Morgenblau Spec#

Single source of truth for product vision, content model, and guardrails. Keep high-level. Update when core decisions change, not for every feature.

What is Morgenblau?#

A calm content platform powered by RSS and ATProto. Not a classic RSS reader — a window into the Atmosphere that organizes content into finite daily digests instead of infinite feeds.

Core emotional promise: Intentionality without deprivation. You still get the good stuff, but on your terms.

Target users: People who want to consume content (blogs, microposts, videos, podcasts) without the anxiety of unread counts or the pull of endless scrolling. They value the open web and the ATProto ecosystem.

What makes it different:

• Daily digests instead of an unread inbox
• Social layer via ATProto backlinks — RSS becomes interactive
• Four first-class content types with dedicated UIs
• The "editor of your own publication" identity — you curate sources, not manage subscriptions

Three Modes (Product Roadmap)#

v1 is Consume only. Discovery and Creation are future modes.

Platform#

v1 is web-only. No native apps, no PWA. Browser-first experience.

Authentication#

ATProto OAuth only. Users must log in with an ATProto account. There is no anonymous or email-based access. This unlocks the social layer from day one.

Daily Digests#

The core consumption model. Content is organized into daily editions rather than a continuous feed.

Editions#

The app fetches feeds at set times throughout the day (morning, lunch, evening). Whatever is new since the last fetch goes into that edition.

• Morning edition — fetched early morning
• Lunch edition — fetched around midday
• Evening edition — fetched in the evening

Previous days show as complete daily digests (all editions merged).

Empty Editions#

An empty edition is a feature, not a bug. Display a simple, calm message. No nudges, no guilt. Example: "Nothing new this morning. Enjoy your coffee."

History#

Rolling window of past digests (exact retention TBD, roughly 30 days). Older content fades away — reinforces the daily mindset.

No Read Tracking#

No read state. No progress indicators. No "you've seen 8 of 12." Each edition simply exists. Content is not marked, dimmed, or tracked.

Four Content Types#

All four are first-class citizens in v1, each with a UI optimized for its format.

Reading Mode#

In-app reader by default — fetch and render article content directly. Users can always open the original URL. Both options available.

Media Playback#

Custom video and audio player UI that matches Morgenblau's design language. Not YouTube iframes or bare HTML audio elements.

Windows#

Windows are filtered views onto your content — different lenses to look through.

Default Windows (Predefined)#

The app provides default windows based on content type (e.g., Blogposts, Videos, Podcasts, Microposts).

Custom Windows (User-Created)#

Users can create their own windows with custom filter criteria — by tags, sources, content types, or combinations.

Default Landing#

When a user opens Morgenblau, they land on today's digest — a unified view of the current day's content across all sources. Windows are available for filtering from there.

Feed Sources#

Adding Sources#

Users manually add RSS/Atom feed URLs. No auto-discovery in v1. Each subscription is stored as an app.skyreader.feed.subscription record in the user's ATProto repo.

Organization#

Flat list of subscriptions. No folders or categories — Windows handle the filtering/viewing.

Primary Sources#

Users can mark feeds as primary sources. These receive prominent placement in the digest — front-page treatment.

Social Layer (ATProto)#

The core differentiator. For each piece of content, the app checks for ATProto backlinks and displays social context alongside it.

v1 Scope#

• Read: Show Bluesky likes, reposts, and reply threads found via backlinks
• Like: Users can like content from within Morgenblau
• Follow: In-app follows stored as app.skyreader.social.follow records (separate from Bluesky social graph follows)
• No reposting, replying, or other interactions in v1

UX Principle#

Social context is available but not forced. The reading experience comes first. Reactions are opt-in per article — shown only if the user wants to see them.

ATProto Lexicons#

Morgenblau uses Skyreader's lexicons (app.skyreader.*) for all user data stored in ATProto repos. This enables interoperability — data written by Morgenblau can be read by Skyreader and vice versa.

Vendored lexicon schemas live in lexicons/app/skyreader/.

Saving & Sharing#

Simple and minimal.

• Users can save individual articles to a separate saved-items view — stored as app.skyreader.feed.saved records
• Users can share articles with optional commentary — stored as app.skyreader.social.share records
• No folders, tags, or organization for saved content — just a list

Navigation#

Day Navigation#

Calendar strip — horizontal strip of days. Tap a day to see its digest.

Digest Layout#

Vertical feed — simple top-to-bottom scroll of cards. Clean and predictable. Primary sources may receive larger or more prominent cards.

Anti-Features#

Things Morgenblau will never do.

Hard No#

• No unread counts. Never show unread badges, counts, or inbox-zero mechanics. This is the foundational design principle.

Open for Future (Tasteful Only)#

• Notifications — could see optional edition-ready notifications ("Your morning edition is ready"), but never content-level push notifications
• Smart ranking — could consider light curation in the future, but never engagement-based algorithmic sorting

Brand#

Texture#

Crisp morning. Clear, sharp, awake — not warm and cozy. The terrace on a clear morning, not the candlelit cafe.

• Clean sans-serifs
• Cool blues
• Precise transitions

Core Metaphors#

• The window — something you choose to look through, then step away from. It never follows you around. What you see through it is finite and tied to today.
• The newspaper — not the layout, but the feeling. A finite object with a clear start and end. A ritual, not a habit.

Identity#

Users aren't "managing subscriptions." They're the editor of their own daily publication — choosing sources, deciding who gets the front page.

Tech Stack (Quick Reference)#