From 66afbb6e715a3799fd63fb4b9fab944334c6c881 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: "copilot-swe-agent[bot]" <198982749+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>
Date: Tue, 3 Mar 2026 15:15:05 +0000
Subject: [PATCH 1/5] Initial plan


From 70284ba41368802eaa69a27d75a337487c5af389 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: "copilot-swe-agent[bot]" <198982749+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>
Date: Tue, 3 Mar 2026 15:21:30 +0000
Subject: [PATCH 2/5] Make unlink() with no arguments clear all children

Co-authored-by: ConnorStoneAstro <78555321+ConnorStoneAstro@users.noreply.github.com>
---
 docs/source/notebooks/BeginnersGuide.ipynb | 35 +++++++++++++++++++++-
 src/caskade/base.py                        | 18 +++++++++--
 tests/test_base.py                         |  6 ++++
 3 files changed, 56 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-)

diff --git a/docs/source/notebooks/BeginnersGuide.ipynb b/docs/source/notebooks/BeginnersGuide.ipynb
index bf39e9c..67a7f86 100644
--- a/docs/source/notebooks/BeginnersGuide.ipynb
+++ b/docs/source/notebooks/BeginnersGuide.ipynb
@@ -391,6 +391,39 @@
     "combinedsim.graphviz()"
    ]
   },
+  {
+   "cell_type": "markdown",
+   "id": "unlink_md",
+   "metadata": {},
+   "source": [
+    "### Unlinking nodes\n",
+    "\n",
+    "You can unlink a child node from a parent by calling `unlink` with the key or node to remove. ",
+    "Calling `unlink()` with no arguments is a convenient way to remove **all** children at once."
+   ]
+  },
+  {
+   "cell_type": "code",
+   "execution_count": null,
+   "id": "unlink_code",
+   "metadata": {},
+   "outputs": [],
+   "source": [
+    "# Unlink a specific child by passing its key or Node object\n",
+    "secondsim.x0.unlink(simtime)\n",
+    "print(\"After unlinking simtime from secondsim.x0:\", secondsim.x0.children)\n",
+    "\n",
+    "# Re-link it\n",
+    "secondsim.x0.link(simtime)\n",
+    "\n",
+    "# Calling unlink() with no arguments removes all children at once\n",
+    "secondsim.x0.unlink()\n",
+    "print(\"After unlink() with no args:\", secondsim.x0.children)\n",
+    "\n",
+    "# Re-link for the rest of the tutorial\n",
+    "secondsim.x0.link(simtime)"
+   ]
+  },
   {
    "cell_type": "code",
    "execution_count": null,
@@ -568,4 +601,4 @@
  },
  "nbformat": 4,
  "nbformat_minor": 2
-}
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/caskade/base.py b/src/caskade/base.py
index 85e3b4c..ff498eb 100644
--- a/src/caskade/base.py
+++ b/src/caskade/base.py
@@ -207,8 +207,22 @@ def _unlink(self, key: str):
         del self.children[key]
         self.update_graph()
 
-    def unlink(self, key: Union[str, "Node", list, tuple]):
-        """Unlink the current ``Node`` object from another ``Node`` object which is a child."""
+    def unlink(self, key: Union[str, "Node", list, tuple, None] = None):
+        """Unlink the current ``Node`` object from another ``Node`` object which is a child.
+
+        Parameters
+        ----------
+        key: (str, Node, list, tuple, or None, optional)
+            The key, ``Node`` object, or collection of keys/nodes to unlink.
+            If a string, the child with that key is unlinked. If a ``Node``
+            object, the matching child is located and unlinked. If a list or
+            tuple, each element is unlinked in turn. If ``None`` (the
+            default), all children are unlinked.
+        """
+        if key is None:
+            for k in list(self.children):
+                self._unlink(k)
+            return
         if isinstance(key, Node):
             for node in self.children:
                 if self.children[node] is key:
diff --git a/tests/test_base.py b/tests/test_base.py
index e566889..9b474bc 100644
--- a/tests/test_base.py
+++ b/tests/test_base.py
@@ -87,6 +87,12 @@ def test_linking(node_graph):
         a.e
     a.unlink((b, c))
 
+    # Check unlink with no arguments clears all children
+    a.link(e)
+    assert len(a.children) > 0
+    a.unlink()
+    assert len(a.children) == 0
+
 
 def test_graphviz(node_graph):
     a, *_ = node_graph

From 21027bcb225e44e634ede8ca92d80dabe0b302a8 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: "copilot-swe-agent[bot]" <198982749+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>
Date: Tue, 3 Mar 2026 15:45:16 +0000
Subject: [PATCH 3/5] Address review: use recursive unlink for no-args, move
 notebook section

Co-authored-by: ConnorStoneAstro <78555321+ConnorStoneAstro@users.noreply.github.com>
---
 docs/source/notebooks/BeginnersGuide.ipynb | 69 +++++++++++-----------
 src/caskade/base.py                        |  3 +-
 2 files changed, 37 insertions(+), 35 deletions(-)

diff --git a/docs/source/notebooks/BeginnersGuide.ipynb b/docs/source/notebooks/BeginnersGuide.ipynb
index 67a7f86..e1e05a4 100644
--- a/docs/source/notebooks/BeginnersGuide.ipynb
+++ b/docs/source/notebooks/BeginnersGuide.ipynb
@@ -312,6 +312,42 @@
     "As you can see, a `pointer` parameter is represented in the graph as a shaded arrow. It will now return the same value as the `x0` parameter in `secondsim`."
    ]
   },
+  {
+   "cell_type": "markdown",
+   "id": "link_unlink_md",
+   "metadata": {},
+   "source": [
+    "### Linking and unlinking params\n",
+    "\n",
+    "Pointer parameters can be linked to and unlinked from other nodes. ",
+    "Use `link(node)` to connect a child node, and `unlink(node)` (or a key string) to disconnect a specific child. ",
+    "Calling `unlink()` with no arguments removes **all** children at once, acting as a convenient clear."
+   ]
+  },
+  {
+   "cell_type": "code",
+   "execution_count": null,
+   "id": "link_unlink_code",
+   "metadata": {},
+   "outputs": [],
+   "source": [
+    "time_param = ck.Param(\"mytime\")  # a standalone param to link against\n",
+    "shared_x0 = ck.Param(\"shared_x0\", shape=(2,))\n",
+    "\n",
+    "# Link a child node using a key or by passing the node directly\n",
+    "shared_x0.link(\"mytime\", time_param)\n",
+    "print(\"Children after link:\", list(shared_x0.children))\n",
+    "\n",
+    "# Unlink a specific child by key or node reference\n",
+    "shared_x0.unlink(\"mytime\")\n",
+    "print(\"Children after unlink(key):\", list(shared_x0.children))\n",
+    "\n",
+    "# Re-link and then clear all children at once\n",
+    "shared_x0.link(\"mytime\", time_param)\n",
+    "shared_x0.unlink()  # removes all children\n",
+    "print(\"Children after unlink():\", list(shared_x0.children))"
+   ]
+  },
   {
    "cell_type": "markdown",
    "metadata": {},
@@ -391,39 +427,6 @@
     "combinedsim.graphviz()"
    ]
   },
-  {
-   "cell_type": "markdown",
-   "id": "unlink_md",
-   "metadata": {},
-   "source": [
-    "### Unlinking nodes\n",
-    "\n",
-    "You can unlink a child node from a parent by calling `unlink` with the key or node to remove. ",
-    "Calling `unlink()` with no arguments is a convenient way to remove **all** children at once."
-   ]
-  },
-  {
-   "cell_type": "code",
-   "execution_count": null,
-   "id": "unlink_code",
-   "metadata": {},
-   "outputs": [],
-   "source": [
-    "# Unlink a specific child by passing its key or Node object\n",
-    "secondsim.x0.unlink(simtime)\n",
-    "print(\"After unlinking simtime from secondsim.x0:\", secondsim.x0.children)\n",
-    "\n",
-    "# Re-link it\n",
-    "secondsim.x0.link(simtime)\n",
-    "\n",
-    "# Calling unlink() with no arguments removes all children at once\n",
-    "secondsim.x0.unlink()\n",
-    "print(\"After unlink() with no args:\", secondsim.x0.children)\n",
-    "\n",
-    "# Re-link for the rest of the tutorial\n",
-    "secondsim.x0.link(simtime)"
-   ]
-  },
   {
    "cell_type": "code",
    "execution_count": null,
diff --git a/src/caskade/base.py b/src/caskade/base.py
index ff498eb..65dc8d3 100644
--- a/src/caskade/base.py
+++ b/src/caskade/base.py
@@ -220,8 +220,7 @@ def unlink(self, key: Union[str, "Node", list, tuple, None] = None):
             default), all children are unlinked.
         """
         if key is None:
-            for k in list(self.children):
-                self._unlink(k)
+            self.unlink(list(self.children))
             return
         if isinstance(key, Node):
             for node in self.children:

From d4fc89afc9eb019b834699261e54b1d772c263f0 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Connor Stone <connorstone628@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 3 Mar 2026 11:20:53 -0500
Subject: [PATCH 4/5] add check for trying to unlink key that isnt a child

---
 pyproject.toml      | 2 +-
 src/caskade/base.py | 2 ++
 2 files changed, 3 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index 4ac2230..0f62a30 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ keywords = [
         "pytorch"
 ]
 classifiers=[
-        "Development Status :: 1 - Planning",
+        "Development Status :: 5 - Production/Stable",
         "Intended Audience :: Science/Research",
         "License :: OSI Approved :: MIT License",
         "Operating System :: OS Independent",
diff --git a/src/caskade/base.py b/src/caskade/base.py
index 65dc8d3..c958a71 100644
--- a/src/caskade/base.py
+++ b/src/caskade/base.py
@@ -227,6 +227,8 @@ def unlink(self, key: Union[str, "Node", list, tuple, None] = None):
                 if self.children[node] is key:
                     key = node
                     break
+            else:
+                raise KeyError(f"Node {key.name} not found in parent {self.name}")
         elif isinstance(key, (tuple, list)):
             for k in key:
                 self.unlink(k)

From f6ef9623dc5cf7a391ec4d3732fa1462271ce7e6 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Connor Stone <connorstone628@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 3 Mar 2026 11:23:27 -0500
Subject: [PATCH 5/5] make test for unlink missing key

---
 src/caskade/base.py | 2 ++
 tests/test_base.py  | 4 ++++
 2 files changed, 6 insertions(+)

diff --git a/src/caskade/base.py b/src/caskade/base.py
index c958a71..754c993 100644
--- a/src/caskade/base.py
+++ b/src/caskade/base.py
@@ -233,6 +233,8 @@ def unlink(self, key: Union[str, "Node", list, tuple, None] = None):
             for k in key:
                 self.unlink(k)
             return
+        if key not in self.children:
+            raise KeyError(f"Child key '{key}' not found in parent {self.name}")
         self.__delattr__(key)
 
     def topological_ordering(self) -> tuple["Node"]:
diff --git a/tests/test_base.py b/tests/test_base.py
index 9b474bc..0929710 100644
--- a/tests/test_base.py
+++ b/tests/test_base.py
@@ -85,6 +85,10 @@ def test_linking(node_graph):
     assert e in a.topological_ordering()
     with pytest.raises(AttributeError):
         a.e
+    with pytest.raises(KeyError):
+        a.unlink(e)
+    with pytest.raises(KeyError):
+        a.unlink("e")
     a.unlink((b, c))
 
     # Check unlink with no arguments clears all children