✨ SciLynk v3 — Complete UI Overhaul & Polish

v3 is the complete visual redesign we promised in v2. Every page now uses a cohesive design system with semantic tokens, the entire landing experience is rebuilt from scratch, entity pages are consistent and beautiful across light and dark modes, and dozens of rough edges have been smoothed out. This is the SciLynk that feels polished, modern, and ready for prime time.

🎨 Design System & Theming

• Semantic design tokens across the board: Every component now uses bg-surface-base, text-text-primary, border-stroke-base, and other semantic tokens instead of hardcoded colors. Light and dark themes work consistently everywhere.
• Theme toggle simplified: Removed the "system" option — users now toggle directly between light and dark modes for a clearer experience.
• Entity pages unified: Authors, topics, institutions, sources, and funders all share the same visual language, typography, and component styling. No more mixing v1 and v2 aesthetics.
• Font consistency: Fixed font mismatches across entity pages. Headers now use the serif font family consistently, and body text uses the correct weights.

🏠 Landing Page Rebuilt

• New hero with search-first design: The landing page now opens with a large search bar as the primary call to action, making it clear that you can start using SciLynk immediately. Marketing copy moved below.
• Theme-locked to dark mode: The landing page stays dark regardless of user preference, with new dark-optimized images for every section.
• Simplified navigation: Removed About, Blog, Changelog, and Pricing links from the header. Navigation is now just Logo, Login, and Get Started.
• "Free forever" messaging: Added prominent text in the hero section making it clear that SciLynk is free with no credit card required.
• Authenticated user redirect: Logged-in users visiting / now go straight to /home instead of seeing the marketing page.
• Removed "Early Access" badge: SciLynk is no longer positioned as early access — it's production-ready.
• Updated feature copy: Rewrote all feature descriptions to focus on current capabilities. Removed references to deprecated features like Lynx AI.

📁 Collections Overhaul

• All modals updated to v2 styling: Delete, Edit, Create, Share, and Save modals now use semantic tokens, modern borders, and consistent spacing.
• Fixed save functionality bug: Collections now load correctly when clicking the save button on papers. Previously showed "you have no collections" even when you did.
• Notes feature fixed: Collection paper notes now save correctly. Fixed API parameter mismatches and removed incorrect plan restrictions.
• Modern controls toolbar: Search input and "New Collection" button updated with v2 styling and proper spacing.
• Share UI improvements: Updated team member autocomplete and permission dropdowns with clean hover states and semantic tokens.

🌐 Entity Pages Polish

• Filter widget redesigned: All entity pages now use a consistent, modern filter panel that works in both light and dark modes. Removed old v1 styling.
• Topics removed from some pages: Removed the broken topic association widget from entity pages where it wasn't working reliably.
• Stats section improvements: Fixed reversed year ordering in publication graphs. Years now go from old to new (left to right) as expected.
• Papers use feed card design: Entity pages now display papers using the same card component as the home feed, ensuring visual consistency.
• Sub-navigation alignment fixed: Hero sections and navigation bars are now properly aligned with the content below them.

🔒 Authentication & Onboarding

• Profile page removed: Deleted the unused profile page and all references to it from navigation and command palette.
• Invite code system removed: Registration no longer requires or asks for invite codes on the frontend or backend.
• Onboarding skip fixed: "Skip for now" now goes to /search instead of creating a redirect loop back to onboarding.

🔍 Search & Error Handling

• Removed backend service names from error messages: Search errors, feed errors, and API failures now show generic messages like "Search error 500" instead of exposing internal service names to users.
• Better malformed query handling: Invalid search syntax (like unmatched quotes) now fails gracefully without showing backend service names.

💄 Typography & Visual Consistency

• Serif font for headers: All major headings across the app now use the serif font family for a more sophisticated look.
• Consistent text sizing: Body text, captions, and labels use consistent sizing across all pages.
• Icon alignment: Fixed icon and text alignment issues throughout entity pages and navigation.
• Proper hover states: Buttons, links, and interactive elements now have consistent hover animations using semantic tokens.

🔧 Bug Fixes

• Collection paper cards: Fixed prop passing and state management for note editing.
• Filter synchronization: Filters now properly update when changing between entity page tabs.
• Empty state handling: Improved messaging when search results, feeds, or collections are empty.
• Theme persistence: Theme selection now persists correctly across page navigation.

🗑️ Removed

• Profile page (/profile) and all associated components
• Invite code system (frontend and backend validation)
• "System" theme option from theme toggle
• Sunsetting modal from landing page
• All light mode images and theme-switching logic from landing page
• "Learn more" button from landing hero
• Legacy v1 filter widgets from entity pages
• Topic association display from entity pages (temporarily, pending reliability improvements)

📚 What's Next

v3 completes the visual overhaul. Future releases will focus on feature expansion:

• Smart collections with query-based auto-updates
• Drag-and-drop paper reordering in collections
• Bulk selection and management for collections
• Public collection sharing with unique URLs
• Additional export formats (CSL-JSON, RIS) alongside BibTeX
• Enhanced paper notes with rich text editing

Questions or feature requests? Reach out.