# Phase 001: Foundation
**Status**: Completed
**Start Date**: 2025-12-05
**Target Completion**: 2025-12-05
**Actual Completion**: 2025-12-05
**Owner**: Claude/Adam
## Objectives
- Set up the TypeScript project structure with proper configuration
- Implement configuration service with environment variable validation
- Create vault file system services (read/write operations)
- Establish basic MCP server with stdio transport
- Define core type definitions
## Prerequisites
- [x] Node.js >= 18.0.0 installed
- [x] npm/yarn available
- [x] Understanding of MCP protocol
- [x] Obsidian vault available for testing
## Scope
### In Scope
- Project initialization (package.json, tsconfig.json)
- TypeScript strict mode configuration
- Config service with Zod validation
- Vault reader service (read files, list notes, directory tree)
- Vault writer service (create, update, append, delete notes)
- Basic MCP server setup with stdio transport
- Type definitions for all core entities
- Utility functions (slugify, frontmatter, wikilinks, markdown)
- Logger utility
- Basic unit tests for utilities
### Out of Scope
- SQLite indexing (Phase 3)
- File watcher for external changes (Phase 3)
- Graph intelligence tools (Phase 4)
- Auto-linking (Phase 5)
- Dataview integration (Phase 6)
## Tasks
### Setup
- [x] Initialize npm package with proper metadata
- [x] Configure TypeScript with strict mode
- [x] Set up vitest for testing
- [x] Create directory structure per CLAUDE.md spec
### Development
- [x] Implement config/index.ts with Zod validation
- [x] Implement types/index.ts with all core types
- [x] Implement utils/logger.ts
- [x] Implement utils/slugify.ts
- [x] Implement utils/frontmatter.ts
- [x] Implement utils/wikilinks.ts
- [x] Implement utils/markdown.ts
- [x] Implement utils/index.ts barrel export
- [x] Implement services/vault/reader.ts
- [x] Implement services/vault/writer.ts
- [x] Implement services/vault/index.ts barrel export
- [x] Implement src/index.ts MCP server entry point
### Testing & Validation
- [x] Unit tests for slugify utilities
- [x] Unit tests for wikilinks utilities
- [x] Unit tests for markdown utilities
- [x] vitest configuration
### Documentation
- [x] CLAUDE.md project guidelines
- [x] README.md with installation and usage
- [x] LICENSE file (MIT)
## Standards & References
- [CLAUDE.md](../../../CLAUDE.md) - Project guidelines and architecture
- [Obsidian Palace MCP Spec](../../obsidian-palace-mcp-spec.md) - Full specification
- [MCP SDK Documentation](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/)
## Technical Details
### Environment Configuration
| Variable | Required | Default | Description |
|----------|----------|---------|-------------|
| PALACE_VAULT_PATH | Yes | - | Path to Obsidian vault |
| PALACE_LOG_LEVEL | No | info | debug, info, warn, error |
| PALACE_WATCH_ENABLED | No | true | Watch for external file changes |
| PALACE_INDEX_PATH | No | {vault}/.palace/index.sqlite | SQLite index location |
### Dependencies
- @modelcontextprotocol/sdk: ^1.0.0 - MCP server SDK
- zod: ^3.23.0 - Schema validation
- gray-matter: ^4.0.3 - YAML frontmatter parsing
- better-sqlite3: ^11.0.0 - SQLite (prepared for Phase 3)
- chokidar: ^3.6.0 - File watching (prepared for Phase 3)
### Key Files Created
```
src/
├── index.ts # MCP server entry point
├── config/
│ └── index.ts # Environment config with Zod
├── services/
│ └── vault/
│ ├── reader.ts # Read operations
│ ├── writer.ts # Write operations
│ └── index.ts # Barrel exports
├── utils/
│ ├── logger.ts # Logging utility
│ ├── slugify.ts # Title/filename conversion
│ ├── frontmatter.ts # YAML frontmatter handling
│ ├── wikilinks.ts # [[link]] parsing
│ ├── markdown.ts # Markdown utilities
│ └── index.ts # Barrel exports
└── types/
└── index.ts # Type definitions
```
## Testing & Quality Assurance
### Test Coverage Requirements
- Unit tests: Core utilities covered
- Integration tests: Deferred to Phase 3
### Quality Checks
- [x] TypeScript strict mode enabled
- [x] All tests passing
- [x] Core utilities have test coverage
## Acceptance Criteria
- [x] Project compiles without errors
- [x] Config validates environment variables with helpful errors
- [x] Vault reader can read notes and list directories
- [x] Vault writer can create, update, and delete notes
- [x] MCP server starts and accepts connections
- [x] All utility functions are tested
- [x] Type definitions cover all core entities
## Risks & Mitigation
| Risk | Impact | Probability | Mitigation Strategy |
|------|--------|-------------|---------------------|
| MCP SDK changes | Medium | Low | Pin to stable version |
| File system permissions | Medium | Medium | Clear error messages |
## Notes & Decisions
### 2025-12-05 - Logger Output
- Context: MCP uses stdio for communication
- Decision: All logging goes to stderr
- Rationale: stdout is reserved for MCP protocol messages
- Alternatives considered: File logging, separate debug transport
### 2025-12-05 - Frontmatter Handling
- Context: Notes need metadata management
- Decision: Use gray-matter for parsing
- Rationale: Well-tested, handles edge cases
- Alternatives considered: Custom YAML parsing
### 2025-12-05 - TypeScript Configuration
- Context: Need strict type safety
- Decision: Enable all strict flags including noUncheckedIndexedAccess
- Rationale: Catch more bugs at compile time
- Alternatives considered: Looser configuration
