Build Log

Progress notes from the Viathorne build.

A living record of what is being built, improved, tested, and clarified — especially around ViaSign, Viathorne Rooms, sign-first accessibility, motion audit, and calmer tools for human-centered work.

Small checkpoints make the work visible.

The Build Log records practical progress without pretending everything is finished. It keeps the project grounded: what changed, what improved, and what still needs careful development.

ViaSign is still early, so these notes help show the real path from research and prototype work toward stronger accessibility tools shaped with Deaf and hard-of-hearing lived experience, community feedback, and careful review.

Recent checkpoints.

Public ViaSign safety boundary published

Viathorne published the reviewed safety-only parser source and a fail-closed website interface without starting or connecting a public API service.

  • Kept the public parser limited to closed natural-English surface categories and visible uncertainty
  • Required review_required=true and motion_ready=false in the website contract
  • Kept SgSL grammar, translation, sign plans, motion, and avatar work outside the public parser
  • Published the website tester in a disabled production state
  • Left FastAPI operation and deployment paused in the separate parser project
Review the current ViaSign boundary

Unified Astro documentation prepared

Viathorne prepared to bring its public documentation into the main Astro website so project context, accessibility, review states, and navigation share one coherent foundation.

  • Migrated twelve public Markdown documents from the sibling Docusaurus repository
  • Added a typed Astro content collection and generated documentation routes
  • Added section navigation, tables of contents, and previous/next reading paths
  • Marked evolving engineering material as prototype notes with review required
  • Kept the existing Docusaurus deployment available until the replacement is approved
Browse the public documentation

Editorial research-studio identity

Viathorne Labs prepared a warmer, evidence-led editorial identity across the public website so the presentation reflects the care and structure of the work behind it.

  • Introduced the Viathorne Labs public research studio identity
  • Replaced generic AI landing-page patterns with project records, field notes, and visible review context
  • Extended the editorial layout across project, accessibility, contact, privacy, and terms pages
  • Kept prototype status, source separation, keyboard focus, and reduced-motion support visible
  • Reviewed all ten routes at desktop and mobile widths before production approval
Review the public homepage

Homepage accessibility refinement

Viathorne removed the signed-welcome placeholder and refocused the homepage on clear, readable access paths while keeping future media optional.

  • Removed the signed-welcome placeholder and coming-soon promise
  • Simplified the homepage introduction
  • Clarified sign-first access around Deaf and hard-of-hearing lived experience and multiple communication paths
  • Kept any future public media optional, reviewed, captioned, and transcribed
Read the accessibility commitments

Sign-first visual identity pass

Viathorne refined its public website into a calmer, sign-first accessibility presence shaped by lived experience, with a more mature graphite, ivory, and restrained-gold visual identity.

  • Homepage reworked into a sign-first layout with a signed welcome video placeholder
  • Long homepage wording reduced into clearer, more scannable sections
  • Global palette changed from purple/pink AI glow to graphite, ivory, muted slate, and restrained gold
  • ViaSign page simplified around care, current status, build layers, review, and non-replacement framing
  • Current status block and build-layer spacing improved for better readability
  • Neurodivergent-friendly spacing and reduced cognitive load improved across the homepage and ViaSign page

Rooms non-linear thinking direction added

Viathorne Rooms was expanded from a spatial project workspace concept into a clearer non-linear thinking environment for capturing, expanding, connecting, and building from scattered thoughts.

  • Rooms page updated with non-linear thinking direction
  • Thought flow added: capture, expand, connect, build
  • Thought fragments added as visible room objects
  • Project memory language expanded to include scattered thoughts and living context
  • Spatial navigation reframed around reducing cognitive friction
  • Rooms clarified as a workspace layer that can support ViaSign, Temple Console, and future project systems
Review the Rooms direction

Community-aware ViaSign positioning pass

Viathorne updated its public language to describe ViaSign as research toward future SgSL support, informed by founder lived experience, with future community review paths and motion-audit awareness.

  • Homepage updated with community-aware positioning for future SgSL support
  • ViaSign page reframed around participation without claiming community endorsement
  • Approach page updated with the With, Not For principle
  • Accessibility page updated to frame access as participation
  • About page updated with founder lived experience and an invitation to future community review
  • Motion audit, human review, and non-replacement language added across the site
Read the current approach

Accessibility pathway added

Viathorne added a dedicated accessibility page and a homepage pathway for sign-language access, captions, transcripts, and future SgSL introduction work.

  • Accessibility page created
  • Homepage signed-introduction placeholder added
  • Homepage linked to the accessibility approach
  • Footer accessibility link added
  • Captions and transcript direction documented
Read the accessibility page

Parser V2 Checkpoint

An earlier private ViaSign grammar-parser prototype recorded a local checkpoint with structured checks and conservative review flags. It is not the current public parser.

  • Private Parser V2 benchmark bank expanded
  • Local grammar examples recorded as passing at that historical checkpoint
  • Exact benchmark totals withheld from the public claim without approved public evidence
  • Review-required logic kept visible
  • Motion output intentionally kept as a future phase
Read the bounded research notes

ViaSign page expanded

The ViaSign page was updated to explain the project purpose, current status, roadmap, ethics, and founder note more clearly.

  • Added current build status
  • Added layered roadmap
  • Added ethics and principles section
  • Added founder note
  • Clarified ViaSign by Viathorne branding
Review the current ViaSign page

Astro website migration

Viathorne moved from a static site-builder setup into an Astro and Netlify workflow for better control, speed, and future development.

  • Astro site structure created
  • Netlify deployment configured
  • Core pages added
  • Viathorne domain connected
  • Squarespace exit prepared

ViaSign remains first, with Rooms supporting the wider workspace layer.

The active website work is focused on aligning public evidence, improving documentation paths, and adding authored notes slowly. Parser, grammar, motion, and FastAPI work remain separate technical lanes and are not activated by this website.