DollhouseMCP

# Critical Issues: Persona Data Preservation ## Executive Summary Two critical issues threaten user persona data during updates: 1. **Backup System Gap**: User-created personas are NOT included in backups 2. **edit_persona Flaw**: Modifies default personas in place, causing git conflicts Both issues can result in **permanent data loss** and must be fixed before npm publication. ## Issue 1: Incomplete Backup System (#144) ### Current Behavior ```typescript // BackupManager.ts uses git archive await safeExec('git', ['archive', '--format=tar', 'HEAD']) ``` This only backs up git-tracked files. ### Impact - User-created personas are NOT backed up - Rollback operations lose all user personas - No recovery possible after rollback ### Required Fix ```typescript // After git archive, explicitly backup personas directory const personasDir = path.join(this.rootDir, 'personas'); const allPersonas = await fs.readdir(personasDir); for (const file of allPersonas) { if (file.endsWith('.md')) { await fs.copyFile( path.join(personasDir, file), path.join(backupPath, 'personas', file) ); } } ``` ## Issue 2: edit_persona Modifies Defaults (#145) ### Current Behavior ```typescript // src/index.ts:editPersona() - Modifies ANY file in place await fs.writeFile(filePath, updatedContent, 'utf-8'); ``` ### Impact - Editing default personas modifies the git-tracked files - Creates merge conflicts on updates - User changes may be lost - No way to restore original defaults ### Required Fix ```typescript const DEFAULT_PERSONAS = [ 'business-consultant.md', 'creative-writer.md', 'debug-detective.md', 'eli5-explainer.md', 'technical-analyst.md' ]; if (DEFAULT_PERSONAS.includes(persona.filename)) { // Create a copy instead of modifying original const uniqueId = generateUniqueId(persona.metadata.name, author); const newFilename = `${uniqueId}.md`; const newFilePath = path.join(this.personasDir, newFilename); // Copy original to new file await fs.copyFile(filePath, newFilePath); // Update the copy, not the original filePath = newFilePath; } ``` ## Risk Scenarios ### Scenario 1: Update After Editing Default 1. User: `edit_persona "Creative Writer" "instructions" "New content"` 2. System modifies `creative-writer.md` directly 3. User: `update_server true` 4. Git pull fails with merge conflict OR overwrites changes 5. **Result**: User loses their customizations ### Scenario 2: Rollback After Creating Personas 1. User creates 10 custom personas 2. Update fails for any reason 3. User: `rollback_update true` 4. System restores from backup (git-tracked only) 5. **Result**: All 10 custom personas permanently lost ## Immediate Workarounds Until fixed, users should: ### 1. Manual Backup Before Updates ```bash # Before any update or rollback cp -r personas ~/dollhouse-persona-backup-$(date +%s) ``` ### 2. Never Edit Default Personas ```bash # Instead of editing defaults, copy first cp personas/creative-writer.md personas/my-creative-writer.md # Then edit the copy ``` ### 3. Keep Personas Outside Project ```bash # Maintain personas in separate directory ~/my-personas/ # Symlink or copy as needed ``` ## Testing the Fixes ### Test 1: Backup Completeness ```bash # Create test persona echo "Test" > personas/test-persona.md # Trigger backup update_server true # Or manual backup # Check backup ls ../dollhousemcp-backups/latest/personas/ # Should include test-persona.md ``` ### Test 2: Default Protection ```bash # Try to edit default edit_persona "Creative Writer" "description" "Modified" # Check results ls personas/*creative* # Should show: creative-writer.md (original) # creative-writer_TIMESTAMP_username.md (modified copy) ``` ## Priority: CRITICAL These issues pose immediate data loss risks: - **Severity**: High - Permanent data loss - **Likelihood**: High - Common user actions - **Impact**: Critical - Destroys user work Must be fixed before: 1. NPM publication 2. Any marketing/promotion 3. v1.3.0 release ## Implementation Checklist ### For Issue #144 (Backup) - [ ] Modify BackupManager.createBackup() - [ ] Include all .md files from personas/ - [ ] Update restoreBackup() to handle all personas - [ ] Add tests for user persona backup - [ ] Update documentation ### For Issue #145 (edit_persona) - [ ] Add DEFAULT_PERSONAS constant - [ ] Implement copy-on-write check - [ ] Update response to indicate copy created - [ ] Add tests for default protection - [ ] Update user documentation ## Related Documentation - `/docs/auto-update/persona-preservation.md` - Detailed behavior - `/docs/development/EDIT_PERSONA_INVESTIGATION.md` - Discovery process - Issue #144 - Backup enhancement - Issue #145 - edit_persona protection - Issue #146 - Full API audit