--- type: observation id: observation.kontra-day.access-repository-structure-and-configuration-patterns title: access repository structure and configuration patterns status: active source_of_truth: false freshness: current last_reviewed: 2026-09-08 tags: - pack/kontra-day - agent-memory/observation - autolearn - rich-discovery - repo/access --- # access repository structure and configuration patterns ## Structural/configuration observations (2026-09-08 02:23:28) Great questions — let me answer each properly, because they cut right to the architecture. ## 1. GOTTH + `.md` files — yes, this is a strong fit Go + templ + htmx + Alpine + Tailwind, with Goldmark (Go's CommonMark renderer) turning your `.md` into HTML at request time, is one of the best "text-first news site" stacks you can pick right now: - **One static binary** — build once, copy to `.13`, done. No Node, no PHP runtime, no container even needed. - **Server-rendered HTML** — SEO-friendly by default (great Lighthouse), fast. - **templ** gives type-safe components; **htmx** gives interactivity (paging, filters, comment forms later) without a JS framework; **Alpine** for small client bits. - **Content = files** — your Obsidian/editor workflow stays; go can even re-render on file change in dev. - Cost: the **admin is DIY** — auth, CRUD, media browser are all code you write. And per-request markdown parsing is fine at this scale (cache rendered HTML if you care). ## 2. Laravel as the "orchestrator" — honest answer: it's the wrong tool *for that role* Laravel is excellent at **being a web app** (Blade+htmx admin, auth, queues, and — importantly — a genuinely great **mail system** for that email phase later). But you're proposing it as a **publish-state manager** perched over Go: - You'd run **two servers** (Go on :80, Laravel admin on :8080) both touching the same `.md` files and a shared DB. Every publish toggle, front-page order, archive move = a DB write Laravel makes and Go reads. - That works, but it's **redundant** — Go can own a small SQLite `publish` table itself, with an htmx admin page inside the same binary. One language, one process, zero sync. So the real fork is: | Path | Architecture | When to pick | |---|---|---| | **A. All Go** | Go serves site + a minimal htmx admin page managing publish/front-page/archive in SQLite. `.md` = content truth. | You want the leanest thing. Email later = Go mail libs, or hand off to n8n/Postfix on your network. | | **B. Laravel owns it all** | Blade + htmx admin, Laravel serves pages, S3 media via its filesystem driver, Mailables for email later. Drop Go. | You want Laravel's admin/mail/ecosystem and don't mind PHP runtime. | | **C. Go site + headless admin** | Go serves; **PocketBase (already on .13)** is the admin/publish/media store. | You want a browser admin *without* writing one. | | **D. Go + Laravel, loosely coupled** | Go serves; Laravel admin only writes publish-state to a **shared SQLite file** + edits `.md` on disk. | You specifically want Laravel's admin UX and Go's front. Viable, but it's path A with extra running parts. | "Is Laravel good for this?" — good at admin, great at email, overkill as a proxy. **"Other PHP?"** — Symfony (bulkier), Slim (micro), WordPress (off-the-shelf but you'd be fighting it). If PHP is the choice, Laravel+Filament is the right one. ## 3. Garage S3 media + `.md` coordination under Laravel - **Showing media in admin**: Laravel has a first-class **S3 filesystem driver** — configure a `garage` disk (endpoint, keys, bucket) and the admin lists objects and renders thumbnails. Public reads via a **Caddy/nginx route** (`/media/*` → bucket) rather than exposing Garage's own port; private buckets can use presigned URLs. - **Coordination with `.md`**: the cleanest pattern is **shortcodes, not raw URLs**. In your file you write `{{media:cover}}` or `{{vimeo:12345}}`; the renderer (Go or Laravel) resolves the slug to the actual S3 URL at render time. That way you can **rename/migrate media later without touching every article** — plain URLs pasted into `.md` freeze the path forever. Upload flow: admin uploads to bucket → returns URL → editor pastes it in the `.md`. Simple and inspectable. ## 4. Is markdown good? And what's the "scientific" one? - **Yes — Markdown (GFM/CommonMark) + front-matter is ideal** for text news/opinion with links, images, embeds. - Variants, in case the name escapes you: **MDX** (JSX components inside markdown), **AsciiDoc** (more structure — tables, includes; great for docs, overkill here), **Org-mode**, reStructuredText. - **The new scientific one is almost certainly Typst** (2023) — a modern typesetting language with gorgeous math, designed for **documents/PDF**. You *can* render it to SVG for web, but for a news site it's the wrong tool. - **If you meant LSP** (Language Server Protocol) — that's an *editor autocomplete standard*, not a format; ignore it here. - For the odd formula: keep markdown and add **KaTeX/MathML** via `$...$` in Goldmark's math extension. You get scientific notation with zero new language. ## 5. My recommendation **Path A — all Go** (templ + htmx + Alpine + Tailwind), `.md` files as content, SQLite publish-state with a small htmx admin for live/front-page/archive, `{{media:...}}` shortcodes resolved to Garage S3. Deploy = one binary behind Caddy on `.13`. Email phase later = Go mail lib or n8n handoff — revisit then, when requirements are real. Want me to draft **PLAN.md** on Path A — or would you rather spec out Path B (Laravel-everything) or Path C (Go + PocketBase) instead? ## Source paths observed - `home/sam/home_network/web_sites/kontra_day/.pi` - `home/sam/home_network/web_sites/kontra_day/.pi/memory-vault` - `home/sam/home_network/web_sites/kontra_day/.pi/memory-vault/packs` - `home/sam/home_network/web_sites/kontra_day/.pi/memory-vault/packs/kontra-day` - `home/sam/home_network/web_sites/kontra_day/.pi/memory-vault/packs/kontra-day/00-system` - `home/sam/home_network/web_sites/kontra_day/.pi/memory-vault/packs/kontra-day/00-system/pi-agent` - `home/sam/home_network/web_sites/kontra_day/.pi/tasks` - `home/sam/.agents` - `extensions/pi-config/index.ts` - `extensions/ask-user-question/index.ts` - `sys/firmware/efi/efivars` - `publish/front-page/archive` - `admin/mail/ecosystem` - `admin/publish/media` - `live/front-page/archive` ## Evidence - Confidence: 82% - Reason: Captured factual repo structure/configuration patterns from rich discovery ## Related - [[packs/kontra-day/00-system/pi-agent/memory-manifest|Memory Manifest]] ## Related learned memories - session: [[packs/kontra-day/80-sessions/rich-discovery-access-2026-09-08-02-23-28|Rich discovery: access 2026-09-08 02:23:28]] - context: [[packs/kontra-day/20-context/access|access]] - runbook: [[packs/kontra-day/70-runbooks/access-deployment-operations|access deployment operations]] - observation: [[packs/kontra-day/60-observations/access-repository-structure-and-configuration-patterns|access repository structure and configuration patterns]] --- ## Update (2026-09-08 03:36:06) ## Structural/configuration observations (2026-09-08 03:36:06) Great — this is the model clicking into place. Short version: **the folder on disk is the website. Everything else is just an editor on top of it.** Here's each question answered. ## The mental model ``` content/ (single git repo, remote = Gitea on your network) │ ┌───────┼───────────┬────────────────┐ │ │ │ │ Neovim Obsidian Decap (web) Go binary (files) (vault) (admin.domain) (renders on request) │ │ │ │ └───────┴───────────┴────────────────┘ all write the SAME .md files ``` - **Neovim**: edit a file → save → Go already sees it. The site *always* reflects the working tree — so nothing ever goes stale. - **Obsidian**: the same folder opens as a vault (it's plain markdown ✓), with Gitea as its git remote, exactly as you use it today. - **Decap**: a browser UI over the *same files* — click collection → articles, edit fields as forms, markdown body editor; on save it commits to git. No duplication, no import/export. - **Go binary**: renders markdown → HTML **per request**. It never "re-outputs" a static build, because there's no build step to run. (Optional in-memory cache later if you want it snappier.) Optional niceties: `published: false` front-matter → hidden from public, visible as preview on `admin.kontra.day`; `publish_at: 2026-…` → scheduled go-live. ## "Editing in Neovim — will Decap/Obsidian sync?" Almost. Everything reads the working tree, so Neovim saves are instantly live either way. The one wrinkle: **Decap shows committed state**, so an uncommitted Neovim edit may not show in the Decap UI until someone commits. Fix = a tiny **file-watcher** (inotify/systemd Path unit) on `content/` that autocommits to git on any change from any editor. Then: *any* editor → autocommit → Gitea push → Decap in sync → Go serves. That one script is the "sync" you're imagining, and it's ~10 lines. ## "How are templates created for the GOTH stack? Can we design them?" Yes — this is exactly **Phase Two** of your AGENT.md, and it's data + code: | Template | What it's made of | |---|---| | `home` (front page composition) | templ component + editable blocks list | | `article` / `opinion` / `photo-essay` / `video` | templ component, chosen per page in front-matter | | `subject-index` (each subject area) | templ component + subject setting | | `archive`, `about`, 404 | templ components | | Look & feel | Tailwind + CSS design-token variables (`--accent` etc.) | Flow: we list the template set → I design 2–3 looks (demos/images) → you approve → they get built as `.templ` components in the binary, themed with tokens so colours/subject accents are admin-editable data, not code. --- The architecture is now concrete enough to write down. Per your AGENT.md Phase One, next step is **PLAN.md + Vikunja/Outline entries** documenting this decision set. Want me to draft PLAN.md and register the phase tasks now — or do you want to change anything in this model first? ## Source paths observed - `www.wisp.blog/compare/winter/keystatic` - `github.com/wintercms/winter` - `plugins/winter/demo` - `www.luckymedia.dev/insights/decap-cms` - `users/roles/auth` - `slug/meta/sitemap/RSS` ## Evidence - Confidence: 82% - Reason: Captured factual repo structure/configuration patterns from rich discovery ## Related learned memories - session: [[packs/kontra-day/80-sessions/rich-discovery-files-2026-09-08-03-36-06|Rich discovery: files 2026-09-08 03:36:06]] - context: [[packs/kontra-day/20-context/files|files]] - runbook: [[packs/kontra-day/70-runbooks/access-deployment-operations|files deployment operations]] - observation: [[packs/kontra-day/60-observations/access-repository-structure-and-configuration-patterns|files repository structure and configuration patterns]] --- ## Update (2026-09-08 03:44:05) ## Structural/configuration observations (2026-09-08 03:44:05) Confirmed the full topology. Here's the storage/sync reality and the plan for it. ## The actual topology (verified) | Machine | Role | Relevant bits | |---|---|---| | **.27** (this) | Main dev, Obsidian + Neovim live here | Obsidian vault at `/home/sam/obsidian/` | | **.13** | **Web host, always-on** | Sites in `/var/www/`, runs PocketBase, Caddy sits *upstream* | | **.35** | Gitea (Docker, web :3001, SSH :2222) + Caddy reverse proxy | `gitea.lab.audasmedia.com.au` | | Garage S3 | media bucket — need to confirm which host | (Phase One item) | ## Where things should live — the key decision The mistake to avoid: **coupling the live site to .27** (your dev machine). So: - **Gitea repo on .35 = the single source of truth** for content (`.md` + config + media references). This is the "origin". - **.27** = authoring clients (Obsidian vault + Neovim) — it's a *clone* of that repo, pushes to .35. - **.13** = the always-on production clone at `/var/www/kontra_day/`, which the Go binary serves. - **Caddy on .35** routes `kontra.day` → Go on .13, `admin.kontra.day` → Decap on .13. - **Garage S3** = media objects, referenced from `.md` via `{{media:...}}` shortcodes. ## How sync actually works (this is the part that matters) ``` Editor on .27 Gitea on .35 Production on .13 Neovim / Obsidian ──push──▶ origin ──webhook/poll──▶ git pull (clone) ▲ │ │ ▼ Decap (admin.kontra.day) ──commit──┘ Go binary renders .md → HTML ``` - **Any change from any editor** (Neovim save, Obsidian sync, Decap save) lands on Gitea, then auto-deploys to .13 via **webhook + systemd Path watcher** that runs `git pull`. - **.13 never needs your .27** — it pulls straight from Gitea. Your dev machine can be off and the site stays live. ✅ this addresses exactly your concern. - **No build step**: Go re-renders `.md` → HTML per request (with an optional cache), so a pull = instant content update. - This is a strict upgrade over the current **manual lsyncd .27→.13** pattern — you'd retire that for this site (same wiring though: systemd on .13). ## Things that *must* be decided/verified in Phase One 1. **Which host runs Garage S3** (needs confirming — it's not in the skill list yet). 2. **Where the Go binary + Decap run on .13** — as a systemd service (`users` group, `/var/www/kontra_day` per the existing perms note) or Docker. 3. **Caddy config** — which Caddy instance (skill says Caddy is on .35) owns the `kontra.day`/`admin.kontra.day` vhosts, and how it upstreams to .13. 4. **Obsidian vault wiring** — make `/home/sam/obsidian/.../kontra_day` a git clone of the Gitea repo (Obsidian already git-links to Gitea, so this is a natural fit). 5. **Deploy trigger** — Gitea webhook → .13 vs. a simple systemd timer `git pull` every 30s (fewer moving parts, good enough). ## Recommendation **Gitea (.35) as origin → .13 always-on clone as live → .27 clients as editors.** That keeps production decoupled from your dev box, gives you history/rollback on every `.md`, and matches the Gitea/Obsidian habits you already have. Want me to fold this into **PLAN.md** now (with the open questions marked), and register the Phase One tasks in Vikunja/Outline? ## Source paths observed - `2222/sam/pi-config.git` - `.pi/agent/settings.json` - `home/sam/.agents` - `gitea.lab.audasmedia.com.au/sam/pi-config` - `sys/firmware/efi/efivars` - `.config/lsyncd/lsyncd.conf.lua` - `zola/sprinkler/public` - `.config/environment.d/10-secrets.conf` - `.27/.13/.51` - `Gitea/Obsidian/Caddy` - `home/sam/obsidian` - `var/www/kontra_day` - `home/sam/obsidian/.../kontra_day` ## Evidence - Confidence: 82% - Reason: Captured factual repo structure/configuration patterns from rich discovery ## Related learned memories - session: [[packs/kontra-day/80-sessions/rich-discovery-individually-2026-09-08-03-44-05|Rich discovery: individually 2026-09-08 03:44:05]] - context: [[packs/kontra-day/20-context/individually|individually]] - runbook: [[packs/kontra-day/70-runbooks/individually-deployment-operations|individually deployment operations]] - observation: [[packs/kontra-day/60-observations/access-repository-structure-and-configuration-patterns|individually repository structure and configuration patterns]] --- ## Update (2026-09-08 05:34:12) ## Structural/configuration observations (2026-09-08 05:34:12) Skill active — and let me answer your Stitch workflow question with verified facts, because it determines how we run Phase Two. ## What Google Stitch can actually export (as of the latest updates) | Export | Works? | Note | |---|---|---| | **Copy code / download** (HTML/CSS/**Tailwind**) | ✅ Yes | Its core output. Real components, not images — and Tailwind is exactly our stack. | | **To Figma** | ⚠️ Flaky | Direct Stitch→Figma has been unreliable/long-queued (known bug threads); an MCP route exists. Not dependable. | | **To Google AI Studio** | ✅ Yes (Stitch 2.0+) | Can push designs into AI Studio projects. | | **Project brief / DESIGN.md** | ❌ No direct feature | Doesn't produce one — **but this is what I do for you**: I write the DESIGN.md (tokens + brief) from your Stitch panels, and that's what `design-build` consumes later. | ## What I'd actually recommend for Kontra Day Stitch's real value here is **visual exploration + a Tailwind reference**. The practical pipeline: 1. **You keep designing panels in Stitch** → screenshot what you like. 2. **I turn the approved panels into a `DESIGN.md`** — exact palette, typography, spacing, radius + a written identity brief (the "project brief" you mentioned, as the file format this workflow already uses). 3. **I generate alternative directions** via this skill's `image-maker` so you can compare. 4. **Build** uses the tokens + Stitch's Tailwind export as reference → real templ components. (Stitch's HTML won't drop straight into templ, but it's a strong visual contract.) So: **yes — copy the Tailwind code and/or push to AI Studio, but treat both as reference; the lasting artifact is DESIGN.md.** Figma isn't worth the friction for a solo project unless you like working there. ## Fonts & readability (your instinct is right to think about this) For a news-opinion site, the classic readable pairing: - **Headlines**: a strong serif or display face (e.g. Newsreader, Source Serif, Playfair) at large weight - **Body**: a humanist sans or print-style serif at 17–18px, ~65–75 chars/line, 1.5–1.65 line height — this is the actual readability driver, more than the font choice itself - Self-host the fonts (no Google CDN at runtime — performance + privacy), using variable fonts where possible - Typography choices go into DESIGN.md as tokens, so colours/fonts stay data-driven per our plan So how do you want to start? [tool:ask_user_question] ## Source paths observed - `getdesign.md/apple/design-md` - `github.com/VoltAgent/awesome-design-md` - `justinmckelvey.com/blog/google-stitch-vs-figma` - `HTML/CSS/Tailwind` ## Evidence - Confidence: 82% - Reason: Captured factual repo structure/configuration patterns from rich discovery ## Related learned memories - session: [[packs/kontra-day/80-sessions/rich-discovery-getdesign-md-2026-09-08-05-34-12|Rich discovery: getdesign.md 2026-09-08 05:34:12]] - context: [[packs/kontra-day/20-context/getdesign-md|getdesign.md]] - runbook: [[packs/kontra-day/70-runbooks/getdesign-md-deployment-operations|getdesign.md deployment operations]] - observation: [[packs/kontra-day/60-observations/access-repository-structure-and-configuration-patterns|getdesign.md repository structure and configuration patterns]]