# Aether SvelteKit — AI Agent Bootstrap / Quickstart
> **Read this first.** This doc is the fast path to being productive on this project.
> It covers the rules, patterns, and gotchas that matter most.
> Deep dives are in the linked docs at the bottom.

---

## 1. What This Project Is

**Aether** is an event management platform built by One Sky IT (Scott Idem).
This repo is the frontend: **Svelte 5 (runes mode) + SvelteKit v2**.

The backend is a separate repo (`aether_api_fastapi`) — a FastAPI + MariaDB app
running in Docker. The frontend talks to it exclusively via the V3 REST API.

**Key clients:**
- **Conference organizers** — Presentation Management (pres_mgmt), Launcher, Badges
- **Exhibitors** — Leads capture
- **IDAA** — International Doctors in Alcoholics Anonymous (private medical/recovery community)

**Stack at a glance:**

| Layer | Technology |
|---|---|
| Framework | Svelte 5 (runes mode) + SvelteKit v2 |
| Styling | Tailwind CSS v4 + Flowbite (Skeleton UI being phased out) |
| State | `$state`/`$derived` runes + Dexie.js IndexedDB (`liveQuery`) |
| Icons | Lucide (`@lucide/svelte`) |
| Editors | CodeMirror 6 (primary), Edra/TipTap (secondary) |
| Native | Electron app for onsite launcher (`src/lib/electron/electron_relay.ts`) |
| Backend | FastAPI + MariaDB, V3 API (`/v3/crud/`, `/v3/lookup/`) |
| Auth | Custom headers: `x-aether-api-key` + `x-account-id` (no Bearer tokens) |

---

## 2. Critical Rules — Read Before Touching Any Code

### Privacy (Sev-1 class failures if violated)
- **IDAA content is ALWAYS private.** All routes under `/idaa/` require authentication.
  A previous AI agent accidentally made IDAA bulletin board data publicly accessible.
  This is the single most serious class of mistake on this project. When in doubt — it's private.
- **Journals** are private personal data. Always authenticated.

### File Safety
- **Never use `rm`** to delete files. Move to `~/tmp/agents_trash` instead.
- Never commit `.env` files, API keys, or passwords.

### Before Every Commit
- Run `npx svelte-check` — zero errors, zero warnings. No exceptions.
- Atomic commits: one component or one fix per commit.

### Before Starting Any Task
- Read `documentation/TODO__Agents.md` — it has active tasks, known bugs, and context
  about what was recently changed and why.

### V3 API — Never Include the Object ID in PATCH Body Fields
The ID is in the URL. Including it in `data_kv` causes a `400: Unknown column in SET`.
```ts
// WRONG — causes 400 error:
update_ae_obj__event_file({ event_file_id, data_kv: { event_file_id, file_purpose: 'final' } })

// CORRECT:
update_ae_obj__event_file({ event_file_id, data_kv: { file_purpose: 'final' } })
```

---

## 3. Environment & Deploy Cheat Sheet

There are **two separate `.env` systems** — do not confuse them:

| System | File | Controls |
|---|---|---|
| `aether_container_env/.env` | Docker orchestration | Ports, `AE_CFG_ID`, replicas, paths |
| `aether_app_sveltekit/.env.*` | Vite/SvelteKit build | `PUBLIC_*` API vars baked into the JS bundle |

**The 4 commands you run and which env file each uses:**

| Command | Env file read |
|---|---|
| `npm run dev` | `aether_app_sveltekit/.env.local` (Vite dev server, localhost:5173) |
| `npm run build:docker:dev` | `aether_app_sveltekit/.env.dev` (baked into local Docker image) |
| `npm run deploy:remote:test` | `/srv/apps/test_aether_app_sveltekit/.env.test` on Linode |
| `npm run deploy:remote:prod` | `/srv/apps/prod_aether_app_sveltekit/.env.prod` on Linode |

**The `.env.*` files are gitignored** (only `.default` templates are tracked). They must be
placed manually on each server during initial setup. On the workstation you only need
`.env.local` and `.env.dev`. The Linode servers each have exactly one env file for their environment.

**What goes in every SvelteKit env file** (same 8 vars, different values per env):
```env
PUBLIC_AE_API_PROTOCOL=https
PUBLIC_AE_API_SERVER=<api server hostname>
PUBLIC_AE_API_BAK_SERVER=<bak api hostname>
PUBLIC_AE_API_PORT=443
PUBLIC_AE_API_PATH=
PUBLIC_AE_API_SECRET_KEY=<key>
PUBLIC_AE_CRUD_SUPER_KEY=<key>
PUBLIC_AE_BOOTSTRAP_KEY=<key>
PUBLIC_AE_NO_ACCOUNT_ID=No_Account_ID_Here
```

---

## 4. Svelte 5 Runes Mode — Key Patterns & Gotchas

This codebase is **fully Svelte 5 runes mode**. No Svelte 4 syntax.

### The basics
```svelte
<script lang="ts">
// Props — with optional two-way binding
interface Props { count?: number; label: string; }
let { count = $bindable(0), label }: Props = $props();

// Reactive state
let value = $state('');
let upper = $derived(value.toUpperCase());

// Side effects (replaces onMount + $: reactive)
$effect(() => {
    console.log('value changed:', value);
    return () => { /* cleanup */ };
});
</script>
```

### What NOT to use (Svelte 4 patterns — do not introduce)
```ts
// ❌ No writable() stores for component state
import { writable } from 'svelte/store';

// ❌ No reactive declarations
$: doubled = count * 2;

// ❌ No onDestroy for cleanup — use $effect return instead
onDestroy(() => cleanup());
```

### `$bindable()` vs `$state()`
- Use `$bindable()` when the parent needs two-way binding on a prop.
- Use `$state()` for local component state with no external binding.

### Store reactivity trap (important for `$effect`)
The app uses `svelte-persisted-store` (Svelte 4 contract) for `$ae_loc`, `$ae_api`,
`$ae_sess`, etc. In Svelte 5 `$effect`, reading **any field** of a Svelte 4 store
subscribes to the **entire store**. This means unrelated writes to `$ae_loc`
(e.g. iframe height, SWR reload) will re-trigger your effect. Be conservative about
what you read from these stores inside `$effect` blocks. See `PROJECT__Stores_Svelte5_Migration.md`
for the long-term fix plan.

### `{#await}` blocks
```svelte
{#await somePromise}
    <LoadingSpinner />
{:then result}
    <div>{result}</div>
{:catch error}
    <ErrorMessage {error} />
{/await}
```

---

## 5. V3 API Patterns

### SWR (Stale-While-Revalidate) — the standard load pattern
Return cached Dexie data immediately, refresh from API in background.
```ts
async function load_ae_obj_id__my_obj({ api_cfg, obj_id }) {
    // 1. Return stale cache immediately (fast)
    const cached = await db.my_obj.get(obj_id);
    if (cached) my_obj_state = cached;

    // 2. Fetch fresh from API in background
    _refresh_my_obj_background({ api_cfg, obj_id });
}
```

### ID convention — never use `_id_random` fields
The V3 API uses random string IDs (e.g. `event_file_id = "aBc123"`). The `*_id_random`
fields are legacy aliases. Always use the short form:
```ts
// ✅ Correct
event_file_obj.event_file_id

// ❌ Wrong — legacy alias, don't use
event_file_obj.event_file_id_random
```

### PATCH — only field values in the body
```ts
// The obj_id goes in the URL (handled by update_ae_obj__* function).
// Only the fields you want to update go in data_kv.
await events_func.update_ae_obj__event_file({
    api_cfg: $ae_api,
    event_file_id: 'aBc123',       // → becomes the URL path param
    data_kv: { file_purpose: 'final' }  // → only changed fields
});
```

### Auth headers (set automatically by `api.ts`)
```
x-aether-api-key: <PUBLIC_AE_API_SECRET_KEY>
x-account-id: <account_id>
```

---

## 6. Naming Conventions

| Pattern | Example | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| `ae_comp__*` | `ae_comp__event_badge.svelte` | Route-level components |
| `ae_<module>_comp__*` | `ae_events_comp__session_list.svelte` | Module-scoped components |
| `element_*` | `element_input_files_tbl.svelte` | Reusable library primitives |
| `lq__*` | `lq__journal_obj` | Read-only liveQuery |
| `lqw__*` | `lqw__journal_obj` | Writable form snapshot liveQuery |
| `ae_<module>__<obj>.ts` | `ae_journals__journal.ts` | Object type + functions |
| `db_<module>.ts` | `db_journals.ts` | Dexie instance per module |

The **canonical pattern reference** is the Journals module (`src/lib/ae_journals/`).
When building anything new, model it after Journals.

---

## 7. Mistakes Agents Have Made on This Project

These are real incidents — know them before you start.

1. **IDAA BB exposed publicly** — an agent removed an auth guard from the bulletin board
   route. All IDAA content must be behind authentication. Always check route guards when
   touching `/idaa/` routes.

2. **`event_file_id` in PATCH body (400 error)** — including the object ID in `data_kv`
   when calling `update_ae_obj__*`. The V3 API tries to `SET event_file_id = ...` which
   fails because it's a view alias, not a DB column. See Section 2 above.

3. **Bad `.d.ts` declaration silently hid 1368 errors** — a `declare module` in `app.d.ts`
   (a script-context file) replaced the entire `@lucide/svelte` type exports instead of
   merging. `svelte-check` showed 0 errors, masking real problems. If `svelte-check`
   suddenly drops to 0 errors, verify it's not because a bad declaration wiped a module.

4. **Coarse store reactivity loop** — an `$effect` that read `$ae_loc.some_field` was
   re-triggering repeatedly because unrelated writes to `$ae_loc` (e.g. SWR config reload)
   fired the effect. In Svelte 5, any read of a Svelte 4 store inside `$effect` subscribes
   to the whole store. Scope what you read carefully.

5. **`file_purpose == 'admin'` not hidden in Launcher** — the `hide_draft` prop hid
   `outline` and `draft` files but not `admin` files. Gaps like this happen when a new
   enum value is added to a field without auditing all the places that filter on it.

6. **Deleting files with `rm`** — always move to `~/tmp/agents_trash`. A deleted file may
   contain context that's not recoverable from git if it was gitignored.

---

## 8. Source Layout (Quick Reference)

```
src/lib/
  ae_api/         — API helpers (V3 preferred)
  ae_core/        — Account, User, Person, Site, hosted files
  ae_events/      — Events, sessions, presenters, badges, locations, files
  ae_journals/    — Journals (canonical/frontier model — copy patterns from here)
  ae_idaa/        — IDAA custom module (PRIVATE — always authenticated)
  elements/       — Reusable UI: V3 field editor, data store, CodeMirror, QR scanner
  electron/       — Native Electron bridge (electron_relay.ts)
  stores/         — ae_stores.ts, ae_events_stores.ts, ae_idaa_stores.ts

src/routes/
  /core/          — Admin (accounts, people, sites, users)
  /events/[id]/
    /(pres_mgmt)/ — Presentation management
    /(launcher)/  — Event launcher (kiosk display)
    /(badges)/    — Badge printing
    /(leads)/     — Exhibitor leads
  /journals/      — Journals
  /idaa/          — IDAA module (PRIVATE)
  /hosted_files/  — File management
```

---

## 9. Reading Order for Deeper Dives

Start here, then go deeper as needed:

| What you need | Read |
|---|---|
| Active tasks + known bugs | `documentation/TODO__Agents.md` ← always first |
| Dev workflow + commit rules | `documentation/GUIDE__Development.md` |
| V3 API reference | `documentation/GUIDE__AE_API_V3_for_Frontend.md` |
| Dexie / liveQuery patterns | `documentation/GUIDE__SvelteKit2_Svelte5_DexieJS.md` |
| Svelte 5 patterns + pitfalls | `documentation/GEMINI__Svelte_and_Me.md` |
| Permissions + auth levels | `documentation/AE__Permissions_and_Security.md` |
| Electron / native launcher | `documentation/PROJECT__AE_Events_Launcher_Native_integration.md` |
| Store migration plan | `documentation/PROJECT__Stores_Svelte5_Migration.md` |
| Exhibitor Leads module | `documentation/MODULE__AE_Events_Exhibitor_Leads.md` |
| Naming conventions | `documentation/AE__Naming_Conventions.md` |