feat(ui): render the authenticated /app/* UI in PR previews (preview-session escape hatch) (#authed-route-preview)

[JSONbored]

Problem

Per-PR preview screenshots (reviewbot) of the /app/* dashboard captured the sign-in wall, not the page — /app/* is guarded client-side in AppShell and the headless browser has no session (real GitHub OAuth Device Flow can't be scripted). e.g. PR #831's /app/audit preview was stuck at sign-in.

Fix

useSession().signInPreview() already mints a client-only synthetic demo session (login: 'local-preview', all roles, no real token) — but it was gated to vite dev only, so it no-op'd on deployed previews.

• session.ts — gate signInPreview on PREVIEW_SESSION_ALLOWED = DEV || VITE_PREVIEW==='1'.
• app-shell.tsx — when allowed + URL has ?preview=1, auto-start the synthetic session after hydration confirms no real session (self-heals via the session dep). Inert in prod / without the param.
• ui-preview.yml — set VITE_PREVIEW=1 on the preview Build UI step. The production build (ui-deploy.yml) does not set it, so the escape hatch is dead-code-eliminated from prod.

Safety

• Client-only synthetic session — no real token, no real API access. The prod API still enforces auth server-side; a preview visitor sees the dashboard shell, not anyone's data.
• Compiled out of production entirely (flag only set in the preview build).
• reviewbot appends ?preview=1 to /app/* routes (reviewbot#234); each side is inert without the other.

Scope note

This renders the authenticated shell + layout for visual review. Data panels that need a real token still show their empty/unauthenticated state — populating them with demo data is a separate, per-panel follow-up.

Verify

ui:typecheck ✓ · ui:lint ✓ · preview build (VITE_PREVIEW=1) ✓ · UI tests 7/7 ✓

[ghost]

Note

Gittensory Gate skipped

PR closed before full evaluation. No late first comment was created.

Signal	Result	Evidence	Action
Gate result	⚠️ Skipped	#853 is no longer open.	No action.

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[codecov]

Codecov Report

✅ All modified and coverable lines are covered by tests.
✅ Project coverage is 96.70%. Comparing base (2d443a0) to head (98f2f32).

Additional details and impacted files

@@           Coverage Diff           @@
##             main     #853   +/-   ##
=======================================
  Coverage   96.70%   96.70%           
=======================================
  Files         108      108           
  Lines       14642    14642           
  Branches     5299     5299           
=======================================
  Hits        14160    14160           
  Misses        102      102           
  Partials      380      380           

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[ghost]

gittensory · advisory review

Reviewed 3 changed file(s) — two independent AI reviewers.

Changed files: .github/workflows/ui-preview.yml, apps/gittensory-ui/src/components/site/app-shell.tsx, apps/gittensory-ui/src/lib/api/session.ts

Suggested action: 🛠️ Request changes. (reviewers split: request changes / merge) Address the suggestions below before merging.

Reviewer A · gpt-oss-120b — recommends 🛠️ request changes
The PR introduces a synthetic preview session that auto‑signs‑in on preview builds when ?preview=1 is present, allowing screenshots of the authenticated UI. It adds the PREVIEW_SESSION_ALLOWED flag, updates the session hook, and adjusts the preview workflow to set VITE_PREVIEW=1.

Suggestions

• Add unit/integration tests for the new PREVIEW_SESSION_ALLOWED constant and the signInPreview flow (e.g., ensure it only runs when the flag is true and creates the expected session object).
• Verify that the preview session does not cause any API calls to leak private data; consider mocking API responses in the test to confirm graceful handling.
• Document in the README or CI docs that VITE_PREVIEW must never be set for production builds to keep the escape hatch dead‑code eliminated.

Worth double-checking

• If the preview flag were accidentally enabled in production, the demo session could expose UI elements that assume authentication.
• Lack of test coverage for the new code may cause the patch‑coverage gate to fail.

Reviewer B · mistral-small-3.1-24b-instruct — recommends ✅ merge
This PR adds a preview session feature to render the authenticated /app/* UI in PR previews. The changes are well-documented and follow the project's conventions. The implementation is clean and the risk is low.

Suggestions

• Consider adding a test to verify the behavior of the preview session in different environments (dev, preview, production).
• Ensure that the preview session does not inadvertently expose sensitive information or bypass security checks.

Worth double-checking

• Verify that the preview session does not interfere with the actual authentication flow in production.
• Check that the preview session is properly disabled in production builds.
• Ensure that the preview session does not introduce any security vulnerabilities.

Before = production · After = this PR's preview deploy.

Route	Viewport	Before	After
/	desktop
	mobile

[superagent-security]

Superagent didn't find any vulnerabilities or security issues in this PR.

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Status	Name	Latest Commit	Preview URL	Updated (UTC)
✅ Deployment successful! View logs	gittensory-ui	31b0920	Commit Preview URL Branch Preview URL	Jun 18 2026, 05:08 AM