Bristlenose on iPad — iCloud sync

Parked architecture speculation. Full write-up in docs/design-icloud-sync.md.

1 · Two modes, one shared core

shared core local · no iCloud iCloud · Mac overlay shared folder-native core (Python) reads & writes folders + paths Linux / CLI / Snap local only macOS Bristlenose same core + checkbox off on local folder library referenced in place iCloud container copy media in · synced media assets lazy download curation records CloudKit merge

2 · The iPad overlay

Mac (source) iCloud iPad · review only macOS Bristlenose runs pipeline writes library writes iCloud container media assets lazy download curation records CloudKit merge sync iPad Bristlenose review only native data layer Swift · local store review UI star · tag · hide no pipeline here analysis stays on Mac

The staircase (never build top-first): registry-only sync → read-only iPad review → per-field write-back (star → tags → renames). See the design doc for the pre-mortem.