fix(daily-notes): read the vault-root and blank folder settings the way Obsidian does

.env.example

@@ -70,8 +70,8 @@ GHCR_USER=
 # default list) and turn on "Sync all other types" on the uploading device.
 # SYNC_FILE_TYPES=
 # Obsidian settings categories to sync into the server's .obsidian/ folder
-# (default: the two the server reads — daily notes settings and community
-# plugin settings such as the Tasks plugin's format; "none" disables).
+# (default: daily notes settings and community plugin settings such as the
+# Tasks plugin's format; "none" disables).
 # A category only syncs after your desktop pushes it: Settings → Sync →
 # "Vault configuration sync". Some community plugins keep API keys in their
 # settings — server tools never read .obsidian/, but synced settings do
@@ -220,22 +220,27 @@ GHCR_USER=
 # DISABLED_TOOLS=vault_delete_note,vault_move_note
 # Memory folder name in your vault (default: "About Me")
 # MEMORY_DIR=About Me
-# Daily notes folder and filename format (default: read from the
-# vault's .obsidian/daily-notes.json, synced to the server via SYNC_CONFIGS
-# above; falls back to "Daily Notes" and YYYY-MM-DD). Folder is any
-# vault-relative path (Journal, Planner/Daily); format takes the same tokens
-# as Obsidian's date format setting.
+# Daily notes folder and filename format. Default: read from the vault's
+# .obsidian/daily-notes.json, synced to the server via SYNC_CONFIGS above, or
+# "Daily Notes" and YYYY-MM-DD when that file is missing or unreadable. An
+# empty folder in that file means Obsidian's location for new notes, which
+# syncs only when SYNC_CONFIGS includes app; without it, the server uses the
+# vault root. Folder is any vault-relative path (Journal, Planner/Daily), or
+# / for the vault root; format takes the same tokens as Obsidian's date format
+# setting.
 # DAILY_NOTES_FOLDER=Journal
 # DAILY_NOTES_FORMAT=YYYY-MM-DD
 # Comma-separated folders protected from deletion and moves. Default: MEMORY_DIR plus
 # the daily notes folder, read from DAILY_NOTES_FOLDER or .obsidian/daily-notes.json
-# (default "Daily Notes"). When set, replaces the whole default — include the
-# daily notes folder in your list if needed.
+# (default "Daily Notes"; none when that setting is the vault root or empty).
+# When set, replaces the whole default — include the daily notes folder in
+# your list if needed.
 # PROTECTED_PATHS=About Me,Daily Notes
 # Comma-separated folders excluded from orphan detection.
 # Default: the daily notes folder, Templates, and MEMORY_DIR.
 # DAILY_NOTES_FOLDER wins; otherwise .obsidian/daily-notes.json is reread
-# on each query, falling back to "Daily Notes". Root-level daily notes remain eligible.
+# on each query, falling back to "Daily Notes". A vault-root or empty folder
+# setting adds no daily folder, so those daily notes remain eligible.
 # When set, replaces the whole default — include every folder to keep excluded.
 # Set ORPHAN_EXCLUDE_FOLDERS=, to exclude nothing; an empty value uses the defaults.
 # Apply env changes by redeploying; synced Obsidian settings apply on the next query.

ARCHITECTURE.md

@@ -186,7 +186,7 @@ Unlike a read that parses the block, such as `vault_read_note` with `properties_
 
 `vault_delete_note` and `vault_move_note` refuse paths under protected folders as a server-side guardrail:
 
-- **Default set:** the memory dir plus the daily notes folder, resolved on every delete and move as [Daily notes](#property-discovery--daily-notes) describes
+- **Default set:** the memory dir plus the daily notes folder, resolved on every delete and move as [Daily notes](#property-discovery--daily-notes) describes; a vault-root or blank folder setting adds no folder
 - **Unreadable `daily-notes.json`:** a file that exists but cannot be read or parsed refuses the delete or move, because the folder to protect is unknown; setting `DAILY_NOTES_FOLDER` skips the file
 - **Override:** `PROTECTED_PATHS` replaces the default set entirely, and `daily-notes.json` is not read
 
@@ -246,8 +246,11 @@ Every tag input (`tag` on `vault_search_by_tag` and `vault_list_tasks`, the `tag
 **Daily notes:** `vault_get_daily_note` resolves the vault's folder and date format, each independently: `DAILY_NOTES_FOLDER`/`DAILY_NOTES_FORMAT` env setting → `.obsidian/daily-notes.json` → fallback (`Daily Notes/YYYY-MM-DD.md`).
 
 - **Read on every call:** a folder or format change in Obsidian applies to the next call, and a config file that arrives after boot needs no restart
+- **File folder normalized like Obsidian:** in `daily-notes.json`, runs of `/` or `\` become one `/` and leading and trailing slashes are dropped, so Obsidian's `"/"` is the vault root; no-break spaces become plain spaces and the name is NFC-normalized. `DAILY_NOTES_FOLDER` takes `/` for the vault root and is otherwise validated as a vault folder name
+- **Blank folder in the file:** Obsidian's new-note location (`newFileLocation: "folder"` plus `newFileFolderPath` in `.obsidian/app.json`), otherwise the vault root
 - **Missing file:** takes the fallbacks
 - **Unparseable file:** takes the fallbacks and logs a `warn`
+- **Shared folder:** a vault-root or blank folder setting puts daily notes beside other notes, so it adds no folder to the delete and move guard, the orphan exclusion, or forward-reference handling (broken links into the daily folder, flagged `daily_note_forward_ref` by `vault_get_outgoing_links` and left out of `vault-orientation`'s broken-link count)
 
 ### Memory
 
@@ -311,10 +314,10 @@ Link queries use a `links` table populated during indexing:
   3. Basename (shortest-path-first for ambiguous basenames)
 - **Non-markdown files:** Targets that don't resolve to a note are checked against a `non_md_files` table (populated during rebuild, maintained by the file watcher). Both wikilinks and markdown-style links to `.canvas`, `.base`, images, PDFs, and other non-markdown files resolve as `kind: "file"` instead of being counted as broken.
 - **Outgoing links:** `vault_get_outgoing_links` returns a `kind` discriminator (`"note"` or `"file"`) plus each target's byte size (`bytes` — from the notes table for notes, from `non_md_files` for files), so clients can route notes to `vault_read_note` and files to `vault_read_file` with size awareness.
-- **Orphans:** `vault_find_orphans` and `vault-orientation` resolve default exclusions on each invocation: the daily notes folder (`DAILY_NOTES_FOLDER` → `.obsidian/daily-notes.json` → `Daily Notes`), `Templates`, and the memory dir.
+- **Orphans:** `vault_find_orphans` and `vault-orientation` resolve default exclusions on each invocation: the daily notes folder (resolved as [Daily notes](#property-discovery--daily-notes) describes), `Templates`, and the memory dir.
   - `ORPHAN_EXCLUDE_FOLDERS` replaces that list; a tool call's `exclude_folders` replaces it for that call.
   - An unreadable or malformed config logs a warning and uses `Daily Notes`; a missing file uses that fallback without a warning.
-  - An empty Obsidian folder setting uses the `Daily Notes` fallback. A whitespace-only folder adds no daily-folder exclusion. Neither excludes the whole vault, so root-level daily notes remain eligible.
+  - A vault-root, blank, or whitespace-only folder setting adds no daily-folder exclusion, so those daily notes remain eligible.
 
 ### Files
 
@@ -1254,7 +1257,8 @@ Docker hardening, and durability seatbelts above.
   `join`, bypassing `resolveSafePath`'s hidden-path guard).
 - **Protected paths**: `PROTECTED_PATHS` (default: `MEMORY_DIR` plus the
   daily notes folder, from `DAILY_NOTES_FOLDER`, then
-  `.obsidian/daily-notes.json`, then `Daily Notes`) blocks deleting
+  `.obsidian/daily-notes.json`, then `Daily Notes`; none for a vault-root or
+  blank folder setting) blocks deleting
   notes in, moving notes out of, and moving notes into configured
   folders. The check (`isProtectedPath()`, shared by delete and move)
   runs on the canonical vault-relative path with a case-folded

DEPLOY.md

@@ -364,13 +364,13 @@ To find your stage: `cat .sst/stage` (after one-time setup).
 | `READONLY_MODE`                       | Optional. Set `true` to hide every tool that changes the vault and skip memory folder auto-creation — read and search only. Default: `false`.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          |
 | `DISABLED_TOOLS`                      | Optional. Hide individual tools by name, comma-separated. Names match the Tool column in the [README tools table](./README.md#tools). Subtractive only; an unknown tool name stops the server at startup. Default: none hidden.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        |
 | `MEMORY_DIR`                          | Optional. Memory folder name in the vault (default: `About Me`). See the [Configuration](./README.md#configuration) section.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
-| `PROTECTED_PATHS`                     | Optional. Comma-separated folders protected from deletion and moves (default: `MEMORY_DIR` plus the daily notes folder, read from `DAILY_NOTES_FOLDER` or `.obsidian/daily-notes.json`, default `Daily Notes`). Overrides the default entirely when set.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               |
-| `ORPHAN_EXCLUDE_FOLDERS`              | Optional. Comma-separated folders excluded from orphan detection (default: the daily notes folder, `Templates`, and `MEMORY_DIR`). The `DAILY_NOTES_FOLDER` variable wins; otherwise synced `.obsidian/daily-notes.json` is reread per query (fallback `Daily Notes`). Overrides the default entirely when set. Use `,` to exclude nothing; an empty value uses the defaults. Apply variable changes with Force Deploy; synced Obsidian changes need no redeploy. See [Daily notes](./README.md#daily-notes) for root-level notes.                                                                                                                                                                                                                     |
+| `PROTECTED_PATHS`                     | Optional. Comma-separated folders protected from deletion and moves (default: `MEMORY_DIR` plus the daily notes folder, read from `DAILY_NOTES_FOLDER` or `.obsidian/daily-notes.json`, default `Daily Notes`; none when that setting is the vault root or empty). Overrides the default entirely when set.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            |
+| `ORPHAN_EXCLUDE_FOLDERS`              | Optional. Comma-separated folders excluded from orphan detection (default: the daily notes folder, `Templates`, and `MEMORY_DIR`). The `DAILY_NOTES_FOLDER` variable wins; otherwise synced `.obsidian/daily-notes.json` is reread per query (fallback `Daily Notes`). Overrides the default entirely when set. Use `,` to exclude nothing; an empty value uses the defaults. Apply variable changes with Force Deploy; synced Obsidian changes need no redeploy. See [Daily notes](./README.md#daily-notes) for root and empty settings.                                                                                                                                                                                                              |
 | `SERVICE_DOCUMENTATION_URL`           | Optional. URL in OAuth discovery metadata (default: `https://github.com/aliasunder/vault-cortex`). Set to your fork's URL.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             |
 | `SYNC_CONFIGS`                        | Optional. Obsidian settings categories synced to the server, comma-separated (default: `core-plugin-data,community-plugin-data` — daily-notes settings and the Tasks plugin's format). Set `none` to disable. See [Daily notes](./README.md#daily-notes).                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              |
 | `SYNC_EXCLUDED_FOLDERS`               | Optional. Folders to leave out of Obsidian Sync, comma-separated — the same list as Obsidian's Sync → Excluded folders. Unset syncs everything.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        |
 | `SYNC_FILE_TYPES`                     | Optional. Attachment types Obsidian Sync delivers, comma-separated. **Valid values:** `image`, `audio`, `video`, `pdf`, `unsupported`. **Unset (default):** `image,audio,video,pdf`. The text files Vault Cortex reads (CSV, JSON, TXT, XML, LOG, YAML) fall under `unsupported`, Obsidian Sync's name for its **Sync all other types** category; SVG syncs as `image`, and notes, canvases, and bases always sync. To read those text files, set it to `image,audio,video,pdf,unsupported` (the value replaces the default list, so keep the four defaults) and turn on **Sync all other types** in Obsidian's Sync settings on the device that has them. An invalid value is skipped with a warning in the logs, and the default types sync instead. |
-| `DAILY_NOTES_FOLDER`                  | Optional. Sets the daily notes folder (default: read from the vault's `.obsidian/daily-notes.json`, falling back to `Daily Notes`). See [Daily notes](./README.md#daily-notes).                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        |
+| `DAILY_NOTES_FOLDER`                  | Optional. Sets the daily notes folder: any vault-relative path, or `/` for the vault root (default: read from the vault's `.obsidian/daily-notes.json`; `Daily Notes` when that file is missing or unreadable). See [Daily notes](./README.md#daily-notes).                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            |
 | `DAILY_NOTES_FORMAT`                  | Optional. Sets the daily note filename format, in the same tokens as Obsidian's daily note date format setting (default: read from the vault's config, falling back to `YYYY-MM-DD`).                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  |
 | `TZ`                                  | Optional. Container timezone (default: `UTC`). Affects `vault_update_memory` date stamps and `vault_get_daily_note` date resolution. Set to your IANA timezone (e.g. `America/New_York`).                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              |
 | `LOG_LEVEL`                           | Optional. Logging verbosity: `debug`, `info`, `warn`, `error`. Default: `info`.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        |