diff --git a/server/src/graphql.rs b/server/src/graphql.rs
index d906446..b7edf50 100644
--- a/server/src/graphql.rs
+++ b/server/src/graphql.rs
@@ -65,6 +65,12 @@ impl QueryRoot {
             |after, before, first, last| async move {
                 info!("{after:?} {before:?} {first:?} {last:?} {query}");
                 let total = nm.count(&query)?;
+                let (first, last) = if let (None, None) = (first, last) {
+                    info!("neither first nor last set, defaulting to 20");
+                    (Some(20), Some(20))
+                } else {
+                    (first, last)
+                };
 
                 let mut start = after.map(|after| after + 1).unwrap_or(0);
                 let mut end = before.unwrap_or(total);
@@ -91,17 +97,6 @@ impl QueryRoot {
                         tags: ts.tags,
                     })
                     .collect();
-                //let mut slice = &res[..];
-
-                /*
-                if let Some(first) = first {
-                slice = &slice[..first.min(slice.len())];
-                end -= first.min(slice.len());
-                } else if let Some(last) = last {
-                slice = &slice[slice.len() - last.min(slice.len())..];
-                start = end - last.min(slice.len());
-                }
-                */
 
                 let mut connection = Connection::new(start > 0, end < total);
                 connection.edges.extend(