fix(web): retire the stale homelab-era copy — neutral, accurate defaults on every page

Fixed: index.html meta description, empty-state sub and composer
placeholder (A1); app/config.py default suggestion chips → the four
neutral A2 defaults (BOR_SUGGESTIONS override unchanged); sources.html
KB page-sub → the current source model (git repos + local dirs +
uploaded archives, Sync pulls/imports); git-sources.html example URL
→ your-repo.git (A3); all 9 footers → neutral default in
span.footer-text (the phase-62 hook); E2E/unit conftests force the
code defaults so a local .env cannot leak corpus copy into tests;
new unit text pins + dedicated E2E suite.

Task 02 verification read-through — no change needed:
- sources.html sync result/error copy (matches the real sync behavior)
- tuning.html page-sub (accurate as written)
- history.html page-sub (accurate as written)
- doc-edit.html page-sub (accurate as written)
- git-sources.html page-sub (accurate as written)
- #sources-gate anonymous copy (accurate as written)

tests/conftest.py

@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 """Shared fixtures for unit + integration tests."""
 from __future__ import annotations
 
+import json
 import os
 from collections.abc import Iterator
 
@@ -23,6 +24,20 @@ SESSION_SECRET = "test-session-secret-0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef"
 os.environ.setdefault("BOR_ADMIN_PASSWORD", ADMIN_PASSWORD)
 os.environ.setdefault("BOR_SESSION_SECRET", SESSION_SECRET)
 
+# Phase 61 (defect fix): the app under test must see the code DEFAULTS,
+# not an operator's local (gitignored) ``.env`` — ``Settings`` loads
+# ``env_file=".env"`` from the repo root, and a machine-specific corpus
+# (e.g. ``BOR_SUGGESTIONS``, ``BOR_DOCS_REPO``) leaked into the tests
+# broke the default-metadata pins. pydantic-settings ranks process env
+# vars ABOVE the ``.env`` file, so force the defaults explicitly here,
+# before ``app.main`` (below) caches settings. The suggestions default
+# is derived from the class field so this can never drift from
+# ``app/config.py``; docs-push stays inert (empty repo).
+from app.config import Settings as _Settings  # noqa: E402
+
+os.environ["BOR_DOCS_REPO"] = ""
+os.environ["BOR_SUGGESTIONS"] = json.dumps(_Settings.model_fields["suggestions"].default)
+
 from app.db import SessionLocal, db_available  # noqa: E402
 from app.main import app as fastapi_app  # noqa: E402
 

tests/e2e/conftest.py

@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ Prerequisite for story tests that touch the database:
 """
 from __future__ import annotations
 
+import json
 import os
 import subprocess
 import sys
@@ -25,6 +26,8 @@ import httpx
 import pytest
 from playwright.sync_api import Browser, Page, sync_playwright
 
+from app.config import Settings as _Settings
+
 REPO = Path(__file__).resolve().parents[2]
 APP_PORT = int(os.environ.get("E2E_APP_PORT", "8123"))
 MOCK_PORT = int(os.environ.get("E2E_MOCK_PORT", "8901"))
@@ -99,6 +102,16 @@ def app_server(mock_llm: int) -> Iterator[str]:
     # Phase 16: admin auth must be set or create_app() refuses to boot.
     env["BOR_ADMIN_PASSWORD"] = ADMIN_PASSWORD
     env["BOR_SESSION_SECRET"] = SESSION_SECRET
+    # Phase 61 (defect fix): force the code DEFAULTS so an operator's local
+    # (gitignored) ``.env`` — loaded by pydantic-settings from ``cwd=REPO``
+    # — cannot leak corpus-specific chips / a docs repo into the app under
+    # test: process env ranks above the ``.env`` file. The suggestions
+    # default is derived from the class field (never drifts from
+    # ``app/config.py``); docs-push stays inert (empty repo).
+    env["BOR_DOCS_REPO"] = ""
+    env["BOR_SUGGESTIONS"] = json.dumps(
+        _Settings.model_fields["suggestions"].default
+    )
     proc = subprocess.Popen(
         [sys.executable, "-m", "uvicorn", "app.main:app",
          "--host", "127.0.0.1", "--port", str(APP_PORT), "--log-level", "warning"],

tests/e2e/test_response_to_docs.py

@@ -216,6 +216,11 @@ def _spawn_app(port: int, mock_port: int, docs_env: dict[str, str] | None) -> su
             "BOR_DOCS_WORK_DIR",
         ):
             env.pop(var, None)
+        # Phase 61 (defect fix): the pop only clears the process env —
+        # pydantic-settings would still pick up ``BOR_DOCS_REPO`` from an
+        # operator's local (gitignored) ``.env`` (``cwd=REPO``). Force
+        # empty so the "unconfigured" boot really is the inert default.
+        env["BOR_DOCS_REPO"] = ""
     else:
         env.update(docs_env)
     return subprocess.Popen(

tests/e2e/test_stale_ui_copy.py

@@ -0,0 +1,117 @@
+"""Phase 61 E2E (Playwright): the retired homelab-era copy is gone — the
+visitor SEES the locked neutral copy on the shared default server.
+
+Story: n/a (TODO-derived — TODO.md L4 "Clean up the UI, there's text
+that references old features…"). Run in isolation (DB must be up:
+``podman compose up -d db``):
+
+    uv run pytest tests/e2e/test_stale_ui_copy.py -v --no-cov
+
+The shared conftest server boots with the default env — and the code
+defaults are exactly this phase's locked copy (A1/A2; the conftest
+forces ``BOR_SUGGESTIONS`` from the ``Settings`` field so an operator's
+local ``.env`` cannot leak corpus-specific chips). Every assertion is a
+settled-state check: static HTML + one ``GET /api/suggestions`` fetch;
+Playwright's ``expect`` retries ride out the chip rendering.
+
+Test → lock mapping (Playwright Mapping Rule):
+1. ``test_chat_page_placeholder_meta_footer_are_the_locked_copy``
+2. ``test_chat_page_shows_no_homelab_or_deployment_text``
+3. ``test_chat_page_suggestion_chips_are_the_locked_list``
+4. ``test_sources_page_sub_describes_the_current_source_model``
+5. ``test_git_sources_example_url_is_neutral``
+"""
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+from playwright.sync_api import Page, expect
+
+# The locked replacement copy (owner-locked A1 / A2 / A3 — same literals
+# as tests/unit/test_stale_ui_copy.py; the unit pins guard the files,
+# this suite guards what the visitor actually sees).
+META = "Ask anything about your indexed documents — every answer cites the exact doc."
+PLACEHOLDER = "Ask me anything…"
+FOOTER = "Powered by self-hosted models"
+GIT_EXAMPLE = "https://github.com/you/your-repo.git"
+
+CHIPS = [
+    "What documents are in the knowledge base?",
+    "Which source does each answer come from?",
+    "How do I add a new source?",
+    "Summarize the most recent document.",
+]
+
+
+def test_chat_page_placeholder_meta_footer_are_the_locked_copy(
+    page: Page, app_url: str, db_ready: None
+) -> None:
+    """The composer placeholder, the <meta description> content and the
+    footer span all read the locked (A1) copy — read from the DOM a
+    visitor gets."""
+    page.goto(f"{app_url}/")
+    expect(page.locator("#message-input")).to_have_attribute(
+        "placeholder", PLACEHOLDER
+    )
+    meta = page.eval_on_selector('meta[name="description"]', "el => el.content")
+    assert meta == META, "the rendered meta description must be the locked copy"
+    expect(page.locator(".footer-text").first).to_have_text(FOOTER)
+
+
+def test_chat_page_shows_no_homelab_or_deployment_text(
+    page: Page, app_url: str, db_ready: None
+) -> None:
+    """The entire rendered chat page (nav, empty state, composer, footer)
+    shows no homelab-era text — the empty-state sub AND the four
+    rendered suggestion chips are covered by this body scan (case-
+    insensitive; a fresh page context has no saved chats, so the empty
+    state is what renders)."""
+    page.goto(f"{app_url}/")
+    expect(page.locator("#suggestions .suggestion-chip")).to_have_count(len(CHIPS))
+    body = page.evaluate("() => document.body.innerText.toLowerCase()")
+    assert "homelab" not in body, f"homelab-era text rendered on the chat page: {body!r}"
+    assert "deployment" not in body, (
+        f"homelab-era text rendered on the chat page: {body!r}"
+    )
+
+
+def test_chat_page_suggestion_chips_are_the_locked_list(
+    page: Page, app_url: str, db_ready: None
+) -> None:
+    """The four rendered empty-state chips (from ``GET
+    /api/suggestions``, the code default) are the locked (A2) list, in
+    order."""
+    page.goto(f"{app_url}/")
+    chips = page.locator("#suggestions .suggestion-chip")
+    expect(chips).to_have_count(len(CHIPS))
+    for i, chip in enumerate(CHIPS):
+        expect(chips.nth(i)).to_have_text(chip)
+
+
+def test_sources_page_sub_describes_the_current_source_model(
+    page: Page, app_url: str, db_ready: None
+) -> None:
+    """The KB page-sub (the string the TODO cited by name) no longer
+    names ~/Homelab or ~/Deployments and describes the current source
+    model. The page is anonymously viewable — the catalog gate hides
+    the table, not the page-head."""
+    page.goto(f"{app_url}/sources.html")
+    sub = page.locator(".page-sub").first
+    expect(sub).to_be_visible()
+    text = sub.inner_text().lower()
+    assert "homelab" not in text, f"retired copy in the page-sub: {text!r}"
+    assert "deployments" not in text, f"retired copy in the page-sub: {text!r}"
+    assert "configured sources" in text, (
+        f"the page-sub must name the current source model: {text!r}"
+    )
+
+
+def test_git_sources_example_url_is_neutral(
+    page: Page, app_url: str, db_ready: None
+) -> None:
+    """The repo-URL form example (A3) is the neutral your-repo.git —
+    read from the DOM; the element exists even while
+    ``#git-sources-content`` is hidden for an anonymous visitor (no
+    sign-in needed)."""
+    page.goto(f"{app_url}/git-sources.html")
+    expect(page.locator("#git-source-url")).to_have_attribute(
+        "placeholder", GIT_EXAMPLE
+    )

tests/unit/test_stale_ui_copy.py

@@ -0,0 +1,166 @@
+"""Unit: phase-61 text pins — the retired homelab-era copy is GONE, the
+locked neutral replacements are PRESENT (house pattern: read the files
+as text, assert substrings — no browser, cf. test_frontend_brand.py).
+
+The browser-visible layer is gated by the story suite
+(``tests/e2e/test_stale_ui_copy.py``); these pins catch a silent
+regression in the templates / the ``Settings`` defaults without it.
+"""
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import re
+from pathlib import Path
+
+FRONTEND = Path(__file__).resolve().parents[2] / "frontend"
+ROOT = FRONTEND.parent
+CONFIG_PY = ROOT / "app" / "config.py"
+
+#: Every page in the app ships a footer (the phase-39 ``HTML_PAGES``
+#: tuple, repeated here so this file stands alone).
+HTML_PAGES = (
+    "index.html",
+    "sources.html",
+    "tuning.html",
+    "document.html",
+    "login.html",
+    "git-sources.html",
+    "history.html",
+    "shared.html",
+    "doc-edit.html",
+)
+
+# --- the locked replacement copy (owner-locked A1 / A2) ----------------
+
+META = "Ask anything about your indexed documents — every answer cites the exact doc."
+EMPTY_SUB = (
+    "I've read through your documents — ask me anything, and I'll point "
+    "you at the exact doc. You've got this."
+)
+PLACEHOLDER = "Ask me anything…"
+PAGE_SUB = (
+    "Every file indexed from your configured sources — git repositories, "
+    "local directories, and uploaded archives. Press <strong>Sync "
+    "sources</strong> to pull the latest and re-import."
+)
+FOOTER = "Powered by self-hosted models"
+
+CHIPS = [
+    "What documents are in the knowledge base?",
+    "Which source does each answer come from?",
+    "How do I add a new source?",
+    "Summarize the most recent document.",
+]
+
+# --- the retired homelab-era copy (must be nowhere) --------------------
+
+OLD_META_FRAG = "the homelab and deployments"
+OLD_SUB_FRAG = "the homelab and deployment notes"
+OLD_PLACEHOLDER_FRAG = "Ask me about the homelab"
+OLD_FOOTER = "Reese's self-hosted models"
+OLD_GIT_EXAMPLE = "github.com/you/homelab"
+
+OLD_CHIPS = [
+    "How is my Kubernetes cluster set up?",
+    "What's my backup strategy?",
+    "How do I deploy a new service?",
+    "What's currently running in the homelab?",
+]
+
+
+def _text(path: Path) -> str:
+    return path.read_text(encoding="utf-8")
+
+
+def _norm(text: str) -> str:
+    """Collapse whitespace runs — the templates wrap long lines, so the
+    locked copy is pinned against the normalized text."""
+    return re.sub(r"\s+", " ", text).strip()
+
+
+def test_chat_page_old_copy_is_gone() -> None:
+    """index.html: the old meta fragment, the old empty-state sub
+    fragment, the old composer placeholder and the old footer are all
+    retired. (The L176 code comment still says 'homelab' — A3: comments
+    are not user-visible and stay untouched, so only the exact old
+    user-visible strings are pinned.)"""
+    html = _text(FRONTEND / "index.html")
+    for frag in (OLD_META_FRAG, OLD_SUB_FRAG, OLD_PLACEHOLDER_FRAG, OLD_FOOTER):
+        assert frag not in html, f"retired chat copy still present: {frag!r}"
+
+
+def test_sources_page_old_copy_is_gone() -> None:
+    """sources.html: the ~/Homelab + ~/Deployments page-sub citations and
+    the old footer are retired."""
+    html = _text(FRONTEND / "sources.html")
+    for frag in ("~/Homelab", "~/Deployments", OLD_FOOTER):
+        assert frag not in html, f"retired sources copy still present: {frag!r}"
+
+
+def test_git_sources_page_old_copy_is_gone() -> None:
+    """git-sources.html: the old example repo URL (A3) and the old
+    footer are retired."""
+    html = _text(FRONTEND / "git-sources.html")
+    for frag in (OLD_GIT_EXAMPLE, OLD_FOOTER):
+        assert frag not in html, f"retired git-sources copy still present: {frag!r}"
+
+
+def test_chat_page_locked_copy_present_exactly_once() -> None:
+    """The three locked (A1) chat strings, each exactly once in
+    index.html (a second copy could drift out of sync)."""
+    html = _norm(_text(FRONTEND / "index.html"))
+    assert html.count(META) == 1, "the locked meta description"
+    assert html.count(EMPTY_SUB) == 1, "the locked empty-state sub"
+    assert html.count(PLACEHOLDER) == 1, "the locked composer placeholder"
+
+
+def test_sources_page_sub_is_the_locked_copy() -> None:
+    """The KB .page-sub (the string the TODO cited by name) reads the
+    locked (A1) copy, including the <strong> around Sync sources —
+    pinned inside the .page-sub element, not anywhere in the file."""
+    html = _text(FRONTEND / "sources.html")
+    m = re.search(r'<p class="page-sub">(.*?)</p>', html, re.DOTALL)
+    assert m, "sources.html must keep the .page-sub"
+    assert _norm(m.group(1)) == PAGE_SUB
+
+
+def test_all_nine_footers_are_the_locked_neutral_default() -> None:
+    """Every page carries the locked (A1) footer inside exactly one
+    ``class="footer-text"`` span (the stable hook phase 62's
+    BOR_FOOTER_TEXT env var drives)."""
+    span = f'<span class="footer-text">{FOOTER}</span>'
+    for page in HTML_PAGES:
+        html = _text(FRONTEND / page)
+        assert html.count('class="footer-text"') == 1, (
+            f"{page}: exactly one .footer-text span"
+        )
+        assert html.count(span) == 1, f"{page}: the locked neutral footer"
+
+
+def test_config_default_chips_are_the_locked_list_in_order() -> None:
+    """The ``Settings.suggestions`` default (app/config.py) is exactly
+    the four locked (A2) chips, in order (the E2E conftest derives the
+    app-under-test env from this field — it can never drift)."""
+    config = _text(CONFIG_PY)
+    m = re.search(r"suggestions: list\[str\] = \[(.*?)\]", config, re.DOTALL)
+    assert m, "the suggestions default list must exist in app/config.py"
+    block = m.group(1)
+    positions = []
+    for chip in CHIPS:
+        assert f'"{chip}"' in block, f"locked chip missing from the default: {chip!r}"
+        positions.append(block.index(f'"{chip}"'))
+    assert positions == sorted(positions), "the chips must keep the locked order"
+
+
+def test_old_chips_are_retired_not_relocated() -> None:
+    """The four old default chips are retired, not relocated: they must
+    appear NOWHERE in the app source (app/ + frontend/) — config.py
+    included (the scan covers it)."""
+    for base in (ROOT / "app", FRONTEND):
+        for path in sorted(base.rglob("*")):
+            if not path.is_file() or "__pycache__" in path.parts:
+                continue
+            text = path.read_text(encoding="utf-8")
+            for chip in OLD_CHIPS:
+                assert chip not in text, (
+                    f"retired chip {chip!r} relocated to {path.relative_to(ROOT)}"
+                )

tests/unit/test_sync_button.py

@@ -102,13 +102,18 @@ def test_sync_error_banner_is_a_hidden_alert() -> None:
 
 
 def test_page_sub_copy_mentions_the_button() -> None:
-    """The page-sub copy names the button as the one-click way to clone
-    the repos and re-import (the import CLI docs live elsewhere)."""
+    """The page-sub copy names the button as the one-click way to pull
+    the latest and re-import (the import CLI docs live elsewhere).
+    Phase 61: the copy describes the current source model (git repos +
+    local directories + uploaded archives), not the old ~/Homelab +
+    ~/Deployments clone."""
     sub = re.search(r'<p class="page-sub">(.*?)</p>', _text(SOURCES_HTML), re.DOTALL)
     assert sub, "sources.html must keep the .page-sub copy"
     copy = re.sub(r"\s+", " ", sub.group(1))  # the markup wraps lines
     assert "Press <strong>Sync sources</strong>" in copy
-    assert "clone the repos and re-import" in copy
+    assert "pull the latest and re-import" in copy
+    assert "git repositories," in copy
+    assert "local directories, and uploaded archives" in copy
 
 
 def test_sources_page_stays_cdn_free() -> None: