Write Once, Publish Everywhere
A vault-first workflow operating system — private notes become public signal with zero manual synchronization.
Every project page you see on this site was derived from a single source: an Obsidian vault. YAML frontmatter defines structure. Python scripts extract and sanitize. Django renders it here. Nothing is typed twice.
The Walkthrough
From a note in your vault to a page on the internet — here's what actually happens, step by step.
1. Write in the vault
A project note in Obsidian with visibility: public in its YAML frontmatter. That's it. No API calls, no forms, no CMS. Just a markdown file with structured metadata.
2. Visibility filter enforces the boundary
The export script reads every note's visibility field. public notes get exported. internal and private notes are silently skipped. The filter is the security boundary — nothing beyond it touches the public surface.
3. Export scripts write sanitized artifacts
Python scripts run on cron — export_status.py, export_health.py, export_cognitive_metrics.py. They strip file paths, credentials, and internal fields. Output is validated JSON in collected_static/. If schema validation fails, the old artifact stays.
4. Django renders read-only views
Django views load the pre-filtered JSON — never the vault directly. Freshness is calculated from each artifact's generated_at timestamp. Stale data gets a visible "Delayed" or "Stale" badge. The site never silently serves outdated information.
5. Public surface — what you're reading now
The result: project status, sprint progress, health checks, and cognitive routing metrics — all derived from the vault, all auto-updated, all honest about freshness. This page is itself proof of the system it describes.
Phase Progress
The system was built in five phases, each building on the previous. Phases 1–3 are complete. Phase 4 is active now.
Design Principles
Five rules that keep the system honest, maintainable, and distinct from generic project trackers.
Vault First
Write in the vault, read everywhere else. The vault is the single source of truth. No CMS, no database — just files and metadata.
Derived Projections Only
Public surfaces are not raw mirrors. They're filtered, sanitized, validated projections. What you see was deliberately chosen to be public.
Visible Freshness
Every data point shows when it was last updated. Stale data is labeled stale. The system never fakes real-time truth.
Legibility Over Gamification
Progress bars show actual phase completion. Metrics show real routing splits. No vanity numbers, no gamified streaks.
Internal Utility First
If the system isn't useful privately, it becomes theater publicly. Private value is built before public polish.
Live System Metrics
Real data from the system that maintains this site. Updated by cron, not hand-edited.