Setting Up the Scaffold

Why docs first?

Most personal sites start with code. We started with documentation.

Before writing a single component, we locked down the project's intent, visual direction, and acceptance criteria in a set of markdown files under docs/. This means every future contributor (human or AI) has a source of truth to reference.

The tech stack

• Next.js 16 with App Router — file-based routing under src/app/
• React 19 — latest stable, with the React Compiler enabled
• Tailwind CSS 4 — utility-first, configured via @theme inline
• TypeScript 5 — strict mode, bundler resolution

Slice workflow

We use a slice-based workflow: each unit of work gets its own branch, plan file, and PR. The plan file lives in .cursor/plans/ and tracks todos that get checked off as work progresses.

Every slice bumps the version in package.json and updates docs/SLICE_STATUS.md.

What shipped in S01

• Placeholder routes for all primary pages
• Root layout with header nav and footer
• CSS design tokens (cyan/magenta accents)
• GitHub Actions CI (lint + build on PR)
• PR template

Next up: the design system (S02).