0004_visual-timeline-viewer-roadmap
Track the local and public viewer evolution from MVP timeline to redacted publicatio...
Document Metadata
- title: 0004 - Visual Timeline Viewer Roadmap
- description: Track the local and public viewer evolution from MVP timeline to redacted publication browser.
- status: backlog
- lastUpdated: "2026-06-04 14:43 ET (America/New_York)"
- owner: Product/Engineering
- priority: normal
- projectType: child
- parentProject: 0001_public-site-context-layer-setup
- programTrack: vie
Document Metadata
- title: 0004 - Visual Timeline Viewer Roadmap
- description: Track the local and public viewer evolution from MVP timeline to redacted publication browser.
- status: backlog
- lastUpdated: "2026-06-04 14:43 ET (America/New_York)"
- owner: Product/Engineering
- priority: normal
- projectType: child
- parentProject: 0001_public-site-context-layer-setup
- programTrack: viewer-experience
0004 - Visual Timeline Viewer Roadmap
Goals
- Preserve the useful local MVP behavior: dense thumbnails, date scrubber, detail overlay, nearby frames, summary matching, search, and inferred project filters.
- Add summary-only rows for days where persisted Chronicle summaries exist but raw visual frames have rolled off.
- Split local/private viewer features from public/redacted viewer features.
Current MVP Behavior
- Local viewer source now lives in
local-tools/chronicle-visualizer/. - Local Node server indexes
$TMPDIR/chronicle/screen_recording/. - Local server indexes
~/.codex/memories/extensions/chronicle/resources/. - Thumbnail cache is generated locally and lazily.
- Detail view shows frame, source path, nearby frames, related summary, and noisy OCR hints.
- Project filters are inferred from summary/path/OCR hints.
Future Tracks
Public App Scaffold
- App-first homepage with visual timeline, project filters, search, selected-frame inspector, redaction status, and date rail.
- Uses synthetic/redacted placeholders only until the redaction pipeline can generate approved public derivatives.
- Keeps docs/project tracker as secondary routes.
Local Private Viewer
- Archive-aware browsing across daily object-storage manifests.
- Summary-only history rows when screenshots are unavailable.
- Local review queue for redaction candidates.
- Redaction preview and before/after comparison.
Public Redacted Viewer
- Date-grouped public derivatives only.
- Redaction status badges.
- Inferred label warnings.
- No source paths that reveal private local filesystem details.
- Public-safe summaries, rewritten or reviewed before publication.
Success Criteria
- Public viewer cannot request raw private frames.
- Public metadata excludes local usernames, private paths, raw OCR, and sensitive summaries.
- Every public image has an approved redaction manifest entry.
- Local viewer remains useful for private forensic browsing.
Checkpoint Log
Checkpoint 01 - 2026-06-04 12:42 ET (America/New_York)
Completed Since Prior Checkpoint
- Captured MVP viewer behavior as the baseline roadmap.
- Split local/private and public/redacted viewer expectations.
Next Checkpoint Targets
- Decide whether to port the local MVP into this repo or keep it as a separate private workbench until redaction exists.
- Define data manifest shape shared by archive, redaction, and viewer layers.
Checkpoint 02 - 2026-06-04 13:00 ET (America/New_York)
Completed Since Prior Checkpoint
- Added an app-first public scaffold that resembles the intended viewer instead of a landing page.
- Preserved the rule that the public scaffold uses synthetic/redacted placeholders, not raw Chronicle frames.
Next Checkpoint Targets
- Connect the public app to a public-safe manifest shape once redaction pipeline work exists.
Checkpoint 03 - 2026-06-04 14:43 ET (America/New_York)
Completed Since Prior Checkpoint
- Imported the original local Chronicle visualizer source into
local-tools/chronicle-visualizer/. - Excluded generated thumbnail cache and raw Chronicle data from git.
- Added root script
npm run viewer:local.
Next Checkpoint Targets
- Decide whether to refactor the local viewer into the Next app or keep it as a separate local-only tool.
- Define the public-safe manifest shape shared by archive, redaction, and viewer layers.
Risks
- Moving the private MVP into a public repo could accidentally commit raw paths or screenshots if cache/raw directories are not ignored.
- Public summaries may leak too much context even without images.
MAGGIE TODO
- MAGGIE TODO: Decide whether the local viewer should remain a separate local-only tool or be refactored into the Next app after redaction boundaries are clearer.
Provenance
- Source file:
DOCS/PROJECTS/backlog/0004_visual-timeline-viewer-roadmap.md - Source URL: https://github.com/maggielerman/chronicle-visualizer/blob/main/DOCS/PROJECTS/backlog/0004_visual-timeline-viewer-roadmap.md
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