diff --git a/.github/workflows/build.yml b/.github/workflows/build.yml
index ce1c2b8e..45a954ea 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/build.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build.yml
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ jobs:
       - uses: actions/setup-python@v4
         with:
           python-version: "3.10"
-      - run: pip install pre-commit
+      - run: pip install 'pre-commit<4.0.0'
       - run: pre-commit --version
       - run: pre-commit install
       - run: pre-commit run --all-files
diff --git a/.pre-commit-config.yaml b/.pre-commit-config.yaml
index 31ee4b98..2b4b01ca 100644
--- a/.pre-commit-config.yaml
+++ b/.pre-commit-config.yaml
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ default_language_version:
 
 repos:
   - repo: https://github.com/pre-commit/pre-commit-hooks
-    rev: v4.6.0
+    rev: v5.0.0
     hooks:
       # list of supported hooks: https://pre-commit.com/hooks.html
       - id: trailing-whitespace
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ repos:
 
   - repo: https://github.com/charliermarsh/ruff-pre-commit
     # Ruff version.
-    rev: "v0.5.7"
+    rev: "v0.6.9"
     hooks:
       - id: ruff
         args: ["--line-length", "99", "--fix"]
@@ -44,6 +44,7 @@ repos:
     rev: v1.7.5
     hooks:
       - id: docformatter
+        language: python
         args: [--in-place, --wrap-summaries=99, --wrap-descriptions=99]
         require_serial: true
 
diff --git a/mkdocs.yml b/mkdocs.yml
index 5af6a9c7..61e9697e 100644
--- a/mkdocs.yml
+++ b/mkdocs.yml
@@ -64,6 +64,7 @@ plugins:
   - awesome-pages
   - macros: #https://mkdocs-macros-plugin.readthedocs.io/en/latest/#declaration-of-the-macros-plugin
       module_name: docs/macros
+  - custom_autoref_plugin
   - autorefs
   - gen-files:
       # https://oprypin.github.io/mkdocs-gen-files/#usage
diff --git a/project/conftest.py b/project/conftest.py
index f673cced..d0b6b409 100644
--- a/project/conftest.py
+++ b/project/conftest.py
@@ -123,7 +123,10 @@ def original_datadir(original_datadir: Path):
     """
     relative_portion = original_datadir.relative_to(REPO_ROOTDIR)
     datadir = REPO_ROOTDIR / ".regression_files"
-    if SCRATCH and not datadir.exists():
+
+    use_scratch: bool = False  # todo: enable again later?
+
+    if SCRATCH and not datadir.exists() and use_scratch:
         # puts a symlink .regression_files in the repo root that points to the same dir in $SCRATCH
         actual_dir = SCRATCH / datadir.relative_to(REPO_ROOTDIR)
         actual_dir.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
diff --git a/project/utils/autoref_plugin.py b/project/utils/autoref_plugin.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..b4f97145
--- /dev/null
+++ b/project/utils/autoref_plugin.py
@@ -0,0 +1,91 @@
+"""IDEA: Tweak the AutoRefsPlugin so that text in backticks like `this` (more IDE-friendly) are
+considered refs when possible.
+"""
+
+import functools
+import re
+
+import lightning
+import torch
+from mkdocs.config.defaults import MkDocsConfig
+from mkdocs.plugins import (
+    BasePlugin,
+    get_plugin_logger,
+)
+from mkdocs.structure.files import Files
+from mkdocs.structure.pages import Page
+from mkdocs_autorefs.plugin import AutorefsPlugin  # noqa
+
+from project.utils.hydra_config_utils import import_object
+
+# Same as in the mkdocs_autorefs plugin.
+logger = get_plugin_logger(__name__)
+
+known_things = [
+    lightning.Trainer,
+    lightning.LightningModule,
+    lightning.LightningDataModule,
+    torch.nn.Module,
+]
+"""
+IDEA: IF we see `Trainer`, and we know that that's the `lightning.Trainer`, then we
+create the proper ref.
+
+TODO: Ideally this would contain every object / class that we know of in this project.
+"""
+
+
+class CustomAutoRefPlugin(BasePlugin):
+    """Small mkdocs plugin that converts backticks to refs when possible."""
+
+    def on_page_markdown(
+        self, markdown: str, /, *, page: Page, config: MkDocsConfig, files: Files
+    ) -> str | None:
+        # Find all instances where backticks are used and try to convert them to refs.
+
+        # Examples:
+        # - `package.foo.bar` -> [package.foo.bar][] (only if `package.foo.bar` is importable)
+        # - `baz` -> [baz][]
+
+        def _full_path(thing) -> str:
+            return thing.__module__ + "." + thing.__qualname__
+
+        known_thing_names = [t.__name__ for t in known_things]
+
+        new_markdown = []
+        for line_index, line in enumerate(markdown.splitlines(keepends=True)):
+            # Can't convert `this` to `[this][]` in headers, otherwise they break.
+            if line.lstrip().startswith("#"):
+                new_markdown.append(line)
+                continue
+
+            matches = re.findall(r"`([^`]+)`", line)
+
+            for match in matches:
+                thing_name = match
+                if "." not in thing_name and thing_name in known_thing_names:
+                    thing = known_things[known_thing_names.index(thing_name)]
+                else:
+                    thing = _try_import_thing(thing_name)
+
+                if thing is None:
+                    logger.debug(f"Unable to import {thing_name}, leaving it as-is.")
+                    continue
+
+                new_ref = f"[{thing_name}][{_full_path(thing)}]"
+                logger.info(
+                    f"Replacing `{thing_name}` with {new_ref} in {page.file.abs_src_path}:{line_index}"
+                )
+                line = line.replace(f"`{thing_name}`", new_ref)
+
+            new_markdown.append(line)
+
+        return "".join(new_markdown)
+
+
+@functools.cache
+def _try_import_thing(thing: str):
+    try:
+        return import_object(thing)
+    except Exception:
+        return None
diff --git a/project/utils/autoref_plugin_test.py b/project/utils/autoref_plugin_test.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..614db34d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/project/utils/autoref_plugin_test.py
@@ -0,0 +1,55 @@
+import pytest
+from mkdocs.config.defaults import MkDocsConfig
+from mkdocs.structure.files import File, Files
+from mkdocs.structure.pages import Page
+
+from .autoref_plugin import CustomAutoRefPlugin
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    ("input", "expected"),
+    [
+        (_header := "## Some header with a ref `lightning.Trainer`", _header),
+        (
+            "a backtick ref: `lightning.Trainer`",
+            "a backtick ref: [lightning.Trainer][lightning.pytorch.trainer.trainer.Trainer]",
+        ),
+        ("`torch.Tensor`", "[torch.Tensor][torch.Tensor]"),
+        (
+            "a proper full ref: "
+            + (
+                _lightning_trainer_ref
+                := "[lightning.Trainer][lightning.pytorch.trainer.trainer.Trainer]"
+            ),
+            # Keep the ref as-is.
+            f"a proper full ref: {_lightning_trainer_ref}",
+        ),
+        ("`foo.bar`", "`foo.bar`"),
+        (
+            "`jax.Array`",
+            # not sure if this will make a proper link in mkdocs though.
+            "[jax.Array][jax.Array]",
+        ),
+        ("`Trainer`", "[Trainer][lightning.pytorch.trainer.trainer.Trainer]"),
+        # since `Trainer` is in the `known_things` list, we add the proper ref.
+    ],
+)
+def test_autoref_plugin(input: str, expected: str):
+    config = MkDocsConfig("mkdocs.yaml")
+    plugin = CustomAutoRefPlugin()
+    result = plugin.on_page_markdown(
+        input,
+        page=Page(
+            title="Test",
+            file=File(
+                "test.md",
+                src_dir="bob",
+                dest_dir="bobo",
+                use_directory_urls=False,
+            ),
+            config=config,
+        ),
+        config=config,
+        files=Files([]),
+    )
+    assert result == expected
diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index 5528a3b9..c1631de3 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -35,6 +35,10 @@ dependencies = [
 readme = "README.md"
 requires-python = ">= 3.10"
 
+[project.entry-points."mkdocs.plugins"]
+custom_autoref_plugin = "project.utils.autoref_plugin:CustomAutoRefPlugin"
+
+
 [project.optional-dependencies]
 docs = [
     "mkdocstrings[python]>=0.25.2",