Cleanup prose in written documentation

docs/architecture.md

@@ -1,11 +1,10 @@
 # Architecture
 
-This document describes the active architecture of The Biergarten App.
+This document describes the architecture of The Biergarten App.
 
 ## High-level overview
 
-The Biergarten App is a monorepo with a clear split between the backend and the
+The Biergarten App is a monorepo split between the backend and the website:
-active website:
 
 - **Backend**: .NET 10 Web API with SQL Server, organized as vertical feature
   slices with MediatR
@@ -13,8 +12,8 @@ active website:
 - **Architecture Style**: Vertical-slice backend plus server-rendered React
   frontend
 
-The legacy Next.js frontend has been retained in `archive/next-js-web-app/` for
+`archive/next-js-web-app/` contains an archived Next.js frontend, kept for
-reference only.
+reference.
 
 ## Diagrams
 
@@ -24,11 +23,25 @@ For visual representations, see:
   architecture diagram
 - [deployment.svg](website/diagrams-out/deployment.svg) - Docker deployment
   diagram
-- [authentication-flow.svg](website/diagrams-out/authentication-flow.svg) -
-  Authentication workflow
 - [database-schema.svg](website/diagrams-out/database-schema.svg) - Database
   relationships
 
+Authentication workflow diagrams, one per flow, under
+`website/diagrams-out/auth/`:
+
+- [registration.svg](website/diagrams-out/auth/registration.svg)
+- [login.svg](website/diagrams-out/auth/login.svg)
+- [refresh-token.svg](website/diagrams-out/auth/refresh-token.svg)
+- [confirm-user.svg](website/diagrams-out/auth/confirm-user.svg)
+- [resend-confirmation.svg](website/diagrams-out/auth/resend-confirmation.svg)
+- [update-username.svg](website/diagrams-out/auth/update-username.svg)
+- [update-email.svg](website/diagrams-out/auth/update-email.svg)
+- [update-password.svg](website/diagrams-out/auth/update-password.svg)
+- [update-profile.svg](website/diagrams-out/auth/update-profile.svg)
+- [delete-account.svg](website/diagrams-out/auth/delete-account.svg)
+- [error-handling.svg](website/diagrams-out/auth/error-handling.svg) - shared
+  `GlobalExceptionFilter` mapping used by all flows above
+
 ## Backend architecture
 
 ### Vertical-slice architecture pattern
@@ -38,7 +51,7 @@ technical layers. Each feature (`Features.Users`, `Features.Breweries`,
 `Features.Emails`, `Features.Locations`, `Features.PhotoUpload`) is a single
 project that owns its own MediatR commands/queries/handlers, validators, and
 repository end to end. `Features.Emails`, `Features.Locations`, and
-`Features.PhotoUpload` have no `Controllers/` folder — all three are invoked
+`Features.PhotoUpload` have no `Controllers/` folder; all three are invoked
 internally by other slices via MediatR/DI, never over HTTP:
 
 ```
@@ -128,12 +141,12 @@ own
 
 `Features.Emails` has no `Controllers/` folder. It's invoked only via MediatR
 commands sent from other slices, never over HTTP. `Features.Locations` also has
-no `Controllers/` folder and no MediatR handlers — it exposes
+no `Controllers/` folder and no MediatR handlers; it exposes
 `ILocationRepository` directly as a plain service, currently consumed only by
 `Database.Seed` to look up cities while seeding brewery locations. Other slices
 (for example, `Features.Breweries`) do not yet depend on it; they run their own
 `CityID` existence checks inline. `Features.PhotoUpload` also has no
-`Controllers/` folder — its `UploadPhotoCommand` is sent by other features'
+`Controllers/` folder; its `UploadPhotoCommand` is sent by other features'
 handlers (for example, a future brewery photo upload command) rather than
 bound to an HTTP route directly. The one exception today is the `/upload-test`
 minimal API endpoint wired directly in `API.Core/Program.cs`, a temporary route
@@ -320,12 +333,12 @@ method that registers its repository and slice-internal services
 #### Direct SQL via Dapper/ADO.NET
 
 **Purpose**: Keep data access explicit and colocated with the slice that owns
-it, without an ORM's change-tracking or mapping magic
+it
 
 **Strategy**:
 
-- No ORM (Entity Framework not used); each repository issues inline SQL
+- No ORM; each repository issues inline SQL through Dapper, which handles
-  through Dapper, with no manual `IDbCommand` parameter binding. The one
+  parameter binding. The one
   wrinkle is the `GEOGRAPHY` column on `BreweryPostLocation`, which Dapper
   can't deserialize as a UDT: reads select `CONVERT(varbinary(max),
   Coordinates)` so the value comes back as a plain `byte[]` Dapper can bind.
@@ -334,26 +347,25 @@ it, without an ORM's change-tracking or mapping magic
   avoiding a client-side distance calculation over every row. No spatial
   index backs the query yet; `schema.sql` sketches one, commented out, for
   when the table grows large enough to need it
-- Referential checks that a stored procedure used to perform (e.g. "does this
+- Referential checks (for example, "does this `CityId` exist?") are explicit
-  `CityId` exist?") are now explicit `SELECT 1 ...` existence checks in the
+  `SELECT 1 ...` existence checks in the repository method, run inside the
-  repository method, run inside the same transaction as the write
+  same transaction as the write
 - Optimistic concurrency uses each table's `RowVersion` (`ROWVERSION`) column,
   checked in the `UPDATE ... WHERE ... AND RowVersion = @RowVersion` clause
 - Repositories throw `Domain.Exceptions` types (`NotFoundException`,
-  `ConflictException`, ...) directly when a check fails, rather than relying on
+  `ConflictException`, ...) directly when a check fails; `API.Core`'s
-  a database-side `THROW`; `API.Core`'s `GlobalExceptionFilter` maps those
+  `GlobalExceptionFilter` maps those exception types to HTTP status codes
-  exception types to HTTP status codes
 - Application focuses on orchestration; the database enforces integrity via
   keys, `CHECK` constraints, and cascades
 
-See [Database](website/database.md) for the schema and the app's current SQL
+See [Database](website/database.md) for the schema and the app's SQL
 error-handling approach in more detail.
 
 ## Frontend architecture
 
-### Active website (`web/frontend`)
+### Website (`web/frontend`)
 
-The current website is a React Router 7 application with server-side rendering
+The website is a React Router 7 application with server-side rendering
 enabled.
 
 ```text
@@ -397,7 +409,7 @@ web/frontend/
 
 ### Theme system
 
-The active website uses semantic DaisyUI theme tokens backed by four Biergarten
+The website uses semantic DaisyUI theme tokens backed by four Biergarten
 themes:
 
 - Biergarten Lager
@@ -408,11 +420,10 @@ themes:
 All component styling should prefer semantic tokens such as `primary`,
 `success`, `surface`, and `highlight` instead of hard-coded color values.
 
-### Legacy frontend
+### Archived frontend
 
-The previous Next.js frontend has been archived at `archive/next-js-web-app/`
+`archive/next-js-web-app/` contains an archived Next.js frontend, kept for
-for reference only. Active product and engineering documentation should point to
+reference. Product and engineering documentation points to `web/frontend`.
-`web/frontend`.
 
 ## Security architecture
 
@@ -431,8 +442,8 @@ for reference only. Active product and engineering documentation should point to
 3. **Login**:
    - User submits credentials
    - Password verified against hash
-   - Access and refresh JWTs are issued; the refresh token is stored server-side
+   - Access and refresh JWTs are issued and returned to the client; neither is
-     against the user's credential row
+     stored server-side
 
 4. **Token refresh**:
    - Client exchanges a valid, unexpired refresh token for a new access/refresh

docs/pipeline/ETHICS-AND-KNOWN-ISSUES.md

@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ as a source of truth for brewing techniques or cultural representation.**
 
 **Natural language processing is a powerful tool for data analysis and
 generation, but its output should be treated with scrutiny. Human language is
-not simply data points to be analyzed — it carries cultural and human meaning
+not simply data points to be analyzed: it carries cultural and human meaning
 that artificial intelligence cannot capture.**
 
 ---
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@ vendored verbatim, unmodified, from
 (the `common-forenames-by-country.json` / `common-surnames-by-country.json`
 release assets), released under **CC0** (public domain). That dataset's own
 forename/surname lists are pulled from Wikipedia's "Lists of most common
-surnames" and "List of most popular given names" as of the week of 2023-07-08 —
+surnames" and "List of most popular given names" as of the week of 2023-07-08;
 see that project's README for full provenance. Names are not LLM-generated; this
 is curated fixture data per ROADMAP.md §2. Per-forename gender from the source
 data is preserved through to the sampled `Name` (rather than discarded during
@@ -113,7 +113,7 @@ for surnames) rather than trimmed to `locations.json`'s current country list, so
 it doesn't need re-sourcing if more countries are added later. `SampleName()` (a
 free helper in `generate_users.cc`) returns no result for a country present in
 neither file; of the countries in `locations.json`, that's currently `KE`, `SE`,
-`SG`, `TH`, `VN`, and `ZA` — `GenerateUsers` skips cities in those countries the
+`SG`, `TH`, `VN`, and `ZA`; `GenerateUsers` skips cities in those countries the
 same way brewery generation skips cities whose enrichment lookup fails.
 
 ---
@@ -290,8 +290,8 @@ Each brewery and user address carries a longitude/latitude pair, sampled
 uniformly at random within a 5 km disc centred on the city's curated
 `latitude`/`longitude` from `locations.json`.
 
-The resulting point is **plausible by construction** — it always falls within
+The resulting point is **plausible by construction**, always falling within
-the city's vicinity — but it is not looked up from any real address registry.
+the city's vicinity, but it is not looked up from any real address registry.
 It does not correspond to a real address, business, or resident, and should
 not be treated as accurate geocoding data. This is consistent with the rest of
 the dataset: fixture data for a proof-of-concept, not a source of truth.

docs/pipeline/README.md

@@ -7,12 +7,12 @@ deterministic mock.
 
 > **This pipeline produces AI-generated data.** It is not a source of truth for
 > brewing techniques, cultural representation, or local-language accuracy. See
-> [ETHICS-AND-KNOWN-ISSUES.md](./ETHICS-AND-KNOWN-ISSUES.md) for a full
+> [ETHICS-AND-KNOWN-ISSUES.md](./ETHICS-AND-KNOWN-ISSUES.md) for full
 > documentation of limitations, hallucination patterns, and bias.
 
 ---
 
-## Table of Contents
+## Table of contents
 
 - [How it fits the main app](#how-it-fits-the-main-app)
 - [Quick start](#quick-start)
@@ -176,7 +176,7 @@ output to confirm the fast path was taken.
 ### Run the container
 
 The container always runs the model-backed path; there is no `--mocked`
-container mode (use a native build for that — see [Quick start](#quick-start)).
+container mode (use a native build for that; see [Quick start](#quick-start)).
 The entrypoint, `runpod/start.sh`, downloads the GGUF model automatically if it
 is not already present at the configured path.
 
@@ -191,7 +191,7 @@ docker run --rm \
 
 By default this downloads `google_gemma-4-E4B-it-Q6_K.gguf` to `./models/` on
 first run if it isn't already there. To use a pre-downloaded model, place it at
-that path first — see [Model](#model) above.
+that path first; see [Model](#model).
 
 #### Environment variables
 
@@ -211,8 +211,9 @@ configurable via environment variable.
 
 Use a GPU pod template. Mount persistent storage for `/workspace/models`,
 `/workspace/output`, and `/workspace/logs`. See
-`tooling/pipeline/runpod/pod-template.yaml` for a starter template — set the
+`tooling/pipeline/runpod/pod-template.yaml` for a starter template; set the
-environment variables listed above to match your run.
+environment variables listed in [Environment variables](#environment-variables)
+to match your run.
 
 ---
 
@@ -236,24 +237,24 @@ skipped and the pipeline continues. `GenerateUsers()` runs before
 
 ### Key components
 
-- `src/main.cc` — argument parsing and Boost.DI composition root.
+- `src/main.cc`: argument parsing and Boost.DI composition root.
-- `CuratedJsonDataService` — implements `ICuratedDataService`; takes a
+- `CuratedJsonDataService`: implements `ICuratedDataService`; takes a
   `CuratedDataFilePaths` DTO (locations/personas/forenames/surnames paths) in
   its constructor, then parses and validates curated location, persona, and
   forename/surname JSON, memoizing each result after its first load on a given
   instance. `MockCuratedDataService` is the in-memory substitute (4 fixed
   locations, 3 personas, and name data for `US`/`DE`/`FR`/`BE`) used in
   `--mocked` runs.
-- `WikipediaEnrichmentService` — queries Wikipedia extracts, caches results,
+- `WikipediaEnrichmentService`: queries Wikipedia extracts, caches results,
   returns empty context on failure. `MockEnrichmentService` is the no-op
   substitute used in `--mocked` runs.
-- `LlamaGenerator` — formats prompts for Gemma 4, validates JSON output for both
+- `LlamaGenerator`: formats prompts for Gemma 4, validates JSON output for both
   `GenerateBrewery` and `GenerateUser`, retries malformed responses up to three
   times with corrective feedback in the retry prompt. The token budget is fixed
   across attempts; it is not raised automatically on truncation.
-- `MockGenerator` — stable hash-based output so the same city/persona/name input
+- `MockGenerator`: stable hash-based output so the same city/persona/name input
   always produces the same brewery or user.
-- `SqliteExportService` — creates a dated SQLite file per run and persists each
+- `SqliteExportService`: creates a dated SQLite file per run and persists each
   successful user and brewery into normalized tables.
 - Brewery payloads include English and local-language name and description
   fields. User payloads carry a sampled first/last name and gender, an
@@ -281,13 +282,13 @@ runs.
 `CuratedJsonDataService` memoizes each of `LoadLocations()`, `LoadPersonas()`,
 `LoadForenamesByCountry()`, and `LoadSurnamesByCountry()` independently the
 first time each is called, since `BiergartenPipelineOrchestrator` owns a single
-`ICuratedDataService` instance for the whole run — later calls return the cached
+`ICuratedDataService` instance for the whole run; later calls return the cached
 result instead of re-parsing.
 
 `GenerateUsers()` samples a forename/surname pair per city via `SampleName()`,
 keyed by the city's ISO 3166-1 code. Countries present in `locations.json` but
 absent from either name fixture (currently `KE`, `SE`, `SG`, `TH`, `VN`, `ZA`)
-are skipped, the same way a failed enrichment or generation call skips a city —
+are skipped, the same way a failed enrichment or generation call skips a city;
 see ETHICS-AND-KNOWN-ISSUES.md's Names-by-Country Dataset section.
 
 ### Process flow - activity diagram
@@ -357,15 +358,14 @@ The build fetches Boost.DI, spdlog, and SQLite via CMake. llama.cpp is fetched
 only when a system installation is not detected. Metal is enabled on Apple
 Silicon; CUDA or HIP/ROCm is detected on Linux when the toolkit is present.
 
-> **Code Style:** Code style generally follows the Google Style Guide and
+> **Code style:** The code follows the Google C++ Style Guide, except that
-> features modern C++20 throughout. Formatting follows the Google C++ Style
+> indentation is 3 spaces instead of Google's 2, and uses C++20 throughout.
-> Guide, with the exception of indentation width (3 spaces vs. Google's 2).
 
 ---
 
 ## Tested hardware
 
-### ARM macOS — M1 Pro
+### ARM macOS (M1 Pro)
 
 |           |                                   |
 | --------- | --------------------------------- |
@@ -376,7 +376,7 @@ Silicon; CUDA or HIP/ROCm is detected on Linux when the toolkit is present.
 | Model     | Gemma 4 E4B                       |
 | Inference | llama.cpp with Metal              |
 
-### x86_64 Linux — NVIDIA RTX 2000
+### x86_64 Linux (NVIDIA RTX 2000)
 
 |           |                                |
 | --------- | ------------------------------ |
@@ -387,7 +387,7 @@ Silicon; CUDA or HIP/ROCm is detected on Linux when the toolkit is present.
 | Model     | Gemma 4 E4B                    |
 | Inference | llama.cpp with CUDA 12.x       |
 
-### x86_64 Linux — Docker / RunPod (NVIDIA CUDA)
+### x86_64 Linux (Docker / RunPod, NVIDIA CUDA)
 
 |           |                                             |
 | --------- | ------------------------------------------- |
@@ -407,7 +407,7 @@ Silicon; CUDA or HIP/ROCm is detected on Linux when the toolkit is present.
 - Keep `locations.json` structured enough to support discovery and future
   filtering.
 - `personas.json`, `forenames-by-country.json`, and `surnames-by-country.json`
-  are curated/vendored fixture data, not LLM-generated — see
+  are curated/vendored fixture data, not LLM-generated; see
   ETHICS-AND-KNOWN-ISSUES.md's Names-by-Country Dataset section for provenance.
 - Treat SQLite output as seed material for the app's brewery and user domains,
   not production data.
@@ -435,18 +435,18 @@ Silicon; CUDA or HIP/ROCm is detected on Linux when the toolkit is present.
 
 Paths below are relative to `tooling/pipeline/`.
 
-- `src/main.cc` — argument parsing and DI composition root.
+- `src/main.cc`: argument parsing and DI composition root.
-- `src/biergarten_pipeline_orchestrator/` — orchestration, sampling, logging,
+- `src/biergarten_pipeline_orchestrator/`: orchestration, sampling, logging,
   and export.
-- `src/services/curated_data/` — `CuratedJsonDataService`, the file-backed
+- `src/services/curated_data/`: `CuratedJsonDataService`, the file-backed
   `ICuratedDataService`, and `MockCuratedDataService`, the in-memory
   `ICuratedDataService` used in `--mocked` runs.
-- `src/services/enrichment/wikipedia/` — enrichment service and cache.
+- `src/services/enrichment/wikipedia/`: enrichment service and cache.
-- `src/services/sqlite/` — SQLite export implementation.
+- `src/services/sqlite/`: SQLite export implementation.
-- `src/data_generation/llama/` — local inference, prompt loading, output
+- `src/data_generation/llama/`: local inference, prompt loading, output
   validation.
-- `src/data_generation/mock/` — deterministic fallback.
+- `src/data_generation/mock/`: deterministic fallback.
-- `runpod/` — container build and runtime launcher.
+- `runpod/`: container build and runtime launcher.
 
 ---
 
@@ -458,7 +458,7 @@ exercise the full brewery and social domains without live data. For the detailed
 engineering breakdown of what's needed to reach the architecture in
 [`diagrams/planned/`](./diagrams/planned/), see [ROADMAP.md](./ROADMAP.md).
 
-### Testing — very high priority
+### Testing (very high priority)
 
 - Unit test JSON validation and retry logic against malformed, truncated, and
   empty model outputs.
@@ -481,7 +481,7 @@ enough to exercise search, sort, and category filters.
 ### Check-in system
 
 Produce timestamped check-in events between users and breweries. Use a J-curve
-activity profile — a small set of users accounts for most check-ins, the rest
+activity profile: a small set of users accounts for most check-ins, the rest
 appear occasionally. Add bursty behaviour around weekends and travel periods.
 
 ### Beer ratings

docs/website/database.md

@@ -59,8 +59,8 @@ Scripts live under `scripts/`, applied in order and tracked so a script never
 re-runs once it has succeeded. Today that's `01-schema/`, with one script per
 table, numbered so a table's foreign keys always point at an earlier-numbered
 script. When the schema needs to change, add a new numbered script rather than
-editing an existing one in place — DbUp's tracking is per-script, so editing
+editing an existing one in place: DbUp's tracking is per-script, so an edited
-an already-applied script means it won't re-run against existing databases.
+already-applied script never re-runs against existing databases.
 
 ## Data seeding
 
@@ -68,7 +68,7 @@ an already-applied script means it won't re-run against existing databases.
 pipeline (see [Pipeline README](../pipeline/README.md)): countries,
 state/provinces, and cities (created on demand while resolving each brewery's
 location), user accounts, and brewery posts with locations. It doesn't call
-every feature slice that has a write path — `Photo`, for example, has a
+every feature slice that has a write path: `Photo`, for example, has a
 repository (`Features.PhotoUpload`) but no seed data.
 
 ## Database error handling
@@ -78,10 +78,10 @@ repository (`Features.PhotoUpload`) but no seed data.
 - On failure, the repository throws a `Domain.Exceptions` type directly
   (`NotFoundException`, `ConflictException`, `ArgumentException`, ...).
   `API.Core`'s `GlobalExceptionFilter` maps these to HTTP status codes (404,
-  409, 400, ...); an unmapped `SqlException` (e.g. a genuine connectivity or
+  409, 400, ...); an unmapped `SqlException` (for example, a genuine
-  constraint-violation failure) maps to 503.
+  connectivity or constraint-violation failure) maps to 503.
 
   - One exception: `Features.Users`' `DapperUserStore` does catch
     `SqlException` directly, to detect a duplicate-key race (SQL Server error
     2601 or 2627) when two requests try to verify the same account
-    concurrently — see `DapperUserStore.IsDuplicateKeyViolation`.
+    concurrently; see `DapperUserStore.IsDuplicateKeyViolation`.

docs/website/docker.md

@@ -100,7 +100,8 @@ frontend.tests     # Storybook Vitest + Playwright suites (own Playwright image)
 
 ```bash
 # Run all tests
-docker compose --env-file web/.env.test -f web/docker-compose.test.yaml up --abort-on-container-exit
+docker compose --env-file web/.env.test -f web/docker-compose.test.yaml up -d
+docker compose --env-file web/.env.test -f web/docker-compose.test.yaml wait api.specs unit.tests frontend.tests
 
 # View results
 ls -la test-results/
@@ -111,6 +112,13 @@ cat test-results/Features.Users.Tests.trx
 docker compose --env-file web/.env.test -f web/docker-compose.test.yaml down -v
 ```
 
+`wait` blocks until `api.specs`, `unit.tests`, and `frontend.tests` have all
+stopped, regardless of which one finishes first; `up --abort-on-container-exit`
+isn't used here because the one-shot `database.migrations`/`database.seed`
+jobs and `frontend.tests` (no database dependency) can exit before the other
+test containers, which would end the run prematurely. See
+[Testing](testing.md#running-tests-with-docker-recommended) for details.
+
 ### 3. Production (`docker-compose.prod.yaml`)
 
 **Purpose**: Production-ready deployment

docs/website/environment-variables.md

@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 # Environment variables
 
-This document covers the active environment variables used by the current
+This document covers the environment variables used by the Biergarten stack.
-Biergarten stack.
 
 ## Overview
 
@@ -19,10 +18,10 @@ Direct environment variable access via `Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable()`.
 
 ### Frontend (`web/frontend`)
 
-The active website reads runtime values from the server environment for its auth
+The website reads runtime values from the server environment for its auth and
-and API integration. In Docker, the `frontend` service is wired into the same
+API integration. In Docker, the `frontend` service is wired into the same
 `web/.env.dev` / `.env.test` / `.env.prod` files as the backend; running it
-locally with `npm run dev` still reads from the shell environment.
+locally with `npm run dev` reads from the shell environment.
 
 ### Docker
 
@@ -104,7 +103,8 @@ WEBSITE_BASE_URL=https://thebiergarten.app          # Base URL for the website
 **Security Requirements**:
 
 - Use at least 32 characters per secret
-- Use 127 or more characters in production
+- Use secrets generated from 127 or more random bytes in production (base64
+  encoding turns 127 bytes into a longer string, well over 127 characters)
 - Generate secrets with a cryptographically secure random function
 - Never reuse secrets across token types or environments
 - Rotate secrets periodically in production
@@ -170,10 +170,17 @@ ASPNETCORE_URLS=http://0.0.0.0:8080  # Binding address and port
 DOTNET_RUNNING_IN_CONTAINER=true     # Flag for container execution
 ```
 
+`ASPNETCORE_URLS` is hardcoded directly in `docker-compose.dev.yaml` and
+`docker-compose.prod.yaml` (not sourced from the `.env` file), so it's
+required only for Docker. Outside Docker, `dotnet run` falls back to the
+`http` profile in `API.Core/Properties/launchSettings.json`
+(`http://localhost:5069`), so manual backend setup (see
+[Getting Started](getting-started.md#manual-backend-setup)) doesn't need to
+set it.
+
 ## Frontend variables (`web/frontend`)
 
-The active website does not use the old Next.js/Prisma environment model. Its
+The website's core runtime variables are:
-core runtime variables are:
 
 ```bash
 API_BASE_URL=http://api.core:8080        # Base URL for the .NET API (container DNS name in Docker)
@@ -291,12 +298,6 @@ cp web/.env.example web/.env.dev
 # Edit web/.env.dev with your values
 ```
 
-## Legacy frontend variables
-
-Variables for the archived Next.js frontend (`archive/next-js-web-app/`) have
-been removed from this active reference, since that app is retained for
-reference only and is not run as part of the active stack.
-
 **Docker Compose Mapping**:
 
 - `web/docker-compose.dev.yaml` → `web/.env.dev`
@@ -334,7 +335,7 @@ reference only and is not run as part of the active stack.
 | `PORT`                        |         |    ✓     |   ✓    |    No    | Frontend server port         |
 | `CLEAR_DATABASE`              |    ✓    |          |   ✓    |    No    | Dev/test reset flag          |
 | `ASPNETCORE_ENVIRONMENT`      |    ✓    |          |   ✓    |   Yes    | ASP.NET environment          |
-| `ASPNETCORE_URLS`             |    ✓    |          |   ✓    |   Yes    | API binding address          |
+| `ASPNETCORE_URLS`             |    ✓    |          |   ✓    | Yes\*\*  | API binding address          |
 | `SA_PASSWORD`                 |         |          |   ✓    |   Yes    | SQL Server container         |
 | `ACCEPT_EULA`                 |         |          |   ✓    |   Yes    | SQL Server EULA              |
 | `MSSQL_PID`                   |         |          |   ✓    |    No    | SQL Server edition           |
@@ -343,6 +344,10 @@ reference only and is not run as part of the active stack.
 \* Either `DB_CONNECTION_STRING` OR the component variables (`DB_SERVER`,
 `DB_NAME`, `DB_USER`, `DB_PASSWORD`) must be provided.
 
+\*\* Required for Docker, where it's hardcoded in the compose files. Outside
+Docker, `dotnet run` falls back to the `applicationUrl` in
+`launchSettings.json`.
+
 ## Validation
 
 ### Backend validation
@@ -359,8 +364,8 @@ Variables are validated at startup:
 
 ### Frontend validation
 
-The active website relies on runtime defaults for local development and the
+The website relies on runtime defaults for local development and on the server
-surrounding server environment in deployed environments.
+environment when deployed.
 
 - `API_BASE_URL` defaults to `http://localhost:8080`
 - `SESSION_SECRET` falls back to a development-only local secret

docs/website/getting-started.md

@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 # Getting started
 
-This guide covers local setup for the current Biergarten stack: the .NET backend
+This guide covers local setup for the Biergarten stack: the .NET backend in
-in `web/backend` and the active React Router frontend in `web/frontend`.
+`web/backend` and the React Router frontend in `web/frontend`.
 
 ## Prerequisites
 
@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ Available endpoints:
 - Mailpit UI: http://localhost:8025
 - SeaweedFS S3 API: http://localhost:8333
 
-### 4. Start the active frontend
+### 4. Start the frontend
 
 ```bash
 cd web/frontend
@@ -146,10 +146,10 @@ dotnet run --project Database/Database.Seed/Database.Seed.csproj
 dotnet run --project API/API.Core/API.Core.csproj
 ```
 
-## Legacy frontend note
+## Archived frontend
 
-The previous Next.js frontend lives in `archive/next-js-web-app/` for reference
+`archive/next-js-web-app/` contains an archived Next.js frontend, kept for
-only and is not the active website.
+reference; it is not part of the running stack.
 
 ## Next steps
 

docs/website/testing.md

@@ -21,8 +21,8 @@ The project uses a multi-layered testing approach across backend and frontend:
 
 ## Running tests with Docker (recommended)
 
-The easiest way to run all tests is using Docker Compose, which sets up an
+To run all tests, use Docker Compose, which sets up an isolated test
-isolated test environment:
+environment:
 
 ```bash
 docker compose --env-file web/.env.test -f web/docker-compose.test.yaml up -d
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ This command:
 stopped, regardless of which one finishes first. Long-running services
 (`sqlserver`, `seaweedfs`) and the one-shot `database.migrations` /
 `database.seed` jobs keep running in the background alongside them and are
-torn down separately (see below) — `wait` doesn't touch them.
+torn down separately (see below); `wait` doesn't touch them.
 
 ### View test results
 
@@ -355,15 +355,12 @@ The workflow inspects the exit code of each test container
 after `wait` returns and fails the job if any of them is non-zero.
 `./test-results/` is uploaded as a build artifact regardless of outcome.
 
-Earlier versions of this workflow used
+`up -d` + `wait` keeps container teardown independent of any single
-`up --abort-on-container-exit`, which stops the entire stack the instant
+container's exit. The one-shot `database.migrations`/`database.seed` jobs
-*any* watched container exits. That's wrong here: the one-shot
+exit 0 partway through the run, and `frontend.tests` (which has no database
-`database.migrations`/`database.seed` jobs are expected to exit 0 partway
+dependency) reliably finishes before `api.specs`/`unit.tests` start; because
-through, and even scoping the flag to just the three test services doesn't
+`wait` blocks on all three test containers, neither early exit ends the run
-help, since `frontend.tests` (no database dependency) reliably finishes
+prematurely.
-before `api.specs`/`unit.tests` even start, aborting them prematurely.
-`up -d` + `wait` avoids both races by not tying container teardown to any
-single container's exit.
 
 Exit codes:
 
@@ -414,13 +411,13 @@ act push \
   `sqlserver` service's image is amd64-only, and act needs to know to
   emulate that platform for the whole job container, not just that one
   service.
-- No secrets or `.actrc` are needed — `generate-env.sh` creates its own
+- No secrets or `.actrc` are needed: `generate-env.sh` creates its own
   `.env.test` with freshly randomized values, same as in real CI.
 
 **Known act-only limitation**: the "Upload test results" step
 (`actions/upload-artifact@v4`) fails locally with `Unable to get the
 ACTIONS_RUNTIME_TOKEN env variable`. act doesn't provide a real Actions
-artifact backend, so this step — and only this step — is expected to fail
+artifact backend, so this step, and only this step, is expected to fail
 under act even when everything else passes. It works normally on
 GitHub-hosted runners.
 
@@ -429,7 +426,7 @@ names and named volumes (`sqlserverdata-test`, `seaweedfsdata-test`) scoped
 to the `web` compose project. If a previous local run (via `act` or a
 manual `docker compose` invocation) didn't get torn down, its SQL Server
 volume can persist with an old `SA_PASSWORD` baked in, while a fresh
-`.env.test` generates a new one each run — causing `Login failed for user
+`.env.test` generates a new one each run, causing `Login failed for user
 'sa'` errors that look like a test bug but are really a leftover volume.
 Clear it before re-running:
 

docs/website/token-validation.md

@@ -34,8 +34,7 @@ Low-level JWT operations.
 
 #### [ITokenService](../../web/backend/Features/Features.Users/Services/ITokenService.cs)
 
-Both token generation and validation live on the same slice-internal service
+Token generation and validation live on the same slice-internal service.
-(there is no separate validation service/class).
 
 **Generation methods:**
 
@@ -79,9 +78,17 @@ directly.
 1. Receives confirmation token from user via `ConfirmUserCommand`
 2. Calls `ITokenService.ValidateConfirmationTokenAsync()`
 3. Extracts user ID from validated token and looks it up via `UserManager<ApplicationUser>`
-4. Marks the account confirmed via `IUserEmailStore<ApplicationUser>.SetEmailConfirmedAsync()`
+4. Marks the account confirmed via `IUserEmailStore<ApplicationUser>.SetEmailConfirmedAsync()`,
+   then persists it via `UserManager<ApplicationUser>.UpdateAsync()`
 5. Returns confirmation result
 
+`UserManager<ApplicationUser>` and `IUserEmailStore<ApplicationUser>` are
+ASP.NET Core Identity's abstractions, not EF Core's default Identity store:
+the app backs them with its own `DapperUserStore` (see
+[Database](database.md#database-error-handling)), which persists against the
+existing `UserAccount`/`UserCredential`/`UserVerification` tables via Dapper,
+consistent with the rest of the app's repository pattern.
+
 #### [ResendConfirmationEmailHandler](../../web/backend/Features/Features.Users/Commands/Authentication/ResendConfirmationEmail/ResendConfirmationEmailHandler.cs)
 
 **Flow:**