Humanize READMEs and guides for clearer, professional tone

Align with project-template docs/writing-docs.md: plain openings, no
emoji decoration, archive scratch plans where they cluttered live docs.

CONTRIBUTING.md

@@ -148,11 +148,11 @@ Write clear, descriptive commit messages:
 - **Reference issues:** If applicable, reference issue numbers
 
 **Examples:**
-- ✅ "Add password strength validation to change password form"
+- "Add password strength validation to change password form"
-- ✅ "Fix case-insensitive guess matching bug"
+- "Fix case-insensitive guess matching bug"
-- ✅ "Update README with new environment variables"
+- "Update README with new environment variables"
-- ❌ "Fixed stuff"
+- "Fixed stuff"
-- ❌ "Updates"
+- "Updates"
 
 ### Code Review Checklist
 

IMPROVEMENTS.md

@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 
 This document contains ideas, suggestions, and potential enhancements to make MirrorMatch better, faster, and more professional.
 
-## 🚀 Performance Optimizations
+## Performance Optimizations
 
 ### Database & Query Optimization
 - [ ] **Add database indexes** - Create indexes on frequently queried fields (`Photo.createdAt`, `User.points`) to speed up queries
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ This document contains ideas, suggestions, and potential enhancements to make Mi
 - [ ] **CDN integration** - Add CDN for static assets and uploaded images to reduce server load
   - **Why:** Serving files from your server uses bandwidth and slows responses. A CDN serves files from locations closer to users, reducing latency by 50-80% and offloading server load.
 
-## 🎨 UI/UX Enhancements
+## UI/UX Enhancements
 
 ### User Interface
 - [ ] **Dark mode support** - Add dark mode toggle with user preference persistence
@@ -128,7 +128,7 @@ This document contains ideas, suggestions, and potential enhancements to make Mi
 - [ ] **Photo filtering** - Add filters to show: unguessed photos, correct guesses, wrong guesses, and photos by specific users
   - **Why:** Users want to focus on specific subsets of photos. Filtering helps users find unguessed photos to play, review their performance, or follow specific uploaders, significantly improving usability.
 
-## 🔒 Security Improvements
+## Security Improvements
 
 - [ ] **CSRF protection** - Implement CSRF tokens for all state-changing operations
   - **Why:** CSRF attacks can trick users into performing unwanted actions. CSRF protection is a security best practice that prevents unauthorized state changes and protects user accounts.
@@ -151,7 +151,7 @@ This document contains ideas, suggestions, and potential enhancements to make Mi
 - [ ] **Audit logging** - Log all admin actions for security auditing and compliance
   - **Why:** Admin actions can have significant impact. Audit logs provide accountability, help detect unauthorized access, and are essential for security compliance and incident investigation.
 
-## 📊 Features & Functionality
+## Features & Functionality
 
 ### Game Mechanics
 - [ ] **Streak tracking** - Track consecutive correct guesses and display current streak
@@ -208,7 +208,7 @@ This document contains ideas, suggestions, and potential enhancements to make Mi
 - [ ] **Photo approval workflow** - Add optional admin approval workflow (can be toggled on/off)
   - **Why:** Content moderation ensures quality and safety. An approval workflow lets admins control what goes public, prevents inappropriate content, and maintains content standards.
 
-## 🧪 Testing & Quality
+## Testing & Quality
 
 - [ ] **Increase test coverage** - Expand test coverage to all critical paths and edge cases
   - **Why:** Bugs in production are expensive and damage trust. Comprehensive tests catch issues early, reduce regressions, and give confidence when making changes.
@@ -237,7 +237,7 @@ This document contains ideas, suggestions, and potential enhancements to make Mi
 - [ ] **Error logging and monitoring** - Create comprehensive error logging and monitoring system
   - **Why:** You can't fix what you can't see. Error monitoring catches production bugs, provides context for debugging, and helps prioritize fixes based on impact.
 
-## 🔧 Technical Improvements
+## Technical Improvements
 
 ### Architecture
 - [ ] **Microservices migration** - Consider migrating to microservices if scale requires it

README.md

@@ -1,348 +1,59 @@
 # MirrorMatch
 
-A photo guessing game where users upload photos and other users guess who is in the picture to earn points. Built with Next.js, PostgreSQL, and NextAuth.
+Photo guessing game: upload a photo, others guess who is in it, points on
+the leaderboard. Next.js, PostgreSQL, Prisma, NextAuth.
 
-## 📚 Important: Read Documentation First
+Status: active. MIT. See [LICENSE](LICENSE).
 
-**Before making code changes, please read:**
+## Setup
-- **`.cursor/rules/mirrormatch.mdc`** - Project rules and guidelines
-- **`ARCHITECTURE.md`** - System design and data flows
-- **`CONTRIBUTING.md`** - Coding conventions and workflow
-- **`SECURITY.md`** - Security practices
-- **This README** - Setup and usage
-
-**Keep documentation updated:** When you modify code that changes behavior or architecture, update the relevant documentation files to keep them in sync.
-
-## Features
-
-- **User Management**: Admin can create users with email/password authentication
-- **Photo Upload**: Users can upload photos with answer names
-- **Guessing Game**: Users guess who is in photos to earn points
-- **Email Notifications**: Users receive emails when new photos are uploaded
-- **Leaderboard**: Track user points and rankings
-- **Profile Management**: Users can view their points and change passwords
-
-## Tech Stack
-
-- **Framework**: Next.js 16 (App Router)
-- **Language**: TypeScript
-- **Database**: PostgreSQL
-- **ORM**: Prisma
-- **Authentication**: NextAuth.js (Credentials Provider)
-- **Styling**: Tailwind CSS
-- **Email**: Nodemailer (Ethereal in dev, SMTP in production)
-
-## Prerequisites
-
-- Node.js 18+ and npm
-- PostgreSQL database (local or remote)
-- For production: SMTP email server credentials
-
-## Installation
-
-1. **Clone the repository** (if applicable) or navigate to the project directory:
-   ```bash
-   cd mirrormatch
-   ```
-
-2. **Install dependencies**:
-   ```bash
-   npm install
-   ```
-
-3. **Set up environment variables**:
-   Create a `.env` file in the root directory with the following variables:
-   ```env
-   # Database
-   DATABASE_URL="postgresql://user:password@localhost:5432/mirrormatch?schema=public"
-
-   # NextAuth
-   NEXTAUTH_URL="http://localhost:3000"
-   NEXTAUTH_SECRET="your-secret-key-here-generate-with-openssl-rand-base64-32"
-
-   # Email Configuration (for production)
-   SMTP_HOST="smtp.example.com"
-   SMTP_PORT="587"
-   SMTP_USER="your-email@example.com"
-   SMTP_PASSWORD="your-email-password"
-   SMTP_FROM="MirrorMatch <noreply@mirrormatch.com>"
-   ```
-
-   **Generate NEXTAUTH_SECRET**:
-   ```bash
-   openssl rand -base64 32
-   ```
-
-   **Note**: In development, emails will use Ethereal (test emails) or console logging. No SMTP config is needed for dev mode.
-
-4. **Set up the database**:
-   ```bash
-   # Generate Prisma Client
-   npm run db:generate
-
-   # Run migrations
-   npm run db:migrate
-
-   # Or push schema directly (for development)
-   npm run db:push
-   ```
-
-5. **Seed the database** (creates default admin user):
-   ```bash
-   npm run db:seed
-   ```
-
-   This creates an admin user with:
-   - Email: `admin@mirrormatch.com`
-   - Password: `admin123`
-   - **⚠️ Important**: Change this password after first login!
-
-## Basic Usage
-
-### Workflow Overview
-
-1. **Admin creates users:**
-   - Admin logs in and navigates to `/admin`
-   - Creates new users with email, password, and role
-   - Users receive temporary passwords
-
-2. **Users log in:**
-   - Users navigate to `/login`
-   - Enter email and password
-   - Access the main application
-
-3. **Users upload photos:**
-   - Navigate to `/upload`
-   - Enter photo URL and answer name (the correct name to guess)
-   - Photo is saved and emails are sent to all other users
-
-4. **Users guess photos:**
-   - View photos on `/photos` page
-   - Click a photo to view details
-   - Submit guesses for who is in the photo
-   - Earn points for correct guesses (case-insensitive matching)
-
-5. **Leaderboard:**
-   - View rankings on `/leaderboard` page
-   - See all users sorted by points
-   - Track your own position
-
-### Key Features
-
-- **Admin Panel:** Create and manage users, reset passwords
-- **Photo Upload:** Upload photos with answer names
-- **Guessing System:** Submit guesses and earn points
-- **Email Notifications:** Get notified when new photos are uploaded
-- **Leaderboard:** Track user rankings by points
-- **Profile Management:** View points and change password
-
-## Running the Application
-
-### Development
 
 ```bash
-npm run dev
+cd mirrormatch   # or mirror_match
+npm install
+cp .env.example .env   # if present; otherwise create .env
 ```
 
-Open [http://localhost:3000](http://localhost:3000) in your browser.
+Required env (placeholders):
 
-### Production
+```env
+DATABASE_URL="postgresql://user:password@localhost:5432/mirrormatch?schema=public"
+NEXTAUTH_URL="http://localhost:3000"
+NEXTAUTH_SECRET="$(openssl rand -base64 32)"
+# Production email:
+# SMTP_HOST= SMTP_PORT= SMTP_USER= SMTP_PASSWORD= SMTP_FROM=
+```
 
 ```bash
-npm run build
+npm run db:generate
-npm start
+npm run db:migrate   # or npm run db:push for quick local
+npm run db:seed      # default admin: admin@mirrormatch.com / admin123 — change it
+npm run dev          # http://localhost:3000
 ```
 
-### Deployment Notes
+Dev mail can use Ethereal or console; SMTP is for production.
 
-**Important Configuration:**
+## What it does
-- Ensure `NODE_ENV=production` is set in production
-- Set `NEXTAUTH_URL` to your production domain (e.g., `https://yourdomain.com`)
-- Set `AUTH_TRUST_HOST=true` if using reverse proxy
-- Ensure `DATABASE_URL` points to your production database
-- Files are stored in `public/uploads/` directory - ensure this directory persists across deployments
 
-**File Uploads:**
+- Admin creates users (email/password)
-- Photos are uploaded to `public/uploads/` directory
+- Users upload photos with an answer name
-- Files are served via `/api/uploads/[filename]` API route
+- Others guess for points; leaderboard ranks scores
-- Ensure the uploads directory has proper write permissions
+- Optional email when new photos land
+- Profile: view points, change password
 
-**Upload Endpoints:**
+## Docs
-- `POST /api/photos/upload` - Single photo upload (supports both file and URL uploads)
-- `POST /api/photos/upload-multiple` - Multiple photo uploads in batch (used by upload page)
-- Files are stored on the filesystem (not in database)
 
-**Monitoring Activity:**
+| Doc | Purpose |
-- User activity is logged to console/systemd logs
+|-----|---------|
-- Watch logs in real-time: `sudo journalctl -u app-backend -f | grep -E "\[ACTIVITY\]|\[PHOTO_UPLOAD\]|\[GUESS_SUBMIT\]"`
+| [ARCHITECTURE.md](ARCHITECTURE.md) | Design |
-- Activity logs include: page visits, photo uploads, guess submissions
+| [CONTRIBUTING.md](CONTRIBUTING.md) | Conventions |
-- **Note:** For local development, use `./watch-activity.sh` script (if systemd/journalctl is not available, check application logs directly)
+| [SECURITY.md](SECURITY.md) | Security practices |
+| [TESTING.md](TESTING.md) | Tests |
+| `.cursor/rules/mirrormatch.mdc` | Agent rules |
 
-## Database Commands
+## Production
 
-- `npm run db:generate` - Generate Prisma Client
-- `npm run db:migrate` - Run database migrations
-- `npm run db:push` - Push schema changes to database (dev only)
-- `npm run db:studio` - Open Prisma Studio (database GUI)
-- `npm run db:seed` - Seed database with initial admin user
-
-### Querying the Database
-
-**Get all photo answers:**
 ```bash
-psql "postgresql://user:password@host:5432/database" -c "SELECT \"answerName\" FROM \"Photo\" ORDER BY \"createdAt\" DESC;"
+NODE_ENV=production npm run build && npm start
 ```
 
-**Get answers with uploader info:**
+Set real `NEXTAUTH_SECRET`, SMTP, and rotate the seeded admin password.
-```bash
-psql "postgresql://user:password@host:5432/database" -c "SELECT p.\"answerName\", p.url, u.name as uploader, p.\"createdAt\" FROM \"Photo\" p JOIN \"User\" u ON p.\"uploaderId\" = u.id ORDER BY p.\"createdAt\" DESC;"
-```
-
-## Creating the First Admin User
-
-The seed script automatically creates an admin user. If you need to create one manually:
-
-1. Run the seed script: `npm run db:seed`
-2. Or use Prisma Studio: `npm run db:studio` and create a user with `role: "ADMIN"`
-
-## Project Structure
-
-```
-mirrormatch/
-├── app/                    # Next.js App Router pages
-│   ├── api/               # API routes
-│   │   ├── admin/        # Admin API routes
-│   │   ├── auth/         # NextAuth routes
-│   │   ├── photos/       # Photo-related API routes
-│   │   └── profile/      # Profile API routes
-│   ├── admin/            # Admin panel page
-│   ├── leaderboard/      # Leaderboard page
-│   ├── login/            # Login page
-│   ├── photos/           # Photos listing and detail pages
-│   ├── profile/          # User profile page
-│   └── upload/           # Photo upload page
-├── components/            # React components
-├── lib/                   # Utility libraries
-│   ├── auth.ts           # NextAuth configuration
-│   ├── email.ts          # Email sending utilities
-│   ├── prisma.ts         # Prisma client instance
-│   └── utils.ts          # Helper functions
-├── prisma/                # Prisma schema and migrations
-│   ├── schema.prisma     # Database schema
-│   └── seed.ts           # Database seed script
-└── types/                 # TypeScript type definitions
-```
-
-## Features Overview
-
-### Authentication
-- Email/password login via NextAuth
-- Protected routes with middleware
-- Role-based access control (ADMIN/USER)
-
-### Admin Panel (`/admin`)
-- View all users
-- Create new users
-- Reset user passwords
-- View user points and roles
-
-### Photo Upload (`/upload`)
-- Upload photos via file upload or URL
-- Files are stored in `public/uploads/` directory
-- Files are served via `/api/uploads/[filename]` API route
-- Set answer name for guessing
-- Automatically sends email notifications to all other users
-- Duplicate file detection (SHA256 hash)
-
-### Photo Guessing (`/photos/[id]`)
-- View photo and uploader info
-- Submit guesses
-- Get instant feedback (correct/wrong)
-- Earn points for correct guesses
-- Case-insensitive matching
-
-### Leaderboard (`/leaderboard`)
-- View all users ranked by points
-- See your own ranking highlighted
-
-### Profile (`/profile`)
-- View your points and account info
-- Change password (requires current password)
-
-## Email Configuration
-
-### Development
-In development mode, the app uses:
-- **Ethereal Email** (if available) - provides test email accounts with preview URLs
-- **Console transport** (fallback) - logs emails to console
-
-Check the console for email preview URLs when using Ethereal.
-
-### Production
-Set up SMTP credentials in `.env`:
-- `SMTP_HOST` - Your SMTP server hostname
-- `SMTP_PORT` - SMTP port (usually 587 for TLS, 465 for SSL)
-- `SMTP_USER` - SMTP username
-- `SMTP_PASSWORD` - SMTP password
-- `SMTP_FROM` - From address for emails
-
-## Security Notes
-
-- Passwords are hashed using bcrypt
-- NextAuth handles session management
-- Middleware protects routes
-- Admin routes are restricted to ADMIN role
-- SQL injection protection via Prisma
-
-## Troubleshooting
-
-### Database Connection Issues
-- Verify `DATABASE_URL` is correct
-- Ensure PostgreSQL is running
-- Check database exists and user has permissions
-
-### Email Not Sending
-- In dev: Check console for Ethereal preview URLs
-- In production: Verify SMTP credentials
-- Check email service logs
-
-### Authentication Issues
-- Verify `NEXTAUTH_SECRET` is set
-- Check `NEXTAUTH_URL` matches your app URL
-- Set `AUTH_TRUST_HOST=true` if using reverse proxy
-- Clear browser cookies if needed
-- Check middleware logs: `sudo journalctl -u app-backend | grep "Middleware"`
-
-### Photo Upload Issues
-- Verify `public/uploads/` directory exists and has write permissions
-- Check file upload logs: `sudo journalctl -u app-backend | grep "UPLOAD"`
-- Ensure files are being saved: check `public/uploads/` directory
-- Files are served via `/api/uploads/[filename]` - verify API route is accessible
-
-### Build Issues
-- If build fails with `DATABASE_URL not set`, this is expected - Prisma initialization is lazy
-- Ensure all environment variables are set in production
-- Check for TypeScript errors: `npm run type-check`
-
-## Documentation
-
-This project maintains comprehensive documentation:
-
-- **README.md** (this file) - Setup, installation, and basic usage
-- **ARCHITECTURE.md** - System architecture, data models, and application flows
-- **CONTRIBUTING.md** - Coding conventions and development workflow
-- **SECURITY.md** - Security practices and vulnerability reporting
-- **.cursor/rules/mirrormatch.mdc** - Project rules for AI tools and developers
-
-**For Developers and AI Tools:**
-
-**⚠️ Important:** Before making code changes, read `.cursor/rules/mirrormatch.mdc`, `ARCHITECTURE.md`, `CONTRIBUTING.md`, `SECURITY.md`, and this README. Keep them updated when behavior or architecture changes.
-
-- Always read the relevant documentation before making changes
-- Update documentation when behavior or architecture changes
-- Keep all documentation files in sync with code changes
-- Follow the guidelines in each document
-
-## License
-
-MIT

SECURITY.md

@@ -167,12 +167,12 @@ When adding new features, ensure:
 ## Known Security Considerations
 
 **Current Implementation:**
-- ✅ Passwords hashed with bcrypt
+- Passwords hashed with bcrypt
-- ✅ Session management via NextAuth
+- Session management via NextAuth
-- ✅ Route protection via middleware
+- Route protection via middleware
-- ✅ Role-based access control
+- Role-based access control
-- ✅ Input validation on server side
+- Input validation on server side
-- ✅ SQL injection prevention via Prisma
+- SQL injection prevention via Prisma
 
 **Future Considerations:**
 - Consider rate limiting for API routes

TESTING.md

@@ -6,10 +6,10 @@ This guide will help you set up and test the MirrorMatch application locally.
 
 Before starting, ensure you have:
 
-- ✅ **Node.js 18+** installed (`node --version`)
+- **Node.js 18+** installed (`node --version`)
-- ✅ **npm** installed (`npm --version`)
+- **npm** installed (`npm --version`)
-- ✅ **PostgreSQL** installed and running (`psql --version`)
+- **PostgreSQL** installed and running (`psql --version`)
-- ✅ **Git** (if cloning the repository)
+- **Git** (if cloning the repository)
 
 ## Step-by-Step Setup
 
@@ -99,7 +99,7 @@ This creates the default admin user:
 - **Email:** `admin@mirrormatch.com`
 - **Password:** `admin123`
 
-⚠️ **Important:** Change this password after first login!
+ **Important:** Change this password after first login!
 
 ### 6. Start the Development Server
 
@@ -213,7 +213,7 @@ npm run db:generate
 **Error:** `Migration failed`
 
 **Solutions:**
-- Reset database (⚠️ deletes all data):
+- Reset database ( deletes all data):
   ```bash
   npm run db:push -- --force-reset
   ```
@@ -274,7 +274,7 @@ Opens a GUI at [http://localhost:5555](http://localhost:5555) to browse and edit
 
 ### Reset Database
 
-⚠️ **Warning:** This deletes all data!
+ **Warning:** This deletes all data!
 
 ```bash
 npm run db:push -- --force-reset
@@ -317,4 +317,4 @@ After testing locally:
 
 ---
 
-**Happy Testing! 🎯**
+**Happy Testing! **