App Files And APIs

Use this skill when frontend code needs to read or write app files, inspect the current user, discover files by pattern, or call backend endpoints from the browser.

Core Frontend API Surface

The shared frontend runtime exposes authenticated backend helpers through space.api.

Current wrapped helpers include:

• await space.api.fileList(pathOrOptions, recursive?)
• await space.api.fileRead(pathOrFiles, encoding?)
• await space.api.fileWrite(pathOrFiles, content?, encoding?)
• await space.api.fileDelete(pathOrPaths)
• await space.api.fileCopy(pathOrEntries, toPath?)
• await space.api.fileMove(pathOrEntries, toPath?)
• await space.api.fileInfo(pathOrOptions)
• space.api.folderDownloadUrl(pathOrOptions)
• await space.api.gitHistoryList(pathOrOptions, limit?)
• await space.api.gitHistoryDiff(pathOrOptions, commitHash?, filePath?)
• await space.api.gitHistoryPreview(pathOrOptions, commitHash?, operation?, filePath?)
• await space.api.gitHistoryRollback(pathOrOptions, commitHash?)
• await space.api.gitHistoryRevert(pathOrOptions, commitHash?)
• await space.api.userSelfInfo()
• await space.api.call("endpoint_name", { method, query, body, headers, signal })

fileRead(...) accepts one logical path, one { path, encoding? } entry, or a files batch. The frontend wrapper now coalesces same-tick reads into one /api/file_read request and re-slices the returned files back to each caller, retrying individually when a combined batch fails so shorthand paths and optional missing-file reads still behave like standalone calls. Explicit batching is still best when you already have the file list, but small independent reads no longer fan out 1:1 by default.

fileWrite(...) still supports the simple replacement form fileWrite(path, content, encoding?), but object-form writes also support incremental updates: { path, content, operation: "append" }, { path, content, operation: "prepend" }, or { path, content, operation: "insert", line | before | after }. Insert writes accept exactly one anchor, use the first literal before or after match, treat line as a 1-based insertion point, and require utf8. Batch writes may set those fields per entry or once at the top level as defaults. Prefer these incremental write modes when you only need to add or place text instead of rereading and rewriting the whole file.

Use space.api.folderDownloadUrl(...) when the browser should trigger a regular authenticated folder download without buffering the ZIP file into frontend memory first.

When a UI needs user-visible download failure feedback without fetching the archive blob into memory, preflight the request with space.api.fileInfo(...) for files or space.api.call("folder_download", { method: "HEAD", query: { path } }) for folders before starting the browser download.

fileList(...) accepts { access: "write" } or { writableOnly: true } when discovery must be limited to writable paths. Use { gitRepositories: true, access: "write" } or space.api.call("file_paths", { method: "POST", body: { patterns: ["**/.git/"], gitRepositories: true, access: "write" } }) to discover writable local-history owner roots; the server returns paths such as L1/team/ and L2/alice/, not .git metadata.

gitHistoryList(...), gitHistoryDiff(...), gitHistoryPreview(...), gitHistoryRollback(...), and gitHistoryRevert(...) are available only when the backend runtime has CUSTOMWARE_GIT_HISTORY=true. They operate on writable owner roots such as ~, L2/<user>/, or L1/<group>/; list supports limit, offset, and fileFilter, preview returns affected files and optional operation-specific patches for travel or revert, diff reads one commit-file patch, rollback requires write permission and preserves ignored L2 auth files plus forward-travel refs, and revert creates a new inverse commit. The first-party #/time_travel page defaults to the authenticated user's ~ history and can switch to write-accessible L1 or L2 history roots through the repository picker.

Logical Path Rules

• Use logical app-rooted paths such as L2/alice/user.yaml, not disk paths.
• ~ and ~/... target the authenticated user's L2/<username>/... path.
• These logical paths do not change when writable storage moves under CUSTOMWARE_PATH.
• fileWrite(".../") creates a directory because the path ends with /.
• .git metadata under writable owner roots is server infrastructure and is blocked from app-file reads, writes, direct fetches, and indexed discovery.

Discovery Rules

• Use permission-aware APIs, not ad hoc browser path guesses.
• Use space.api.call("file_paths", { method: "POST", body: { patterns: [...] } }) for indexed glob discovery; add access: "write" for writable-only results.
• Server-side file_paths discovery is shard-scoped to readable or writable file_index owner shards; the endpoint ensures the current user's full L2 shard when needed, so callers should pass precise patterns and rely on the endpoint instead of trying to enumerate all app paths in browser code.
• Use space.api.call("module_list", ...) only when you need module inventory metadata rather than raw file paths.
• Use space.api.call("extensions_load", ...) when the browser needs module-owned ext/... assets resolved with layered override behavior, such as HTML adapters or JS hooks. Keep maxLayer at the top level of the call, and when batching grouped lookups send ordered patterns entries and read grouped results back in that same order.
• Use file_paths plus fileRead(...) for readable module metadata files such as ext/panels/*.yaml when you only need logical file discovery and file contents rather than the extensions_load response shape.

Storage Rules

• Browser storage is for small non-authoritative UI state.
• Persistent user or group state should live in app files or explicit backend APIs.
• Use space.config only for frontend-exposed runtime params, not for general persistence.
• Browser code may update the current user's ~/user.yaml directly when changing browser-owned metadata such as full_name, but password rotation must stay backend-owned through space.api.call("password_change", ...) instead of writing ~/meta/password.json; that endpoint also clears the current login's persisted userCrypto browser state.

Identity Snapshot

• space.api.userSelfInfo() returns { username, fullName, groups, managedGroups, sessionId, userCryptoKeyId, userCryptoState }.
• Treat app/ as the frontend repo tree and server, commands, and packaging as read-only from this frontend skill set.
• The current user may always write L2/<username>/ and L2/<username>/mod/.
• The current user may write L1/<group>/ and L1/<group>/mod/ for each entry in managedGroups.
• If groups includes _admin, the user may write any L1/<group>/... or L2/<user>/... path except L0, which remains firmware-only.
• Readable group roots still follow group membership and layer rules; use development/layers-ownership when you need the full read-resolution model.

Boundary Rule

• This skill is for consuming backend APIs from the frontend.
• Do not change backend handlers from this skill set; load development/backend-reference when you need the read-only backend model behind these APIs.
• Prefer frontend logic plus existing space.api helpers over asking for new backend endpoints.
• Ask for backend permission only when the browser cannot safely enforce the required security, integrity, cross-user, or stability boundary on its own.

Mandatory Doc Follow-Up

• If the frontend API surface, app-file path rules, or indexed discovery behavior change, update the mirrored docs and the development skill subtree in the same session.