feat(seo): reconcile URLs and author page-one redirects

www/reports/SESSION_HANDOFF.md

@@ -3,10 +3,10 @@
 **Last updated:** October 10, 2026 (UTC)
 **Repository:** `AIAMarketing/azinstitute4autism.com`  
 **Working branch:** `faithful-astro-migration`  
-**Last accepted implementation:** Phase 6B.3 — Author Archives and Linked Bylines
-**Verified pre-commit parent:** `0957c06a18726a01531f5b46a1d74bc67aa58f60`
+**Last accepted implementation:** Phase 6B.4 — URL and SEO Reconciliation
+**Verified pre-commit parent:** `8646792d46a8a117ef617f5dd2582c2550b45d19`
 **Implementation checkpoint:** the commit containing this handoff update; obtain its actual SHA from Git history
-**Next planned milestone:** Phase 6B.4 — URL and SEO Reconciliation
+**Next planned milestone:** Phase 6B.5 — Multilingual, RTL, Accessibility, and Performance Acceptance
 
 > This is a short, continually updated orientation document, not a replacement for
 > the code, accepted project instructions, or detailed migration evidence.
@@ -39,43 +39,37 @@
   containing this handoff, with pre-commit parent
   `0957c06a18726a01531f5b46a1d74bc67aa58f60`.** The file intentionally does
   not invent the containing commit's SHA; verify it from Git history.
+- **Phase 6B.4 URL and SEO reconciliation: accepted in the checkpoint containing
+  this handoff, with pre-commit parent
+  `8646792d46a8a117ef617f5dd2582c2550b45d19`.** The file intentionally does
+  not invent the containing commit's SHA; verify it from Git history.
 
 Other earlier milestones and acceptance details are recorded in
 `www/reports/migration-summary.md`. Keep phase checkpoints separate.
 
-### Phase 6B.3 accepted behavior
+### Phase 6B.4 accepted behavior
 
-- **65 eligible Library posts:** 46 English, 12 Spanish, seven Arabic.
-  Author archive pagination is 10/10/10/10/6 English, 10/2 Spanish, and seven
-  Arabic, producing eight routes without a fabricated English page 6.
-- Generated author routes are English `/library/author/rula-diab` plus pages
-  2–5, Spanish `/es/library/author/rula-diab` plus page 2, and Arabic
-  `/ar/library/author/rula-diab`.
-- Exact locale/slug author resolution now supplies archives, Library cards,
-  full-post bylines, catalog metadata, and BlogPosting identity. Published
-  localized headings and biographies are stored in the author collection; the
-  verified 755-pixel portrait is self-hosted. Underlying Person identity stays
-  separate from credentialed presentation text and from Team membership.
-- Archive bylines link to the correct locale route. Author archives remain
-  self-canonical, `noindex,follow`, sitemap-excluded, and hreflang-excluded in
-  indexing-enabled builds. Existing Library roots, search, pagination,
-  syndicated exceptions, and article schema remain intact.
-- Automated acceptance: 31 Library, 34 SEO, 33 publication, and 20 Markdown
-  tests; 39 headless Chromium checks; clean route/link/image/blog audits; 110
-  HTML routes, 97 indexing-enabled sitemap URLs, and 174 hreflang links across
-  53 routes. The final staging build has all 110 pages `noindex,nofollow`, an
-  empty sitemap, and no hreflang.
-- The user separately completed the Phase 6B.3 manual browser checklist for all
-  three languages, first/final pages, biography/portrait, bylines, mobile, RTL,
-  keyboard focus, and existing Library behavior. No screen-reader test,
-  professional language approval, or organizational credential verification
-  is claimed.
-- Spanish and Arabic biographies/headings remain ready for human language
-  review; public biographical, credential, role, and employment claims remain
-  ready for organizational review if required.
-- Phase 6B.2's three Library `/page/1` redirect definitions remain repository
-  artifacts only. They have not been activated on deployed staging or
-  production hosts.
+- The repository contains nine validated 301 definitions: three legacy service
+  aliases, three Library `/page/1` aliases, and three author `/page/1` aliases.
+  An isolated nginx instance verified every destination and final target. None
+  has been activated on a deployed host.
+- Schema-2 offline reconciliation records 133 route/query dispositions using
+  70 previously saved production requests. It distinguishes inherited public
+  observations, current generated output, and repository-only redirects.
+- The publication baseline remains 110 generated HTML routes, eight author
+  routes, 97 indexing-enabled sitemap URLs, and 174 hreflang links on 53
+  routes. Canonical, robots, sitemap, translation, syndicated-article, and
+  structured-data policies remain unchanged.
+- Automated acceptance includes zero Astro diagnostics; 33 Library, 34 SEO,
+  33 publication, 20 Markdown, and 10 route tests; both build modes; clean
+  route/link/image/blog audits; isolated nginx checks; and representative
+  desktop/mobile headless Chromium checks. The final staging build has all 110
+  pages `noindex,nofollow`, an empty sitemap, and no hreflang.
+- The user's staging inspection found five representative no-slash URLs
+  redirecting to slash forms. `/search` also showed an HTTPS-to-HTTP-to-HTTPS
+  chain. The user accepted deferral of this temporary Docker/nginx behavior;
+  correct slashless serving and redirect activation must be separately
+  implemented and verified on the eventual Contabo VPS before cutover.
 - No production deployment or cutover has been authorized.
 
 ## Ratified Library rules to retain
@@ -99,13 +93,14 @@ Other earlier milestones and acceptance details are recorded in
 - Do not manufacture missing content or redirect distinct later pagination
   pages to earlier pages.
 
-## Next: Phase 6B.4 — URL and SEO Reconciliation
+## Next: Phase 6B.5 — Multilingual, RTL, Accessibility, and Performance Acceptance
 
-Prepare a bounded, separately reviewed Phase 6B.4 kickoff from the latest
-committed source. Reconcile URL, canonical, sitemap, and redirect behavior,
-including the three author `/page/1` aliases. Do not activate repository
-redirects on deployed hosts without a separate approval gate. Phase 6B.5 then
-handles multilingual, RTL, accessibility, and performance acceptance.
+Address the three accepted multilingual defects through a bounded, separately
+reviewed milestone: Arabic footer contact direction; the high-priority
+author-archive language selector; and locale-appropriate desktop, mobile, and
+footer destinations. Visitor navigation may use explicitly validated locale
+counterparts while author SEO hreflang remains disabled unless separately
+approved.
 
 ## Outstanding blockers and subsequent milestones
 
@@ -113,9 +108,11 @@ handles multilingual, RTL, accessibility, and performance acceptance.
    source before `/library/page/6` and
    `/library/author/rula-diab/page/6` can be accepted for cutover.
    Do not generate empty substitutes or misleading redirects.
-2. **Phase 6B.4:** Complete URL, canonical, sitemap, and redirect reconciliation,
-   including author first-page aliases; host activation requires separate
-   approval.
+2. **Hosting gate:** The repository's nine redirects are not active on deployed
+   hosts. The eventual Contabo nginx configuration must eliminate the observed
+   trailing-slash and HTTPS-to-HTTP chain, preserve queries and locales,
+   implement approved aliases, and verify real HTTP 301/404 behavior before
+   cutover.
 3. **Phase 6B.5:** Multilingual, RTL, accessibility, and performance acceptance.
    This includes human review of Spanish/Arabic content and three newly observed
    defects: Arabic footer contact direction, an apparently unresponsive Arabic
@@ -125,14 +122,19 @@ handles multilingual, RTL, accessibility, and performance acceptance.
    but those are hypotheses requiring targeted verification. Visitor language
    navigation may use explicitly validated published counterparts without
    enabling author hreflang, indexing, or sitemap participation.
-4. **Later phases:** Other content and language reconciliation (including
+   Spanish and Arabic operational text and author biographies still require
+   human language review; public author claims may require organizational
+   approval.
+4. **Author SEO decision:** Author archive indexing, sitemap participation, and
+   hreflang remain deferred human-decision gates.
+5. **Later phases:** Other content and language reconciliation (including
    missing Spanish privacy content), visual/accessibility review, operational
    integration decisions, and cutover.
-5. Site remains primarily live on HubSpot; production-origin freshness is not
+6. Site remains primarily live on HubSpot; production-origin freshness is not
    proved by cached prerender responses. Stage locally or at
    `aia.web3app.dev` without activating production forms, analytics,
    advertising tags, or new PHI flows.
-6. AIA general ABA ages are **18 months through 8 years**; narrower programs
+7. AIA general ABA ages are **18 months through 8 years**; narrower programs
    have their own eligibility and should not be conflated.
 
 ## Working protocol and handoff maintenance