# Session 0036.0 — Transcript

> App: human-experience-filter-art
> Start: 2026-06-30T06-30 (PST)
> Type: planning-and-executing
> Posture: yolo
> Claude-Session: a7814ad4-473f-4946-b158-a5fad35b4bf1
> Checkout: /Users/benstull/git/benstull.org/benstull/human-experience-filter-art
> Status: finalized

## Launch prompt

"Let's publish this to benstull.art. Ideally this would be hosted on Cloudflare
Pages. Cloudflare Pages does have limits though, so we should check that against
this project." (Started conversationally — no tracked init; finalized as
planning-and-executing/yolo.)

## Pre-state

The simulator was a FastAPI server (`simulator/app.py`) serving a ~92 KB static
frontend + 3.9 GB of media (1080p clip bases + 558 already-720p transition morphs +
audio) via dynamic endpoints. Not yet public anywhere. Operator wanted it live at
benstull.art on Cloudflare Pages. Concurrent sessions (0029/0031/0033/0034/0035)
were active on the SAME checkout.

## Arc

**1. Brainstorm → design → plan (Cloudflare publish).** Established the blocker:
Pages has a 25 MiB/file hard limit; the project has 26 files >25 MiB. Designed a
fully-static target: Pages frontend + R2 media (no per-file limit, free egress) +
read-APIs baked to JSON + client-side pick + `/api/alteration` ported to JS.
Operator chose: both tiers irrelevant→dropped; path `/human-experience-simulator`
with apex redirect; no cross-session cache (initially). Spec + plan written under
`docs/superpowers/`. Operator declared the WHOLE project exempt from flotilla/PPE/§9.

**2. Executed the plan (5 tasks).** Client-side alteration engine (`alteration.js`
+ node/py parity tests); config-driven `mediaBase` + baked-JSON boot + client pick +
`crossOrigin` for the WebGL dream shader; `tools/build_static.py` (dist/ + manifest-
only ~2.3 GB media tree + `_redirects`); Cloudflare deploy artifacts; static-build
E2E. Hit + cleanly extracted a parallel session's in-flight "Run simulation" work
that got swept into a commit (operator chose extraction).

**3. Live deploy.** Installed wrangler; operator did `wrangler login`. Created R2
bucket `human-experience-simulator-media`, CORS (wrangler's `{rules:[...]}` schema,
not S3-style), bound `static.benstull.art` via CLI (zone-id from API), parallel
604-file upload (no `wrangler r2 sync` exists). Created + deployed Pages project;
operator bound `benstull.art`. **Live.**

**4. Debugging (systematic).** "Morphs not showing" = upload still in progress
(transitions sort last) → fixed by parallel upload. "Video + audio not playing" →
drove the LIVE site with Playwright: video fine, **audio 404'd** because
`scaleAudioUrl` hardcoded `/media/audio/` instead of `mediaBase()` — fixed.
"Still no video after hard refresh" → **stale cached JS** (Pages caches .js
max-age=14400, ignores `_headers`) → fixed with content-versioned asset URLs
(`app.js?v=<hash>`) + no-cache `_headers`. Private-window confirmed fresh code worked.

**5. Preload algorithm.** "Next altitude's video doesn't start" = a buggy
hold-last-frame settle gate I'd added (gated playLoop behind a canplay that doesn't
re-fire) → reverted. Operator specified the algorithm: gate on 1 clip/altitude +
connecting morphs (~126 MB, ~10-20s — measured), then grow the pool in the
background; the random pick is restricted to fully-loaded (eligible) clips so
navigation never stalls and new clips are reachable only once fully downloaded.
Built `preload.js` (pure planner + node tests), wired phase-1 gate + eligible picks.

**6. Worktree isolation enforcement.** The shared checkout caused branch-switch
chaos (my commits landed on a switched-to `main`). Operator: "make sure every
session works off a fresh worktree not in the main directory." Built
`.claude/settings.json` (worktree.bgIsolation + baseRef:fresh) + a PreToolUse hook
(`worktree-guard.sh`) that DENIES edits to repo files while in the main checkout +
SessionStart notice → EnterWorktree. Proven live (blocked my own edit); fixed an
over-broad version that blocked external files too. Dogfooded the merge of guard +
preload onto origin/main IN an isolated worktree.

## Cut state

- **Live:** https://benstull.art/human-experience-simulator/ — Pages + R2, preload
  algorithm, audio fixed, cache-versioned. Operator confirmed video+audio work.
- **origin/main (`a4d3d83`+):** has the Cloudflare publish, preload algorithm, and
  worktree-isolation guard, merged cleanly with parallel a11y work.
- Plan archived in-repo (`docs/superpowers/plans/2026-06-30-cloudflare-static-publish.md`),
  on origin/main. **No `content` repo** → plan stays in-repo (app.json gap).
- Local `main` checkout is behind origin/main (parallel session actively deploying).
- Backup branches on origin: `chore/worktree-isolation`, `fix/preload-gate`,
  `design/cloudflare-static-publish` (content all merged to main; safe to delete).

## Pipeline (§9) status

Operator-set Cloudflare exception (no flotilla/PPE). localhost + **E2E green** (33
node tests; 13 altitude-lock + 2 static-build Playwright); no PPE (exempt); **prod =
live** via `make deploy`. Repeatable deploy: `make deploy` / `make deploy-media`
(`deploy/cloudflare/`).

## Operator plate (next session)

- By-eye/ear review of the live site: load time, video, audio, rapid-altitude
  navigation smoothness (eligible-pick growth), the preload behavior under real
  network. The hold/grow path only triggers when media isn't cached — needs eyes.
- Restart any still-running sessions so they pick up the worktree guard + move to
  worktrees. Clean up backup branches if desired.

## Deferred decisions

- Estimated session start time (no tracked init) — used 2026-06-30T06-30.
- Did NOT reconcile local `main` (behind origin/main) — a parallel session is
  actively deploying origin/main; left the shared checkout untouched to avoid
  disrupting it.
- Cross-session Service-Worker disk cache and a 720p base tier were proposed and
  DEFERRED (morphs already 720p; bases dominate load but per-altitude growth covers it).
