Vibecode Airtable
track this build5 phases, 15 steps, beginner friendly0%KINDA · weekend project
A spreadsheet database CRUD app is buildable, but Airtable's views, permissions, automations, interfaces, forms, sync, and integrations are broad.
the project pack5 files · written for this build, step by step
You are building a lean indie version of Airtable. Create the following project files first, then implement the application by following them. Keep the files updated as decisions change. Do not collapse this into a single README or prompt. ===== README.md ===== # Airtable · indie build Build a local typed database with linked records and saved views. Estimated effort: **multi-day**. Work `BUILD_PLAN.md` top to bottom · every phase ends in a check that has to pass before the next one starts. ## Stack | Part | Choice | Why | | --- | --- | --- | | Runtime | Python 3.12+ and Flask | A small local HTTP application with readable server-side handlers and no JavaScript build pipeline. | | Storage | SQLite through Python sqlite3 | Local ownership with explicit transactions and a portable backup path. | | Interface | Jinja HTML templates, CSS and vanilla JavaScript | Implement the specified screens directly with labelled controls and progressive enhancement. | | Verification | Python unittest and browser acceptance fixtures | Check invariants and the actual user workflow before the next phase. | ## Before you start Have every one of these ready. The plan assumes them from step one. - [ ] **Python 3.12 or newer and a terminal** · Python is free; this local prototype requires no hosting subscription. - Why: The local backend, tests and storage use Python. - Get it: Install Python from python.org. Open a terminal in a new empty project folder. On Windows, use py -3 where this guide says python if python is not on PATH; on macOS/Linux use python3 if needed. Create .venv and activate it before installing packages. - Verify: python --version reports 3.12+ and python -c "import sqlite3" succeeds. - [ ] **A current desktop browser and text editor** · No paid service required for this local step. - Why: You need to view the local interface and edit generated project files. - Get it: Use an installed Chrome, Firefox or Edge browser. Open the empty project folder in your editor; open the terminal there, not in this catalog repository. - Verify: You can create a text file in the project folder and open browser developer tools. - [ ] **Airtable acceptance sample** · No paid service required for this local step. - Why: This fixture makes the first end-to-end check reproducible. - Get it: Create synthetic sample data before implementation: Clients table with Acme and Beta; Jobs table with a budget number and a link to Clients. Save it under fixtures/ with the expected results in fixtures/README.md; use no real credentials or customer records. - Verify: The fixture files and expected outcomes exist and can be inspected without a vendor account. - [ ] **Confirm the bounded replacement** · No paid service required for this local step. - Why: The full commercial product is larger than this guide. - Get it: The deliverable is a local typed database with linked records and saved views. Read every exclusion below. Indie mode runs locally; any public or shared use requires the product access and deployment gates first. - Verify: You can name the primary workflow and the vendor features this version deliberately leaves out. ## Quick start ```sh python -m venv .venv python -m pip install Flask Flask-WTF python-dotenv waitress tzdata python -m pip freeze > requirements.txt python -m flask --app app run --host 127.0.0.1 ``` Then copy `.env.example` to `.env` and fill in the values it documents. ## Honest limits This build deliberately does not replace: - This is a local typed database with linked records and saved views; full Airtable feature parity, vendor hosting and support are not included. - rich field types - interfaces - automations - sync/integrations - mobile - permissions - scalability If one of those is essential to you, that is the reason to keep paying for Airtable, and the README should say so rather than pretend. ===== BRIEF.md ===== # Build brief · Airtable The one-shot brief this plan expands. `BUILD_PLAN.md` (or `MILESTONES.md`) is the same sequence broken into steps and checks; where the two disagree, the plan wins. Build me a local typed database with linked records and saved views as a bounded replacement for Airtable. Build it in phases in the order below. Do not write the whole product in one pass. Finish the current phase, run its Done when checks, fix failures, then continue. Indie mode completes Phases 1-5. Phase 6 is required before shared or public deployment. ### Stack (fixed, do not substitute) - Runtime: Python 3.12+ and Flask. A small local HTTP application with readable server-side handlers and no JavaScript build pipeline. - Storage: SQLite through Python sqlite3. Local ownership with explicit transactions and a portable backup path. - Interface: Jinja HTML templates, CSS and vanilla JavaScript. Implement the specified screens directly with labelled controls and progressive enhancement. - Verification: Python unittest and browser acceptance fixtures. Check invariants and the actual user workflow before the next phase. ### Data model (create this before Phase 1) - tables(id,name) - fields(id,table_id,name,type,options_json) - records(id,table_id,values_json,revision) - links(from_record,field_id,to_record) - views(id,table_id,filters_json,sort_json) - Use stable ids and explicit relationships; add auxiliary tables named by the phases before those phases use them. - Acceptance fixture: Clients table with Acme and Beta; Jobs table with a budget number and a link to Clients. ### Prerequisites and configuration - Python 3.12 or newer and a terminal: Install Python from python.org. Open a terminal in a new empty project folder. On Windows, use py -3 where this guide says python if python is not on PATH; on macOS/Linux use python3 if needed. Create .venv and activate it before installing packages. Verify: python --version reports 3.12+ and python -c "import sqlite3" succeeds. Cost: Python is free; this local prototype requires no hosting subscription. - A current desktop browser and text editor: Use an installed Chrome, Firefox or Edge browser. Open the empty project folder in your editor; open the terminal there, not in this catalog repository. Verify: You can create a text file in the project folder and open browser developer tools. Cost: No paid service required for this local step. - Airtable acceptance sample: Create synthetic sample data before implementation: Clients table with Acme and Beta; Jobs table with a budget number and a link to Clients. Save it under fixtures/ with the expected results in fixtures/README.md; use no real credentials or customer records. Verify: The fixture files and expected outcomes exist and can be inspected without a vendor account. Cost: No paid service required for this local step. - Confirm the bounded replacement: The deliverable is a local typed database with linked records and saved views. Read every exclusion below. Indie mode runs locally; any public or shared use requires the product access and deployment gates first. Verify: You can name the primary workflow and the vendor features this version deliberately leaves out. Cost: No paid service required for this local step. - Configuration: DATA_DIR, SECRET_KEY, APP_MODE, SITE_URL. Ship .env.example, replace placeholders and exclude secrets from git. ### Phase 1 · Local foundation and data contract Build: Create the runnable local foundation for a local typed database with linked records and saved views, including the real schema and acceptance fixture. - Run the venv command first, then stop and activate it before running the remaining commands. Use your OS instructions: Windows .venv\Scripts\activate.bat in cmd, or .venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1 in PowerShell; macOS/Linux source .venv/bin/activate. Then install the listed packages. Create app.py exposing app, load .env with python-dotenv, and add a /healthz route. Freeze tested dependency versions to requirements.txt. Create .env manually from .env.example; replace SECRET_KEY before launch. Commands, after creating the named files: `python -m venv .venv`; `python -m pip install Flask Flask-WTF python-dotenv waitress tzdata`; `python -m pip freeze > requirements.txt`; `python -m flask --app app run --host 127.0.0.1`. - For database-backed state create schema.sql and db.py using this model: tables(id,name); fields(id,table_id,name,type,options_json); records(id,table_id,values_json,revision); links(from_record,field_id,to_record); views(id,table_id,filters_json,sort_json). Add the auxiliary relationships explicitly used in later phases; use stable ids, foreign keys, parameterized values and transactions. For canonical files use atomic replacement and hashes instead. Implement python manage.py init and python manage.py seed to create only synthetic data: Clients table with Acme and Beta; Jobs table with a budget number and a link to Clients. Re-running init must not erase data. Commands, after creating the named files: `python manage.py init`; `python manage.py seed`. - Install Flask-WTF CSRF protection for forms and same-origin fetches, validate Host and Origin against SITE_URL, bound inputs and escape output. Deliberately public intake endpoints get bounded validation and rate limits; signed provider webhooks use signature checks instead of browser CSRF tokens. All other admin routes stay local until product authentication exists. When a later phase tests viewer/member permissions, implement the users, hashed passwords, expiring server sessions and role checks in this foundation first; product mode must never use a fabricated identity from request input. Add error, empty, keyboard-focus and retry states now. - Trap: The Flask development server is for local development only. Loopback binding alone does not replace CSRF and origin validation. Done when: The documented start command serves /healthz and the initial screen at http://127.0.0.1:5000. Restarting preserves the seeded records or canonical files; running init again deletes nothing. A cross-origin state-changing request to an admin route is refused. Do not build yet: Do not start typed tables and editing until these checks pass. ### Phase 2 · Typed tables and editing Build: Typed tables and editing for Airtable: Define text, number, date, checkbox and select field validators. Store metadata separately from row values; reject changing a populated field to an incompatible type. - Define text, number, date, checkbox and select field validators. Store metadata separately from row values; reject changing a populated field to an incompatible type. - Render an editable grid with explicit Save and Cancel; use revision checks so a stale tab cannot overwrite a newer edit. - Use Clients table with Acme and Beta; Jobs table with a budget number and a link to Clients. Check: Entering banana into budget returns a field error and preserves its previous number. Then check: Saving two edits against one revision returns a conflict for the second. Add a focused regression for the failure case under test/ using a temporary database or folder and fake external services; also perform the visible workflow in a browser. Commands, after creating the named files: `python -m unittest discover -s test`. - Trap: Never interpolate user field names into SQL identifiers. Done when: Entering banana into budget returns a field error and preserves its previous number. Saving two edits against one revision returns a conflict for the second. Do not build yet: Do not start linked records and views until these checks pass. ### Phase 3 · Linked records and views Build: Linked records and views for Airtable: Build a linked-record picker restricted to the configured target table; expose reverse links and a clear unlink action. - Build a linked-record picker restricted to the configured target table; expose reverse links and a clear unlink action. - Save filter, sort and visible-column configuration as a view; apply it to the canonical rows rather than copying them. - Use Clients table with Acme and Beta; Jobs table with a budget number and a link to Clients. Check: Linking a Job to Acme shows that Job in Acme backlinks after reload. Then check: A budget >= 100 view excludes a 99 row and includes a 100 row. Add a focused regression for the failure case under test/ using a temporary database or folder and fake external services; also perform the visible workflow in a browser. Commands, after creating the named files: `python -m unittest discover -s test`. - Trap: Deleting a referenced record must prompt to unlink, not leave dangling ids. Done when: Linking a Job to Acme shows that Job in Acme backlinks after reload. A budget >= 100 view excludes a 99 row and includes a 100 row. Do not build yet: Do not start forms and portable csv until these checks pass. ### Phase 4 · Forms and portable CSV Build: Forms and portable CSV for Airtable: Generate a quick-entry form from field metadata with the same server validation as the grid. Keep it local in indie mode. - Generate a quick-entry form from field metadata with the same server validation as the grid. Keep it local in indie mode. - Preview CSV mapping and errors before a transaction imports rows; export stable field names and encode links by record id. - Use Clients table with Acme and Beta; Jobs table with a budget number and a link to Clients. Check: A malformed CSV row reports its line and imports zero rows. Then check: Export then import into an empty base preserves two Clients and their Job links. Add a focused regression for the failure case under test/ using a temporary database or folder and fake external services; also perform the visible workflow in a browser. Commands, after creating the named files: `python -m unittest discover -s test`. - Trap: CSV labels are not stable link identifiers; include ids in the exchange format. Done when: A malformed CSV row reports its line and imports zero rows. Export then import into an empty base preserves two Clients and their Job links. Do not build yet: Do not start portable delivery and clean-start proof until these checks pass. ### Phase 5 · Portable delivery and clean-start proof Build: Finish the Airtable replacement with a documented first-run path and a recoverable export. - Document prerequisites, every configuration variable, data locations and the three domain workflows: Typed tables and editing; Linked records and views; Forms and portable CSV. Include the exclusions, actual costs and source check date 2026-09-05. Commands shown earlier that reference project files are files the builder must implement before running them. - Use sqlite3.Connection.backup for the database in DATA_DIR and pause writers while taking the matching attachment snapshot. Keep schema version, hashes and a manifest for airtable. Restore into a separate empty directory or isolated deployment, with all outbound actions and schedules disabled. Recreate this proof: Clients table with Acme and Beta; Jobs table with a budget number and a link to Clients. Compare ids/counts and open the result before recording the restore date. Never test a restore over the only live copy. - Use a new folder and only README instructions to reach the fixture outcome. Install from requirements.txt, initialize storage, run the tests and exercise the UI at 375px and 1280px; use keyboard-only controls and inspect browser errors. Record exactly what passed; do not mark unrun checks complete. Commands, after creating the named files: `python -m pip install -r requirements.txt`; `python -m unittest discover -s test`. - Trap: Export without an import or restore rehearsal is not verified portability. Done when: A new folder reaches the documented fixture outcome using only README instructions. A backup restored in isolation preserves the proof data and can be opened. Do not build yet: Do not start operate and share with access controls until these checks pass. ### Phase 6 · Operate and share with access controls (product-builder only) Build: Product-builder only: make a local typed database with linked records and saved views operable for its stated audience before allowing remote access. - Add owner/member/viewer authorization as appropriate, password hashes through Werkzeug, expiring server-side sessions, CSRF and login rate limits. Add users, sessions and audit schema migrations plus an owner-init command prompting securely for its password. Enforce ownership on every private read/write/download and fail closed when product setup is incomplete. Existing learner or admin identities must use this same boundary. - Serve app:app with Waitress on loopback behind Caddy HTTPS. Configure trusted proxy headers narrowly, Secure/HttpOnly/SameSite cookies, upload limits, request ids and structured logs without private content. Run background jobs as a separate supervised process when the domain workflow requires them. Commands, after creating the named files: `waitress-serve --listen=127.0.0.1:5000 app:app`. - Add a scheduled encrypted off-host backup using this procedure: Use sqlite3.Connection.backup for the database in DATA_DIR and pause writers while taking the matching attachment snapshot. Keep schema version, hashes and a manifest for airtable. Monitor health, disk space, failed jobs and backup age. Stop the service to test an alert; rehearse recovery with outbound effects disabled and record recovery time. Rotate any exposed credentials and require reconciliation before resuming queues. - Trap: Product mode is additional engineering, not a switch that makes a local prototype production-ready. Done when: An unauthenticated visitor cannot read private records, download private files or mutate the admin surface. A viewer cannot mutate data by making a direct request, and guessed ids cannot cross ownership boundaries. Stopping the service triggers the configured alert and the latest off-host backup restores the fixture in isolation. Do not build yet: Do not add new providers or vendor-scale features until the release gates are recorded. ### Out of scope (and why) - This is a local typed database with linked records and saved views; full Airtable feature parity, vendor hosting and support are not included. - rich field types: retain the paid product if this capability is essential; it is outside this bounded build. - interfaces: retain the paid product if this capability is essential; it is outside this bounded build. - automations: retain the paid product if this capability is essential; it is outside this bounded build. - sync/integrations: retain the paid product if this capability is essential; it is outside this bounded build. - mobile: retain the paid product if this capability is essential; it is outside this bounded build. - permissions: retain the paid product if this capability is essential; it is outside this bounded build. - scalability: retain the paid product if this capability is essential; it is outside this bounded build. ### README must contain - Exact install, configure, initialize, start, test and recovery commands for a clean folder. - The schema, fixture, acceptance results, private data locations and export format. - Every prerequisite and secret source, actual running costs and deliberately excluded capabilities. - An honest distinction between tests actually run and checks still awaiting real credentials or deployment. - Dependency documentation reviewed 2026-09-05: https://flask.palletsprojects.com/en/stable/installation/ ; https://docs.python.org/3/library/sqlite3.html ; https://flask-wtf.readthedocs.io/en/1.2.x/csrf/ ; https://docs.pylonsproject.org/projects/waitress/en/stable/usage.html. Recheck before upgrading; freeze the versions actually tested. ===== AGENTS.md ===== # Agent instructions · Airtable indie build - Read `README.md` and `BUILD_PLAN.md` before writing code. The stack is fixed: Python 3.12+ and Flask, SQLite through Python sqlite3, Jinja HTML templates, CSS and vanilla JavaScript, Python unittest and browser acceptance fixtures. Do not substitute. - Work one phase at a time, in order. Do not start a phase until every "Done when" item of the previous one passes. - Prefer the fewest moving parts that satisfy the step. No frameworks, services or dependencies the plan does not name. - Secrets live in `.env`, never in source or logs. Keep `.env.example` current when a variable is introduced. - Do not invent cryptography, security guarantees, APIs or compliance claims. - Add a focused test for every destructive, security-sensitive or data-loss path the plan names. - Run the project checks before declaring a phase complete, and record any deliberate shortcut in the README under "Tradeoffs". ## Known traps - The Flask development server is for local development only. Loopback binding alone does not replace CSRF and origin validation. - Never interpolate user field names into SQL identifiers. - Deleting a referenced record must prompt to unlink, not leave dangling ids. - CSV labels are not stable link identifiers; include ids in the exchange format. - Export without an import or restore rehearsal is not verified portability. ===== BUILD_PLAN.md ===== # Build plan · Airtable Build a local typed database with linked records and saved views. Phases are in dependency order. Each ends in a "Done when" list; treat an unticked item as a blocker, not a note. ## Phase 1 · Local foundation and data contract Create the runnable local foundation for a local typed database with linked records and saved views, including the real schema and acceptance fixture. ### Steps 1. Create and start the local application Run the venv command first, then stop and activate it before running the remaining commands. Use your OS instructions: Windows .venv\Scripts\activate.bat in cmd, or .venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1 in PowerShell; macOS/Linux source .venv/bin/activate. Then install the listed packages. Create app.py exposing app, load .env with python-dotenv, and add a /healthz route. Freeze tested dependency versions to requirements.txt. Create .env manually from .env.example; replace SECRET_KEY before launch. Files: `app.py`, `requirements.txt`, `.env.example`, `.gitignore` ```sh python -m venv .venv python -m pip install Flask Flask-WTF python-dotenv waitress tzdata python -m pip freeze > requirements.txt python -m flask --app app run --host 127.0.0.1 ``` 2. Implement storage and seed the named fixture For database-backed state create schema.sql and db.py using this model: tables(id,name); fields(id,table_id,name,type,options_json); records(id,table_id,values_json,revision); links(from_record,field_id,to_record); views(id,table_id,filters_json,sort_json). Add the auxiliary relationships explicitly used in later phases; use stable ids, foreign keys, parameterized values and transactions. For canonical files use atomic replacement and hashes instead. Implement python manage.py init and python manage.py seed to create only synthetic data: Clients table with Acme and Beta; Jobs table with a budget number and a link to Clients. Re-running init must not erase data. Files: `schema.sql`, `db.py`, `manage.py`, `fixtures/README.md` ```sh python manage.py init python manage.py seed ``` 3. Protect the local request boundary Install Flask-WTF CSRF protection for forms and same-origin fetches, validate Host and Origin against SITE_URL, bound inputs and escape output. Deliberately public intake endpoints get bounded validation and rate limits; signed provider webhooks use signature checks instead of browser CSRF tokens. All other admin routes stay local until product authentication exists. When a later phase tests viewer/member permissions, implement the users, hashed passwords, expiring server sessions and role checks in this foundation first; product mode must never use a fabricated identity from request input. Add error, empty, keyboard-focus and retry states now. Files: `app.py`, `templates/base.html`, `test/test_foundation.py` ### Done when - [ ] The documented start command serves /healthz and the initial screen at http://127.0.0.1:5000. - [ ] Restarting preserves the seeded records or canonical files; running init again deletes nothing. - [ ] A cross-origin state-changing request to an admin route is refused. ### Watch out - The Flask development server is for local development only. Loopback binding alone does not replace CSRF and origin validation. ## Phase 2 · Typed tables and editing Typed tables and editing for Airtable: Define text, number, date, checkbox and select field validators. Store metadata separately from row values; reject changing a populated field to an incompatible type. ### Steps 1. Define text, number, date, checkbox and select field validators Define text, number, date, checkbox and select field validators. Store metadata separately from row values; reject changing a populated field to an incompatible type. Files: `features/typed_tables_and_editing.py`, `templates/typed_tables_and_editing.html` 2. Render an editable grid with explicit Save and Cancel; use revision checks so a stale tab cannot overwrite a newer edit. Render an editable grid with explicit Save and Cancel; use revision checks so a stale tab cannot overwrite a newer edit. Files: `features/typed_tables_and_editing.py` 3. Exercise the acceptance fixture Use Clients table with Acme and Beta; Jobs table with a budget number and a link to Clients. Check: Entering banana into budget returns a field error and preserves its previous number. Then check: Saving two edits against one revision returns a conflict for the second. Add a focused regression for the failure case under test/ using a temporary database or folder and fake external services; also perform the visible workflow in a browser. Files: `test/test_typed_tables_and_editing.py` ```sh python -m unittest discover -s test ``` ### Done when - [ ] Entering banana into budget returns a field error and preserves its previous number. - [ ] Saving two edits against one revision returns a conflict for the second. ### Watch out - Never interpolate user field names into SQL identifiers. ## Phase 3 · Linked records and views Linked records and views for Airtable: Build a linked-record picker restricted to the configured target table; expose reverse links and a clear unlink action. ### Steps 1. Build a linked-record picker restricted to the configured target table; expose reverse links and a clear unlink action. Build a linked-record picker restricted to the configured target table; expose reverse links and a clear unlink action. Files: `features/linked_records_and_views.py`, `templates/linked_records_and_views.html` 2. Save filter, sort and visible-column configuration as a view; apply it to the canonical rows rather than copying them. Save filter, sort and visible-column configuration as a view; apply it to the canonical rows rather than copying them. Files: `features/linked_records_and_views.py` 3. Exercise the acceptance fixture Use Clients table with Acme and Beta; Jobs table with a budget number and a link to Clients. Check: Linking a Job to Acme shows that Job in Acme backlinks after reload. Then check: A budget >= 100 view excludes a 99 row and includes a 100 row. Add a focused regression for the failure case under test/ using a temporary database or folder and fake external services; also perform the visible workflow in a browser. Files: `test/test_linked_records_and_views.py` ```sh python -m unittest discover -s test ``` ### Done when - [ ] Linking a Job to Acme shows that Job in Acme backlinks after reload. - [ ] A budget >= 100 view excludes a 99 row and includes a 100 row. ### Watch out - Deleting a referenced record must prompt to unlink, not leave dangling ids. ## Phase 4 · Forms and portable CSV Forms and portable CSV for Airtable: Generate a quick-entry form from field metadata with the same server validation as the grid. Keep it local in indie mode. ### Steps 1. Generate a quick-entry form from field metadata with the same server validation as the grid Generate a quick-entry form from field metadata with the same server validation as the grid. Keep it local in indie mode. Files: `features/forms_and_portable_csv.py`, `templates/forms_and_portable_csv.html` 2. Preview CSV mapping and errors before a transaction imports rows; export stable field names and encode links by record id. Preview CSV mapping and errors before a transaction imports rows; export stable field names and encode links by record id. Files: `features/forms_and_portable_csv.py` 3. Exercise the acceptance fixture Use Clients table with Acme and Beta; Jobs table with a budget number and a link to Clients. Check: A malformed CSV row reports its line and imports zero rows. Then check: Export then import into an empty base preserves two Clients and their Job links. Add a focused regression for the failure case under test/ using a temporary database or folder and fake external services; also perform the visible workflow in a browser. Files: `test/test_forms_and_portable_csv.py` ```sh python -m unittest discover -s test ``` ### Done when - [ ] A malformed CSV row reports its line and imports zero rows. - [ ] Export then import into an empty base preserves two Clients and their Job links. ### Watch out - CSV labels are not stable link identifiers; include ids in the exchange format. ## Phase 5 · Portable delivery and clean-start proof Finish the Airtable replacement with a documented first-run path and a recoverable export. ### Steps 1. Write the user-facing runbook Document prerequisites, every configuration variable, data locations and the three domain workflows: Typed tables and editing; Linked records and views; Forms and portable CSV. Include the exclusions, actual costs and source check date 2026-09-05. Commands shown earlier that reference project files are files the builder must implement before running them. Files: `README.md`, `.env.example` 2. Create and rehearse a recoverable backup Use sqlite3.Connection.backup for the database in DATA_DIR and pause writers while taking the matching attachment snapshot. Keep schema version, hashes and a manifest for airtable. Restore into a separate empty directory or isolated deployment, with all outbound actions and schedules disabled. Recreate this proof: Clients table with Acme and Beta; Jobs table with a budget number and a link to Clients. Compare ids/counts and open the result before recording the restore date. Never test a restore over the only live copy. Files: `OPERATIONS.md`, `scripts/backup.py` 3. Reproduce the first-run experience Use a new folder and only README instructions to reach the fixture outcome. Install from requirements.txt, initialize storage, run the tests and exercise the UI at 375px and 1280px; use keyboard-only controls and inspect browser errors. Record exactly what passed; do not mark unrun checks complete. Files: `README.md`, `verification.md` ```sh python -m pip install -r requirements.txt python -m unittest discover -s test ``` ### Done when - [ ] A new folder reaches the documented fixture outcome using only README instructions. - [ ] A backup restored in isolation preserves the proof data and can be opened. ### Watch out - Export without an import or restore rehearsal is not verified portability. ## Not in this build - This is a local typed database with linked records and saved views; full Airtable feature parity, vendor hosting and support are not included. - rich field types - interfaces - automations - sync/integrations - mobile - permissions - scalability ## After v1, if you want it - Extend forms and portable csv only after the fixture and recovery checks pass. - Before adding another integration, document its credentials, limits, cost and failure behavior with primary-source links. ===== .env.example ===== # Copy to .env and fill in. Never commit .env; this file documents it. # Required. A new private folder this application creates on first run; never serve it as static files. DATA_DIR=./data/airtable # Required · secret. Generate with python -c "import secrets; print(secrets.token_hex(32))" and save only in .env. SECRET_KEY=replace-with-a-random-secret # Required. Use indie for loopback-only personal work. Product mode must refuse to start until owner login and the deployment gates are configured. APP_MODE=indie # Required. The origin used for local forms and links; replace with the chosen HTTPS origin in product mode. SITE_URL=http://127.0.0.1:5000
You are building a lean indie version of Airtable. Create the following project files first, then implement the application by following them. Keep the files updated as decisions change. Do not collapse this into a single README or prompt. ===== README.md ===== # Airtable · indie build Build a local typed database with linked records and saved views. Estimated effort: **multi-day**. Work `BUILD_PLAN.md` top to bottom · every phase ends in a check that has to pass before the next one starts. ## Stack | Part | Choice | Why | | --- | --- | --- | | Runtime | Python 3.12+ and Flask | A small local HTTP application with readable server-side handlers and no JavaScript build pipeline. | | Storage | SQLite through Python sqlite3 | Local ownership with explicit transactions and a portable backup path. | | Interface | Jinja HTML templates, CSS and vanilla JavaScript | Implement the specified screens directly with labelled controls and progressive enhancement. | | Verification | Python unittest and browser acceptance fixtures | Check invariants and the actual user workflow before the next phase. | ## Before you start Have every one of these ready. The plan assumes them from step one. - [ ] **Python 3.12 or newer and a terminal** · Python is free; this local prototype requires no hosting subscription. - Why: The local backend, tests and storage use Python. - Get it: Install Python from python.org. Open a terminal in a new empty project folder. On Windows, use py -3 where this guide says python if python is not on PATH; on macOS/Linux use python3 if needed. Create .venv and activate it before installing packages. - Verify: python --version reports 3.12+ and python -c "import sqlite3" succeeds. - [ ] **A current desktop browser and text editor** · No paid service required for this local step. - Why: You need to view the local interface and edit generated project files. - Get it: Use an installed Chrome, Firefox or Edge browser. Open the empty project folder in your editor; open the terminal there, not in this catalog repository. - Verify: You can create a text file in the project folder and open browser developer tools. - [ ] **Airtable acceptance sample** · No paid service required for this local step. - Why: This fixture makes the first end-to-end check reproducible. - Get it: Create synthetic sample data before implementation: Clients table with Acme and Beta; Jobs table with a budget number and a link to Clients. Save it under fixtures/ with the expected results in fixtures/README.md; use no real credentials or customer records. - Verify: The fixture files and expected outcomes exist and can be inspected without a vendor account. - [ ] **Confirm the bounded replacement** · No paid service required for this local step. - Why: The full commercial product is larger than this guide. - Get it: The deliverable is a local typed database with linked records and saved views. Read every exclusion below. Indie mode runs locally; any public or shared use requires the product access and deployment gates first. - Verify: You can name the primary workflow and the vendor features this version deliberately leaves out. ## Quick start ```sh python -m venv .venv python -m pip install Flask Flask-WTF python-dotenv waitress tzdata python -m pip freeze > requirements.txt python -m flask --app app run --host 127.0.0.1 ``` Then copy `.env.example` to `.env` and fill in the values it documents. ## Honest limits This build deliberately does not replace: - This is a local typed database with linked records and saved views; full Airtable feature parity, vendor hosting and support are not included. - rich field types - interfaces - automations - sync/integrations - mobile - permissions - scalability If one of those is essential to you, that is the reason to keep paying for Airtable, and the README should say so rather than pretend. ===== BRIEF.md ===== # Build brief · Airtable The one-shot brief this plan expands. `BUILD_PLAN.md` (or `MILESTONES.md`) is the same sequence broken into steps and checks; where the two disagree, the plan wins. Build me a local typed database with linked records and saved views as a bounded replacement for Airtable. Build it in phases in the order below. Do not write the whole product in one pass. Finish the current phase, run its Done when checks, fix failures, then continue. Indie mode completes Phases 1-5. Phase 6 is required before shared or public deployment. ### Stack (fixed, do not substitute) - Runtime: Python 3.12+ and Flask. A small local HTTP application with readable server-side handlers and no JavaScript build pipeline. - Storage: SQLite through Python sqlite3. Local ownership with explicit transactions and a portable backup path. - Interface: Jinja HTML templates, CSS and vanilla JavaScript. Implement the specified screens directly with labelled controls and progressive enhancement. - Verification: Python unittest and browser acceptance fixtures. Check invariants and the actual user workflow before the next phase. ### Data model (create this before Phase 1) - tables(id,name) - fields(id,table_id,name,type,options_json) - records(id,table_id,values_json,revision) - links(from_record,field_id,to_record) - views(id,table_id,filters_json,sort_json) - Use stable ids and explicit relationships; add auxiliary tables named by the phases before those phases use them. - Acceptance fixture: Clients table with Acme and Beta; Jobs table with a budget number and a link to Clients. ### Prerequisites and configuration - Python 3.12 or newer and a terminal: Install Python from python.org. Open a terminal in a new empty project folder. On Windows, use py -3 where this guide says python if python is not on PATH; on macOS/Linux use python3 if needed. Create .venv and activate it before installing packages. Verify: python --version reports 3.12+ and python -c "import sqlite3" succeeds. Cost: Python is free; this local prototype requires no hosting subscription. - A current desktop browser and text editor: Use an installed Chrome, Firefox or Edge browser. Open the empty project folder in your editor; open the terminal there, not in this catalog repository. Verify: You can create a text file in the project folder and open browser developer tools. Cost: No paid service required for this local step. - Airtable acceptance sample: Create synthetic sample data before implementation: Clients table with Acme and Beta; Jobs table with a budget number and a link to Clients. Save it under fixtures/ with the expected results in fixtures/README.md; use no real credentials or customer records. Verify: The fixture files and expected outcomes exist and can be inspected without a vendor account. Cost: No paid service required for this local step. - Confirm the bounded replacement: The deliverable is a local typed database with linked records and saved views. Read every exclusion below. Indie mode runs locally; any public or shared use requires the product access and deployment gates first. Verify: You can name the primary workflow and the vendor features this version deliberately leaves out. Cost: No paid service required for this local step. - Configuration: DATA_DIR, SECRET_KEY, APP_MODE, SITE_URL. Ship .env.example, replace placeholders and exclude secrets from git. ### Phase 1 · Local foundation and data contract Build: Create the runnable local foundation for a local typed database with linked records and saved views, including the real schema and acceptance fixture. - Run the venv command first, then stop and activate it before running the remaining commands. Use your OS instructions: Windows .venv\Scripts\activate.bat in cmd, or .venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1 in PowerShell; macOS/Linux source .venv/bin/activate. Then install the listed packages. Create app.py exposing app, load .env with python-dotenv, and add a /healthz route. Freeze tested dependency versions to requirements.txt. Create .env manually from .env.example; replace SECRET_KEY before launch. Commands, after creating the named files: `python -m venv .venv`; `python -m pip install Flask Flask-WTF python-dotenv waitress tzdata`; `python -m pip freeze > requirements.txt`; `python -m flask --app app run --host 127.0.0.1`. - For database-backed state create schema.sql and db.py using this model: tables(id,name); fields(id,table_id,name,type,options_json); records(id,table_id,values_json,revision); links(from_record,field_id,to_record); views(id,table_id,filters_json,sort_json). Add the auxiliary relationships explicitly used in later phases; use stable ids, foreign keys, parameterized values and transactions. For canonical files use atomic replacement and hashes instead. Implement python manage.py init and python manage.py seed to create only synthetic data: Clients table with Acme and Beta; Jobs table with a budget number and a link to Clients. Re-running init must not erase data. Commands, after creating the named files: `python manage.py init`; `python manage.py seed`. - Install Flask-WTF CSRF protection for forms and same-origin fetches, validate Host and Origin against SITE_URL, bound inputs and escape output. Deliberately public intake endpoints get bounded validation and rate limits; signed provider webhooks use signature checks instead of browser CSRF tokens. All other admin routes stay local until product authentication exists. When a later phase tests viewer/member permissions, implement the users, hashed passwords, expiring server sessions and role checks in this foundation first; product mode must never use a fabricated identity from request input. Add error, empty, keyboard-focus and retry states now. - Trap: The Flask development server is for local development only. Loopback binding alone does not replace CSRF and origin validation. Done when: The documented start command serves /healthz and the initial screen at http://127.0.0.1:5000. Restarting preserves the seeded records or canonical files; running init again deletes nothing. A cross-origin state-changing request to an admin route is refused. Do not build yet: Do not start typed tables and editing until these checks pass. ### Phase 2 · Typed tables and editing Build: Typed tables and editing for Airtable: Define text, number, date, checkbox and select field validators. Store metadata separately from row values; reject changing a populated field to an incompatible type. - Define text, number, date, checkbox and select field validators. Store metadata separately from row values; reject changing a populated field to an incompatible type. - Render an editable grid with explicit Save and Cancel; use revision checks so a stale tab cannot overwrite a newer edit. - Use Clients table with Acme and Beta; Jobs table with a budget number and a link to Clients. Check: Entering banana into budget returns a field error and preserves its previous number. Then check: Saving two edits against one revision returns a conflict for the second. Add a focused regression for the failure case under test/ using a temporary database or folder and fake external services; also perform the visible workflow in a browser. Commands, after creating the named files: `python -m unittest discover -s test`. - Trap: Never interpolate user field names into SQL identifiers. Done when: Entering banana into budget returns a field error and preserves its previous number. Saving two edits against one revision returns a conflict for the second. Do not build yet: Do not start linked records and views until these checks pass. ### Phase 3 · Linked records and views Build: Linked records and views for Airtable: Build a linked-record picker restricted to the configured target table; expose reverse links and a clear unlink action. - Build a linked-record picker restricted to the configured target table; expose reverse links and a clear unlink action. - Save filter, sort and visible-column configuration as a view; apply it to the canonical rows rather than copying them. - Use Clients table with Acme and Beta; Jobs table with a budget number and a link to Clients. Check: Linking a Job to Acme shows that Job in Acme backlinks after reload. Then check: A budget >= 100 view excludes a 99 row and includes a 100 row. Add a focused regression for the failure case under test/ using a temporary database or folder and fake external services; also perform the visible workflow in a browser. Commands, after creating the named files: `python -m unittest discover -s test`. - Trap: Deleting a referenced record must prompt to unlink, not leave dangling ids. Done when: Linking a Job to Acme shows that Job in Acme backlinks after reload. A budget >= 100 view excludes a 99 row and includes a 100 row. Do not build yet: Do not start forms and portable csv until these checks pass. ### Phase 4 · Forms and portable CSV Build: Forms and portable CSV for Airtable: Generate a quick-entry form from field metadata with the same server validation as the grid. Keep it local in indie mode. - Generate a quick-entry form from field metadata with the same server validation as the grid. Keep it local in indie mode. - Preview CSV mapping and errors before a transaction imports rows; export stable field names and encode links by record id. - Use Clients table with Acme and Beta; Jobs table with a budget number and a link to Clients. Check: A malformed CSV row reports its line and imports zero rows. Then check: Export then import into an empty base preserves two Clients and their Job links. Add a focused regression for the failure case under test/ using a temporary database or folder and fake external services; also perform the visible workflow in a browser. Commands, after creating the named files: `python -m unittest discover -s test`. - Trap: CSV labels are not stable link identifiers; include ids in the exchange format. Done when: A malformed CSV row reports its line and imports zero rows. Export then import into an empty base preserves two Clients and their Job links. Do not build yet: Do not start portable delivery and clean-start proof until these checks pass. ### Phase 5 · Portable delivery and clean-start proof Build: Finish the Airtable replacement with a documented first-run path and a recoverable export. - Document prerequisites, every configuration variable, data locations and the three domain workflows: Typed tables and editing; Linked records and views; Forms and portable CSV. Include the exclusions, actual costs and source check date 2026-09-05. Commands shown earlier that reference project files are files the builder must implement before running them. - Use sqlite3.Connection.backup for the database in DATA_DIR and pause writers while taking the matching attachment snapshot. Keep schema version, hashes and a manifest for airtable. Restore into a separate empty directory or isolated deployment, with all outbound actions and schedules disabled. Recreate this proof: Clients table with Acme and Beta; Jobs table with a budget number and a link to Clients. Compare ids/counts and open the result before recording the restore date. Never test a restore over the only live copy. - Use a new folder and only README instructions to reach the fixture outcome. Install from requirements.txt, initialize storage, run the tests and exercise the UI at 375px and 1280px; use keyboard-only controls and inspect browser errors. Record exactly what passed; do not mark unrun checks complete. Commands, after creating the named files: `python -m pip install -r requirements.txt`; `python -m unittest discover -s test`. - Trap: Export without an import or restore rehearsal is not verified portability. Done when: A new folder reaches the documented fixture outcome using only README instructions. A backup restored in isolation preserves the proof data and can be opened. Do not build yet: Do not start operate and share with access controls until these checks pass. ### Phase 6 · Operate and share with access controls (product-builder only) Build: Product-builder only: make a local typed database with linked records and saved views operable for its stated audience before allowing remote access. - Add owner/member/viewer authorization as appropriate, password hashes through Werkzeug, expiring server-side sessions, CSRF and login rate limits. Add users, sessions and audit schema migrations plus an owner-init command prompting securely for its password. Enforce ownership on every private read/write/download and fail closed when product setup is incomplete. Existing learner or admin identities must use this same boundary. - Serve app:app with Waitress on loopback behind Caddy HTTPS. Configure trusted proxy headers narrowly, Secure/HttpOnly/SameSite cookies, upload limits, request ids and structured logs without private content. Run background jobs as a separate supervised process when the domain workflow requires them. Commands, after creating the named files: `waitress-serve --listen=127.0.0.1:5000 app:app`. - Add a scheduled encrypted off-host backup using this procedure: Use sqlite3.Connection.backup for the database in DATA_DIR and pause writers while taking the matching attachment snapshot. Keep schema version, hashes and a manifest for airtable. Monitor health, disk space, failed jobs and backup age. Stop the service to test an alert; rehearse recovery with outbound effects disabled and record recovery time. Rotate any exposed credentials and require reconciliation before resuming queues. - Trap: Product mode is additional engineering, not a switch that makes a local prototype production-ready. Done when: An unauthenticated visitor cannot read private records, download private files or mutate the admin surface. A viewer cannot mutate data by making a direct request, and guessed ids cannot cross ownership boundaries. Stopping the service triggers the configured alert and the latest off-host backup restores the fixture in isolation. Do not build yet: Do not add new providers or vendor-scale features until the release gates are recorded. ### Out of scope (and why) - This is a local typed database with linked records and saved views; full Airtable feature parity, vendor hosting and support are not included. - rich field types: retain the paid product if this capability is essential; it is outside this bounded build. - interfaces: retain the paid product if this capability is essential; it is outside this bounded build. - automations: retain the paid product if this capability is essential; it is outside this bounded build. - sync/integrations: retain the paid product if this capability is essential; it is outside this bounded build. - mobile: retain the paid product if this capability is essential; it is outside this bounded build. - permissions: retain the paid product if this capability is essential; it is outside this bounded build. - scalability: retain the paid product if this capability is essential; it is outside this bounded build. ### README must contain - Exact install, configure, initialize, start, test and recovery commands for a clean folder. - The schema, fixture, acceptance results, private data locations and export format. - Every prerequisite and secret source, actual running costs and deliberately excluded capabilities. - An honest distinction between tests actually run and checks still awaiting real credentials or deployment. - Dependency documentation reviewed 2026-09-05: https://flask.palletsprojects.com/en/stable/installation/ ; https://docs.python.org/3/library/sqlite3.html ; https://flask-wtf.readthedocs.io/en/1.2.x/csrf/ ; https://docs.pylonsproject.org/projects/waitress/en/stable/usage.html. Recheck before upgrading; freeze the versions actually tested. ===== AGENTS.md ===== # Agent instructions · Airtable indie build - Read `README.md` and `BUILD_PLAN.md` before writing code. The stack is fixed: Python 3.12+ and Flask, SQLite through Python sqlite3, Jinja HTML templates, CSS and vanilla JavaScript, Python unittest and browser acceptance fixtures. Do not substitute. - Work one phase at a time, in order. Do not start a phase until every "Done when" item of the previous one passes. - Prefer the fewest moving parts that satisfy the step. No frameworks, services or dependencies the plan does not name. - Secrets live in `.env`, never in source or logs. Keep `.env.example` current when a variable is introduced. - Do not invent cryptography, security guarantees, APIs or compliance claims. - Add a focused test for every destructive, security-sensitive or data-loss path the plan names. - Run the project checks before declaring a phase complete, and record any deliberate shortcut in the README under "Tradeoffs". ## Known traps - The Flask development server is for local development only. Loopback binding alone does not replace CSRF and origin validation. - Never interpolate user field names into SQL identifiers. - Deleting a referenced record must prompt to unlink, not leave dangling ids. - CSV labels are not stable link identifiers; include ids in the exchange format. - Export without an import or restore rehearsal is not verified portability. ===== BUILD_PLAN.md ===== # Build plan · Airtable Build a local typed database with linked records and saved views. Phases are in dependency order. Each ends in a "Done when" list; treat an unticked item as a blocker, not a note. ## Phase 1 · Local foundation and data contract Create the runnable local foundation for a local typed database with linked records and saved views, including the real schema and acceptance fixture. ### Steps 1. Create and start the local application Run the venv command first, then stop and activate it before running the remaining commands. Use your OS instructions: Windows .venv\Scripts\activate.bat in cmd, or .venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1 in PowerShell; macOS/Linux source .venv/bin/activate. Then install the listed packages. Create app.py exposing app, load .env with python-dotenv, and add a /healthz route. Freeze tested dependency versions to requirements.txt. Create .env manually from .env.example; replace SECRET_KEY before launch. Files: `app.py`, `requirements.txt`, `.env.example`, `.gitignore` ```sh python -m venv .venv python -m pip install Flask Flask-WTF python-dotenv waitress tzdata python -m pip freeze > requirements.txt python -m flask --app app run --host 127.0.0.1 ``` 2. Implement storage and seed the named fixture For database-backed state create schema.sql and db.py using this model: tables(id,name); fields(id,table_id,name,type,options_json); records(id,table_id,values_json,revision); links(from_record,field_id,to_record); views(id,table_id,filters_json,sort_json). Add the auxiliary relationships explicitly used in later phases; use stable ids, foreign keys, parameterized values and transactions. For canonical files use atomic replacement and hashes instead. Implement python manage.py init and python manage.py seed to create only synthetic data: Clients table with Acme and Beta; Jobs table with a budget number and a link to Clients. Re-running init must not erase data. Files: `schema.sql`, `db.py`, `manage.py`, `fixtures/README.md` ```sh python manage.py init python manage.py seed ``` 3. Protect the local request boundary Install Flask-WTF CSRF protection for forms and same-origin fetches, validate Host and Origin against SITE_URL, bound inputs and escape output. Deliberately public intake endpoints get bounded validation and rate limits; signed provider webhooks use signature checks instead of browser CSRF tokens. All other admin routes stay local until product authentication exists. When a later phase tests viewer/member permissions, implement the users, hashed passwords, expiring server sessions and role checks in this foundation first; product mode must never use a fabricated identity from request input. Add error, empty, keyboard-focus and retry states now. Files: `app.py`, `templates/base.html`, `test/test_foundation.py` ### Done when - [ ] The documented start command serves /healthz and the initial screen at http://127.0.0.1:5000. - [ ] Restarting preserves the seeded records or canonical files; running init again deletes nothing. - [ ] A cross-origin state-changing request to an admin route is refused. ### Watch out - The Flask development server is for local development only. Loopback binding alone does not replace CSRF and origin validation. ## Phase 2 · Typed tables and editing Typed tables and editing for Airtable: Define text, number, date, checkbox and select field validators. Store metadata separately from row values; reject changing a populated field to an incompatible type. ### Steps 1. Define text, number, date, checkbox and select field validators Define text, number, date, checkbox and select field validators. Store metadata separately from row values; reject changing a populated field to an incompatible type. Files: `features/typed_tables_and_editing.py`, `templates/typed_tables_and_editing.html` 2. Render an editable grid with explicit Save and Cancel; use revision checks so a stale tab cannot overwrite a newer edit. Render an editable grid with explicit Save and Cancel; use revision checks so a stale tab cannot overwrite a newer edit. Files: `features/typed_tables_and_editing.py` 3. Exercise the acceptance fixture Use Clients table with Acme and Beta; Jobs table with a budget number and a link to Clients. Check: Entering banana into budget returns a field error and preserves its previous number. Then check: Saving two edits against one revision returns a conflict for the second. Add a focused regression for the failure case under test/ using a temporary database or folder and fake external services; also perform the visible workflow in a browser. Files: `test/test_typed_tables_and_editing.py` ```sh python -m unittest discover -s test ``` ### Done when - [ ] Entering banana into budget returns a field error and preserves its previous number. - [ ] Saving two edits against one revision returns a conflict for the second. ### Watch out - Never interpolate user field names into SQL identifiers. ## Phase 3 · Linked records and views Linked records and views for Airtable: Build a linked-record picker restricted to the configured target table; expose reverse links and a clear unlink action. ### Steps 1. Build a linked-record picker restricted to the configured target table; expose reverse links and a clear unlink action. Build a linked-record picker restricted to the configured target table; expose reverse links and a clear unlink action. Files: `features/linked_records_and_views.py`, `templates/linked_records_and_views.html` 2. Save filter, sort and visible-column configuration as a view; apply it to the canonical rows rather than copying them. Save filter, sort and visible-column configuration as a view; apply it to the canonical rows rather than copying them. Files: `features/linked_records_and_views.py` 3. Exercise the acceptance fixture Use Clients table with Acme and Beta; Jobs table with a budget number and a link to Clients. Check: Linking a Job to Acme shows that Job in Acme backlinks after reload. Then check: A budget >= 100 view excludes a 99 row and includes a 100 row. Add a focused regression for the failure case under test/ using a temporary database or folder and fake external services; also perform the visible workflow in a browser. Files: `test/test_linked_records_and_views.py` ```sh python -m unittest discover -s test ``` ### Done when - [ ] Linking a Job to Acme shows that Job in Acme backlinks after reload. - [ ] A budget >= 100 view excludes a 99 row and includes a 100 row. ### Watch out - Deleting a referenced record must prompt to unlink, not leave dangling ids. ## Phase 4 · Forms and portable CSV Forms and portable CSV for Airtable: Generate a quick-entry form from field metadata with the same server validation as the grid. Keep it local in indie mode. ### Steps 1. Generate a quick-entry form from field metadata with the same server validation as the grid Generate a quick-entry form from field metadata with the same server validation as the grid. Keep it local in indie mode. Files: `features/forms_and_portable_csv.py`, `templates/forms_and_portable_csv.html` 2. Preview CSV mapping and errors before a transaction imports rows; export stable field names and encode links by record id. Preview CSV mapping and errors before a transaction imports rows; export stable field names and encode links by record id. Files: `features/forms_and_portable_csv.py` 3. Exercise the acceptance fixture Use Clients table with Acme and Beta; Jobs table with a budget number and a link to Clients. Check: A malformed CSV row reports its line and imports zero rows. Then check: Export then import into an empty base preserves two Clients and their Job links. Add a focused regression for the failure case under test/ using a temporary database or folder and fake external services; also perform the visible workflow in a browser. Files: `test/test_forms_and_portable_csv.py` ```sh python -m unittest discover -s test ``` ### Done when - [ ] A malformed CSV row reports its line and imports zero rows. - [ ] Export then import into an empty base preserves two Clients and their Job links. ### Watch out - CSV labels are not stable link identifiers; include ids in the exchange format. ## Phase 5 · Portable delivery and clean-start proof Finish the Airtable replacement with a documented first-run path and a recoverable export. ### Steps 1. Write the user-facing runbook Document prerequisites, every configuration variable, data locations and the three domain workflows: Typed tables and editing; Linked records and views; Forms and portable CSV. Include the exclusions, actual costs and source check date 2026-09-05. Commands shown earlier that reference project files are files the builder must implement before running them. Files: `README.md`, `.env.example` 2. Create and rehearse a recoverable backup Use sqlite3.Connection.backup for the database in DATA_DIR and pause writers while taking the matching attachment snapshot. Keep schema version, hashes and a manifest for airtable. Restore into a separate empty directory or isolated deployment, with all outbound actions and schedules disabled. Recreate this proof: Clients table with Acme and Beta; Jobs table with a budget number and a link to Clients. Compare ids/counts and open the result before recording the restore date. Never test a restore over the only live copy. Files: `OPERATIONS.md`, `scripts/backup.py` 3. Reproduce the first-run experience Use a new folder and only README instructions to reach the fixture outcome. Install from requirements.txt, initialize storage, run the tests and exercise the UI at 375px and 1280px; use keyboard-only controls and inspect browser errors. Record exactly what passed; do not mark unrun checks complete. Files: `README.md`, `verification.md` ```sh python -m pip install -r requirements.txt python -m unittest discover -s test ``` ### Done when - [ ] A new folder reaches the documented fixture outcome using only README instructions. - [ ] A backup restored in isolation preserves the proof data and can be opened. ### Watch out - Export without an import or restore rehearsal is not verified portability. ## Not in this build - This is a local typed database with linked records and saved views; full Airtable feature parity, vendor hosting and support are not included. - rich field types - interfaces - automations - sync/integrations - mobile - permissions - scalability ## After v1, if you want it - Extend forms and portable csv only after the fixture and recovery checks pass. - Before adding another integration, document its credentials, limits, cost and failure behavior with primary-source links. ===== .env.example ===== # Copy to .env and fill in. Never commit .env; this file documents it. # Required. A new private folder this application creates on first run; never serve it as static files. DATA_DIR=./data/airtable # Required · secret. Generate with python -c "import secrets; print(secrets.token_hex(32))" and save only in .env. SECRET_KEY=replace-with-a-random-secret # Required. Use indie for loopback-only personal work. Product mode must refuse to start until owner login and the deployment gates are configured. APP_MODE=indie # Required. The origin used for local forms and links; replace with the chosen HTTPS origin in product mode. SITE_URL=http://127.0.0.1:5000
You are building a production product version of Airtable. Create the following project files first, then implement the application by following them. Keep the files updated as decisions change. Do not collapse this into a single README or prompt. ===== PRODUCT.md ===== # Airtable · product brief ## Problem A spreadsheet database CRUD app is buildable, but Airtable's views, permissions, automations, interfaces, forms, sync, and integrations are broad. ## Product outcome An operated version of a local typed database with linked records and saved views, with authorized access, restore evidence and honest scope limits. ## Target user A builder who needs a maintainable product foundation, not a one-off demo. ## Required capabilities - database - schema builder - grid UI - auth/permissions - automation worker - hosted backend ## Explicit non-goals for v1 - This is a local typed database with linked records and saved views; full Airtable feature parity, vendor hosting and support are not included. - rich field types - interfaces - automations - sync/integrations - mobile - permissions - scalability ## Success criteria - Entering banana into budget returns a field error and preserves its previous number. - Linking a Job to Acme shows that Job in Acme backlinks after reload. - A malformed CSV row reports its line and imports zero rows. - A private-data authorization check passes using a second identity. - An off-host restore drill has a date, observed result and recovery time in OPERATIONS.md. - README names the excluded vendor capabilities and actual provider/hosting costs. ===== BRIEF.md ===== # Build brief · Airtable The one-shot brief this plan expands. `BUILD_PLAN.md` (or `MILESTONES.md`) is the same sequence broken into steps and checks; where the two disagree, the plan wins. Build me a local typed database with linked records and saved views as a bounded replacement for Airtable. Build it in phases in the order below. Do not write the whole product in one pass. Finish the current phase, run its Done when checks, fix failures, then continue. Indie mode completes Phases 1-5. Phase 6 is required before shared or public deployment. ### Stack (fixed, do not substitute) - Runtime: Python 3.12+ and Flask. A small local HTTP application with readable server-side handlers and no JavaScript build pipeline. - Storage: SQLite through Python sqlite3. Local ownership with explicit transactions and a portable backup path. - Interface: Jinja HTML templates, CSS and vanilla JavaScript. Implement the specified screens directly with labelled controls and progressive enhancement. - Verification: Python unittest and browser acceptance fixtures. Check invariants and the actual user workflow before the next phase. ### Data model (create this before Phase 1) - tables(id,name) - fields(id,table_id,name,type,options_json) - records(id,table_id,values_json,revision) - links(from_record,field_id,to_record) - views(id,table_id,filters_json,sort_json) - Use stable ids and explicit relationships; add auxiliary tables named by the phases before those phases use them. - Acceptance fixture: Clients table with Acme and Beta; Jobs table with a budget number and a link to Clients. ### Prerequisites and configuration - Python 3.12 or newer and a terminal: Install Python from python.org. Open a terminal in a new empty project folder. On Windows, use py -3 where this guide says python if python is not on PATH; on macOS/Linux use python3 if needed. Create .venv and activate it before installing packages. Verify: python --version reports 3.12+ and python -c "import sqlite3" succeeds. Cost: Python is free; this local prototype requires no hosting subscription. - A current desktop browser and text editor: Use an installed Chrome, Firefox or Edge browser. Open the empty project folder in your editor; open the terminal there, not in this catalog repository. Verify: You can create a text file in the project folder and open browser developer tools. Cost: No paid service required for this local step. - Airtable acceptance sample: Create synthetic sample data before implementation: Clients table with Acme and Beta; Jobs table with a budget number and a link to Clients. Save it under fixtures/ with the expected results in fixtures/README.md; use no real credentials or customer records. Verify: The fixture files and expected outcomes exist and can be inspected without a vendor account. Cost: No paid service required for this local step. - Confirm the bounded replacement: The deliverable is a local typed database with linked records and saved views. Read every exclusion below. Indie mode runs locally; any public or shared use requires the product access and deployment gates first. Verify: You can name the primary workflow and the vendor features this version deliberately leaves out. Cost: No paid service required for this local step. - Configuration: DATA_DIR, SECRET_KEY, APP_MODE, SITE_URL. Ship .env.example, replace placeholders and exclude secrets from git. ### Phase 1 · Local foundation and data contract Build: Create the runnable local foundation for a local typed database with linked records and saved views, including the real schema and acceptance fixture. - Run the venv command first, then stop and activate it before running the remaining commands. Use your OS instructions: Windows .venv\Scripts\activate.bat in cmd, or .venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1 in PowerShell; macOS/Linux source .venv/bin/activate. Then install the listed packages. Create app.py exposing app, load .env with python-dotenv, and add a /healthz route. Freeze tested dependency versions to requirements.txt. Create .env manually from .env.example; replace SECRET_KEY before launch. Commands, after creating the named files: `python -m venv .venv`; `python -m pip install Flask Flask-WTF python-dotenv waitress tzdata`; `python -m pip freeze > requirements.txt`; `python -m flask --app app run --host 127.0.0.1`. - For database-backed state create schema.sql and db.py using this model: tables(id,name); fields(id,table_id,name,type,options_json); records(id,table_id,values_json,revision); links(from_record,field_id,to_record); views(id,table_id,filters_json,sort_json). Add the auxiliary relationships explicitly used in later phases; use stable ids, foreign keys, parameterized values and transactions. For canonical files use atomic replacement and hashes instead. Implement python manage.py init and python manage.py seed to create only synthetic data: Clients table with Acme and Beta; Jobs table with a budget number and a link to Clients. Re-running init must not erase data. Commands, after creating the named files: `python manage.py init`; `python manage.py seed`. - Install Flask-WTF CSRF protection for forms and same-origin fetches, validate Host and Origin against SITE_URL, bound inputs and escape output. Deliberately public intake endpoints get bounded validation and rate limits; signed provider webhooks use signature checks instead of browser CSRF tokens. All other admin routes stay local until product authentication exists. When a later phase tests viewer/member permissions, implement the users, hashed passwords, expiring server sessions and role checks in this foundation first; product mode must never use a fabricated identity from request input. Add error, empty, keyboard-focus and retry states now. - Trap: The Flask development server is for local development only. Loopback binding alone does not replace CSRF and origin validation. Done when: The documented start command serves /healthz and the initial screen at http://127.0.0.1:5000. Restarting preserves the seeded records or canonical files; running init again deletes nothing. A cross-origin state-changing request to an admin route is refused. Do not build yet: Do not start typed tables and editing until these checks pass. ### Phase 2 · Typed tables and editing Build: Typed tables and editing for Airtable: Define text, number, date, checkbox and select field validators. Store metadata separately from row values; reject changing a populated field to an incompatible type. - Define text, number, date, checkbox and select field validators. Store metadata separately from row values; reject changing a populated field to an incompatible type. - Render an editable grid with explicit Save and Cancel; use revision checks so a stale tab cannot overwrite a newer edit. - Use Clients table with Acme and Beta; Jobs table with a budget number and a link to Clients. Check: Entering banana into budget returns a field error and preserves its previous number. Then check: Saving two edits against one revision returns a conflict for the second. Add a focused regression for the failure case under test/ using a temporary database or folder and fake external services; also perform the visible workflow in a browser. Commands, after creating the named files: `python -m unittest discover -s test`. - Trap: Never interpolate user field names into SQL identifiers. Done when: Entering banana into budget returns a field error and preserves its previous number. Saving two edits against one revision returns a conflict for the second. Do not build yet: Do not start linked records and views until these checks pass. ### Phase 3 · Linked records and views Build: Linked records and views for Airtable: Build a linked-record picker restricted to the configured target table; expose reverse links and a clear unlink action. - Build a linked-record picker restricted to the configured target table; expose reverse links and a clear unlink action. - Save filter, sort and visible-column configuration as a view; apply it to the canonical rows rather than copying them. - Use Clients table with Acme and Beta; Jobs table with a budget number and a link to Clients. Check: Linking a Job to Acme shows that Job in Acme backlinks after reload. Then check: A budget >= 100 view excludes a 99 row and includes a 100 row. Add a focused regression for the failure case under test/ using a temporary database or folder and fake external services; also perform the visible workflow in a browser. Commands, after creating the named files: `python -m unittest discover -s test`. - Trap: Deleting a referenced record must prompt to unlink, not leave dangling ids. Done when: Linking a Job to Acme shows that Job in Acme backlinks after reload. A budget >= 100 view excludes a 99 row and includes a 100 row. Do not build yet: Do not start forms and portable csv until these checks pass. ### Phase 4 · Forms and portable CSV Build: Forms and portable CSV for Airtable: Generate a quick-entry form from field metadata with the same server validation as the grid. Keep it local in indie mode. - Generate a quick-entry form from field metadata with the same server validation as the grid. Keep it local in indie mode. - Preview CSV mapping and errors before a transaction imports rows; export stable field names and encode links by record id. - Use Clients table with Acme and Beta; Jobs table with a budget number and a link to Clients. Check: A malformed CSV row reports its line and imports zero rows. Then check: Export then import into an empty base preserves two Clients and their Job links. Add a focused regression for the failure case under test/ using a temporary database or folder and fake external services; also perform the visible workflow in a browser. Commands, after creating the named files: `python -m unittest discover -s test`. - Trap: CSV labels are not stable link identifiers; include ids in the exchange format. Done when: A malformed CSV row reports its line and imports zero rows. Export then import into an empty base preserves two Clients and their Job links. Do not build yet: Do not start portable delivery and clean-start proof until these checks pass. ### Phase 5 · Portable delivery and clean-start proof Build: Finish the Airtable replacement with a documented first-run path and a recoverable export. - Document prerequisites, every configuration variable, data locations and the three domain workflows: Typed tables and editing; Linked records and views; Forms and portable CSV. Include the exclusions, actual costs and source check date 2026-09-05. Commands shown earlier that reference project files are files the builder must implement before running them. - Use sqlite3.Connection.backup for the database in DATA_DIR and pause writers while taking the matching attachment snapshot. Keep schema version, hashes and a manifest for airtable. Restore into a separate empty directory or isolated deployment, with all outbound actions and schedules disabled. Recreate this proof: Clients table with Acme and Beta; Jobs table with a budget number and a link to Clients. Compare ids/counts and open the result before recording the restore date. Never test a restore over the only live copy. - Use a new folder and only README instructions to reach the fixture outcome. Install from requirements.txt, initialize storage, run the tests and exercise the UI at 375px and 1280px; use keyboard-only controls and inspect browser errors. Record exactly what passed; do not mark unrun checks complete. Commands, after creating the named files: `python -m pip install -r requirements.txt`; `python -m unittest discover -s test`. - Trap: Export without an import or restore rehearsal is not verified portability. Done when: A new folder reaches the documented fixture outcome using only README instructions. A backup restored in isolation preserves the proof data and can be opened. Do not build yet: Do not start operate and share with access controls until these checks pass. ### Phase 6 · Operate and share with access controls (product-builder only) Build: Product-builder only: make a local typed database with linked records and saved views operable for its stated audience before allowing remote access. - Add owner/member/viewer authorization as appropriate, password hashes through Werkzeug, expiring server-side sessions, CSRF and login rate limits. Add users, sessions and audit schema migrations plus an owner-init command prompting securely for its password. Enforce ownership on every private read/write/download and fail closed when product setup is incomplete. Existing learner or admin identities must use this same boundary. - Serve app:app with Waitress on loopback behind Caddy HTTPS. Configure trusted proxy headers narrowly, Secure/HttpOnly/SameSite cookies, upload limits, request ids and structured logs without private content. Run background jobs as a separate supervised process when the domain workflow requires them. Commands, after creating the named files: `waitress-serve --listen=127.0.0.1:5000 app:app`. - Add a scheduled encrypted off-host backup using this procedure: Use sqlite3.Connection.backup for the database in DATA_DIR and pause writers while taking the matching attachment snapshot. Keep schema version, hashes and a manifest for airtable. Monitor health, disk space, failed jobs and backup age. Stop the service to test an alert; rehearse recovery with outbound effects disabled and record recovery time. Rotate any exposed credentials and require reconciliation before resuming queues. - Trap: Product mode is additional engineering, not a switch that makes a local prototype production-ready. Done when: An unauthenticated visitor cannot read private records, download private files or mutate the admin surface. A viewer cannot mutate data by making a direct request, and guessed ids cannot cross ownership boundaries. Stopping the service triggers the configured alert and the latest off-host backup restores the fixture in isolation. Do not build yet: Do not add new providers or vendor-scale features until the release gates are recorded. ### Out of scope (and why) - This is a local typed database with linked records and saved views; full Airtable feature parity, vendor hosting and support are not included. - rich field types: retain the paid product if this capability is essential; it is outside this bounded build. - interfaces: retain the paid product if this capability is essential; it is outside this bounded build. - automations: retain the paid product if this capability is essential; it is outside this bounded build. - sync/integrations: retain the paid product if this capability is essential; it is outside this bounded build. - mobile: retain the paid product if this capability is essential; it is outside this bounded build. - permissions: retain the paid product if this capability is essential; it is outside this bounded build. - scalability: retain the paid product if this capability is essential; it is outside this bounded build. ### README must contain - Exact install, configure, initialize, start, test and recovery commands for a clean folder. - The schema, fixture, acceptance results, private data locations and export format. - Every prerequisite and secret source, actual running costs and deliberately excluded capabilities. - An honest distinction between tests actually run and checks still awaiting real credentials or deployment. - Dependency documentation reviewed 2026-09-05: https://flask.palletsprojects.com/en/stable/installation/ ; https://docs.python.org/3/library/sqlite3.html ; https://flask-wtf.readthedocs.io/en/1.2.x/csrf/ ; https://docs.pylonsproject.org/projects/waitress/en/stable/usage.html. Recheck before upgrading; freeze the versions actually tested. ===== ARCHITECTURE.md ===== # Architecture · Airtable ## Stack | Part | Choice | Why | | --- | --- | --- | | Runtime | Python 3.12+ and Flask | A small local HTTP application with readable server-side handlers and no JavaScript build pipeline. | | Storage | SQLite through Python sqlite3 | Local ownership with explicit transactions and a portable backup path. | | Interface | Jinja HTML templates, CSS and vanilla JavaScript | Implement the specified screens directly with labelled controls and progressive enhancement. | | Verification | Python unittest and browser acceptance fixtures | Check invariants and the actual user workflow before the next phase. | ## Modules Each module has one owner concern and a documented way to replace it. | Module | Owns | How to replace it | | --- | --- | --- | | Data and identity | tables(id,name); fields(id,table_id,name,type,options_json); records(id,table_id,values_json,revision); links(from_record,field_id,to_record); views(id,table_id,filters_json,sort_json) | Keep stable ids and a versioned repository interface; migrate storage behind it with a fixture round-trip. | | Typed tables and editing | Define text, number, date, checkbox and select field validators. Store metadata separately from row values; reject changing a populated field to an incompatible type. | Keep the acceptance contract: Entering banana into budget returns a field error and preserves its previous number. Replace only this module after replaying its fixture; preserve ids and existing records. | | Linked records and views | Build a linked-record picker restricted to the configured target table; expose reverse links and a clear unlink action. | Keep the acceptance contract: Linking a Job to Acme shows that Job in Acme backlinks after reload. Replace only this module after replaying its fixture; preserve ids and existing records. | | Forms and portable CSV | Generate a quick-entry form from field metadata with the same server validation as the grid. Keep it local in indie mode. | Keep the acceptance contract: A malformed CSV row reports its line and imports zero rows. Replace only this module after replaying its fixture; preserve ids and existing records. | | Operations | Use sqlite3.Connection.backup for the database in DATA_DIR and pause writers while taking the matching attachment snapshot. Keep schema version, hashes and a manifest for airtable. | Change host or backup destination only after an isolated restore and authorization check. | ## Configuration Every runtime setting is an environment variable documented in `.env.example`, validated at startup, with a safe local default wherever one exists. - `DATA_DIR` · required · A new private folder this application creates on first run; never serve it as static files. - `SECRET_KEY` · required, secret · Generate with python -c "import secrets; print(secrets.token_hex(32))" and save only in .env. - `APP_MODE` · required · Use indie for loopback-only personal work. Product mode must refuse to start until owner login and the deployment gates are configured. - `SITE_URL` · required · The origin used for local forms and links; replace with the chosen HTTPS origin in product mode. ## Production baseline - Security: least privilege, input validation at every boundary, secret redaction in logs, rate limits on abuse-prone paths, no invented security primitives. - Data: explicit schema and migrations, transactional writes where integrity matters, backup and restore procedures that have been exercised. - Integrations: adapters around third-party providers, idempotent webhook or job processing, bounded retries, timeouts. - Observability: structured logs with request or operation ids, an error-tracking hook, and health and readiness checks where a server exists. - Quality: unit tests for domain rules, integration tests at module boundaries, one end-to-end test of the critical path. ## Decision records For each dependency in the stack table, keep a short note: why it was chosen, its failure mode, and how it is replaced. Do not add infrastructure until a requirement in `PRODUCT.md` justifies it. ===== AGENTS.md ===== # Agent instructions · Airtable product build - Read `PRODUCT.md` and `ARCHITECTURE.md` before changing code. The stack is fixed: Python 3.12+ and Flask, SQLite through Python sqlite3, Jinja HTML templates, CSS and vanilla JavaScript, Python unittest and browser acceptance fixtures. - Implement milestone by milestone from `MILESTONES.md`; keep each change reviewable and leave the application runnable at every commit. - Treat authentication, payments, encryption, imports, webhooks and destructive actions as high-risk boundaries when present. - Never invent cryptography or silently weaken a requirement to make a check pass. - Put every external service behind an interface with a deterministic fake for tests. - Add migrations and rollback or recovery notes for every persistent data change. - Log useful operational context without credentials, tokens, passwords or personal data. - Update documentation and run every check before completing a milestone. ## Known traps - The Flask development server is for local development only. Loopback binding alone does not replace CSRF and origin validation. - Never interpolate user field names into SQL identifiers. - Deleting a referenced record must prompt to unlink, not leave dangling ids. - CSV labels are not stable link identifiers; include ids in the exchange format. - Export without an import or restore rehearsal is not verified portability. - Product mode is additional engineering, not a switch that makes a local prototype production-ready. ===== MILESTONES.md ===== # Delivery milestones · Airtable Estimated effort: **multi-day** for the indie phases; the production-only milestones add the trust and operability layer. ## M1 · Local foundation and data contract Create the runnable local foundation for a local typed database with linked records and saved views, including the real schema and acceptance fixture. ### Steps 1. Create and start the local application Run the venv command first, then stop and activate it before running the remaining commands. Use your OS instructions: Windows .venv\Scripts\activate.bat in cmd, or .venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1 in PowerShell; macOS/Linux source .venv/bin/activate. Then install the listed packages. Create app.py exposing app, load .env with python-dotenv, and add a /healthz route. Freeze tested dependency versions to requirements.txt. Create .env manually from .env.example; replace SECRET_KEY before launch. Files: `app.py`, `requirements.txt`, `.env.example`, `.gitignore` ```sh python -m venv .venv python -m pip install Flask Flask-WTF python-dotenv waitress tzdata python -m pip freeze > requirements.txt python -m flask --app app run --host 127.0.0.1 ``` 2. Implement storage and seed the named fixture For database-backed state create schema.sql and db.py using this model: tables(id,name); fields(id,table_id,name,type,options_json); records(id,table_id,values_json,revision); links(from_record,field_id,to_record); views(id,table_id,filters_json,sort_json). Add the auxiliary relationships explicitly used in later phases; use stable ids, foreign keys, parameterized values and transactions. For canonical files use atomic replacement and hashes instead. Implement python manage.py init and python manage.py seed to create only synthetic data: Clients table with Acme and Beta; Jobs table with a budget number and a link to Clients. Re-running init must not erase data. Files: `schema.sql`, `db.py`, `manage.py`, `fixtures/README.md` ```sh python manage.py init python manage.py seed ``` 3. Protect the local request boundary Install Flask-WTF CSRF protection for forms and same-origin fetches, validate Host and Origin against SITE_URL, bound inputs and escape output. Deliberately public intake endpoints get bounded validation and rate limits; signed provider webhooks use signature checks instead of browser CSRF tokens. All other admin routes stay local until product authentication exists. When a later phase tests viewer/member permissions, implement the users, hashed passwords, expiring server sessions and role checks in this foundation first; product mode must never use a fabricated identity from request input. Add error, empty, keyboard-focus and retry states now. Files: `app.py`, `templates/base.html`, `test/test_foundation.py` ### Done when - [ ] The documented start command serves /healthz and the initial screen at http://127.0.0.1:5000. - [ ] Restarting preserves the seeded records or canonical files; running init again deletes nothing. - [ ] A cross-origin state-changing request to an admin route is refused. ### Watch out - The Flask development server is for local development only. Loopback binding alone does not replace CSRF and origin validation. ## M2 · Typed tables and editing Typed tables and editing for Airtable: Define text, number, date, checkbox and select field validators. Store metadata separately from row values; reject changing a populated field to an incompatible type. ### Steps 1. Define text, number, date, checkbox and select field validators Define text, number, date, checkbox and select field validators. Store metadata separately from row values; reject changing a populated field to an incompatible type. Files: `features/typed_tables_and_editing.py`, `templates/typed_tables_and_editing.html` 2. Render an editable grid with explicit Save and Cancel; use revision checks so a stale tab cannot overwrite a newer edit. Render an editable grid with explicit Save and Cancel; use revision checks so a stale tab cannot overwrite a newer edit. Files: `features/typed_tables_and_editing.py` 3. Exercise the acceptance fixture Use Clients table with Acme and Beta; Jobs table with a budget number and a link to Clients. Check: Entering banana into budget returns a field error and preserves its previous number. Then check: Saving two edits against one revision returns a conflict for the second. Add a focused regression for the failure case under test/ using a temporary database or folder and fake external services; also perform the visible workflow in a browser. Files: `test/test_typed_tables_and_editing.py` ```sh python -m unittest discover -s test ``` ### Done when - [ ] Entering banana into budget returns a field error and preserves its previous number. - [ ] Saving two edits against one revision returns a conflict for the second. ### Watch out - Never interpolate user field names into SQL identifiers. ## M3 · Linked records and views Linked records and views for Airtable: Build a linked-record picker restricted to the configured target table; expose reverse links and a clear unlink action. ### Steps 1. Build a linked-record picker restricted to the configured target table; expose reverse links and a clear unlink action. Build a linked-record picker restricted to the configured target table; expose reverse links and a clear unlink action. Files: `features/linked_records_and_views.py`, `templates/linked_records_and_views.html` 2. Save filter, sort and visible-column configuration as a view; apply it to the canonical rows rather than copying them. Save filter, sort and visible-column configuration as a view; apply it to the canonical rows rather than copying them. Files: `features/linked_records_and_views.py` 3. Exercise the acceptance fixture Use Clients table with Acme and Beta; Jobs table with a budget number and a link to Clients. Check: Linking a Job to Acme shows that Job in Acme backlinks after reload. Then check: A budget >= 100 view excludes a 99 row and includes a 100 row. Add a focused regression for the failure case under test/ using a temporary database or folder and fake external services; also perform the visible workflow in a browser. Files: `test/test_linked_records_and_views.py` ```sh python -m unittest discover -s test ``` ### Done when - [ ] Linking a Job to Acme shows that Job in Acme backlinks after reload. - [ ] A budget >= 100 view excludes a 99 row and includes a 100 row. ### Watch out - Deleting a referenced record must prompt to unlink, not leave dangling ids. ## M4 · Forms and portable CSV Forms and portable CSV for Airtable: Generate a quick-entry form from field metadata with the same server validation as the grid. Keep it local in indie mode. ### Steps 1. Generate a quick-entry form from field metadata with the same server validation as the grid Generate a quick-entry form from field metadata with the same server validation as the grid. Keep it local in indie mode. Files: `features/forms_and_portable_csv.py`, `templates/forms_and_portable_csv.html` 2. Preview CSV mapping and errors before a transaction imports rows; export stable field names and encode links by record id. Preview CSV mapping and errors before a transaction imports rows; export stable field names and encode links by record id. Files: `features/forms_and_portable_csv.py` 3. Exercise the acceptance fixture Use Clients table with Acme and Beta; Jobs table with a budget number and a link to Clients. Check: A malformed CSV row reports its line and imports zero rows. Then check: Export then import into an empty base preserves two Clients and their Job links. Add a focused regression for the failure case under test/ using a temporary database or folder and fake external services; also perform the visible workflow in a browser. Files: `test/test_forms_and_portable_csv.py` ```sh python -m unittest discover -s test ``` ### Done when - [ ] A malformed CSV row reports its line and imports zero rows. - [ ] Export then import into an empty base preserves two Clients and their Job links. ### Watch out - CSV labels are not stable link identifiers; include ids in the exchange format. ## M5 · Portable delivery and clean-start proof Finish the Airtable replacement with a documented first-run path and a recoverable export. ### Steps 1. Write the user-facing runbook Document prerequisites, every configuration variable, data locations and the three domain workflows: Typed tables and editing; Linked records and views; Forms and portable CSV. Include the exclusions, actual costs and source check date 2026-09-05. Commands shown earlier that reference project files are files the builder must implement before running them. Files: `README.md`, `.env.example` 2. Create and rehearse a recoverable backup Use sqlite3.Connection.backup for the database in DATA_DIR and pause writers while taking the matching attachment snapshot. Keep schema version, hashes and a manifest for airtable. Restore into a separate empty directory or isolated deployment, with all outbound actions and schedules disabled. Recreate this proof: Clients table with Acme and Beta; Jobs table with a budget number and a link to Clients. Compare ids/counts and open the result before recording the restore date. Never test a restore over the only live copy. Files: `OPERATIONS.md`, `scripts/backup.py` 3. Reproduce the first-run experience Use a new folder and only README instructions to reach the fixture outcome. Install from requirements.txt, initialize storage, run the tests and exercise the UI at 375px and 1280px; use keyboard-only controls and inspect browser errors. Record exactly what passed; do not mark unrun checks complete. Files: `README.md`, `verification.md` ```sh python -m pip install -r requirements.txt python -m unittest discover -s test ``` ### Done when - [ ] A new folder reaches the documented fixture outcome using only README instructions. - [ ] A backup restored in isolation preserves the proof data and can be opened. ### Watch out - Export without an import or restore rehearsal is not verified portability. ## M6 · Operate and share with access controls (production only) Product-builder only: make a local typed database with linked records and saved views operable for its stated audience before allowing remote access. ### Steps 1. Establish owner access before exposure Add owner/member/viewer authorization as appropriate, password hashes through Werkzeug, expiring server-side sessions, CSRF and login rate limits. Add users, sessions and audit schema migrations plus an owner-init command prompting securely for its password. Enforce ownership on every private read/write/download and fail closed when product setup is incomplete. Existing learner or admin identities must use this same boundary. Files: `ARCHITECTURE.md`, `OPERATIONS.md` 2. Deploy a monitored service Serve app:app with Waitress on loopback behind Caddy HTTPS. Configure trusted proxy headers narrowly, Secure/HttpOnly/SameSite cookies, upload limits, request ids and structured logs without private content. Run background jobs as a separate supervised process when the domain workflow requires them. Files: `Caddyfile`, `OPERATIONS.md` ```sh waitress-serve --listen=127.0.0.1:5000 app:app ``` 3. Rehearse loss and recovery Add a scheduled encrypted off-host backup using this procedure: Use sqlite3.Connection.backup for the database in DATA_DIR and pause writers while taking the matching attachment snapshot. Keep schema version, hashes and a manifest for airtable. Monitor health, disk space, failed jobs and backup age. Stop the service to test an alert; rehearse recovery with outbound effects disabled and record recovery time. Rotate any exposed credentials and require reconciliation before resuming queues. Files: `OPERATIONS.md`, `release-checklist.md` ### Done when - [ ] An unauthenticated visitor cannot read private records, download private files or mutate the admin surface. - [ ] A viewer cannot mutate data by making a direct request, and guessed ids cannot cross ownership boundaries. - [ ] Stopping the service triggers the configured alert and the latest off-host backup restores the fixture in isolation. ### Watch out - Product mode is additional engineering, not a switch that makes a local prototype production-ready. ===== OPERATIONS.md ===== # Operations · Airtable ## Backup Use sqlite3.Connection.backup for the database in DATA_DIR and pause writers while taking the matching attachment snapshot. Keep schema version, hashes and a manifest for airtable. ## Restore Restore into a separate empty directory or isolated deployment, with all outbound actions and schedules disabled. Recreate this proof: Clients table with Acme and Beta; Jobs table with a budget number and a link to Clients. Compare ids/counts and open the result before recording the restore date. Never test a restore over the only live copy. Do a restore drill before the first real user, and write the date here when it passes. ## Monitoring Check HTTP availability, free disk, backup age and domain failures for Typed tables and editing, Linked records and views, Forms and portable CSV. Alert without logging private payloads. ## Incident checklist Pause outbound jobs and public intake as appropriate, preserve redacted diagnostics, restore an isolated verified backup, rotate affected credentials and reconcile uncertain effects before reopening. 1. Contain the issue without destroying evidence or user data. 2. Record the timeline and affected scope. 3. Rotate exposed secrets and revoke compromised sessions or credentials. 4. Restore from a verified backup when needed. 5. Document the root cause, the remediation and the regression test. ## Release gate - [ ] Entering banana into budget returns a field error and preserves its previous number. - [ ] Linking a Job to Acme shows that Job in Acme backlinks after reload. - [ ] A malformed CSV row reports its line and imports zero rows. - [ ] A private-data authorization check passes using a second identity. - [ ] An off-host restore drill has a date, observed result and recovery time in OPERATIONS.md. - [ ] README names the excluded vendor capabilities and actual provider/hosting costs. ## Launch constraint Do not market omitted Airtable capabilities as implemented. The non-goals in `PRODUCT.md` remain user-visible limitations until they are deliberately delivered. ===== .env.example ===== # Copy to .env and fill in. Never commit .env; this file documents it. # Required. A new private folder this application creates on first run; never serve it as static files. DATA_DIR=./data/airtable # Required · secret. Generate with python -c "import secrets; print(secrets.token_hex(32))" and save only in .env. SECRET_KEY=replace-with-a-random-secret # Required. Use indie for loopback-only personal work. Product mode must refuse to start until owner login and the deployment gates are configured. APP_MODE=indie # Required. The origin used for local forms and links; replace with the chosen HTTPS origin in product mode. SITE_URL=http://127.0.0.1:5000
README.md
# Airtable · indie build Build a local typed database with linked records and saved views. Estimated effort: **multi-day**. Work `BUILD_PLAN.md` top to bottom · every phase ends in a check that has to pass before the next one starts. ## Stack | Part | Choice | Why | | --- | --- | --- | | Runtime | Python 3.12+ and Flask | A small local HTTP application with readable server-side handlers and no JavaScript build pipeline. | | Storage | SQLite through Python sqlite3 | Local ownership with explicit transactions and a portable backup path. | | Interface | Jinja HTML templates, CSS and vanilla JavaScript | Implement the specified screens directly with labelled controls and progressive enhancement. | | Verification | Python unittest and browser acceptance fixtures | Check invariants and the actual user workflow before the next phase. | ## Before you start Have every one of these ready. The plan assumes them from step one. - [ ] **Python 3.12 or newer and a terminal** · Python is free; this local prototype requires no hosting subscription. - Why: The local backend, tests and storage use Python. - Get it: Install Python from python.org. Open a terminal in a new empty project folder. On Windows, use py -3 where this guide says python if python is not on PATH; on macOS/Linux use python3 if needed. Create .venv and activate it before installing packages. - Verify: python --version reports 3.12+ and python -c "import sqlite3" succeeds. - [ ] **A current desktop browser and text editor** · No paid service required for this local step. - Why: You need to view the local interface and edit generated project files. - Get it: Use an installed Chrome, Firefox or Edge browser. Open the empty project folder in your editor; open the terminal there, not in this catalog repository. - Verify: You can create a text file in the project folder and open browser developer tools. - [ ] **Airtable acceptance sample** · No paid service required for this local step. - Why: This fixture makes the first end-to-end check reproducible. - Get it: Create synthetic sample data before implementation: Clients table with Acme and Beta; Jobs table with a budget number and a link to Clients. Save it under fixtures/ with the expected results in fixtures/README.md; use no real credentials or customer records. - Verify: The fixture files and expected outcomes exist and can be inspected without a vendor account. - [ ] **Confirm the bounded replacement** · No paid service required for this local step. - Why: The full commercial product is larger than this guide. - Get it: The deliverable is a local typed database with linked records and saved views. Read every exclusion below. Indie mode runs locally; any public or shared use requires the product access and deployment gates first. - Verify: You can name the primary workflow and the vendor features this version deliberately leaves out. ## Quick start ```sh python -m venv .venv python -m pip install Flask Flask-WTF python-dotenv waitress tzdata python -m pip freeze > requirements.txt python -m flask --app app run --host 127.0.0.1 ``` Then copy `.env.example` to `.env` and fill in the values it documents. ## Honest limits This build deliberately does not replace: - This is a local typed database with linked records and saved views; full Airtable feature parity, vendor hosting and support are not included. - rich field types - interfaces - automations - sync/integrations - mobile - permissions - scalability If one of those is essential to you, that is the reason to keep paying for Airtable, and the README should say so rather than pretend.
BRIEF.md
# Build brief · Airtable The one-shot brief this plan expands. `BUILD_PLAN.md` (or `MILESTONES.md`) is the same sequence broken into steps and checks; where the two disagree, the plan wins. Build me a local typed database with linked records and saved views as a bounded replacement for Airtable. Build it in phases in the order below. Do not write the whole product in one pass. Finish the current phase, run its Done when checks, fix failures, then continue. Indie mode completes Phases 1-5. Phase 6 is required before shared or public deployment. ### Stack (fixed, do not substitute) - Runtime: Python 3.12+ and Flask. A small local HTTP application with readable server-side handlers and no JavaScript build pipeline. - Storage: SQLite through Python sqlite3. Local ownership with explicit transactions and a portable backup path. - Interface: Jinja HTML templates, CSS and vanilla JavaScript. Implement the specified screens directly with labelled controls and progressive enhancement. - Verification: Python unittest and browser acceptance fixtures. Check invariants and the actual user workflow before the next phase. ### Data model (create this before Phase 1) - tables(id,name) - fields(id,table_id,name,type,options_json) - records(id,table_id,values_json,revision) - links(from_record,field_id,to_record) - views(id,table_id,filters_json,sort_json) - Use stable ids and explicit relationships; add auxiliary tables named by the phases before those phases use them. - Acceptance fixture: Clients table with Acme and Beta; Jobs table with a budget number and a link to Clients. ### Prerequisites and configuration - Python 3.12 or newer and a terminal: Install Python from python.org. Open a terminal in a new empty project folder. On Windows, use py -3 where this guide says python if python is not on PATH; on macOS/Linux use python3 if needed. Create .venv and activate it before installing packages. Verify: python --version reports 3.12+ and python -c "import sqlite3" succeeds. Cost: Python is free; this local prototype requires no hosting subscription. - A current desktop browser and text editor: Use an installed Chrome, Firefox or Edge browser. Open the empty project folder in your editor; open the terminal there, not in this catalog repository. Verify: You can create a text file in the project folder and open browser developer tools. Cost: No paid service required for this local step. - Airtable acceptance sample: Create synthetic sample data before implementation: Clients table with Acme and Beta; Jobs table with a budget number and a link to Clients. Save it under fixtures/ with the expected results in fixtures/README.md; use no real credentials or customer records. Verify: The fixture files and expected outcomes exist and can be inspected without a vendor account. Cost: No paid service required for this local step. - Confirm the bounded replacement: The deliverable is a local typed database with linked records and saved views. Read every exclusion below. Indie mode runs locally; any public or shared use requires the product access and deployment gates first. Verify: You can name the primary workflow and the vendor features this version deliberately leaves out. Cost: No paid service required for this local step. - Configuration: DATA_DIR, SECRET_KEY, APP_MODE, SITE_URL. Ship .env.example, replace placeholders and exclude secrets from git. ### Phase 1 · Local foundation and data contract Build: Create the runnable local foundation for a local typed database with linked records and saved views, including the real schema and acceptance fixture. - Run the venv command first, then stop and activate it before running the remaining commands. Use your OS instructions: Windows .venv\Scripts\activate.bat in cmd, or .venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1 in PowerShell; macOS/Linux source .venv/bin/activate. Then install the listed packages. Create app.py exposing app, load .env with python-dotenv, and add a /healthz route. Freeze tested dependency versions to requirements.txt. Create .env manually from .env.example; replace SECRET_KEY before launch. Commands, after creating the named files: `python -m venv .venv`; `python -m pip install Flask Flask-WTF python-dotenv waitress tzdata`; `python -m pip freeze > requirements.txt`; `python -m flask --app app run --host 127.0.0.1`. - For database-backed state create schema.sql and db.py using this model: tables(id,name); fields(id,table_id,name,type,options_json); records(id,table_id,values_json,revision); links(from_record,field_id,to_record); views(id,table_id,filters_json,sort_json). Add the auxiliary relationships explicitly used in later phases; use stable ids, foreign keys, parameterized values and transactions. For canonical files use atomic replacement and hashes instead. Implement python manage.py init and python manage.py seed to create only synthetic data: Clients table with Acme and Beta; Jobs table with a budget number and a link to Clients. Re-running init must not erase data. Commands, after creating the named files: `python manage.py init`; `python manage.py seed`. - Install Flask-WTF CSRF protection for forms and same-origin fetches, validate Host and Origin against SITE_URL, bound inputs and escape output. Deliberately public intake endpoints get bounded validation and rate limits; signed provider webhooks use signature checks instead of browser CSRF tokens. All other admin routes stay local until product authentication exists. When a later phase tests viewer/member permissions, implement the users, hashed passwords, expiring server sessions and role checks in this foundation first; product mode must never use a fabricated identity from request input. Add error, empty, keyboard-focus and retry states now. - Trap: The Flask development server is for local development only. Loopback binding alone does not replace CSRF and origin validation. Done when: The documented start command serves /healthz and the initial screen at http://127.0.0.1:5000. Restarting preserves the seeded records or canonical files; running init again deletes nothing. A cross-origin state-changing request to an admin route is refused. Do not build yet: Do not start typed tables and editing until these checks pass. ### Phase 2 · Typed tables and editing Build: Typed tables and editing for Airtable: Define text, number, date, checkbox and select field validators. Store metadata separately from row values; reject changing a populated field to an incompatible type. - Define text, number, date, checkbox and select field validators. Store metadata separately from row values; reject changing a populated field to an incompatible type. - Render an editable grid with explicit Save and Cancel; use revision checks so a stale tab cannot overwrite a newer edit. - Use Clients table with Acme and Beta; Jobs table with a budget number and a link to Clients. Check: Entering banana into budget returns a field error and preserves its previous number. Then check: Saving two edits against one revision returns a conflict for the second. Add a focused regression for the failure case under test/ using a temporary database or folder and fake external services; also perform the visible workflow in a browser. Commands, after creating the named files: `python -m unittest discover -s test`. - Trap: Never interpolate user field names into SQL identifiers. Done when: Entering banana into budget returns a field error and preserves its previous number. Saving two edits against one revision returns a conflict for the second. Do not build yet: Do not start linked records and views until these checks pass. ### Phase 3 · Linked records and views Build: Linked records and views for Airtable: Build a linked-record picker restricted to the configured target table; expose reverse links and a clear unlink action. - Build a linked-record picker restricted to the configured target table; expose reverse links and a clear unlink action. - Save filter, sort and visible-column configuration as a view; apply it to the canonical rows rather than copying them. - Use Clients table with Acme and Beta; Jobs table with a budget number and a link to Clients. Check: Linking a Job to Acme shows that Job in Acme backlinks after reload. Then check: A budget >= 100 view excludes a 99 row and includes a 100 row. Add a focused regression for the failure case under test/ using a temporary database or folder and fake external services; also perform the visible workflow in a browser. Commands, after creating the named files: `python -m unittest discover -s test`. - Trap: Deleting a referenced record must prompt to unlink, not leave dangling ids. Done when: Linking a Job to Acme shows that Job in Acme backlinks after reload. A budget >= 100 view excludes a 99 row and includes a 100 row. Do not build yet: Do not start forms and portable csv until these checks pass. ### Phase 4 · Forms and portable CSV Build: Forms and portable CSV for Airtable: Generate a quick-entry form from field metadata with the same server validation as the grid. Keep it local in indie mode. - Generate a quick-entry form from field metadata with the same server validation as the grid. Keep it local in indie mode. - Preview CSV mapping and errors before a transaction imports rows; export stable field names and encode links by record id. - Use Clients table with Acme and Beta; Jobs table with a budget number and a link to Clients. Check: A malformed CSV row reports its line and imports zero rows. Then check: Export then import into an empty base preserves two Clients and their Job links. Add a focused regression for the failure case under test/ using a temporary database or folder and fake external services; also perform the visible workflow in a browser. Commands, after creating the named files: `python -m unittest discover -s test`. - Trap: CSV labels are not stable link identifiers; include ids in the exchange format. Done when: A malformed CSV row reports its line and imports zero rows. Export then import into an empty base preserves two Clients and their Job links. Do not build yet: Do not start portable delivery and clean-start proof until these checks pass. ### Phase 5 · Portable delivery and clean-start proof Build: Finish the Airtable replacement with a documented first-run path and a recoverable export. - Document prerequisites, every configuration variable, data locations and the three domain workflows: Typed tables and editing; Linked records and views; Forms and portable CSV. Include the exclusions, actual costs and source check date 2026-09-05. Commands shown earlier that reference project files are files the builder must implement before running them. - Use sqlite3.Connection.backup for the database in DATA_DIR and pause writers while taking the matching attachment snapshot. Keep schema version, hashes and a manifest for airtable. Restore into a separate empty directory or isolated deployment, with all outbound actions and schedules disabled. Recreate this proof: Clients table with Acme and Beta; Jobs table with a budget number and a link to Clients. Compare ids/counts and open the result before recording the restore date. Never test a restore over the only live copy. - Use a new folder and only README instructions to reach the fixture outcome. Install from requirements.txt, initialize storage, run the tests and exercise the UI at 375px and 1280px; use keyboard-only controls and inspect browser errors. Record exactly what passed; do not mark unrun checks complete. Commands, after creating the named files: `python -m pip install -r requirements.txt`; `python -m unittest discover -s test`. - Trap: Export without an import or restore rehearsal is not verified portability. Done when: A new folder reaches the documented fixture outcome using only README instructions. A backup restored in isolation preserves the proof data and can be opened. Do not build yet: Do not start operate and share with access controls until these checks pass. ### Phase 6 · Operate and share with access controls (product-builder only) Build: Product-builder only: make a local typed database with linked records and saved views operable for its stated audience before allowing remote access. - Add owner/member/viewer authorization as appropriate, password hashes through Werkzeug, expiring server-side sessions, CSRF and login rate limits. Add users, sessions and audit schema migrations plus an owner-init command prompting securely for its password. Enforce ownership on every private read/write/download and fail closed when product setup is incomplete. Existing learner or admin identities must use this same boundary. - Serve app:app with Waitress on loopback behind Caddy HTTPS. Configure trusted proxy headers narrowly, Secure/HttpOnly/SameSite cookies, upload limits, request ids and structured logs without private content. Run background jobs as a separate supervised process when the domain workflow requires them. Commands, after creating the named files: `waitress-serve --listen=127.0.0.1:5000 app:app`. - Add a scheduled encrypted off-host backup using this procedure: Use sqlite3.Connection.backup for the database in DATA_DIR and pause writers while taking the matching attachment snapshot. Keep schema version, hashes and a manifest for airtable. Monitor health, disk space, failed jobs and backup age. Stop the service to test an alert; rehearse recovery with outbound effects disabled and record recovery time. Rotate any exposed credentials and require reconciliation before resuming queues. - Trap: Product mode is additional engineering, not a switch that makes a local prototype production-ready. Done when: An unauthenticated visitor cannot read private records, download private files or mutate the admin surface. A viewer cannot mutate data by making a direct request, and guessed ids cannot cross ownership boundaries. Stopping the service triggers the configured alert and the latest off-host backup restores the fixture in isolation. Do not build yet: Do not add new providers or vendor-scale features until the release gates are recorded. ### Out of scope (and why) - This is a local typed database with linked records and saved views; full Airtable feature parity, vendor hosting and support are not included. - rich field types: retain the paid product if this capability is essential; it is outside this bounded build. - interfaces: retain the paid product if this capability is essential; it is outside this bounded build. - automations: retain the paid product if this capability is essential; it is outside this bounded build. - sync/integrations: retain the paid product if this capability is essential; it is outside this bounded build. - mobile: retain the paid product if this capability is essential; it is outside this bounded build. - permissions: retain the paid product if this capability is essential; it is outside this bounded build. - scalability: retain the paid product if this capability is essential; it is outside this bounded build. ### README must contain - Exact install, configure, initialize, start, test and recovery commands for a clean folder. - The schema, fixture, acceptance results, private data locations and export format. - Every prerequisite and secret source, actual running costs and deliberately excluded capabilities. - An honest distinction between tests actually run and checks still awaiting real credentials or deployment. - Dependency documentation reviewed 2026-09-05: https://flask.palletsprojects.com/en/stable/installation/ ; https://docs.python.org/3/library/sqlite3.html ; https://flask-wtf.readthedocs.io/en/1.2.x/csrf/ ; https://docs.pylonsproject.org/projects/waitress/en/stable/usage.html. Recheck before upgrading; freeze the versions actually tested.
AGENTS.md
# Agent instructions · Airtable indie build - Read `README.md` and `BUILD_PLAN.md` before writing code. The stack is fixed: Python 3.12+ and Flask, SQLite through Python sqlite3, Jinja HTML templates, CSS and vanilla JavaScript, Python unittest and browser acceptance fixtures. Do not substitute. - Work one phase at a time, in order. Do not start a phase until every "Done when" item of the previous one passes. - Prefer the fewest moving parts that satisfy the step. No frameworks, services or dependencies the plan does not name. - Secrets live in `.env`, never in source or logs. Keep `.env.example` current when a variable is introduced. - Do not invent cryptography, security guarantees, APIs or compliance claims. - Add a focused test for every destructive, security-sensitive or data-loss path the plan names. - Run the project checks before declaring a phase complete, and record any deliberate shortcut in the README under "Tradeoffs". ## Known traps - The Flask development server is for local development only. Loopback binding alone does not replace CSRF and origin validation. - Never interpolate user field names into SQL identifiers. - Deleting a referenced record must prompt to unlink, not leave dangling ids. - CSV labels are not stable link identifiers; include ids in the exchange format. - Export without an import or restore rehearsal is not verified portability.
BUILD_PLAN.md
# Build plan · Airtable Build a local typed database with linked records and saved views. Phases are in dependency order. Each ends in a "Done when" list; treat an unticked item as a blocker, not a note. ## Phase 1 · Local foundation and data contract Create the runnable local foundation for a local typed database with linked records and saved views, including the real schema and acceptance fixture. ### Steps 1. Create and start the local application Run the venv command first, then stop and activate it before running the remaining commands. Use your OS instructions: Windows .venv\Scripts\activate.bat in cmd, or .venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1 in PowerShell; macOS/Linux source .venv/bin/activate. Then install the listed packages. Create app.py exposing app, load .env with python-dotenv, and add a /healthz route. Freeze tested dependency versions to requirements.txt. Create .env manually from .env.example; replace SECRET_KEY before launch. Files: `app.py`, `requirements.txt`, `.env.example`, `.gitignore` ```sh python -m venv .venv python -m pip install Flask Flask-WTF python-dotenv waitress tzdata python -m pip freeze > requirements.txt python -m flask --app app run --host 127.0.0.1 ``` 2. Implement storage and seed the named fixture For database-backed state create schema.sql and db.py using this model: tables(id,name); fields(id,table_id,name,type,options_json); records(id,table_id,values_json,revision); links(from_record,field_id,to_record); views(id,table_id,filters_json,sort_json). Add the auxiliary relationships explicitly used in later phases; use stable ids, foreign keys, parameterized values and transactions. For canonical files use atomic replacement and hashes instead. Implement python manage.py init and python manage.py seed to create only synthetic data: Clients table with Acme and Beta; Jobs table with a budget number and a link to Clients. Re-running init must not erase data. Files: `schema.sql`, `db.py`, `manage.py`, `fixtures/README.md` ```sh python manage.py init python manage.py seed ``` 3. Protect the local request boundary Install Flask-WTF CSRF protection for forms and same-origin fetches, validate Host and Origin against SITE_URL, bound inputs and escape output. Deliberately public intake endpoints get bounded validation and rate limits; signed provider webhooks use signature checks instead of browser CSRF tokens. All other admin routes stay local until product authentication exists. When a later phase tests viewer/member permissions, implement the users, hashed passwords, expiring server sessions and role checks in this foundation first; product mode must never use a fabricated identity from request input. Add error, empty, keyboard-focus and retry states now. Files: `app.py`, `templates/base.html`, `test/test_foundation.py` ### Done when - [ ] The documented start command serves /healthz and the initial screen at http://127.0.0.1:5000. - [ ] Restarting preserves the seeded records or canonical files; running init again deletes nothing. - [ ] A cross-origin state-changing request to an admin route is refused. ### Watch out - The Flask development server is for local development only. Loopback binding alone does not replace CSRF and origin validation. ## Phase 2 · Typed tables and editing Typed tables and editing for Airtable: Define text, number, date, checkbox and select field validators. Store metadata separately from row values; reject changing a populated field to an incompatible type. ### Steps 1. Define text, number, date, checkbox and select field validators Define text, number, date, checkbox and select field validators. Store metadata separately from row values; reject changing a populated field to an incompatible type. Files: `features/typed_tables_and_editing.py`, `templates/typed_tables_and_editing.html` 2. Render an editable grid with explicit Save and Cancel; use revision checks so a stale tab cannot overwrite a newer edit. Render an editable grid with explicit Save and Cancel; use revision checks so a stale tab cannot overwrite a newer edit. Files: `features/typed_tables_and_editing.py` 3. Exercise the acceptance fixture Use Clients table with Acme and Beta; Jobs table with a budget number and a link to Clients. Check: Entering banana into budget returns a field error and preserves its previous number. Then check: Saving two edits against one revision returns a conflict for the second. Add a focused regression for the failure case under test/ using a temporary database or folder and fake external services; also perform the visible workflow in a browser. Files: `test/test_typed_tables_and_editing.py` ```sh python -m unittest discover -s test ``` ### Done when - [ ] Entering banana into budget returns a field error and preserves its previous number. - [ ] Saving two edits against one revision returns a conflict for the second. ### Watch out - Never interpolate user field names into SQL identifiers. ## Phase 3 · Linked records and views Linked records and views for Airtable: Build a linked-record picker restricted to the configured target table; expose reverse links and a clear unlink action. ### Steps 1. Build a linked-record picker restricted to the configured target table; expose reverse links and a clear unlink action. Build a linked-record picker restricted to the configured target table; expose reverse links and a clear unlink action. Files: `features/linked_records_and_views.py`, `templates/linked_records_and_views.html` 2. Save filter, sort and visible-column configuration as a view; apply it to the canonical rows rather than copying them. Save filter, sort and visible-column configuration as a view; apply it to the canonical rows rather than copying them. Files: `features/linked_records_and_views.py` 3. Exercise the acceptance fixture Use Clients table with Acme and Beta; Jobs table with a budget number and a link to Clients. Check: Linking a Job to Acme shows that Job in Acme backlinks after reload. Then check: A budget >= 100 view excludes a 99 row and includes a 100 row. Add a focused regression for the failure case under test/ using a temporary database or folder and fake external services; also perform the visible workflow in a browser. Files: `test/test_linked_records_and_views.py` ```sh python -m unittest discover -s test ``` ### Done when - [ ] Linking a Job to Acme shows that Job in Acme backlinks after reload. - [ ] A budget >= 100 view excludes a 99 row and includes a 100 row. ### Watch out - Deleting a referenced record must prompt to unlink, not leave dangling ids. ## Phase 4 · Forms and portable CSV Forms and portable CSV for Airtable: Generate a quick-entry form from field metadata with the same server validation as the grid. Keep it local in indie mode. ### Steps 1. Generate a quick-entry form from field metadata with the same server validation as the grid Generate a quick-entry form from field metadata with the same server validation as the grid. Keep it local in indie mode. Files: `features/forms_and_portable_csv.py`, `templates/forms_and_portable_csv.html` 2. Preview CSV mapping and errors before a transaction imports rows; export stable field names and encode links by record id. Preview CSV mapping and errors before a transaction imports rows; export stable field names and encode links by record id. Files: `features/forms_and_portable_csv.py` 3. Exercise the acceptance fixture Use Clients table with Acme and Beta; Jobs table with a budget number and a link to Clients. Check: A malformed CSV row reports its line and imports zero rows. Then check: Export then import into an empty base preserves two Clients and their Job links. Add a focused regression for the failure case under test/ using a temporary database or folder and fake external services; also perform the visible workflow in a browser. Files: `test/test_forms_and_portable_csv.py` ```sh python -m unittest discover -s test ``` ### Done when - [ ] A malformed CSV row reports its line and imports zero rows. - [ ] Export then import into an empty base preserves two Clients and their Job links. ### Watch out - CSV labels are not stable link identifiers; include ids in the exchange format. ## Phase 5 · Portable delivery and clean-start proof Finish the Airtable replacement with a documented first-run path and a recoverable export. ### Steps 1. Write the user-facing runbook Document prerequisites, every configuration variable, data locations and the three domain workflows: Typed tables and editing; Linked records and views; Forms and portable CSV. Include the exclusions, actual costs and source check date 2026-09-05. Commands shown earlier that reference project files are files the builder must implement before running them. Files: `README.md`, `.env.example` 2. Create and rehearse a recoverable backup Use sqlite3.Connection.backup for the database in DATA_DIR and pause writers while taking the matching attachment snapshot. Keep schema version, hashes and a manifest for airtable. Restore into a separate empty directory or isolated deployment, with all outbound actions and schedules disabled. Recreate this proof: Clients table with Acme and Beta; Jobs table with a budget number and a link to Clients. Compare ids/counts and open the result before recording the restore date. Never test a restore over the only live copy. Files: `OPERATIONS.md`, `scripts/backup.py` 3. Reproduce the first-run experience Use a new folder and only README instructions to reach the fixture outcome. Install from requirements.txt, initialize storage, run the tests and exercise the UI at 375px and 1280px; use keyboard-only controls and inspect browser errors. Record exactly what passed; do not mark unrun checks complete. Files: `README.md`, `verification.md` ```sh python -m pip install -r requirements.txt python -m unittest discover -s test ``` ### Done when - [ ] A new folder reaches the documented fixture outcome using only README instructions. - [ ] A backup restored in isolation preserves the proof data and can be opened. ### Watch out - Export without an import or restore rehearsal is not verified portability. ## Not in this build - This is a local typed database with linked records and saved views; full Airtable feature parity, vendor hosting and support are not included. - rich field types - interfaces - automations - sync/integrations - mobile - permissions - scalability ## After v1, if you want it - Extend forms and portable csv only after the fixture and recovery checks pass. - Before adding another integration, document its credentials, limits, cost and failure behavior with primary-source links.
.env.example
# Copy to .env and fill in. Never commit .env; this file documents it. # Required. A new private folder this application creates on first run; never serve it as static files. DATA_DIR=./data/airtable # Required · secret. Generate with python -c "import secrets; print(secrets.token_hex(32))" and save only in .env. SECRET_KEY=replace-with-a-random-secret # Required. Use indie for loopback-only personal work. Product mode must refuse to start until owner login and the deployment gates are configured. APP_MODE=indie # Required. The origin used for local forms and links; replace with the chosen HTTPS origin in product mode. SITE_URL=http://127.0.0.1:5000
PRODUCT.md
# Airtable · product brief ## Problem A spreadsheet database CRUD app is buildable, but Airtable's views, permissions, automations, interfaces, forms, sync, and integrations are broad. ## Product outcome An operated version of a local typed database with linked records and saved views, with authorized access, restore evidence and honest scope limits. ## Target user A builder who needs a maintainable product foundation, not a one-off demo. ## Required capabilities - database - schema builder - grid UI - auth/permissions - automation worker - hosted backend ## Explicit non-goals for v1 - This is a local typed database with linked records and saved views; full Airtable feature parity, vendor hosting and support are not included. - rich field types - interfaces - automations - sync/integrations - mobile - permissions - scalability ## Success criteria - Entering banana into budget returns a field error and preserves its previous number. - Linking a Job to Acme shows that Job in Acme backlinks after reload. - A malformed CSV row reports its line and imports zero rows. - A private-data authorization check passes using a second identity. - An off-host restore drill has a date, observed result and recovery time in OPERATIONS.md. - README names the excluded vendor capabilities and actual provider/hosting costs.
BRIEF.md
# Build brief · Airtable The one-shot brief this plan expands. `BUILD_PLAN.md` (or `MILESTONES.md`) is the same sequence broken into steps and checks; where the two disagree, the plan wins. Build me a local typed database with linked records and saved views as a bounded replacement for Airtable. Build it in phases in the order below. Do not write the whole product in one pass. Finish the current phase, run its Done when checks, fix failures, then continue. Indie mode completes Phases 1-5. Phase 6 is required before shared or public deployment. ### Stack (fixed, do not substitute) - Runtime: Python 3.12+ and Flask. A small local HTTP application with readable server-side handlers and no JavaScript build pipeline. - Storage: SQLite through Python sqlite3. Local ownership with explicit transactions and a portable backup path. - Interface: Jinja HTML templates, CSS and vanilla JavaScript. Implement the specified screens directly with labelled controls and progressive enhancement. - Verification: Python unittest and browser acceptance fixtures. Check invariants and the actual user workflow before the next phase. ### Data model (create this before Phase 1) - tables(id,name) - fields(id,table_id,name,type,options_json) - records(id,table_id,values_json,revision) - links(from_record,field_id,to_record) - views(id,table_id,filters_json,sort_json) - Use stable ids and explicit relationships; add auxiliary tables named by the phases before those phases use them. - Acceptance fixture: Clients table with Acme and Beta; Jobs table with a budget number and a link to Clients. ### Prerequisites and configuration - Python 3.12 or newer and a terminal: Install Python from python.org. Open a terminal in a new empty project folder. On Windows, use py -3 where this guide says python if python is not on PATH; on macOS/Linux use python3 if needed. Create .venv and activate it before installing packages. Verify: python --version reports 3.12+ and python -c "import sqlite3" succeeds. Cost: Python is free; this local prototype requires no hosting subscription. - A current desktop browser and text editor: Use an installed Chrome, Firefox or Edge browser. Open the empty project folder in your editor; open the terminal there, not in this catalog repository. Verify: You can create a text file in the project folder and open browser developer tools. Cost: No paid service required for this local step. - Airtable acceptance sample: Create synthetic sample data before implementation: Clients table with Acme and Beta; Jobs table with a budget number and a link to Clients. Save it under fixtures/ with the expected results in fixtures/README.md; use no real credentials or customer records. Verify: The fixture files and expected outcomes exist and can be inspected without a vendor account. Cost: No paid service required for this local step. - Confirm the bounded replacement: The deliverable is a local typed database with linked records and saved views. Read every exclusion below. Indie mode runs locally; any public or shared use requires the product access and deployment gates first. Verify: You can name the primary workflow and the vendor features this version deliberately leaves out. Cost: No paid service required for this local step. - Configuration: DATA_DIR, SECRET_KEY, APP_MODE, SITE_URL. Ship .env.example, replace placeholders and exclude secrets from git. ### Phase 1 · Local foundation and data contract Build: Create the runnable local foundation for a local typed database with linked records and saved views, including the real schema and acceptance fixture. - Run the venv command first, then stop and activate it before running the remaining commands. Use your OS instructions: Windows .venv\Scripts\activate.bat in cmd, or .venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1 in PowerShell; macOS/Linux source .venv/bin/activate. Then install the listed packages. Create app.py exposing app, load .env with python-dotenv, and add a /healthz route. Freeze tested dependency versions to requirements.txt. Create .env manually from .env.example; replace SECRET_KEY before launch. Commands, after creating the named files: `python -m venv .venv`; `python -m pip install Flask Flask-WTF python-dotenv waitress tzdata`; `python -m pip freeze > requirements.txt`; `python -m flask --app app run --host 127.0.0.1`. - For database-backed state create schema.sql and db.py using this model: tables(id,name); fields(id,table_id,name,type,options_json); records(id,table_id,values_json,revision); links(from_record,field_id,to_record); views(id,table_id,filters_json,sort_json). Add the auxiliary relationships explicitly used in later phases; use stable ids, foreign keys, parameterized values and transactions. For canonical files use atomic replacement and hashes instead. Implement python manage.py init and python manage.py seed to create only synthetic data: Clients table with Acme and Beta; Jobs table with a budget number and a link to Clients. Re-running init must not erase data. Commands, after creating the named files: `python manage.py init`; `python manage.py seed`. - Install Flask-WTF CSRF protection for forms and same-origin fetches, validate Host and Origin against SITE_URL, bound inputs and escape output. Deliberately public intake endpoints get bounded validation and rate limits; signed provider webhooks use signature checks instead of browser CSRF tokens. All other admin routes stay local until product authentication exists. When a later phase tests viewer/member permissions, implement the users, hashed passwords, expiring server sessions and role checks in this foundation first; product mode must never use a fabricated identity from request input. Add error, empty, keyboard-focus and retry states now. - Trap: The Flask development server is for local development only. Loopback binding alone does not replace CSRF and origin validation. Done when: The documented start command serves /healthz and the initial screen at http://127.0.0.1:5000. Restarting preserves the seeded records or canonical files; running init again deletes nothing. A cross-origin state-changing request to an admin route is refused. Do not build yet: Do not start typed tables and editing until these checks pass. ### Phase 2 · Typed tables and editing Build: Typed tables and editing for Airtable: Define text, number, date, checkbox and select field validators. Store metadata separately from row values; reject changing a populated field to an incompatible type. - Define text, number, date, checkbox and select field validators. Store metadata separately from row values; reject changing a populated field to an incompatible type. - Render an editable grid with explicit Save and Cancel; use revision checks so a stale tab cannot overwrite a newer edit. - Use Clients table with Acme and Beta; Jobs table with a budget number and a link to Clients. Check: Entering banana into budget returns a field error and preserves its previous number. Then check: Saving two edits against one revision returns a conflict for the second. Add a focused regression for the failure case under test/ using a temporary database or folder and fake external services; also perform the visible workflow in a browser. Commands, after creating the named files: `python -m unittest discover -s test`. - Trap: Never interpolate user field names into SQL identifiers. Done when: Entering banana into budget returns a field error and preserves its previous number. Saving two edits against one revision returns a conflict for the second. Do not build yet: Do not start linked records and views until these checks pass. ### Phase 3 · Linked records and views Build: Linked records and views for Airtable: Build a linked-record picker restricted to the configured target table; expose reverse links and a clear unlink action. - Build a linked-record picker restricted to the configured target table; expose reverse links and a clear unlink action. - Save filter, sort and visible-column configuration as a view; apply it to the canonical rows rather than copying them. - Use Clients table with Acme and Beta; Jobs table with a budget number and a link to Clients. Check: Linking a Job to Acme shows that Job in Acme backlinks after reload. Then check: A budget >= 100 view excludes a 99 row and includes a 100 row. Add a focused regression for the failure case under test/ using a temporary database or folder and fake external services; also perform the visible workflow in a browser. Commands, after creating the named files: `python -m unittest discover -s test`. - Trap: Deleting a referenced record must prompt to unlink, not leave dangling ids. Done when: Linking a Job to Acme shows that Job in Acme backlinks after reload. A budget >= 100 view excludes a 99 row and includes a 100 row. Do not build yet: Do not start forms and portable csv until these checks pass. ### Phase 4 · Forms and portable CSV Build: Forms and portable CSV for Airtable: Generate a quick-entry form from field metadata with the same server validation as the grid. Keep it local in indie mode. - Generate a quick-entry form from field metadata with the same server validation as the grid. Keep it local in indie mode. - Preview CSV mapping and errors before a transaction imports rows; export stable field names and encode links by record id. - Use Clients table with Acme and Beta; Jobs table with a budget number and a link to Clients. Check: A malformed CSV row reports its line and imports zero rows. Then check: Export then import into an empty base preserves two Clients and their Job links. Add a focused regression for the failure case under test/ using a temporary database or folder and fake external services; also perform the visible workflow in a browser. Commands, after creating the named files: `python -m unittest discover -s test`. - Trap: CSV labels are not stable link identifiers; include ids in the exchange format. Done when: A malformed CSV row reports its line and imports zero rows. Export then import into an empty base preserves two Clients and their Job links. Do not build yet: Do not start portable delivery and clean-start proof until these checks pass. ### Phase 5 · Portable delivery and clean-start proof Build: Finish the Airtable replacement with a documented first-run path and a recoverable export. - Document prerequisites, every configuration variable, data locations and the three domain workflows: Typed tables and editing; Linked records and views; Forms and portable CSV. Include the exclusions, actual costs and source check date 2026-09-05. Commands shown earlier that reference project files are files the builder must implement before running them. - Use sqlite3.Connection.backup for the database in DATA_DIR and pause writers while taking the matching attachment snapshot. Keep schema version, hashes and a manifest for airtable. Restore into a separate empty directory or isolated deployment, with all outbound actions and schedules disabled. Recreate this proof: Clients table with Acme and Beta; Jobs table with a budget number and a link to Clients. Compare ids/counts and open the result before recording the restore date. Never test a restore over the only live copy. - Use a new folder and only README instructions to reach the fixture outcome. Install from requirements.txt, initialize storage, run the tests and exercise the UI at 375px and 1280px; use keyboard-only controls and inspect browser errors. Record exactly what passed; do not mark unrun checks complete. Commands, after creating the named files: `python -m pip install -r requirements.txt`; `python -m unittest discover -s test`. - Trap: Export without an import or restore rehearsal is not verified portability. Done when: A new folder reaches the documented fixture outcome using only README instructions. A backup restored in isolation preserves the proof data and can be opened. Do not build yet: Do not start operate and share with access controls until these checks pass. ### Phase 6 · Operate and share with access controls (product-builder only) Build: Product-builder only: make a local typed database with linked records and saved views operable for its stated audience before allowing remote access. - Add owner/member/viewer authorization as appropriate, password hashes through Werkzeug, expiring server-side sessions, CSRF and login rate limits. Add users, sessions and audit schema migrations plus an owner-init command prompting securely for its password. Enforce ownership on every private read/write/download and fail closed when product setup is incomplete. Existing learner or admin identities must use this same boundary. - Serve app:app with Waitress on loopback behind Caddy HTTPS. Configure trusted proxy headers narrowly, Secure/HttpOnly/SameSite cookies, upload limits, request ids and structured logs without private content. Run background jobs as a separate supervised process when the domain workflow requires them. Commands, after creating the named files: `waitress-serve --listen=127.0.0.1:5000 app:app`. - Add a scheduled encrypted off-host backup using this procedure: Use sqlite3.Connection.backup for the database in DATA_DIR and pause writers while taking the matching attachment snapshot. Keep schema version, hashes and a manifest for airtable. Monitor health, disk space, failed jobs and backup age. Stop the service to test an alert; rehearse recovery with outbound effects disabled and record recovery time. Rotate any exposed credentials and require reconciliation before resuming queues. - Trap: Product mode is additional engineering, not a switch that makes a local prototype production-ready. Done when: An unauthenticated visitor cannot read private records, download private files or mutate the admin surface. A viewer cannot mutate data by making a direct request, and guessed ids cannot cross ownership boundaries. Stopping the service triggers the configured alert and the latest off-host backup restores the fixture in isolation. Do not build yet: Do not add new providers or vendor-scale features until the release gates are recorded. ### Out of scope (and why) - This is a local typed database with linked records and saved views; full Airtable feature parity, vendor hosting and support are not included. - rich field types: retain the paid product if this capability is essential; it is outside this bounded build. - interfaces: retain the paid product if this capability is essential; it is outside this bounded build. - automations: retain the paid product if this capability is essential; it is outside this bounded build. - sync/integrations: retain the paid product if this capability is essential; it is outside this bounded build. - mobile: retain the paid product if this capability is essential; it is outside this bounded build. - permissions: retain the paid product if this capability is essential; it is outside this bounded build. - scalability: retain the paid product if this capability is essential; it is outside this bounded build. ### README must contain - Exact install, configure, initialize, start, test and recovery commands for a clean folder. - The schema, fixture, acceptance results, private data locations and export format. - Every prerequisite and secret source, actual running costs and deliberately excluded capabilities. - An honest distinction between tests actually run and checks still awaiting real credentials or deployment. - Dependency documentation reviewed 2026-09-05: https://flask.palletsprojects.com/en/stable/installation/ ; https://docs.python.org/3/library/sqlite3.html ; https://flask-wtf.readthedocs.io/en/1.2.x/csrf/ ; https://docs.pylonsproject.org/projects/waitress/en/stable/usage.html. Recheck before upgrading; freeze the versions actually tested.
ARCHITECTURE.md
# Architecture · Airtable ## Stack | Part | Choice | Why | | --- | --- | --- | | Runtime | Python 3.12+ and Flask | A small local HTTP application with readable server-side handlers and no JavaScript build pipeline. | | Storage | SQLite through Python sqlite3 | Local ownership with explicit transactions and a portable backup path. | | Interface | Jinja HTML templates, CSS and vanilla JavaScript | Implement the specified screens directly with labelled controls and progressive enhancement. | | Verification | Python unittest and browser acceptance fixtures | Check invariants and the actual user workflow before the next phase. | ## Modules Each module has one owner concern and a documented way to replace it. | Module | Owns | How to replace it | | --- | --- | --- | | Data and identity | tables(id,name); fields(id,table_id,name,type,options_json); records(id,table_id,values_json,revision); links(from_record,field_id,to_record); views(id,table_id,filters_json,sort_json) | Keep stable ids and a versioned repository interface; migrate storage behind it with a fixture round-trip. | | Typed tables and editing | Define text, number, date, checkbox and select field validators. Store metadata separately from row values; reject changing a populated field to an incompatible type. | Keep the acceptance contract: Entering banana into budget returns a field error and preserves its previous number. Replace only this module after replaying its fixture; preserve ids and existing records. | | Linked records and views | Build a linked-record picker restricted to the configured target table; expose reverse links and a clear unlink action. | Keep the acceptance contract: Linking a Job to Acme shows that Job in Acme backlinks after reload. Replace only this module after replaying its fixture; preserve ids and existing records. | | Forms and portable CSV | Generate a quick-entry form from field metadata with the same server validation as the grid. Keep it local in indie mode. | Keep the acceptance contract: A malformed CSV row reports its line and imports zero rows. Replace only this module after replaying its fixture; preserve ids and existing records. | | Operations | Use sqlite3.Connection.backup for the database in DATA_DIR and pause writers while taking the matching attachment snapshot. Keep schema version, hashes and a manifest for airtable. | Change host or backup destination only after an isolated restore and authorization check. | ## Configuration Every runtime setting is an environment variable documented in `.env.example`, validated at startup, with a safe local default wherever one exists. - `DATA_DIR` · required · A new private folder this application creates on first run; never serve it as static files. - `SECRET_KEY` · required, secret · Generate with python -c "import secrets; print(secrets.token_hex(32))" and save only in .env. - `APP_MODE` · required · Use indie for loopback-only personal work. Product mode must refuse to start until owner login and the deployment gates are configured. - `SITE_URL` · required · The origin used for local forms and links; replace with the chosen HTTPS origin in product mode. ## Production baseline - Security: least privilege, input validation at every boundary, secret redaction in logs, rate limits on abuse-prone paths, no invented security primitives. - Data: explicit schema and migrations, transactional writes where integrity matters, backup and restore procedures that have been exercised. - Integrations: adapters around third-party providers, idempotent webhook or job processing, bounded retries, timeouts. - Observability: structured logs with request or operation ids, an error-tracking hook, and health and readiness checks where a server exists. - Quality: unit tests for domain rules, integration tests at module boundaries, one end-to-end test of the critical path. ## Decision records For each dependency in the stack table, keep a short note: why it was chosen, its failure mode, and how it is replaced. Do not add infrastructure until a requirement in `PRODUCT.md` justifies it.
AGENTS.md
# Agent instructions · Airtable product build - Read `PRODUCT.md` and `ARCHITECTURE.md` before changing code. The stack is fixed: Python 3.12+ and Flask, SQLite through Python sqlite3, Jinja HTML templates, CSS and vanilla JavaScript, Python unittest and browser acceptance fixtures. - Implement milestone by milestone from `MILESTONES.md`; keep each change reviewable and leave the application runnable at every commit. - Treat authentication, payments, encryption, imports, webhooks and destructive actions as high-risk boundaries when present. - Never invent cryptography or silently weaken a requirement to make a check pass. - Put every external service behind an interface with a deterministic fake for tests. - Add migrations and rollback or recovery notes for every persistent data change. - Log useful operational context without credentials, tokens, passwords or personal data. - Update documentation and run every check before completing a milestone. ## Known traps - The Flask development server is for local development only. Loopback binding alone does not replace CSRF and origin validation. - Never interpolate user field names into SQL identifiers. - Deleting a referenced record must prompt to unlink, not leave dangling ids. - CSV labels are not stable link identifiers; include ids in the exchange format. - Export without an import or restore rehearsal is not verified portability. - Product mode is additional engineering, not a switch that makes a local prototype production-ready.
MILESTONES.md
# Delivery milestones · Airtable Estimated effort: **multi-day** for the indie phases; the production-only milestones add the trust and operability layer. ## M1 · Local foundation and data contract Create the runnable local foundation for a local typed database with linked records and saved views, including the real schema and acceptance fixture. ### Steps 1. Create and start the local application Run the venv command first, then stop and activate it before running the remaining commands. Use your OS instructions: Windows .venv\Scripts\activate.bat in cmd, or .venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1 in PowerShell; macOS/Linux source .venv/bin/activate. Then install the listed packages. Create app.py exposing app, load .env with python-dotenv, and add a /healthz route. Freeze tested dependency versions to requirements.txt. Create .env manually from .env.example; replace SECRET_KEY before launch. Files: `app.py`, `requirements.txt`, `.env.example`, `.gitignore` ```sh python -m venv .venv python -m pip install Flask Flask-WTF python-dotenv waitress tzdata python -m pip freeze > requirements.txt python -m flask --app app run --host 127.0.0.1 ``` 2. Implement storage and seed the named fixture For database-backed state create schema.sql and db.py using this model: tables(id,name); fields(id,table_id,name,type,options_json); records(id,table_id,values_json,revision); links(from_record,field_id,to_record); views(id,table_id,filters_json,sort_json). Add the auxiliary relationships explicitly used in later phases; use stable ids, foreign keys, parameterized values and transactions. For canonical files use atomic replacement and hashes instead. Implement python manage.py init and python manage.py seed to create only synthetic data: Clients table with Acme and Beta; Jobs table with a budget number and a link to Clients. Re-running init must not erase data. Files: `schema.sql`, `db.py`, `manage.py`, `fixtures/README.md` ```sh python manage.py init python manage.py seed ``` 3. Protect the local request boundary Install Flask-WTF CSRF protection for forms and same-origin fetches, validate Host and Origin against SITE_URL, bound inputs and escape output. Deliberately public intake endpoints get bounded validation and rate limits; signed provider webhooks use signature checks instead of browser CSRF tokens. All other admin routes stay local until product authentication exists. When a later phase tests viewer/member permissions, implement the users, hashed passwords, expiring server sessions and role checks in this foundation first; product mode must never use a fabricated identity from request input. Add error, empty, keyboard-focus and retry states now. Files: `app.py`, `templates/base.html`, `test/test_foundation.py` ### Done when - [ ] The documented start command serves /healthz and the initial screen at http://127.0.0.1:5000. - [ ] Restarting preserves the seeded records or canonical files; running init again deletes nothing. - [ ] A cross-origin state-changing request to an admin route is refused. ### Watch out - The Flask development server is for local development only. Loopback binding alone does not replace CSRF and origin validation. ## M2 · Typed tables and editing Typed tables and editing for Airtable: Define text, number, date, checkbox and select field validators. Store metadata separately from row values; reject changing a populated field to an incompatible type. ### Steps 1. Define text, number, date, checkbox and select field validators Define text, number, date, checkbox and select field validators. Store metadata separately from row values; reject changing a populated field to an incompatible type. Files: `features/typed_tables_and_editing.py`, `templates/typed_tables_and_editing.html` 2. Render an editable grid with explicit Save and Cancel; use revision checks so a stale tab cannot overwrite a newer edit. Render an editable grid with explicit Save and Cancel; use revision checks so a stale tab cannot overwrite a newer edit. Files: `features/typed_tables_and_editing.py` 3. Exercise the acceptance fixture Use Clients table with Acme and Beta; Jobs table with a budget number and a link to Clients. Check: Entering banana into budget returns a field error and preserves its previous number. Then check: Saving two edits against one revision returns a conflict for the second. Add a focused regression for the failure case under test/ using a temporary database or folder and fake external services; also perform the visible workflow in a browser. Files: `test/test_typed_tables_and_editing.py` ```sh python -m unittest discover -s test ``` ### Done when - [ ] Entering banana into budget returns a field error and preserves its previous number. - [ ] Saving two edits against one revision returns a conflict for the second. ### Watch out - Never interpolate user field names into SQL identifiers. ## M3 · Linked records and views Linked records and views for Airtable: Build a linked-record picker restricted to the configured target table; expose reverse links and a clear unlink action. ### Steps 1. Build a linked-record picker restricted to the configured target table; expose reverse links and a clear unlink action. Build a linked-record picker restricted to the configured target table; expose reverse links and a clear unlink action. Files: `features/linked_records_and_views.py`, `templates/linked_records_and_views.html` 2. Save filter, sort and visible-column configuration as a view; apply it to the canonical rows rather than copying them. Save filter, sort and visible-column configuration as a view; apply it to the canonical rows rather than copying them. Files: `features/linked_records_and_views.py` 3. Exercise the acceptance fixture Use Clients table with Acme and Beta; Jobs table with a budget number and a link to Clients. Check: Linking a Job to Acme shows that Job in Acme backlinks after reload. Then check: A budget >= 100 view excludes a 99 row and includes a 100 row. Add a focused regression for the failure case under test/ using a temporary database or folder and fake external services; also perform the visible workflow in a browser. Files: `test/test_linked_records_and_views.py` ```sh python -m unittest discover -s test ``` ### Done when - [ ] Linking a Job to Acme shows that Job in Acme backlinks after reload. - [ ] A budget >= 100 view excludes a 99 row and includes a 100 row. ### Watch out - Deleting a referenced record must prompt to unlink, not leave dangling ids. ## M4 · Forms and portable CSV Forms and portable CSV for Airtable: Generate a quick-entry form from field metadata with the same server validation as the grid. Keep it local in indie mode. ### Steps 1. Generate a quick-entry form from field metadata with the same server validation as the grid Generate a quick-entry form from field metadata with the same server validation as the grid. Keep it local in indie mode. Files: `features/forms_and_portable_csv.py`, `templates/forms_and_portable_csv.html` 2. Preview CSV mapping and errors before a transaction imports rows; export stable field names and encode links by record id. Preview CSV mapping and errors before a transaction imports rows; export stable field names and encode links by record id. Files: `features/forms_and_portable_csv.py` 3. Exercise the acceptance fixture Use Clients table with Acme and Beta; Jobs table with a budget number and a link to Clients. Check: A malformed CSV row reports its line and imports zero rows. Then check: Export then import into an empty base preserves two Clients and their Job links. Add a focused regression for the failure case under test/ using a temporary database or folder and fake external services; also perform the visible workflow in a browser. Files: `test/test_forms_and_portable_csv.py` ```sh python -m unittest discover -s test ``` ### Done when - [ ] A malformed CSV row reports its line and imports zero rows. - [ ] Export then import into an empty base preserves two Clients and their Job links. ### Watch out - CSV labels are not stable link identifiers; include ids in the exchange format. ## M5 · Portable delivery and clean-start proof Finish the Airtable replacement with a documented first-run path and a recoverable export. ### Steps 1. Write the user-facing runbook Document prerequisites, every configuration variable, data locations and the three domain workflows: Typed tables and editing; Linked records and views; Forms and portable CSV. Include the exclusions, actual costs and source check date 2026-09-05. Commands shown earlier that reference project files are files the builder must implement before running them. Files: `README.md`, `.env.example` 2. Create and rehearse a recoverable backup Use sqlite3.Connection.backup for the database in DATA_DIR and pause writers while taking the matching attachment snapshot. Keep schema version, hashes and a manifest for airtable. Restore into a separate empty directory or isolated deployment, with all outbound actions and schedules disabled. Recreate this proof: Clients table with Acme and Beta; Jobs table with a budget number and a link to Clients. Compare ids/counts and open the result before recording the restore date. Never test a restore over the only live copy. Files: `OPERATIONS.md`, `scripts/backup.py` 3. Reproduce the first-run experience Use a new folder and only README instructions to reach the fixture outcome. Install from requirements.txt, initialize storage, run the tests and exercise the UI at 375px and 1280px; use keyboard-only controls and inspect browser errors. Record exactly what passed; do not mark unrun checks complete. Files: `README.md`, `verification.md` ```sh python -m pip install -r requirements.txt python -m unittest discover -s test ``` ### Done when - [ ] A new folder reaches the documented fixture outcome using only README instructions. - [ ] A backup restored in isolation preserves the proof data and can be opened. ### Watch out - Export without an import or restore rehearsal is not verified portability. ## M6 · Operate and share with access controls (production only) Product-builder only: make a local typed database with linked records and saved views operable for its stated audience before allowing remote access. ### Steps 1. Establish owner access before exposure Add owner/member/viewer authorization as appropriate, password hashes through Werkzeug, expiring server-side sessions, CSRF and login rate limits. Add users, sessions and audit schema migrations plus an owner-init command prompting securely for its password. Enforce ownership on every private read/write/download and fail closed when product setup is incomplete. Existing learner or admin identities must use this same boundary. Files: `ARCHITECTURE.md`, `OPERATIONS.md` 2. Deploy a monitored service Serve app:app with Waitress on loopback behind Caddy HTTPS. Configure trusted proxy headers narrowly, Secure/HttpOnly/SameSite cookies, upload limits, request ids and structured logs without private content. Run background jobs as a separate supervised process when the domain workflow requires them. Files: `Caddyfile`, `OPERATIONS.md` ```sh waitress-serve --listen=127.0.0.1:5000 app:app ``` 3. Rehearse loss and recovery Add a scheduled encrypted off-host backup using this procedure: Use sqlite3.Connection.backup for the database in DATA_DIR and pause writers while taking the matching attachment snapshot. Keep schema version, hashes and a manifest for airtable. Monitor health, disk space, failed jobs and backup age. Stop the service to test an alert; rehearse recovery with outbound effects disabled and record recovery time. Rotate any exposed credentials and require reconciliation before resuming queues. Files: `OPERATIONS.md`, `release-checklist.md` ### Done when - [ ] An unauthenticated visitor cannot read private records, download private files or mutate the admin surface. - [ ] A viewer cannot mutate data by making a direct request, and guessed ids cannot cross ownership boundaries. - [ ] Stopping the service triggers the configured alert and the latest off-host backup restores the fixture in isolation. ### Watch out - Product mode is additional engineering, not a switch that makes a local prototype production-ready.
OPERATIONS.md
# Operations · Airtable ## Backup Use sqlite3.Connection.backup for the database in DATA_DIR and pause writers while taking the matching attachment snapshot. Keep schema version, hashes and a manifest for airtable. ## Restore Restore into a separate empty directory or isolated deployment, with all outbound actions and schedules disabled. Recreate this proof: Clients table with Acme and Beta; Jobs table with a budget number and a link to Clients. Compare ids/counts and open the result before recording the restore date. Never test a restore over the only live copy. Do a restore drill before the first real user, and write the date here when it passes. ## Monitoring Check HTTP availability, free disk, backup age and domain failures for Typed tables and editing, Linked records and views, Forms and portable CSV. Alert without logging private payloads. ## Incident checklist Pause outbound jobs and public intake as appropriate, preserve redacted diagnostics, restore an isolated verified backup, rotate affected credentials and reconcile uncertain effects before reopening. 1. Contain the issue without destroying evidence or user data. 2. Record the timeline and affected scope. 3. Rotate exposed secrets and revoke compromised sessions or credentials. 4. Restore from a verified backup when needed. 5. Document the root cause, the remediation and the regression test. ## Release gate - [ ] Entering banana into budget returns a field error and preserves its previous number. - [ ] Linking a Job to Acme shows that Job in Acme backlinks after reload. - [ ] A malformed CSV row reports its line and imports zero rows. - [ ] A private-data authorization check passes using a second identity. - [ ] An off-host restore drill has a date, observed result and recovery time in OPERATIONS.md. - [ ] README names the excluded vendor capabilities and actual provider/hosting costs. ## Launch constraint Do not market omitted Airtable capabilities as implemented. The non-goals in `PRODUCT.md` remain user-visible limitations until they are deliberately delivered.
.env.example
# Copy to .env and fill in. Never commit .env; this file documents it. # Required. A new private folder this application creates on first run; never serve it as static files. DATA_DIR=./data/airtable # Required · secret. Generate with python -c "import secrets; print(secrets.token_hex(32))" and save only in .env. SECRET_KEY=replace-with-a-random-secret # Required. Use indie for loopback-only personal work. Product mode must refuse to start until owner login and the deployment gates are configured. APP_MODE=indie # Required. The origin used for local forms and links; replace with the chosen HTTPS origin in product mode. SITE_URL=http://127.0.0.1:5000
$ choose a build depth, inspect the files, then open the complete pack in your agent
They pay because non-engineers can turn data into workflows without asking for a custom app.
xrich field types
xinterfaces
xautomations
xsync/integrations
xmobile
xpermissions
xscalability
share on X ↗"I just replaced Airtable ($24/mo) with one prompt"
Don't feel like building it? These folks already made it free.
Airtable FreeThe obvious escape hatch is staying put: five editors and 1,000 records per base, with forms, interfaces, and small automations.free↗
Baserow FreeAirtable with fewer ornaments: 3,000 rows, forms, views, automations, and a small app builder for $0.free↗
Fibery FreeA less spreadsheet-shaped Airtable replacement with relational databases, forms, views, formulas, and 250 automations for ten people.free↗all 5 free alternatives to Airtable →· no votes, no pay-to-list · just what's real
Airtable pricing
| plan | monthly | annual (per mo) | what you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| free | $0/workspace | $0/workspace | 1,000 records/base; 1 GB attachments/base; 1,000 API calls/workspace/month; 500 AI credits/editor/month. |
| team | $24/user | $20/user | 50,000 records/base; 20 GB attachments/base; 100,000 API calls/workspace/month; 15,000 AI credits per billable collaborator; 1-year history. |
| business | $54/user | $45/user | 125,000 records/base; 100 GB attachments/base; unlimited API calls subject to rate limits; 20,000 AI credits per billable collaborator; 1-year history. |
| enterprise scale | custom | — | 500,000+ records/base; 1 TB attachments/base; unlimited API calls subject to rate limits; 25,000 AI credits per billable collaborator. |
free tier1,000 records/base, 1 GB attachments/base, 1,000 API calls/workspace/month and 500 AI credits/editor/month
billingmonthly + annual; prices are per billable collaborator and annual figures are effective monthly rates
hidden costsBilling is per workspace and seat: Team can bill commenters and above, while Business generally bills editors and above. Added seats are prorated, so a user in multiple paid workspaces can create multiple charges.
verified 2026-08-11 · source ↗
Vibecode Airtable
Kinda. The core of Airtable is buildable in a weekend with the prompt on this page, but there are real gaps: rich field types, interfaces. Read the honest list above before committing.
How much does Airtable cost?
Airtable costs about $24/month (Team, checked 2026-07-30), which is $288 per year.
What do I lose by replacing Airtable?
Honestly: rich field types; interfaces; automations; sync/integrations; mobile; permissions; scalability. If any of those are load-bearing for you, keep paying.
Is there an open-source alternative to Airtable?
Yes: Airtable Free (The obvious escape hatch is staying put: five editors and 1,000 records per base, with forms, interfaces, and small automations.) Baserow Free (Airtable with fewer ornaments: 3,000 rows, forms, views, automations, and a small app builder for $0.) Fibery Free (A less spreadsheet-shaped Airtable replacement with relational databases, forms, views, formulas, and 250 automations for ten people.) All 5 curated free alternatives are at vibecodeit.com/airtable/alternatives. The prompt is for when you want it exactly your way.