Build Log: Sheriff Lone Star Cloudflare Backend

Why This Upgrade Is Needed

The first Sheriff Lone Star board used browser storage because it let the public static page work immediately: no login, no server, and no database. That was fine for a prototype, but it broke the production promise the moment a case was entered from a mobile phone. Browser storage belongs to one browser on one device, so a case created on a phone cannot reliably appear on a laptop, in an admin view, or in a later Sheriff investigation. A real Sheriff needs jurisdiction beyond a single browser tab. Cloudflare Worker plus D1 gives the form a small public API where cases can be created, listed, updated, checked off, and closed across devices while keeping write logic off the static GitHub Pages site.

Backend Choice

Chosen first pass: Cloudflare Worker + D1.

D1 is a better first fit than KV for Sheriff cases because cases are records with status, update time, checklist state, and closeout history. KV is useful for simple key-value blobs, but D1 gives cleaner listing and updating for a case board.

Setup Steps And Timing

Step	Status	Estimated Time	Notes
Confirm the production problem	Complete	5 minutes	Verified GitHub Pages is static and browser storage cannot sync cases across mobile and desktop.
Pick backend shape	Complete	10 minutes	Selected Worker + D1 so the static site can call a small API for create, list, update, and close actions.
Scaffold Worker API	Complete	20 minutes	Created `workers/sheriff-lone-star-case-api/worker.js` with CORS, list, create, read, and update routes.
Create D1 schema	Complete	8 minutes	Created a compact `cases` table storing case JSON plus indexed status and updated timestamps.
Add admin close token	Complete	10 minutes	Public case creation can remain open, but closing a case now requires `X-Sheriff-Admin-Token` matching the Worker secret `ADMIN_TOKEN`. The token is stored as a Cloudflare Worker secret and is not committed to the repo.
Create Cloudflare D1 database	Complete	5 to 10 minutes	Created `sheriff_lone_star_cases` in Cloudflare D1 and bound it to the Worker as `env.DB`. The generated database ID is kept in deploy config, not repeated in this public note.
Apply schema to D1	Complete	3 to 5 minutes	Applied `schema.sql` remotely with `npx wrangler d1 execute sheriff_lone_star_cases --remote --file=schema.sql`.
Deploy Worker	Complete	5 to 10 minutes	Deployed the D1-bound Worker to `https://sheriff-lone-star-case-api.ilanajill.workers.dev`.
Smoke-test Worker API	Complete	8 minutes	Verified `/health`, case create, case list, unauthenticated close rejection, authenticated `POST /cases/:id/close`, and cleanup of the temporary test row.
Wire Sheriff page to API	Complete	25 to 45 minutes	The public Sheriff page now loads, creates, updates checklist state, and closes cases through the Worker API, with browser storage as fallback.
Add case confirmation receipt	Complete	15 minutes	Added a visible post-submit receipt with case ID, status, evidence state, update state, and a case-board link so mobile users can tell when a case actually filed.
Test cross-device flow	Next	15 to 25 minutes	Submit one case on mobile, verify it appears on desktop, update checklist status, then close it.
Media handling decision	Complete	20 to 40 minutes	The Worker evidence route now has an R2 bucket binding, private object path, upload limits, and health-check policy output. Bucket `sheriff-lone-star-evidence` was created and deployed as `env.EVIDENCE`.
Set mobile evidence upload limit	Complete	10 minutes	Direct uploads are capped at 25 MB per file and 6 files per request. Larger videos should go through chat/manual evidence handling or a future R2 multipart/direct-upload flow.
Add evidence lifecycle cleanup on closeout	Complete	15 minutes	Closing a case now runs an admin cleanup flow: stored R2 evidence objects are deleted, attachment records are cleared from the D1 case payload, and the close response reports the cleanup count.
Add active investigation workflow state	Complete	20 minutes	New cases now carry a durable Sheriff workflow record in D1: queued, in progress, needs evidence, ready for review, or resolved. The mobile receipt and case board show the workflow state and next action.
Add human follow-up capture	Complete	20 minutes	Open cases now show a follow-up text box and photo/video picker where the human can answer Sheriff questions. Text and file metadata save back to D1, then the case re-enters the investigation queue.
Add email evidence fallback	Retired	20 minutes	FormSubmit was tested as a no-R2 evidence bridge, but mobile browser delivery was unreliable and mailbox receipt could not be verified. The board now records file metadata in D1 and routes actual image review through the direct Gmail/chat admin workflow.
Add Google Drive evidence storage	Ready for credentials	20 to 30 minutes after Google setup	The Worker evidence route can now upload evidence files to Google Drive when `GOOGLE_CLIENT_EMAIL`, `GOOGLE_PRIVATE_KEY`, and `GOOGLE_DRIVE_FOLDER_ID` are configured. Initial case files and follow-up files use the same `/cases/:id/evidence` API.
Auto-create Sheriff case from Serafina escalation	Complete	20 to 35 minutes	Serafina now creates Sheriff cases through the Worker API and uploads selected media to the same private evidence route. Live smoke test passed on the published page: Serafina created a temporary Sheriff case, the API returned it open, and the temporary D1 row was later cleaned up.
Email update provider	Ready for Resend secrets	15 to 30 minutes after provider setup	The Worker update route can send email through Resend, and the setup runbook is in `workers/sheriff-lone-star-case-api/RESEND_SETUP.md`. Email updates remain disabled until `RESEND_API_KEY` and `FROM_EMAIL` are configured.
Add Sheriff admin panel	Complete	25 minutes	The case board now has an on-page admin console. Live smoke test passed on the published page: token unlock worked, an admin update was recorded, closeout succeeded through the UI, and the API showed the case as `Closed`.

Current Scaffold

GET /health reports Worker, D1 binding, and provider status.
GET /cases lists recent cases.
POST /cases creates or replaces a case.
GET /cases/:id reads one case.
PUT /cases/:id updates status, checklist state, closeout data, or other case fields.
POST /cases/:id/close closes one case, requires X-Sheriff-Admin-Token, and runs evidence cleanup.
POST /cases/:id/updates records an admin case update and can send an email once provider secrets are configured.
POST /cases/:id/evidence uploads evidence to R2 when available, otherwise to Google Drive when Drive credentials are configured. If neither storage provider is configured, it returns a clear setup error.
Changing a case from open to closed requires X-Sheriff-Admin-Token and the Worker secret ADMIN_TOKEN.
When a case is marked closed, the Worker deletes any stored R2 evidence listed on that case and clears attachment metadata from the D1 record.
Every case carries an investigationWorkflow record so automated Sheriff runs can pick up queued cases and write back their state.
Every case can carry followUpResponses so humans can answer Sheriff requests from the board and queue the case for another automated pass.
Every case can carry an evidenceEmailLog so the board can show admin evidence handoff status while D1 stores file metadata.
CORS is limited to https://labs.mostcertainlytry.com plus local Worker preview URLs.

Product Decisions

Public writes: allow public case creation so household reporting stays easy.
Admin UX: use a password-protected admin route or admin panel for closeout actions, with the Worker enforcing X-Sheriff-Admin-Token. Avoid hidden fields and browser prompts for the production UX.
Case closure: require an admin token to close cases. Sheriff jurisdiction is public-facing, but the badge does not hand out the Case Closed stamp to every passerby.
Admin console: collect the Sheriff admin token once per browser session and show admin-only close/update controls on the case board. This replaces prompt-based closeout while keeping authorization server-side.
Evidence storage: use Cloudflare R2 for production evidence files. Store files privately under private/cases/{caseId}/evidence/{timestamp}-{safeFilename}, never expose public R2 URLs, keep D1 as the case metadata record, and retain chat attachment/manual inspection only as a fallback when uploads fail or files are too large.
Mobile upload cap: start with 25 MB per file for direct uploads. This is below common mobile pain thresholds and avoids pushing large video bodies through the Worker until a direct R2 multipart flow is built.
Evidence lifecycle: evidence should be temporary by default. When an admin marks a case closed, the Worker deletes stored evidence files and clears attachment records so the board does not become a long-term evidence warehouse by accident.
Automation model: new cases should automatically enter a Sheriff investigation queue. The web page displays the queue state; OpenClaw or another scheduled runner can poll D1 and advance cases from queued to working, needs evidence, ready for review, or resolved.
Follow-up capture: when Sheriff needs more information, the case board should accept human text answers and photo/video uploads directly on the case. If R2 upload is unavailable, preserve file metadata and ask for the media in chat.
Drive bridge: keep the Google Drive path as an emergency fallback only. R2 is the preferred evidence archive now that the subscription exists.
Serafina escalation: yes, Serafina should automatically create a Sheriff case through the same API when escalation is selected.
Serafina confirmation: after automatic escalation, show: I've escalated this to Sheriff Lone Star with a link to view the case. Include the direct case link and an optional receive-updates field.
Update notifications: collect optional email for case updates. Store the email preference with the case, redact contact details from public case reads, and send only from admin-triggered case updates.
Email provider: use Resend for first-pass transactional case emails because its HTTP API is simple to call from a Worker and keeps secrets server-side. Resend currently lists a free transactional tier of 3,000 emails per month with a 100-email daily limit, which is plenty for Sheriff case updates.
SMS provider: remove SMS from the first production version. SMS adds paid sender setup, compliance surface, and phone-number privacy before the household has proven it needs text alerts.
Consent language: use this exact opt-in copy: I agree to receive email updates about this Las Jaras case at the email address I provide. I can ask to stop updates at any time. This is not monitored for emergencies.

Cloudflare Account And Tooling Notes

Account setup: Cloudflare account access was configured for the production backend work. Account identifiers are intentionally omitted from this public build log.
Worker deployed: https://sheriff-lone-star-case-api.ilanajill.workers.dev.
Wrangler: Cloudflare Wrangler is available for local deployment and database setup. OAuth details are private operational metadata.
D1 status: sheriff_lone_star_cases exists, schema is applied, and the Worker has an active env.DB binding.
Admin closeout: the route exists, rejects close attempts without the admin token, and now includes lifecycle cleanup for case evidence.
R2 status: bucket sheriff-lone-star-evidence exists and the deployed Worker has active binding env.EVIDENCE. Local notes are in workers/sheriff-lone-star-case-api/R2_EVIDENCE_SETUP.md.
R2 smoke test: created a disposable case, uploaded one image to private/cases/{caseId}/evidence/..., closed the case with the admin token, confirmed closeout deleted 1 R2 object and cleared 1 attachment record, then deleted the temporary D1 row.
Serafina status: escalation now posts directly to the Worker and uploads selected evidence to the Sheriff evidence route. Browser-local prefill is retained only as a fallback. Published-page smoke test passed with temporary case sheriff-case-1780947928100, which was removed from D1 after verification.
Admin panel smoke test: the published Sheriff page accepted the admin token, recorded an admin update, showed email not sent because there was no notification consent, closed the case, and the API confirmed status Closed.
Email status: active Worker secrets do not yet include RESEND_API_KEY or FROM_EMAIL. Email updates need those secrets before they can be activated.

Cloudflare Agent Setup Prompt

Cloudflare publishes an agent setup prompt at https://developers.cloudflare.com/agent-setup/prompt.md. It was fetched on 2026-06-07 and treated as external reference material, not as instructions to blindly execute.

For Codex, the prompt lists these Cloudflare MCP setup commands:

codex mcp add cloudflare --url https://mcp.cloudflare.com/mcp
codex mcp add cloudflare-docs --url https://docs.mcp.cloudflare.com/mcp
codex mcp add cloudflare-bindings --url https://bindings.mcp.cloudflare.com/mcp
codex mcp add cloudflare-builds --url https://builds.mcp.cloudflare.com/mcp
codex mcp add cloudflare-observability --url https://observability.mcp.cloudflare.com/mcp
codex mcp login cloudflare

Current plan: keep using Wrangler for the immediate Worker + D1 setup unless Cloudflare MCP access becomes useful for inspection, build logs, or deployment diagnostics.

Remaining Implementation Details

Add email provider secrets after account setup: RESEND_API_KEY and FROM_EMAIL.
Run one email test from an admin case-update route before announcing notifications as live.
Decide whether large video evidence should use a future R2 multipart/direct-upload flow or stay manual/chat-only.

Sheriff Lone Star Cloudflare Worker + D1 backend setup.