Polish repository README and remove unused scaffolding

.github/workflows/pages.yml

@@ -29,12 +29,12 @@ jobs:
         with:
           node-version: 24
           cache: npm
-      - name: Guard protected sources and published snapshots
+      - name: Guard protected sources
         env:
           BASE_SHA: ${{ github.event.pull_request.base.sha || github.event.before }}
           FORCED_PUSH: ${{ github.event.forced }}
           AUTHORIZED_ROOT_RESET_SHA: ${{ vars.AUTHORIZED_ROOT_RESET_SHA }}
-        run: npm run check:published-copy
+        run: npm run check:protected-sources
       - name: Install dependencies
         run: npm ci --ignore-scripts
       - name: Validate and build

README.md

@@ -1,47 +1,7 @@
-# Theodore Ouyang
-
-This repository contains the source for [theodoreoy.com](https://www.theodoreoy.com/),
-a selective personal archive built around four public sections:
-
-- **Home** — a particle-first opening stage followed by Theodore's profile,
-  biography, and contact coordinates.
-- **Education** — Theodore's academic record and selected coursework.
-- **Past Experience** — a five-domain archive generated from a validated source
-  record.
-- **Current Chapter** — a concise account of Theodore's exploration of practical
-  AI use cases in everyday life.
-
-The Home page gives visual priority to an interactive Three.js particle field.
-A same-shape particle fallback makes the first visible frame a stable word;
-the canvas then takes over without flashing solid text. The complete identity
-and biographical content remains available as static HTML below it.
-
-## Architecture and publishing
-
-The site uses the Next.js App Router, React, and TypeScript, and ships as a
-Next.js static export. There is no application server, database, or request-time
-API: GitHub Pages serves the generated HTML, CSS, JavaScript, fonts, and images.
-Pull requests validate the complete export; pushes to `main` deploy it.
+[![Theodore Ouyang — Exploring practical AI use cases](public/assets/brand/og-1774.jpg)](https://www.theodoreoy.com/)
 
-## Development and validation
-
-```sh
-npm ci --ignore-scripts
-npm run check
-npm audit --omit=dev
-npm run preview:static
-```
-
-`npm run check` runs linting, TypeScript, a production build, and final-artifact
-tests. Generated `.next/` and `out/` directories are intentionally not committed.
-See [`website-maintenance/`](website-maintenance/) for the source map, design
-boundaries, particle-system notes, and release checklist.
-
-## Rollback
-
-Publish changes through a pull request and keep `main` history intact. To undo a
-release, create a new `codex/` branch from the current `main`, revert the relevant
-merge commit, run the full validation suite, and merge that rollback through a
-new pull request. Do not rewrite the published branch.
+# Theodore Ouyang
 
-[Visit the website →](https://www.theodoreoy.com/)
+[theodoreoy.com](https://www.theodoreoy.com/) is a living archive of the
+questions Theodore pursues, the work he chooses to preserve, and the ways his
+thinking changes over time. It is selective and honest.

package.json

@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
   "scripts": {
     "dev": "next dev",
     "build": "next build",
-    "check:published-copy": "node scripts/check-published-copy-fixtures.mjs",
+    "check:protected-sources": "node scripts/check-protected-sources.mjs",
     "preview:static": "node scripts/preview-static.mjs",
     "typecheck": "tsc --noEmit",
     "test": "npm run build && npm run test:artifact",

scripts/README.md

@@ -7,5 +7,5 @@
 - `optimize-images.mjs` creates reproducible web derivatives while preserving
   the original image files.
 
-Whenever a public route is added, update the content registry and add its
-append-only published-copy snapshot before release.
+Whenever a public route is added, update the route registry, sitemap
+expectations, and final-artifact tests in the same change.

scripts/check-published-copy-fixtures.mjs → scripts/check-protected-sources.mjs

@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ import { execFileSync, spawnSync } from "node:child_process";
 
 const baseSha = process.env.BASE_SHA;
 if (!baseSha) {
-  throw new Error("BASE_SHA is required to verify append-only published copy fixtures.");
+  throw new Error("BASE_SHA is required to verify protected sources.");
 }
 
 const forcedPush = process.env.FORCED_PUSH === "true";
@@ -25,7 +25,6 @@ const protectedPathspecs = [
   ":(literal)app/past-experience/components/ExperienceDomainPage.tsx",
   ":(literal)app/lib/content/experience.ts",
   ":(literal)content/past-experience/archive-through-2026-06-30.md",
-  ":(glob)tests/fixtures/published-copy/*.json",
 ];
 
 const mergeBaseCheck = spawnSync(
@@ -46,12 +45,12 @@ let comparisonMessage;
 if (mergeBaseCheck.status === 0) {
   revisions = [`${baseSha}...HEAD`];
   comparisonMessage =
-    "Protected Education, Past Experience, and Current Chapter sources are unchanged; published-copy snapshots contain additions only.";
+    "Protected Education, Past Experience, and Current Chapter sources are unchanged.";
 } else if (isAuthorizedRootReset) {
   if (mergeBaseCheck.status === 1) {
     revisions = [baseSha, "HEAD"];
     comparisonMessage =
-      "Authorized root reset detected; direct tree comparison confirms protected Education, Past Experience, and Current Chapter sources are unchanged and published-copy snapshots contain additions only.";
+      "Authorized root reset detected; direct tree comparison confirms protected Education, Past Experience, and Current Chapter sources are unchanged.";
   } else {
     const emptyTreeSha = execFileSync(
       "git",
@@ -60,7 +59,7 @@ if (mergeBaseCheck.status === 0) {
     ).trim();
     revisions = [emptyTreeSha, "HEAD"];
     comparisonMessage =
-      "Authorized root reset detected without the previous object; protected Education, Past Experience, and Current Chapter sources and preservation snapshots are introduced as additions.";
+      "Authorized root reset detected without the previous object; protected Education, Past Experience, and Current Chapter sources are introduced as additions.";
   }
 } else {
   throw new Error(
@@ -89,7 +88,7 @@ const forbidden = changes
 
 if (forbidden.length > 0) {
   throw new Error(
-    "Protected Education, Past Experience, and Current Chapter sources are immutable, and published-copy snapshots are append-only; modification, deletion, and rename are forbidden:\n" +
+    "Protected Education, Past Experience, and Current Chapter sources are immutable; modification, deletion, and rename are forbidden:\n" +
       forbidden.join("\n"),
   );
 }

tests/rendered-html.test.mjs

@@ -477,39 +477,35 @@ test("Education retains all 31 selected courses", async () => {
   );
 });
 
-test("README mirrors the current four-page site and its operating model", async () => {
+test("README stays a concise public introduction", async () => {
   const readme = await readFile(path.join(ROOT, "README.md"), "utf8");
   assert.match(readme, /^# Theodore Ouyang$/mu);
-  for (const page of ["Home", "Education", "Past Experience", "Current Chapter"]) {
-    assert.match(readme, new RegExp(`\\b${page}\\b`, "u"), `README is missing ${page}`);
-  }
-  assert.match(readme, /particle[- ]first/iu);
-  assert.match(readme, /(?:same-shape|matching)\s+(?:particle\s+)?fallback/iu);
-  assert.match(readme, /Next(?:\.js)?\s+static export/iu);
-  assert.match(readme, /GitHub Pages/u);
-  assert.match(readme, /npm run check/u);
-  assert.match(readme, /npm run preview:static/u);
   assert.match(
     readme,
-    /\[Visit (?:the )?website[^\]]*\]\(https:\/\/www\.theodoreoy\.com\/\)/iu,
+    /\[!\[Theodore Ouyang[^\]]*\]\(public\/assets\/brand\/og-1774\.jpg\)\]\(https:\/\/www\.theodoreoy\.com\/\)/u,
+  );
+  assert.match(readme, /\[theodoreoy\.com\]\(https:\/\/www\.theodoreoy\.com\/\) is a living archive/u);
+  assert.match(readme, /It is selective and honest\./u);
+  assert.doesNotMatch(
+    readme,
+    /^##\s|<!--|<details|The archive|A note on the design|Repository note|deliberately\s+unfinished|npm run|Next(?:\.js)?\s+static export|GitHub Pages/imu,
   );
-  assert.doesNotMatch(readme, /Quis ego sum\?/iu);
 
   const normalized = readme.toLowerCase();
   for (const marker of RETIRED_MARKERS) {
     assert.ok(!normalized.includes(marker), `Retired marker remains in README: ${marker}`);
   }
 });
 
-test("the published-copy guard covers every protected source, including Current Chapter", async () => {
+test("the protected-source guard covers every protected source, including Current Chapter", async () => {
   const guard = await readFile(
-    path.join(ROOT, "scripts", "check-published-copy-fixtures.mjs"),
+    path.join(ROOT, "scripts", "check-protected-sources.mjs"),
     "utf8",
   );
   for (const relative of PROTECTED_SOURCE_HASHES.keys()) {
     assert.ok(
       guard.includes(`:(literal)${relative}`),
-      `Published-copy guard is missing protected source: ${relative}`,
+      `Protected-source guard is missing protected source: ${relative}`,
     );
   }
 });

website-maintenance/02-repository-structure.md

@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ there automatically.
 
 `preview-static.mjs` serves the exact `out/` artifact locally.
 `optimize-images.mjs` regenerates responsive image derivatives.
-`check-published-copy-fixtures.mjs` enforces protected-source and snapshot rules.
+`check-protected-sources.mjs` enforces protected-source immutability.
 
 ### `tests/`
 

website-maintenance/04-release-checklist.md

@@ -44,8 +44,7 @@ transparency, and high contrast.
 - Never commit generated or local-state directories.
 - Push a `codex/` branch and open a pull request against `main`.
 - Require the pull-request build to pass before merge.
-- Confirm the preservation gate reports protected sources unchanged and
-  published-copy snapshot additions only.
+- Confirm the preservation gate reports protected sources unchanged.
 - GitHub Pages deploys only after the validated change reaches `main`.
 - After deployment, verify the Home page, one dynamic experience route,
   `/robots.txt`, and `/sitemap.xml`.

website-maintenance/05-architecture-decisions.md

@@ -40,9 +40,8 @@ runtime listeners rather than allowing a later ready state to overwrite it.
 
 CI protects the Education, Past Experience, and Current Chapter source files
 directly, while the artifact suite verifies their normalized SHA-256 hashes and
-approved structural counts. Future published-copy snapshots are append-only.
-This lets an explicitly approved site change retire unrelated content without
-weakening the protected biographical record.
+approved structural counts. This lets an explicitly approved site change
+retire unrelated content without weakening the protected biographical record.
 
 ## Image policy
 

website-maintenance/README.md

@@ -7,9 +7,8 @@ assistants.
 ## Non-negotiable guardrail
 
 Education, Past Experience, and Current Chapter source files are protected from
-modification. Published-copy snapshots are append-only. Any other removal or
-rewrite requires Theodore's explicit approval and must update routes, tests,
-and documentation in the same change.
+modification. Any other removal or rewrite requires Theodore's explicit
+approval and must update routes, tests, and documentation in the same change.
 
 The visual system is intentionally restrained. Preserve its typography,
 material hierarchy, responsive behavior, reduced-motion support, and immediate