diff --git a/components/text.js b/components/text.js
index 42593575..d6dd4a7c 100644
--- a/components/text.js
+++ b/components/text.js
@@ -186,6 +186,7 @@ export default memo(function Text ({ rel, imgproxyUrls, children, tab, itemId, o
             } catch {
               // ignore invalid URLs
             }
+
             const internalURL = process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_URL
             if (!!text && !/^https?:\/\//.test(text)) {
               if (props['data-footnote-ref'] || typeof props['data-footnote-backref'] !== 'undefined') {
@@ -210,6 +211,19 @@ export default memo(function Text ({ rel, imgproxyUrls, children, tab, itemId, o
                   </UserPopover>
                 )
               } else if (href.startsWith('/') || url?.origin === internalURL) {
+                try {
+                  const linkText = parseInternalLinks(href)
+                  if (linkText) {
+                    return (
+                      <ItemPopover id={linkText.replace('#', '').split('/')[0]}>
+                        <Link href={href}>{text}</Link>
+                      </ItemPopover>
+                    )
+                  }
+                } catch {
+                  // ignore errors like invalid URLs
+                }
+
                 return (
                   <Link
                     id={props.id}
diff --git a/lib/url.js b/lib/url.js
index 2ba7d2a4..58dcb65a 100644
--- a/lib/url.js
+++ b/lib/url.js
@@ -26,14 +26,22 @@ export function removeTracking (value) {
 /**
  * parse links like https://stacker.news/items/123456 as #123456
  */
+
+export function isItemPath (pathname) {
+  if (!pathname) return false
+
+  const [page, id] = pathname.split('/').filter(part => !!part)
+  return page === 'items' && /^[0-9]+$/.test(id)
+}
+
 export function parseInternalLinks (href) {
   const url = new URL(href)
   const internalURL = process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_URL
   const { pathname, searchParams } = url
+
   // ignore empty parts which exist due to pathname starting with '/'
-  const emptyPart = part => !!part
-  const parts = pathname.split('/').filter(emptyPart)
-  if (parts[0] === 'items' && /^[0-9]+$/.test(parts[1]) && url.origin === internalURL) {
+  if (isItemPath(pathname) && url.origin === internalURL) {
+    const parts = pathname.split('/').filter(part => !!part)
     const itemId = parts[1]
     // check for valid item page due to referral links like /items/123456/r/ekzyis
     const itemPages = ['edit', 'ots', 'related']