Solo Mode Feature Plan #

Goal: Add a "solo" mode to aesthetic.computer that locks a piece in place, preventing navigation away via keyboard shortcuts, prompt HUD corner label taps, or any other escape mechanism.

URL Patterns #

Option 1: Pipe Suffix (Quick Typing) #

aesthetic.computer/notepat|

• Trailing | expands to ?solo=true internally
• Fast to type, visually clean URL
• Processed in index.mjs (router) — redirect or rewrite to query param

Option 2: Query Parameter #

aesthetic.computer/notepat?solo
aesthetic.computer/notepat&solo

• Standard query param approach
• More explicit, easier to understand

Recommendation: Support both — | as syntactic sugar that expands to ?solo.

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Implementation Locations #

1. Router (system/netlify/functions/index.mjs) #

• Detect trailing | in slug/path
• Strip the | and redirect to ?solo version (302)
• Example: /notepat| → /notepat?solo

2. Boot (system/public/aesthetic.computer/boot.mjs) #

• Add 'solo' to LEGITIMATE_PARAMS array (~line 466)
• Parse solo param like tv, device, etc. (~line 1097+)
• Pass solo: true to boot() via resolution object
• Example pattern follows existing tv/device handling

3. Bios (system/public/aesthetic.computer/bios.mjs) #

• Accept solo in resolution object (already receives tv, device, etc.)
• Store in preservedParams for refresh functionality (~line 758)
• Pass through to disk init message

4. Disk (system/public/aesthetic.computer/lib/disk.mjs) #

Primary implementation location

A. Add SOLO_MODE flag (~line 632) #

let SOLO_MODE = false; // Whether running in solo mode (prevents navigating away from piece)

B. Set flag from init message (~line 9258) #

SOLO_MODE = content.resolution?.solo === true;

C. Disable keyboard navigation shortcuts (~line 10860+) #

• Block Escape key handling when SOLO_MODE is true
• Block Back to prompt functionality
• Possibly block Tab for HUD toggle (or keep but read-only)

D. Disable prompt HUD corner label interactivity #

• The corner label tap functionality is handled via qr-corner-tap message (~line 14216)
• In solo mode:
  • Don't register the qr-corner hitbox (skip button:hitbox:add)
  • Or don't handle the tap message
  • Skip sound effects on touch/tap in that area

E. Prevent $commonApi.jump() (~line 2686) #

jump: function jump(to, ahistorical = false, alias = false) {
  if (SOLO_MODE) {
    console.log("🔒 Jump blocked: solo mode active");
    return;
  }
  // ... existing code
}

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Behavior in Solo Mode #

Feature	Normal	Solo Mode
Escape key → prompt	✅ Works	❌ Blocked
Back navigation	✅ Works	❌ Blocked
Corner label tap	✅ Opens prompt	❌ No action, no sound
Tab (HUD toggle)	✅ Toggles HUD	❓ Optional: keep or disable
Shift (QR fullscreen)	✅ Works	❓ Optional: keep for sharing
jump() API	✅ Works	❌ Blocked
Page refresh	✅ Works	✅ Works (stays in solo)

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Files to Modify #

1. system/netlify/functions/index.mjs — Pipe suffix detection & redirect
2. system/public/aesthetic.computer/boot.mjs — Add solo param handling
3. system/public/aesthetic.computer/bios.mjs — Pass solo to disk
4. system/public/aesthetic.computer/lib/disk.mjs — Core blocking logic

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Testing Checklist #

• aesthetic.computer/notepat| redirects to aesthetic.computer/notepat?solo
• aesthetic.computer/notepat?solo activates solo mode
• Escape key does nothing in solo mode
• Corner label tap does nothing (no sound, no navigation)
• Piece jump() calls are blocked
• Refresh preserves solo mode
• Normal browsing still works without | or ?solo
• Embedded contexts (kidlisp.com) not affected

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Implementation Order #

1. Add solo to LEGITIMATE_PARAMS in boot.mjs
2. Parse and pass solo through boot→bios→disk chain
3. Add SOLO_MODE flag and blocking logic in disk.mjs
4. Add | suffix handling in index.mjs router
5. Test all edge cases

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Notes #

• Similar pattern to existing TV_MODE and DEVICE_MODE flags
• Solo mode is purely client-side (no server changes needed beyond router)
• Could extend to support "presentation mode" or "kiosk mode" variants later