notes: color leaves the model, the wire and all three surfaces

Step 3 of M315, and the destructive half. Steps 1 and 2 stopped every read of
this field: a card is one neutral surface per theme, and the only coloured
thing on a board is a tag. What was left was a column written by a picker and
read by nothing.

Rule 22 — the old path comes out completely. No flag, no fallback, no
"override if set".

Server: the column, the `?color=` facet, the create/update/serialise paths,
the sync assignment, the front-matter line, and Keep's colour map. Alembic
0029 drops it and sweeps `"color"` out of stored saved-filter params — a view
that silently filtered on a field the app no longer has would return nothing
and never say why. That sweep is Python, not `params::jsonb - 'color'`,
because Postgres has no try-cast and one malformed blob would abort a
migration that is running over somebody's saved views.

`NOTE_COLORS` moves from `models/note.py` to `colors.py`. A palette defined on
the model that lost one is an invitation to put the column back; labels still
name a colour, so the vocabulary belongs where the normalizer already is.

Core: the field, the facet, the `NoteCreateInput`, and every read and write in
store/push/pull. Local schema v9 drops the column and does the same
saved-filter sweep, guarded on `json_valid` so a corrupt blob loses a key
rather than becoming NULL. The uniffi layer drops `NoteEdit::Color` and
`NoteDraft.color` with it.

Web: `ColorPicker.vue`, the per-card swatch popover and its stylesheet rule,
the FilterBar colour row, the facet in the query round-trip, and the colour
half of the editor's baseline-and-save. Android: the `ColorSheet`, the
`Picker.COLOR` case, the toolbar's swatch dot, `EditorAction.SetColor`.

## The protocol: v4, and the floor deliberately stays at 3

Checked against `compat.rs` and the push handler rather than trusting the
`#[serde(default)]` annotation, because the v2 precedent points the other way:
v2 dropped `kind` and `title` and DID raise both floors, on the rule that
dropping a field a client sends and expects back is breaking.

`color` fails the second half of that test. A v3 client reading a v4 note gets
`"default"` from its own serde default and draws the colour it derives
locally — the board it drew yesterday. A v3 client pushing `color` has the key
ignored, since `_assign_note_fields` reads its payload key by key and never
validates the shape. Neither direction errors and neither shows anything
wrong. `title` was the note's NAME; this is a field that no longer renders.

So `SYNC_PROTOCOL_VERSION` and `CLIENT_PROTOCOL_VERSION` go to 4, and both
floors stay at 3. `docs/sync.md` carries the reasoning and the per-version
history, and its push example is brought back in line — it still listed
`title`, `kind` and `items`, all gone before this.

Import stays tolerant: a pre-M315 export or a Keep takeout carrying `color:`
imports fine, the key simply read past. Old exports must still import.

#3041

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

src/thoughtsync/colors.py

@@ -1,16 +1,36 @@
 from __future__ import annotations
 
-from .models.note import NOTE_COLORS
-
-# Notes and labels share one colour palette (their sets were identical). NOTE_COLORS
-# is the canonical vocabulary (defined on the model); this module is the single home
-# for the "clamp to the palette" normalizer so notes.py, labels.py and sync.py stop
-# each carrying their own copy.
+# The colour palette, and the one place that clamps to it.
+#
+# It lived on `models/note.py` until M315, when a note stopped having a colour. A
+# palette defined on the model that lost one would be a standing invitation to put the
+# column back; here it reads as what it now is — a LABEL's vocabulary, shared with the
+# saved-filter and import paths that still name a colour.
+#
+# Keys, not tints. The actual colours live in each client (frontend/src/notes/colors.ts
+# and NoteTint.kt), so they can be retuned without a schema migration — which M315 spent
+# two steps doing.
+NOTE_COLORS = {
+    "default",
+    "red",
+    "orange",
+    "yellow",
+    "green",
+    "teal",
+    "blue",
+    "purple",
+    "pink",
+    "gray",
+}
 
 __all__ = ["NOTE_COLORS", "normalize_color"]
 
 
 def normalize_color(color: object) -> str:
-    """Return `color` if it's a known palette key, else the default. One definition
-    for both notes and labels."""
+    """Return `color` if it's a known palette key, else the default.
+
+    `default` is no longer something anybody can CHOOSE — nothing offers a colour
+    picker since M315 — but it is still where unrecognised input has to land, so this
+    fallback is unreachable by choice rather than dead.
+    """
     return color if color in NOTE_COLORS else "default"

src/thoughtsync/models/note.py

@@ -10,22 +10,6 @@ from sqlalchemy.orm import Mapped, mapped_column
 from . import Base
 from ..common import iso
 
-# The Keep-style palette. Stored as a key string, so the actual tints live in the
-# frontend and can change without a schema migration.
-NOTE_COLORS = {
-    "default",
-    "red",
-    "orange",
-    "yellow",
-    "green",
-    "teal",
-    "blue",
-    "purple",
-    "pink",
-    "gray",
-}
-
-
 class Note(Base):
     __tablename__ = "notes"
     __table_args__ = (
@@ -45,7 +29,6 @@ class Note(Base):
     # the full-text vector can weight it above the rest of the body.
     display_title: Mapped[str] = mapped_column(Text(), nullable=False, server_default="")
     body: Mapped[str] = mapped_column(Text(), nullable=False, server_default="")
-    color: Mapped[str] = mapped_column(Text(), nullable=False, server_default="default")
     # Manual drag order (higher = earlier); 0 until the user reorders.
     position: Mapped[int] = mapped_column(Integer(), nullable=False, server_default="0")
     pinned: Mapped[bool] = mapped_column(Boolean(), nullable=False, server_default=func.false())
@@ -74,7 +57,6 @@ class Note(Base):
             "id": str(self.id),
             "display_title": self.display_title,
             "body": self.body,
-            "color": self.color,
             "position": self.position,
             "pinned": self.pinned,
             "archived": self.archived,

src/thoughtsync/models/saved_filter.py

@@ -12,8 +12,9 @@ from . import Base
 
 class SavedFilter(Base):
     """A named, saved facet combination (a 'view'/lens) the user can re-apply in one
-    click — e.g. "Yellow + #ideas". `params` is a JSON-encoded facet dict matching the
-    GET /api/notes query (q/color/labels/has_reminder/has_attachment/date range)."""
+    click — e.g. "#ideas with a reminder". `params` is a JSON-encoded facet dict
+    matching the GET /api/notes query (q/labels/has_reminder/has_attachment/date
+    range). Colour was a facet until M315; 0029 swept the key out of stored rows."""
 
     __tablename__ = "saved_filters"
 

src/thoughtsync/notes/__init__.py

@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ from sqlalchemy import func, literal_column, select
 
 from ..acl import visible_to_user
 from ..auth import login_required
-from ..colors import NOTE_COLORS, normalize_color
+from ..colors import normalize_color
 from ..common import coerce_bool, iso, parse_dt
 from ..config import Config
 from ..db import session_scope
@@ -108,7 +108,6 @@ async def list_notes():
     # Combinable facet filters (all optional, AND-ed together) — the rich-search /
     # saved-filter lens. Multiple ?label= narrow to notes carrying ALL of them.
     label_params = request.args.getlist("label")
-    color = request.args.get("color")
     has_reminder = coerce_bool(request.args.get("has_reminder"))
     has_attachment = coerce_bool(request.args.get("has_attachment"))
     query_text = (request.args.get("q") or "").strip()
@@ -128,10 +127,6 @@ async def list_notes():
             if lid is None:
                 return json_error("invalid label", 400)
             stmt = stmt.where(Note.id.in_(select(NoteLabel.note_id).where(NoteLabel.label_id == lid)))
-        if color is not None:
-            if color not in NOTE_COLORS:
-                return json_error("invalid color", 400)
-            stmt = stmt.where(Note.color == color)
         if has_reminder:
             stmt = stmt.where(Note.remind_at.is_not(None))
         if has_attachment:
@@ -259,7 +254,6 @@ async def export_notes():
                         "id": str(n.id),
                         "display_title": n.display_title,
                         "body": n.body,
-                        "color": n.color,
                         "pinned": n.pinned,
                         "archived": n.archived,
                         "remind_at": n.remind_at.isoformat() if n.remind_at else None,
@@ -412,7 +406,6 @@ async def create_note():
             owner_id=g.user_id,
             display_title=derive_display_title(body),
             body=body,
-            color=normalize_color(data.get("color")),
             position=int(max_pos) + 1,
         )
         db.add(note)
@@ -453,8 +446,6 @@ async def update_note(note_id: str):
         old_body = note.body
         if "body" in data and isinstance(data["body"], str):
             note.body = data["body"]
-        if "color" in data:
-            note.color = normalize_color(data["color"])
         if "pinned" in data:
             note.pinned = bool(data["pinned"])
         if "archived" in data:

src/thoughtsync/notes/import_export.py

@@ -14,7 +14,6 @@ from datetime import datetime, timezone
 
 from sqlalchemy import select
 
-from ..colors import normalize_color
 from ..common import parse_dt
 from ..config import Config
 from ..models.label import NoteLabel
@@ -39,7 +38,6 @@ def _note_markdown(note: Note, labels: list) -> str:
     fm.append(f"display_name: {note.display_title}")
     if labels:
         fm.append("labels: [" + ", ".join(lb["name"] for lb in labels) + "]")
-    fm.append(f"color: {note.color}")
     if note.pinned:
         fm.append("pinned: true")
     if note.archived:
@@ -62,24 +60,6 @@ def _note_markdown(note: Note, labels: list) -> str:
 
 # --- Import: ThoughtSync's own export (round-trip) OR a Google Keep Takeout zip ---
 
-# Google Keep (Takeout) color enum → our palette. Keep has a few hues we don't
-# (BROWN/DARKBLUE/CERULEAN); map each to the nearest. Unknowns fall back to default.
-_KEEP_COLOR_MAP = {
-    "DEFAULT": "default",
-    "RED": "red",
-    "ORANGE": "orange",
-    "YELLOW": "yellow",
-    "GREEN": "green",
-    "TEAL": "teal",
-    "CERULEAN": "teal",
-    "BLUE": "blue",
-    "DARKBLUE": "blue",
-    "PURPLE": "purple",
-    "PINK": "pink",
-    "BROWN": "orange",
-    "GRAY": "gray",
-}
-
 # Reverse of ALLOWED_IMAGE_MIMES, for inferring an attachment's mime from its
 # filename when the source didn't record one (Keep usually does; be defensive).
 _EXT_MIME = {ext: mime for mime, ext in ALLOWED_IMAGE_MIMES.items()}
@@ -100,7 +80,6 @@ def _native_spec(n: dict) -> dict:
     return {
         "title": n.get("title"),
         "body": n.get("body") or "",
-        "color": n.get("color"),
         "pinned": bool(n.get("pinned")),
         "archived": bool(n.get("archived")),
         "trashed": False,  # export only includes live notes
@@ -156,7 +135,6 @@ def _keep_spec(kn: dict, keep_dir: str) -> dict:
     return {
         "title": kn.get("title"),
         "body": body,
-        "color": _KEEP_COLOR_MAP.get(str(kn.get("color") or "DEFAULT").upper(), "default"),
         "pinned": bool(kn.get("isPinned")),
         "archived": bool(kn.get("isArchived")),
         "trashed": bool(kn.get("isTrashed")),
@@ -304,7 +282,6 @@ async def _create_imported_note(
         owner_id=owner_id,
         display_title=derive_display_title(body),
         body=body,
-        color=normalize_color(spec.get("color")),
         pinned=bool(spec.get("pinned")),
         archived=bool(spec.get("archived")),
         position=position,

src/thoughtsync/saved_filters.py

@@ -16,9 +16,11 @@ bp = Blueprint("saved_filters", __name__, url_prefix="/api/saved-filters")
 
 NAME_CAP = 100
 # Facet keys allowed in a saved view (must match the GET /api/notes query surface).
+# `color` was here until M315. A note has no colour to filter on, and `clean_params`
+# drops the key on the way in — the migration that dropped the column sweeps it out of
+# the views already stored.
 _ALLOWED_PARAM_KEYS = {
     "q",
-    "color",
     "label",  # matches the repeatable ?label= query param (stored as an array)
     "has_reminder",
     "has_attachment",

src/thoughtsync/sync.py

@@ -62,7 +62,16 @@ MAX_PUSH = 1000  # per-batch change cap
 #
 # One bump for the pair: they landed in the same protocol generation, and nothing ever
 # ran against a half-applied v2.
-SYNC_PROTOCOL_VERSION = 3
+# v4 (M315): `color` left the note. The FLOOR DELIBERATELY DOES NOT MOVE, and v2 is
+# the precedent that makes saying so worthwhile — it dropped `kind` and `title` and did
+# raise the floor, on the rule that dropping a field a client sends and expects back is
+# breaking. `color` fails the second half of that: a v3 client reading a v4 note gets
+# `"default"` from its own serde default and draws the colour it derives locally, which
+# is the board it drew yesterday; a v3 client PUSHING `color` has the key ignored, since
+# `_assign_note_fields` reads its payload key by key and never validates the shape.
+# Neither direction errors and neither loses anything visible. `title` was the note's
+# NAME; this is a field that no longer renders anywhere.
+SYNC_PROTOCOL_VERSION = 4
 MIN_CLIENT_PROTOCOL_VERSION = 3
 
 # Named capabilities beyond the base protocol. An ADDITIVE change earns a name
@@ -198,7 +207,6 @@ def _assign_note_fields(note: Note, ch: dict) -> None:
     """Overwrite a note's scalar fields from a client's FULL-state change (sync is
     whole-note, not a partial patch — the client sends its authoritative version)."""
     note.body = ch["body"] if isinstance(ch.get("body"), str) else ""
-    note.color = normalize_color(ch.get("color"))
     note.pinned = bool(ch.get("pinned"))
     note.archived = bool(ch.get("archived"))
     if ch.get("trashed"):