# pick-a-name (P1 — pre-launch brand consistency)

**Status:** in-progress
**Priority:** P1 (pre-launch; not a security blocker, but a brand-consistency
blocker that touches every user-facing surface)
**Convoy owner:** parent (orchestration); `role-architect` then
`role-implementer(s)` then `role-doc-writer`
**Opened:** 2026-05-24
**Operator decision (gate-0, already ratified):** **Deck Hearth wins.**

## Problem

`AGENTS.md` line 5 has called this out since project setup: the repo, README,
seed data, package name, infrastructure, and admin email all say **"TCG
Vault"** (and the kebab `tcg-vault` / camel `tcgvault` variants), while the
actual rendered header brand in `components/Layout.js` says **"Deck Hearth"**.
Two distinct names, two distinct visual brands (the `AnimatedFireLogo.js`
component is also affected). Pre-launch this MUST be one name end-to-end.

## Operator's brand decision (gate-0)

**Deck Hearth wins.** Rationale (operator-stated): more distinctive, more
ownable, and the brand the human-facing surface (Layout header) already
renders. The trade is real: this is the higher-cost path because the
already-shipped infrastructure ID is the *losing* name. The architect's job
is to scope and minimize that cost — NOT to re-litigate the brand decision.

## Initial surface inventory (architect to expand)

Pre-architect rough hit-count from `rg`, scoped to non-vendor files:

| Surface | Files (sample) | "TCG Vault" or `tcg(-)?vault` hits |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Marketing copy | `README.md`, `pages/index.js`, `pages/login.js`, `pages/signup.js` | 4 + 5 + 4 + 1 |
| Brand components | `components/AnimatedFireLogo.js`, `components/ShareModal.js` | 4 + 1 |
| Seed scripts (admin email) | `scripts/setup-neon-db.js`, `scripts/create-test-users.js`, `scripts/seed-collections-*.js` | 2 + 7 + 6 |
| Test guides | `TESTING_GUIDE.md` | 7 |
| **Infrastructure-bound (rename has external blast)** | `package.json`, `lib/rate-limit.js` (Redis prefix), `.github/workflows/*.yml` | 1 + 5 + 3 |
| **Already-correct (Deck Hearth)** | `components/Layout.js`, `styles/globals.css`, `components/AnimatedFireLogo.js` partial | n/a (these stay) |

## Hard scoping rules

- **Strictly NO re-litigating the brand decision.** Deck Hearth wins; the
  architect ratifies *how* to rename, not *whether* to.
- **Keep the repo `tcg-vault` for now.** GitHub rename is a separate concern
  (auto-redirects work, but Vercel-link / `gh` configs / local remotes /
  bookmarks all need touching). Track as a queued follow-up convoy
  `rename-repo-and-vercel-project`. This convoy renames the **product brand
  in-app**; the repo/Vercel rename is a downstream convoy.
- **Redis prefix migration is in scope.** `lib/rate-limit.js` uses
  `tcgvault:auth/search/upload/generate/import` as Redis key prefixes. These
  must rename to `deckhearth:*` (or similar) atomically with the convoy.
  Accept the one-time rate-limit-state reset (counters are per-15-min /
  per-1-hour anyway; no user-perceptible impact).
- **Admin email migration is in scope.** `admin@tcgvault.com` rename to
  `admin@deckhearth.com` (or similar — architect proposes the canonical
  email, operator ratifies). Includes the in-DB UPDATE for any existing
  `admin@tcgvault.com` row (write a one-off `scripts/migrations/YYYY-MM-DD-
  rename-admin-email.js` per the no-go-zones rule for new migrations).
- **`package.json` name field:** rename to `deck-hearth` in this convoy
  (npm package name; we don't publish, so blast is contained to lockfile +
  any local script reference).
- **Lockfile regeneration:** the architect ratifies whether to regenerate
  `package-lock.json` in this convoy or accept the rename mismatch
  short-term. (Recommended: regenerate; cheap; matches package.json shape.)
- **DNS / domain:** out of scope — separate convoy
  `point-domain-at-deckhearth` (you don't own a `deckhearth.*` domain yet
  per operator's pre-convoy statement; if/when acquired, that triggers DNS).
- **Favicon / OG images / social cards:** in scope IF source files exist;
  defer to follow-up convoy `regenerate-brand-assets` if they need new design.

## Architect deliverables

1. **Full surface inventory** — every occurrence of `TCG Vault`, `tcgvault`,
   `tcg-vault`, plus every occurrence of `Deck Hearth` / `deck-hearth` /
   `deckhearth` (the latter set tells you what's *already* correct and what
   shape collisions need handling, e.g., if Layout.js has `Deck Hearth` but
   AnimatedFireLogo.js has `DECKHEARTH` — pick canonical casing).
2. **Canonical-string ratification:** propose the canonical product name
   ("Deck Hearth" with internal-cap; or "Deckhearth" one word; or other);
   the canonical kebab (`deck-hearth`); the canonical camel/lower
   (`deckhearth`); the canonical admin email (`admin@deckhearth.com` or
   variant); the canonical Redis prefix (`deckhearth` or `dh`). Mark each as
   D1-D5 (operator gate-1 for all five — they're naming choices, not
   architectural ones).
3. **Slice plan:** probably 2-3 briefs. Suggested split (architect can
   change): Brief 1 = in-repo string sweep + AnimatedFireLogo brand update
   (mechanical); Brief 2 = Redis prefix migration in `lib/rate-limit.js` +
   admin-email DB migration script + package.json rename + lockfile
   regen (operationally riskier — needs careful testing). Brief 3 (if
   needed) = visual baseline reset (because the smoke + visual-diff specs
   will all fail with the new brand).
4. **Boot-the-brief verification** for each: confirm specs compile, lint
   passes, vitest passes, smoke can still run against a preview.
5. **Out-of-scope queued follow-ups:** explicit list (repo rename, Vercel
   project rename, DNS / domain acquisition, brand asset regeneration,
   social card refresh).

## Known constraints

- **Cross-cutting smoke/visual diff blast.** PR-#18's Playwright smoke spec
  ("sign-in page renders") + the visual-diff baseline are both predicated on
  the *current* brand strings. Brief 2 (or Brief 3 if split) MUST update
  the smoke spec expectations and either regenerate visual baselines or
  accept temporary baseline drift (the `adopt-playwright-smoke` Decision 4
  `continue-on-error` swallow is still in effect, so visual-diff drift
  won't fail CI — but the queued `seed-visual-baselines-on-linux` convoy
  becomes harder to ship until *after* this convoy lands).
- **Smoke spec lives at `tests/smoke/app.smoke.spec.ts`.** Likely needs
  one-or-two-character edits to text matchers.
- **`AGENTS.md` line 5's branding note** is the canonical historical record
  of the inconsistency; the doc-writer pass MUST update it from "Pick one
  before launch" to "Deck Hearth (decided 2026-05-24 in `pick-a-name`
  convoy; commit X)."
- **Operator-action-required pre-merge:** smoke-test the rebranded preview
  manually before merge (every public page should render "Deck Hearth";
  login + register should still work; admin import UI should still
  function with the renamed admin user).

## Out of scope (queued follow-ups)

- `rename-repo-and-vercel-project` — GitHub repo rename + Vercel project
  rename + local git remote update. P2 polish. Auto-redirects make this
  low-risk-low-urgency.
- `point-domain-at-deckhearth` — DNS / domain. Blocked on domain
  acquisition (operator pre-convoy: doesn't own `deckhearth.*` yet).
- `regenerate-brand-assets` — favicon, OG images, social cards. P2
  polish; requires design pass.
- `migrate-existing-user-emails` — if any existing user accounts have
  `@tcgvault.com` emails (besides admin), propose a migration. Architect
  to surface count via a `rg`/DB query during inventory.

## Owns

`role-architect` (decisions D1-D5, slice plan) → `role-implementer(s)`
(per brief) → `role-doc-writer` (AGENTS.md line 5 + this file's
As-shipped + ship-readiness Status summary footer).

## As-shipped

(To be appended post-merge by `role-doc-writer`.)