable entities
+const ENTITY_DIMENSIONS = ['people', 'companies', 'organizations', 'books', 'papers', 'articles', 'podcasts', 'creators'];
+
+/**
+ * Clean up a candidate entity string by removing common prefixes/suffixes.
+ */
+function cleanEntityCandidate(candidate: string): string {
+  let cleaned = candidate.trim();
+
+  // Remove common author/attribution prefixes
+  const prefixPatterns = [
+    /^by\s+/i,
+    /^author:\s*/i,
+    /^written by\s+/i,
+    /^from\s+/i,
+    /^via\s+/i,
+    /^featuring\s+/i,
+    /^with\s+/i,
+    /^hosted by\s+/i,
+  ];
+
+  for (const pattern of prefixPatterns) {
+    cleaned = cleaned.replace(pattern, '');
+  }
+
+  return cleaned.trim();
+}
+
+/**
+ * Extract candidate entity strings from text using conservative heuristics.
+ * Returns proper names, quoted titles, and recognized patterns.
+ */
+function extractCandidateEntities(text: string): string[] {
+  if (!text || typeof text !== 'string') return [];
+
+  const candidates: Set<string> = new Set();
+
+  // Pattern 1: "By [Name]" pattern - common in article descriptions
+  // Matches: "By Simon Willison", "by Sam Altman"
+  const byPattern = /\b[Bb]y\s+([A-Z][a-z]+(?:\s+[A-Z][a-z]+){0,2})\b/g;
+  let match;
+  while ((match = byPattern.exec(text)) !== null) {
+    const name = match[1].trim();
+    if (name.length >= 4 && !isGenericPhrase(name)) {
+      candidates.add(name);
+    }
+  }
+
+  // Pattern 2: Proper name sequences (2-4 capitalized words)
+  // Matches: "Sam Altman", "Dario Amodei", "Peter Thiel"
+  const properNamePattern = /\b([A-Z][a-z]+(?:\s+[A-Z][a-z]+){1,3})\b/g;
+  while ((match = properNamePattern.exec(text)) !== null) {
+    const name = match[1].trim();
+    // Clean the candidate (remove "By ", etc.)
+    const cleaned = cleanEntityCandidate(name);
+    if (cleaned.length >= 4 && !isGenericPhrase(cleaned)) {
+      candidates.add(cleaned);
+    }
+  }
+
+  // Pattern 3: Quoted titles (single or double quotes)
+  // Matches: "Zero to One", 'The Lean Startup'
+  const quotedPattern = /["']([^"']{3,60})["']/g;
+  while ((match = quotedPattern.exec(text)) !== null) {
+    const title = match[1].trim();
+    if (title.length >= 3 && !isGenericPhrase(title)) {
+      candidates.add(title);
+    }
+  }
+
+  // Pattern 4: Known organization patterns
+  // Matches: OpenAI, DeepMind, Y Combinator, Fly.io
+  const orgPattern = /\b(OpenAI|DeepMind|Anthropic|Google|Microsoft|Meta|Apple|Amazon|Y Combinator|YC|Stripe|Coinbase|Fly\.io|Vercel|Cloudflare)\b/gi;
+  while ((match = orgPattern.exec(text)) !== null) {
+    candidates.add(match[1]);
+  }
+
+  return Array.from(candidates);
+}
+
+/**
+ * Check if a phrase is too generic to be a useful entity reference.
+ */
+function isGenericPhrase(phrase: string): boolean {
+  const normalized = phrase.toLowerCase();
+
+  // Common stopwords and generic terms
+  const genericTerms = [
+    'the author', 'the article', 'the book', 'the podcast',
+    'this article', 'this book', 'this podcast', 'this paper',
+    'new research', 'recent study', 'key points', 'main ideas',
+    'artificial intelligence', 'machine learning', 'deep learning',
+    'first section', 'last section', 'next chapter',
+    'united states', 'new york', 'san francisco', 'silicon valley'
+  ];
+
+  return genericTerms.some(term => normalized === term || normalized.startsWith(term + ' '));
+}
+
+/**
+ * Look up existing nodes that match candidate entity strings.
+ * Uses exact title matching (case-insensitive) with optional dimension filtering.
+ */
+async function findMatchingEntityNodes(candidates: string[]): Promise<Map<string, Node>> {
+  const matches = new Map<string, Node>();
+
+  if (candidates.length === 0) return matches;
+
+  // Get all nodes (we'll filter in memory for exact title matches)
+  // In a larger system, we'd use a more efficient query
+  const allNodes = await nodeService.getNodes({ limit: 10000 });
+
+  for (const candidate of candidates) {
+    const normalizedCandidate = candidate.toLowerCase().trim();
+
+    // Find exact title match (case-insensitive)
+    const matchingNode = allNodes.find(node => {
+      const normalizedTitle = (node.title || '').toLowerCase().trim();
+      if (normalizedTitle !== normalizedCandidate) return false;
+
+      // Optionally filter to entity-like dimensions for higher confidence
+      // But don't require it - some entities might not have dimensions yet
+      const nodeDimensions = node.dimensions || [];
+      const hasEntityDimension = nodeDimensions.some(dim =>
+        ENTITY_DIMENSIONS.includes(dim.toLowerCase())
+      );
+
+      // Accept if it has an entity dimension OR if it's a short title (likely a named entity)
+      return hasEntityDimension || node.title.length < 50;
+    });
+
+    if (matchingNode) {
+      matches.set(candidate, matchingNode);
+    }
+  }
+
+  return matches;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Create edges from a new node to matched entity nodes.
+ * Each edge includes an explanation for auditability.
+ */
+async function createAutoEdges(
+  newNodeId: number,
+  matches: Map<string, Node>
+): Promise<number> {
+  let edgesCreated = 0;
+
+  for (const [candidateText, entityNode] of matches) {
+    // Skip self-references
+    if (entityNode.id === newNodeId) continue;
+
+    // Check if edge already exists
+    const exists = await edgeService.edgeExists(newNodeId, entityNode.id);
+    if (exists) continue;
+
+    try {
+      await edgeService.createEdge({
+        from_node_id: newNodeId,
+        to_node_id: entityNode.id,
+        explanation: `Explicitly mentioned in description: "${candidateText}"`,
+        created_via: 'quick_capture_auto',
+        source: 'ai_similarity',
+        skip_inference: false, // Let Idea Genealogy classify the relationship
+      });
+      edgesCreated++;
+      console.log(`[autoEdge] Created edge: ${newNodeId} → ${entityNode.id} (${entityNode.title})`);
+    } catch (error) {
+      console.warn(`[autoEdge] Failed to create edge to ${entityNode.id}:`, error);
+    }
+  }
+
+  return edgesCreated;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Main entry point: Run auto-edge creation for a newly created node.
+ * This is designed to be called fire-and-forget (non-blocking).
+ */
+export async function runAutoEdgeCreation(nodeId: number): Promise<void> {
+  try {
+    // Fetch the newly created node
+    const node = await nodeService.getNodeById(nodeId);
+    if (!node) {
+      console.warn(`[autoEdge] Node ${nodeId} not found, skipping auto-edge creation`);
+      return;
+    }
+
+    // Use description as the source of truth for entity extraction
+    const description = node.description || '';
+    if (!description || description.length < 10) {
+      console.log(`[autoEdge] Node ${nodeId} has no/short description, skipping`);
+      return;
+    }
+
+    // Extract candidate entities from description
+    const candidates = extractCandidateEntities(description);
+    if (candidates.length === 0) {
+      console.log(`[autoEdge] No entity candidates found in node ${nodeId} description`);
+      return;
+    }
+
+    console.log(`[autoEdge] Found ${candidates.length} candidates for node ${nodeId}:`, candidates);
+
+    // Find matching existing nodes
+    const matches = await findMatchingEntityNodes(candidates);
+    if (matches.size === 0) {
+      console.log(`[autoEdge] No matching entity nodes found for node ${nodeId}`);
+      return;
+    }
+
+    // Create edges
+    const edgesCreated = await createAutoEdges(nodeId, matches);
+    console.log(`[autoEdge] Created ${edgesCreated} auto-edges for node ${nodeId}`);
+  } catch (error) {
+    console.error(`[autoEdge] Error in auto-edge creation for node ${nodeId}:`, error);
+  }
+}
+
+/**
+ * Schedule auto-edge creation to run asynchronously (fire-and-forget).
+ * Use this from the nodes API to avoid blocking the response.
+ */
+export function scheduleAutoEdgeCreation(nodeId: number): void {
+  setImmediate(() => {
+    runAutoEdgeCreation(nodeId).catch(error => {
+      console.error(`[autoEdge] Scheduled auto-edge creation failed for node ${nodeId}:`, error);
+    });
+  });
+}
diff --git a/src/services/database/descriptionService.ts b/src/services/database/descriptionService.ts
index a92f1ca..2a7edcb 100644
--- a/src/services/database/descriptionService.ts
+++ b/src/services/database/descriptionService.ts
@@ -48,6 +48,34 @@ export async function generateDescription(input: DescriptionInput): Promise<stri
 }
 
 function buildDescriptionPrompt(input: DescriptionInput): string {
+  const normalizedSource = (input.metadata?.source || '').toLowerCase();
+  const url = typeof input.link === 'string' ? input.link.trim() : '';
+
+  // Best-effort creator hint from structured metadata (when available),
+  // but never assume a particular extraction source (YouTube vs paper vs website vs note).
+  const creatorHint =
+    input.metadata?.author?.trim() ||
+    input.metadata?.channel_name?.trim() ||
+    '';
+
+  // Best-effort publisher / container hint (less ideal than a true author, but better than nothing).
+  const publisherHint = input.metadata?.site_name?.trim() || '';
+
+  const likelyExternal =
+    Boolean(url) ||
+    normalizedSource.includes('youtube') ||
+    normalizedSource.includes('extract') ||
+    normalizedSource.includes('paper') ||
+    normalizedSource.includes('pdf') ||
+    normalizedSource.includes('website');
+
+  const likelyUserAuthored =
+    !likelyExternal &&
+    (normalizedSource.includes('quick-add-note') ||
+      normalizedSource.includes('quick-add-chat') ||
+      normalizedSource.includes('note') ||
+      normalizedSource.length === 0);
+
   const lines: string[] = [`Title: ${input.title}`];
 
   if (input.link) lines.push(`URL: ${input.link}`);
@@ -55,11 +83,27 @@ function buildDescriptionPrompt(input: DescriptionInput): string {
   if (input.metadata?.channel_name) lines.push(`Channel: ${input.metadata.channel_name}`);
   if (input.metadata?.author) lines.push(`Author: ${input.metadata.author}`);
   if (input.metadata?.site_name) lines.push(`Site: ${input.metadata.site_name}`);
+  if (creatorHint) lines.push(`Creator hint: ${creatorHint}`);
+  if (publisherHint) lines.push(`Publisher hint: ${publisherHint}`);
+  lines.push(`Likely user-authored: ${likelyUserAuthored ? 'yes' : 'no'}`);
 
   const contentPreview = input.content?.slice(0, 800) || '';
   if (contentPreview) lines.push(`Content: ${contentPreview}${input.content && input.content.length > 800 ? '...' : ''}`);
 
-  return `Your job is to do your best to answer 'what is this' - the most simple, high level contextual information of what this thing is. Users will be adding a variety of different nodes (ideas, books, podcasts, people, papers etc). Do your best to take the available information and infer what it is - high level. If unsure, that's fine just give your best guess and say you're unsure. Max 280 characters.
+  return `Your job is to answer: "what is this?" in one short line. Max 280 characters.
+
+GOAL: Include "who created it" when possible.
+
+RULES (in priority order):
+1) ONLY use a creator if you have a creator hint (Author/Channel) or the content explicitly says "by <X>" / "hosted by <X>".
+   - Do NOT treat prominent people in the title/transcript (e.g. a guest) as the creator.
+   - If a creator hint is provided, prefer it.
+2) If you can identify a creator/author/channel/person/org from a creator hint, start with: "By <creator> — ..."
+3) If it's likely user-authored, start with: "Your <thing> — ..." (don't invent a creator name).
+4) If creator is unknown, do NOT guess; omit the byline.
+
+Then, in the remainder, state what it is (video/paper/article/note/idea/etc) + what it's about (high-signal).
+If unsure, say so briefly.
 
 ${lines.join('\n')}`;
 }
diff --git a/src/services/database/edges.ts b/src/services/database/edges.ts
index 34b3178..b5dff07 100644
--- a/src/services/database/edges.ts
+++ b/src/services/database/edges.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,120 @@
 import { getSQLiteClient } from './sqlite-client';
-import { Edge, EdgeData, NodeConnection, Node } from '@/types/database';
+import { Edge, EdgeContext, EdgeData, EdgeCreatedVia, NodeConnection, Node } from '@/types/database';
 import { eventBroadcaster } from '../events';
+import { nodeService } from './nodes';
+import { apiKeyService } from '../storage/apiKeys';
+import { generateText } from 'ai';
+import { createOpenAI } from '@ai-sdk/openai';
+import { z } from 'zod';
+
+const inferredEdgeContextSchema = z.object({
+  category: z.enum(['attribution', 'intellectual']),
+  type: z.enum([
+    'created_by',
+    'features',
+    'part_of',
+    'source_of',
+    'extends',
+    'supports',
+    'contradicts',
+    'related_to'
+  ]),
+  confidence: z.number().min(0).max(1),
+});
+
+async function inferEdgeContext(params: {
+  explanation: string;
+  fromNode: Node;
+  toNode: Node;
+}): Promise<Pick<EdgeContext, 'category' | 'type' | 'confidence'>> {
+  const { explanation, fromNode, toNode } = params;
+
+  // Heuristic fast-paths for the 4 core UI chips.
+  // This makes classification robust and reduces reliance on the model.
+  const norm = explanation.trim().toLowerCase();
+  const startsWithAny = (prefixes: string[]) => prefixes.some((p) => norm.startsWith(p));
+  if (startsWithAny(['created by', 'made by', 'authored by', 'written by', 'founded by'])) {
+    return { category: 'attribution', type: 'created_by', confidence: 1.0 };
+  }
+  if (startsWithAny(['part of', 'episode of', 'belongs to', 'in the series', 'in this series'])) {
+    return { category: 'attribution', type: 'part_of', confidence: 1.0 };
+  }
+  if (startsWithAny(['features', 'mentions', 'hosted by', 'guest:', 'host:'])) {
+    return { category: 'attribution', type: 'features', confidence: 0.95 };
+  }
+  if (startsWithAny(['came from', 'inspired by', 'derived from', 'from'])) {
+    return { category: 'intellectual', type: 'source_of', confidence: 0.9 };
+  }
+  if (startsWithAny(['related to', 'related'])) {
+    return { category: 'intellectual', type: 'related_to', confidence: 0.8 };
+  }
+
+  // If no API key is configured, degrade gracefully.
+  // We still enforce explanation, but fall back to "related_to" classification.
+  const apiKey = apiKeyService.getOpenAiKey();
+  if (!apiKey) {
+    return { category: 'intellectual', type: 'related_to', confidence: 0.0 };
+  }
+
+  const provider = createOpenAI({ apiKey });
+  const prompt = [
+    `Given this edge explanation: "${explanation}"`,
+    ``,
+    `From node:`,
+    `- Title: "${fromNode.title}"`,
+    `- Description: ${fromNode.description || 'No description available'}`,
+    `- Dimensions: ${fromNode.dimensions?.join(', ') || 'none'}`,
+    ``,
+    `To node:`,
+    `- Title: "${toNode.title}"`,
+    `- Description: ${toNode.description || 'No description available'}`,
+    `- Dimensions: ${toNode.dimensions?.join(', ') || 'none'}`,
+    ``,
+    `Classify the relationship:`,
+    `- category: "attribution" (factual: author, creator, host, guest) or "intellectual" (idea relationship)`,
+    `- type: one of [created_by, features, part_of, source_of, extends, supports, contradicts, related_to]`,
+    `- confidence: 0-1`,
+    ``,
+    `IMPORTANT: Interpret the direction as "FROM node → TO node". Pick a type that reads correctly in that direction:`,
+    `- created_by: FROM was created/founded/authored by TO`,
+    `- features: FROM features TO (host/guest/subject appearing in FROM)`,
+    `- part_of: FROM is part of TO (episode→podcast, chapter→book, note→project)`,
+    `- source_of: FROM came from TO / was inspired by TO`,
+    `- extends/supports/contradicts: FROM extends/supports/contradicts TO`,
+    ``,
+    `Return JSON only: {"category": "...", "type": "...", "confidence": 0.X}`
+  ].join('\n');
+
+  try {
+    const { text } = await generateText({
+      model: provider('gpt-4o-mini'),
+      prompt,
+      temperature: 0.0,
+      maxOutputTokens: 120,
+    });
+
+    const parsedJson = (() => {
+      try {
+        return JSON.parse(text);
+      } catch {
+        // Sometimes models wrap JSON in prose; try to recover.
+        const match = text.match(/\{[\s\S]*\}/);
+        if (match) return JSON.parse(match[0]);
+        throw new Error('AI did not return valid JSON');
+      }
+    })();
+
+    const parsed = inferredEdgeContextSchema.safeParse(parsedJson);
+    if (!parsed.success) {
+      return { category: 'intellectual', type: 'related_to', confidence: 0.2 };
+    }
+
+    return parsed.data;
+  } catch (error) {
+    console.warn('[edges] inferEdgeContext failed; falling back to related_to', error);
+    return { category: 'intellectual', type: 'related_to', confidence: 0.2 };
+  }
+}
 
 export class EdgeService {
   async getEdges(): Promise<Edge[]> {
@@ -24,14 +138,41 @@ export class EdgeService {
   private async createEdgeSQLite(edgeData: EdgeData): Promise<Edge> {
     const now = new Date().toISOString();
     const sqlite = getSQLiteClient();
-    
+
+    const explanation = (edgeData.explanation || '').trim();
+    if (!explanation) {
+      throw new Error('Edge explanation is required');
+    }
+
+    const createdVia: EdgeCreatedVia = edgeData.created_via;
+
+    // Fetch nodes for inference context
+    const [fromNode, toNode] = await Promise.all([
+      nodeService.getNodeById(edgeData.from_node_id),
+      nodeService.getNodeById(edgeData.to_node_id),
+    ]);
+
+    if (!fromNode) throw new Error(`Source node ${edgeData.from_node_id} not found`);
+    if (!toNode) throw new Error(`Target node ${edgeData.to_node_id} not found`);
+
+    const inferred = edgeData.skip_inference
+      ? { category: 'intellectual' as const, type: 'related_to' as const, confidence: 0.0 }
+      : await inferEdgeContext({ explanation, fromNode, toNode });
+
+    const context: EdgeContext = {
+      ...inferred,
+      inferred_at: now,
+      explanation,
+      created_via: createdVia,
+    };
+
     const result = sqlite.prepare(`
       INSERT INTO edges (from_node_id, to_node_id, context, source, created_at)
       VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?, ?)
     `).run(
       edgeData.from_node_id,
       edgeData.to_node_id,
-      JSON.stringify(edgeData.context || {}),
+      JSON.stringify(context),
       edgeData.source,
       now
     );
@@ -67,6 +208,51 @@ export class EdgeService {
     const updateFields: string[] = [];
     const params: any[] = [];
 
+    // If explanation changes, re-infer classification and write full EdgeContext
+    if (Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty.call(updates, 'context') && updates.context && typeof updates.context === 'object') {
+      const incomingContext = updates.context as Partial<EdgeContext> & { explanation?: unknown };
+      if (typeof incomingContext.explanation === 'string') {
+        const explanation = incomingContext.explanation.trim();
+        if (!explanation) {
+          throw new Error('Edge explanation is required');
+        }
+
+        const existingEdge = await this.getEdgeById(id);
+        if (!existingEdge) {
+          throw new Error(`Edge with ID ${id} not found`);
+        }
+
+        const [fromNode, toNode] = await Promise.all([
+          nodeService.getNodeById(existingEdge.from_node_id),
+          nodeService.getNodeById(existingEdge.to_node_id),
+        ]);
+
+        if (!fromNode) throw new Error(`Source node ${existingEdge.from_node_id} not found`);
+        if (!toNode) throw new Error(`Target node ${existingEdge.to_node_id} not found`);
+
+        const inferred = await inferEdgeContext({ explanation, fromNode, toNode });
+        const now = new Date().toISOString();
+
+        const existingContext = (existingEdge.context && typeof existingEdge.context === 'object')
+          ? (existingEdge.context as Partial<EdgeContext>)
+          : undefined;
+
+        const created_via: EdgeCreatedVia =
+          (incomingContext.created_via as EdgeCreatedVia) ||
+          (existingContext?.created_via as EdgeCreatedVia) ||
+          'ui';
+
+        updates.context = {
+          ...existingContext,
+          ...incomingContext,
+          ...inferred,
+          inferred_at: now,
+          explanation,
+          created_via,
+        } satisfies EdgeContext;
+      }
+    }
+
     // Build dynamic update query
     Object.entries(updates).forEach(([key, value]) => {
       if (key !== 'id' && key !== 'created_at' && value !== undefined) {
@@ -309,17 +495,23 @@ export class EdgeService {
   }
 
   async createBidirectionalEdge(fromId: number, toId: number, options?: {
-    context?: any;
+    explanation?: string;
+    created_via?: EdgeCreatedVia;
     source?: 'user' | 'ai_similarity' | 'helper_name';
+    skip_inference?: boolean;
   }): Promise<Edge[]> {
     const edges: Edge[] = [];
+    const explanation = (options?.explanation || 'Similarity-based connection').trim();
+    const created_via: EdgeCreatedVia = options?.created_via || 'workflow';
 
     // Create edge from A to B
     const forwardEdge = await this.createEdge({
       from_node_id: fromId,
       to_node_id: toId,
-      context: options?.context,
-      source: options?.source || 'ai_similarity'
+      explanation,
+      created_via,
+      source: options?.source || 'ai_similarity',
+      skip_inference: options?.skip_inference,
     });
     edges.push(forwardEdge);
 
@@ -327,8 +519,10 @@ export class EdgeService {
     const backwardEdge = await this.createEdge({
       from_node_id: toId,
       to_node_id: fromId,
-      context: options?.context,
-      source: options?.source || 'ai_similarity'
+      explanation,
+      created_via,
+      source: options?.source || 'ai_similarity',
+      skip_inference: options?.skip_inference,
     });
     edges.push(backwardEdge);
 
diff --git a/src/services/helpers/contextBuilder.ts b/src/services/helpers/contextBuilder.ts
index 0592b31..24905d1 100644
--- a/src/services/helpers/contextBuilder.ts
+++ b/src/services/helpers/contextBuilder.ts
@@ -111,13 +111,18 @@ function parseMetadata(metadata: unknown): Record<string, any> {
   if (!metadata) return {};
   if (typeof metadata === 'string') {
     try {
-      return JSON.parse(metadata);
+      const parsed = JSON.parse(metadata);
+      if (parsed && typeof parsed === 'object') {
+        return parsed as Record<string, any>;
+      }
+      return {};
     } catch (error) {
       console.warn('Failed to parse node metadata JSON:', error);
       return {};
     }
   }
   if (typeof metadata === 'object') {
+    if (metadata === null) return {};
     return metadata as Record<string, any>;
   }
   return {};
diff --git a/src/services/typescript/extractors/website.ts b/src/services/typescript/extractors/website.ts
index 71104ab..eca12b4 100644
--- a/src/services/typescript/extractors/website.ts
+++ b/src/services/typescript/extractors/website.ts
@@ -27,6 +27,46 @@ export class WebsiteExtractor {
     'User-Agent': 'Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 10.0; Win64; x64) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/91.0.4472.124 Safari/537.36',
   };
 
+  /**
+   * Extract content using Jina.ai Reader API
+   * Used as fallback when cheerio fails (JS-rendered sites, Twitter, SPAs)
+   * Free tier: 20 requests/minute per IP (no API key needed)
+   */
+  private async extractWithJina(url: string): Promise<ExtractionResult> {
+    const jinaUrl = `https://r.jina.ai/${url}`;
+
+    const response = await fetch(jinaUrl, {
+      headers: { 'User-Agent': 'RA-H/1.0' },
+      signal: AbortSignal.timeout(30000),
+    });
+
+    if (!response.ok) {
+      throw new Error(`Jina extraction failed: ${response.status}`);
+    }
+
+    const markdown = await response.text();
+
+    // Parse title from first markdown heading or first line
+    const titleMatch = markdown.match(/^#\s+(.+)$/m) || markdown.match(/^(.+)$/m);
+    const title = titleMatch?.[1]?.trim() || 'Extracted Content';
+
+    // Build metadata
+    const metadata: WebsiteMetadata = {
+      title,
+      extraction_method: 'jina',
+    };
+
+    // Format content consistently with cheerio output
+    const content = this.formatContent(metadata, markdown);
+
+    return {
+      content,
+      chunk: markdown,
+      metadata,
+      url,
+    };
+  }
+
   /**
    * Clean extracted content for better readability
    */
@@ -189,55 +229,69 @@ export class WebsiteExtractor {
     return sections.join('\n');
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Extract content using cheerio (static HTML parser)
+   * Fast, free, no external calls - but fails on JS-rendered sites
+   */
+  private async extractWithCheerio(url: string): Promise<ExtractionResult> {
+    const response = await fetch(url, {
+      headers: this.headers,
+      signal: AbortSignal.timeout(30000),
+    });
+
+    if (!response.ok) {
+      throw new Error(`HTTP error! status: ${response.status}`);
+    }
+
+    const html = await response.text();
+    const $ = cheerio.load(html);
+
+    const metadata = this.extractMetadata($);
+    metadata.extraction_method = 'cheerio';
+    const mainContent = this.extractMainContent($);
+
+    const content = this.formatContent(metadata, mainContent);
+
+    return {
+      content,
+      chunk: mainContent,
+      metadata,
+      url,
+    };
+  }
+
   /**
    * Main extraction method
+   * Strategy: Try cheerio first (fast, free), fall back to Jina for JS-rendered sites
    */
   async extract(url: string): Promise<ExtractionResult> {
     // Validate URL
     if (!url.startsWith('http://') && !url.startsWith('https://')) {
       throw new Error('Invalid URL format - must start with http:// or https://');
     }
-    
+
+    // Try cheerio first (fast, no external call)
     try {
-      // Fetch the webpage
-      const response = await fetch(url, {
-        headers: this.headers,
-        signal: AbortSignal.timeout(30000), // 30 second timeout
-      });
-      
-      if (!response.ok) {
-        throw new Error(`HTTP error! status: ${response.status}`);
+      const result = await this.extractWithCheerio(url);
+
+      // If content is substantial, cheerio worked
+      if (result.chunk.length > 200) {
+        return result;
       }
-      
-      const html = await response.text();
-      
-      // Parse HTML with cheerio
-      const $ = cheerio.load(html);
-      
-      // Extract metadata and content
-      const metadata = this.extractMetadata($);
-      // Mark extraction method for downstream metadata
-      metadata.extraction_method = 'typescript_cheerio';
-      const mainContent = this.extractMainContent($);
-      
-      // Format content for display
-      const content = this.formatContent(metadata, mainContent);
-      
-      // Chunk is the main content text
-      const chunk = mainContent;
-      
-      return {
-        content,
-        chunk,
-        metadata,
-        url,
-      };
-      
+
+      console.log('[WebsiteExtractor] Cheerio extraction too short, trying Jina...');
     } catch (error: any) {
       if (error.name === 'AbortError') {
         throw new Error('Request timeout - website took too long to respond');
       }
-      throw error;
+      console.log('[WebsiteExtractor] Cheerio failed, trying Jina...', error.message);
+    }
+
+    // Fallback to Jina for JS-rendered sites
+    try {
+      return await this.extractWithJina(url);
+    } catch (jinaError: any) {
+      throw new Error(`Extraction failed: ${jinaError.message}`);
     }
   }
 }
diff --git a/src/tools/database/createEdge.ts b/src/tools/database/createEdge.ts
index b3dc63c..9c65809 100644
--- a/src/tools/database/createEdge.ts
+++ b/src/tools/database/createEdge.ts
@@ -5,12 +5,32 @@ import { nodeService } from '@/services/database/nodes';
 import { formatNodeForChat } from '../infrastructure/nodeFormatter';
 
 export const createEdgeTool = tool({
-  description: 'Create directed relationship between nodes',
+  description:
+    'Create directed relationship between nodes.\n\n' +
+    'Direction rule: FROM node → TO node should read correctly.\n' +
+    'Prefer the 4 core relations unless the user clearly wants an advanced intellectual relation:\n' +
+    '- Made by → created_by (attribution)\n' +
+    '- Part of → part_of (attribution)\n' +
+    '- Came from → source_of (intellectual)\n' +
+    '- Related → related_to (intellectual fallback)\n\n' +
+    'Examples:\n' +
+    '- Episode → Podcast: "Episode of this podcast"\n' +
+    '- Book → Author: "Written by"\n' +
+    '- Company → Founder: "Founded by"\n' +
+    '- Insight → Source: "Came from / inspired by"\n',
   inputSchema: z.object({
     from_node_id: z.number().describe('The ID of the source node (where the connection originates)'),
     to_node_id: z.number().describe('The ID of the target node (where the connection points to)'),
-    context: z.record(z.any()).optional().describe('Additional context about this connection - can include explanation, relationship type, strength, notes, etc.'),
-    source: z.enum(['user', 'ai', 'ai_similarity', 'helper_name']).default('ai').describe('Source of this edge - use "ai" for AI-created connections, "user" for manual connections, "ai_similarity" for similarity-based connections')
+    explanation: z.string().describe(
+      'REQUIRED: Why does this connection exist? Be specific. ' +
+      'Write it as a relationship that reads FROM → TO. ' +
+      'Examples: "Author of this book", "Guest on this podcast", ' +
+      '"Episode of this podcast", "This insight came from this podcast episode", "Extends the concept introduced here"'
+    ),
+    source: z.enum(['user', 'ai', 'ai_similarity', 'helper_name']).default('ai').describe(
+      'Source of this edge. Use "ai" (or "helper_name") for AI-created connections, ' +
+      '"user" for manual connections, "ai_similarity" for similarity-based connections.'
+    )
   }),
   execute: async (params) => {
     console.log('🔗 CreateEdge tool called with params:', JSON.stringify(params, null, 2));
@@ -41,6 +61,15 @@ export const createEdgeTool = tool({
         };
       }
 
+      const explanation = (params.explanation || '').trim();
+      if (!explanation) {
+        return {
+          success: false,
+          error: 'explanation is required. Provide a clear reason for why these two nodes should be connected.',
+          data: null
+        };
+      }
+
       const [fromNode, toNode] = await Promise.all([
         nodeService.getNodeById(params.from_node_id),
         nodeService.getNodeById(params.to_node_id)
@@ -84,7 +113,8 @@ export const createEdgeTool = tool({
       const newEdge = await edgeService.createEdge({
         from_node_id: params.from_node_id,
         to_node_id: params.to_node_id,
-        context: params.context || {},
+        explanation,
+        created_via: 'agent',
         source
       });
 
diff --git a/src/tools/other/paperExtract.ts b/src/tools/other/paperExtract.ts
index fd7f405..3671aaf 100644
--- a/src/tools/other/paperExtract.ts
+++ b/src/tools/other/paperExtract.ts
@@ -15,14 +15,15 @@ Description: "${description}"
 
 Respond with ONLY valid JSON (no markdown, no code blocks):
 {
-  "enhancedDescription": "Improved 2-3 sentence description explaining what this content is about",
+  "enhancedDescription": "A comprehensive summary of what this content is about (can be several paragraphs, up to ~1500 characters)",
   "tags": ["relevant", "semantic", "tags", "like", "ai", "economics", "research"],
   "reasoning": "Brief explanation of why you chose these categories"
 }
 
 Guidelines:
+- enhancedDescription should be thorough - cover key points, arguments, and takeaways
+- Aim for 3-6 paragraphs or 800-1500 characters - don't artificially truncate
 - Include 3-8 relevant semantic tags (not just generic ones)
-- Make description informative and contextual
 - For academic papers, include tags like: research, academic, paper, plus domain-specific tags
 - For AI/ML papers, include: ai, machine-learning, artificial-intelligence, deep-learning
 - For economics papers, include: economics, finance, markets, policy
@@ -32,7 +33,7 @@ Guidelines:
     const response = await generateText({
       model: openai('gpt-5-mini'),
       prompt,
-      maxOutputTokens: 500
+      maxOutputTokens: 800
     });
 
     let content = response.text || '{}';
@@ -122,7 +123,7 @@ export const paperExtractTool = tool({
       // Step 2: AI Analysis for enhanced metadata
       const aiAnalysis = await analyzeContentWithAI(
         result.metadata?.title || `PDF: ${new URL(url).pathname.split('/').pop()?.replace('.pdf', '')}`, 
-        result.content?.substring(0, 1000) || 'PDF document content', 
+        result.content?.substring(0, 2000) || 'PDF document content', 
         'pdf'
       );
 
diff --git a/src/tools/other/websiteExtract.ts b/src/tools/other/websiteExtract.ts
index 2037f71..f293e09 100644
--- a/src/tools/other/websiteExtract.ts
+++ b/src/tools/other/websiteExtract.ts
@@ -15,14 +15,15 @@ Description: "${description}"
 
 Respond with ONLY valid JSON (no markdown, no code blocks):
 {
-  "enhancedDescription": "Improved 2-3 sentence description explaining what this content is about",
+  "enhancedDescription": "A comprehensive summary of what this content is about (can be several paragraphs, up to ~1500 characters)",
   "tags": ["relevant", "semantic", "tags", "like", "ai", "economics", "research"],
   "reasoning": "Brief explanation of why you chose these categories"
 }
 
 Guidelines:
+- enhancedDescription should be thorough - cover key points, arguments, and takeaways
+- Aim for 3-6 paragraphs or 800-1500 characters - don't artificially truncate
 - Include 3-8 relevant semantic tags (not just generic ones)
-- Make description informative and contextual
 - For AI/ML content, include tags like: ai, machine-learning, artificial-intelligence, deep-learning
 - For economics content, include: economics, finance, markets, policy
 - Be specific and insightful
@@ -31,7 +32,7 @@ Guidelines:
     const response = await generateText({
       model: openai('gpt-5-mini'),
       prompt,
-      maxOutputTokens: 500
+      maxOutputTokens: 800
     });
 
     let content = response.text || '{}';
@@ -113,7 +114,7 @@ export const websiteExtractTool = tool({
       // Step 2: AI Analysis for enhanced metadata
       const aiAnalysis = await analyzeContentWithAI(
         result.metadata?.title || `Website: ${new URL(url).hostname}`, 
-        result.content?.substring(0, 500) || 'Website content', 
+        result.content?.substring(0, 2000) || 'Website content', 
         'website'
       );
 
diff --git a/src/tools/other/youtubeExtract.ts b/src/tools/other/youtubeExtract.ts
index 0c95bf5..f309772 100644
--- a/src/tools/other/youtubeExtract.ts
+++ b/src/tools/other/youtubeExtract.ts
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ Available types: ${AVAILABLE_SEGMENTS.join(', ')}
 
 Respond with ONLY valid JSON (no markdown, no code blocks):
 {
-  "enhancedDescription": "Improved 2-3 sentence description explaining what this content is about",
+  "enhancedDescription": "A comprehensive summary of what this content is about (can be several paragraphs, up to ~1500 characters)",
   "tags": ["relevant", "semantic", "tags", "like", "ai", "economics", "research"],
   "segments": ["research"],
   "reasoning": "Brief explanation of why you chose these categories"
@@ -30,8 +30,9 @@ Respond with ONLY valid JSON (no markdown, no code blocks):
 
 Guidelines:
 - Choose 1 segment that best fits the content type
+- enhancedDescription should be thorough - cover key points, arguments, and takeaways
+- Aim for 3-6 paragraphs or 800-1500 characters - don't artificially truncate
 - Include 3-8 relevant semantic tags (not just generic ones)
-- Make description informative and contextual
 - For AI/ML content, include tags like: ai, machine-learning, artificial-intelligence, deep-learning
 - For economics content, include: economics, finance, markets, policy
 - Be specific and insightful
@@ -40,7 +41,7 @@ Guidelines:
     const response = await generateText({
       model: openai('gpt-5-mini'),
       prompt,
-      maxOutputTokens: 500
+      maxOutputTokens: 800
     });
 
     let content = response.text || '{}';
diff --git a/src/types/database.ts b/src/types/database.ts
index 361da5c..500e5c5 100644
--- a/src/types/database.ts
+++ b/src/types/database.ts
@@ -58,10 +58,40 @@ export interface Edge {
   from_node_id: number;
   to_node_id: number;
   context?: any;
-  source: 'user' | 'ai_similarity' | 'helper_name';
+  source: EdgeSource;
   created_at: string;
 }
 
+export type EdgeSource = 'user' | 'ai_similarity' | 'helper_name';
+
+export type EdgeContextCategory = 'attribution' | 'intellectual';
+
+export type EdgeContextType =
+  | 'created_by'
+  | 'features'
+  | 'part_of'
+  | 'source_of'
+  | 'extends'
+  | 'supports'
+  | 'contradicts'
+  | 'related_to';
+
+export type EdgeCreatedVia = 'ui' | 'agent' | 'mcp' | 'workflow' | 'quicklink' | 'quick_capture_auto';
+
+export interface EdgeContext {
+  // SYSTEM-INFERRED (AI classifies from explanation + nodes)
+  category: EdgeContextCategory;
+  type: EdgeContextType;
+  confidence: number;   // 0-1
+  inferred_at: string;  // ISO timestamp
+
+  // PROVIDED AT CREATION / EDIT
+  explanation: string;
+
+  // SYSTEM-MANAGED
+  created_via: EdgeCreatedVia;
+}
+
 export interface Chat {
   id: number;
   user_message?: string;
@@ -120,8 +150,10 @@ export interface ChunkData {
 export interface EdgeData {
   from_node_id: number;
   to_node_id: number;
-  context?: any;
-  source: 'user' | 'ai_similarity' | 'helper_name';
+  explanation: string;
+  created_via: EdgeCreatedVia;
+  source: EdgeSource;
+  skip_inference?: boolean; // reserved for bulk imports / migrations
 }
 
 export interface ChatData {