# Minstrel — Claude working instructions

## Porting discipline (HARD RULE — overrides default behavior)

The Android native client (`android/`) is a **port of the Flutter client**
(`flutter_client/`). The Flutter client is the source of truth for behavior,
layout, copy, and data flow. When building or fixing any Android feature that
exists in Flutter:

1. **Read the Flutter source FIRST.** Open the actual `flutter_client/lib/...`
   file(s) for the feature before writing any Kotlin. Do not work from memory,
   from a summary, or from an assumption about "the shape." If you have not
   opened the Flutter file in this session, you have not earned the right to
   write the Android version.

2. **Replicate the user-visible behavior exactly; implement it idiomatically.**
   Match what the user sees and feels: layout structure, section order, empty/
   loading/error states, copy strings, edge cases, and — critically — the
   **responsiveness** (the app caches to make the UI feel instant; preserve
   that). But you do NOT have to copy Flutter's *implementation*. Flutter uses
   drift `watch()` + Riverpod `invalidate`; the well-supported Android idioms
   are Room + Flow, Compose state, WorkManager, Media3. **Prefer the native
   mechanism that delivers the same or better UX** over a literal transliteration
   of the Dart. Exact on behavior + feel; idiomatic on structure. If a more
   native approach genuinely improves the experience, do that (and note it in
   the parity map as an intentional, better-supported divergence).

3. **Never silently substitute a different design.** If the faithful port seems
   hard, blocked, or impossible, STOP and verify by reading more of the Flutter
   source + the Android data layer. The blocker is usually wrong — the data or
   API you think is missing is often already there (e.g. `audio_cache_index`
   already carried `lastPlayedAt`; the offline pool was never actually blocked).
   If after reading it is genuinely blocked, **raise it as a question** rather
   than shipping a scoped-down or alternative design.

4. **Quote the Flutter file when you start a feature.** Lead the work with
   "Here's `flutter_client/lib/<path>` — here's what it does — here's the
   Android port," so divergence is caught before code is written, not after.

5. **Keep the parity map current.** `docs/superpowers/parity-map.md` maps every
   feature → Flutter source path → Android target → status. Re-read the relevant
   row before porting; update it after. This is the durable reference — rely on
   it, not on session memory, because context gets compacted on long sessions.

## Repo conventions (already in force)

- **No GitHub — Forgejo only.** PR/issue ops via the forgejo MCP; CI runs under
  `.forgejo/workflows/`. Never use `gh` or github.com URLs.
- **Git flow:** work on `dev` → PR to protected `main` → tag release. Never push
  to `main`.
- **No in-task tests/builds.** Do not run flutter/gradle/npm `test`/`build`/
  `analyze` during implementation — CI verifies. Codegen scripts only.
- **CI is operator-side.** After `git push origin dev`, the operator reports the
  result; don't poll Forgejo.
- **Specs/plans/audits/parity-map live local.** `docs/superpowers/` is
  `.gitignored` — save there for operator review; never commit those.
- **detekt gates CI.** Watch the recurring ones: 60-line `LongMethod`,
  11-function-per-file `TooManyFunctions` (use `@file:Suppress` with a one-line
  rationale for Compose-helper density), `ReturnCount` ≤ 2, `MagicNumber`,
  `MatchingDeclarationName`. Keep lines ≤ 100 chars.

## Android port shape (quick reference)

- Screens: `*Screen.kt` with the `@HiltViewModel` inline at the top of the file.
- Repositories: `*/data/*Repository.kt`. Wire models: `models/wire/*Wire.kt`.
  Domain models: `models/*.kt`.
- App-lifetime singletons start via the "construct-the-singleton trick" — an
  `@Inject lateinit var` in `MinstrelApplication` whose `init {}` wires up.
- Server errors are `{"error":{"code":"...","message":"..."}}`; surface them
  through `ErrorCopy.fromThrowable(e)`, never raw `e.message`.
- Cross-device reactivity: collect `EventsStream.events` filtered by `kind`.
