chore: add changelog generation workflow and initial changelog files

.github/workflows/changelog.yml

@@ -0,0 +1,57 @@
+name: changelog
+
+# Rebuilds CHANGELOG.md with git-cliff (config: cliff.toml) and opens a PR into
+# dev with the result. dev and main only change through PRs, so the workflow
+# can't push to them.
+#
+# Runs when a release or hotfix PR is merged into main (by then
+# `Nova.ps1 publish` has tagged the release as nova/<tag>), or by hand from the
+# Actions tab. Uses the CHANGELOG_TOKEN secret if it exists (a fine-grained
+# token or GitHub App token with contents + pull-requests write), so the PR's
+# CI checks run; without it, the PR is opened with the built-in token and a
+# lead merges it without waiting for checks.
+
+on:
+  push:
+    branches: [main]
+  workflow_dispatch:
+
+permissions:
+  contents: write
+  pull-requests: write
+
+concurrency:
+  group: changelog
+  cancel-in-progress: false
+
+jobs:
+  changelog:
+    name: changelog
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v5
+        with:
+          ref: dev
+          fetch-depth: 0
+
+      - name: Generate CHANGELOG.md
+        uses: orhun/git-cliff-action@v4
+        with:
+          config: cliff.toml
+          args: --verbose
+        env:
+          OUTPUT: CHANGELOG.md
+
+      - name: Open or update the changelog PR
+        uses: peter-evans/create-pull-request@v7
+        with:
+          token: ${{ secrets.CHANGELOG_TOKEN || github.token }}
+          base: dev
+          branch: chore/update-changelog
+          add-paths: CHANGELOG.md
+          commit-message: 'docs(changelog): update changelog'
+          title: 'docs(changelog): update changelog'
+          body: |
+            Regenerated by the `changelog` workflow with git-cliff after a release.
+            Only `CHANGELOG.md` changes. Merge with **Squash and merge**.
+          delete-branch: true

CHANGELOG.md

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+# Changelog
+
+What changed in this repo in each Nova release, newest first.
+
+> [!NOTE]
+> This file is **generated** by [git-cliff](https://git-cliff.org) from the PR
+> titles merged into `dev`, by the `changelog` GitHub Actions workflow. Don't
+> edit it by hand: change `cliff.toml` instead. Each release's test, notes and
+> the other repos' versions are on the
+> [Nova-Collected releases page](https://github.com/UTATRocketry/Nova-Collected/releases).
+

README.md

@@ -1,35 +1,86 @@
-# NovaOps — Frontend
+# NovaOps Frontend
 
-Next.js + Chakra UI v3 ground control station.
+The operator UI for the Nova ground station: live engine and flight-computer
+data, the interactive P&ID, configuration and analysis tools, in any browser.
+Built with Next.js, React and Chakra UI v3. It talks only to the
+[NovaOps backend](https://github.com/UTATRocketry/novaOps-back), which checks
+every command before anything moves.
 
-## Set up
+> [!IMPORTANT]
+> This is a control surface. "No data" always renders as "—", never a made-up
+> `0`, so an operator can tell stale from zero. Keep it that way
+> ([style guide](https://github.com/UTATRocketry/Nova-Collected/blob/main/docs/development/style.md#typescript-and-react-frontend)).
+
+## Repo structure
+
+```
+src/
+├── app/            pages: engine, flight, devices, console, config, tools, settings
+├── components/     primitives/ (shared), shell/ (app frame), and one folder per page
+├── hooks/          data hooks (React Query, store)
+└── lib/            no-React logic: api/ (REST), ws/ (WebSocket), store/, theme/, ...
+public/             fonts, logos
+tools/              backend_API.http: sample requests for the backend
+```
+
+Where new code goes: [organization guide](https://github.com/UTATRocketry/Nova-Collected/blob/main/docs/development/organization.md#novaops-front-frontend).
+
+## Getting started
+
+### Set up
+
+Node.js 20+, and a running backend (see the backend's README).
 
 ```bash
 npm install
-cp .env.example .env.local   # point at your backend
-npm run build
+cp .env.example .env.local
 ```
 
-## Run It
+`.env.local` points at the backend. When the UI and backend share a host, the
+URLs can be left unset; they're derived from the page's address.
+
+| Variable | Default in `.env.example` |
+|---|---|
+| `NEXT_PUBLIC_NOVA_API_BASE_URL` | `http://localhost:8000` |
+| `NEXT_PUBLIC_NOVA_WS_BASE_URL` | `ws://localhost:8000` |
+| `NEXT_PUBLIC_NOVA_FAKE_SIGNAL` | `0` (dev only: fake signal strength) |
+
+### Run
+
+```bash
+npm run dev          # development, http://localhost:3000
+npm run build && npm run start   # production
 ```
-# for development
-npm run dev                  # http://localhost:3000
 
-# for production
-npm run start
+Check a change the way CI does:
+
+```bash
+npm run typecheck
+npm run build
 ```
 
+> [!NOTE]
+> On the ground station the UI runs as a Windows service managed by
+> Nova-Collected's `ops/Nova.ps1`.
+
+### Troubleshoot
+
+| Symptom | Fix |
+|---|---|
+| Every value shows "—" | The backend isn't reachable, or nothing is publishing. Check `.env.local` and that the backend and a simulator are running |
+| `npm run build` fails fetching fonts | The build downloads Inter and JetBrains Mono from Google Fonts; it needs internet |
+| `npm run lint` hangs | There's no ESLint config yet, so it waits for input. Don't run it in scripts |
+| Commands do nothing | Your session is a `viewer`. Take a role in Settings |
 
-`npm run typecheck` and `npm run build` both pass. (In a sandbox without
-network access to Google Fonts the build can't fetch Inter/JetBrains Mono;
-on a normal machine this works.)
+More: [Nova SUPPORT.md](https://github.com/UTATRocketry/Nova-Collected/blob/main/SUPPORT.md).
 
-## Notes / decisions baked in
+## More information
 
-- Color mode: dark is the default (bunker/night operation).
-- Chrome colours (`chrome.*`) are fixed dark and do NOT follow color mode —
-  this is what keeps the nav rail and top bar dark in light mode.
-- All "no data" states render an explicit dash, never a fabricated `0` —
-  important for a control surface (see the resilience section of the plan).
-- Icons use the Material Symbols variable font; weight/fill is centralized in
-  `Icon.tsx`.
+| To... | Read |
+|---|---|
+| Use the UI as an operator | [Operator guide](https://github.com/UTATRocketry/Nova-Collected/blob/main/docs/user-guides/operator-guide.md) |
+| Look up the backend API | [Backend API](https://github.com/UTATRocketry/Nova-Collected/blob/main/docs/api/backend-api.md), or `/docs` on a running backend |
+| Follow code style | [Style guide](https://github.com/UTATRocketry/Nova-Collected/blob/main/docs/development/style.md) |
+| See what changed in each release | [CHANGELOG.md](CHANGELOG.md) |
+| Contribute | [CONTRIBUTING.md](CONTRIBUTING.md) |
+| See the whole system | [Nova-Collected](https://github.com/UTATRocketry/Nova-Collected) |

cliff.toml

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+# git-cliff config: builds CHANGELOG.md from this repo's history.
+# Run by .github/workflows/changelog.yml whenever a release reaches main.
+# Docs: https://git-cliff.org/docs/configuration
+#
+# Versions are Nova releases. `Nova.ps1 publish` tags every commit a release
+# pins as nova/<release>, e.g. nova/v2026.10.04, and each section lists the
+# PRs merged into dev since the previous release. PR titles are squash-merged
+# into dev, so they follow Conventional Commits (CONTRIBUTING.md section 6).
+
+[changelog]
+header = """
+# Changelog
+
+What changed in this repo in each Nova release, newest first.
+
+> [!NOTE]
+> This file is **generated** by [git-cliff](https://git-cliff.org) from the PR
+> titles merged into `dev`, by the `changelog` GitHub Actions workflow. Don't
+> edit it by hand: change `cliff.toml` instead. Each release's test, notes and
+> the other repos' versions are on the
+> [Nova-Collected releases page](https://github.com/UTATRocketry/Nova-Collected/releases).
+"""
+body = """
+{% if version %}\
+{% set release = version | trim_start_matches(pat="nova/") %}\
+## [{{ release }}](https://github.com/UTATRocketry/Nova-Collected/releases/tag/{{ release }}) - {{ timestamp | date(format="%Y-%m-%d") }}
+{% for group, commits in commits | group_by(attribute="group") %}
+### {{ group | striptags | trim }}
+{% for commit in commits %}
+- {% if commit.scope %}**{{ commit.scope }}:** {% endif %}\
+{% if commit.breaking %}**BREAKING** {% endif %}\
+{{ commit.message | split(pat="\n") | first | trim }}\
+{% endfor %}
+{% endfor %}
+{% endif %}\
+"""
+trim = false
+
+[git]
+conventional_commits = true
+filter_unconventional = true
+filter_commits = true
+split_commits = false
+protect_breaking_commits = true
+tag_pattern = "^nova/v[0-9]{4}\\.[0-9]{2}\\.[0-9]{2}(\\.[0-9]+)?$"
+sort_commits = "oldest"
+commit_parsers = [
+  # The changelog workflow's own PRs.
+  { message = "^docs\\(changelog\\)", skip = true },
+  { message = "^feat", group = "<!-- 1 -->Features" },
+  { message = "^fix", group = "<!-- 2 -->Fixes" },
+  { message = "^refactor", group = "<!-- 3 -->Refactoring" },
+  { message = "^docs", group = "<!-- 4 -->Documentation" },
+  { message = "^test", group = "<!-- 5 -->Tests" },
+  { message = "^chore", group = "<!-- 6 -->Chores" },
+]