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+# l4d2 Web Auth Pages Design
+
+Date: 2026-05-06
+
+## Goal
+
+Replace the current plain-text login/signup placeholders with a small, functional authentication UI for the Flask web app. Keep the current username/password schema for now, remove public signup, and redirect users back to the page they originally wanted after login when that target is safe.
+
+## Scope
+
+In scope:
+
+- Real server-rendered `/login` page using the existing neutral shell and CSS tokens.
+- Username/password login using the existing `users.username` and `users.password_digest` fields.
+- Removal of `/signup` handlers, links, and CSRF exemptions.
+- Redirect anonymous protected requests to `/login?next=<wanted-path>`.
+- Redirect successful logins to a safe local `next` target, otherwise `/dashboard`.
+- Redirect `/` to `/login` for anonymous users and `/dashboard` for logged-in users.
+- Keep `/health` public for monitoring.
+
+Out of scope:
+
+- Email-based login.
+- Steam login.
+- Account self-registration.
+- Password reset or password change flows.
+- User invitation flows.
+- Schema changes to split users, credentials, and external identities.
+
+## Routing Behavior
+
+`GET /login` renders the login page. The page accepts an optional `next` query parameter and preserves it in a hidden form field so a successful POST can return the user to the requested page.
+
+`POST /login` validates the username and password with the existing password hash helpers. On success, it stores `session["user_id"]` and redirects to the safe local `next` value if present. If `next` is missing, empty, or unsafe, it redirects to `/dashboard`.
+
+`GET /signup` and `POST /signup` are removed. They should return Flask's normal `404 Not Found` response.
+
+`GET /` redirects to `/login` for anonymous users and `/dashboard` for logged-in users.
+
+Protected page decorators keep their current authorization semantics, but anonymous redirects include the requested path in `next`. Logged-in non-admin users still receive `403 Forbidden` for admin-only pages.
+
+## Safe Redirect Rules
+
+A `next` target is safe only when it is a local absolute path:
+
+- It must start with `/`.
+- It must not start with `//`.
+- It must not contain a URL scheme such as `https://`.
+
+Unsafe values are ignored and replaced with `/dashboard`. This avoids open redirects while keeping the implementation simple.
+
+## UI Behavior
+
+The login page should be minimal and consistent with the current admin-console UI:
+
+- Brand/title: `left4me`.
+- Short explanatory text.
+- Fields: `username` and `password`.
+- Submit button: `log in`.
+- No signup link.
+
+The shared shell should not show main application navigation to anonymous users. Anonymous users may see the brand only. Logged-in users keep the existing navigation and account controls.
+
+## Data Model
+
+No schema change is planned for this iteration. `User.username` remains the local login identifier. This intentionally defers email-based and Steam-based identity modeling until those flows are designed.
+
+Future Steam login should use a separate identity model rather than forcing Steam users into an email/password shape, but that is not part of this change.
+
+## Error Handling
+
+Invalid credentials keep the current simple behavior: `401 invalid credentials`.
+
+Missing username or password also remain simple response errors. The first UI pass does not need inline validation messages or flashed form errors.
+
+Rate limiting on `POST /login` remains unchanged.
+
+## Testing
+
+Tests should cover:
+
+- `GET /login` renders a form with username and password inputs.
+- `GET /signup` returns `404`.
+- `POST /signup` returns `404` rather than being intercepted by CSRF handling.
+- Anonymous protected pages redirect to `/login?next=<path>`.
+- A successful login with a safe `next` redirects to that target.
+- A successful login with an unsafe `next` redirects to `/dashboard`.
+- Anonymous `/` redirects to `/login`.
+- Logged-in `/` redirects to `/dashboard`.
+- Non-admin users still receive `403` for admin pages.
+
+## Verification
+
+Run these checks after implementation:
+
+```bash
+pytest l4d2web/tests/test_auth.py -q
+pytest l4d2web/tests/test_pages.py -q
+pytest l4d2web/tests/test_security.py -q
+pytest l4d2web/tests -q
+```