@@ -1,19 +1,30 @@
-# Node modules
+# Dependencies
 node_modules/
 **/node_modules/
 
-
 # Environment variables
 .env
 .env.local
-# Logs
+
+# Logs and command output
 *.log
-# Build output
+*_output.txt
+test_output.txt
+
+# Build, cache, and test output
 dist/
+build/
+.next/
+coverage/
+test-results/
+test_snapshots/
+target/
+*.tsbuildinfo
+
 # OS files
 .DS_Store
 Thumbs.db
-target/
-test_snapshots/
-node_modules
 CON
+branch_structure.json
+temp_auto_push.bat
+temp_interactive_push.bat
@@ -7,8 +7,7 @@ Get the full stack running locally in under 5 minutes.
 | Tool | Version | Required for |
 |------|---------|-------------|
 | Node.js | >= 18 | Backend + Frontend |
-| npm | >= 9 | Root workspace |
-| pnpm | >= 8 | Backend (xconfess-backend uses pnpm) |
+| npm | >= 9 | Root workspace and all JS packages |
 | Docker | any | Postgres + Redis |
 | Rust + cargo | stable | Contracts only — skip if not touching contracts |
 
@@ -22,11 +21,8 @@ cd Xconfess
 ## Step 2 — Install dependencies
 
 ```bash
-# Root workspace (frontend deps)
+# Root workspace dependencies
 npm install
-
-# Backend deps (uses pnpm)
-cd xconfess-backend && pnpm install && cd ..
 ```
 
 ## Step 3 — Start infrastructure (Postgres + Redis)
@@ -93,8 +89,6 @@ This starts backend and frontend concurrently. Once ready:
 
 **Frontend auth loop** — add `NEXT_PUBLIC_DEV_BYPASS_AUTH=true` to `xconfess-frontend/.env.local` to skip the auth flow during UI-only development.
 
-**pnpm not found** — install it with `npm install -g pnpm`.
-
 **Port conflicts** — Postgres uses 55432 (not 5432) to avoid clashing with a local Postgres install.
 
 ## Running tests
 
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ If your work naturally spans more than one of these categories, split it into se
 These are not hard limits, but PRs that exceed them **will be asked to split** before review begins:
 
 - **≤ 400 lines changed** (additions + deletions, excluding generated files and lockfiles)
-- **≤ 8 files touched** (excluding `package-lock.json`, `pnpm-lock.yaml`, and auto-generated files)
+- **≤ 8 files touched** (excluding lock files and auto-generated files)
 - **One logical concern** — a reviewer should be able to summarise the PR in a single sentence
 
 If your change is genuinely larger (e.g. a new module with its own tests and migration), leave a note explaining why it cannot be split. Maintainers will decide whether to proceed or request a split.
@@ -107,4 +107,4 @@ Do not request a review directly — use the comment template so maintainers can
 
 ## Enforcement
 
-PRs that do not meet this policy will receive a `needs: split` or `needs: evidence` label and will not be merged until the issues are resolved. This is not a penalty — it is how we keep the review queue healthy for everyone.
+PRs that do not meet this policy will receive a `needs: split` or `needs: evidence` label and will not be merged until the issues are resolved. This is not a penalty — it is how we keep the review queue healthy for everyone.
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ xConfess has three distinct packages: a NestJS backend (xconfess-backend), a Nex
 ## Options Considered
 
 - **Option A — Separate repositories**: Each package in its own repo. Clear boundaries but contributors must clone and coordinate multiple repos. Cross-cutting PRs are harder to review.
-- **Option B — npm workspaces monorepo**: Single repository with a root package.json defining workspaces. Each package manages its own dependencies, scripts, and lock file.
+- **Option B — npm workspaces monorepo**: Single repository with a root package.json defining workspaces. Each package manages its own dependencies and scripts through one root lock file.
 - **Option C — Turborepo or Nx**: Managed monorepo tooling with build caching and task orchestration. More powerful but adds tooling complexity for a project at this stage.
 
 ## Decision
@@ -26,12 +26,12 @@ A single repo makes cross-cutting changes (e.g. updating an API contract that af
 
 - Cross-cutting changes are reviewed in a single PR
 - Single git history makes it easy to correlate backend and frontend changes
-- No extra tooling required beyond npm/pnpm workspaces
+- No extra tooling required beyond npm workspaces
 
 ### Negative
 
 - CI pipelines must detect which packages changed and run only the relevant tests
-- Each package uses its own package manager (backend uses pnpm, root uses npm) — contributors must be aware of which to use where
+- All JavaScript packages share one root npm lock file, so contributors should run workspace commands from the root
 - No shared build cache — each package builds independently
 
 ## References
 
@@ -18,6 +18,9 @@ lerna-debug.log*
 # Tests
 /coverage
 /.nyc_output
+test_output.txt
+unit_test_output*.txt
+*.tsbuildinfo
 
 # IDEs and editors
 /.idea
@@ -58,5 +61,3 @@ report.[0-9]*.[0-9]*.[0-9]*.[0-9]*.json
 # Swagger API documentation
 swagger-ui/
 swagger-spec.yaml
-package-lock.json
-
 
@@ -44,26 +44,26 @@ Integration tests that verify:
 ### Run Unit Tests
 ```bash
 cd xconfess-backend
-pnpm test reaction.module.spec.ts
+npm test reaction.module.spec.ts
 ```
 
 ### Run Integration Tests
 ```bash
 cd xconfess-backend
-pnpm test reactions-gateway-boot.spec.ts
+npm test reactions-gateway-boot.spec.ts
 ```
 
 ### Run Existing E2E Tests
 ```bash
 cd xconfess-backend
-pnpm test reactions.gateway.spec.ts
+npm test reactions.gateway.spec.ts
 ```
 
 ### Manual Testing
 1. Start the backend:
    ```bash
    cd xconfess-backend
-   pnpm run start:dev
+   npm run start:dev
    ```
 
 2. Connect a WebSocket client to `http://localhost:3000/reactions`
 
@@ -196,7 +196,7 @@ See [HEALTH_CHECK_DOCUMENTATION.md](./HEALTH_CHECK_DOCUMENTATION.md) for full de
 | `GET /api/health/live` | Local smoke test — is the process up? |
 | `GET /api/health/ready` | Full stack check — are all dependencies ready? |
 
-Quick check after `pnpm start:dev`:
+Quick check after `npm run start:dev`:
 ```bash
 curl -s http://localhost:3000/api/health/live   # {"status":"ok"}
 curl -s http://localhost:3000/api/health/ready  # {"status":"ok",...}