diff --git a/docs/reading-cost.md b/docs/reading-cost.md
index 901d90e..84f6a86 100644
--- a/docs/reading-cost.md
+++ b/docs/reading-cost.md
@@ -792,3 +792,16 @@ Read most (opens and searches):
 - `package.json` 1
 - `src/markdown/commonmark/backtick-runs.ts` 1
 - `src/markdown/commonmark/grammar.ts` 1
+
+## Reading cost, chunk ca685f64bce7, finished 2026-11-09T00:27:56Z
+
+85473 new input tokens before the first commit.
+
+Read most (opens and searches):
+
+- `src/markdown/inline-content.ts` 8
+- `todo.md` 5
+- `README.md` 3
+- `AGENTS.md` 1
+- `ci.sh` 1
+- `docs/decisions.md` 1
diff --git a/src/markdown/inline-content.ts b/src/markdown/inline-content.ts
index 782f761..e505b3a 100644
--- a/src/markdown/inline-content.ts
+++ b/src/markdown/inline-content.ts
@@ -177,7 +177,8 @@ function readToken(scan: Scan, inline: InlineSource, index: number, token: Inlin
       scan.pieces.push({ image: token.image, kind: 'open' })
       return success(end)
     case 'bracket-close':
-      return closeBracket(scan, index)
+      flush(scan, false)
+      return applyClosing(scan, closeBracket(scan, index), index)
     case 'code-span':
       flush(scan, false)
       record(scan.shared, { at: scan.offset + index, kind: 'codeSpans' })
@@ -416,42 +417,40 @@ function linkedText(text: string, scheme: string): AdfNode {
   return { marks: [{ attrs: { href: `${scheme}${text}` }, type: 'link' }], text, type: 'text' }
 }
 
-function closeBracket(scan: Scan, index: number): Result<number> {
-  flush(scan, false)
-  const open = popBracket(scan)
-  if (open === undefined) return success(literalClose(scan, index))
-  const target = open.active ? resolveTarget(scan, open.start, index) : undefined
-  if (target === undefined) return success(unopened(scan, open, index))
+// What a `]` makes of the innermost open bracket, decided without writing to the scan. `closesLink` is whether a link closes here, or one inside these brackets did, which leaves every link opener still open literal.
+type Closing =
+  | { closesLink: boolean; kind: 'literal'; open: OpenBracket | undefined }
+  | { closesLink: boolean; end: number; kind: 'built'; open: OpenBracket; pieces: Result<Piece[]> }
+
+function closeBracket(scan: Scan, index: number): Closing {
+  const open = scan.brackets.at(-1)
+  if (open === undefined) return { closesLink: false, kind: 'literal', open }
+  const target = open.image || scan.brackets.length > scan.linkOpenersFrom ? resolveTarget(scan, open.start, index) : undefined
+  if (target === undefined) return { closesLink: false, kind: 'literal', open }
   const inner = scan.pieces.slice(open.index + 1)
-  // A link closing, or one inside these brackets, leaves every link opener still open literal.
-  if (!open.image) scan.linkOpenersFrom = scan.brackets.length
   // Before `linkPieces`' own-marks guard: brackets that go literal mark nothing, so a carry inside them is no error.
-  if (!open.image && holdsLink(inner)) return success(unopened(scan, open, index))
-  record(scan.shared, { at: scan.offset + open.start - 1, kind: 'links' })
-  const closed = open.image ? imagePieces(scan, inner, target.definition()) : linkPieces(scan, inner, target.definition())
-  if (!closed.ok) return closed
-  scan.pieces.length = open.index
-  for (const piece of closed.value) scan.pieces.push(piece)
-  return success(index + 1 + target.length)
+  if (!open.image && holdsLink(inner)) return { closesLink: true, kind: 'literal', open }
+  const pieces = open.image ? imagePieces(scan, inner, target.definition()) : linkPieces(scan, inner, target.definition())
+  return { closesLink: !open.image, end: index + 1 + target.length, kind: 'built', open, pieces }
 }
 
 // A close that builds nothing still pops its bracket, so no later close walks past it.
-function popBracket(scan: Scan): (OpenBracket & { active: boolean }) | undefined {
-  const open = scan.brackets.pop()
-  if (open === undefined) return undefined
-  const active = open.image || scan.brackets.length >= scan.linkOpenersFrom
-  scan.linkOpenersFrom = Math.min(scan.linkOpenersFrom, scan.brackets.length)
-  return { ...open, active }
-}
-
-function literalClose(scan: Scan, index: number): number {
-  scan.pending += ']'
-  return index + 1
-}
-
-function unopened(scan: Scan, open: OpenBracket, index: number): number {
-  scan.pieces[open.index] = { kind: 'nodes', nodes: bracketNodes(open) }
-  return literalClose(scan, index)
+function applyClosing(scan: Scan, closing: Closing, index: number): Result<number> {
+  const { closesLink, open } = closing
+  if (open !== undefined) {
+    scan.brackets.pop()
+    scan.linkOpenersFrom = closesLink ? scan.brackets.length : Math.min(scan.linkOpenersFrom, scan.brackets.length)
+  }
+  if (closing.kind === 'literal') {
+    if (open !== undefined) scan.pieces[open.index] = { kind: 'nodes', nodes: bracketNodes(open) }
+    scan.pending += ']'
+    return success(index + 1)
+  }
+  record(scan.shared, { at: scan.offset + closing.open.start - 1, kind: 'links' })
+  if (!closing.pieces.ok) return closing.pieces
+  scan.pieces.length = closing.open.index
+  for (const piece of closing.pieces.value) scan.pieces.push(piece)
+  return success(closing.end)
 }
 
 function bracketNodes(bracket: Bracket | OpenBracket): AdfNode[] {
diff --git a/todo.md b/todo.md
index 4e3fe2b..2e80d70 100644
--- a/todo.md
+++ b/todo.md
@@ -13,7 +13,6 @@
 | ID | Release | Blocked by | Exempt | Item | L | E | I | R | S | Moves | Score |
 |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 153 | 0.4.0 |  | question | **Decide whether `src/markdown/` root may import `emit/`, `parse/` or `portable/`, and hold the answer in `.oxlintrc.json` and §The source parts by ADF and format.** | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | code health by 3 | 26.2 |
-| 155 | 0.4.0 |  |  | **Have `closeBracket` return the link, image or literal bracket it builds, and apply it to the scan in one caller.** | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | code health by 4 | 17.4 |
 | 162 | 0.4.0 |  |  | **Pin each rule of the emphasis sweep with a hand-worked line, so every mutant that lets a pair fall where the one-run-per-pass reference keeps it fails a test.** | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | code health by 4 | 17.4 |
 | 175 | 0.4.0 |  |  | **Delete the guards in `tryTaskList` that `reduceToPortable` makes unreachable, once a test shows `adfToPortableMarkdown` reaches none of them.** | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | code health by 2 | 17.4 |
 | 45 | 0.4.0 |  | defect | **Replace `isAdfDocument` with a reader returning `Result<AdfDocument>`.** | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 1 by 2 | 13.1 |
@@ -73,13 +72,6 @@ a paragraph opening with a spellable `!adf:link` (§Nothing recurses unbounded).
 `src/markdown/**` bans only `html/`; banning `emit/`, `parse/` and `portable/` for the root's own
 files, with its `ci.sh` probe, extends the decision.
 
-### 155. Have `closeBracket` return the link, image or literal bracket it builds, and apply it to the scan in one caller.
-
-A comprehension seat found `src/markdown/inline-content.ts` `closeBracket` hard: it writes
-`scan.pieces`, the link openers and the reading, and calls `unopened`, `literalClose` and
-`popBracket`, which write `scan.pieces`, `scan.pending` and the link openers. Make that place
-easier to read.
-
 ### 162. Pin each rule of the emphasis sweep with a hand-worked line, so every mutant that lets a pair fall where the one-run-per-pass reference keeps it fails a test.
 
 About 20 mutants of `src/markdown/emit/unspellable-runs.ts` survive the gate. Each lets a pair fall