diff --git a/modules/behavior/draw_way.js b/modules/behavior/draw_way.js
index 6dd7c87b3..163513b3c 100644
--- a/modules/behavior/draw_way.js
+++ b/modules/behavior/draw_way.js
@@ -38,7 +38,8 @@ export function behaviorDrawWay(context, wayId, index, mode, startGraph) {
         'operations.start.annotation.' :
         'operations.continue.annotation.') + context.geometry(wayId));
     var draw = behaviorDraw(context);
-    var _activeIDs = [];
+    // var _activeIDs = [];
+    var _activeID;
     var startIndex;
     var start;
     var end;
@@ -103,8 +104,11 @@ export function behaviorDrawWay(context, wayId, index, mode, startGraph) {
 
 
     function setActiveElements() {
-        _activeIDs = isArea ? [wayId, end.id] : [segment.id, start.id, end.id];
-        context.surface().selectAll(utilEntitySelector(_activeIDs))
+        // _activeIDs = isArea ? [wayId, end.id] : [segment.id, start.id, end.id];
+        // context.surface().selectAll(utilEntitySelector(_activeIDs))
+        //     .classed('active', true);
+        _activeID = end.id;
+        context.surface().selectAll('.' + end.id)
             .classed('active', true);
     }
 
@@ -319,8 +323,13 @@ export function behaviorDrawWay(context, wayId, index, mode, startGraph) {
     };
 
 
-    drawWay.activeIDs = function() {
-        if (!arguments.length) return _activeIDs;
+    // drawWay.activeIDs = function() {
+    //     if (!arguments.length) return _activeIDs;
+    //     // no assign
+    //     return drawWay;
+    // };
+    drawWay.activeID = function() {
+        if (!arguments.length) return _activeID;
         // no assign
         return drawWay;
     };
diff --git a/modules/core/context.js b/modules/core/context.js
index e7f0deacf..dcf0b6412 100644
--- a/modules/core/context.js
+++ b/modules/core/context.js
@@ -255,12 +255,15 @@ export function coreContext() {
             return [];
         }
     };
-    context.activeIDs = function() {
-        if (mode && mode.activeIDs) {
-            return mode.activeIDs();
-        } else {
-            return [];
-        }
+    // context.activeIDs = function() {
+    //     if (mode && mode.activeIDs) {
+    //         return mode.activeIDs();
+    //     } else {
+    //         return [];
+    //     }
+    // };
+    context.activeID = function() {
+        return mode && mode.activeID && mode.activeID();
     };
 
 
diff --git a/modules/modes/drag_node.js b/modules/modes/drag_node.js
index e39832b98..956b78314 100644
--- a/modules/modes/drag_node.js
+++ b/modules/modes/drag_node.js
@@ -44,7 +44,8 @@ export function modeDragNode(context) {
 
     var _nudgeInterval;
     var _restoreSelectedIDs = [];
-    var _activeIDs = [];
+    // var _activeIDs = [];
+    var _activeID;
     var _wasMidpoint = false;
     var _isCancelled = false;
     var _dragEntity;
@@ -112,9 +113,9 @@ export function modeDragNode(context) {
 
         // `.active` elements have `pointer-events: none`.
         // This prevents the node or vertex being dragged from trying to connect to itself.
-        _activeIDs = context.graph().parentWays(entity)
-            .map(function(parent) { return parent.id; });
-        _activeIDs.push(entity.id);
+        // _activeIDs = context.graph().parentWays(entity).map(function(parent) { return parent.id; });
+        // _activeIDs.push(entity.id);
+        _activeID = entity.id;
         setActiveElements();
 
         context.enter(mode);
@@ -232,7 +233,9 @@ export function modeDragNode(context) {
 
 
     function setActiveElements() {
-        context.surface().selectAll(utilEntitySelector(_activeIDs))
+        // context.surface().selectAll(utilEntitySelector(_activeIDs))
+        //     .classed('active', true);
+        context.surface().selectAll('.' + _activeID)
             .classed('active', true);
     }
 
@@ -271,7 +274,8 @@ export function modeDragNode(context) {
         context.map()
             .on('drawn.drag-node', null);
 
-        _activeIDs = [];
+        // _activeIDs = [];
+        _activeID = null;
         context.surface()
             .selectAll('.active')
             .classed('active', false);
@@ -287,8 +291,13 @@ export function modeDragNode(context) {
     };
 
 
-    mode.activeIDs = function() {
-        if (!arguments.length) return _activeIDs;
+    // mode.activeIDs = function() {
+    //     if (!arguments.length) return _activeIDs;
+    //     // no assign
+    //     return mode;
+    // };
+    mode.activeID = function() {
+        if (!arguments.length) return _activeID;
         // no assign
         return mode;
     };
diff --git a/modules/modes/draw_area.js b/modules/modes/draw_area.js
index 23bd196b5..0dd5b1272 100644
--- a/modules/modes/draw_area.js
+++ b/modules/modes/draw_area.js
@@ -43,8 +43,11 @@ export function modeDrawArea(context, wayId, startGraph) {
         return [wayId];
     };
 
-    mode.activeIDs = function() {
-        return (behavior && behavior.activeIDs()) || [];
+    // mode.activeIDs = function() {
+    //     return (behavior && behavior.activeIDs()) || [];
+    // };
+    mode.activeID = function() {
+        return (behavior && behavior.activeID()) || [];
     };
 
 
diff --git a/modules/modes/draw_line.js b/modules/modes/draw_line.js
index e6099b9bd..3e638cbd9 100644
--- a/modules/modes/draw_line.js
+++ b/modules/modes/draw_line.js
@@ -41,8 +41,11 @@ export function modeDrawLine(context, wayId, startGraph, affix) {
         return [wayId];
     };
 
-    mode.activeIDs = function() {
-        return (behavior && behavior.activeIDs()) || [];
+    // mode.activeIDs = function() {
+    //     return (behavior && behavior.activeIDs()) || [];
+    // };
+    mode.activeID = function() {
+        return (behavior && behavior.activeID()) || [];
     };
 
     return mode;
diff --git a/modules/svg/areas.js b/modules/svg/areas.js
index b017d531c..c6ff49cbb 100644
--- a/modules/svg/areas.js
+++ b/modules/svg/areas.js
@@ -45,7 +45,8 @@ export function svgAreas(projection, context) {
         var fillClass = context.getDebug('target') ? 'pink ' : 'nocolor ';
         var getPath = svgPath(projection, graph);
         var passive = entities.filter(function(d) {
-            return context.activeIDs().indexOf(d.id) === -1;
+            return true;
+            // return context.activeIDs().indexOf(d.id) === -1;
         });
 
         var targets = selection.selectAll('.area.target')
diff --git a/modules/svg/lines.js b/modules/svg/lines.js
index d5b1010bb..4770bebd6 100644
--- a/modules/svg/lines.js
+++ b/modules/svg/lines.js
@@ -40,7 +40,8 @@ export function svgLines(projection, context) {
         var fillClass = context.getDebug('target') ? 'pink ' : 'nocolor ';
         var getPath = svgPath(projection, graph);
         var passive = entities.filter(function(d) {
-            return context.activeIDs().indexOf(d.id) === -1;
+            return true;
+            // return context.activeIDs().indexOf(d.id) === -1;
         });
 
         var targets = selection.selectAll('.line.target')
diff --git a/modules/svg/points.js b/modules/svg/points.js
index 40898e2aa..ef1d504d9 100644
--- a/modules/svg/points.js
+++ b/modules/svg/points.js
@@ -30,7 +30,8 @@ export function svgPoints(projection, context) {
     function drawTargets(selection, graph, entities, filter) {
         var fillClass = context.getDebug('target') ? 'pink ' : 'nocolor ';
         var passive = entities.filter(function(d) {
-            return context.activeIDs().indexOf(d.id) === -1;
+            return d.id !== context.activeID();
+            // return context.activeIDs().indexOf(d.id) === -1;
         });
 
         var targets = selection.selectAll('.point.target')
diff --git a/modules/svg/vertices.js b/modules/svg/vertices.js
index 2c9bef290..e880363f7 100644
--- a/modules/svg/vertices.js
+++ b/modules/svg/vertices.js
@@ -183,13 +183,16 @@ export function svgVertices(projection, context) {
 
     function drawTargets(selection, graph, entities, filter) {
         var fillClass = context.getDebug('target') ? 'pink ' : 'nocolor ';
-        var passive = entities.filter(function(d) {
-            return context.activeIDs().indexOf(d.id) === -1;
-        });
 
+        // no targets for entities that are active, or adjacent to active.
+        function passive(d) {
+            return d.id !== context.activeID();
+        }
+
+        var data = entities.filter(passive);
         var targets = selection.selectAll('.vertex.target')
             .filter(filter)
-            .data(passive, function key(d) { return d.id; });
+            .data(data, function key(d) { return d.id; });
 
         // exit
         targets.exit()