UI: internal navigation does full-page reloads instead of client-side transitions (no next/link)

[dmccoystephenson]

Surface: components/TopBar.tsx (NavButton) and internal links across pages.

Opportunity. No component uses next/link — every internal destination is a plain <Button href="/..."> (an anchor), so navigating between pages triggers a full page reload: a white flash, fonts/JS re-evaluated, and any in-memory state thrown away. (The color-mode logic in _app.tsx even works around this — its comment notes "navigation triggers a full page load," which is why the mode is re-read from localStorage each time.) On a modern Next.js site, in-site navigation should be instant client-side transitions.

Suggested direction. Route internal links through next/link (e.g. MUI Button component={Link} with the next/link Link, or a small NextLinkButton wrapper) for all same-origin paths; keep plain anchors + target="_blank" for external links and for in-page hash anchors like #plugins. This gives instant navigation, removes the flash, and lets the color-mode (and future client state) persist in memory across pages.

Why it matters (perceived performance / polish). Full reloads make the site feel slower and older than it is; client-side nav is the single biggest "feels modern" win available here. Note this is a broader refactor than the other UI issues — worth scoping as its own PR.

Filed during a UI review; verified there is no next/link import anywhere and TopBar navigates via <Button href>. Drafted by Claude on behalf of Daniel Stephenson.

[dmccoystephenson]

Deferred by the autonomous polish loop: as the issue itself notes, moving internal nav to next/link is a broader refactor (TopBar + every internal link, and it interacts with the color-mode-on-reload logic in _app.tsx). It needs navigation-behavior testing and is better scoped as its own reviewed PR than an auto-merged polish change.