firefrost-operations-manual/SESSION-HANDOFF-NEXT.md

Session Handoff — Next Chronicler

Last Updated: April 5, 2026 @ 9:15 PM CDT
Last Chronicler: #62
Session Focus: Task #26 ModpackChecker — Phase 3 Complete, Architecture Realigned

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🔥 CRITICAL STATUS

Firefrost Gaming is LIVE — Launched April 3, 2026
Soft Launch Target: April 15, 2026

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✅ COMPLETED THIS SESSION

Task #26 ModpackChecker — Phases 1-4 Infrastructure Complete

Working on Dev Panel (64.50.188.128):

• ✅ Admin settings panel (CurseForge API key storage)
• ✅ React component renders on server console
• ✅ API route calls Modrinth/CurseForge/FTB/Technic
• ✅ Returns real data (tested: "Adrenaserver 1.7.0+1.21.1.fabric")
• ✅ Manual "Check for Updates" button works

Key technical wins:

• Blueprint build.sh + sed injection pattern mastered
• Controller namespace case-sensitivity (Controllers not controllers)
• PHP-FPM OPCache restart requirement documented
• Pterodactyl model structure for egg variables understood

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⚠️ CRITICAL ARCHITECTURE PIVOT

We built the wrong thing.

Michael's actual requirement (confirmed this session):

"When I log into the main page and see the overview, I want to know RIGHT THERE if any pack needs an update."

What we built: Button inside each server's console page (defeats the purpose)

What we need: Badge/indicator on the SERVER LIST dashboard view

Gemini's Guidance (April 5, 2026)

YES, Blueprint can inject into the server list. Same sed trick, different target:

Current	Target
ServerConsoleContainer.tsx	ServerRow.tsx
Inside server view	Dashboard server list

CRITICAL WARNING — The "Dumb Badge" Rule:

The dashboard badge must NEVER call external APIs directly. If it did:

• 11 servers = 11 simultaneous API calls on every page load
• Rate limits hit instantly
• APIs block your IP
• Dashboard lags out

Correct Architecture:

CRON JOB (background)
    │ Checks APIs one by one with delays
    │ Stores results in database
    ▼
DATABASE (modpackchecker_servers table)
    │ Cached: server_id, current_version, latest_version, 
    │         update_available (boolean), last_checked
    ▼
/api/client/ext/modpackchecker/status
    │ One fast database query
    │ Returns: {server_uuid: {update_available: true/false}}
    ▼
UpdateBadge.tsx (injected into ServerRow.tsx)
    │ Reads from local endpoint only
    │ Shows 🟢 (up to date) or 🟠 (update available)
    ▼
DASHBOARD — Instant visibility without clicking into servers

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📋 NEXT SESSION: Complete the Feature

Phase 5A: Background Cron Job

1. Create Laravel console command for version checking
2. Register in app/Console/Kernel.php
3. Add rate limiting (sleep between API calls)
4. Store results in modpackchecker_servers table

Phase 5B: Status Endpoint

1. Create /api/client/ext/modpackchecker/status route
2. Returns cached update status for all user's servers
3. Single fast database query

Phase 5C: Dashboard Badge

1. Create UpdateBadge.tsx component
2. Update build.sh to inject into ServerRow.tsx
3. Badge calls status endpoint ONCE on dashboard load
4. Display 🟢/🟠 indicator per server

Phase 5D: Current Version Detection

1. Read from manifest.json / modrinth.index.json
2. Or: MODPACK_CURRENT_VERSION egg variable
3. Compare against API's latest version

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📁 FILES IN REPO

firefrost-services (commit 1eda889):

services/modpack-version-checker/blueprint-extension/
├── conf.yml
├── build.sh                      # sed injection script
├── admin/
│   ├── controller.php
│   └── view.blade.php
├── Controllers/
│   └── ModpackAPIController.php  # Capital C!
├── routes/
│   └── client.php
├── views/server/
│   └── wrapper.tsx               # Console component (Standard tier)
└── database/migrations/
    └── 2026_04_06_create_modpackchecker_servers_table.php

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🔧 DEV PANEL INFO

Item	Value
URL	http://64.50.188.128
Admin	frostystyle / FFG-Dev-2026!
Test Server UUID	c0a133db-6cb7-497d-a2ed-22ae66eb0de8
Blueprint	beta-2026-01
Modpack vars added	MODPACK_PLATFORM, MODPACK_ID (egg_id 4)
Test config	modrinth / adrenaserver

To rebuild after changes:

cd /var/www/pterodactyl
export NODE_OPTIONS=--openssl-legacy-provider
blueprint -build
composer dump-autoload
php artisan optimize:clear
yarn build:production
systemctl restart php8.3-fpm

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🎯 THE REAL DELIVERABLE

User logs into Pterodactyl → Sees server list → Instantly knows which modpacks need updates

No clicking. No buttons. Passive monitoring. RV-ready.

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Fire + Frost + Foundation = Where Love Builds Legacy 💙🔥❄️