docs: sync nexus repo truth and audit legacy matrix (#689)

CLAUDE.md

@@ -2,77 +2,79 @@
 
 ## Project Overview
 
-The Nexus is a Three.js environment — Timmy's sovereign home in 3D space. It serves as the central hub for all portals to other worlds. Stack: vanilla JS ES modules, Three.js 0.183, no bundler.
+The Nexus is Timmy's canonical 3D/home-world repo.
+Its intended role is:
+- local-first training ground for Timmy
+- wizardly visualization surface for the system
 
-## Architecture
+## Current Repo Truth
 
-```
+Do not describe this repo as a live browser app on `main`.
-index.html    # Entry point: HUD, chat panel, loading screen, live-reload script
-style.css     # Design system: dark space theme, holographic panels
-app.js        # Three.js scene, shaders, controls, game loop, WS bridge (~all logic)
-portals.json  # Portal registry (data-driven)
-vision.json   # Vision point content (data-driven)
-server.js     # Optional: proxy server for CORS (commit heatmap API)
-```
 
-No build step. Served as static files. Import maps in `index.html` handle Three.js resolution.
+Current `main` does not ship the old root frontend files:
+- `index.html`
+- `app.js`
+- `style.css`
+- `package.json`
 
-## WebSocket Bridge (v2.0)
+A clean checkout of current `main` serves a directory listing if you static-serve the repo root.
+That is world-state truth.
 
-The Nexus connects to Timmy's backend via WebSocket for live cognitive state:
+The live browser shell people remember exists in legacy form at:
+- `/Users/apayne/the-matrix`
 
-- **URL**: `?ws=ws://hermes:8765` query param, or default `ws://localhost:8765`
+That legacy app is source material for migration, not a second canonical repo.
-- **Inbound**: `agent_state`, `agent_move`, `chat_response`, `system_metrics`, `dual_brain`, `heartbeat`
-- **Outbound**: `chat_message`, `presence`
-- **Graceful degradation**: When WS is offline, agents idle locally, chat shows "OFFLINE"
 
-## The Hard Rule — Read This First
+Timmy_Foundation/the-nexus is the only canonical 3D repo.
 
-**Every PR: net ≤ 10 added lines.** Add 40, remove 30. Can't remove? Import instead.
+See:
-You MUST plan your cuts BEFORE writing new code. See CONTRIBUTING.md.
+- `LEGACY_MATRIX_AUDIT.md`
-Do NOT self-merge. Do NOT submit a PR that violates this.
+- issues `#684`, `#685`, `#686`, `#687`
 
-## Conventions
+## Architecture (current main)
 
-- **ES modules only** — no CommonJS, no bundler
+Current repo contents are centered on:
-- **Single-file app** — logic lives in `app.js`; don't split without good reason
+- `nexus/` — Python cognition / heartbeat components
-- **Color palette** — defined in `NEXUS.colors` at top of `app.js`
+- `server.py` — local websocket bridge
-- **Line budget** — app.js should stay under 1500 lines
+- `portals.json`, `vision.json` — data/config artifacts
-- **Conventional commits**: `feat:`, `fix:`, `refactor:`, `test:`, `chore:`
+- deployment/docs files
-- **Branch naming**: `claude/issue-{N}` (e.g. `claude/issue-5`)
-- **One PR at a time** — wait for merge-bot before opening the next
 
-## Validation (merge-bot checks)
+Do not tell contributors to run Vite or edit a nonexistent root frontend on current `main`.
+If browser/UI work is being restored, it must happen through the migration backlog and land back here.
 
-The `nexus-merge-bot.sh` validates PRs before auto-merge:
+## Hard Rules
 
-1. HTML validation — `index.html` must be valid HTML
+1. One canonical 3D repo only: `Timmy_Foundation/the-nexus`
-2. JS syntax — `node --check app.js` must pass
+2. No parallel evolution of `/Users/apayne/the-matrix` as if it were the product
-3. JSON validation — any `.json` files must parse
+3. Rescue useful legacy Matrix work by auditing and migrating it here
-4. File size budget — JS files must be < 500 KB
+4. Telemetry and durable truth flow through Hermes harness
+5. OpenClaw remains a sidecar, not the governing authority
+6. Before claiming visual validation, prove the app being viewed actually comes from current `the-nexus`
 
-**Always run `node --check app.js` before committing.**
+## Validation Rule
 
-## PR Rules
+If you are asked to visually validate Nexus:
+- prove the tested app comes from a clean checkout/worktree of `Timmy_Foundation/the-nexus`
+- if current `main` only serves a directory listing or otherwise lacks the browser world, stop calling it visually validated
+- pivot to migration audit and issue triage instead of pretending the world still exists
 
-- **Net addition limit: ≤ 10 lines.** No exceptions. Plan cuts before writing.
+## Migration Priorities
-- **Do NOT self-merge.** Submit the PR, a different user merges it.
-- Base every PR on latest `main`
-- Squash merge only
-- Include manual test plan + automated test output in PR body
-- Include `Fixes #N` or `Refs #N` in commit message
 
-## Running Locally
+1. `#684` — docs truth
+2. `#685` — legacy Matrix preservation audit
+3. `#686` — browser smoke / visual validation rebuild
+4. `#687` — restore wizardly local-first visual shell
+5. then continue portal/gameplay work (`#672`, `#673`, `#674`, `#675`)
 
-```bash
+## Legacy Matrix rescue targets
-npx serve . -l 3000
-# open http://localhost:3000
-# To connect to Timmy: http://localhost:3000?ws=ws://hermes:8765
-```
 
-## Gitea API
+The old Matrix contains real quality work worth auditing:
+- visitor movement and embodiment
+- agent presence / bark / chat systems
+- transcript logging
+- ambient world systems
+- satflow / economy visualization
+- browser smoke tests and production build discipline
 
-```
+Preserve the good work.
-Base URL: http://143.198.27.163:3000/api/v1
+Do not preserve stale assumptions or fake architecture.
-Repo:     Timmy_Foundation/the-nexus
-```

LEGACY_MATRIX_AUDIT.md

@@ -0,0 +1,141 @@
+# Legacy Matrix Audit
+
+Purpose:
+Preserve useful work from `/Users/apayne/the-matrix` before the Nexus browser shell is rebuilt.
+
+Canonical rule:
+- `Timmy_Foundation/the-nexus` is the only canonical 3D repo.
+- `/Users/apayne/the-matrix` is legacy source material, not a parallel product.
+
+## Verified Legacy Matrix State
+
+Local legacy repo:
+- `/Users/apayne/the-matrix`
+
+Observed facts:
+- Vite browser app exists
+- `npm test` passes with `87 passed, 0 failed`
+- 23 JS modules under `js/`
+- package scripts include `dev`, `build`, `preview`, and `test`
+
+## Known historical Nexus snapshot
+
+Useful in-repo reference point:
+- `0518a1c3ae3c1d0afeb24dea9772102f5a3d9a66`
+
+That snapshot still contains browser-world root files such as:
+- `index.html`
+- `app.js`
+- `style.css`
+- `package.json`
+- `tests/`
+
+## Rescue Candidates
+
+### Carry forward into Nexus vNext
+
+1. `agent-defs.js`
+- agent identity definitions
+- useful as seed data/model for visible entities in the world
+
+2. `agents.js`
+- agent objects, state machine, connection lines
+- useful for visualizing Timmy / subagents / system processes in a world-native way
+
+3. `avatar.js`
+- visitor embodiment, movement, camera handling
+- strongly aligned with "training ground" and "walk the world" goals
+
+4. `ui.js`
+- HUD, chat surfaces, overlays
+- useful if rebuilt against real harness data instead of stale fake state
+
+5. `websocket.js`
+- browser-side live bridge patterns
+- useful if retethered to Hermes-facing transport
+
+6. `transcript.js`
+- local transcript capture pattern
+- useful if durable truth still routes through Hermes and browser cache remains secondary
+
+7. `ambient.js`
+- mood / atmosphere system
+- directly supports wizardly presentation without changing system authority
+
+8. `satflow.js`
+- visual economy / payment flow motifs
+- useful if Timmy's economy/agent interactions become a real visible layer
+
+9. `economy.js`
+- treasury / wallet panel ideas
+- useful if later backed by real sovereign metrics
+
+10. `presence.js`
+- who-is-here / online-state UI
+- useful for showing human + agent + process presence in the world
+
+11. `interaction.js`
+- clicking, inspecting, selecting world entities
+- likely needed in any real browser-facing Nexus shell
+
+12. `quality.js`
+- hardware-aware quality tiering
+- useful for local-first graceful degradation on Mac hardware
+
+13. `bark.js`
+- prominent speech / bark system
+- strong fit for Timmy's expressive presence in-world
+
+14. `world.js`, `effects.js`, `scene-objects.js`, `zones.js`
+- broad visual foundation work
+- should be mined for patterns, not blindly transplanted
+
+15. `test/smoke.mjs`
+- browser smoke discipline
+- should inform rebuilt validation in canonical Nexus repo
+
+### Archive as reference, not direct carry-forward
+
+- demo/autopilot assumptions that pretend fake backend activity is real
+- any websocket schema that no longer matches Hermes truth
+- Vite-specific plumbing that is only useful if we consciously recommit to Vite
+
+### Deliberately drop unless re-justified
+
+- anything that presents mock data as if it were live
+- anything that duplicates a better Hermes-native telemetry path
+- anything that turns the browser into the system of record
+
+## Concern Separation for Nexus vNext
+
+When rebuilding inside `the-nexus`, keep concerns separated:
+
+1. World shell / rendering
+- scene, camera, movement, atmosphere
+
+2. Presence and embodiment
+- avatar, agent placement, selection, bark/chat surfaces
+
+3. Harness bridge
+- websocket / API bridge from Hermes truth into browser state
+
+4. Visualization panels
+- metrics, presence, economy, portal states, transcripts
+
+5. Validation
+- smoke tests, screenshot proof, provenance checks
+
+6. Game portal layer
+- Morrowind / portal-specific interaction surfaces
+
+Do not collapse all of this into one giant app file again.
+Do not let visual shell code become telemetry authority.
+
+## Migration Rule
+
+Rescue knowledge first.
+Then rescue modules.
+Then rebuild the browser shell inside `the-nexus`.
+
+No more ghost worlds.
+No more parallel 3D repos.

README.md

@@ -1,70 +1,101 @@
 # ◈ The Nexus — Timmy's Sovereign Home
 
-A Three.js environment serving as Timmy's sovereign space — like Dr. Strange's Sanctum Sanctorum, existing outside time. The Nexus is the central hub from which all worlds are accessed through portals.
+The Nexus is Timmy's canonical 3D/home-world repo.
 
-## Features
+It is meant to become two things at once:
+- a local-first training ground for Timmy
+- a wizardly visualization surface for the living system
 
-- **Procedural Nebula Skybox** — animated stars, twinkling, layered nebula clouds
+## Current Truth
-- **Batcave Terminal** — 5 holographic display panels arranged in an arc showing:
-  - Nexus Command (system status, harness state, agent loops)
-  - Dev Queue (live Gitea issue references)
-  - Metrics (uptime, commits, CPU/MEM)
-  - Thought Stream (Timmy's current thoughts)
-  - Agent Status (all agent states)
-- **Morrowind Portal** — glowing torus with animated swirl shader, ready for world connection
-- **Admin Chat (Timmy Terminal)** — real-time message interface, ready for Hermes WebSocket
-- **Nexus Core** — floating crystalline icosahedron on pedestal
-- **Ambient Environment** — crystal formations, floating runestones, energy particles, atmospheric fog
-- **WASD + Mouse Navigation** — first-person exploration of the space
-- **Post-Processing** — Unreal Bloom + SMAA antialiasing
 
-## Architecture
+As of current `main`, this repo does **not** ship a browser 3D world.
+In plain language: current `main` does not ship a browser 3D world.
 
-```
+A clean checkout of `Timmy_Foundation/the-nexus` on `main` currently contains:
-the-nexus/
+- Python heartbeat / cognition files under `nexus/`
-├── index.html    # Entry point with HUD overlay, chat panel, loading screen
+- `server.py`
-├── style.css     # Nexus design system (dark space theme, holographic panels)
+- protocol, report, and deployment docs
-└── app.js        # Three.js scene, shaders, controls, game loop
+- JSON configuration files like `portals.json` and `vision.json`
-```
+
+It does **not** currently contain an active root frontend such as:
+- `index.html`
+- `app.js`
+- `style.css`
+- `package.json`
+
+Serving the repo root today shows a directory listing, not a rendered world.
+
+## One Canonical 3D Repo
+
+`Timmy_Foundation/the-nexus` is the only canonical 3D repo.
+In plain language: Timmy_Foundation/the-nexus is the only canonical 3D repo.
+
+The old local browser app at:
+- `/Users/apayne/the-matrix`
+
+is legacy source material, not a second repo to keep evolving in parallel.
+Useful work from it must be audited and migrated here.
+
+See:
+- `LEGACY_MATRIX_AUDIT.md`
+
+## Why this matters
+
+We do not want to lose real quality work.
+We also do not want to keep two drifting 3D repos alive by accident.
+
+The rule is:
+- rescue good work from legacy Matrix
+- rebuild inside `the-nexus`
+- keep telemetry and durable truth flowing through the Hermes harness
+- keep OpenClaw as a sidecar, not the authority
+
+## Verified historical browser-world snapshot
+
+The commit the user pointed at:
+- `0518a1c3ae3c1d0afeb24dea9772102f5a3d9a66`
+
+still contains the old root browser files (`index.html`, `app.js`, `style.css`, `package.json`, tests/), so it is a useful in-repo reference point for what existed before the later deletions.
+
+## Active migration backlog
+
+- `#684` sync docs to repo truth
+- `#685` preserve legacy Matrix quality work before rewrite
+- `#686` rebuild browser smoke / visual validation for the real Nexus repo
+- `#687` restore a wizardly local-first visual shell from audited Matrix components
+- `#672` rebuild the portal stack as Timmy → Reflex → Pilot
+- `#673` deterministic Morrowind pilot loop with world-state proof
+- `#674` reflex tactical layer and semantic trajectory logging
+- `#675` deterministic context compaction for long local sessions
+
+## What gets preserved from legacy Matrix
+
+High-value candidates include:
+- visitor movement / embodiment
+- chat, bark, and presence systems
+- transcript logging
+- ambient / visual atmosphere systems
+- economy / satflow visualizations
+- smoke and browser validation discipline
+
+Those pieces should be carried forward only if they serve the mission and are re-tethered to real local system state.
 
 ## Running Locally
 
-```bash
+### Current repo truth
-npx serve . -l 3000
-# Open http://localhost:3000
-```
 
-## Roadmap
+There is no root browser app on current `main`.
+Do not tell people to static-serve the repo root and expect a world.
 
-- [ ] Wire chat to Hermes WebSocket (`/api/world/ws`)
+### What you can run now
-- [ ] Pull live data into terminal panels from Timmy's actual state
-- [ ] Portal walk-through interaction to load destination worlds
-- [ ] Timmy's avatar (lizard wizard body he designs himself)
-- [ ] Connect to AlexanderWhitestone.com as public entry point
-- [ ] Integrate existing Replit timmy-tower world code
 
-## Related
+- `python3 server.py` for the local websocket bridge
+- Python modules under `nexus/` for heartbeat / cognition work
 
-- **Gitea Issue**: [#1090 — EPIC: Nexus v1](http://143.198.27.163:3000/rockachopa/Timmy-time-dashboard/issues/1090)
+### Browser world restoration path
-- **Live Demo**: Deployed via Perplexity Computer
 
-## Groq Worker
+The browser-facing Nexus must be rebuilt deliberately through the migration backlog above, using audited Matrix components and truthful validation.
-
-The Groq worker is a dedicated worker for the Groq API. It is designed to be used by the Nexus Mind to offload the thinking process to the Groq API.
-
-### Usage
-
-To use the Groq worker, you need to set the `GROQ_API_KEY` environment variable. You can then run the `nexus_think.py` script with the `--groq-model` argument:
-
-```bash
-export GROQ_API_KEY="your-api-key"
-python -m nexus.nexus_think --groq-model "groq/llama3-8b-8192"
-```
-
-### Recommendations
-
-Groq has fast inference, which makes it a good candidate for tasks like PR reviews. You can use the Groq worker to review PRs by a Gitea webhook.
 
 ---
 
-*Part of [The Timmy Foundation](http://143.198.27.163:3000/Timmy_Foundation)*
+*One 3D repo. One migration path. No more ghost worlds.*

tests/test_repo_truth.py

@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+from pathlib import Path
+
+
+def test_readme_states_repo_truth_and_single_canonical_3d_repo() -> None:
+    readme = Path("README.md").read_text()
+
+    assert "current `main` does not ship a browser 3D world" in readme
+    assert "Timmy_Foundation/the-nexus is the only canonical 3D repo" in readme
+    assert "/Users/apayne/the-matrix" in readme
+    assert "npx serve . -l 3000" not in readme
+
+
+def test_claude_doc_matches_current_repo_truth() -> None:
+    claude = Path("CLAUDE.md").read_text()
+
+    assert "Do not describe this repo as a live browser app on `main`." in claude
+    assert "Timmy_Foundation/the-nexus is the only canonical 3D repo." in claude
+    assert "LEGACY_MATRIX_AUDIT.md" in claude
+
+
+def test_legacy_matrix_audit_exists_and_names_rescue_targets() -> None:
+    audit = Path("LEGACY_MATRIX_AUDIT.md").read_text()
+
+    for term in [
+        "agent-defs.js",
+        "agents.js",
+        "avatar.js",
+        "ui.js",
+        "websocket.js",
+        "transcript.js",
+        "ambient.js",
+        "satflow.js",
+        "economy.js",
+    ]:
+        assert term in audit