diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 0704c6a4..6c23b033 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -64,6 +64,18 @@ All notable changes to vouch are documented here. Format follows
   per-prompt block, the session banner, `vouch status` and the opt-in
   question all say so rather than calling it "this repo's" knowledge.
 
+### Fixed
+- **wiki render now resolves a `[[link]]` to the page actually titled that,
+  not to whichever page happens to list the name as an alias first**
+  (`wiki_render`). the link index registered each page's title, id and
+  aliases in one pass, so `setdefault` made resolution order-dependent: if a
+  page carrying "Retry Policy" only as an alias sorted ahead of the page
+  titled "Retry Policy", `[[Retry Policy]]` resolved to the wrong page and its
+  backlink landed on the alias holder in the `render-wiki` map-of-content —
+  contradicting the module's own promise that an alias never shadows a title.
+  the index is now built in tiers (every title, then every id/slug, then every
+  alias), so a real title always wins regardless of `list_pages()` order.
+
 ## [1.5.0] — 2026-07-20
 
 ### Added
diff --git a/src/vouch/wiki_render.py b/src/vouch/wiki_render.py
index 3d3c70b3..a9a8317a 100644
--- a/src/vouch/wiki_render.py
+++ b/src/vouch/wiki_render.py
@@ -21,15 +21,28 @@
 def _link_index(pages: list[Page]) -> dict[str, Page]:
     """Map every resolvable name (title, id/slug, alias) to its page.
 
-    Keys are lowercased. Earlier pages win a name collision (``setdefault``),
-    so a later page's alias never shadows an existing page's title.
+    Keys are lowercased. Resolution is tiered so a stronger handle always beats
+    a weaker one regardless of page order: every title is registered first,
+    then every id/slug, then every alias, each with ``setdefault``. A page
+    titled ``Retry Policy`` therefore owns that name even when an earlier page
+    in the list carries it only as an alias — otherwise the resolved target
+    depended on ``list_pages()`` ordering. Within a single tier the earlier
+    page still wins a genuine collision (two pages sharing a title).
     """
     index: dict[str, Page] = {}
+
+    def register(name: object, page: Page) -> None:
+        key = str(name).strip().lower()
+        if key:
+            index.setdefault(key, page)
+
+    for page in pages:
+        register(page.title, page)
+    for page in pages:
+        register(page.id, page)
     for page in pages:
-        for name in (page.title, page.id, *(page.metadata.get("aliases") or [])):
-            key = str(name).strip().lower()
-            if key:
-                index.setdefault(key, page)
+        for alias in page.metadata.get("aliases") or []:
+            register(alias, page)
     return index
 
 
diff --git a/tests/test_wiki_render.py b/tests/test_wiki_render.py
index fbb52216..43b4d722 100644
--- a/tests/test_wiki_render.py
+++ b/tests/test_wiki_render.py
@@ -84,3 +84,23 @@ def test_render_moc_ranks_by_inbound_links() -> None:
     # Gamma has 2 inbound links; it must rank above the 0-inbound pages.
     assert out.index("Gamma") < out.index("Alpha")
     assert out.index("Gamma") < out.index("Beta")
+
+
+def test_title_beats_an_earlier_pages_alias_regardless_of_order() -> None:
+    # A real page is TITLED "Retry Policy"; an unrelated page carries the same
+    # string only as an alias and sorts earlier in the list. Resolution must
+    # follow the title, not the list order — the module docstring promises an
+    # alias never shadows an existing page's title.
+    aliaser = _page("Backoff Notes", aliases=["Retry Policy"], pid="backoff-notes")
+    titled = _page("Retry Policy", pid="retry-policy")
+    pages = [aliaser, titled]
+
+    resolved = wiki_render.resolve_link("Retry Policy", pages)
+    assert resolved is titled
+
+    # …and the backlink for a [[Retry Policy]] reference lands on the titled
+    # page, not the alias holder.
+    caller = _page("Caller", body="we follow [[Retry Policy]] here", pid="caller")
+    bl = wiki_render.backlinks([aliaser, titled, caller])
+    assert bl.get("retry-policy") == ["Caller"]
+    assert "backoff-notes" not in bl