trails/.github/copilot-instructions.md

trails.cool — Copilot Instructions

Project Overview

trails.cool is a federated, self-hostable platform for outdoor enthusiasts with two apps:

• Planner (apps/planner) — Stateless collaborative route editor. Real-time editing via Yjs, routing via BRouter, no user accounts, sessions are anonymous and ephemeral.
• Journal (apps/journal) — Federated social platform for routes and activities. User accounts, ActivityPub federation via Fedify, PostgreSQL + PostGIS.

Full architecture: docs/architecture.md Philosophy: docs/philosophy.md OpenSpec change: openspec/changes/phase-1-mvp/

Principles

• Privacy-first: The Planner collects zero user data. The Journal documents all data collection in a privacy manifest. Never add tracking, analytics, or data collection without updating the manifest.
• Data ownership: All user data must be exportable in open formats (GPX, JSON). Never create data lock-in.
• Simplicity: Start with the simplest thing that works. Don't add abstractions, config options, or features unless real users need them.
• Open standards: Use GPX, ActivityPub, OpenStreetMap, WebFinger. Don't invent proprietary formats.
• Inclusive language: Use "host" not "master", "allowlist" not "whitelist", etc.

Tech Stack

• Language: TypeScript (strict mode)
• Frontend: React + Tailwind CSS + React Router 7 (Remix stack)
• Maps: Leaflet + OpenStreetMap tiles
• CRDT: Yjs + y-websocket (Planner only)
• Federation: Fedify (Journal only, Phase 2)
• Database: PostgreSQL + PostGIS
• Media storage: S3-compatible (Garage)
• Routing engine: BRouter (Java, runs as separate Docker container)
• i18n: react-i18next (English + German)
• Monorepo: pnpm workspaces + Turborepo

Repository Structure

apps/
  planner/          — Planner app (React Router 7)
  journal/          — Journal app (React Router 7 + Fedify)
packages/
  types/            — Shared TypeScript interfaces (Route, Activity, Waypoint)
  ui/               — Shared React components (Tailwind)
  map/              — Leaflet map wrappers and tile layer configs
  gpx/              — GPX parsing, generation, validation
  i18n/             — react-i18next config + translations
infrastructure/     — Terraform + Docker Compose
openspec/           — OpenSpec specs and changes
docs/               — Architecture, philosophy, tooling docs
docker/brouter/     — BRouter Docker image

Development Commands

pnpm install          # Install dependencies
pnpm dev              # Start both apps in dev mode
pnpm build            # Build all packages and apps
pnpm typecheck        # Type-check all packages
pnpm lint             # Lint all packages
pnpm test             # Run unit tests (vitest)
pnpm test:watch       # Run unit tests in watch mode
pnpm test:e2e         # Run E2E tests (playwright, requires dev servers)
pnpm test:e2e:ui      # Run E2E tests with Playwright UI
pnpm dev:full         # Start full stack (Docker + DB + BRouter + apps)
pnpm dev:services     # Start Docker services only (PostgreSQL + BRouter)
pnpm db:push          # Push Drizzle schema to local PostgreSQL
pnpm db:studio        # Open Drizzle Studio (DB browser)

Testing Strategy

• Unit tests (Vitest + jsdom): For packages, components, utilities, and app logic. Place test files next to source: foo.ts → foo.test.ts. Uses @testing-library/react for component tests.
• E2E tests (Playwright): For browser behavior across both apps. Tests live in e2e/ at repo root. Scoped per app via testMatch in playwright.config.ts. Playwright auto-starts dev servers if not already running.

Important: Write tests alongside implementation, not as an afterthought. When implementing a package or utility, add a co-located *.test.ts file. When implementing a user-facing feature, add or update E2E tests. Run pnpm test and pnpm test:e2e before committing.

Code Conventions

• Route registration: Both apps use explicit routes.ts (not file-based routing). When adding a new route file, you must add it to apps/*/app/routes.ts or it won't be compiled into the build.
• All user-facing strings must use i18n (useTranslation() hook, never hardcode strings)
• Use @trails-cool/types for shared interfaces — don't duplicate type definitions
• Map components go in @trails-cool/map, not in individual apps
• GPX parsing/generation goes in @trails-cool/gpx
• Database schemas: planner.* for Planner data, journal.* for Journal data
• Route geometry must be stored as PostGIS LineString (extracted from GPX on save)

Key Architecture Decisions

• Planner is stateless: No user accounts, no persistent user data. Sessions are anonymous.
• Journal is the source of truth: Routes live on the owner's Journal instance.
• Routing host pattern: One client per Planner session talks to BRouter (elected via Yjs awareness).
• JWT callbacks: Planner saves back to Journal via scoped JWT tokens in callback URLs.
• Sequential versioning: Route versions are v1, v2, v3. Yjs state vectors enable conflict-free merging.
• Single domain: Each instance uses one domain for both web UI and ActivityPub handles.
• Simple permissions: View + Edit only. No fine-grained permissions.

Git Workflow

All changes go through pull requests. Do not push directly to main.

Before opening a PR

1. Run pnpm typecheck && pnpm lint && pnpm test && pnpm test:e2e — all must pass
2. Check for open PRs: gh pr list — avoid conflicts with in-flight work
3. Pull latest main: git pull origin main --rebase

Opening a PR

• Create a feature branch: git checkout -b <descriptive-name>
• Keep PRs focused — one logical change per PR
• Use the merge queue to auto-merge when CI passes:

  gh pr create --title "..." --body "..."
  gh pr merge --merge --auto
  

Stacking PRs (for fast local iteration)

When working on sequential tasks, stack branches locally:

main → feature-a → feature-b → feature-c

• Each branch gets its own PR
• Set the base branch correctly: gh pr create --base feature-a
• When feature-a merges, rebase feature-b onto main
• This keeps you unblocked while PRs are in CI

Important: Do not push to a branch after its PR merges via merge queue

Once a PR enters the merge queue it will merge as soon as CI passes. If you push additional commits to the branch after that, those commits are orphaned — they won't be on main. Always check gh pr view <number> --json state before pushing to an existing PR branch.

After merging

• Update main: git checkout main && git pull
• Delete merged branches: git branch -d <branch>
• Check if stacked PRs need rebasing

Emergency override

Admins can bypass the PR workflow when necessary (e.g., CI is broken and needs a hotfix). Document the reason in the commit message.

Deployment

Three separate CD workflows triggered by path:

Workflow	Triggers on	Deploys
cd-apps.yml	apps/, packages/, pnpm-lock.yaml	journal, planner
cd-infra.yml	infrastructure/	caddy, postgres, prometheus, loki, grafana, exporters
cd-brouter.yml	docker/brouter/	brouter

Secrets

All secrets are stored in SOPS-encrypted files (infrastructure/secrets.app.env, infrastructure/secrets.infra.env). Edit with sops infrastructure/secrets.app.env. Only AGE_SECRET_KEY, DEPLOY_SSH_KEY, and DEPLOY_HOST remain as GitHub secrets.

Full restart

To restart all containers (not just the ones a workflow normally touches):

gh workflow run cd-infra.yml -f restart_all=true

Server access

ssh -i ~/.ssh/trails-cool-deploy root@trails.cool

Grafana

https://grafana.internal.trails.cool — GitHub OAuth (trails-cool org)

OpenSpec Workflow

Specs live in openspec/. Use these slash commands:

• /opsx:propose — Create a new change with proposal, design, specs, and tasks
• /opsx:apply — Implement tasks from an existing change
• /opsx:explore — Think through ideas before proposing
• /opsx:archive — Archive a completed change