more prep.

README.md

@@ -12,12 +12,15 @@ Open **this repo root** as the Obsidian vault. Quartz is only the publisher; it
 
 ```
 archive/              # public — primary sources
-  threads/            # Twitter/X and similar
+  threads/<handle>/<YYYY-MM-DD-slug>/
+                      # one thread: index.md is the author's chain
   sources/            # talks, pages, other records
 canvases/             # public — .canvas maps
 notes/                # public — authored / distilled writing
 templates/            # not published
-meta/                 # not published — conventions, local attachments
+meta/                 # not published — conventions
+assets/               # not published, gitignored — working media
+secrets/              # not published, gitignored — cookies, host keys
 private/              # not published, not pushed
 publish/              # tracked overlay: quartz.config.yaml
 site/                 # local Quartz clone (gitignored; own remotes)
@@ -34,7 +37,9 @@ site/                 # local Quartz clone (gitignored; own remotes)
 | `type` | `archive` \| `canvas` \| `note` |
 | `source` | `twitter` \| `youtube` \| `odysee` \| `article` \| `original` \| `other` |
 | `source_url` | original URL |
-| `author` | original author |
+| `author` | original display name |
+| `handle` | username without `@` |
+| `post_id` | Twitter status id |
 | `date` | original date `YYYY-MM-DD` |
 | `archived` | capture date |
 | `status` | `draft` \| `review` \| `published` |
@@ -50,9 +55,11 @@ Templates: `templates/archive-source.md`, `templates/authored-note.md` (Template
 Images: absolute HTTPS URLs on your image host. Do not commit local binaries for published notes.
 
 ```md
-![](https://YOUR-IMAGE-HOST/archive/slug.png)
+![](https://files.catbox.moe/example.png)
 ```
 
+Keep local copies in `assets/` (not committed). Do not point notes at `assets/` or `./media/`.
+
 YouTube and tweets (Quartz Obsidian-flavored Markdown):
 
 ```md
@@ -108,12 +115,12 @@ Open http://localhost:8080
 
 ## Add content and republish
 
-1. New thread: Templater → `archive-source` → save under `archive/threads/`
+1. New thread: create `archive/threads/<handle>/<YYYY-MM-DD-slug>/`. Templater → `archive-source` → save as `index.md` (the author's chain). Off-spine replies get their own notes in that folder. See `notes/How threads are organized.md`.
-2. Transcribe posts in order. Host images. Optional YouTube/Odysee/tweet embeds.
+2. Transcribe posts in order. Upload images to the image host; paste HTTPS URLs. Optional YouTube/Odysee/tweet embeds.
 3. Distill in `notes/` with `authored-note`. Wikilink the archive record.
-4. Set `draft: false` and `status: published`
+4. Set `draft: false` and `status: published` when the capture has been reviewed.
 5. Preview: `cd site; npx quartz build -d .. --serve`
-6. Commit and push `main` (vault + `publish/`, never `site/`)
+6. Commit and push `main` (vault + `publish/`, never `site/`, never `assets/` or `secrets/`)
 
 Threadwell remotes: `origin` → https://github.com/Ed94/Threadwell.git only.
 Quartz remotes live in `site/` (`cd site; git pull`). After a Quartz pull, re-copy `publish/quartz.config.yaml`.

archive/threads/How to archive a thread.md

@@ -4,6 +4,8 @@ type: archive
 source: twitter
 source_url: https://x.com/
 author: ""
+handle: ""
+post_id: ""
 date: 2026-08-22
 archived: 2026-08-22
 status: published
@@ -12,13 +14,14 @@ tags:
   - archive
   - twitter
   - how-to
-description: Worked example of an archived thread note. Replace this when real threads land.
+description: Worked example of a spine note. Real threads use a folder per thread.
 aliases:
   - example-thread
+in_reply_to: ""
 ---
 
 > [!info] Provenance
-> Replace this file with a real thread. The shape is what matters: frontmatter, then posts in order, then optional media.
+> Stub for the note shape. A real thread is a folder: `archive/threads/<handle>/<YYYY-MM-DD-slug>/index.md` plus optional branch notes. See [[How threads are organized]].
 
 ## Source
 
@@ -36,13 +39,13 @@ aliases:
 
 ## Media
 
-Images use absolute URLs on the image host:
+Images use absolute HTTPS URLs:
 
 ```md
-![](https://YOUR-IMAGE-HOST/archive/example.png)
+![](https://files.catbox.moe/example.png)
 ```
 
-Optional live tweet (not a substitute for the transcript):
+A live tweet embed is optional and is not the archive:
 
 ```md
 ![](https://x.com/user/status/123)
@@ -50,4 +53,5 @@ Optional live tweet (not a substitute for the transcript):
 
 ## Related
 
+- How folders work: [[How threads are organized]]
 - Distilled note: [[What this archive is for]]

archive/threads/index.md

@@ -8,6 +8,8 @@ tags:
   - archive
 ---
 
-One note per thread. Transcribe the posts in order. Do not rely on a live embed as the only copy.
+Threads are filed by author handle, then by date and title. The main note in each folder is that author's own chain. Replies live beside it.
 
-Example: [[How to archive a thread]]
+How to read a folder: [[How threads are organized]].
+
+Example of the note shape (single spine, no branches): [[How to archive a thread]]

canvases/overview.canvas

@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@
 		{"id":"canvases","type":"file","file":"canvases/index.md","x":400,"y":-80,"width":280,"height":80},
 		{"id":"notes","type":"file","file":"notes/index.md","x":400,"y":80,"width":280,"height":100},
 		{"id":"example-thread","type":"file","file":"archive/threads/How to archive a thread.md","x":760,"y":-40,"width":300,"height":80},
+		{"id":"how-organized","type":"file","file":"notes/How threads are organized.md","x":1100,"y":-40,"width":320,"height":80},
 		{"id":"example-note","type":"file","file":"notes/What this archive is for.md","x":760,"y":80,"width":300,"height":80}
 	],
 	"edges":[
@@ -19,6 +20,7 @@
 		{"id":"e6","fromNode":"archive","fromSide":"right","toNode":"sources","toSide":"left"},
 		{"id":"e7","fromNode":"threads","fromSide":"bottom","toNode":"example-thread","toSide":"top"},
 		{"id":"e8","fromNode":"notes","fromSide":"right","toNode":"example-note","toSide":"left"},
-		{"id":"e9","fromNode":"example-thread","fromSide":"bottom","toNode":"example-note","toSide":"top","label":"distills"}
+		{"id":"e9","fromNode":"example-thread","fromSide":"bottom","toNode":"example-note","toSide":"top","label":"distills"},
+		{"id":"e10","fromNode":"example-thread","fromSide":"right","toNode":"how-organized","toSide":"left","label":"folder shape"}
 	]
 }

index.md

@@ -12,5 +12,6 @@ An archive of material that is not reliably web-indexed: Twitter/X threads, talk
 - [[archive/index|Archive]] — objective records of threads and other sources
 - [[canvases/index|Canvases]] — maps and relationship diagrams
 - [[notes/index|Notes]] — authored essays and syntheses
+- [[How threads are organized]] — how a thread folder is laid out
 
 Start a new record from the templates in `templates/`. Public folders publish by default; set `draft: true` to keep a note off the site.

meta/conventions.md

@@ -10,16 +10,20 @@ draft: true
 | Field | Values | Notes |
 | --- | --- | --- |
 | `type` | `archive` \| `canvas` \| `note` | Required |
-| `source` | `twitter` \| `youtube` \| `odysee` \| `article` \| `original` \| `other` | Archive + media notes |
+| `source` | `twitter` \| `discord` \| `youtube` \| `odysee` \| `article` \| `original` \| `other` | Archive + media notes |
-| `source_url` | URL | Canonical original |
+| `source_url` | URL | This note's post, not always the thread root |
-| `author` | string | Original author, not you |
+| `author` | string | Display name |
+| `handle` | string | Username without `@` |
+| `post_id` | string | Twitter status id (spine root or branch root) |
 | `date` | `YYYY-MM-DD` | Original publication date |
 | `archived` | `YYYY-MM-DD` | When you captured it |
 | `status` | `draft` \| `review` \| `published` | Human workflow |
 | `draft` | `true` \| `false` | Quartz omit-from-site flag |
-| `tags` | list | Prefer `archive`, `twitter`, `note`, topic slugs |
+| `tags` | list | Ingest: `archive`, `twitter`, handle. Topics by hand |
 | `description` | string | Search / OG preview |
 | `aliases` | list | Extra names |
+| `in_reply_to` | string | Foreign parent of a spine, if any |
+| `parent_post_id` | string | Branch notes only: post this branch replies to |
 
 `draft: true` hides the page from the built site. It does **not** hide the file from a public GitHub repo. Truly private material goes in `private/` (gitignored).
 
@@ -28,24 +32,27 @@ draft: true
 | Path | Published | Role |
 | --- | --- | --- |
 | `archive/` | yes | Primary sources |
+| `archive/threads/<handle>/<YYYY-MM-DD-slug>/` | yes | One Twitter thread. `index.md` is the author's chain |
 | `canvases/` | yes | `.canvas` maps |
 | `notes/` | yes | Authored writing |
 | `templates/` | no | Templater / core templates |
 | `meta/` | no | Vault rules, local attachments |
+| `assets/` | no, gitignored | Working media before upload |
+| `secrets/` | no, gitignored | Cookies and image-host credentials |
 | `private/` | no, gitignored | Never publish, never push |
 | `site/` | no, gitignored | Local Quartz clone (own remotes) |
 | `publish/` | no | Tracked Quartz overlay |
 
+A thread folder holds `index.md` (spine) and one markdown file per off-spine reply tree. Reading guide: `notes/How threads are organized.md`.
+
 # Images
 
-Always absolute HTTPS URLs on the image host. Do not commit local binaries for published notes.
+Always absolute HTTPS URLs on the image host (catbox after upload). Do not commit local binaries for published notes. Working files sit in `assets/` (gitignored), not in `meta/attachments/` except unrelated Obsidian drops.
 
 ```md
-![](https://YOUR-IMAGE-HOST/archive/slug.png)
+![](https://files.catbox.moe/example.png)
 ```
 
-Scratch files may sit in `meta/attachments/` (gitignored).
-
 # Video
 
 YouTube / tweet (Quartz OFM):

notes/How threads are organized.md

@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+---
+title: How threads are organized
+type: note
+source: original
+date: 2026-08-23
+status: published
+draft: false
+tags:
+  - note
+  - how-to
+description: How archived Twitter/X threads are filed and read.
+---
+
+Threads are grouped by **author handle**, then by **date and a short title**.
+
+```
+archive/threads/<handle>/<YYYY-MM-DD-slug>/
+  index.md              ← the author's own chain (the spine)
+  YYYY-MM-DD-who-slug.md  ← one file per reply that left that chain
+```
+
+## Spine
+
+`index.md` is only what the author posted as a single chain: each post replies to the previous one of theirs. Posts are numbered **1/** **2/** in that order. Other people do not appear in this numbering.
+
+If the first post is a reply to someone else, that other tweet is quoted at the top as context. It is not numbered as part of the spine.
+
+## Branches
+
+A reply from someone else, or a second chain the author started from an earlier post, is its own note in the same folder. Follow-ups on that reply stay in that note, including if the original author answers there.
+
+The spine links out under the post that grew the branch. Each branch note links back to `index`.
+
+## Tags
+
+Every imported thread starts with `archive`, `twitter`, and the author's handle. Topic tags (`vulkan`, `crt`, `alsa`, …) are added by hand when the thread is reviewed.
+
+## Images
+
+Pictures on the site are ordinary HTTPS URLs. Working copies of files live outside what GitHub Pages serves. A note that is still being prepared is marked `draft: true` and does not appear on the site.
+
+## Reading
+
+Start at [[archive/threads/index|Threads]], pick a handle, then a date. The spine is the essay. Branch files are the conversation around it.

notes/What this archive is for.md

@@ -21,6 +21,8 @@ Threadwell holds material that search engines and platform pages do not keep rel
 | `notes/` | Your writing. What it means. |
 | `canvases/` | Spatial maps between the two. |
 
-An authored note should [[How to archive a thread|link the archive record]] instead of pasting the thread again.
+How a thread is filed: [[How threads are organized]].
+
+An authored note should wikilink the archive record instead of pasting the thread again.
 
 Set `draft: true` until a note is ready. `archive/`, `canvases/`, and `notes/` publish otherwise.

notes/index.md

@@ -10,3 +10,5 @@ tags: []
 Essays and syntheses. Link back to [[archive/index|archive]] records instead of restating the primary source.
 
 Use the `authored-note` template. Example: [[What this archive is for]]
+
+Convention: [[How threads are organized]]

templates/archive-source.md

@@ -4,14 +4,19 @@ type: archive
 source: twitter
 source_url:
 author:
+handle:
+post_id: ""
 date: <% tp.date.now("YYYY-MM-DD") %>
 archived: <% tp.date.now("YYYY-MM-DD") %>
 status: draft
 draft: true
 tags:
   - archive
+  - twitter
 description:
 aliases: []
+in_reply_to: ""
+parent_post_id: ""
 ---
 
 > [!info] Provenance
@@ -23,26 +28,10 @@ aliases: []
 - Author:
 - Posted:
 
-## Record
+## Thread
 
 **1/**
 
-## Media
-
-```md
-![](https://YOUR-IMAGE-HOST/archive/slug.png)
-```
-
-YouTube:
-
-```md
-![](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID)
-```
-
-Odysee:
-
-```html
-<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://odysee.com/$/embed/SLUG/CLAIM" allowfullscreen></iframe>
-```
-
 ## Related
+
+- Spine: [[index]]