diff --git a/scripts/booth b/scripts/booth
index 513c39f..1e273f7 100755
--- a/scripts/booth
+++ b/scripts/booth
@@ -25,8 +25,12 @@
 #   booth bench ls                      list benches, live -> promoted -> retired
 #   booth bench state <id|url> <state>  live | promoted | retired
 #   booth bench rm <id|url>             remove one
-#   booth bench import [--apply]        classify the board's rows; writes NOTHING
-#                                       without --apply, and never edits links.md
+#   booth bench import                  classify the board's rows; writes NOTHING
+#   booth bench import --apply <id>...  register ONLY the ids you name. A bare
+#                                       --apply is REFUSED: a machine cannot tell
+#                                       a bench from a bookmark by its URL, and
+#                                       ~14 of 35 live candidates are bookmarks.
+#                                       links.md is never edited by either form.
 #
 # THREE SURFACES, THREE JOBS. Telling them apart is the whole of U6:
 #   a BOOTH is a review surface you post work to. It announces itself and is
@@ -236,7 +240,7 @@ sys.stdout.write("N" if name is None else "B:" + name)
 }
 
 usage() {
-  echo "usage: booth {new <name> [--why W] [--title T]|add <name> <file>... [--why W] [--title T]|url <name>|ls|rm <name>|keep <name>|unkeep <name>|blur <name> <file>...|unblur <name> <file>...|link <url> [description]|links|unlink <id|index>|ask <name> <id> <prompt> <option>... [--no-notes]|marks <name> [--wait [SECS]]|asks <name> (deprecated alias for marks)|answer <name> <id> [--wait [SECS]]|marks-import <name>|bench add <url> <name>|bench ls|bench state <id|url> <live|promoted|retired>|bench rm <id|url>|bench import [--apply]}" >&2
+  echo "usage: booth {new <name> [--why W] [--title T]|add <name> <file>... [--why W] [--title T]|url <name>|ls|rm <name>|keep <name>|unkeep <name>|blur <name> <file>...|unblur <name> <file>...|link <url> [description]|links|unlink <id|index>|ask <name> <id> <prompt> <option>... [--no-notes]|marks <name> [--wait [SECS]]|asks <name> (deprecated alias for marks)|answer <name> <id> [--wait [SECS]]|marks-import <name>|bench add <url> <name>|bench ls|bench state <id|url> <live|promoted|retired>|bench rm <id|url>|bench import [--apply <id>...]}" >&2
   exit 2
 }
 
@@ -467,7 +471,7 @@ print("removed: %s  %s" % (removed["desc"], removed["url"]))
     case "$sub" in
       add|ls|state|rm|import) ;;
       *)
-        echo "usage: booth bench {add <url> <name>|ls|state <id|url> <live|promoted|retired>|rm <id|url>|import [--apply]}" >&2
+        echo "usage: booth bench {add <url> <name>|ls|state <id|url> <live|promoted|retired>|rm <id|url>|import [--apply <id>...]}" >&2
         exit 2 ;;
     esac
     BOOTH_SRC="$(booth_src)" BOOTH_DATA="$DATA" BOOTH_SUB="$sub" \