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Personal Digital Estate

ADR-0009: Gated Internet URLs as Browsing SSOT for Personal Knowledge

Context

Section titled “Context”

Francois manages personal knowledge across multiple devices: M1Max (primary work), Pixel 9A (mobile thinking), and others. Traditional approaches to knowledge access create friction:

  1. Local files only — require cloning, manual sync, per-device setup
  2. Google Drive only — renders poorly on mobile, no static site rendering, version ambiguity
  3. Truly public sites — expose personal data and operational details
  4. Git clone + local editor — acceptable for editing, poor for casual browsing and thinking

When Francois closes the M1Max in the evening and reaches for the Pixel 9A with a framework idea, he needs immediate, frictionless access to reference material (CONTEXT.md, diagrams, cost analysis) without:

  • Authentication per device
  • Sync delays or version ambiguity
  • Complex tooling or setup
  • Risk of personal data leakage

Decision

Section titled “Decision”

Use internet-published static sites (gated by Cloudflare Access + email OTP) as the primary browsing interface for personal knowledge. GitHub repos remain the SSOT for editing and version control. This model applies to:

  • docs.ducatillon.net — Architecture Wiki (private, Cloudflare Access)
  • notes.ducatillon.net — Personal blog and research (public)
  • strata.ducatillon.net — Finance app and analysis (public)
  • Any future personal knowledge site

Architecture

Section titled “Architecture”
GitHub repo (SSOT for editing)
    ↓ (git push)
GitHub Pages / Cloudflare Pages (auto-deploy on push)
    ↓ (rendered static HTML + CSS)
Internet URL (https://docs.ducatillon.net)
    ↓ (Cloudflare Access middleware)
Optional gating: Email OTP (for private sites)
    ↓
Browser (M1Max, Pixel 9A, any device with browser)
    → Frictionless reading, thinking, idea capture

Editing workflow (for substantive changes):

  1. Clone repo locally: git clone <repo>
  2. Edit .md or .astro files
  3. Test locally: npm run dev
  4. Push: git push
  5. Auto-deploy to Pages/Cloudflare
  6. Changes live on internet URL within ~1-2 minutes

Browsing workflow (for reference and thinking):

  1. On any device: open https://docs.ducatillon.net
  2. Enter email for OTP (if gated; ~1 OTP session lasts hours)
  3. Read, browse, think, capture ideas
  4. No sync, no git, no setup — just think

Rationale

Section titled “Rationale”
FactorWhy This Matters
Device independenceM1Max → Pixel 9A → tablet. One brain, continuous thought. Internet URL is the switching point.
Frictionless accessNo git clone, no local build, no “is this version current?” No per-device auth (OTP session lasts hours).
Thinking timeLate-night ideas, shower thoughts, commute insights — immediate access to framework reference. Iterative thinking without friction compounds into better decisions.
Version clarityPublished URL is always the current state. No “which branch am I on?” ambiguity.
Separation of concernsEdit on laptop (local clone + tooling). Read/think on any device (browser URL). Different workflows for different contexts.
Gating privacyCloudflare Access + OTP respects the Personal Boundary — not public, not open to the world, but not dependent on any tool installation.
ScalingModel works for all personal sites: notes, projects, analysis, framework. Future Hermes Agent can read the raw .md via GitHub MCP for automation.

Consequences

Section titled “Consequences”

✅ Benefits

Section titled “✅ Benefits”
  1. Continuity of thought — closes device gap, enables idea capture across contexts
  2. Low operational tax — Cloudflare Pages free tier, rclone free, no extra services
  3. Reversibility — if OTP becomes friction, switch to truly public (just remove Access); if need local-only, clone the repo
  4. Hermes-friendly — Agent can read raw .md from GitHub simultaneously; no conflict

⚠ Trade-offs

Section titled “⚠ Trade-offs”
  1. Edit friction on phone — mobile editing is harder than desktop. Mitigation: Pixel 9A has Markor (markdown editor) + GitHub mobile app; good enough for urgent fixes, but real edits happen on M1Max.
  2. Dependency on internet — offline access requires local clone. Mitigation: phone is rarely offline; important docs can be bookmarked or saved locally if needed.
  3. OTP session management — users must manage OTP sessions. Mitigation: OTP lasts ~12 hours per browser; acceptable for personal use.

Alternatives Rejected

Section titled “Alternatives Rejected”
AlternativeWhy Rejected
Local files only (no internet URL)Breaks device independence; late-night ideas require repo sync setup
Private GitHub repos with CLIRequires git clone + terminal per device; too much friction for casual thinking
Google Drive ONLYDoesn’t render as a readable website; no frictionless mobile experience
Truly public internet (no gating)Exposes cost data, personal details, operational decisions; violates Personal Boundary
Obsidian vault + syncAdds subscription cost, vendor dependency, sync complexity

Implementation Status

Section titled “Implementation Status”

IMPLEMENTED ✅

  • docs.ducatillon.net (Architecture Wiki, private Cloudflare Access) — operational
  • notes.ducatillon.net (blog, public) — operational
  • strata.ducatillon.net (finance analysis, public) — operational
  • Cloudflare Pages auto-deploy — configured
  • Cloudflare Access + OTP — configured for private sites

Monitoring & Review

Section titled “Monitoring & Review”
  • Success metric: Francois captures 2+ framework ideas/month via mobile browsing
  • OTP friction metric: If OTP logins > 5/week become annoying, reconsider (e.g., allowlist IP ranges)
  • Next review: After 2 months of Hermes Agent operation (check if agent needs simultaneous GitHub raw access)
Section titled “Related ADRs”