max / makenotwork

server: self-install frontend deps in build.rs (npm ci on fresh checkout) The frontend build soft-skipped when node_modules was absent, so a fresh checkout or new build host would silently ship static/dist empty — no dispatcher, no islands. Run `npm ci` (clean, from the committed lockfile) when node_modules is missing, then build. Skipped once installed; a Node-less host still soft-skips. Removes the manual `npm install` gate before a deploy. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

Author: Max Johnson <me@maxj.phd> · 2026-07-08 16:55 UTC

Commit: 8aec19f57fb83fd2446c2ec41ff49a6991e7f91c

Parent: bdd88fb

1 file changed, +26 insertions, -13 deletions

M server/build.rs +26 -13

			@@ -87,30 +87,43 @@ fn write_if_changed(path: &Path, contents: &str) {
87	87		/// Compile the TypeScript frontend (`frontend/`) to browser ESM in
88	88		/// `static/dist/` via `npm run build` (which runs `tsc`).
89	89		///
90		-	/// Best-effort and non-fatal: a missing `node_modules` (deps not installed),
91		-	/// an absent Node, or a compile error only emits a `cargo::warning` and leaves
92		-	/// the Rust build to succeed against whatever `static/dist/` already holds.
93		-	/// Dependency install (`npm install` in `frontend/`) is a manual/deploy step,
94		-	/// not build.rs's job. Set `MNW_SKIP_FRONTEND_BUILD=1` to opt out entirely.
95		-	///
96		-	/// Prereq for the deploy pipeline once a template references `static/dist/`:
97		-	/// the build host must have Node and have run `npm install` in `frontend/`.
	90	+	/// Self-contained: on a fresh checkout or a new build host (no `node_modules`)
	91	+	/// it runs `npm ci` first, so there is no manual install gate before a deploy.
	92	+	/// Best-effort and non-fatal otherwise — an absent Node or a compile error only
	93	+	/// emits a `cargo::warning` and leaves the Rust build to succeed against
	94	+	/// whatever `static/dist/` already holds. Set `MNW_SKIP_FRONTEND_BUILD=1` to
	95	+	/// opt out entirely (e.g. a Node-less CI that doesn't need the JS).
98	96		fn build_frontend() {
99	97		// Re-run the whole build script when the TS sources or its config change.
100	98		println!("cargo::rerun-if-changed=frontend/src");
101	99		println!("cargo::rerun-if-changed=frontend/package.json");
	100	+	println!("cargo::rerun-if-changed=frontend/package-lock.json");
102	101		println!("cargo::rerun-if-changed=frontend/tsconfig.json");
103	102
104	103		if std::env::var_os("MNW_SKIP_FRONTEND_BUILD").is_some() {
105	104		println!("cargo::warning=frontend build skipped (MNW_SKIP_FRONTEND_BUILD set)");
106	105		return;
107	106		}
	107	+	// Fresh checkout / new build host: install deps once (clean, from the
	108	+	// lockfile) so the frontend build needs no manual `npm install` gate before
	109	+	// a deploy. Skipped once node_modules exists; needs network on this run.
108	110		if !Path::new("frontend/node_modules").is_dir() {
109		-	println!(
110		-	"cargo::warning=frontend/node_modules missing — run `npm install` in server/frontend; \
111		-	skipping TypeScript build (serving existing static/dist)"
112		-	);
113		-	return;
	111	+	match Command::new("npm").args(["ci"]).current_dir("frontend").status() {
	112	+	Ok(s) if s.success() => {}
	113	+	Ok(s) => {
	114	+	println!(
	115	+	"cargo::warning=npm ci failed (exit {:?}); skipping frontend build (serving existing static/dist)",
	116	+	s.code()
	117	+	);
	118	+	return;
	119	+	}
	120	+	Err(e) => {
	121	+	println!(
	122	+	"cargo::warning=could not run npm ({e}); is Node installed? skipping frontend build (serving existing static/dist)"
	123	+	);
	124	+	return;
	125	+	}
	126	+	}
114	127		}
115	128		match Command::new("npm")
116	129		.args(["run", "build"])