Browsing the repository's root directory reveals a tracked folder .vite/deps_temp_8e5c994c/ sitting alongside the legitimate top-level directories (backend/, frontend/, plugins/, docs/, etc.). This is a Vite dev-server dependency pre-bundling cache artifact — Vite generates .vite/deps_temp_* directories locally during development to cache pre-bundled dependencies, and these are never meant to be committed to version control (they're machine/session-specific, regenerate automatically, and provide zero value in git history).
This strongly suggests either a missing .vite/ entry in .gitignore, or a one-off accidental git add . that happened before .gitignore was correctly configured for this path.
Impact
Adds noise and unnecessary bloat to the repository for every future clone/fork — directly affecting GSSoC contributors this project explicitly wants to onboard.
Machine-specific hash-named folders (deps_temp_8e5c994c) will keep multiplying if other contributors' local Vite caches also get accidentally committed, since the pattern clearly isn't currently blocked.
Trivial, low-risk, high-value fix — ideal good-first-issue.
Proposed Solution
Confirm/add .vite/ (or more specifically **/.vite/) to the root and frontend/.gitignore.
Remove the tracked directory from git without deleting local caches: git rm -r --cached .vite.
Commit as an isolated "chore: remove tracked Vite cache artifact" commit for a clean, reviewable diff.
Verify a fresh npm run dev in frontend/ regenerates its own local .vite/ cache normally afterward (proving it was safe to remove).
Acceptance Criteria
.vite/deps_temp_8e5c994c/ no longer appears in git ls-files
.gitignore correctly excludes all .vite/ cache directories going forward
Fresh npm run dev still works correctly post-removal
Browsing the repository's root directory reveals a tracked folder .vite/deps_temp_8e5c994c/ sitting alongside the legitimate top-level directories (backend/, frontend/, plugins/, docs/, etc.). This is a Vite dev-server dependency pre-bundling cache artifact — Vite generates .vite/deps_temp_* directories locally during development to cache pre-bundled dependencies, and these are never meant to be committed to version control (they're machine/session-specific, regenerate automatically, and provide zero value in git history).
This strongly suggests either a missing .vite/ entry in .gitignore, or a one-off accidental git add . that happened before .gitignore was correctly configured for this path.
Impact
Adds noise and unnecessary bloat to the repository for every future clone/fork — directly affecting GSSoC contributors this project explicitly wants to onboard.
Machine-specific hash-named folders (deps_temp_8e5c994c) will keep multiplying if other contributors' local Vite caches also get accidentally committed, since the pattern clearly isn't currently blocked.
Trivial, low-risk, high-value fix — ideal good-first-issue.
Proposed Solution
Confirm/add .vite/ (or more specifically **/.vite/) to the root and frontend/.gitignore.
Remove the tracked directory from git without deleting local caches: git rm -r --cached .vite.
Commit as an isolated "chore: remove tracked Vite cache artifact" commit for a clean, reviewable diff.
Verify a fresh npm run dev in frontend/ regenerates its own local .vite/ cache normally afterward (proving it was safe to remove).
Acceptance Criteria
.vite/deps_temp_8e5c994c/ no longer appears in git ls-files
.gitignore correctly excludes all .vite/ cache directories going forward
Fresh npm run dev still works correctly post-removal