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SurfSense/plans/backend/00-umbrella-plan.md
DESKTOP-RTLN3BA\$punk 761edf4a74 feat: backend plans drafts
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CI Pivot MVP — Umbrella Plan

Master roadmap for the Competitive Intelligence pivot. Each phase becomes its own subplan saved in this folder (plans/backend/).

This is the high-level roadmap. It is sequenced to match the agreed order: rename first, then connector restructure, then Pipelines.

SCOPE: This umbrella currently covers the BACKEND only (surfsense_backend). Frontend (surfsense_web) and client apps (desktop, Obsidian, browser extension) will get their own umbrella/subplans LATER, once the backend is fully working as expected. Frontend-facing decisions (URL segment, TS types, i18n copy) are recorded below where relevant but are out of scope for the active phases.

Positioning

"NotebookLM for Competitive Intelligence" — each WorkSpace acts as a workspace for setting up competitive-intelligence-optimised notebooks.

Target architecture

flowchart TD
  WS[WorkSpace] --> CONN[Connectors]
  WS --> PIPE[Pipelines]
  WS --> KB[(Knowledge Base: documents + chunks)]
  CONN --> T1[Type 1: Data Sources - pull]
  CONN --> T2[Type 2: MCP Tools - act]
  T1 --> WEB[Universal WebURL Crawler - functional]
  T1 --> PLAT[Platform connectors - coming soon]
  T1 --> UP[File Upload]
  PIPE --> RUN[PipelineRun history]
  PIPE -->|"save_to_kb + destination folder"| KB
  RUN -->|"manual or cron"| T1
  T2 --> CHAT[Chat / Automations]
  CHAT --> DELIV[Deliverables: audio/video/report/image]
  RUN -->|"read-only context"| CHAT

Decisions locked

  • Full rename SearchSpace -> WorkSpace across DB, API, URLs, code, satellite apps.
  • Canonical names (proposed defaults): DB table workspaces, column workspace_id, RBAC tables workspace_roles / workspace_memberships / workspace_invites, API base /workspaces (consolidating today's /searchspaces vs /search-spaces split), URL segment [workspace_id], settings folder workspace-settings, TS type Workspace.
  • Connectors split into two types via a STATIC code registry (connector_type → category/availability), NOT a DB column. Type 1 = DATA_SOURCE (pull → pipelines/KB): WebURL crawler, Google Drive (native + Composio), OneDrive, Dropbox, file uploads, plus deferred platform connectors. (YouTube is DEFERRED — no backend connector exists today.) Type 2 = MCP_TOOL (act in chat): only the generic MCP_CONNECTOR is functional for MVP. All branded natives are deprecated (MIGRATING, turned off) pending a post-MVP MCP re-point — they are NOT functionally moved to MCP in this MVP. Artifacts stay in the existing deliverables agent system (not routed through MCP). (Full model: Phase 4 below / 04a.)
  • Web search APIs (SearXNG, Linkup, Baidu) are repurposed as a SOURCE-DISCOVERY helper: they suggest URLs the user can add to the Universal WebURL Crawler when setting up pipelines (they are not a standalone connector type and do not index data). NOTE: Tavily and Serper are being REMOVED from the search infra and are not part of this set.
  • Obsidian and Circleback (push/webhook sources) are DISABLED for the MVP.
  • MCP-availability audit complete: BookStack (community MCP servers), Elasticsearch (official Elastic Agent Builder MCP), and Luma (community MCP servers) all have MCP available, so none are DISABLED — they're tagged MIGRATING (turned off for MVP like the other branded natives, pending the post-MVP MCP re-point).
  • Pipeline and PipelineRun are new first-class tables. A Pipeline references a connector + config + schedule + KB destination. File upload creates/uses a pipeline and registers a run; uploads always save to KB.
  • The chat agent gets read-only access to pipeline run history (pipelines + their recent runs/status) as context, so it can reason about what was fetched, when, and whether runs succeeded — even for data not saved to the KB.
  • Deferred (post-MVP): platform scraper implementations, public pay-as-you-go API for Type-1 connectors, public MCP server exposing the KB.

Platform connector research list (deferred build, MVP = "coming soon")

  • LinkedIn — people profiles (discovery by keyword/company), company info, job listings.
  • Amazon — product (ASIN), search (keyword), pricing; reviews secondary.
  • Google — Web Search (organic SERP), AI Overviews, Maps/Local (discover by location).
  • Instagram — profiles first, then posts; discover profiles by username/keyword.
  • Zillow / Redfin — full property listings (discover by search URL/filters); Zillow price history.
  • Walmart — product, search; zipcode-localized pricing premium variant.
  • eBay — search by keyword/category; price-comparison/resale feeds.
  • Crunchbase — company info, search by keyword (B2B lead-gen / investor research).
  • TikTok / YouTube — profiles/channels, posts/videos; discover by keyword/hashtag; TikTok Shop.
  • Indeed / Glassdoor — job listings (discover by keyword in location), company reviews.

Backend phases (active — this umbrella)

Phase 1 — Rename foundation (DB) [subplan: 01-rename-db.md]

  • Alembic migration: rename searchspaces -> workspaces; rename search_space_id -> workspace_id on ~20 child tables; rename RBAC tables and their FKs; rename indexes/constraints (uq_searchspace_*, idx_documents_search_space_id, etc.); update Rocicorp Zero publication column lists (backend-owned publication definition; frontend Zero schema rename happens in the later frontend umbrella).
  • Decide transition strategy: hard cutover (simplest for MVP) vs temporary API aliases for clients.
  • Key files: surfsense_backend/app/db.py, surfsense_backend/alembic/versions/ (new migration).

Phase 2 — Rename backend (code + API) [subplan: 02-rename-backend.md]

  • Rename models/schemas/services/routes/agents/tasks identifiers: SearchSpace* -> Workspace*, search_space_id -> workspace_id.
  • Consolidate API to /workspaces and fix the /searchspaces vs /search-spaces inconsistency.
  • High-touch files: routes/search_spaces_routes.py, routes/rbac_routes.py, utils/rbac.py (check_search_space_access), schemas/search_space.py, plus search_space_id threading through agents/Redis keys/storage paths (documents/{id}/...).

Phase 3 — WebURL Crawler & Crawl Billing (backend) [subplans: 03a–03d]

The Universal WebURL Crawler is the flagship Type-1 data source (the moat). This phase hardens it on a single framework (Scrapling), generalizes proxy support, introduces pay-as-you-go crawl credits, and (deferred) adds opt-in captcha solving. It is broken into focused subplans:

  • 03a-crawler-core.md — Standardize the fetch layer on Scrapling. Remove Firecrawl entirely (no other frameworks). Define crisp per-URL success/empty/failure semantics, keep Trafilatura extraction, and expose a single billable "successful crawl" signal (one unit per URL that yields usable content, regardless of how many internal fallback tiers ran).
  • 03b-proxy-expansion.md — Add a BYO CustomProxyProvider (the only new provider — no branded vendors) alongside anonymous_proxies, selectable via a single, app-wide Config.PROXY_PROVIDER. Add bounded client-side rotation+retry via Scrapling's ProxyRotator/is_proxy_error only when the active provider is pool-backed (CUSTOM_PROXY_URLS); single-endpoint providers (incl. anonymous_proxies) stay the default and no-op the retry. No per-connector/per-crawl selection (one provider app-wide); a per-pipeline override is left as a no-op seam for Phase 5/6.
  • 03c-crawl-billing.md — Charge crawl credits at $1 / 1000 successful requests = 1000 micro-USD per successful crawl, drawn from the existing credit wallet (credit_micros_balance), gated by a new WEB_CRAWL_CREDIT_BILLING_ENABLED flag (off for self-hosted). Two surfaces: connector/pipeline crawls billed to the workspace owner via a dedicated WebCrawlCreditService (mirrors EtlCreditService's gate → check_credits → charge_credits, not billable_call); chat scrapes fold their crawl cost into the chat turn's existing bill (turn accumulator). No DB migration (uses the existing free-form web_crawl usage_type).
  • 03d-captcha-solving.md (DEFERRED — sequenced last, non-MVP-blocking) — Covers the captcha types Scrapling does not (reCAPTCHA v2/v3, hCaptcha, image) via captchatools. captchatools is itself the provider registry (new_harvester(solving_site=…) across capmonster/2captcha/anticaptcha/capsolver/captchaai), so we do not rebuild a provider hierarchy — our layer is thin: config resolution + a StealthyFetcher page_action that detects the sitekey, harvests a token, and injects it. Scrapling already handles Cloudflare Turnstile (03a). Flags the billing asymmetry (solvers charge per attempt, 03c bills per success) for resolution at build time. Requires a paid solver account.

Phase 4 — Connector two-type restructure (backend) [subplans: 04a–04b]

Split into two independently testable subplans:

  • 04a-connector-category.md — Connector taxonomy + availability gating + the MCP routing-gap fix. Introduce a static registry keyed by connector_type → (category = DATA_SOURCE | MCP_TOOL, availability = AVAILABLE | MIGRATING | DISABLED), exposed as computed fields on the connector schema/API. Keep is_indexable (orthogonal capability flag — still gates the real /index + periodic machinery; NOT replaced). Gate creation/index/subagent-build/pipeline-eligibility off the registry. Fix the MCP_CONNECTOR subagent routing-map gap. No DB migration (registry is code).
  • 04b-source-discovery.md — Web-search repurposing. Drop all 5 search-API connector_type enum values (SERPER_API, TAVILY_API, SEARXNG_API, LINKUP_API, BAIDU_SEARCH_API) + their connector paths; relocate survivors to platform/env config (SearXNG already env-based; Linkup + Baidu keys move from per-connector config to platform env); rewire the chat web_search tool onto platform providers; add a backend source-discovery endpoint suggesting candidate URLs for the WebURL Crawler. Has a (destructive) migration to delete the 5 connector types' rows.

Locked model (MVP):

  • Functional Type-1 (Data Sources — can create pipelines + feed KB): Universal WebURL Crawler (WEBCRAWLER_CONNECTOR), Google Drive (native + Composio), OneDrive, Dropbox, plus file uploads. YouTube is deferred (no backend connector exists today — net-new work; reserve the slot). Deferred "coming soon" platforms: LinkedIn, Amazon, Google, Instagram, Zillow/Redfin, Walmart, eBay, Crunchbase, TikTok, Indeed/Glassdoor.
  • Functional Type-2 (MCP Tools — act in chat, NO pipelines): ONLY the generic MCP_CONNECTOR (bring-your-own MCP server). The MCP_CONNECTOR routing-gap fix (04a) is what makes it work.
  • Deprecated for MVP ("migrating to MCP soon", availability = MIGRATING): every branded native — current indexers (Notion, GitHub, Confluence, BookStack, Elasticsearch) AND act-only ones (Slack, Teams, Linear, Jira, ClickUp, Airtable, Discord, Gmail, Google Calendar, Luma, + Composio Gmail/Calendar). Behaviour: block new creation, disable /index+periodic + their chat subagents; KEEP existing rows + already-indexed KB docs searchable (via the always-on knowledge-base subagent). Real MCP migration is post-MVP.
  • Disabled for MVP (availability = DISABLED): Obsidian (plugin push) and Circleback (meeting webhook) — distinct from MIGRATING (not MCP-bound).
  • Frontend connector UI restructure is DEFERRED (frontend umbrella).

Phase 5 — Pipelines data model [subplan: 05-pipelines-model.md]

  • New tables: pipelines (workspace_id, created_by_id nullable SET-NULL [creator metadata, not owner], connector_id nullable, name, config JSONB, schedule_cron + schedule_timezone + enabled + next_scheduled_at, save_to_kb bool, destination_folder_id nullable) and pipeline_runs (pipeline_id, status, trigger = manual/scheduled/upload, timestamps, doc counts, crawls_*, charged_micros, error, optional raw-result blob ref).
  • Models + Pydantic schemas + Alembic migration + backend Zero publication entry.
  • Pipelines API routes: CRUD + manual run trigger + list runs.

Phase 6 — Pipeline execution + scheduling [subplan: 06-pipelines-exec.md]

  • Run engine: pipeline run -> invoke connector fetch (WebURL crawler for MVP) -> if save_to_kb, persist to the destination folder (the crawler writes Documents directly via index_crawled_urls, extended with a folder_id param; it does not use IndexingPipelineService, which is the file/Composio path) -> write PipelineRun record. (06 verified the crawler indexer is its own KB-write path.)
  • Crawl billing wiring (carry-over from 03c): 03c meters crawls inside webcrawler_indexer. A pipeline run that crawls but has save_to_kb=false must NOT bypass billing — wire the pipeline fetch through the same WebCrawlCreditService (pre-check + charge on crawls_succeeded) regardless of the KB-save branch, ideally recording charged_micros on the PipelineRun for idempotency. Otherwise non-KB pipeline crawls are free by accident.
  • Scheduling: a Celery Beat tick over pipelines.next_scheduled_at, modeled on the automations cron selector (automations/triggers/builtin/schedule/selector.py — cron + FOR UPDATE SKIP LOCKED + self-heal, reusing the croniter util), which fits schedule_cron better than the connector frequency_minutes checker. Plus the de-dup guard (a pipeline over a connector disables that connector's own periodic indexing) so the two minute-level scans never double-crawl/bill.
  • When save_to_kb is off, persist the raw fetch result on the run (blob via file_storage) so it is retrievable without indexing.
  • Chat agent context: expose pipeline run history to the multi_agent_chat agent (read-only) — via a tool (e.g. list_pipelines / get_pipeline_runs) and/or a context middleware injection (similar to KnowledgeTreeMiddleware). Scope strictly to the active workspace. Gives the agent awareness of recent runs, statuses, schedules, and last-fetched timestamps.

Phase 7 — File upload as a pipeline + KB-save-secondary [subplan: 07-upload-pipeline-kb.md]

  • Wire file upload (documents_routes.py fileupload + folder-upload flows) to lazily get-or-create a singleton "Uploads" pipeline per workspace (connector_id = NULL, save_to_kb = true) and register a PipelineRun(trigger=upload); uploads always save_to_kb = true.
  • Key design fact: uploads are route-recorded, not engine-executed — Phase 6's engine fails connector_id IS NULL runs, so the upload routes themselves write a terminal audit PipelineRun (the existing upload code stays the executor). The run is an upload-event record; per-file ETL outcomes stay on Document.status (accurate per-file roll-up needs the deferred documents.pipeline_run_id provenance column).
  • A small migration adds a partial unique index ON pipelines(workspace_id) WHERE connector_id IS NULL (enforces the singleton + race-safe get-or-create).
  • KB-save-secondary: the opt-in save_to_kb + destination folder for connector pipelines already shipped in Phases 5–6; Phase 7 only records the inverse invariant (uploads always KB) and guards the connector default stays False.

Deferred — Frontend & client phases (separate umbrella, planned LATER)

These are recorded for continuity but are NOT planned in this umbrella. They start once the backend phases above are working.

  • Frontend rename + i18n: route segment [search_space_id] -> [workspace_id], search-space-settings/ -> workspace-settings/, TS types, api services, Jotai atoms, components, cache keys, and "Workspace" copy across 5 locales (messages/{en,zh,es,pt,hi}.json), plus frontend Zero schema rename.
  • Satellite/client apps + docs rename: surfsense_desktop, surfsense_obsidian, surfsense_browser_extension, surfsense_evals, README/docs.
  • Connector two-type UI: restructure connector-popup and connector-constants.ts into the two labeled types.
  • Pipelines UI + positioning: Pipelines section (list/create/configure/run-history/manual run), WebURL source-discovery UX, file-upload-as-pipeline surfacing, "coming soon" platform cards, "NotebookLM for Competitive Intelligence" copy.

Open items to confirm during subplanning

  • Rename transition: hard cutover vs temporary API aliases RESOLVED: HARD CUTOVER (see resolved log + 02-rename-backend.md). The frontend is rebuilt against the corrected backend in its own umbrella; backend is verified via tests/OpenAPI, not the old UI.
  • Whether existing connector periodic-indexing config is migrated into Pipelines or coexists during MVP. RESOLVED (Phase 5): COEXIST — connector periodic path stays untouched; pipelines add a sibling next_scheduled_at scan. Phase 6 owns the de-dup guard (a pipeline over a connector disables that connector's periodic_indexing_enabled) to avoid double crawl/bill. See 05-pipelines-model.md.
  • Chat agent run-history access: tool vs middleware injection vs both (default: tool). RESOLVED (Phase 6): tool — a read-only main-agent get_pipeline_runs tool (registry pattern), workspace-scoped via its build-time search_space_id, opening its own shielded_async_session() (like KnowledgeTreeMiddleware). Always-on <pipeline_activity> middleware injection is deferred (per-turn token cost). See 06-pipelines-exec.md.
  • Type-2 MCP migration depth RESOLVED (Phase 4): branded natives are tagged MIGRATING and turned OFF for MVP (not re-pointed to MCP yet); only the generic MCP_CONNECTOR is a functional Type-2. Real MCP re-pointing is post-MVP.

Resolved decisions log

  • Web search APIs (SearXNG/Linkup/Baidu): repurposed as source-discovery helper for the WebURL Crawler (suggest URLs for pipelines); not a standalone connector type.
  • Tavily and Serper: REMOVED from the search infra. They are dropped as search providers entirely (not repurposed). Phase 4's source-discovery endpoint must build only on the remaining providers (SearXNG, Linkup, Baidu).
  • Obsidian + Circleback: disabled for MVP.
  • MCP-availability audit: BookStack, Elasticsearch, Luma all have MCP available -> eligible for Type-2 (so deprecated as MIGRATING, not DISABLED). For MVP they are turned off pending the post-MVP MCP re-point, like the other branded natives.
  • Phase 4 connector taxonomy: modeled as a STATIC code registry (connector_type -> category/availability), NOT a DB column — no migration in 04a; is_indexable is KEPT (orthogonal). Only the generic MCP_CONNECTOR is a functional Type-2 for MVP; all branded natives (indexers + act-only, incl. Composio Gmail/Calendar) are MIGRATING (new-create blocked, /index+periodic+their subagents off, existing KB docs stay searchable). The MCP_CONNECTOR subagent routing-map gap (constants.py) is fixed in 04a.
  • Phase 4 search APIs: all 5 enum values dropped (SERPER_API/TAVILY_API/SEARXNG_API/LINKUP_API/BAIDU_SEARCH_API) in 04b. Survivors (SearXNG/Linkup/Baidu) become PLATFORM providers keyed by env (Linkup/Baidu keys move from per-connector config to env — app-wide, not per-workspace). 04b carries a destructive migration deleting the 5 connector types' rows.
  • Phase 4 structure: split into 04a (taxonomy/gating/MCP-fix, no migration) and 04b (search repurposing + source-discovery endpoint, with migration); intended order 04a -> 04b (both orders safe).
  • Rename transition policy: HARD CUTOVER of the external API (paths + JSON field names) in Phase 2 — no backward-compat aliases. Rationale: the frontend is (re)built against the corrected backend later, so there is no old client to keep alive; backend correctness is verified via the test suite + OpenAPI rather than the existing UI.
  • WebURL Crawler framework: STANDARDIZE on Scrapling; remove Firecrawl entirely (no other scraping frameworks now or planned). Scrapling's StealthyFetcher handles Cloudflare; captcha-tools (deferred) covers the rest.
  • Crawl billing: reuse the existing credit wallet (credit_micros_balance) with a new web_crawl usage_type. Price: $1 / 1000 successful requests (1000 micro-USD per success). Connector/pipeline crawls bill the workspace owner; chat scrapes fold their crawl cost into the already-billed chat turn. Gated by WEB_CRAWL_CREDIT_BILLING_ENABLED (off for self-hosted); no DB migration required.
  • Billable unit: one unit per URL that returns usable extracted content, regardless of how many internal fallback tiers were attempted (not per HTTP fetch, not per URL-processed).
  • Captcha solving (captcha-tools): DEFERRED to the last Phase-3 subplan (03d); non-MVP-blocking.
  • Roadmap: WebURL Crawler & Crawl Billing inserted as the new Phase 3; connector two-type → Phase 4; pipelines → Phases 5/6/7.
  • Phase 5 pipelines data model: two new tables pipelines (mutable) + pipeline_runs (append-only), modeled on automations/automation_runs; ORM lives in db.py next to connectors/folders. connector_id nullable (NULL = Phase-7 Uploads), eligibility enforced at create via 04a's is_pipeline_eligible. Schedule = schedule_cron + schedule_timezone (default UTC) + next_scheduled_at (cron, matching automations). pipeline_runs pre-includes charged_micros/crawls_*/result_blob_key so Phase 6 needs no extra migration. Both tables published to Zero full-row (like folders/connectors). Routes reuse CONNECTORS_* permissions. Phase 5 ships the data model + API surface only; the /run endpoint enqueues a Phase-6 task stub.
  • Phase 7 uploads-as-pipeline: a singleton "Uploads" pipeline per workspace (connector_id NULL, save_to_kb=true), lazily get-or-created (race-safe via a partial unique index ON pipelines(workspace_id) WHERE connector_id IS NULL). Each fileupload/folder-upload request writes a terminal audit PipelineRun(trigger=upload, status=succeeded, documents_indexed=<accepted count>) — uploads are route-recorded, not engine-executed (Phase 6 fails NULL-connector runs by design; existing upload code stays the executor). Best-effort via an inner try/except (never 5xx the upload — the route's outer handler would otherwise 500 an already-committed upload). No crawl billing (uploads aren't crawls; charged_micros NULL). Per-file ETL truth stays on Document.status; accurate roll-up needs the deferred documents.pipeline_run_id provenance. Connector save_to_kb default stays False (opt-in for connectors, mandatory for uploads). Phase 7 also guards Phase-5's generic CRUD against the system Uploads pipeline: POST /pipelines rejects connector_id=None (supersedes Phase 5's permissive create), /run and schedule-PUT reject NULL-connector pipelines, and Phase 6's scheduler _claim_due filters connector_id IS NOT NULL as a backstop (so the Uploads pipeline can never be manually-run or scheduled into perpetually-failing runs). See 07-upload-pipeline-kb.md.
  • Phase 6 pipeline execution: run engine mirrors automations (thin Celery run_pipeline(run_id) → execute_pipeline_run; PENDING-gated, idempotent terminal no-op; pending→running→succeeded/failed with timing/counts/error). MVP executor = WebURL crawler only (other types fail cleanly). save_to_kb=true reuses index_crawled_urls extended with a folder_id param (lands in the destination folder); save_to_kb=false runs a fetch-only loop and persists one JSON blob via file_storage (result_blob_key). Crawl billing is owned by the run engine for the pipeline path (pre-check on len(urls) + charge crawls_succeeded + idempotent charged_micros), calling the crawler with a new bill=False seam (the connector /index+periodic paths keep 03c's in-indexer bill=True) — so non-KB runs are billed identically. Scheduler = a pipeline_schedule_select Beat tick modeled on the automations cron selector (cron + FOR UPDATE SKIP LOCKED + self-heal, using the existing croniter util), plus the de-dup guard (a pipeline over a connector disables that connector's periodic_indexing_enabled). Chat context = the get_pipeline_runs tool. Carries a small additive 05 amendment: a schedule_timezone column (cron util needs a tz). See 06-pipelines-exec.md.

Subplan index (backend)

Phase Subplan file Status
1 01-rename-db.md drafted
2 02-rename-backend.md drafted
3 03a-crawler-core.md drafted
3 03b-proxy-expansion.md drafted
3 03c-crawl-billing.md drafted
3 03d-captcha-solving.md drafted (deferred — last)
4 04a-connector-category.md drafted
4 04b-source-discovery.md drafted
5 05-pipelines-model.md drafted
6 06-pipelines-exec.md drafted
7 07-upload-pipeline-kb.md drafted

Frontend & client subplans will be added under a separate umbrella later (see "Deferred — Frontend & client phases").