prautoblogger/CONTEXT.md

PRAutoBlogger — Domain Glossary

Per DoD v1.2.0 §7, this file defines domain terms introduced by structural changes. Update when a PR introduces new terms not covered here.

For full design rationale see ARCHITECTURE.md (§21–§25) and CONVENTIONS.md.

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Pipeline Settings (introduced v0.23.0)

Term	Definition
step	One LLM-powered stage in the article-generation pipeline (Research, Analysis, Writer, Editorial, Image). Non-LLM stages (Scoring, Publish) are not surfaced here.
step rail	The vertical navigation column in the Pipeline Settings page; one button per step.
step panel	The right-hand content area in the Pipeline Settings page that shows model, params, and prompts for the selected step.
pipeline-ui	The author tag written to the prompts table when an operator edits a prompt via the Pipeline Settings page (e.g. pipeline-ui:rhys).
system instruction	The system prompt for an LLM step — sets role, constraints, and style for the model. Stored in the prompt registry under a key like research.system.
agent prompt	A user-turn prompt for an LLM step — contains the task the model must perform. Stored under keys like content.single_pass, content.draft.
system_key	The registry key string for a step's system instruction (e.g. research.system). Defined in PRAutoBlogger_Pipeline_Settings_Step_Map.
agent_key	A registry key string for one of a step's agent/user prompts. A step may have zero or more agent keys.
prompt key	Generic term covering both system_key and agent_key — a dotted string like content.single_pass that uniquely identifies a prompt in the registry.
prompt slug	URL/form-safe encoding of a prompt key: dots replaced with hyphens (e.g. content-single_pass). Used as HTML field values and ?prompt_key= query params.
reset-to-default	A Pipeline Settings action that creates a new prompt version with the canonical seed body (PRAutoBlogger_Prompt_Registry::default_body()), effectively restoring factory settings for that key.
step map	PRAutoBlogger_Pipeline_Settings_Step_Map — the single source of truth for step metadata, model option keys, and prompt key allowlists.
save handler	PRAutoBlogger_Pipeline_Settings_Save_Handler — stateless class that verifies nonce/cap, validates against allowlists, and persists model or prompt changes.

Prompt Registry Terms (introduced v0.16.0–v0.18.0)

Term	Definition
prompt version	An immutable row in wp_prautoblogger_prompts. Once written, the body never changes; a new edit creates a new version row.
active version	The single version per prompt key flagged is_active = 1. Older versions are retained for history/rollback.
seed	Version 1 of a prompt key, written by the activator migration (seed_v1()). Author tag: seed.

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Core Domain Terms (introduced v0.22.1)

run A single end-to-end article generation cycle: orchestrate → generate idea(s) → finalize. Represented as a row in wp_prautoblogger_runs (status, cost ceiling, timestamps). One run may produce multiple articles if the daily idea-count > 1.

run_stages (wp_prautoblogger_run_stages) Sub-steps within a run (research, analysis, generation, publish). Each stage has its own status and can be replayed independently via Rerun_Executor. Generation checkpoint runs populate stages as Article_Worker progresses.

checkpoint The persistence boundary between pipeline ticks. After each tick the idea queue and run state are written to wp_options so a process kill cannot lose work. The next tick reads the queue option and continues. See §25 of ARCHITECTURE.md.

idea queue (prautoblogger_article_queue option) Serialized array of Article_Idea objects written by on_orchestrate_tick() and consumed one-at-a-time by successive on_generate_tick() calls. Deleted on finalize or cleanup.

Generation_Lock (wp_prautoblogger_generation_lock or wp_options) DB mutex that prevents two concurrent runs. Acquired at the start of on_orchestrate_tick(), released by Helpers::finalize() or on error/halt.

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Execution Modes (introduced v0.22.1)

Async (wp-cron driven)

Default path for the Board "New Article" button and the plain wp prautoblogger generate WP-CLI command.

1. kick_off() schedules prautoblogger_gen_orchestrate and calls fire_cron_now().
2. on_orchestrate_tick() runs in a background PHP process, schedules prautoblogger_gen_tick, and calls fire_cron_now() to spawn the next process.
3. Each on_generate_tick() spawns the next until the queue drains.

Limitation: Hostinger kills background PHP processes at ~10 min. Orchestrate tick (LLM-free) and individual generate ticks (one LLM call each) are both well within this limit; the checkpoint design is the mitigation.

Sync (VPS-driven / --sync)

Used by the Coolify KVM8 VPS systemd timer via infra/vps/orchestrate-generation.sh in peptide-e2e. Introduced v0.22.1.

1. run_sync() sets Generation_Checkpoint_Runner::$sync_mode = true.
2. Calls on_orchestrate_tick() in-process (no background spawn).
3. Loops calling on_generate_tick() directly until queue empty or terminal state.
4. $sync_mode = true suppresses all wp_schedule_single_event + fire_cron_now calls inside both tick methods, preventing a competing background cron chain from forming in parallel.

The VPS SSH session is held open; the process is not subject to Hostinger's background-kill constraint.

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Table Shorthand

Throughout the codebase wp_prautoblogger_* tables are referenced by their $wpdb-> property names (e.g. $wpdb->prab_runs, $wpdb->prab_run_stages). Full table names are defined in class-activator.php.

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See also: ARCHITECTURE.md §25 (checkpoint design), CONVENTIONS.md (coding rules).

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Pipeline Settings M2 (v0.24.0)

Term	Definition
step context	A routing key (global|research|analysis|writer|editorial) that identifies which group of option fields is being edited in the save_step_settings handler. Validated against the PRAutoBlogger_Pipeline_Settings_Option_Fields::contexts() allowlist before any write. Distinct from "step" (the display unit in the step rail) — global is a context with no corresponding step button.
Global Content Context	The editable form block rendered above the step rail in the Pipeline Settings page (v0.24.0). Surfaces prautoblogger_niche_description and any future cross-step fields. Uses step_context=global in its save form. Not associated with an LLM step.
option field	A wp_option-backed field surfaced in a step panel or the Global Content Context block. Defined in PRAutoBlogger_Pipeline_Settings_Option_Fields_Data. Distinct from a "prompt panel" (which edits the prompt registry). Types: textarea, select, number, toggle, checkboxes.
step option	Synonym for option field when it appears inside a step panel (i.e., not in the Global Content Context).
step_context	The POST key that routes save_step_settings to the correct field set. Expected values: global, research, analysis, writer, editorial. Validated with sanitize_key() before use.
pipeline_action=save_step_settings	POST contract key introduced in M2. Triggers PRAutoBlogger_Pipeline_Settings_Save_Handler::handle_step_settings_save(). Parallel to the existing save_model, save_prompt, and reset_prompt action values.
relocated-tabs concept	The Settings tabs prautoblogger_models, prautoblogger_content, and prautoblogger_sources were retired in M2; their 17 option fields moved to per-step panels in the Pipeline page. The wp_option keys are unchanged — only the admin UI surface that edits them moved. See CONVENTIONS.md §Retired Settings Tabs.

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Pipeline Settings M3 (v0.25.0)

Term	Definition
assembled instructions	The fully-rendered text the LLM actually received for a given prompt key — all {{ token }} placeholders substituted with live data. Surfaced in the Template/Preview toggle on the Pipeline Settings page. Preferred source: last successful generation_log.request_json row for the stage; fallback: sample render with [token_name] placeholders.
Template mode	The default view of a prompt panel: shows the editable textarea with raw template text (including {{ token }} placeholders). Editing here writes a new version to the prompt registry.
Preview mode	Read-only view of a prompt panel: shows the assembled instructions the LLM received in the last run (or a sample render if no run exists). No save path in PHP or JS.
Template-vs-Preview guardrail	The Template and Preview panes are mutually exclusive. Preview has no save path server-side (no write handler) or client-side (JS sends no save POST when in preview mode). Prevents accidental edits to the rendered output.
version diff	An LCS-based line-level diff between two prompt versions (or a version and the factory default). Rendered server-side as {type, text} lines (added/removed/context/omitted); the JS applies colours without parsing unified-diff format. Context window: 3 lines before/after each changed block.

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Pipeline Settings M4 (v0.26.0)

Term	Definition
Generation History	The prautoblogger-gen-history admin page: paginated list of all pipeline runs, newest first. Entry point to the per-step I/O drill-down.
run row	A single entry in the Generation History list. Corresponds to one prautoblogger_runs ledger row. Shows title (from linked post), date, status chip, models used, cost, duration.
Stage I/O	The inline drill-down panel for a run: shows every generation_log stage's full INPUT (system + user message content from request_json) and OUTPUT (model response from run_stages.meta_json.output). Loaded via AJAX on first toggle; cached client-side for subsequent toggles.
input_system	The system-role message content extracted from generation_log.request_json. The prompt template the LLM received. May be null for image/non-chat stages.
input_user	The last user-role message content from request_json. The rendered, token-filled instruction the LLM received.
output	The LLM's raw response text from run_stages.meta_json.output. Null when the stage is log-only (image_a, image_b, llm_research, image_prompt_rewrite — no run_stages row).
output_pruned	True when run_stages.meta_json exists but has no output key — indicating the output was pruned by the prautoblogger_request_json_retention_days setting. The UI shows an explicit message instead of a blank field.
log-only stage	A generation_log stage with no corresponding run_stages row. Image stages (image_a, image_b, image_prompt_rewrite) and llm_research fall here. Their output is null (not pruned) in the drill-down.

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Pipeline Board M5 — Mission Brief (v0.27.0)

Term	Definition
Mission Brief	The new board layout (CEO-selected Direction C, v0.27.0). Replaces the four-column kanban with a status-grouped vertical run list (Generating / In Review / Published / Failed). Each section is independently expandable; the board name reflects the editorial-command framing of the design. Class: PRAutoBlogger_Board_Page.
inspector rail	The persistent right-hand panel that opens when a run row is clicked. Fetches per-stage I/O via AJAX (prautoblogger_board_inspector) and renders the full stage breakdown — status dots, model, cost, expandable prompt/response text, total cost receipt, and an "Open dossier" CTA — without navigating away from the board. Class: PRAutoBlogger_Board_Inspector_Handler.
dot-rail	The lightweight row-level stage-progress indicator in the Mission Brief run list. Each stage in the run is represented by a small dot coloured by its status (e.g. complete = teal, failed = red). Populated by PRAutoBlogger_Board_Stage_Dots::enrich(), which adds a run_stages_summary key to each card.
run_stages_summary	A card-level enrichment key added by PRAutoBlogger_Board_Stage_Dots::enrich(). Array of {stage, status} objects for each stage in the run, sourced from the wp_prautoblogger_run_stages table in a single batched query per board section. Consumed by board.js to render the dot-rail.

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Phase 2b P2b.1 — Research_Fanout + Research_Judge (v0.28.0)

These terms are introduced by the Authority-tier research pipeline (additive; not wired into the live Economy path until P2b.4).

Term	Definition
fan-out	The pattern of dispatching N independent LLM requests in parallel (via curl_multi), each covering a different specialist angle of the same topic, then collecting and filtering results. Contrasts with the Economy single-pass where one LLM call produces all research.
Research_Fanout	PRAutoBlogger_Research_Fanout — the orchestrator class that implements the fan-out pattern. Reserves the SUMMED worst-case cost of all N agents from the cost governor before dispatch, applies quorum enforcement after, and returns per-agent result arrays to the caller. Not live until P2b.4 wires it into the tier router.
curate stage	The pipeline stage (stage = 'curate') that follows fan-out. Implemented by PRAutoBlogger_Research_Judge. Deduplicates sources from all agents, scores each by quality_score, and writes the top-12 results to run_sources. Already present in Stage_Display_Map since v0.18.0.
Research_Judge	PRAutoBlogger_Research_Judge — the class that executes the curate stage. Dedup chain: URL-canonical → semantic cosine (OpenRouter embeddings) → keyword-overlap fallback. Scores via Research_Source_Scorer. Writes kept=1 / kept=0 rows to run_sources with quality_score and reason.
quorum	Minimum number of research agents that must return usable results for the fan-out to proceed. Formula: ⌈N/2⌉+1 (one strict majority). Example: N=3 → quorum=3; N=5 → quorum=4. If fewer than quorum agents return valid results, Research_Fanout::dispatch() returns an empty array and the caller must hold the run rather than proceeding on thin research.
specialist role	One of {mechanisms, clinical, safety, comparison, practical}. Each agent in the fan-out is assigned a distinct role and receives a role-specific user prompt. The first N roles in priority order are used (N = prautoblogger_research_agent_count). Written to run_stages as agent_role = 'researcher:<role>'.
quality_score	A composite score for a source: relevance × authority_weight. relevance comes from the agent's self-reported score (0.0–1.0). authority_weight is the source-type multiplier from Research_Source_Scorer. Higher scores sort the source closer to the top-12 kept set. Stored in run_sources.quality_score.
authority weight	A source-type multiplier applied by PRAutoBlogger_Research_Source_Scorer to produce quality_score. Values: DOI/PubMed/NCBI peer-reviewed → 1.0; .gov/.edu/WHO/FDA institutional → 0.85; preprint → 0.70; HTTPS → 0.60; HTTP → 0.40. Reflects the editorial preference for peer-reviewed sources in Authority-tier articles.
MIN_AGENTS floor	Research_Fanout::MIN_AGENTS = 2. The minimum configurable agent count. Set to 2 (not 1) because quorum = ⌈N/2⌉+1 = 2 for N=1, making a single-agent dispatch mathematically impossible to satisfy. Clamping to 2 ensures at least a 2-agent fan-out where quorum=2 is achievable (both must succeed).