diff --git a/packages/secubox-billets/api/services/render.py b/packages/secubox-billets/api/services/render.py
index 617cbb3d..5823de0a 100644
--- a/packages/secubox-billets/api/services/render.py
+++ b/packages/secubox-billets/api/services/render.py
@@ -12,8 +12,10 @@ from __future__ import annotations
 import nh3
 from markdown_it import MarkdownIt
 
-_MD = MarkdownIt("commonmark", {"html": False, "linkify": True, "typographer": False})
-_MD.enable("linkify")
+# linkify (bare-URL autolinking) is intentionally OFF: it needs the optional
+# linkify-it-py package, and the spec only requires markdown links [text](url).
+# Bare URLs in *comments* are autolinked separately in `linkify_plain`.
+_MD = MarkdownIt("commonmark", {"html": False, "linkify": False, "typographer": False})
 
 _ALLOWED_TAGS = {
     "p", "br", "strong", "em", "b", "i", "a",
diff --git a/packages/secubox-billets/debian/compat b/packages/secubox-billets/debian/compat
deleted file mode 100644
index b1bd38b6..00000000
--- a/packages/secubox-billets/debian/compat
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-13
diff --git a/packages/secubox-billets/debian/secubox-billets.service b/packages/secubox-billets/debian/secubox-billets.service
index d5862f9f..9b3d5f38 100644
--- a/packages/secubox-billets/debian/secubox-billets.service
+++ b/packages/secubox-billets/debian/secubox-billets.service
@@ -15,7 +15,6 @@ Environment=BILLETS_REVISIONS_DIR=/var/lib/secubox/billets/revisions
 Environment=BILLETS_SECRET_FILE=/etc/secubox/secrets/billets
 # Set BILLETS_SITE_URL to the public https origin so feeds/oEmbed emit absolute URLs.
 # Environment=BILLETS_SITE_URL=https://billets.example.com
-ExecStartPre=/usr/bin/install -d -o secubox -g secubox -m 1777 /run/secubox
 ExecStart=/usr/lib/secubox/billets/venv/bin/uvicorn api.asgi:app \
   --uds /run/secubox/billets.sock --no-access-log --workers 1
 Restart=on-failure
diff --git a/packages/secubox-billets/deploy/billets.service b/packages/secubox-billets/deploy/billets.service
index d5862f9f..9b3d5f38 100644
--- a/packages/secubox-billets/deploy/billets.service
+++ b/packages/secubox-billets/deploy/billets.service
@@ -15,7 +15,6 @@ Environment=BILLETS_REVISIONS_DIR=/var/lib/secubox/billets/revisions
 Environment=BILLETS_SECRET_FILE=/etc/secubox/secrets/billets
 # Set BILLETS_SITE_URL to the public https origin so feeds/oEmbed emit absolute URLs.
 # Environment=BILLETS_SITE_URL=https://billets.example.com
-ExecStartPre=/usr/bin/install -d -o secubox -g secubox -m 1777 /run/secubox
 ExecStart=/usr/lib/secubox/billets/venv/bin/uvicorn api.asgi:app \
   --uds /run/secubox/billets.sock --no-access-log --workers 1
 Restart=on-failure