diff --git a/graphify/__main__.py b/graphify/__main__.py
index cdb40ea3..584b02b5 100644
--- a/graphify/__main__.py
+++ b/graphify/__main__.py
@@ -254,6 +254,8 @@ _AGENTS_MD_SECTION = """\
 
 This project has a knowledge graph at graphify-out/ with god nodes, community structure, and cross-file relationships.
 
+When the user types `/graphify`, invoke the `skill` tool with `skill: "graphify"` before doing anything else.
+
 Rules:
 - ALWAYS read graphify-out/GRAPH_REPORT.md before reading any source files, running grep/glob searches, or answering codebase questions. The graph is your primary map of the codebase.
 - IF graphify-out/wiki/index.md EXISTS, navigate it instead of reading raw files
@@ -1525,6 +1527,25 @@ def main() -> None:
             print(f"No node matching '{target_label}' found.", file=sys.stderr)
             sys.exit(1)
         src_nid, tgt_nid = src_scored[0][1], tgt_scored[0][1]
+        # Ambiguity guard: when both queries resolve to the same node, the
+        # shortest path is trivially zero hops, which is almost never what the
+        # caller wanted (see bug #828).
+        if src_nid == tgt_nid:
+            print(
+                f"'{source_label}' and '{target_label}' both resolved to the same "
+                f"node '{src_nid}'. Use a more specific label or the exact node ID.",
+                file=sys.stderr,
+            )
+            sys.exit(1)
+        for _name, _scored in (("source", src_scored), ("target", tgt_scored)):
+            if len(_scored) >= 2:
+                _top, _runner = _scored[0][0], _scored[1][0]
+                if _top > 0 and (_top - _runner) / _top < 0.10:
+                    print(
+                        f"warning: {_name} match was ambiguous "
+                        f"(top score {_top:g}, runner-up {_runner:g})",
+                        file=sys.stderr,
+                    )
         try:
             path_nodes = _nx.shortest_path(G, src_nid, tgt_nid)
         except (_nx.NetworkXNoPath, _nx.NodeNotFound):
diff --git a/graphify/cache.py b/graphify/cache.py
index ef7582d0..bdaf1e77 100644
--- a/graphify/cache.py
+++ b/graphify/cache.py
@@ -55,9 +55,9 @@ def file_hash(path: Path, root: Path = Path(".")) -> str:
     h.update(b"\x00")
     try:
         rel = p.resolve().relative_to(Path(root).resolve())
-        h.update(str(rel).encode())
+        h.update(rel.as_posix().lower().encode())
     except ValueError:
-        h.update(str(p.resolve()).encode())
+        h.update(p.resolve().as_posix().lower().encode())
     return h.hexdigest()
 
 
@@ -190,7 +190,10 @@ def check_semantic_cache(
     uncached: list[str] = []
 
     for fpath in files:
-        result = load_cached(Path(fpath), root, kind="semantic")
+        p = Path(fpath)
+        if not p.is_absolute():
+            p = Path(root) / p
+        result = load_cached(p, root, kind="semantic")
         if result is not None:
             cached_nodes.extend(result.get("nodes", []))
             cached_edges.extend(result.get("edges", []))
diff --git a/graphify/serve.py b/graphify/serve.py
index 295d1e75..9ffd6b46 100644
--- a/graphify/serve.py
+++ b/graphify/serve.py
@@ -48,7 +48,10 @@ def _strip_diacritics(text: str) -> str:
     return "".join(c for c in nfkd if not unicodedata.combining(c))
 
 
-_EXACT_MATCH_BONUS = 100.0
+_EXACT_MATCH_BONUS = 1000.0
+_PREFIX_MATCH_BONUS = 100.0
+_SUBSTRING_MATCH_BONUS = 1.0
+_SOURCE_MATCH_BONUS = 0.5
 
 
 def _score_nodes(G: nx.Graph, terms: list[str]) -> list[tuple[float, str]]:
@@ -56,11 +59,20 @@ def _score_nodes(G: nx.Graph, terms: list[str]) -> list[tuple[float, str]]:
     norm_terms = [_strip_diacritics(t).lower() for t in terms]
     for nid, data in G.nodes(data=True):
         norm_label = data.get("norm_label") or _strip_diacritics(data.get("label") or "").lower()
+        bare_label = norm_label.rstrip("()")
         source = (data.get("source_file") or "").lower()
-        score = sum(1 for t in norm_terms if t in norm_label) + sum(0.5 for t in norm_terms if t in source)
-        # Exact match: single term equals the full label (strip trailing () for functions)
-        if any(t == norm_label or t == norm_label.rstrip("()") for t in norm_terms):
-            score += _EXACT_MATCH_BONUS
+        score = 0.0
+        for t in norm_terms:
+            # Three-tier precedence: exact > prefix > substring (take the
+            # strongest tier per term so a single term cannot double-count).
+            if t == norm_label or t == bare_label:
+                score += _EXACT_MATCH_BONUS
+            elif norm_label.startswith(t) or bare_label.startswith(t):
+                score += _PREFIX_MATCH_BONUS
+            elif t in norm_label:
+                score += _SUBSTRING_MATCH_BONUS
+            if t in source:
+                score += _SOURCE_MATCH_BONUS
         if score > 0:
             scored.append((score, nid))
     return sorted(scored, reverse=True)
@@ -233,11 +245,26 @@ def _query_graph_text(
 
 
 def _find_node(G: nx.Graph, label: str) -> list[str]:
-    """Return node IDs whose label or ID matches the search term (diacritic-insensitive)."""
+    """Return node IDs whose label or ID matches the search term (diacritic-insensitive).
+
+    Results are ordered by three-tier precedence: exact match, then prefix match,
+    then substring match. Node-ID exact matches are grouped with label exact matches.
+    """
     term = _strip_diacritics(label).lower()
-    return [nid for nid, d in G.nodes(data=True)
-            if term in (d.get("norm_label") or _strip_diacritics(d.get("label") or "").lower())
-            or term == nid.lower()]
+    exact: list[str] = []
+    prefix: list[str] = []
+    substring: list[str] = []
+    for nid, d in G.nodes(data=True):
+        norm_label = d.get("norm_label") or _strip_diacritics(d.get("label") or "").lower()
+        bare_label = norm_label.rstrip("()")
+        nid_lower = nid.lower()
+        if term == norm_label or term == bare_label or term == nid_lower:
+            exact.append(nid)
+        elif norm_label.startswith(term) or bare_label.startswith(term) or nid_lower.startswith(term):
+            prefix.append(nid)
+        elif term in norm_label:
+            substring.append(nid)
+    return exact + prefix + substring
 
 
 def _filter_blank_stdin() -> None:
@@ -456,6 +483,23 @@ def serve(graph_path: str = "graphify-out/graph.json") -> None:
         if not tgt_scored:
             return f"No node matching target '{arguments['target']}' found."
         src_nid, tgt_nid = src_scored[0][1], tgt_scored[0][1]
+        # Ambiguity guard: when both queries resolve to the same node, the
+        # shortest path is trivially zero hops, which is almost never what the
+        # caller wanted (see bug #828).
+        if src_nid == tgt_nid:
+            return (
+                f"'{arguments['source']}' and '{arguments['target']}' both resolved to "
+                f"the same node '{src_nid}'. Use a more specific label or the exact node ID."
+            )
+        warnings: list[str] = []
+        for name, scored in (("source", src_scored), ("target", tgt_scored)):
+            if len(scored) >= 2:
+                top, runner = scored[0][0], scored[1][0]
+                if top > 0 and (top - runner) / top < 0.10:
+                    warnings.append(
+                        f"warning: {name} match was ambiguous "
+                        f"(top score {top:g}, runner-up {runner:g})"
+                    )
         max_hops = int(arguments.get("max_hops", 8))
         try:
             path_nodes = nx.shortest_path(G, src_nid, tgt_nid)
@@ -474,7 +518,8 @@ def serve(graph_path: str = "graphify-out/graph.json") -> None:
             if i == 0:
                 segments.append(G.nodes[u].get("label", u))
             segments.append(f"--{rel}{conf_str}--> {G.nodes[v].get('label', v)}")
-        return f"Shortest path ({hops} hops):\n  " + " ".join(segments)
+        prefix = ("\n".join(warnings) + "\n") if warnings else ""
+        return prefix + f"Shortest path ({hops} hops):\n  " + " ".join(segments)
 
     _handlers = {
         "query_graph": _tool_query_graph,
diff --git a/graphify/skill-windows.md b/graphify/skill-windows.md
index 37bbdf95..2bbf9fd2 100644
--- a/graphify/skill-windows.md
+++ b/graphify/skill-windows.md
@@ -69,10 +69,16 @@ import graphify
 '@ | Out-File -FilePath .graphify_step_1_ensure_graphify_is_installed_1.py -Encoding utf8
 python .graphify_step_1_ensure_graphify_is_installed_1.py 2>$null
 Remove-Item -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue .graphify_step_1_ensure_graphify_is_installed_1.py
-if ($LASTEXITCODE -ne 0) { pip install graphifyy -q 2>&1 | Select-Object -Last 3 }
+if ($LASTEXITCODE -ne 0) {
+    if (Get-Command uv -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue) {
+        uv tool install --upgrade graphifyy -q 2>&1 | Select-Object -Last 3
+    } else {
+        pip install graphifyy -q 2>&1 | Select-Object -Last 3
+    }
+}
 # Write interpreter path for all subsequent steps
 @'
-import sys; open('.graphify_python', 'w').write(sys.executable)
+import sys; open('.graphify_python', 'w', encoding='utf-8').write(sys.executable)
 '@ | Out-File -FilePath .graphify_step_1_ensure_graphify_is_installed_2.py -Encoding utf8
 python .graphify_step_1_ensure_graphify_is_installed_2.py
 Remove-Item -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue .graphify_step_1_ensure_graphify_is_installed_2.py
@@ -88,7 +94,7 @@ import json
 from graphify.detect import detect
 from pathlib import Path
 result = detect(Path('INPUT_PATH'))
-print(json.dumps(result))
+print(json.dumps(result, ensure_ascii=False))
 '@ | Out-File -FilePath .graphify_step_2_detect_files_3.py -Encoding utf8
 python .graphify_step_2_detect_files_3.py > .graphify_detect.json
 Remove-Item -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue .graphify_step_2_detect_files_3.py
@@ -140,12 +146,12 @@ import json, os
 from pathlib import Path
 from graphify.transcribe import transcribe_all
 
-detect = json.loads(Path('graphify-out/.graphify_detect.json').read_text())
+detect = json.loads(Path('graphify-out/.graphify_detect.json').read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
 video_files = detect.get('files', {}).get('video', [])
 prompt = os.environ.get('GRAPHIFY_WHISPER_PROMPT', 'Use proper punctuation and paragraph breaks.')
 
 transcript_paths = transcribe_all(video_files, initial_prompt=prompt)
-print(json.dumps(transcript_paths))
+print(json.dumps(transcript_paths, ensure_ascii=False))
 '@ | Out-File -FilePath .graphify_step_transcribe.py -Encoding utf8
 & (Get-Content graphify-out\.graphify_python) .graphify_step_transcribe.py | Out-File -FilePath graphify-out\.graphify_transcripts.json -Encoding utf8
 Remove-Item -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue .graphify_step_transcribe.py
@@ -182,16 +188,16 @@ from pathlib import Path
 
 def main():
     code_files = []
-    detect = json.loads(Path('.graphify_detect.json').read_text())
+    detect = json.loads(Path('.graphify_detect.json').read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
     for f in detect.get('files', {}).get('code', []):
         code_files.extend(collect_files(Path(f)) if Path(f).is_dir() else [Path(f)])
 
     if code_files:
         result = extract(code_files)
-        Path('.graphify_ast.json').write_text(json.dumps(result, indent=2))
+        Path('.graphify_ast.json').write_text(json.dumps(result, indent=2, ensure_ascii=False), encoding="utf-8")
         print(f'AST: {len(result["nodes"])} nodes, {len(result["edges"])} edges')
     else:
-        Path('.graphify_ast.json').write_text(json.dumps({'nodes':[],'edges':[],'input_tokens':0,'output_tokens':0}))
+        Path('.graphify_ast.json').write_text(json.dumps({'nodes':[],'edges':[],'input_tokens':0,'output_tokens':0}, ensure_ascii=False), encoding="utf-8")
         print('No code files - skipping AST extraction')
 
 
@@ -229,14 +235,14 @@ import json
 from graphify.cache import check_semantic_cache
 from pathlib import Path
 
-detect = json.loads(Path('.graphify_detect.json').read_text())
+detect = json.loads(Path('.graphify_detect.json').read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
 all_files = [f for files in detect['files'].values() for f in files]
 
 cached_nodes, cached_edges, cached_hyperedges, uncached = check_semantic_cache(all_files)
 
 if cached_nodes or cached_edges or cached_hyperedges:
-    Path('.graphify_cached.json').write_text(json.dumps({'nodes': cached_nodes, 'edges': cached_edges, 'hyperedges': cached_hyperedges}))
-Path('.graphify_uncached.txt').write_text('\n'.join(uncached))
+    Path('.graphify_cached.json').write_text(json.dumps({'nodes': cached_nodes, 'edges': cached_edges, 'hyperedges': cached_hyperedges}, ensure_ascii=False), encoding="utf-8")
+Path('.graphify_uncached.txt').write_text('\n'.join(uncached), encoding="utf-8")
 print(f'Cache: {len(all_files)-len(uncached)} files hit, {len(uncached)} files need extraction')
 '@ | Out-File -FilePath .graphify_step_3_extract_entities_and_relations_5.py -Encoding utf8
 python .graphify_step_3_extract_entities_and_relations_5.py
@@ -343,7 +349,7 @@ chunks = sorted(glob.glob('graphify-out/.graphify_chunk_*.json'))
 all_nodes, all_edges, all_hyperedges = [], [], []
 total_in, total_out = 0, 0
 for c in chunks:
-    d = json.loads(Path(c).read_text())
+    d = json.loads(Path(c).read_text(encoding=\"utf-8\"))
     all_nodes += d.get('nodes', [])
     all_edges += d.get('edges', [])
     all_hyperedges += d.get('hyperedges', [])
@@ -352,7 +358,7 @@ for c in chunks:
 Path('graphify-out/.graphify_semantic_new.json').write_text(json.dumps({
     'nodes': all_nodes, 'edges': all_edges, 'hyperedges': all_hyperedges,
     'input_tokens': total_in, 'output_tokens': total_out,
-}, indent=2))
+}, indent=2, ensure_ascii=False), encoding=\"utf-8\")
 print(f'Merged {len(chunks)} chunks: {total_in:,} in / {total_out:,} out tokens')
 "
 ```
@@ -364,7 +370,7 @@ import json
 from graphify.cache import save_semantic_cache
 from pathlib import Path
 
-new = json.loads(Path('.graphify_semantic_new.json').read_text()) if Path('.graphify_semantic_new.json').exists() else {'nodes':[],'edges':[],'hyperedges':[]}
+new = json.loads(Path('.graphify_semantic_new.json').read_text(encoding="utf-8")) if Path('.graphify_semantic_new.json').exists() else {'nodes':[],'edges':[],'hyperedges':[]}
 saved = save_semantic_cache(new.get('nodes', []), new.get('edges', []), new.get('hyperedges', []))
 print(f'Cached {saved} files')
 '@ | Out-File -FilePath .graphify_step_3_extract_entities_and_relations_6.py -Encoding utf8
@@ -378,8 +384,8 @@ Merge cached + new results into `.graphify_semantic.json`:
 import json
 from pathlib import Path
 
-cached = json.loads(Path('.graphify_cached.json').read_text()) if Path('.graphify_cached.json').exists() else {'nodes':[],'edges':[],'hyperedges':[]}
-new = json.loads(Path('.graphify_semantic_new.json').read_text()) if Path('.graphify_semantic_new.json').exists() else {'nodes':[],'edges':[],'hyperedges':[]}
+cached = json.loads(Path('.graphify_cached.json').read_text(encoding="utf-8")) if Path('.graphify_cached.json').exists() else {'nodes':[],'edges':[],'hyperedges':[]}
+new = json.loads(Path('.graphify_semantic_new.json').read_text(encoding="utf-8")) if Path('.graphify_semantic_new.json').exists() else {'nodes':[],'edges':[],'hyperedges':[]}
 
 all_nodes = cached['nodes'] + new.get('nodes', [])
 all_edges = cached['edges'] + new.get('edges', [])
@@ -398,7 +404,7 @@ merged = {
     'input_tokens': new.get('input_tokens', 0),
     'output_tokens': new.get('output_tokens', 0),
 }
-Path('.graphify_semantic.json').write_text(json.dumps(merged, indent=2))
+Path('.graphify_semantic.json').write_text(json.dumps(merged, indent=2, ensure_ascii=False), encoding="utf-8")
 print(f'Extraction complete - {len(deduped)} nodes, {len(all_edges)} edges ({len(cached["nodes"])} from cache, {len(new.get("nodes",[]))} new)')
 '@ | Out-File -FilePath .graphify_step_3_extract_entities_and_relations_7.py -Encoding utf8
 python .graphify_step_3_extract_entities_and_relations_7.py
@@ -413,8 +419,8 @@ Clean up temp files: `Remove-Item -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue .graphify_cached
 import sys, json
 from pathlib import Path
 
-ast = json.loads(Path('.graphify_ast.json').read_text())
-sem = json.loads(Path('.graphify_semantic.json').read_text())
+ast = json.loads(Path('.graphify_ast.json').read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
+sem = json.loads(Path('.graphify_semantic.json').read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
 
 # Merge: AST nodes first, semantic nodes deduplicated by id
 seen = {n['id'] for n in ast['nodes']}
@@ -433,7 +439,7 @@ merged = {
     'input_tokens': sem.get('input_tokens', 0),
     'output_tokens': sem.get('output_tokens', 0),
 }
-Path('.graphify_extract.json').write_text(json.dumps(merged, indent=2))
+Path('.graphify_extract.json').write_text(json.dumps(merged, indent=2, ensure_ascii=False), encoding="utf-8")
 total = len(merged_nodes)
 edges = len(merged_edges)
 print(f'Merged: {total} nodes, {edges} edges ({len(ast["nodes"])} AST + {len(sem["nodes"])} semantic)')
@@ -455,8 +461,8 @@ from graphify.report import generate
 from graphify.export import to_json
 from pathlib import Path
 
-extraction = json.loads(Path('.graphify_extract.json').read_text())
-detection  = json.loads(Path('.graphify_detect.json').read_text())
+extraction = json.loads(Path('.graphify_extract.json').read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
+detection  = json.loads(Path('.graphify_detect.json').read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
 
 G = build_from_json(extraction)
 communities = cluster(G)
@@ -469,7 +475,7 @@ labels = {cid: 'Community ' + str(cid) for cid in communities}
 questions = suggest_questions(G, communities, labels)
 
 report = generate(G, communities, cohesion, labels, gods, surprises, detection, tokens, 'INPUT_PATH', suggested_questions=questions)
-Path('graphify-out/GRAPH_REPORT.md').write_text(report)
+Path('graphify-out/GRAPH_REPORT.md').write_text(report, encoding="utf-8")
 to_json(G, communities, 'graphify-out/graph.json')
 
 analysis = {
@@ -479,7 +485,7 @@ analysis = {
     'surprises': surprises,
     'questions': questions,
 }
-Path('.graphify_analysis.json').write_text(json.dumps(analysis, indent=2))
+Path('.graphify_analysis.json').write_text(json.dumps(analysis, indent=2, ensure_ascii=False), encoding="utf-8")
 if G.number_of_nodes() == 0:
     print('ERROR: Graph is empty - extraction produced no nodes.')
     print('Possible causes: all files were skipped, binary-only corpus, or extraction failed.')
@@ -509,9 +515,9 @@ from graphify.analyze import god_nodes, surprising_connections, suggest_question
 from graphify.report import generate
 from pathlib import Path
 
-extraction = json.loads(Path('.graphify_extract.json').read_text())
-detection  = json.loads(Path('.graphify_detect.json').read_text())
-analysis   = json.loads(Path('.graphify_analysis.json').read_text())
+extraction = json.loads(Path('.graphify_extract.json').read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
+detection  = json.loads(Path('.graphify_detect.json').read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
+analysis   = json.loads(Path('.graphify_analysis.json').read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
 
 G = build_from_json(extraction)
 communities = {int(k): v for k, v in analysis['communities'].items()}
@@ -525,8 +531,8 @@ labels = LABELS_DICT
 questions = suggest_questions(G, communities, labels)
 
 report = generate(G, communities, cohesion, labels, analysis['gods'], analysis['surprises'], detection, tokens, 'INPUT_PATH', suggested_questions=questions)
-Path('graphify-out/GRAPH_REPORT.md').write_text(report)
-Path('.graphify_labels.json').write_text(json.dumps({str(k): v for k, v in labels.items()}))
+Path('graphify-out/GRAPH_REPORT.md').write_text(report, encoding="utf-8")
+Path('.graphify_labels.json').write_text(json.dumps({str(k): v for k, v in labels.items()}, ensure_ascii=False), encoding="utf-8")
 print('Report updated with community labels')
 '@ | Out-File -FilePath .graphify_step_5_label_communities_10.py -Encoding utf8
 python .graphify_step_5_label_communities_10.py
@@ -551,9 +557,9 @@ from graphify.build import build_from_json
 from graphify.export import to_obsidian, to_canvas
 from pathlib import Path
 
-extraction = json.loads(Path('.graphify_extract.json').read_text())
-analysis   = json.loads(Path('.graphify_analysis.json').read_text())
-labels_raw = json.loads(Path('.graphify_labels.json').read_text()) if Path('.graphify_labels.json').exists() else {}
+extraction = json.loads(Path('.graphify_extract.json').read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
+analysis   = json.loads(Path('.graphify_analysis.json').read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
+labels_raw = json.loads(Path('.graphify_labels.json').read_text(encoding="utf-8")) if Path('.graphify_labels.json').exists() else {}
 
 G = build_from_json(extraction)
 communities = {int(k): v for k, v in analysis['communities'].items()}
@@ -586,9 +592,9 @@ from graphify.build import build_from_json
 from graphify.export import to_html
 from pathlib import Path
 
-extraction = json.loads(Path('.graphify_extract.json').read_text())
-analysis   = json.loads(Path('.graphify_analysis.json').read_text())
-labels_raw = json.loads(Path('.graphify_labels.json').read_text()) if Path('.graphify_labels.json').exists() else {}
+extraction = json.loads(Path('.graphify_extract.json').read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
+analysis   = json.loads(Path('.graphify_analysis.json').read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
+labels_raw = json.loads(Path('.graphify_labels.json').read_text(encoding="utf-8")) if Path('.graphify_labels.json').exists() else {}
 
 G = build_from_json(extraction)
 communities = {int(k): v for k, v in analysis['communities'].items()}
@@ -615,7 +621,7 @@ from graphify.build import build_from_json
 from graphify.export import to_cypher
 from pathlib import Path
 
-G = build_from_json(json.loads(Path('.graphify_extract.json').read_text()))
+G = build_from_json(json.loads(Path('.graphify_extract.json').read_text(encoding="utf-8")))
 to_cypher(G, 'graphify-out/cypher.txt')
 print('cypher.txt written - import with: cypher-shell < graphify-out/cypher.txt')
 '@ | Out-File -FilePath .graphify_step_7_neo4j_export_only_if_neo4j_or__13.py -Encoding utf8
@@ -633,8 +639,8 @@ from graphify.cluster import cluster
 from graphify.export import push_to_neo4j
 from pathlib import Path
 
-extraction = json.loads(Path('.graphify_extract.json').read_text())
-analysis   = json.loads(Path('.graphify_analysis.json').read_text())
+extraction = json.loads(Path('.graphify_extract.json').read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
+analysis   = json.loads(Path('.graphify_analysis.json').read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
 G = build_from_json(extraction)
 communities = {int(k): v for k, v in analysis['communities'].items()}
 
@@ -656,9 +662,9 @@ from graphify.build import build_from_json
 from graphify.export import to_svg
 from pathlib import Path
 
-extraction = json.loads(Path('.graphify_extract.json').read_text())
-analysis   = json.loads(Path('.graphify_analysis.json').read_text())
-labels_raw = json.loads(Path('.graphify_labels.json').read_text()) if Path('.graphify_labels.json').exists() else {}
+extraction = json.loads(Path('.graphify_extract.json').read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
+analysis   = json.loads(Path('.graphify_analysis.json').read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
+labels_raw = json.loads(Path('.graphify_labels.json').read_text(encoding="utf-8")) if Path('.graphify_labels.json').exists() else {}
 
 G = build_from_json(extraction)
 communities = {int(k): v for k, v in analysis['communities'].items()}
@@ -680,8 +686,8 @@ from graphify.build import build_from_json
 from graphify.export import to_graphml
 from pathlib import Path
 
-extraction = json.loads(Path('.graphify_extract.json').read_text())
-analysis   = json.loads(Path('.graphify_analysis.json').read_text())
+extraction = json.loads(Path('.graphify_extract.json').read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
+analysis   = json.loads(Path('.graphify_analysis.json').read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
 
 G = build_from_json(extraction)
 communities = {int(k): v for k, v in analysis['communities'].items()}
@@ -723,7 +729,7 @@ import json
 from graphify.benchmark import run_benchmark, print_benchmark
 from pathlib import Path
 
-detection = json.loads(Path('.graphify_detect.json').read_text())
+detection = json.loads(Path('.graphify_detect.json').read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
 result = run_benchmark('graphify-out/graph.json', corpus_words=detection['total_words'])
 print_benchmark(result)
 '@ | Out-File -FilePath .graphify_step_8_token_reduction_benchmark_only_17.py -Encoding utf8
@@ -745,17 +751,17 @@ from datetime import datetime, timezone
 from graphify.detect import save_manifest
 
 # Save manifest for --update
-detect = json.loads(Path('.graphify_detect.json').read_text())
+detect = json.loads(Path('.graphify_detect.json').read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
 save_manifest(detect['files'])
 
 # Update cumulative cost tracker
-extract = json.loads(Path('.graphify_extract.json').read_text())
+extract = json.loads(Path('.graphify_extract.json').read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
 input_tok = extract.get('input_tokens', 0)
 output_tok = extract.get('output_tokens', 0)
 
 cost_path = Path('graphify-out/cost.json')
 if cost_path.exists():
-    cost = json.loads(cost_path.read_text())
+    cost = json.loads(cost_path.read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
 else:
     cost = {'runs': [], 'total_input_tokens': 0, 'total_output_tokens': 0}
 
@@ -767,7 +773,7 @@ cost['runs'].append({
 })
 cost['total_input_tokens'] += input_tok
 cost['total_output_tokens'] += output_tok
-cost_path.write_text(json.dumps(cost, indent=2))
+cost_path.write_text(json.dumps(cost, indent=2, ensure_ascii=False), encoding="utf-8")
 
 print(f'This run: {input_tok:,} input tokens, {output_tok:,} output tokens')
 print(f'All time: {cost["total_input_tokens"]:,} input, {cost["total_output_tokens"]:,} output ({len(cost["runs"])} runs)')
@@ -821,8 +827,8 @@ from pathlib import Path
 
 result = detect_incremental(Path('INPUT_PATH'))
 new_total = result.get('new_total', 0)
-print(json.dumps(result, indent=2))
-Path('.graphify_incremental.json').write_text(json.dumps(result))
+print(json.dumps(result, indent=2, ensure_ascii=False))
+Path('.graphify_incremental.json').write_text(json.dumps(result, ensure_ascii=False), encoding="utf-8")
 if new_total == 0:
     print('No files changed since last run. Nothing to update.')
     raise SystemExit(0)
@@ -839,7 +845,7 @@ If new files exist, first check whether all changed files are code files:
 import json
 from pathlib import Path
 
-result = json.loads(open('.graphify_incremental.json').read()) if Path('.graphify_incremental.json').exists() else {}
+result = json.loads(open('.graphify_incremental.json', encoding='utf-8').read()) if Path('.graphify_incremental.json').exists() else {}
 code_exts = {'.py','.ts','.js','.go','.rs','.java','.cpp','.c','.rb','.swift','.kt','.cs','.scala','.php','.cc','.cxx','.hpp','.h','.kts','.lua','.toc'}
 new_files = result.get('new_files', {})
 all_changed = [f for files in new_files.values() for f in files]
@@ -866,15 +872,15 @@ import networkx as nx
 from pathlib import Path
 
 # Load existing graph
-existing_data = json.loads(Path('graphify-out/graph.json').read_text())
+existing_data = json.loads(Path('graphify-out/graph.json').read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
 G_existing = json_graph.node_link_graph(existing_data, edges='links')
 
 # Load new extraction
-new_extraction = json.loads(Path('.graphify_extract.json').read_text())
+new_extraction = json.loads(Path('.graphify_extract.json').read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
 G_new = build_from_json(new_extraction)
 
 # Prune nodes from deleted files
-incremental = json.loads(Path('.graphify_incremental.json').read_text())
+incremental = json.loads(Path('.graphify_incremental.json').read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
 deleted = set(incremental.get('deleted_files', []))
 if deleted:
     to_remove = [n for n, d in G_existing.nodes(data=True) if d.get('source_file') in deleted]
@@ -914,8 +920,8 @@ import networkx as nx
 from pathlib import Path
 
 # Load old graph (before update) from backup written before merge
-old_data = json.loads(Path('.graphify_old.json').read_text()) if Path('.graphify_old.json').exists() else None
-new_extract = json.loads(Path('.graphify_extract.json').read_text())
+old_data = json.loads(Path('.graphify_old.json').read_text(encoding="utf-8")) if Path('.graphify_old.json').exists() else None
+new_extract = json.loads(Path('.graphify_extract.json').read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
 G_new = build_from_json(new_extract)
 
 if old_data:
@@ -951,7 +957,7 @@ from networkx.readwrite import json_graph
 import networkx as nx
 from pathlib import Path
 
-data = json.loads(Path('graphify-out/graph.json').read_text())
+data = json.loads(Path('graphify-out/graph.json').read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
 G = json_graph.node_link_graph(data, edges='links')
 
 detection = {'total_files': 0, 'total_words': 99999, 'needs_graph': True, 'warning': None,
@@ -965,7 +971,7 @@ surprises = surprising_connections(G, communities)
 labels = {cid: 'Community ' + str(cid) for cid in communities}
 
 report = generate(G, communities, cohesion, labels, gods, surprises, detection, tokens, '.')
-Path('graphify-out/GRAPH_REPORT.md').write_text(report)
+Path('graphify-out/GRAPH_REPORT.md').write_text(report, encoding="utf-8")
 to_json(G, communities, 'graphify-out/graph.json')
 
 analysis = {
@@ -974,7 +980,7 @@ analysis = {
     'gods': gods,
     'surprises': surprises,
 }
-Path('.graphify_analysis.json').write_text(json.dumps(analysis, indent=2))
+Path('.graphify_analysis.json').write_text(json.dumps(analysis, indent=2, ensure_ascii=False), encoding="utf-8")
 print(f'Re-clustered: {len(communities)} communities')
 '@ | Out-File -FilePath .graphify_step_for_cluster_only_23.py -Encoding utf8
 python .graphify_step_for_cluster_only_23.py
@@ -1022,7 +1028,7 @@ from networkx.readwrite import json_graph
 import networkx as nx
 from pathlib import Path
 
-data = json.loads(Path('graphify-out/graph.json').read_text())
+data = json.loads(Path('graphify-out/graph.json').read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
 G = json_graph.node_link_graph(data, edges='links')
 
 question = 'QUESTION'
@@ -1140,7 +1146,7 @@ import networkx as nx
 from networkx.readwrite import json_graph
 from pathlib import Path
 
-data = json.loads(Path('graphify-out/graph.json').read_text())
+data = json.loads(Path('graphify-out/graph.json').read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
 G = json_graph.node_link_graph(data, edges='links')
 
 a_term = 'NODE_A'
@@ -1217,7 +1223,7 @@ import networkx as nx
 from networkx.readwrite import json_graph
 from pathlib import Path
 
-data = json.loads(Path('graphify-out/graph.json').read_text())
+data = json.loads(Path('graphify-out/graph.json').read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
 G = json_graph.node_link_graph(data, edges='links')
 
 term = 'NODE_NAME'
diff --git a/graphify/skill.md b/graphify/skill.md
index 67a48d14..edee6975 100644
--- a/graphify/skill.md
+++ b/graphify/skill.md
@@ -99,10 +99,19 @@ if [ -z "$PYTHON" ] && [ -n "$GRAPHIFY_BIN" ]; then
 fi
 # 3. Fall back to python3
 if [ -z "$PYTHON" ]; then PYTHON="python3"; fi
-"$PYTHON" -c "import graphify" 2>/dev/null || "$PYTHON" -m pip install graphifyy -q 2>/dev/null || "$PYTHON" -m pip install graphifyy -q --break-system-packages 2>&1 | tail -3
+if ! "$PYTHON" -c "import graphify" 2>/dev/null; then
+    if command -v uv >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+        uv tool install --upgrade graphifyy -q 2>&1 | tail -3
+        _UV_PY=$(uv tool run graphifyy python -c "import sys; print(sys.executable)" 2>/dev/null)
+        if [ -n "$_UV_PY" ]; then PYTHON="$_UV_PY"; fi
+    else
+        "$PYTHON" -m pip install graphifyy -q 2>/dev/null \
+          || "$PYTHON" -m pip install graphifyy -q --break-system-packages 2>&1 | tail -3
+    fi
+fi
 # Write interpreter path for all subsequent steps (persists across invocations)
 mkdir -p graphify-out
-"$PYTHON" -c "import sys; open('graphify-out/.graphify_python', 'w').write(sys.executable)"
+"$PYTHON" -c "import sys; open('graphify-out/.graphify_python', 'w', encoding='utf-8').write(sys.executable)"
 # Save scan root so `graphify update` (no args) knows where to look next time
 echo "$(cd INPUT_PATH && pwd)" > graphify-out/.graphify_root
 ```
@@ -119,7 +128,7 @@ import json
 from graphify.detect import detect
 from pathlib import Path
 result = detect(Path('INPUT_PATH'))
-print(json.dumps(result))
+print(json.dumps(result, ensure_ascii=False))
 " > graphify-out/.graphify_detect.json
 ```
 
@@ -170,12 +179,12 @@ import json, os
 from pathlib import Path
 from graphify.transcribe import transcribe_all
 
-detect = json.loads(Path('graphify-out/.graphify_detect.json').read_text())
+detect = json.loads(Path('graphify-out/.graphify_detect.json').read_text(encoding=\"utf-8\"))
 video_files = detect.get('files', {}).get('video', [])
 prompt = os.environ.get('GRAPHIFY_WHISPER_PROMPT', 'Use proper punctuation and paragraph breaks.')
 
 transcript_paths = transcribe_all(video_files, initial_prompt=prompt)
-print(json.dumps(transcript_paths))
+print(json.dumps(transcript_paths, ensure_ascii=False))
 " > graphify-out/.graphify_transcripts.json
 ```
 
@@ -214,16 +223,16 @@ from pathlib import Path
 import json
 
 code_files = []
-detect = json.loads(Path('graphify-out/.graphify_detect.json').read_text())
+detect = json.loads(Path('graphify-out/.graphify_detect.json').read_text(encoding=\"utf-8\"))
 for f in detect.get('files', {}).get('code', []):
     code_files.extend(collect_files(Path(f)) if Path(f).is_dir() else [Path(f)])
 
 if code_files:
     result = extract(code_files, cache_root=Path('.'))
-    Path('graphify-out/.graphify_ast.json').write_text(json.dumps(result, indent=2))
+    Path('graphify-out/.graphify_ast.json').write_text(json.dumps(result, indent=2, ensure_ascii=False), encoding=\"utf-8\")
     print(f'AST: {len(result[\"nodes\"])} nodes, {len(result[\"edges\"])} edges')
 else:
-    Path('graphify-out/.graphify_ast.json').write_text(json.dumps({'nodes':[],'edges':[],'input_tokens':0,'output_tokens':0}))
+    Path('graphify-out/.graphify_ast.json').write_text(json.dumps({'nodes':[],'edges':[],'input_tokens':0,'output_tokens':0}, ensure_ascii=False), encoding=\"utf-8\")
     print('No code files - skipping AST extraction')
 "
 ```
@@ -250,14 +259,14 @@ import json
 from graphify.cache import check_semantic_cache
 from pathlib import Path
 
-detect = json.loads(Path('graphify-out/.graphify_detect.json').read_text())
+detect = json.loads(Path('graphify-out/.graphify_detect.json').read_text(encoding=\"utf-8\"))
 all_files = [f for files in detect['files'].values() for f in files]
 
 cached_nodes, cached_edges, cached_hyperedges, uncached = check_semantic_cache(all_files)
 
 if cached_nodes or cached_edges or cached_hyperedges:
-    Path('graphify-out/.graphify_cached.json').write_text(json.dumps({'nodes': cached_nodes, 'edges': cached_edges, 'hyperedges': cached_hyperedges}))
-Path('graphify-out/.graphify_uncached.txt').write_text('\n'.join(uncached))
+    Path('graphify-out/.graphify_cached.json').write_text(json.dumps({'nodes': cached_nodes, 'edges': cached_edges, 'hyperedges': cached_hyperedges}, ensure_ascii=False), encoding=\"utf-8\")
+Path('graphify-out/.graphify_uncached.txt').write_text('\n'.join(uncached), encoding=\"utf-8\")
 print(f'Cache: {len(all_files)-len(uncached)} files hit, {len(uncached)} files need extraction')
 "
 ```
@@ -377,7 +386,7 @@ chunks = sorted(glob.glob('graphify-out/.graphify_chunk_*.json'))
 all_nodes, all_edges, all_hyperedges = [], [], []
 total_in, total_out = 0, 0
 for c in chunks:
-    d = json.loads(Path(c).read_text())
+    d = json.loads(Path(c).read_text(encoding=\"utf-8\"))
     all_nodes += d.get('nodes', [])
     all_edges += d.get('edges', [])
     all_hyperedges += d.get('hyperedges', [])
@@ -386,7 +395,7 @@ for c in chunks:
 Path('graphify-out/.graphify_semantic_new.json').write_text(json.dumps({
     'nodes': all_nodes, 'edges': all_edges, 'hyperedges': all_hyperedges,
     'input_tokens': total_in, 'output_tokens': total_out,
-}, indent=2))
+}, indent=2, ensure_ascii=False), encoding=\"utf-8\")
 print(f'Merged {len(chunks)} chunks: {total_in:,} in / {total_out:,} out tokens')
 "
 ```
@@ -398,7 +407,7 @@ import json
 from graphify.cache import save_semantic_cache
 from pathlib import Path
 
-new = json.loads(Path('graphify-out/.graphify_semantic_new.json').read_text()) if Path('graphify-out/.graphify_semantic_new.json').exists() else {'nodes':[],'edges':[],'hyperedges':[]}
+new = json.loads(Path('graphify-out/.graphify_semantic_new.json').read_text(encoding=\"utf-8\")) if Path('graphify-out/.graphify_semantic_new.json').exists() else {'nodes':[],'edges':[],'hyperedges':[]}
 saved = save_semantic_cache(new.get('nodes', []), new.get('edges', []), new.get('hyperedges', []))
 print(f'Cached {saved} files')
 "
@@ -410,8 +419,8 @@ $(cat graphify-out/.graphify_python) -c "
 import json
 from pathlib import Path
 
-cached = json.loads(Path('graphify-out/.graphify_cached.json').read_text()) if Path('graphify-out/.graphify_cached.json').exists() else {'nodes':[],'edges':[],'hyperedges':[]}
-new = json.loads(Path('graphify-out/.graphify_semantic_new.json').read_text()) if Path('graphify-out/.graphify_semantic_new.json').exists() else {'nodes':[],'edges':[],'hyperedges':[]}
+cached = json.loads(Path('graphify-out/.graphify_cached.json').read_text(encoding=\"utf-8\")) if Path('graphify-out/.graphify_cached.json').exists() else {'nodes':[],'edges':[],'hyperedges':[]}
+new = json.loads(Path('graphify-out/.graphify_semantic_new.json').read_text(encoding=\"utf-8\")) if Path('graphify-out/.graphify_semantic_new.json').exists() else {'nodes':[],'edges':[],'hyperedges':[]}
 
 all_nodes = cached['nodes'] + new.get('nodes', [])
 all_edges = cached['edges'] + new.get('edges', [])
@@ -430,7 +439,7 @@ merged = {
     'input_tokens': new.get('input_tokens', 0),
     'output_tokens': new.get('output_tokens', 0),
 }
-Path('graphify-out/.graphify_semantic.json').write_text(json.dumps(merged, indent=2))
+Path('graphify-out/.graphify_semantic.json').write_text(json.dumps(merged, indent=2, ensure_ascii=False), encoding=\"utf-8\")
 print(f'Extraction complete - {len(deduped)} nodes, {len(all_edges)} edges ({len(cached[\"nodes\"])} from cache, {len(new.get(\"nodes\",[]))} new)')
 "
 ```
@@ -443,8 +452,8 @@ $(cat graphify-out/.graphify_python) -c "
 import sys, json
 from pathlib import Path
 
-ast = json.loads(Path('graphify-out/.graphify_ast.json').read_text())
-sem = json.loads(Path('graphify-out/.graphify_semantic.json').read_text())
+ast = json.loads(Path('graphify-out/.graphify_ast.json').read_text(encoding=\"utf-8\"))
+sem = json.loads(Path('graphify-out/.graphify_semantic.json').read_text(encoding=\"utf-8\"))
 
 # Merge: AST nodes first, semantic nodes deduplicated by id
 seen = {n['id'] for n in ast['nodes']}
@@ -463,7 +472,7 @@ merged = {
     'input_tokens': sem.get('input_tokens', 0),
     'output_tokens': sem.get('output_tokens', 0),
 }
-Path('graphify-out/.graphify_extract.json').write_text(json.dumps(merged, indent=2))
+Path('graphify-out/.graphify_extract.json').write_text(json.dumps(merged, indent=2, ensure_ascii=False), encoding=\"utf-8\")
 total = len(merged_nodes)
 edges = len(merged_edges)
 print(f'Merged: {total} nodes, {edges} edges ({len(ast[\"nodes\"])} AST + {len(sem[\"nodes\"])} semantic)')
@@ -485,8 +494,8 @@ from graphify.report import generate
 from graphify.export import to_json
 from pathlib import Path
 
-extraction = json.loads(Path('graphify-out/.graphify_extract.json').read_text())
-detection  = json.loads(Path('graphify-out/.graphify_detect.json').read_text())
+extraction = json.loads(Path('graphify-out/.graphify_extract.json').read_text(encoding=\"utf-8\"))
+detection  = json.loads(Path('graphify-out/.graphify_detect.json').read_text(encoding=\"utf-8\"))
 
 G = build_from_json(extraction)
 communities = cluster(G)
@@ -499,7 +508,7 @@ labels = {cid: 'Community ' + str(cid) for cid in communities}
 questions = suggest_questions(G, communities, labels)
 
 report = generate(G, communities, cohesion, labels, gods, surprises, detection, tokens, 'INPUT_PATH', suggested_questions=questions)
-Path('graphify-out/GRAPH_REPORT.md').write_text(report)
+Path('graphify-out/GRAPH_REPORT.md').write_text(report, encoding=\"utf-8\")
 to_json(G, communities, 'graphify-out/graph.json')
 
 analysis = {
@@ -509,7 +518,7 @@ analysis = {
     'surprises': surprises,
     'questions': questions,
 }
-Path('graphify-out/.graphify_analysis.json').write_text(json.dumps(analysis, indent=2))
+Path('graphify-out/.graphify_analysis.json').write_text(json.dumps(analysis, indent=2, ensure_ascii=False), encoding=\"utf-8\")
 if G.number_of_nodes() == 0:
     print('ERROR: Graph is empty - extraction produced no nodes.')
     print('Possible causes: all files were skipped, binary-only corpus, or extraction failed.')
@@ -537,9 +546,9 @@ from graphify.analyze import god_nodes, surprising_connections, suggest_question
 from graphify.report import generate
 from pathlib import Path
 
-extraction = json.loads(Path('graphify-out/.graphify_extract.json').read_text())
-detection  = json.loads(Path('graphify-out/.graphify_detect.json').read_text())
-analysis   = json.loads(Path('graphify-out/.graphify_analysis.json').read_text())
+extraction = json.loads(Path('graphify-out/.graphify_extract.json').read_text(encoding=\"utf-8\"))
+detection  = json.loads(Path('graphify-out/.graphify_detect.json').read_text(encoding=\"utf-8\"))
+analysis   = json.loads(Path('graphify-out/.graphify_analysis.json').read_text(encoding=\"utf-8\"))
 
 G = build_from_json(extraction)
 communities = {int(k): v for k, v in analysis['communities'].items()}
@@ -553,8 +562,8 @@ labels = LABELS_DICT
 questions = suggest_questions(G, communities, labels)
 
 report = generate(G, communities, cohesion, labels, analysis['gods'], analysis['surprises'], detection, tokens, 'INPUT_PATH', suggested_questions=questions)
-Path('graphify-out/GRAPH_REPORT.md').write_text(report)
-Path('graphify-out/.graphify_labels.json').write_text(json.dumps({str(k): v for k, v in labels.items()}))
+Path('graphify-out/GRAPH_REPORT.md').write_text(report, encoding=\"utf-8\")
+Path('graphify-out/.graphify_labels.json').write_text(json.dumps({str(k): v for k, v in labels.items()}, ensure_ascii=False), encoding=\"utf-8\")
 print('Report updated with community labels')
 "
 ```
@@ -662,17 +671,17 @@ from datetime import datetime, timezone
 from graphify.detect import save_manifest
 
 # Save manifest for --update
-detect = json.loads(Path('graphify-out/.graphify_detect.json').read_text())
+detect = json.loads(Path('graphify-out/.graphify_detect.json').read_text(encoding=\"utf-8\"))
 save_manifest(detect['files'])
 
 # Update cumulative cost tracker
-extract = json.loads(Path('graphify-out/.graphify_extract.json').read_text())
+extract = json.loads(Path('graphify-out/.graphify_extract.json').read_text(encoding=\"utf-8\"))
 input_tok = extract.get('input_tokens', 0)
 output_tok = extract.get('output_tokens', 0)
 
 cost_path = Path('graphify-out/cost.json')
 if cost_path.exists():
-    cost = json.loads(cost_path.read_text())
+    cost = json.loads(cost_path.read_text(encoding=\"utf-8\"))
 else:
     cost = {'runs': [], 'total_input_tokens': 0, 'total_output_tokens': 0}
 
@@ -684,7 +693,7 @@ cost['runs'].append({
 })
 cost['total_input_tokens'] += input_tok
 cost['total_output_tokens'] += output_tok
-cost_path.write_text(json.dumps(cost, indent=2))
+cost_path.write_text(json.dumps(cost, indent=2, ensure_ascii=False), encoding=\"utf-8\")
 
 print(f'This run: {input_tok:,} input tokens, {output_tok:,} output tokens')
 print(f'All time: {cost[\"total_input_tokens\"]:,} input, {cost[\"total_output_tokens\"]:,} output ({len(cost[\"runs\"])} runs)')
@@ -738,7 +747,7 @@ if [ ! -f graphify-out/.graphify_python ]; then
         PYTHON="python3"
     fi
     mkdir -p graphify-out
-    "$PYTHON" -c "import sys; open('graphify-out/.graphify_python', 'w').write(sys.executable)"
+    "$PYTHON" -c "import sys; open('graphify-out/.graphify_python', 'w', encoding='utf-8').write(sys.executable)"
 fi
 ```
 
@@ -754,8 +763,8 @@ from pathlib import Path
 
 result = detect_incremental(Path('INPUT_PATH'))
 new_total = result.get('new_total', 0)
-print(json.dumps(result, indent=2))
-Path('graphify-out/.graphify_incremental.json').write_text(json.dumps(result))
+print(json.dumps(result, indent=2, ensure_ascii=False))
+Path('graphify-out/.graphify_incremental.json').write_text(json.dumps(result, ensure_ascii=False), encoding=\"utf-8\")
 if new_total == 0:
     print('No files changed since last run. Nothing to update.')
     raise SystemExit(0)
@@ -770,7 +779,7 @@ $(cat graphify-out/.graphify_python) -c "
 import json
 from pathlib import Path
 
-result = json.loads(open('graphify-out/.graphify_incremental.json').read()) if Path('graphify-out/.graphify_incremental.json').exists() else {}
+result = json.loads(open('graphify-out/.graphify_incremental.json', encoding='utf-8').read()) if Path('graphify-out/.graphify_incremental.json').exists() else {}
 code_exts = {'.py','.ts','.js','.go','.rs','.java','.cpp','.c','.rb','.swift','.kt','.cs','.scala','.php','.cc','.cxx','.hpp','.h','.kts','.lua','.toc','.f','.F','.f90','.F90','.f95','.F95','.f03','.F03','.f08','.F08'}
 new_files = result.get('new_files', {})
 all_changed = [f for files in new_files.values() for f in files]
@@ -793,8 +802,8 @@ from graphify.build import build_merge
 from graphify.detect import save_manifest
 
 # Load new extraction and incremental state
-new_extraction = json.loads(Path('graphify-out/.graphify_extract.json').read_text())
-incremental = json.loads(Path('graphify-out/.graphify_incremental.json').read_text())
+new_extraction = json.loads(Path('graphify-out/.graphify_extract.json').read_text(encoding=\"utf-8\"))
+incremental = json.loads(Path('graphify-out/.graphify_incremental.json').read_text(encoding=\"utf-8\"))
 deleted = list(incremental.get('deleted_files', []))
 
 # Use build_merge() — reads graph.json directly without NetworkX round-trip
@@ -822,7 +831,7 @@ merged_out = {
     'input_tokens': new_extraction.get('input_tokens', 0),
     'output_tokens': new_extraction.get('output_tokens', 0),
 }
-Path('graphify-out/.graphify_extract.json').write_text(json.dumps(merged_out))
+Path('graphify-out/.graphify_extract.json').write_text(json.dumps(merged_out, ensure_ascii=False), encoding=\"utf-8\")
 print(f'[graphify update] Merged extraction written ({len(merged_out[\"nodes\"])} nodes, {len(merged_out[\"edges\"])} edges)')
 
 # Save manifest so next --update diffs against today's state, not the
@@ -846,8 +855,8 @@ import networkx as nx
 from pathlib import Path
 
 # Load old graph (before update) from backup written before merge
-old_data = json.loads(Path('graphify-out/.graphify_old.json').read_text()) if Path('graphify-out/.graphify_old.json').exists() else None
-new_extract = json.loads(Path('graphify-out/.graphify_extract.json').read_text())
+old_data = json.loads(Path('graphify-out/.graphify_old.json').read_text(encoding=\"utf-8\")) if Path('graphify-out/.graphify_old.json').exists() else None
+new_extract = json.loads(Path('graphify-out/.graphify_extract.json').read_text(encoding=\"utf-8\"))
 G_new = build_from_json(new_extract)
 
 if old_data: