Deck as a product hub — sub-nav sections + the Dictate space

Status: Proposed reference/migration input, subordinate to docs/goal.md · Target app: deck.arcforge.au (SvelteKit deck frontend + arc_forge_console backend) · Also touches: Dictate desktop client (portal link + sign-in return)

The reframe (the core decision) #

Today deck.arcforge.au is the agent deck — a Dictate user who signs in from the desktop app lands on "Your agents / New agent," which is agent-first and confusing (many Dictate users have no agents).

Reframe: Deck is the account hub. Because it's already a subdomain, Deck needs no top-level nav of its own. Inside Deck, sub-navigation sections are the products/areas:

• Agents — today's "Your agents" (the agent deck) becomes one section, not the whole thing.
• Dictate — a dedicated Dictate space (this spec).
• Future: Tools & Equipment (published Arc Forge skills), Connectors, Customizations.

So Agents is a peer of Dictate, not the container. This scales to the growing product line and gives each product a clean home.

Domains & routing (decided) #

• deck.arcforge.au = the app, canonical. console.arcforge.au is legacy (same backend) — use deck. going forward.
• Drop the redundant /deck prefix. Today deck.arcforge.au/ already 307s to /deck/ — "deck" twice, a holdover from the /deck SvelteKit base path (SVELTEKIT_BASE_PATH=/deck) from its path-based origin. The frontend already has a root build (build:root, empty base path), so this is a build-flag + mount change, not a rewrite.
• Target (root-based, no /deck):

  deck.arcforge.au/          → /agents (signed in) or /login (not)
  deck.arcforge.au/agents    → Agents section
  deck.arcforge.au/dictate   → Dictate section
  deck.arcforge.au/login
  deck.arcforge.au/deck/*    → 301 → /*   (compat: preserve old links/sessions)
  

• Sections are paths on Deck (/agents, /dictate, future /tools, …) — no new subdomains, DNS, or TLS (the deck. cert covers every path).
• arcforge.au/dictate and arcforge.au/deck stay free on the apex for marketing.

Dropping /deck — the work (folded into Phase 1) #

1. Serve the SPA at root: build:root + mount at / instead of /deck/{path:path}.
2. Auth login route /deck/login → /login (also fixes the desktop ?next target).
3. 301 /deck/* → /* compatibility redirect.
4. Desktop client ACCOUNT_PORTAL_URL → deck.arcforge.au/dictate (root).

The Dictate section — deck.arcforge.au/dictate (Phase 1 contents) #

Same login, same portal_session, same Deck theme/components — but agent-free. Contains all four:

1. Cloud Sync (the control center) — sync scope (Meetings / Everything, matching the desktop selector), enable/disable status, device list + revoke, recovery-key management. The web home for sync.
2. Subscription / plan — Dictate Pro status, plan, renewal date, manage billing (Stripe customer portal link).
3. Devices — devices signed in to the account (mirrors the desktop app's list; revoke).
4. Downloads / get the app — install links for other machines; onboarding surface for a new user who just signed up.

Navigation #

• A sub-nav in the Deck shell (sidebar or top tabs): Agents · Dictate · (future Tools · Connectors · Customizations). Extensible — new products are new entries.
• Product-neutral shell; each section owns its content and empty states.
• Deep-linkable: /dictate, /agents. A Dictate user can be sent straight to /dictate.

Desktop sign-in + account flows (this also fixes the current bug) #

Today a cold desktop sign-in routes through /deck/login and dumps the user on the agent deck, and the sign-in doesn't actually complete (the login doesn't return to the consent screen — the ?next gap for magic-link/Google login).

1. Desktop sign-in: browser → (if needed) an Arc-Forge login that returns to the consent screen for all login methods → "Approve sign-in for Dictate on this computer?" → approve → loopback callback → app signed in → "You're signed in, close this tab." The user finishes in the app and never sees the agent deck. (Fix: honor ?next back to /api/account/auth/authorize after every login path.)
2. "Manage account" (from the Dictate desktop app) → opens deck.arcforge.au/dictate (the Dictate section), not the agent deck. Update the desktop client's ACCOUNT_PORTAL_URL from console.arcforge.au/deck/account → deck.arcforge.au/dictate.

Theme migration #

• Now: the Dictate section is Dictate content inside the existing Deck theme/components — not the collectible-card aesthetic.
• Later: migrate sections toward the card theme deliberately, as its own design pass, once the structure is in place.

Phasing #

• Phase 1 (this): sub-nav shell → Agents + Dictate sections; Dictate section = Sync + Subscription + Devices + Downloads; fix desktop login-return-to-consent; point "Manage account" at /dictate.
• Phase 2+: Tools & Equipment, Connectors, Customizations sections; card-theme migration; other products' account homes as their own sections.

Open questions #

• /agents vs keeping /deck as the agents route (redirect strategy so existing links/bookmarks survive).
• Whether the sub-nav is a left sidebar (scales to many sections) or top tabs (fewer) — recommend sidebar for extensibility.
• Auth gating is identical to the agent deck (same portal_session); confirm no Dictate-specific gating beyond a signed-in account.

Phase 1 implemented in the arc-forge-deck repo (SvelteKit /dictate routes + sub-nav shell + login ?next→consent) plus a one-line Dictate-client change to ACCOUNT_PORTAL_URL.