Epicure/FEATURE_AUDIT.md

Epicure Feature Audit

Code-verified inventory of what exists in the app today, by domain. Written 2026-07-21, re-audited in full 2026-07-24 (5 parallel domain sweeps re-reading actual code against the prior version, not trusting it). Keep this file updated whenever a feature is added or changes what it does (see standing rule below).

Status legend: Exists (fully working) · Partial (works but with a real limitation, noted) · Missing (confirmed absent by grep/read, not just "didn't find it").

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1. Recipes & AI

AI stack: Vercel AI SDK, provider-agnostic (apps/web/lib/ai/factory.ts) — OpenAI, Anthropic, OpenRouter, Ollama (local). Key resolution order: user's own BYOK key → admin default per use-case → admin's raw provider key → env var. Structured outputs always generateObject + Zod; chat features use generateText with optional tool-calling.

⚠️ Found this pass — ungated technical UI: Settings → AI's Model Prefs section (apps/web/components/settings/model-prefs-form.tsx) lets every user, with no developer/BYOK gate at all, pick a raw provider + specific model ID (gpt-4o-mini, o3-mini, claude-opus-4-8, etc.) per use-case, spending the admin's own API budget. This is the one place in the app where a home cook can stumble into an LLM-playground-style control panel with zero fencing. See the "Consumer-friendliness" section at the end of this doc.

Feature	Status	Description	Key files
Recipe CRUD	Exists	Create/get/list/update/delete; update snapshots the prior version first (recipeSnapshots)	apps/web/app/api/v1/recipes/**
Fork / duplicate	Exists	Same backend action for both — UI just swaps the label based on ownership	apps/web/app/api/v1/recipes/[id]/fork/route.ts
Version history	Exists	GET /recipes/[id]/versions, diff-able snapshots	apps/web/app/api/v1/recipes/[id]/versions/**
Import from URL	Exists	Fetches a page (SSRF-checked), strips markup, extracts a structured recipe via AI. Returns the extraction to the client — doesn't self-persist, caller POSTs it to create	apps/web/app/api/v1/ai/import-url
Import from photo	Exists	Two-stage vision→text; recognizes a photographed page/handwritten recipe, self-persists as a private recipe	apps/web/app/api/v1/ai/import-photo, lib/ai/features/{recognize-photo,generate-recipe-from-recognition}.ts
Generate from idea/title	Exists	Text-only generation from just a title	apps/web/app/api/v1/ai/generate-from-idea
Recipe ideas (browsing)	Exists	6 idea cards from an optional prompt, not persisted	apps/web/app/api/v1/ai/recipe-ideas
Adapt (exclude ingredients / constraints)	Exists	Persists as new recipe + variation link, unless AI reports unchanged	apps/web/app/api/v1/ai/adapt/[id]
Suggest variations	Exists	Ideas only, not persisted; gated by tier feature flag recipe_variations	apps/web/app/api/v1/ai/variations/[id]
Meal / drink pairings	Exists	Gated by tier feature flags meal_pairing / drink_pairing	apps/web/app/api/v1/ai/{pairings,drinks}/[id]
Translate recipe	Exists	Saves as a new private recipe, keeps original quantities/units/timers	apps/web/app/api/v1/ai/translate/[id]
Batch-cook generator	Exists	One recipe, multiple dishes, per-dish fridge/freezer guidance	apps/web/app/api/v1/ai/batch-cook/generate
Nutrition estimation	Exists	Hybrid AI+USDA (see section 2's nutrition row), cached on the recipe row (nutritionData), author-triggered. A separate nutritionManual flag lets the author hand-enter facts at create/edit time instead, skipping estimation entirely — undocumented until this pass.	apps/web/app/api/v1/recipes/[id]/nutrition, packages/db/src/schema/recipes.ts (nutritionManual)
Recipe notes	Exists	Private, per-user free-text note attached to any recipe (not shared with other viewers)	apps/web/app/api/v1/recipes/[id]/notes
AI conversation management	Exists	List/create/rename/delete threads for recipe-chat/cooking-chat, plus a separate full-text search + bulk-delete over past chat messages — a full thread-management layer around the chat feature, not just the chat itself	apps/web/app/api/v1/ai/conversations/**, apps/web/app/api/v1/ai/chat-history
Draft-recipe AI helpers	Exists	Two additional, non-persisting endpoints: generate (freeform prompt → recipe, used by the "describe" tab in the AI-generate dialog) and regenerate (revise an in-progress unsaved draft with a free-text instruction) — distinct from the persisting generate-from-idea	apps/web/app/api/v1/ai/{generate,regenerate}
Scale servings	Exists	Model-driven, not naive linear math (handles "1 egg" etc.)	apps/web/app/api/v1/ai/scale
Substitute ingredient	Exists		apps/web/app/api/v1/ai/substitute
Recipe chat / cooking chat	Exists	Recipe-grounded Q&A, and a general assistant with tool-calling (createRecipe, addToShoppingList)	apps/web/app/api/v1/ai/{recipe-chat,cooking-chat}
Themed meal generator	Exists	Multi-course meal into a collection	apps/web/app/api/v1/ai/generate-meal
Recipe media: photos	Exists	S3-compatible storage, counts against tier storage limit	packages/db/src/schema/recipes.ts (recipePhotos)
Recipe video	Missing	No video field/upload path anywhere in schema or components	—
Collections	Exists	Shared/collaborative (collection_members, viewer/editor roles), fork-a-collection, explore page, reorder	apps/web/app/api/v1/collections/**
Tags, difficulty, dietary labels	Exists	Dietary schema has 7 tags; search only exposes 4 of them as filters (vegan/vegetarian/glutenFree/dairyFree)	packages/db/src/schema/recipes.ts
Visibility (private/unlisted/public/followers)	Exists	/r/[id]'s followers-only gap (previously flagged here) is closed — it now explicitly checks viewerId === authorId || isFollowing(...) before allowing a followers-only recipe through. New inconsistency found this pass: a followers-only recipe shows up in a follower's following-feed, but never on the author's own profile grid (u/[username]/page.tsx only queries visibility = "public" for the grid) — see "Real gaps" below.	apps/web/app/r/[id]/page.tsx, apps/web/app/(app)/u/[username]/page.tsx
Print views	Exists	Recipe, collection, meal plan, shopping list, pantry all have print routes	apps/web/app/print/**
Markdown export	Exists	Single recipe, bulk (up to 100), meal plan	apps/web/lib/markdown/**
Cooking mode	Exists	Step timers (multiple parallel), voice control (Web Speech API, EN/FR commands), wake-lock, batch-cook step grouping	apps/web/components/cooking-mode/cooking-mode.tsx
Search	Exists	Title/description/ingredient/tag substring match + filters (difficulty, type, max time, dietary, exact tags)	apps/web/app/api/v1/search
"What can I cook" (pantry-matched)	Exists	Deterministic ingredient-overlap scorer against the user's own recipes, not AI	apps/web/lib/pantry-match.ts, /recipes/can-cook
Explore / trending	Exists	Purely favorite-count-driven (7-day window) + recency — no editorial curation	apps/web/app/(app)/explore

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2. Meal planning, pantry, shopping, nutrition

Feature	Status	Description	Key files
Weekly calendar meal plan	Exists	Mon–Sun grid, manual CRUD; the "bulk" entries endpoint is bulk-clear only (a day or the whole week) — there's no bulk-create, entries are always added one at a time via POST /entries	apps/web/app/(app)/meal-plan, apps/web/app/api/v1/meal-plans/[weekStart]/**
AI weekly meal-plan generator	Exists	Pantry-aware, dietary-aware, nudged by nutrition goals; one real recipe per entry; entries can also link to a specific batchDish (reflected in ICS export and the calendar page)	apps/web/app/api/v1/ai/meal-plan/generate
Meal plan sharing	Exists	Two separate paths: (1) authenticated member collaboration — meal_plan_members viewer/editor roles, day-to-day editing UI at /meal-plan/shared/[mealPlanId] (this is where collaborators actually work, not the public link); (2) anonymous read-only public link (isPublic flag, view-only — no public-editable mode) at /m/[id], with a client-generated QR code. Entry changes fire a meal_plan.updated webhook event.	apps/web/lib/meal-plan-access.ts, apps/web/app/(app)/meal-plan/shared/[mealPlanId]/page.tsx, apps/web/app/m/[id]/page.tsx
Calendar export (.ics)	Exists	Real ICS builder with per-meal-type wall-clock times	apps/web/app/api/v1/meal-plans/[weekStart]/export/ics
Weekly nutrition rollup	Exists		apps/web/app/api/v1/meal-plans/[weekStart]/nutrition
Meal plan print + Markdown export	Exists	Undocumented until this pass despite section 1 mentioning print/markdown generally	/print/meal-plan, apps/web/lib/markdown/meal-plan.ts
Multiple shopping lists	Exists		apps/web/app/api/v1/shopping-lists/**
Generate list from meal-plan week	Exists	Merges duplicate ingredients, flags items already covered by pantry (never silently drops)	apps/web/lib/pantry-shopping-match.ts
Add to list from a single recipe	Exists	Separate path from meal-plan-based generation; also reachable via the cooking-chat AI tool ("add to shopping list")	apps/web/components/recipe/add-to-shopping-list-button.tsx, apps/web/lib/ai/tools/add-to-shopping-list-tool.ts
Shared/collaborative lists	Exists	Member roles and an anonymous public link that can grant full anonymous edit rights (Google-Docs-style), not just read — isPublic + publicEditable; disabling isPublic force-revokes publicEditable. Also has its own print view with a QR code, and a public page distinct from the meal-plan one.	apps/web/lib/shopping-list-access.ts, apps/web/app/s/[id]/page.tsx, /print/shopping-list/[id]
List collaboration	Partial, upgraded	Still short-polling (~4s interval) for state sync, but item-add and item-checked events now also fire real Web Push notifications (VAPID) as a supplement — not purely polling anymore. Uncheck/rename/reorder still don't push.	apps/web/components/meal-plan/shopping-list-view.tsx, apps/web/lib/shopping-list-notify.ts
Move checked items to pantry	Exists	Undocumented until this pass — button on the shopping-list view moves checked-off items into pantry stock	shopping-list-view.tsx → /api/v1/pantry/bulk
Aisle categorization	Exists	Heuristic auto-assign + bulk re-categorize, plus inline custom-category creation and full drag-and-drop reordering (richer UI than previously documented)	apps/web/lib/grocery-categories.ts
Grocery delivery integration	Partial / stub	Generic export payload works (integrator-shaped — no visible in-app UI consumer besides the Instacart adapter); Instacart adapter is an explicit stub (requires a partnership agreement Epicure doesn't have — returns 501 if unconfigured, throws if "configured")	apps/web/lib/grocery-providers/instacart.ts
Other delivery/price integrations (DoorDash, Kroger, Walmart, live pricing)	Missing	Confirmed absent by repo-wide search	—
Pantry manual CRUD	Exists	Includes a bulk case-insensitive name+unit merge endpoint (used by the scan-confirm flow), undocumented until this pass	apps/web/app/api/v1/pantry/**
Auto-deduct pantry on cook	API-only, dead in the UI	The API logic is correct (name+unit matching, defaults deductFromPantry: true) — but both real UI callers (batch-cook-dishes.tsx, meal-planner.tsx's mark-cooked flow) hardcode deductFromPantry: false. A home cook using the app today never triggers auto-deduction; it's only reachable via a direct API/API-key client. Previously documented as "Exists, one nuance," which overstated real-world behavior.	apps/web/app/api/v1/recipes/[id]/cooked/route.ts, apps/web/components/recipe/batch-cook-dishes.tsx, apps/web/components/meal-plan/meal-planner.tsx
Expiring-soon tracking	Exists	With "use it up" recipe suggestions. The leftover-expiry push/email cron only covers batch-cook dishes — plain pantry items only get an in-app badge, no reminder.	apps/web/components/pantry/expiring-soon-suggestions.tsx, apps/web/app/api/internal/cron/leftover-reminders/route.ts
Barcode scan (pantry)	Exists	Real Open Food Facts API lookup by UPC/EAN	apps/web/app/api/v1/pantry/scan/barcode
Photo scan (pantry)	Exists	Vision-model based	apps/web/app/api/v1/pantry/scan/photo
Nutrition goals	Exists		apps/web/app/api/v1/users/me/nutrition-goals
Nutrition diary	Exists	Single-day diary view, plus a Trend tab (7/30/90-day calorie line chart + daily macro averages) — the same endpoint switches modes via a range query param	apps/web/app/api/v1/users/me/nutrition-diary, apps/web/components/nutrition/nutrition-trend.tsx
USDA nutrition-facts database	Exists	estimateNutrition now looks up each ingredient in USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy + Survey (FNDDS) datasets) after converting its quantity/unit to grams, sums the matches, and only falls back to AI estimation for ingredients that couldn't be converted (count-based units like "2 cloves") or had no USDA match — including every ingredient, transparently, when USDA_API_KEY isn't configured. Barcode scan (pantry) still only IDs product names via Open Food Facts, unrelated to this.	apps/web/lib/usda.ts, apps/web/lib/ingredient-grams.ts, apps/web/lib/ai/features/estimate-nutrition.ts
Batch cooking	Exists	Shared prep steps grouped by which dish they serve, per-dish fridge/freezer countdown independent of the whole-batch pantry deduction	apps/web/components/recipe/batch-cook-*.tsx

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3. Social, messaging, notifications

Feature	Status	Description	Key files
Follow / unfollow	Exists	One-way, no approval step	apps/web/app/api/v1/users/[username]/follow
Block	Exists	Blocks messaging both ways. Comment-hiding is one-directional only — hides comments from someone you've blocked, but not your own comments from someone who blocked you (not necessarily wrong, just undocumented directionality).	apps/web/lib/blocks.ts
Private accounts	Exists	Hides recipe grid from non-followers; excluded from "for you" unless already followed	apps/web/app/(app)/u/[username]/page.tsx
Profile page	Exists	Cooking-history streak stats, "cooked it" photo gallery (owner-visible)	apps/web/app/(app)/u/[username]
Ratings/reviews, comments (1-level threaded), reactions, @mentions	Exists		packages/db/src/schema/social.ts
Favorites	Exists	Drives "for you" ranking and trending	apps/web/app/api/v1/recipes/[id]/favorite
Direct messaging	Exists, 1:1 by design	No group messaging (deliberate — unique-pair constraint at schema level)	packages/db/src/schema/messaging.ts
Read receipts	Partial	Thread-level lastReadAt only — no per-message delivery/seen state	packages/db/src/schema/messaging.ts
Following feed	Exists		apps/web/app/api/v1/feed
"For You" personalized feed	Exists	Tag/dietary preference profile from favorites + high ratings	apps/web/lib/for-you-ranking.ts
Trending feed / explore	Exists	Favorite-count driven, no editorial curation, no separate "featured" surface. Trending/explore/for-you all additionally exclude private-account authors even when the specific recipe is public — a non-obvious interaction worth knowing about when debugging "why isn't my public recipe showing up."	apps/web/app/api/v1/feed/trending
Notification categories	Exists	8 categories, independent push + email toggle each, plus email-only weekly digest	packages/db/src/schema/users.ts (userNotificationPrefs)
Push notifications	Exists	Web Push + VAPID, end-to-end, real trigger call sites (not just plumbing)	apps/web/lib/push.ts
Push display + click-through	Exists	sw.js previously had no push listener at all — push messages never displayed. Now has both push (calls showNotification) and notificationclick (focuses an existing tab on the payload's url, or opens one)	apps/web/public/sw.js
Email notifications + weekly digest cron	Exists		apps/web/lib/notifications.ts, apps/web/app/api/internal/cron/weekly-digest
Reports/moderation	Exists	Report → admin webhook → admin queue → resolve (reviewed/dismissed) + audit log. Supports three target types — recipe, comment, and user (reporting a person directly, not previously called out)	apps/web/app/api/v1/reports, apps/web/app/api/v1/admin/reports
Moderator role	Exists	Moderators get /admin/reports (view/resolve) and /admin/recipes (view + unpublish takedown); every other /admin/* page redirects them out via requireFullAdminPage(). Comment deletion already allowed moderator before this.	apps/web/lib/require-admin-page.ts, apps/web/app/admin/layout.tsx, apps/web/app/api/v1/admin/recipes/[id]/route.ts

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4. Admin, billing, ops, integrations

Feature	Status	Description	Key files
Tiers (free/pro/family) + limits	Exists	Recipe count, AI calls/month, storage, public-recipe count; TOCTOU-safe via advisory lock + transaction	apps/web/lib/tiers.ts
Stripe webhook (checkout/cancel)	Exists	Signature-verified, replay-protected, event-deduped — production quality	apps/web/app/api/webhooks/stripe/route.ts
Stripe checkout + self-serve billing portal (2026-07-23)	Exists	POST /api/v1/billing/checkout creates a subscription Checkout Session (promotion codes enabled); POST /api/v1/billing/portal opens Stripe's hosted Customer Portal for self-serve cancel/upgrade/card-update. Webhook route rewritten with the real stripe SDK (stripe.webhooks.constructEvent, replacing the hand-rolled HMAC verifier) and now handles the full event set: checkout.session.completed, customer.subscription.{updated,deleted}, invoice.{payment_failed,paid} — past_due deliberately doesn't downgrade tier (Stripe retries the card first). /settings/billing shows plan cards, usage, and a "Manage billing" button; /admin/billing shows connection status, subscriber counts, past-due list, recent billing audit events. Cancel/downgrade is at period end (Stripe Portal default); no trial period. Not yet built: family-group multi-user sharing (Family tier is purchasable solo, but the plan's per-account member invite/join/tier-resolution piece is deliberately deferred — see plans/STRIPE_PLAN.md §1a, flagged there as the most novel/error-prone piece, intentionally shipped after solo billing is proven).	apps/web/lib/stripe.ts, apps/web/app/api/webhooks/stripe/route.ts, apps/web/app/api/v1/billing/**, apps/web/app/(app)/settings/billing/page.tsx, apps/web/app/admin/billing/page.tsx
Admin dashboard	Exists	15 sections (was 13, missing Billing until this pass): overview, insights/analytics, users, invites, recipe moderation, reports, support, tier limits, billing, webhooks, audit logs, storage, AI config, site settings, changelog	apps/web/app/admin/layout.tsx (adminNav)
Feature flags (per-tier) vs feature prefs (per-user cosmetic)	Exists, two distinct systems	Flags gate 3 AI capabilities by tier; prefs let users hide 7 nav sections, no billing implication	apps/web/lib/{feature-flags,feature-prefs}.ts
Developer permission (2026-07-22, split 2026-07-23)	Exists	Two separate, orthogonal permissions — not one. users.isDeveloper gates webhooks + self-serve API keys: admin-toggled always, and self-serve toggleable by the user themselves once on a paid tier (no added fee) via PATCH /api/v1/users/me/developer-access; free-tier users still need an admin grant. users.isByokEnabled gates BYOK separately, admin-only, no self-serve — routing real AI spend through Epicure on the user's own key warrants a manual check-in. Previously all three (webhooks/API keys/BYOK) shared one flag with zero self-serve path. Existing users with a webhook/API key were already grandfathered for isDeveloper; a second migration grandfathered existing BYOK users into isByokEnabled specifically.	apps/web/lib/permissions.ts (hasDeveloperAccess, hasByokAccess, canSelfServeDeveloperAccess), apps/web/lib/api-auth.ts (requireDeveloper, requireByok)
User webhooks (personal automation)	Exists	7 events, Zapier-style, requires developer access	apps/web/lib/webhooks.ts
Admin ops webhooks (site-wide)	Exists	3 events (signup, ticket, report) — admin-only, unrelated to developer access	apps/web/lib/admin-webhooks.ts
Support tickets ↔ Gitea two-way sync	Exists, verified real	Outbound (create/comment/close mirror to Gitea issue) + inbound (signed webhook receiver, dedup, loop-safe)	apps/web/lib/gitea.ts, apps/web/app/api/webhooks/gitea/route.ts
Self-serve API keys	Exists	Up to 10 per user, scoped full/read, SHA-256 hashed at rest, requires developer access	apps/web/app/api/v1/api-keys
Public OpenAPI spec + docs page	Exists	Scalar-rendered at /docs, spec at /api/v1/openapi.json	apps/web/lib/openapi.ts
i18n	Partial	Only en and fr — no other locales	apps/web/messages/*.json
2FA	Exists	TOTP + backup codes + OTP, passwordless-account-compatible	Better Auth twoFactor plugin
Social login	Exists	Google always, GitHub/Discord/generic OIDC if configured	apps/web/lib/auth/server.ts
Rate limiting	Exists	Two layers: Better Auth's Redis-backed built-in limiter (tighter on 2FA verify endpoints) + a general sliding-window limiter for AI/API routes	apps/web/lib/rate-limit.ts
Invite-gated signup	Exists	Signups can be globally disabled, invite-only fallback; first-ever user auto-promoted to admin	—

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5. PWA, offline, mobile

Feature	Status	Description	Key files
Installability	Exists	Manifest + SVG icons (no raster/PNG fallback), Chromium beforeinstallprompt button, iOS Safari gets a static "tap Share" instructional banner (no programmatic install API exists on Safari — Apple restriction, not fixable)	apps/web/app/manifest.ts, apps/web/components/pwa/install-prompt.tsx
Service worker	Exists	Cache-first for /cook pages, network-first-with-cache-populate elsewhere, /api/* bypassed	apps/web/public/sw.js
Background Sync	Exists	Chromium via native Background Sync API; Safari/Firefox (no support at all) via an online-event fallback reading the same IndexedDB queue	apps/web/lib/offline-queue.ts, apps/web/public/sw.js
Offline save-for-later	Exists	Per-recipe explicit pin + IndexedDB-tracked list shown on the /offline fallback page	apps/web/lib/offline-db.ts, apps/web/components/recipe/save-offline-button.tsx
Offline scope	Partial	Recipe viewing + one write path (mark-cooked). Shopping lists and meal plan have no offline/queue coverage	—
Push (client + server)	Exists end-to-end	Real subscribe/unsubscribe with correct state sync, VAPID, multiple triggers wired	apps/web/lib/push.ts
Voice control	Exists	Web Speech API in cooking mode (this was previously assumed missing — it isn't)	apps/web/components/cooking-mode/cooking-mode.tsx
Barcode scanning	Exists (pantry only)	BarcodeDetector isn't used, but a manual-entry-triggered Open Food Facts API lookup covers the same use case	apps/web/app/api/v1/pantry/scan/barcode
OS Share Target (share a URL into Epicure from another app)	Exists (Chromium/Android only)	Manifest share_target → /recipes?title&text&url; extracts the shared link from either url or a URL substring in text (senders vary), auto-opens the existing import-from-URL dialog pre-filled and auto-imports. Safari has no Share Target API at all — same Apple-restriction story as install prompts.	apps/web/app/manifest.ts, apps/web/app/(app)/recipes/page.tsx, apps/web/components/recipe/url-import-dialog.tsx
Home-screen widgets, Siri/Assistant shortcuts	Missing, expected — N/A for a pure PWA without a native shell	—
Native mobile app (React Native/Capacitor/Expo)	Missing	Confirmed PWA-only, no native project anywhere in the monorepo	—

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Real gaps (confirmed absent, worth considering)

Ranked roughly by likely value:

1. Stripe checkout + billing portal — closed 2026-07-23 (solo Pro/Family subscribe/cancel/manage; family multi-user sharing still deferred, see the note in the table above).
2. Recipe video — no support at all.
3. Nutrition trend/history view — closed 2026-07-22 (7/30/90-day calorie chart + macro averages).
4. USDA/nutrition-database lookup — closed 2026-07-22 (per-ingredient, gram-convertible ingredients only; AI fills the rest).
5. OS Share Target — closed 2026-07-21 (Chromium/Android only, no Safari equivalent exists).
6. Push click-through handling — closed 2026-07-21 (push/notificationclick listeners added to sw.js).
7. Anonymous public link for meal plans — closed 2026-07-21 (read-only, with a QR code).
8. Grocery delivery/live pricing beyond the Instacart stub (which needs a partnership agreement to go live).
9. Offline coverage for shopping lists / meal plan — currently recipe-viewing + mark-cooked only.
10. Moderator-scoped admin routes — closed 2026-07-21 (reports + recipe-unpublish).
11. Followers-only recipes invisible on the author's own profile grid (2026-07-24) — u/[username]/page.tsx only queries visibility = "public" for the grid, so a followers-only recipe shows up in a follower's feed but never on the profile it belongs to. Real bug, not a design choice.
12. Auto-deduct pantry on cook is dead in the UI (2026-07-24) — correct, tested API logic that literally nothing in the product surfaces; both UI callers hardcode it off. Either wire it up (a real feature a home cook would want) or stop pretending it's a shipped feature.
13. Model Prefs picker is ungated (2026-07-24) — see "Consumer-friendliness" below; the one clear case of a technical control exposed with no fencing at all.

Consumer-friendliness assessment — "is Epicure too tech-savvy?" (2026-07-24)

Asked directly this pass: has Epicure accumulated too many technical/developer-oriented features for its actual audience (home cooks)? Verdict from all 5 domain audits: mostly no, one real exception.

The one real offender: Settings → AI's Model Prefs picker (model-prefs-form.tsx) — every user, gated by nothing, can select a raw provider + model ID (gpt-4o-mini, o3-mini, claude-opus-4-8...) per AI use-case. A home cook has no reason to know what "o3-mini (reasoning)" means or why they'd pick it over the default. This is the single clearest case of a developer-tool control bolted onto a consumer screen with zero fencing. Worth fixing: hide it behind developer/BYOK access (or just remove the picker for non-technical users and let the admin's configured default silently apply), since right now it's reachable by literally everyone.

Everything else technical is already properly fenced, and mostly invisible by default:

• API keys, both webhook systems (user + admin-ops), BYOK, public OpenAPI/Scalar docs, self-serve developer-access toggle — real engineering surface (auth gating, rate limiting, encryption-at-rest, SSRF validation, delivery/redelivery, replay protection), but every one of them is hidden from the Settings nav by default and only appears once a user has developer access (paid tier + opt-in) or BYOK (admin-only). A casual user never sees these nav entries at all. The audience is third-party integrators / automation hobbyists / self-hosters with their own AI keys — genuinely orthogonal to "save and share recipes," but it doesn't clutter the product because it's opt-in-gated, not default-visible.
• Admin billing complexity, feature-flag matrix, Gitea sync, admin ops webhooks — pure back-office/staff tooling. A home cook never has any path to these screens at all (admin-only). Legitimate SaaS-business infrastructure, zero consumer-facing weight.
• Moderator console — same story, staff-only.
• Every consumer-facing domain checked clean: recipe/meal-plan/pantry/shopping/social UI copy uses plain language throughout (checked directly — no "service worker," "IndexedDB," "webhook," "API," or similar jargon leaks into any user-facing string, including the newer offline/PWA surfaces). Cooking mode, batch cooking, collections, search, notifications — all read as ordinary consumer app features, not power-user tooling.

Net take: the codebase has a lot of technical depth relative to "recipe app," but almost all of it is correctly fenced off from the people it's not for. The fencing itself (developer-access self-serve, BYOK admin-gate, admin-only sections) is well-designed. The Model Prefs picker is the one place that fencing was skipped — fix that one thing and the "too tech-savvy" concern is essentially resolved.

Deliberate design choices (not gaps)

• Direct messaging is 1:1 only — enforced at the schema level, not a missing feature.
• Feature toggles (userFeaturePrefs) are cosmetic nav-hiding only, never access control — separate from tier-based feature flags.
• No native app — PWA-only is the stated architecture, covered well by the offline/install/push work already shipped.

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Standing rule

Every time a feature ships, update this file in the same change — add/update its row, move it out of "Real gaps" if it closes one. Bug fixes to existing features don't need an entry unless they change what the feature does.