Feat(templates): support custom templates in remote vaults

Author: ajselzilic

apps/desktop/src/main/index.ts

@@ -3250,34 +3250,45 @@ function registerIpc(): void {
     return await deleteWorkflowRuns(v.root, workflowId);
   });
 
-  // Custom templates live on the local filesystem only; remote vaults fall
-  // back to built-in templates (renderer constants), so list returns empty and
-  // mutations are rejected.
+  const requireRemoteTemplates = () => {
+    const client = requireRemoteWorkspaceClient();
+    if (!remoteServerCapabilities?.supportsCustomTemplates) {
+      throw new Error(
+        "Custom templates need a newer ZenNotes server. Update the server and reconnect.",
+      );
+    }
+    return client;
+  };
+
   handle(IPC.VAULT_LIST_TEMPLATES, async () => {
-    if (isRemoteWorkspaceActive()) return [];
+    if (isRemoteWorkspaceActive()) {
+      return remoteServerCapabilities?.supportsCustomTemplates
+        ? await requireRemoteWorkspaceClient().listTemplates()
+        : [];
+    }
     const v = requireVault();
     return await listCustomTemplates(v.root);
   });
 
   handle(IPC.VAULT_READ_TEMPLATE, async (_e, sourcePath: string) => {
     if (isRemoteWorkspaceActive()) {
-      throw new Error("Custom templates are unavailable on remote vaults");
+      return await requireRemoteTemplates().readTemplate(sourcePath);
     }
     const v = requireVault();
     return await readCustomTemplate(v.root, sourcePath);
   });
 
   handle(IPC.VAULT_WRITE_TEMPLATE, async (_e, input: WriteTemplateInput) => {
     if (isRemoteWorkspaceActive()) {
-      throw new Error("Custom templates are unavailable on remote vaults");
+      return await requireRemoteTemplates().writeTemplate(input);
     }
     const v = requireVault();
     return await writeCustomTemplate(v.root, input);
   });
 
   handle(IPC.VAULT_DELETE_TEMPLATE, async (_e, sourcePath: string) => {
     if (isRemoteWorkspaceActive()) {
-      throw new Error("Custom templates are unavailable on remote vaults");
+      return await requireRemoteTemplates().deleteTemplate(sourcePath);
     }
     const v = requireVault();
     return await deleteCustomTemplate(v.root, sourcePath);

apps/desktop/src/main/remote/server-client.ts

@@ -20,6 +20,10 @@ import type {
   VaultTextSearchToolPaths
 } from '@shared/ipc'
 import type { VaultTask } from '@shared/tasks'
+import type {
+  CustomTemplateFile,
+  WriteTemplateInput
+} from '@zennotes/bridge-contract/templates'
 import WebSocket from 'ws'
 import {
   connectionErrorMessage,
@@ -201,6 +205,28 @@ export class RemoteServerClient {
     })
   }
 
+  async listTemplates(): Promise<CustomTemplateFile[]> {
+    return this.jsonRequest<CustomTemplateFile[]>('/api/templates')
+  }
+
+  async readTemplate(sourcePath: string): Promise<string> {
+    const result = await this.jsonRequest<{ raw: string }>(
+      `/api/templates/read?path=${encodeURIComponent(sourcePath)}`
+    )
+    return result.raw
+  }
+
+  async writeTemplate(input: WriteTemplateInput): Promise<CustomTemplateFile> {
+    return this.jsonRequest<CustomTemplateFile>('/api/templates/write', {
+      method: 'POST',
+      body: input as unknown as Record<string, unknown>
+    })
+  }
+
+  async deleteTemplate(sourcePath: string): Promise<void> {
+    await this.jsonRequest('/api/templates/delete', { method: 'POST', body: { sourcePath } })
+  }
+
   async readNote(relPath: string): Promise<NoteContent> {
     return this.jsonRequest<NoteContent>(`/api/notes/read?path=${encodeURIComponent(relPath)}`)
   }

apps/desktop/src/main/templates.ts

@@ -27,6 +27,8 @@ function safeSlug(slug: string): string {
     .toLowerCase()
     .replace(/[^a-z0-9-]+/g, '-')
     .replace(/^-+|-+$/g, '')
+    .slice(0, 64)
+    .replace(/-+$/g, '')
   return cleaned || 'template'
 }
 

apps/desktop/src/main/watcher.test.ts

@@ -124,3 +124,26 @@ describe('VaultWatcher atomic saves', () => {
     20_000
   )
 })
+
+describe('VaultWatcher custom templates', () => {
+  it(
+    'reports template changes from the hidden vault directory',
+    async () => {
+      const root = await makeVault()
+      const events: VaultChangeEvent[] = []
+      const watcher = new VaultWatcher()
+      watchers.push(watcher)
+      watcher.start(root, (event) => events.push(event))
+      await sleep(400)
+
+      const template = path.join(root, '.zennotes', 'templates', 'standup.md')
+      await mkdir(path.dirname(template), { recursive: true })
+      await writeFile(template, '# Standup\n')
+
+      const event = await waitForEvent(events)
+      expect(event?.path).toBe('.zennotes/templates/standup.md')
+      expect(event?.scope).toBe('templates')
+    },
+    20_000
+  )
+})

apps/desktop/src/main/watcher.ts

@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ const INTERNAL_VAULT_DIR = '.zennotes'
 const VAULT_SETTINGS_RELATIVE_PATH = `${INTERNAL_VAULT_DIR}/vault.json`
 const NOTE_COMMENTS_PREFIX = `${INTERNAL_VAULT_DIR}/comments/`
 const NOTE_COMMENTS_SUFFIX = '.comments.json'
+const TEMPLATES_PREFIX = `${INTERNAL_VAULT_DIR}/templates/`
 
 function toPosix(p: string): string {
   return p.split(path.sep).join('/')
@@ -129,6 +130,11 @@ export class VaultWatcher {
         )
         return
       }
+      const rel = relativeVaultPath(this.root, absPath)
+      if (rel.startsWith(TEMPLATES_PREFIX) && rel.toLowerCase().endsWith('.md')) {
+        onEvent({ kind, path: rel, folder: 'inbox', scope: 'templates' })
+        return
+      }
       // Any database file — `<Name>.base/data.csv` or `schema.json` (or a legacy
       // loose `.csv`/sidecar) — normalizes to the canonical `data.csv` path so
       // the renderer re-hydrates the right database. (Record-page `.md` notes in

apps/server/internal/httpserver/server.go

@@ -238,6 +238,11 @@ func (s *Server) registerProtectedRoutes(r chi.Router) {
 	r.Get("/workflows/runs", s.listWorkflowRuns)
 	r.Post("/workflows/runs/delete", s.deleteWorkflowRuns)
 
+	r.Get("/templates", s.listTemplates)
+	r.Get("/templates/read", s.readTemplate)
+	r.Post("/templates/write", s.writeTemplate)
+	r.Post("/templates/delete", s.deleteTemplate)
+
 	r.Get("/watch", s.watchWS)
 }
 
@@ -301,6 +306,10 @@ func writeError(w http.ResponseWriter, err error) {
 		http.Error(w, err.Error(), http.StatusBadRequest)
 		return
 	}
+	if errors.Is(err, vault.ErrInvalidTemplate) {
+		http.Error(w, err.Error(), http.StatusBadRequest)
+		return
+	}
 	if errors.Is(err, vault.ErrWorkflowConflict) {
 		http.Error(w, err.Error(), http.StatusConflict)
 		return
@@ -415,6 +424,9 @@ func (s *Server) capabilities(w http.ResponseWriter, _ *http.Request) {
 		// prepared-run endpoint applies them under the same vault lock as note
 		// writes. Its presence lets bundled web clients enable authoring and Run.
 		"supportsWorkflows": true,
+		// Custom template files use the same mounted-vault ownership model as
+		// workflows; clients can safely enable authoring when this is present.
+		"supportsCustomTemplates": true,
 		// Says out loud that a missing file answers 404 rather than 500.
 		// Databases are composed from file reads where "absent" and "failed"
 		// mean opposite things (see remote-absence.ts), and a server that

apps/server/internal/httpserver/templates.go

@@ -0,0 +1,61 @@
+package httpserver
+
+import (
+	"net/http"
+
+	"github.com/ZenNotes/zennotes/apps/server/internal/vault"
+)
+
+func (s *Server) listTemplates(w http.ResponseWriter, _ *http.Request) {
+	files, err := s.currentVault().ListTemplates()
+	if err != nil {
+		writeError(w, err)
+		return
+	}
+	writeJSON(w, http.StatusOK, files)
+}
+
+func (s *Server) readTemplate(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+	raw, err := s.currentVault().ReadTemplate(r.URL.Query().Get("path"))
+	if err != nil {
+		writeError(w, err)
+		return
+	}
+	writeJSON(w, http.StatusOK, map[string]string{"raw": raw})
+}
+
+func (s *Server) writeTemplate(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+	cfg := s.currentConfig()
+	r.Body = http.MaxBytesReader(w, r.Body, cfg.MaxNoteBytes+jsonEnvelopeBytes)
+	var input vault.WriteTemplateInput
+	if err := readJSON(r, &input); err != nil {
+		http.Error(w, err.Error(), http.StatusBadRequest)
+		return
+	}
+	if cfg.MaxNoteBytes > 0 && int64(len(input.Raw)) > cfg.MaxNoteBytes {
+		http.Error(w, "template exceeds the configured note size limit", http.StatusRequestEntityTooLarge)
+		return
+	}
+	file, err := s.currentVault().WriteTemplate(input)
+	if err != nil {
+		writeError(w, err)
+		return
+	}
+	writeJSON(w, http.StatusOK, file)
+}
+
+func (s *Server) deleteTemplate(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+	r.Body = http.MaxBytesReader(w, r.Body, jsonEnvelopeBytes)
+	var request struct {
+		SourcePath string `json:"sourcePath"`
+	}
+	if err := readJSON(r, &request); err != nil {
+		http.Error(w, err.Error(), http.StatusBadRequest)
+		return
+	}
+	if err := s.currentVault().DeleteTemplate(request.SourcePath); err != nil {
+		writeError(w, err)
+		return
+	}
+	writeJSON(w, http.StatusOK, map[string]bool{"ok": true})
+}