Windows x64 Beta 1 · MSI 1.7.0.1

The signed Windows x64 beta 1.7.0.1 passed the documented fresh Windows Sandbox checks with synthetic data.

Townlight Code Manual

Townlight Beta 1 · Naming candidate documentation edition 2 November 2026

Contents

• Using this manual
• Beta identity
• First run
• Daily workflow
• Connected workflows
• Architecture
• Cited questions summaries and local synchronization
• Technical specifications
• Configuration and administration
• API and integration examples
• MCP and automation boundary
• Security and permissions
• Backup recovery and maintenance
• Troubleshooting
• Verified workflows and limits
• Terms of service and license
• Glossary
• Alphabetical subject index
• Source and document control

Using this manual

Townlight Code helps code custodians, clerks, legal reviewers and staff seeking cited authority. Code imports and preserves municipal code sources, supplies exact citations and version history, and connects proposed legislation to Meetings. Authorized staff separately record adoption evidence and codification.

Staff should begin with First run and Daily workflow. Administrators should also read Architecture, Technical specifications, Configuration, Security and Recovery. Developers should use the exact API/data dictionary and examples. The table of contents and alphabetical subject index link to the relevant sections in the HTML edition; the PDF preserves headings and searchable text. An editable Word edition is included with the same documentation companion.

Beta identity

Use an empty database and fresh Windows profile. The installer refuses legacy profile initialization. The approved profile path is %LOCALAPPDATA%\CivicSuite. Keep existing profiles and backups.

First run

1. Download the signed MSI, matching source companion and checksums from the public Windows release.
2. Verify the MSI hash and Authenticode publisher before installing on a fresh Windows profile. See the Windows acceptance summary for the tested setup.
3. Launch Townlight under the intended named Windows account. Choose the storage folders. Select Townlight Inspections candidate (inspections-preview) for the bounded desktop composition, including Access and Notice. A narrower default selection will not expose all workspaces.
4. Enter the city profile, time zone and contacts. Create the first named local administrator, sign in and choose protected backup storage. Continue without local AI is valid for the deterministic workflows.
5. Run Health Check and wait for readiness. Open Townlight. In System Health select Finish Records Migration to activate the canonical Python/PostgreSQL runtime. Do not fabricate migration receipts or seed accounts.
6. Create named staff through Settings. Import authorized sources using each product’s source library. All examples in this package are synthetic; they are not municipal authority.
7. Provision Station separately if it is part of the beta exercise. Selecting the desktop composition does not start or configure Station. Configure vision explicitly only if automatic photo drafting is selected.

Daily workflow

1. Import a source

Inspect the complete bundle JSON for jurisdiction, section identifiers, source/effective dates, original name and hashes before selecting Import. Import submits directly; inspect the saved import and provenance afterward. There is no separate preview/confirmation step.

2. Find the exact section

Search the topic and open the cited section. Check the requested as-of date and version. Keep explanatory wording separate from the retained source text.

3. Inspect provenance

Read import history, original source and section history. Export the exact cited source when it is needed for a staff workpaper or Records evidence.

4. Connect a proposal

Create the existing Code–Meetings connection for the actual proposal and agenda context. Retain the connection identifier and keep pending text distinct from adopted code.

5. Record adoption

Record the actual authorized meeting decision with its adoption context. An unrelated motion, packet or draft minutes does not establish that the proposal was adopted.

6. Codify separately

Review the adopted text and affected sections, then record the distinct codification closeout. Preserve prior versions and the link to adoption evidence.

7. Share the right version

Select permitted source evidence downstream. If visibility or source content changes, resolve the mismatch and select current evidence rather than accepting a stale cached citation.

Working safely

Use your own named account and save before leaving a screen. A saved draft is durable; unsaved form text may not be. If a write has an unknown result, reopen its record before repeating it.

Read source jurisdiction, dates, citation, version and visibility. A copied source hash identifies exact bytes, not their legal applicability. If a source changes or permission is removed, resolve the source problem rather than substituting stale cached content.

Keep originals and derivatives separate. Review the intended audience before export. A public summary excludes private fields only through the applicable copy contract and your review. A renamed private packet is still private content.

Drafting, review, approval, attachment, export, fulfillment and publication are separate operations. A Townlight workpaper does not itself adopt law, issue a permit, impose a fine or release a records response. The responsible staff member records the applicable decision.

Connected workflows

Receives Meetings decision evidence. Supplies permitted cited material to Records, Zoning, Permitting and Inspections. Planning’s selected installed evidence providers are Meetings and Zoning; no separate direct Code connection is implied.

Product boundary

An imported document is not automatically adopted law. Local imports and orchestration do not establish a live agreement with every commercial codifier. Human approval and authoritative source applicability remain necessary.

Architecture

The drawing shows the principal staff/evidence path. Native commands carry trusted identity to Python business services; PostgreSQL and retained original files hold durable state. A downstream copy does not silently transfer decision authority. Station has its own configured authority/media boundary, database and mutable files. The connected-workflow text supplies the drawing’s reading order and accessibility alternative.

Cited questions summaries and local synchronization

Ask against an actual retained section

Import and inspect the complete source bundle first. Import submits directly; there is no separate preview/confirmation screen in this Code UI. Check the JSON source envelope before pressing Import, then inspect its saved import/provenance result.

Use the existing question control or authenticated POST /desktop/v1/code/questions. A synthetic body is:

{"question":"What does the retained synthetic section require?","section_number":"18.20.050","as_of":null}

The section number must resolve in the imported source, and an optional as_of must be the intended effective date. Read the answer and cited retained version together. Missing or ambiguous authority is a review issue, not permission to invent a section. Save staff interpretation notes separately from official section text.

Draft and approve an explanatory summary

Obtain the actual section ID and version ID from lookup/history. Use POST /desktop/v1/code/sections/{section_id}/summaries with section_version_id, summary_text, optional language_code (default en) and draft status. For example:

{"section_version_id":"synthetic-replace-with-retained-version","summary_text":"Synthetic explanatory draft for staff review.","language_code":"en","status":"draft"}

Reopen the section’s summaries, compare the draft with the cited version, and use the separate /desktop/v1/code/summaries/{summary_id}/approve operation only after review. The summary is explanatory material, not a change to adopted code. An approved summary does not record legislative adoption or complete codification.

Operate the existing local codifier contract

The local synchronization orchestrator exists in the standalone Code application source. Its /api/v1/townlight_code/staff/sync/... routes and /staff/sync page are not mounted merely because the Townlight desktop Code workspace is enabled. Use them only in an already configured standalone deployment with genuine staff access. The role/actor headers in its source are a trusted deployment boundary, not credentials for an arbitrary client to invent. This guide does not ask you to deploy another server for the desktop beta.

1. Register the actual official source through that application’s source registry, preserving its vendor, official URL and source identity. Retain the returned source_id.
2. Configure /api/v1/townlight_code/staff/sync/codifier-sources with that ID, sync_schedule and reviewed allowlisted_hosts. Use a standard five-field cron expression no more frequent than every 15 minutes; for example 0 3 * * *. A synthetic configure body is {"source_id":"replace-with-registered-synthetic-id","sync_schedule":"0 3 * * *","allowlisted_hosts":[]}. A reviewed intended on-prem host needs its explicit source-specific allowlist; this does not bypass URL safety.
3. Read the configured source list and /staff/sync. Check host validation, circuit-breaker state, delta/cursor readiness and recorded run history. A configured source is not proof of a vendor network connection.
4. Submit a local complete import payload to /api/v1/townlight_code/staff/sync/codifier-sources/{source_id}/run. The body is {"payload": <complete ImportBundleCreate>, "changed_since": null}. Use the full synthetic code-bundle example in the reference directory as the payload, replacing source identity only with a registered synthetic source from this exercise.
5. Retain the run/import identity, inspect import status, sections, source hash and recorded cursor/history, and resolve circuit/readiness refusals before another run. An unknown result requires readback, not blind resubmission. This operation does not itself fetch every commercial codifier or automatically codify an ordinance.

Source contracts: townlight_runtime/code_bridge.py, townlight_code/main.py, codifier_sync.py and staff_sync.py. Standalone request signatures and refusals remain in the Code API source supplement.

Technical specifications

Runtime and storage

The accepted package targets Windows x64 fresh installation. Its native shell uses Rust 2021, Tauri 2 and Microsoft WebView2; browser assets are JavaScript built with Vite 8.1.6. This describes the native desktop frontend; Station has a separate React operator, specified below or in its product manual. Canonical business workflows use bundled CPython 3.13.5, FastAPI, Pydantic, SQLAlchemy and Alembic, with PostgreSQL 17 / PostGIS and managed original files. The installed runtime tested here contains FastAPI 0.162.0. Package minimum Python requirements can differ from the bundled executable; the metadata reference preserves both. No stack rewrite is implied by the beta label.

The native transport is fixed to loopback 127.0.0.1:15480; PostgreSQL uses the configured local runtime port (default 15432). Optional local model service defaults to 127.0.0.1:15434. Those are deployment defaults, not internet endpoints. The runtime has health, module and readiness endpoints; readiness is stronger than process existence. The task queue is the existing local Core task infrastructure, not an assertion that a separate Redis service is required for this desktop composition.

The default native profile is %LOCALAPPDATA%\CivicSuite; the historical directory name remains part of compatibility. Do not rename it to Townlight. A configured TOWNLIGHT_PROFILE_ROOT must be absolute. Local configuration and secrets live under that profile; protected managed files and database state must be backed up coherently. Source/runtime identity is distinct from a product’s display label.

Data and consistency

Source registry entries; import jobs and originals; sections and versions; effective-date citations; questions, notes and summaries; Meetings connections; adoption and codification closeout.

Versioned saves use expected prior revision identifiers where defined. Reopen and reconcile on conflict. Exact exports and handoffs use source IDs, current visibility, revision and SHA256. Review belongs to the saved revision and does not transfer silently to edited text. Database changes use the owning product’s migrations; a request or readiness check is not an authorization to mutate schema.

Capacity and platform statements

This beta has synthetic single-profile workflow evidence. It does not have a published benchmark for concurrent staff capacity, minimum RAM/CPU, large-source limits or a field SLA. Do not turn a developer machine’s specification into a supported minimum. The signed MSI is 2,082,697,216 bytes; allow additional disk for extracted runtime, database, originals, exports, media and backups. Select equipment/storage after sizing those actual workloads.

The exact runtime payload lock records pinned files, sizes and hashes. The component metadata records shipped dependency declarations. These references are more precise than a manually copied dependency list. Third-party and historical license notices must accompany their matching payloads.

Configuration and administration

Native deployment configuration

Use Setup, Settings and System Health for supported staff operation. Administrators provision folders, backup storage, named accounts and the city profile. Select inspections-preview for the bounded desktop composition, including Access and Notice. Station remains a separate service boundary. Do not use a standalone product’s demo server as a substitute for the installed workspace.

Technical deployments use TOWNLIGHT_PRODUCT_PROFILE, TOWNLIGHT_PROFILE_ROOT, DATABASE_URL, TOWNLIGHT_RUNTIME_PORT, PORTAL_MODE and the runtime-managed secret files. Treat database URLs and native session proofs as secrets. The installed native domain runtime explicitly refuses non-loopback binding. PORTAL_MODE=private is the accepted posture; changing it does not by itself commission an internet portal, authentication provider or reverse proxy.

The isolated documentation exporter sets a fictional profile and unusable synthetic database origin only to read schemas; those values are not deployment configuration. Keep deployment values in the intended process/account scope. An already-running process does not automatically inherit later environment edits.

API and integration examples

Native command example

The following JavaScript belongs in the existing trusted Townlight frontend/development environment with invoke imported from @tauri-apps/api/core. It is not a command for an arbitrary web page or an instruction for nontechnical staff. IDs must come from records created in an isolated synthetic exercise.

import { invoke } from '@tauri-apps/api/core';
const result = await invoke('code_domain_request', {request: {operation: 'citation', section_number: '18.20.050', as_of: null}});
console.log(result);

Trusted local HTTP example

An administrator/developer can inspect an already-configured isolated runtime from a trusted local process. This PowerShell example reads the signed-in synthetic profile’s existing proof into memory; it does not create a user, seed a session, reveal the proof in output or bypass a permission check. Do not use real city data in development examples. A read response does not prove approval or publication.

$profilePath = Join-Path $env:LOCALAPPDATA 'CivicSuite'
$sessionPath = Join-Path $profilePath 'config\local-session.json'
$session = Get-Content -LiteralPath $sessionPath -Raw | ConvertFrom-Json
$headers = @{ 'X-Townlight-Session' = $session.session_hash }
Invoke-RestMethod -Uri 'http://127.0.0.1:15480/desktop/v1/code/sources' -Headers $headers
Remove-Variable session, headers

Complete synthetic source bundle

The synthetic Code bundle is the retained fixture used by the beta staff exercise. It includes the complete supported source envelope rather than a shortened pseudo-payload. Keep its fictional source labels. For Planning, wrap it as {"bundle": BUNDLE, "expected_previous_revision": null}; for Permitting use {"bundle": BUNDLE, "expected_revision": null}. Code and Zoning take their own complete import envelopes. Replace null with the current expected revision when revising an existing source, as the applicable schema requires. These are import examples, not legal authority or permission to load them into a live city profile.

A synthetic write with subsequent readback

This example demonstrates the existing Meetings HTTP contract in an isolated exercise. It is intentionally fictional. It does not start a service. Its authentication setup is included so it can be run independently under the signed-in synthetic account. If a write times out, inspect current records before repeating it.

$profilePath = Join-Path $env:LOCALAPPDATA 'CivicSuite'
$sessionPath = Join-Path $profilePath 'config/local-session.json'
$session = Get-Content -LiteralPath $sessionPath -Raw | ConvertFrom-Json
$headers = @{ 'X-Townlight-Session' = $session.session_hash }
$body = @{
  title = 'Synthetic documentation exercise'
  scheduled_start = '2026-11-05T18:00:00-07:00'
  location = 'Synthetic room'
  meeting_type = 'regular'
} | ConvertTo-Json
$meeting = Invoke-RestMethod -Method Post `
  -Uri 'http://127.0.0.1:15480/desktop/v1/meetings/meetings' `
  -Headers $headers -ContentType 'application/json' -Body $body
Invoke-RestMethod `
  -Uri ('http://127.0.0.1:15480/desktop/v1/meetings/meetings/' + $meeting.id) `
  -Headers $headers
Remove-Variable session, headers

This write requires Meetings to be enabled and the signed-in staff role to permit it. It is a cross-suite integration example; for this product’s request models, use the complete technical reference below.

Complete technical contract

Read the Code API reference for every documented operation, request field, constraint, response declaration and source supplement. Download the OpenAPI JSON for tools. For Station this is the suite-side schema only; its separate service contract is documented in the API supplement. The reference directory includes configuration/source inventories, dependency declarations, native command contracts, MCP signatures and candidate evidence.

MCP and automation boundary

No direct product MCP server is exposed by the accepted Townlight desktop or Station boundary. Do not configure an invented townlight mcp command or assume an AI client has staff permissions. The integration surfaces for this beta are native IPC, the documented HTTP APIs, source bundle imports, exact exports and the existing Station CLI.

The bundled transcription code includes a TextFlowKit MCP adapter as a separate source capability. It offers job-based transcribe_media, get_transcript, list_jobs, get_job_status and export_transcript, and additional tools declared in that adapter. It uses stdio first and optional Streamable HTTP, with the MCP SDK as an optional extra. It is not automatically launched, authenticated as Townlight staff or accepted as a Townlight product MCP deployment. This documentation does not add such a service.

For a transcription client already provisioned separately, an illustrative tool call is:

{"name":"get_job_status","arguments":{"job_id":"synthetic-existing-job-id"}}

Use a job ID returned by that transcription service. This example does not create a Townlight record or bypass its review/Records handoff. The exact optional adapter tool signatures are supplied in the MCP source reference. Station meeting capture does not become live speech recognition because this optional donor adapter exists.

Security and permissions

Use your own named account and save before leaving a screen. A saved draft is durable; unsaved form text may not be. If a write has an unknown result, reopen its record before repeating it.

Read source jurisdiction, dates, citation, version and visibility. A copied source hash identifies exact bytes, not their legal applicability. If a source changes or permission is removed, resolve the source problem rather than substituting stale cached content.

Keep originals and derivatives separate. Review the intended audience before export. A public summary excludes private fields only through the applicable copy contract and your review. A renamed private packet is still private content.

Drafting, review, approval, attachment, export, fulfillment and publication are separate operations. A Townlight workpaper does not itself adopt law, issue a permit, impose a fine or release a records response. The responsible staff member records the applicable decision.

The native session is validated and mapped to a persisted SQL identity. An editable actor/reviewer label is not authentication. Product/module permissions and source visibility apply at the server boundary. Revoked/unavailable authority fails closed for new Station operations; a previous permission result is not a perpetual authorization.

Use protected local folders, account permissions and credential storage. Never include the native session file, database passwords, provider keys or unredacted support bundles in a public issue or generated public documentation. A local public view is not automatically a secured internet deployment. Keep network exposure and real equipment acceptance specific to the chosen beta site.

Backup recovery and maintenance

Save work and use Core’s canonical Backup Now before maintenance. That operation stops writers. Preserve the coherent profile/database/document backup and its receipt, then use Start to resume. A source export is not a full backup.

Use Restore Latest Backup through the supported controls. If the result says Restore needs service start, use Start, then Check, and reopen a known record. Do not repeat restore merely because services need to start. The fresh-profile acceptance verified that a fulfilled request survived restore and a post-backup marker did not.

Keep Station’s dedicated database and media evidence together in its own backup. Core’s native-profile backup must not be assumed to include an external Station data directory. Stop writers during a coordinated backup. Preserve failed media attempts and logs.

On failure, record the time, selected composition, component/installer versions and exact message. Check System Health for stopped, starting, ready or failed dependencies. Use the existing Retry control after readiness; do not create duplicate business records to refresh a stale view. Share only a redacted diagnostic bundle. Preserve secrets, original evidence, recovery material and unrelated installations.

Troubleshooting

Verified workflows and limits

These results come from the identified signed candidate’s fresh normal-profile Sandbox exercise: real native IPC/HTTP/PostgreSQL and selected headless controls. All accounts, source bundles and media were synthetic. The guest install/uninstall and recovery passed, and the owned Sandbox stopped. No host installed application or standalone CivicCast was changed. This documentation task reuses those receipts; it does not claim a new software acceptance run.

See the Windows acceptance summary for this MSI. The historical evidence index applies to its original build.

The limits remain: actual city field acceptance and equipment/network commissioning; Station automatic provisioning/SCM commissioning; every UI/role combination; field recognition accuracy; and historical in-place upgrades are not certified. They are not five invented feature requirements. Fresh-install controlled beta handoff remains the accepted scope. This package makes no city-deployment, publication or general-availability claim.

Terms of service and license

Scope and status

These terms describe the Townlight Beta 1 software and this documentation package. This public Windows beta is for evaluation. No uptime commitment, support response time, indemnity, data-processing agreement or paid service is created by these documents. A separate signed agreement, if any, governs services it actually provides.

Software license and rights

Current Townlight-owned distributions identified in this candidate use AGPL-3.0-only. The full license is supplied with this documentation and with the source companion. The license governs rights to run, copy, modify and convey the covered software; these operational terms do not add restrictions to those rights. Historical grants and dependency licenses retain their own terms. CivicCast remains a separate product and is not relicensed by this documentation work.

When conveying covered software, retain applicable notices and provide the corresponding source and installation/build information required by the license. For a modified version supporting remote network interaction, follow section 13’s source-offer requirement. The companion archive identifies the source for this candidate; a link to a different public branch is not a substitute for the matching source. Read the supplied license for the complete conditions. See the GNU license reference and GNU licensing FAQ.

Data ownership and access

Importing a document does not transfer its ownership or grant permission to publish it. The operating organization controls its accounts, access decisions, lawful source use, retention and review/release policy. Keep resident information, credentials, private notes and restricted evidence in their authorized locations. Documentation examples contain fictional data. No real city account, credential or record is required to exercise these examples in an isolated test environment.

Local operation and external processors

The accepted beta workflow is local and uses named staff accounts. Station has separate storage and credentials. Configure backup destinations and optional model/network providers deliberately. A configured external provider may receive submitted prompts, images or audio according to that configuration and provider’s terms; this documentation does not promise that every optional configuration is offline. An email outbox or local public view does not establish external delivery or an internet deployment. This static documentation site has no analytics, account collection or remote font dependency.

Staff decisions and source applicability

Staff verify the jurisdiction, source currency, permissions, citations and proposed audience. Model output and generated guidance require review. No draft is automatically an official legal interpretation, zoning determination, permit approval, fee assessment, enforcement notice or records-release decision. Official permit fee authority remains with the adopted source and responsible organization; imported amounts do not become a new authoritative calculation.

Beta operation and recovery

Use the identified candidate in its supported fresh-install scope. Preserve backups and original evidence. Test physical equipment and chosen network/service configuration before relying on them. The supplied acceptance describes selected synthetic workflows, not every screen, vendor, field condition or upgrade. Operators decide whether a particular deployment meets their own operational obligations.

Warranty and liability

The covered software’s warranty and liability conditions are those in sections 15–17 of the supplied AGPL and any applicable separate written undertaking. This documentation creates no additional warranty or limitation beyond those terms. Third-party software is subject to its retained license notices. Nothing here removes rights that applicable law makes nonwaivable.

Support and incident reporting

Use the project’s existing SUPPORT and SECURITY guidance for its matching repository. Report reproducible behavior with the version, operation and redacted logs. Do not put credentials, resident records or unredacted evidence in a public issue. Coordinate sensitive reports through the channel designated in SECURITY. No new support address or service commitment is invented here.

Ending a beta exercise and document changes

When an organization ends testing, it controls retention/export and removes access according to its policy. Uninstall may retain data; back up and inspect the selected removal options. Ending an exercise does not revoke rights already granted by AGPL. Later software/documentation versions must identify their changed candidate and scope; historical receipts retain their original identities. These terms do not claim that a city has accepted a contract merely by reading a manual.

Glossary

Alphabetical subject index

• Accounts and authentication — Security and permissions.
• AGPL and source — Terms of service and license.
• API contracts — API and integration examples.
• Architecture — Architecture.
• Backup — Backup recovery and maintenance.
• Beta version — Beta identity.
• Configuration — Configuration and administration.
• Evidence and acceptance — Verified workflows and limits.
• Fees and official decisions — Terms of service and license.
• First run — First run.
• Handoffs and audience — Connected workflows.
• MCP — MCP and automation boundary.
• Originals and provenance — Security and permissions.
• Recovery — Backup recovery and maintenance.
• Staff procedures — Daily workflow.
• Station configuration — Configuration and administration.
• Technical stack — Technical specifications.
• Troubleshooting — Troubleshooting.

Operating subject links

• Ask against an actual retained section — Ask against an actual retained section.
• Cited questions summaries and local synchronization — Cited questions summaries and local synchronization.
• Draft and approve an explanatory summary — Draft and approve an explanatory summary.
• Operate the existing local codifier contract — Operate the existing local codifier contract.

Source and document control

This edition is authored from the immutable corresponding-source companion, the generated installed-domain schema and the retained workflow receipts. The current software versions and signed artifacts are unchanged. Public historical pages are not synchronized or published by this local documentation task.

Workflow subject index

• Codify separately — Daily workflow, step 6.

• Connect a proposal — Daily workflow, step 4.

• Find the exact section — Daily workflow, step 2.

• Import a source — Daily workflow, step 1.

• Inspect provenance — Daily workflow, step 3.

• Record adoption — Daily workflow, step 5.

• Share the right version — Daily workflow, step 7.

• Source inventory and file hashes

• All component metadata

• Installed domain OpenAPI

• Workflow matrix

• Full AGPL text