Feature/backend ts support andunification of auth settings on frontend (#654)

* fix: remove project dependency from settings controller and onboarding

* fix(settings): remove onClose prop from useSettingsController args

* chore: tailwind classes order

* refactor: move provider auth status management to custom hook

* refactor: rename SessionProvider to LLMProvider

* feat(frontend): support for @ alias based imports)

* fix: replace init.sql with schema.js

* fix: refactor database initialization to use schema.js for SQL statements

* feat(server): add a real backend TypeScript build and enforce module boundaries

The backend had started to grow beyond what the frontend-only tooling setup could
support safely. We were still running server code directly from /server, linting
mainly the client, and relying on path assumptions such as "../.." that only
worked in the source layout. That created three problems:

- backend alias imports were hard to resolve consistently in the editor, ESLint,
  and the runtime
- server code had no enforced module boundary rules, so cross-module deep imports
  could bypass intended public entry points
- building the backend into a separate output directory would break repo-level
  lookups for package.json, .env, dist, and public assets because those paths
  were derived from source-only relative assumptions

This change makes the backend tooling explicit and runtime-safe.

A dedicated backend TypeScript config now lives in server/tsconfig.json, with
tsconfig.server.json reduced to a compatibility shim. This gives the language
service and backend tooling a canonical project rooted in /server while still
preserving top-level compatibility for any existing references. The backend alias
mapping now resolves relative to /server, which avoids colliding with the
frontend's "@/..." -> "src/*" mapping.

The package scripts were updated so development runs through tsx with the backend
tsconfig, build now produces a compiled backend in dist-server, and typecheck/lint
cover both client and server. A new build-server.mjs script runs TypeScript and
tsc-alias and cleans dist-server first, which prevents stale compiled files from
shadowing current source files after refactors.

To make the compiled backend behave the same as the source backend, runtime path
resolution was centralized in server/utils/runtime-paths.js. Instead of assuming
fixed relative paths from each module, server entry points now resolve the actual
app root and server root at runtime. That keeps package.json, .env, dist, public,
and default database paths stable whether code is executed from /server or from
/dist-server/server.

ESLint was expanded from a frontend-only setup into a backend-aware one. The
backend now uses import resolution tied to the backend tsconfig so aliased imports
resolve correctly in linting, import ordering matches the frontend style, and
unused/duplicate imports are surfaced consistently.

Most importantly, eslint-plugin-boundaries now enforces server module boundaries.
Files under server/modules can no longer import another module's internals
directly. Cross-module imports must go through that module's barrel file
(index.ts/index.js). boundaries/no-unknown was also enabled so alias-resolution
gaps cannot silently bypass the rule.

Together, these changes make the backend buildable, keep runtime path resolution
stable after compilation, align server tooling with the client where appropriate,
and enforce a stricter modular architecture for server code.

* fix: update package.json to include dist-server in files and remove tsconfig.server.json

* refactor: remove build-server.mjs and inline its logic into package.json scripts

* fix: update paths in package.json and bin.js to use dist-server directory

* feat(eslint): add backend shared types and enforce compile-time contract for imports

* fix(eslint): update shared types pattern

---------

Co-authored-by: Haileyesus <something@gmail.com>

server/cli.js

@@ -16,11 +16,12 @@
 import fs from 'fs';
 import path from 'path';
 import os from 'os';
-import { fileURLToPath } from 'url';
-import { dirname } from 'path';
+import { findAppRoot, getModuleDir } from './utils/runtime-paths.js';
 
-const __filename = fileURLToPath(import.meta.url);
-const __dirname = dirname(__filename);
+const __dirname = getModuleDir(import.meta.url);
+// The CLI is compiled into dist-server/server, but it still needs to read the top-level
+// package.json and .env file. Resolving the app root once keeps those lookups stable.
+const APP_ROOT = findAppRoot(__dirname);
 
 // ANSI color codes for terminal output
 const colors = {
@@ -50,13 +51,16 @@ const c = {
 };
 
 // Load package.json for version info
-const packageJsonPath = path.join(__dirname, '../package.json');
+const packageJsonPath = path.join(APP_ROOT, 'package.json');
 const packageJson = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(packageJsonPath, 'utf8'));
+// Match the runtime fallback in load-env.js so "cloudcli status" reports the same default
+// database location that the backend will actually use when no DATABASE_PATH is configured.
+const DEFAULT_DATABASE_PATH = path.join(os.homedir(), '.cloudcli', 'auth.db');
 
 // Load environment variables from .env file if it exists
 function loadEnvFile() {
     try {
-        const envPath = path.join(__dirname, '../.env');
+        const envPath = path.join(APP_ROOT, '.env');
         const envFile = fs.readFileSync(envPath, 'utf8');
         envFile.split('\n').forEach(line => {
             const trimmedLine = line.trim();
@@ -75,12 +79,12 @@ function loadEnvFile() {
 // Get the database path (same logic as db.js)
 function getDatabasePath() {
     loadEnvFile();
-    return process.env.DATABASE_PATH || path.join(__dirname, 'database', 'auth.db');
+    return process.env.DATABASE_PATH || DEFAULT_DATABASE_PATH;
 }
 
 // Get the installation directory
 function getInstallDir() {
-    return path.join(__dirname, '..');
+    return APP_ROOT;
 }
 
 // Show status command
@@ -124,7 +128,7 @@ function showStatus() {
     console.log(`       Status: ${projectsExists ? c.ok('[OK] Exists') : c.warn('[WARN] Not found')}`);
 
     // Config file location
-    const envFilePath = path.join(__dirname, '../.env');
+    const envFilePath = path.join(APP_ROOT, '.env');
     const envExists = fs.existsSync(envFilePath);
     console.log(`\n${c.info('[INFO]')} Configuration File:`);
     console.log(`       ${c.dim(envFilePath)}`);

server/database/db.js

@@ -2,11 +2,21 @@ import Database from 'better-sqlite3';
 import path from 'path';
 import fs from 'fs';
 import crypto from 'crypto';
-import { fileURLToPath } from 'url';
-import { dirname } from 'path';
+import { findAppRoot, getModuleDir } from '../utils/runtime-paths.js';
+import {
+  APP_CONFIG_TABLE_SQL,
+  USER_NOTIFICATION_PREFERENCES_TABLE_SQL,
+  VAPID_KEYS_TABLE_SQL,
+  PUSH_SUBSCRIPTIONS_TABLE_SQL,
+  SESSION_NAMES_TABLE_SQL,
+  SESSION_NAMES_LOOKUP_INDEX_SQL,
+  DATABASE_SCHEMA_SQL
+} from './schema.js';
 
-const __filename = fileURLToPath(import.meta.url);
-const __dirname = dirname(__filename);
+const __dirname = getModuleDir(import.meta.url);
+// The compiled backend lives under dist-server/server/database, but the install root we log
+// should still point at the project/app root. Resolving it here avoids build-layout drift.
+const APP_ROOT = findAppRoot(__dirname);
 
 // ANSI color codes for terminal output
 const colors = {
@@ -24,7 +34,6 @@ const c = {
 
 // Use DATABASE_PATH environment variable if set, otherwise use default location
 const DB_PATH = process.env.DATABASE_PATH || path.join(__dirname, 'auth.db');
-const INIT_SQL_PATH = path.join(__dirname, 'init.sql');
 
 // Ensure database directory exists if custom path is provided
 if (process.env.DATABASE_PATH) {
@@ -62,14 +71,10 @@ const db = new Database(DB_PATH);
 // app_config must exist before any other module imports (auth.js reads the JWT secret at load time).
 // runMigrations() also creates this table, but it runs too late for existing installations
 // where auth.js is imported before initializeDatabase() is called.
-db.exec(`CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS app_config (
-  key TEXT PRIMARY KEY,
-  value TEXT NOT NULL,
-  created_at DATETIME DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP
-)`);
+db.exec(APP_CONFIG_TABLE_SQL);
 
 // Show app installation path prominently
-const appInstallPath = path.join(__dirname, '../..');
+const appInstallPath = APP_ROOT;
 console.log('');
 console.log(c.dim('═'.repeat(60)));
 console.log(`${c.info('[INFO]')} App Installation: ${c.bright(appInstallPath)}`);
@@ -100,53 +105,12 @@ const runMigrations = () => {
       db.exec('ALTER TABLE users ADD COLUMN has_completed_onboarding BOOLEAN DEFAULT 0');
     }
 
-    db.exec(`
-      CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS user_notification_preferences (
-        user_id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY,
-        preferences_json TEXT NOT NULL,
-        updated_at DATETIME DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP,
-        FOREIGN KEY (user_id) REFERENCES users(id) ON DELETE CASCADE
-      )
-    `);
-
-    db.exec(`
-      CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS vapid_keys (
-        id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT,
-        public_key TEXT NOT NULL,
-        private_key TEXT NOT NULL,
-        created_at DATETIME DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP
-      )
-    `);
-
-    db.exec(`
-      CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS push_subscriptions (
-        id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT,
-        user_id INTEGER NOT NULL,
-        endpoint TEXT NOT NULL UNIQUE,
-        keys_p256dh TEXT NOT NULL,
-        keys_auth TEXT NOT NULL,
-        created_at DATETIME DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP,
-        FOREIGN KEY (user_id) REFERENCES users(id) ON DELETE CASCADE
-      )
-    `);
-    // Create app_config table if it doesn't exist (for existing installations)
-    db.exec(`CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS app_config (
-      key TEXT PRIMARY KEY,
-      value TEXT NOT NULL,
-      created_at DATETIME DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP
-    )`);
-
-    // Create session_names table if it doesn't exist (for existing installations)
-    db.exec(`CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS session_names (
-      id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT,
-      session_id TEXT NOT NULL,
-      provider TEXT NOT NULL DEFAULT 'claude',
-      custom_name TEXT NOT NULL,
-      created_at DATETIME DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP,
-      updated_at DATETIME DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP,
-      UNIQUE(session_id, provider)
-    )`);
-    db.exec('CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS idx_session_names_lookup ON session_names(session_id, provider)');
+    db.exec(USER_NOTIFICATION_PREFERENCES_TABLE_SQL);
+    db.exec(VAPID_KEYS_TABLE_SQL);
+    db.exec(PUSH_SUBSCRIPTIONS_TABLE_SQL);
+    db.exec(APP_CONFIG_TABLE_SQL);
+    db.exec(SESSION_NAMES_TABLE_SQL);
+    db.exec(SESSION_NAMES_LOOKUP_INDEX_SQL);
 
     console.log('Database migrations completed successfully');
   } catch (error) {
@@ -158,8 +122,7 @@ const runMigrations = () => {
 // Initialize database with schema
 const initializeDatabase = async () => {
   try {
-    const initSQL = fs.readFileSync(INIT_SQL_PATH, 'utf8');
-    db.exec(initSQL);
+    db.exec(DATABASE_SCHEMA_SQL);
     console.log('Database initialized successfully');
     runMigrations();
   } catch (error) {

server/database/init.sql

@@ -1,99 +0,0 @@
--- Initialize authentication database
-PRAGMA foreign_keys = ON;
-
--- Users table (single user system)
-CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS users (
-    id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT,
-    username TEXT UNIQUE NOT NULL,
-    password_hash TEXT NOT NULL,
-    created_at DATETIME DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP,
-    last_login DATETIME,
-    is_active BOOLEAN DEFAULT 1,
-    git_name TEXT,
-    git_email TEXT,
-    has_completed_onboarding BOOLEAN DEFAULT 0
-);
-
--- Indexes for performance
-CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS idx_users_username ON users(username);
-CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS idx_users_active ON users(is_active);
-
--- API Keys table for external API access
-CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS api_keys (
-    id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT,
-    user_id INTEGER NOT NULL,
-    key_name TEXT NOT NULL,
-    api_key TEXT UNIQUE NOT NULL,
-    created_at DATETIME DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP,
-    last_used DATETIME,
-    is_active BOOLEAN DEFAULT 1,
-    FOREIGN KEY (user_id) REFERENCES users(id) ON DELETE CASCADE
-);
-
-CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS idx_api_keys_key ON api_keys(api_key);
-CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS idx_api_keys_user_id ON api_keys(user_id);
-CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS idx_api_keys_active ON api_keys(is_active);
-
--- User credentials table for storing various tokens/credentials (GitHub, GitLab, etc.)
-CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS user_credentials (
-    id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT,
-    user_id INTEGER NOT NULL,
-    credential_name TEXT NOT NULL,
-    credential_type TEXT NOT NULL, -- 'github_token', 'gitlab_token', 'bitbucket_token', etc.
-    credential_value TEXT NOT NULL,
-    description TEXT,
-    created_at DATETIME DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP,
-    is_active BOOLEAN DEFAULT 1,
-    FOREIGN KEY (user_id) REFERENCES users(id) ON DELETE CASCADE
-);
-
-CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS idx_user_credentials_user_id ON user_credentials(user_id);
-CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS idx_user_credentials_type ON user_credentials(credential_type);
-CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS idx_user_credentials_active ON user_credentials(is_active);
-
--- User notification preferences (backend-owned, provider-agnostic)
-CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS user_notification_preferences (
-    user_id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY,
-    preferences_json TEXT NOT NULL,
-    updated_at DATETIME DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP,
-    FOREIGN KEY (user_id) REFERENCES users(id) ON DELETE CASCADE
-);
-
--- VAPID key pair for Web Push notifications
-CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS vapid_keys (
-    id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT,
-    public_key TEXT NOT NULL,
-    private_key TEXT NOT NULL,
-    created_at DATETIME DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP
-);
-
--- Browser push subscriptions
-CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS push_subscriptions (
-    id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT,
-    user_id INTEGER NOT NULL,
-    endpoint TEXT NOT NULL UNIQUE,
-    keys_p256dh TEXT NOT NULL,
-    keys_auth TEXT NOT NULL,
-    created_at DATETIME DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP,
-    FOREIGN KEY (user_id) REFERENCES users(id) ON DELETE CASCADE
-);
-
--- Session custom names (provider-agnostic display name overrides)
-CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS session_names (
-    id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT,
-    session_id TEXT NOT NULL,
-    provider TEXT NOT NULL DEFAULT 'claude',
-    custom_name TEXT NOT NULL,
-    created_at DATETIME DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP,
-    updated_at DATETIME DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP,
-    UNIQUE(session_id, provider)
-);
-
-CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS idx_session_names_lookup ON session_names(session_id, provider);
-
--- App configuration table (auto-generated secrets, settings, etc.)
-CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS app_config (
-    key TEXT PRIMARY KEY,
-    value TEXT NOT NULL,
-    created_at DATETIME DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP
-);

server/database/schema.js

@@ -0,0 +1,102 @@
+export const APP_CONFIG_TABLE_SQL = `CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS app_config (
+  key TEXT PRIMARY KEY,
+  value TEXT NOT NULL,
+  created_at DATETIME DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP
+);`;
+
+export const USER_NOTIFICATION_PREFERENCES_TABLE_SQL = `CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS user_notification_preferences (
+  user_id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY,
+  preferences_json TEXT NOT NULL,
+  updated_at DATETIME DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP,
+  FOREIGN KEY (user_id) REFERENCES users(id) ON DELETE CASCADE
+);`;
+
+export const VAPID_KEYS_TABLE_SQL = `CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS vapid_keys (
+  id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT,
+  public_key TEXT NOT NULL,
+  private_key TEXT NOT NULL,
+  created_at DATETIME DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP
+);`;
+
+export const PUSH_SUBSCRIPTIONS_TABLE_SQL = `CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS push_subscriptions (
+  id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT,
+  user_id INTEGER NOT NULL,
+  endpoint TEXT NOT NULL UNIQUE,
+  keys_p256dh TEXT NOT NULL,
+  keys_auth TEXT NOT NULL,
+  created_at DATETIME DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP,
+  FOREIGN KEY (user_id) REFERENCES users(id) ON DELETE CASCADE
+);`;
+
+export const SESSION_NAMES_TABLE_SQL = `CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS session_names (
+  id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT,
+  session_id TEXT NOT NULL,
+  provider TEXT NOT NULL DEFAULT 'claude',
+  custom_name TEXT NOT NULL,
+  created_at DATETIME DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP,
+  updated_at DATETIME DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP,
+  UNIQUE(session_id, provider)
+);`;
+
+export const SESSION_NAMES_LOOKUP_INDEX_SQL = `CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS idx_session_names_lookup ON session_names(session_id, provider);`;
+
+export const DATABASE_SCHEMA_SQL = `PRAGMA foreign_keys = ON;
+
+CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS users (
+  id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT,
+  username TEXT UNIQUE NOT NULL,
+  password_hash TEXT NOT NULL,
+  created_at DATETIME DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP,
+  last_login DATETIME,
+  is_active BOOLEAN DEFAULT 1,
+  git_name TEXT,
+  git_email TEXT,
+  has_completed_onboarding BOOLEAN DEFAULT 0
+);
+
+CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS idx_users_username ON users(username);
+CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS idx_users_active ON users(is_active);
+
+CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS api_keys (
+  id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT,
+  user_id INTEGER NOT NULL,
+  key_name TEXT NOT NULL,
+  api_key TEXT UNIQUE NOT NULL,
+  created_at DATETIME DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP,
+  last_used DATETIME,
+  is_active BOOLEAN DEFAULT 1,
+  FOREIGN KEY (user_id) REFERENCES users(id) ON DELETE CASCADE
+);
+
+CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS idx_api_keys_key ON api_keys(api_key);
+CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS idx_api_keys_user_id ON api_keys(user_id);
+CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS idx_api_keys_active ON api_keys(is_active);
+
+CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS user_credentials (
+  id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT,
+  user_id INTEGER NOT NULL,
+  credential_name TEXT NOT NULL,
+  credential_type TEXT NOT NULL,
+  credential_value TEXT NOT NULL,
+  description TEXT,
+  created_at DATETIME DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP,
+  is_active BOOLEAN DEFAULT 1,
+  FOREIGN KEY (user_id) REFERENCES users(id) ON DELETE CASCADE
+);
+
+CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS idx_user_credentials_user_id ON user_credentials(user_id);
+CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS idx_user_credentials_type ON user_credentials(credential_type);
+CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS idx_user_credentials_active ON user_credentials(is_active);
+
+${USER_NOTIFICATION_PREFERENCES_TABLE_SQL}
+
+${VAPID_KEYS_TABLE_SQL}
+
+${PUSH_SUBSCRIPTIONS_TABLE_SQL}
+
+${SESSION_NAMES_TABLE_SQL}
+
+${SESSION_NAMES_LOOKUP_INDEX_SQL}
+
+${APP_CONFIG_TABLE_SQL}
+`;

server/index.js

@@ -3,13 +3,13 @@
 import './load-env.js';
 import fs from 'fs';
 import path from 'path';
-import { fileURLToPath } from 'url';
-import { dirname } from 'path';
+import { findAppRoot, getModuleDir } from './utils/runtime-paths.js';
 
-const __filename = fileURLToPath(import.meta.url);
-const __dirname = dirname(__filename);
-
-const installMode = fs.existsSync(path.join(__dirname, '..', '.git')) ? 'git' : 'npm';
+const __dirname = getModuleDir(import.meta.url);
+// The server source runs from /server, while the compiled output runs from /dist-server/server.
+// Resolving the app root once keeps every repo-level lookup below aligned across both layouts.
+const APP_ROOT = findAppRoot(__dirname);
+const installMode = fs.existsSync(path.join(APP_ROOT, '.git')) ? 'git' : 'npm';
 
 // ANSI color codes for terminal output
 const colors = {
@@ -405,11 +405,11 @@ app.use('/api/sessions', authenticateToken, messagesRoutes);
 app.use('/api/agent', agentRoutes);
 
 // Serve public files (like api-docs.html)
-app.use(express.static(path.join(__dirname, '../public')));
+app.use(express.static(path.join(APP_ROOT, 'public')));
 
 // Static files served after API routes
 // Add cache control: HTML files should not be cached, but assets can be cached
-app.use(express.static(path.join(__dirname, '../dist'), {
+app.use(express.static(path.join(APP_ROOT, 'dist'), {
     setHeaders: (res, filePath) => {
         if (filePath.endsWith('.html')) {
             // Prevent HTML caching to avoid service worker issues after builds
@@ -431,7 +431,7 @@ app.use(express.static(path.join(__dirname, '../dist'), {
 app.post('/api/system/update', authenticateToken, async (req, res) => {
     try {
         // Get the project root directory (parent of server directory)
-        const projectRoot = path.join(__dirname, '..');
+        const projectRoot = APP_ROOT;
 
         console.log('Starting system update from directory:', projectRoot);
 
@@ -2273,7 +2273,7 @@ app.get('*', (req, res) => {
 
     // Only serve index.html for HTML routes, not for static assets
     // Static assets should already be handled by express.static middleware above
-    const indexPath = path.join(__dirname, '../dist/index.html');
+    const indexPath = path.join(APP_ROOT, 'dist', 'index.html');
 
     // Check if dist/index.html exists (production build available)
     if (fs.existsSync(indexPath)) {
@@ -2388,7 +2388,7 @@ async function startServer() {
         configureWebPush();
 
         // Check if running in production mode (dist folder exists)
-        const distIndexPath = path.join(__dirname, '../dist/index.html');
+        const distIndexPath = path.join(APP_ROOT, 'dist', 'index.html');
         const isProduction = fs.existsSync(distIndexPath);
 
         // Log Claude implementation mode
@@ -2402,7 +2402,7 @@ async function startServer() {
         console.log(`${c.info('[INFO]')} To run in development mode with hot-module replacement, go to http://${DISPLAY_HOST}:${VITE_PORT}`);
    
         server.listen(SERVER_PORT, HOST, async () => {
-            const appInstallPath = path.join(__dirname, '..');
+            const appInstallPath = APP_ROOT;
 
             console.log('');
             console.log(c.dim('═'.repeat(63)));

server/load-env.js

@@ -2,14 +2,15 @@
 import fs from 'fs';
 import os from 'os';
 import path from 'path';
-import { fileURLToPath } from 'url';
-import { dirname } from 'path';
+import { findAppRoot, getModuleDir } from './utils/runtime-paths.js';
 
-const __filename = fileURLToPath(import.meta.url);
-const __dirname = dirname(__filename);
+const __dirname = getModuleDir(import.meta.url);
+// Resolve the repo/app root via the nearest /server folder so this file keeps finding the
+// same top-level .env file from both /server/load-env.js and /dist-server/server/load-env.js.
+const APP_ROOT = findAppRoot(__dirname);
 
 try {
-  const envPath = path.join(__dirname, '../.env');
+  const envPath = path.join(APP_ROOT, '.env');
   const envFile = fs.readFileSync(envPath, 'utf8');
   envFile.split('\n').forEach(line => {
     const trimmedLine = line.trim();
@@ -24,6 +25,10 @@ try {
   console.log('No .env file found or error reading it:', e.message);
 }
 
+// Keep the default database in a stable user-level location so rebuilding dist-server
+// never changes where the backend stores auth.db when DATABASE_PATH is not set explicitly.
+const DEFAULT_DATABASE_PATH = path.join(os.homedir(), '.cloudcli', 'auth.db');
+
 if (!process.env.DATABASE_PATH) {
-  process.env.DATABASE_PATH = path.join(os.homedir(), '.cloudcli', 'auth.db');
+  process.env.DATABASE_PATH = DEFAULT_DATABASE_PATH;
 }

server/routes/commands.js

@@ -1,13 +1,15 @@
 import express from 'express';
 import { promises as fs } from 'fs';
 import path from 'path';
-import { fileURLToPath } from 'url';
 import os from 'os';
 import { CLAUDE_MODELS, CURSOR_MODELS, CODEX_MODELS } from '../../shared/modelConstants.js';
 import { parseFrontmatter } from '../utils/frontmatter.js';
+import { findAppRoot, getModuleDir } from '../utils/runtime-paths.js';
 
-const __filename = fileURLToPath(import.meta.url);
-const __dirname = path.dirname(__filename);
+const __dirname = getModuleDir(import.meta.url);
+// This route reads the top-level package.json for the status command, so it needs the real
+// app root even after compilation moves the route file under dist-server/server/routes.
+const APP_ROOT = findAppRoot(__dirname);
 
 const router = express.Router();
 
@@ -291,7 +293,7 @@ Custom commands can be created in:
 
   '/status': async (args, context) => {
     // Read version from package.json
-    const packageJsonPath = path.join(path.dirname(__dirname), '..', 'package.json');
+    const packageJsonPath = path.join(APP_ROOT, 'package.json');
     let version = 'unknown';
     let packageName = 'claude-code-ui';
 

server/tsconfig.json

@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+{
+  "compilerOptions": {
+    "target": "ES2022",
+    "module": "NodeNext",
+    "moduleResolution": "NodeNext",
+    "lib": ["ES2022"],
+    "baseUrl": ".",
+    "paths": {
+      // In the backend config, "@" maps to the /server directory itself.
+      "@/*": ["*"]
+    },
+    // The backend is still mostly JavaScript today, so allowJs lets us add a real
+    // TypeScript build without forcing a large rename before the tooling is usable.
+    "allowJs": true,
+    // Keep the migration incremental: existing JS keeps building, while any new TS files
+    // still go through the normal TypeScript pipeline and strict checks.
+    "checkJs": false,
+    "strict": true,
+    "noEmitOnError": true,
+    // The backend build emits both /server and /shared into dist-server, so rootDir must
+    // stay one level above this file even though the config itself now lives in /server.
+    "rootDir": "..",
+    "outDir": "../dist-server",
+    "sourceMap": true,
+    "resolveJsonModule": true,
+    "esModuleInterop": true,
+    "allowSyntheticDefaultImports": true,
+    "skipLibCheck": true,
+    "types": ["node"]
+  },
+  "include": ["./**/*.js", "./**/*.ts", "../shared/**/*.js", "../shared/**/*.ts"],
+  "exclude": ["../dist", "../dist-server", "../node_modules", "../src"]
+}

server/utils/runtime-paths.js

@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+import path from 'path';
+import { fileURLToPath } from 'url';
+
+export function getModuleDir(importMetaUrl) {
+  return path.dirname(fileURLToPath(importMetaUrl));
+}
+
+export function findServerRoot(startDir) {
+  // Source files live under /server, while compiled files live under /dist-server/server.
+  // Walking up to the nearest "server" folder gives every backend module one stable anchor
+  // that works in both layouts instead of relying on fragile "../.." assumptions.
+  let currentDir = startDir;
+
+  while (path.basename(currentDir) !== 'server') {
+    const parentDir = path.dirname(currentDir);
+
+    if (parentDir === currentDir) {
+      throw new Error(`Could not resolve the backend server root from "${startDir}".`);
+    }
+
+    currentDir = parentDir;
+  }
+
+  return currentDir;
+}
+
+export function findAppRoot(startDir) {
+  const serverRoot = findServerRoot(startDir);
+  const parentOfServerRoot = path.dirname(serverRoot);
+
+  // Source files live at <app>/server, while compiled files live at <app>/dist-server/server.
+  // When the nearest server folder sits inside dist-server we need to hop one extra level up
+  // so repo-level files still resolve from the real app root instead of the build directory.
+  return path.basename(parentOfServerRoot) === 'dist-server'
+    ? path.dirname(parentOfServerRoot)
+    : parentOfServerRoot;
+}