Attainly/ai/shared.md

Shared rules

Rules that apply to both backend and frontend work in this repository. Stack-specific guides (backend-context.md, frontend-context.md) extend these rules.

Project state

• Attainly is in early development.
• Attainly helps users break hierarchical goals into scheduled assignments, complete daily work, and track progress toward a target date.
• Schedule recalculation must preserve completed work while redistributing unfinished assignments across the remaining dates.
• Planned features in README.md are future ideas, not authorized scope.
• The Laravel backend exists under backend/.
• The Vue frontend has not been scaffolded yet. Do not create it unless the user explicitly asks for that work.
• PostgreSQL is the development and runtime database.
• PHPUnit uses in-memory SQLite for isolated tests.

Process (TDD)

0. Before editing any file, ensure you are working in a dedicated git worktree, not the main checkout (git status and git worktree list). If on master/main or in the main working directory, create a worktree first (see Branching).
1. Write the test first.
2. Run the test to confirm it fails for the expected reason.
3. Commit the failing test. The test commit must precede the implementation commit, not merely appear earlier in the implementation diff.
4. Implement the smallest change that makes the test pass.
5. Run the test to confirm it passes.
6. Commit the implementation.
7. Repeat for each new behavior.

Use judgment for changes that cannot meaningfully be test-driven, such as documentation-only edits or declarative environment configuration. Validate those changes with the most relevant parser, formatter, dry run, or check.

Running processes

• The main checkout owns the canonical stack on the default ports. Assume it is the user's stack. Do not start, restart, or stop it unless the user asks.

• A worktree owns its own isolated stack. The flake shell hook assigns a deterministic port offset and creates worktree-local PostgreSQL state.

• Start a worktree stack from its root with process-compose up. For non-interactive use, run process-compose up -D and stop it with process-compose down.

• Do not use process-compose -t=false for a detached stack. It can leave an orphaned PostgreSQL process holding the data directory.

• Non-interactive agent shells do not automatically load direnv. A bare process-compose, php artisan, or database command from a worktree can silently use default ports and target the main checkout.

• Prefix worktree stack and database commands with direnv exec <worktree>. Examples:

  direnv exec <worktree> process-compose up -D
  direnv exec <worktree> process-compose down
  direnv exec <worktree> php artisan migrate:fresh --seed
  

• Run backend commands from backend/, or explicitly change into it in the command.

• When a normally valid check fails because a required service is down, surface the environmental failure. Do not skip the check or silently switch to a different database or service.

• PHPUnit is self-contained and uses in-memory SQLite. It does not require the PostgreSQL stack unless a future test is explicitly designed as a real PostgreSQL integration test.

Code style

• Keep lines at or below 80 columns where practical. Do not split short, readable lines unnecessarily.

• Use explicit, descriptive variable names. Do not use single-letter or unexplained abbreviated names.

• Explore the codebase and inspect similar files before implementing a new pattern.

• Never use em dashes in code, comments, or docblocks. Use hyphens.

• Always use braced control-statement bodies, including early returns:

  if (identifier === null) {
    return null
  }
  

Git commit style

• Use present-tense, imperative subjects: add, create, wire, fix, test.
• Keep subjects lowercase and short, normally three to six words.
• Match patterns in the existing git history.
• Do not add AI or tool coauthor trailers.
• Add a body when the subject cannot explain non-obvious motivation or multi-file coordination.
• Wrap bodies at approximately 72 columns and separate them from the subject with a blank line.

Git commits

• Commit tests before implementation.
• Keep one logical change per commit. A logical change may span multiple files.
• Commit each meaningful step rather than batching unrelated work.
• Do not include drive-by formatter or linter changes. Restore them or land them as a separate formatting commit.
• If a check fails on untouched code, do not bundle an unrelated fix. Report the pre-existing failure or handle it as its own explicitly scoped change.

Branching

• Never implement features directly in the main checkout or on master/main.

• Use a dedicated worktree under <repo-root>/.worktrees/<branch>.

• Create it with:

  git worktree add \
    "$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel)/.worktrees/<branch>" \
    -b <branch>
  

• Use descriptive kebab-case branch names, optionally prefixed with a type such as feature/ or fix/.

• Keep worktree names short, preferably no more than about 20 characters. PostgreSQL Unix socket paths are limited in length.

• Provision a fresh worktree through direnv:

  direnv allow <worktree>
  direnv exec <worktree> true
  

• Never symlink backend/vendor or a future frontend's node_modules from another checkout. Dependency paths and generated autoloaders must remain worktree-local.

Do not push anything. Make commits as the TDD workflow requires.

Before completing a change

Run the smallest relevant checks while iterating, then run every repository gate affected by the change.

Backend

• Run tests from backend/ with php artisan test.

• Run the Composer checks defined by backend/composer.json when their dependencies are available:

  composer lint:check
  composer types:check
  composer test
  

• Do not claim a green gate when a command fails. If the failure predates the change, report the precise baseline failure.

Frontend

• The frontend does not exist yet. Once scaffolded, use the scripts defined in its package.json for formatting, linting, type checking, unit tests, and end-to-end tests.
• Update ai/frontend-context.md when the actual scaffold, package manager, and commands are known.

Environment and integration

• For Nix or shell-hook changes, run nix fmt and nix flake check.
• For service configuration changes, run process-compose --dry-run.
• When a change affects runtime wiring, start the worktree's stack and verify the relevant endpoint or service against that worktree.
• If you started the stack only for validation, stop it before finishing.