Index: cortav.lua
==================================================================
--- cortav.lua
+++ cortav.lua
@@ -141,49 +141,71 @@
 						return arg
 					else return sp end
 				end)
 
 			end
-			if not id:find'%.' then
-				local rid = self.sec.refs[id]
-				if rid then
-					return rid, id, self.sec
-				end
-
-				--nothing in the current section, but this ID could be looked up in the context of a macro expansion. if so, check section of the site of invocation as well
-				if self.invocation then
+
+			local function checkFromSec(sec,doc)
+				if sec and not id:find'%.' then
+					local rid = sec.refs[id]
+					if rid then
+						return rid, id, sec
+					end
+
+					if doc.sections[rid] then
+						return nil, id, doc.sections[rid]
+					end
+				else
+					local secid, ref = string.match(id, "(.-)%.(.+)")
+					local s
+					s = s or doc.sections[secid]
+					if s then
+						if s.refs[ref] then
+							return s.refs[ref], ref, s
+						end
+					end
+				end
+			end
+
+			local function scanParents(doc)
+				for i, p in ipairs(doc.parents) do
+					-- TODO figure out a way to ref the embedding section
+					local o,i,s = checkFromSec(nil, p)
+					if o or s then return o,i,s end
+				end
+				-- breadth-first search
+				for i, p in ipairs(doc.parents) do
+					local o,i,s = scanParents(p)
+					if o or s then return o,i,s end
+				end
+			end
+
+			local o,i,s = checkFromSec(self.sec, self.doc)
+
+			if o or s then return o,i,s end
+
+			--nothing in the current section, but this ID could be looked up in the context of a macro expansion. if so, check section of the site of invocation as well
+			if self.invocation then
+				local dp = id:find'%.'
+				if dp == 1 then
+					local s = self.invocation.origin.sec
+					local ref = id:sub(2)
+					if s and s.refs[ref] then
+						return s.refs[ref], ref, s
+					end
+				elseif not dp then
 					rid = self.invocation.origin:ref(id)
 					if rid then
 						return rid, id, self.invocation.origin.sec
 					end
 				end
+			end
 
-				self:fail("no such ref %s in current section", id or '')
-			else
-				local sec, ref = string.match(id, "(.-)%.(.+)")
-				local s
-				if sec == '' then
-					if self.invocation == nil then
-						self:fail('site-of-invocation IDs can only be dereferenced in a macro expansion (offending ID: “%s”)', id)
-					end
-					s = self.invocation.origin.sec
-				end
-				s = s or self.doc.sections[sec]
-				if not s then -- fall back on inheritance tree
-					for i, p in ipairs(self.doc.parents) do
-						if p.sections[sec] then
-							s = p.sections[sec]
-							break
-						end
-					end
-				end
-				if s then
-					if s.refs[ref] then
-						return s.refs[ref], ref, sec
-					else self:fail("no such ref %s in section %s", ref, sec) end
-				else self:fail("no such section %s", sec) end
-			end
+			o,i,s = scanParents(doc)
+			if o or s then return o,i,s end
+
+			self:fail("ID “%s” does not name an object or section", id)
 		end
 	};
 }
 
 ct.sec = declare {
@@ -1051,10 +1073,21 @@
 		table.insert(c.sec.blocks, tbl)
 		j:hook('block_table_insert', c, tbl, l)
 		j:hook('block_table_row_insert', c, tbl, tbl.rows[1], l)
 	end
 end
+
+local function insert_link_block(seq)
+	return blockwrap(function(s,c)
+		local r = s:sub(#seq):gsub('^%s+','') -- chomp
+		local uri, txt = r:match('^([^%s]*)%s*(.*)$')
+		return {
+			uri = ss.uri(uri);
+			label = ct.parse_span(txt, c);
+		}
+	end)
+end
 
 ct.ctlseqs = {
 	{seq = '.', fn = insert_paragraph};
 	{seq = '¶', fn = insert_paragraph};
 	{seq = '❡', fn = insert_paragraph};
@@ -1255,10 +1288,12 @@
 			return true
 		end
 	end; fn = blockwrap(function()
 		return { kind = 'horiz-rule' }
 	end)};
+	{seq='=>', fn = insert_link_block '=>'};
+	{seq='⇒',  fn = insert_link_block '⇒'};
 	{seq='@', fn=function(s,c,j,d)
 		local function mirror(b)
 			local ch = {}
 			local rev = {
 				['['] = ']'; [']'] = '[';

Index: render/html.lua
==================================================================
--- render/html.lua
+++ render/html.lua
@@ -615,11 +615,11 @@
 		end
 
 		function span_renderers.link(sp,b,s)
 			local href
 			if b.origin.doc.sections[sp.ref] then
-				href = '#' .. sp.ref
+				href = '#' .. getSafeID(sp)
 			else
 				if sp.addr then href = sp.addr else
 					local r = b.origin:ref(sp.ref)
 					if type(r) == 'table' then
 						href = '#' .. getSafeID(r)