diff --git a/src/main/java/quanta/mongo/MongoAuth.java b/src/main/java/quanta/mongo/MongoAuth.java
index b3cc926f6..576bf6dca 100644
--- a/src/main/java/quanta/mongo/MongoAuth.java
+++ b/src/main/java/quanta/mongo/MongoAuth.java
@@ -94,7 +94,7 @@ public List<String> getUsersSharedTo(SubNode node) {
                     name = PrincipalName.PUBLIC.s();
                 } //
                 else if (userNodeId != null) {
-                    SubNode accountNode = svc_mongoRead.getNode(userNodeId);
+                    AccountNode accountNode = svc_user.getAccountNode(userNodeId);
                     if (accountNode != null) {
                         name = accountNode.getStr(NodeProp.USER);
                     }
@@ -420,7 +420,7 @@ public boolean nodeAuth(SubNode node, String sessionUserNodeId, List<PrivilegeTy
     }
 
     /*
-     * todo-0: this appears to return "rd,wr" as a single string in the privileges.privilegeName,
+     * todo-1: this appears to return "rd,wr" as a single string in the privileges.privilegeName,
      * whereas the SubNode itself I think stores them as separate strings in the AccessControl.prvs
      * field. This is a bit confusing.
      */
@@ -453,8 +453,7 @@ public AccessControlInfo createAccessControlInfo(String principalId, String auth
         }
         // else we need the user name
         else {
-            // todo-0: this can be AccountNode here?
-            SubNode principalNode = svc_mongoRead.getNodeAP(principalId);
+            AccountNode principalNode = svc_user.getAccountNodeAP(principalId);
             if (principalNode == null) {
                 return null;
             }
diff --git a/src/main/java/quanta/mongo/MongoRead.java b/src/main/java/quanta/mongo/MongoRead.java
index 00f180444..ae96da1cb 100644
--- a/src/main/java/quanta/mongo/MongoRead.java
+++ b/src/main/java/quanta/mongo/MongoRead.java
@@ -991,28 +991,6 @@ public SubNode getUserNodeByType(String userName, AccountNode userNode, String c
         return node;
     }
 
-    public SubNode getUserNodeByPropAP(String propName, String propVal, boolean caseSensitive) {
-        return svc_arun.run(() -> getUserNodeByProp(propName, propVal, caseSensitive));
-    }
-
-    public SubNode getUserNodeByProp(String propName, String propVal, boolean caseSensitive) {
-        if (StringUtils.isEmpty(propVal))
-            return null;
-        // Otherwise for ordinary users root is based off their username
-        Query q = new Query();
-        Criteria crit;
-        if (caseSensitive) {
-            crit = svc_mongoUtil.childrenCriteria(NodePath.USERS_PATH).and(SubNode.PROPS + "." + propName).is(propVal);
-        } else {
-            crit = svc_mongoUtil.childrenCriteria(NodePath.USERS_PATH).and(SubNode.PROPS + "." + propName)
-                    .regex("^" + Pattern.quote(propVal) + "$", "i");
-        }
-
-        crit = svc_auth.addReadSecurity(crit);
-        q.addCriteria(crit);
-        return svc_ops.findOne(q);
-    }
-
     /*
      * Finds and returns the first node matching userName and type as direct child of 'node', or null if
      * not existing. Caller can pass userNode if its available, or else userName will be used to look it
diff --git a/src/main/java/quanta/service/EmailService.java b/src/main/java/quanta/service/EmailService.java
index 523e6d0b2..5059c6aa7 100644
--- a/src/main/java/quanta/service/EmailService.java
+++ b/src/main/java/quanta/service/EmailService.java
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@
 import quanta.model.client.NodeProp;
 import quanta.model.client.NodeType;
 import quanta.mongo.MongoRepository;
+import quanta.mongo.model.AccountNode;
 import quanta.mongo.model.SubNode;
 import quanta.util.LimitedInputStream;
 import quanta.util.TL;
@@ -206,9 +207,9 @@ public String convertEmailToMarkdown(LimitedInputStream is) {
     /**
      * Sends an email notification to the user associated with 'toUserNode' (a person's account root
      * node), telling them that 'fromUserName' has shared a node with them, and including a link to the
-     * shared node in the email.
+     * shared node in the email. (Not currently usee)
      */
-    public void sendEmailNotification(String fromUserName, SubNode toUserNode, SubNode node) {
+    public void sendEmailNotification(String fromUserName, AccountNode toUserNode, SubNode node) {
         String email = toUserNode.getStr(NodeProp.EMAIL);
         String toUserName = toUserNode.getStr(NodeProp.USER);
         String nodeUrl = svc_snUtil.getFriendlyNodeUrl(node);
diff --git a/src/main/java/quanta/service/UserManagerService.java b/src/main/java/quanta/service/UserManagerService.java
index 29934aee1..2a1c6e330 100644
--- a/src/main/java/quanta/service/UserManagerService.java
+++ b/src/main/java/quanta/service/UserManagerService.java
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@
 import java.util.Random;
 import java.util.StringTokenizer;
 import java.util.concurrent.ConcurrentHashMap;
+import java.util.regex.Pattern;
 import org.apache.commons.lang3.StringUtils;
 import org.bson.types.ObjectId;
 import org.slf4j.Logger;
@@ -423,7 +424,7 @@ public SignupResponse signup(SignupRequest req, boolean automated) {
 
             // we disallow dupliate emails via this codepath, but by design we do allow them in the DB, and
             // even all the 'test accounts' will normally have the same email address.
-            SubNode ownerNode = svc_mongoRead.getUserNodeByPropAP(NodeProp.EMAIL.s(), email, false);
+            AccountNode ownerNode = svc_user.getUserNodeByPropAP(NodeProp.EMAIL.s(), email, false);
             if (ownerNode != null) {
                 res.setEmailError("Email already in use.");
                 res.setCode(HttpServletResponse.SC_EXPECTATION_FAILED);
@@ -540,7 +541,7 @@ public AddCreditResponse addCredit(String userId, BigDecimal amount) {
 
     public Tran addCreditByEmail(String emailAdr, BigDecimal amount, Long timestamp) {
         PgTranMgr.ensureTran();
-        SubNode ownerNode = svc_mongoRead.getUserNodeByPropAP(NodeProp.EMAIL.s(), emailAdr, false);
+        AccountNode ownerNode = svc_user.getUserNodeByPropAP(NodeProp.EMAIL.s(), emailAdr, false);
         if (ownerNode != null) {
             String userName = ownerNode.getStr(NodeProp.USER);
             Tran tran = addCreditInternal(ownerNode.getIdStr(), amount, timestamp);
@@ -1247,6 +1248,28 @@ public SendFeedbackResponse cm_sendFeedback(SendFeedbackRequest req) {
         });
     }
 
+    public AccountNode getUserNodeByPropAP(String propName, String propVal, boolean caseSensitive) {
+        return svc_arun.run(() -> getUserNodeByProp(propName, propVal, caseSensitive));
+    }
+
+    public AccountNode getUserNodeByProp(String propName, String propVal, boolean caseSensitive) {
+        if (StringUtils.isEmpty(propVal))
+            return null;
+        // Otherwise for ordinary users root is based off their username
+        Query q = new Query();
+        Criteria crit;
+        if (caseSensitive) {
+            crit = svc_mongoUtil.childrenCriteria(NodePath.USERS_PATH).and(SubNode.PROPS + "." + propName).is(propVal);
+        } else {
+            crit = svc_mongoUtil.childrenCriteria(NodePath.USERS_PATH).and(SubNode.PROPS + "." + propName)
+                    .regex("^" + Pattern.quote(propVal) + "$", "i");
+        }
+
+        crit = svc_auth.addReadSecurity(crit);
+        q.addCriteria(crit);
+        return svc_ops.findOne(q, AccountNode.class);
+    }
+
     public AccountNode getAccountNode(String id) {
         return svc_ops.findById(new ObjectId(id), AccountNode.class);
     }