# Pokémon ROM Hacks

Curated knowledge base + tooling for the Pokémon ROM-hack collection in the
valhalla homelab library. **Spun off from the `homelabstack` repo on 2026-06-06**
to keep that repo focused on infrastructure.

The ROM-hacks themselves live on **valhalla** under the EmuDeck/RomM tree at
`/storage1/Emulation/roms/<platform>/Hacks/` and are served by the RomM stack
(`roms.ginnoir.com`) — that deployment stays in `homelabstack` (`stacks/roms/`).
This repo is the *catalog + pipeline*, not the ROMs.

## Layout

| Path | What |
|---|---|
| `pokemon-romhack-vault/` | Obsidian vault — one note per hack (75), plus Index/Types/Platform MOCs. Open this folder as an Obsidian vault. **Generated** by `scripts/build-romhack-vault.py`. |
| `pokemon-romhacks-wanted.md` | Manual-acquisition list — worthwhile hacks gated behind Discord/hackdex/Drive that can't be auto-fetched. |
| `scripts/build-romhack-vault.py` | Regenerates `pokemon-romhack-vault/` from the in-script `HACKS` dataset. Edit the dataset, re-run. |
| `scripts/romhack-import.py` | Import a drop folder of mixed ROMs/patches/docs into the valhalla library (validate, clean-name, apply patches, archive). Runs on valhalla. |
| `scripts/romhack-fetch.py` | Acquire + patch + place worthwhile hacks from direct (non-gated) sources. Manifest-driven. Runs on valhalla. |
| `scripts/romhack-apply.py` | Apply a single IPS/BPS/UPS patch to a base ROM with checksum verification. |
| `drop/` | **gitignored** staging area (~1.3 GB) of ROM/patch binaries pending import. Never committed. |

## Regenerating the vault

```
python scripts/build-romhack-vault.py
```

Writes the vault to `pokemon-romhack-vault/` (the output path is resolved relative
to `scripts/`, so keep `scripts/` a sibling of the vault dir). The in-script
`HACKS` dataset is the single source of truth — add a row and re-run to add a hack.

### Vault schema

Each hack note carries Obsidian **properties** (`platform`, `base`, `version`,
`status`, `type`, `generation`, `source`) so the Dataview/Bases plugins work, and
**tags** (`#platform/gba`, `#type/difficulty`, `#status/complete`, `#base/firered`)
so search/graph work with zero plugins. `library_path` points at the file under
`roms/<platform>/Hacks/` on valhalla.

## Live Obsidian vault

A richer working copy of this catalog lives in ginnoir's self-hosted Obsidian
vault (CouchDB / obsidian-livesync, `obsidian.ginnoir.com`) under
**`Pokémon ROM Hacks/`**:

```
Pokémon ROM Hacks/
  _Claude.md     — ROM-hack vault ops: schema, update patterns, new-hack checklist
  Index.md       — all 75 hacks (Dataview + static)
  Play Queue.md  — play-tracking dashboard
  Hacks/         — 75 notes, one per hack
  Bases/         — per-base MOCs (FireRed / Emerald / Crystal / Ruby / NDS)
  Platforms/     — per-system MOCs (GBA / GBC / GB / NDS)
```

Access it via the Obsidian MCP (`mcp__obsidian__*`). The CouchDB sync stack
itself is deployed from `homelabstack` (`stacks/notes/`).

## Acquisition policy

Pre-3DS handhelds (gb/gbc/gba/nds) + pre-Wii consoles. Direct, non-anti-bot
sources only for auto-fetch; gated hacks go in `pokemon-romhacks-wanted.md` for
manual hand-off. No offensive/"shitpost" content (e.g. Clover excluded).