Proposal Bot: standalone office setup

Proposal Bot does not depend on Project Hub. Its office files are stored at:

\\server2\administration\Dashboards\Proposal Bot

See DEPLOYMENT_STATUS.md in that folder for the current migration results and the exact steps still needed on server2.

The share holds the app files, Project Images, Backups, InDesign Exports, and data. The data folder is the live saved-project store. Each project is a JSON file containing its uploaded images. Everyone uses one Proposal Bot server process on server2; they open the app through a browser, not by double-clicking the files on the share. Staff do not need direct write access to data.

Put files on the share

From the development folder, run publish-to-share.ps1. It copies the app, assets, backups, and prior InDesign exports into the requested share and creates data. It leaves the existing Project Images folder in place. The script never copies secrets or temporary files. Stop Proposal Bot on server2 before publishing an update, then restart it after the copy.

One-time move of old browser drafts

Do this before starting the office service. Stop any older local Proposal Bot process, then run migrate-browser-drafts.ps1 on the computer and browser that hold the old drafts. Open the exact old address, http://127.0.0.1:4181/, in that browser. The updated app copies its old browser drafts and IndexedDB images directly into the shared data folder. Check that the Drafts list includes the expected projects and the status says Saved to shared folder, then close the migration window.

Browser storage is tied to the exact site address and browser profile. Repeat the one-time migration on another computer only if it has additional drafts; the migration skips project IDs already on the share. Existing JSON backup files are also copied to Backups, but older backups may omit images that lived only in a browser. Those backups are archives, not the live project store.

Run the office service on server2

IT needs to configure server2 as the single always-on host:

1. Install Node.js 22 or newer. Chrome is also needed if staff use the InDesign export.
2. Run the process under a service account with read access to the app and Project Images, and read/write access to data. Grant staff access to the web app through sign-in; avoid broad direct write access to the project files.
3. Configure these environment variables for the service account: MICROSOFT_TENANT_ID, MICROSOFT_CLIENT_ID, MICROSOFT_CLIENT_SECRET, MICROSOFT_REDIRECT_URI, and PROPOSAL_BOT_ALLOWED_EMAILS. Use a dedicated Microsoft Entra app registration if one does not already exist for Proposal Bot. Register the final callback as https://<office-hostname>/auth/microsoft/callback; the value of MICROSOFT_REDIRECT_URI must match it exactly. Copy host-config.example.ps1 to a private local path such as C:\ProgramData\ProposalBot\host-config.ps1, fill in its values, and restrict that file to the service account and IT admins. Do not put the completed file on the share.
4. Publish the service through an HTTPS endpoint (for example, an IIS reverse proxy on server2) that forwards to http://127.0.0.1:4181. If the proxy runs on server2, IT may bind the Node process to loopback instead of all interfaces. The browser-facing URL must use HTTPS for Microsoft sign-in.
5. Have the service account run the private host-config.ps1 at startup using a managed Windows service or scheduled task with automatic restart. The task command can be powershell.exe -NoProfile -File "C:\ProgramData\ProposalBot\host-config.ps1". This wrapper invokes start-proposal-bot-host.ps1, which reads the app and project files from the share, requires sign-in settings, and starts the Node process. Only one host process should use data at a time.

The health check is /api/health. The Drafts Refresh button loads coworkers' newly saved projects, and the list also refreshes when the browser regains focus. If two people edit the same project, the later save is rejected rather than silently overwriting the first. Back up data regularly. Personal template and preset preferences still live in each person's browser; saved project records do not.

The current per-project save limit is 100 MB. The largest migrated project is about 47 MB; watch the folder's available space as more images are added.

Local development

Stop an older Proposal Bot process, then run node server.js or double-click start-proposal-bot.bat from the local development folder. Open http://127.0.0.1:4181/. By default, local development uses its own data and Project Images folders. Do not run multiple local copies against the office data folder.

The optional Dockerfile and compose.yaml can host a separate Proposal Bot service on another machine. Their bind mounts must point to folders that machine can access. They do not require Project Hub.