# Copilot Instructions for AI Coding Agents

## Project Overview
AutoKanban is a FastAPI-based web application for managing a physical kanban workflow, integrating with a 58mm Arduino thermal printer. The system allows users to submit tasks, admins to approve and print them, and cards to be pinned to a physical board.

## Major Components
- `app/main.py`: Main FastAPI app, task model, admin session, printer/image generation, static mounts.
- `app/models.py`: Pydantic Task model.
- `app/printer.py`: (Optional) Printer abstraction for cross-platform serial printing.
- `app/templates/`: Jinja2 HTML templates for UI.
- `app/static/`: Static files (fonts, CSS, images, Font Awesome OTFs).
- `data/tasks.json`: Persistent task storage (JSON).
- `.env`: Secrets (admin password, etc). Not committed.
- `.gitignore`: Ignores `.env`, `out/`, and other sensitive/generated files.
- `out/`: Stores generated card preview images (debug mode).

## Key Features & Workflows
- Users submit tasks via web UI.
- Admins approve tasks and print them to a 58mm ESC/POS thermal printer.
- Card preview images are generated using Pillow (debug mode), with custom and Font Awesome fonts.
- Semantic icon rendering: Task keywords map to Font Awesome icons.
- Admin authentication via password (from `.env`).
- Persistent storage in `data/tasks.json`.
- German localization in UI and card output.

## Build, Test, and Debug
- Install dependencies: `pip install -r requirements.txt`
- Run app: `uvicorn app.main:app --reload`
- For card preview (debug): Set `DEBUG_PRINT_TO_IMAGE = True` in `app/main.py`.
- Fonts: Place custom and Font Awesome OTFs in `app/static/fonts/`.
- Set admin password in `.env` as `ADMIN_PASSWORD=yourpassword`.

## Project Conventions
- Use environment variables for secrets (never hardcode passwords).
- Use Pillow's robust font loading with error handling for card previews.
- All static assets (fonts, images) go in `app/static/`.
- All persistent data in `data/`.
- All generated output in `out/` (gitignored).

## Integration Points
- Thermal printer: ESC/POS via `python-escpos` (serial connection, `/dev/ttyUSB0` by default).
- Font Awesome: Use OTF from `app/static/fonts/fontawesome-free-7.1.0-desktop/otfs/`.

## How to Contribute
- Update this file as new features, files, or conventions are added.
- Reference key files and directories.
- Keep instructions concise and actionable for future AI agents and developers.

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_Last updated: 2025-10-20_