feat(app-shell): distinguish writable system objects from engine-owned in badge + empty-state (ADR-0103 / #3220) (#2705)

The framework split the overloaded managedBy:'system' bucket (ADR-0103): several
system objects are admin/user-writable data (Notification Preferences /
Subscriptions / Templates, delegated RBAC assignments, user preferences) and
declare userActions opening their writes. The Console already rendered the
New/Edit/Delete buttons for these (the affordance mirrors honour userActions),
but the badge/empty-state copy still called every system object a "read-only
monitoring surface".

- ManagedByBadge accepts userActions and renders a "Platform schema —
  admin-writable" variant when a system object opens any write.
- resolveManagedByEmptyState returns undefined for a writable system object
  (userActions.create) so the generic empty state with the New button shows.
- New managedByBadge.systemWritable.* strings (en + zh; others fall back to en).

Copy/UX only — no behavioural change. Paired with framework #3315.


Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01Fp9yZxRQ3mb7p4vVwqFXKE

Co-authored-by: Claude <noreply@anthropic.com>

Author: os-zhuang

.changeset/managedby-writable-system-copy.md

@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+---
+"@object-ui/app-shell": patch
+"@object-ui/i18n": patch
+---
+
+**Distinguish writable `system` objects from engine-owned ones in the Console (framework ADR-0103 / #3220).** The framework split the overloaded `managedBy: 'system'` bucket: engine-owned rows stay read-only, but several `system` objects are admin/user-writable *data* (Notification Preferences/Subscriptions/Templates, delegated RBAC assignments, user preferences) and declare `userActions` opening their writes.
+
+The Console already surfaced the New/Edit/Delete buttons correctly for these (all affordance mirrors honour `userActions`), but the badge and empty-state *copy* still called every `system` object a "read-only monitoring surface". Now:
+
+- **`ManagedByBadge`** takes the object's `userActions` and, when a `system` object opens any write, renders the "Platform schema — admin-writable" variant instead of the engine-owned copy.
+- **`resolveManagedByEmptyState`** returns `undefined` for a `system` object whose `userActions.create` is set, so the generic empty state (with the New button) shows instead of "entries appear automatically".
+- New `managedByBadge.systemWritable.*` strings (en + zh; other locales fall back to the English default).
+
+Copy/UX only — no behavioural change to what a user can do.

packages/app-shell/src/components/ManagedByBadge.tsx

@@ -23,11 +23,14 @@ import { useObjectTranslation } from '@object-ui/i18n';
  *     engine", "audit / monitoring surface") to every end user and repeated
  *     itself on three pages (list + detail + form) for the same record.
  *
- * The badge follows the same five-bucket taxonomy declared by
+ * The badge follows the same taxonomy declared by
  * `@objectstack/spec/data/object.zod.ts` → `ObjectSchemaBase.managedBy`:
  *   - `platform`     — User-owned business data. **Renders nothing.**
  *   - `config`       — Admin-authored configuration.
- *   - `system`       — Engine-managed runtime rows.
+ *   - `system`       — Engine-managed runtime rows (default) — but a `system`
+ *                      object that opens writes via `userActions` (ADR-0103) is
+ *                      platform-defined, admin/user-writable DATA and gets the
+ *                      distinct writable-system copy instead.
  *   - `append-only`  — Immutable audit log.
  *   - `better-auth`  — Identity tables owned by better-auth driver.
  *
@@ -42,9 +45,31 @@ import { useObjectTranslation } from '@object-ui/i18n';
 
 type Bucket = 'platform' | 'config' | 'system' | 'append-only' | 'better-auth';
 
+/**
+ * Subset of `userActions` (ADR-0103) the badge needs to tell an engine-owned
+ * `system` object apart from an admin/user-writable one. Mirrors the server's
+ * `resolveCrudAffordances` inputs; `edit`/`delete` accept the #2614 object form.
+ */
+export interface ManagedByUserActions {
+  create?: boolean;
+  edit?: boolean | { enabled?: boolean };
+  delete?: boolean | { enabled?: boolean };
+}
+
+/** True only when a userActions flag (bare boolean or object form) opts the write in. */
+function isWriteOptedIn(v: boolean | { enabled?: boolean } | undefined | null): boolean {
+  return v === true || (typeof v === 'object' && v !== null && v.enabled === true);
+}
+
 export interface ManagedByBadgeProps {
   /** The `managedBy` flag from the object schema. */
   managedBy?: string;
+  /**
+   * The object's `userActions` (ADR-0103). When a `system`-bucket object opens
+   * any write here, the badge switches from the engine-owned "read-only
+   * monitoring surface" copy to the admin/user-writable variant.
+   */
+  userActions?: ManagedByUserActions | null;
   /** Optional override for the human-readable system name shown in the tooltip. */
   label?: string;
   /** Optional extra classes. */
@@ -63,7 +88,10 @@ interface Variant {
   tone: string;
 }
 
-const VARIANTS: Record<Exclude<Bucket, 'platform'>, Variant> = {
+/** Variant keys: the non-platform buckets plus the ADR-0103 writable-system split. */
+type VariantKey = Exclude<Bucket, 'platform'> | 'system-writable';
+
+const VARIANTS: Record<VariantKey, Variant> = {
   config: {
     icon: Settings2,
     i18nKey: 'config',
@@ -82,6 +110,20 @@ const VARIANTS: Record<Exclude<Bucket, 'platform'>, Variant> = {
       'Rows here are created automatically when actions run on the source record. The list below is a read-only monitoring surface — row-level actions (Approve, Recall, Resend, …) live on each row.',
     tone: 'border-slate-300/60 bg-slate-50 text-slate-900 hover:bg-slate-100 dark:border-slate-500/40 dark:bg-slate-950/40 dark:text-slate-100',
   },
+  // ADR-0103 — a `system`-bucket object that opened writes via `userActions`:
+  // platform-defined schema, but admin/user-writable DATA (e.g. Notification
+  // Preferences, delegated RBAC assignments). Resolved in the component when the
+  // bucket is `system` and any write is opted in, so the copy no longer claims a
+  // "read-only monitoring surface".
+  'system-writable': {
+    icon: Settings2,
+    i18nKey: 'systemWritable',
+    short: 'Platform schema',
+    title: 'Platform-defined, admin-writable',
+    body: () =>
+      "This object's schema is defined by the platform, but its rows are yours to create and edit here. Who may write is governed by delegated administration and record-level security, not by this badge.",
+    tone: 'border-slate-300/60 bg-slate-50 text-slate-900 hover:bg-slate-100 dark:border-slate-500/40 dark:bg-slate-950/40 dark:text-slate-100',
+  },
   'append-only': {
     icon: Archive,
     i18nKey: 'appendOnly',
@@ -102,10 +144,17 @@ const VARIANTS: Record<Exclude<Bucket, 'platform'>, Variant> = {
   },
 };
 
-export function ManagedByBadge({ managedBy, label, className }: ManagedByBadgeProps) {
+export function ManagedByBadge({ managedBy, userActions, label, className }: ManagedByBadgeProps) {
   const { t } = useObjectTranslation();
   if (!managedBy || managedBy === 'platform') return null;
-  const variant = VARIANTS[managedBy as Exclude<Bucket, 'platform'>];
+  // ADR-0103 — a `system` object that opened any write is admin/user-writable
+  // data, not an engine-owned monitoring surface: pick the writable variant/copy.
+  const ua = userActions ?? undefined;
+  const systemWritable =
+    managedBy === 'system' &&
+    (ua?.create === true || isWriteOptedIn(ua?.edit) || isWriteOptedIn(ua?.delete));
+  const variantKey: VariantKey = systemWritable ? 'system-writable' : (managedBy as VariantKey);
+  const variant = VARIANTS[variantKey];
   if (!variant) return null;
   const Icon = variant.icon;
   const display = label ?? 'better-auth';

packages/app-shell/src/utils/__tests__/managedByEmptyState.test.ts

@@ -20,6 +20,19 @@ describe('resolveManagedByEmptyState', () => {
     expect(resolveManagedByEmptyState('append-only', t)?.title).toBe('No events recorded');
   });
 
+  // ADR-0103 — a `system` object that opened creation (writable set: Notification
+  // Preferences, delegated RBAC assignments, …) is admin/user-writable data. The
+  // "entries appear automatically" copy would be wrong, so the helper returns
+  // undefined and the caller falls back to the generic empty state (New button).
+  it('returns undefined for a system object whose userActions opened creation', () => {
+    expect(resolveManagedByEmptyState('system', t, 'sys_notification_preference', { create: true })).toBeUndefined();
+    // A system object that did NOT open creation stays engine-owned.
+    expect(resolveManagedByEmptyState('system', t, 'sys_automation_run', {})?.title).toBe('Nothing here yet');
+    expect(resolveManagedByEmptyState('system', t, 'sys_automation_run', undefined)?.title).toBe('Nothing here yet');
+    // append-only is unaffected by userActions.create (audit logs stay locked).
+    expect(resolveManagedByEmptyState('append-only', t, 'sys_audit_log', { create: true })?.title).toBe('No events recorded');
+  });
+
   it('gives sys_user an actionable empty state (org invite + SSO JIT, end-users)', () => {
     const es = resolveManagedByEmptyState('better-auth', t, 'sys_user');
     expect(es?.title).toBe('No users yet');

packages/app-shell/src/utils/managedByEmptyState.ts

@@ -34,13 +34,24 @@ export interface ManagedByEmptyState {
  */
 type TranslateFn = (key: string, options?: Record<string, unknown>) => string;
 
+/** Subset of `userActions` (ADR-0103) that opens generic creation. */
+interface EmptyStateUserActions {
+  create?: boolean;
+}
+
 export function resolveManagedByEmptyState(
   managedBy: string | undefined | null,
   t: TranslateFn,
   objectName?: string | null,
+  userActions?: EmptyStateUserActions | null,
 ): ManagedByEmptyState | undefined {
   switch (managedBy) {
     case 'system':
+      // ADR-0103 — a `system` object that opened creation is admin/user-writable
+      // data (e.g. Notification Preferences). The "entries appear automatically"
+      // copy would be wrong; fall back to the generic empty state (which surfaces
+      // the New button) by returning undefined.
+      if (userActions?.create === true) return undefined;
       return {
         icon: 'Lock',
         title: t('list.managedBy.system.title', { defaultValue: 'Nothing here yet' }),

packages/app-shell/src/views/ObjectView.tsx

@@ -1389,7 +1389,7 @@ function ObjectViewInner({ dataSource, objects, onEdit, externalRefreshKey }: an
                     viewDef.name || viewDef.id || '',
                     viewDef.emptyState
                         ?? listSchema.emptyState
-                        ?? resolveManagedByEmptyState((objectDef as any)?.managedBy, t, objectDef.name),
+                        ?? resolveManagedByEmptyState((objectDef as any)?.managedBy, t, objectDef.name, (objectDef as any)?.userActions),
                 ),
             aria: viewDef.aria ?? listSchema.aria,
             // Propagate filter/sort as default filters/sort for data flow
@@ -1617,7 +1617,7 @@ function ObjectViewInner({ dataSource, objects, onEdit, externalRefreshKey }: an
                  title={
                    <span className="inline-flex items-center gap-2">
                      <span className="truncate">{objectLabel(objectDef)}</span>
-                     <ManagedByBadge managedBy={(objectDef as any)?.managedBy} />
+                     <ManagedByBadge managedBy={(objectDef as any)?.managedBy} userActions={(objectDef as any)?.userActions} />
                    </span>
                  }
                  description={objectDef.description ? objectDesc(objectDef) : undefined}

packages/app-shell/src/views/RecordDetailView.tsx

@@ -1829,7 +1829,7 @@ export function RecordDetailView({ dataSource, objects, onEdit, objectNameOverri
         {recordPresence.length > 0 && (
           <PresenceAvatars users={recordPresence} size="sm" maxVisible={3} showStatus />
         )}
-        <ManagedByBadge managedBy={(objectDef as any)?.managedBy} />
+        <ManagedByBadge managedBy={(objectDef as any)?.managedBy} userActions={(objectDef as any)?.userActions} />
       </div>
 
       <RecordContextProvider

packages/app-shell/src/views/RecordFormPage.tsx

@@ -293,6 +293,7 @@ export function RecordFormPage({ mode }: RecordFormPageProps) {
                 buckets via ObjectForm's own readOnly resolution. */}
             <ManagedByBadge
               managedBy={(objectDef as any)?.managedBy}
+              userActions={(objectDef as any)?.userActions}
               className="ml-1"
             />
           </nav>

packages/i18n/src/locales/en.ts

@@ -391,6 +391,11 @@ const en = {
       title: 'Managed by the platform',
       body: 'Rows here are created automatically when actions run on the source record. The list below is a read-only monitoring surface — row-level actions (Approve, Recall, Resend, …) live on each row.',
     },
+    systemWritable: {
+      short: 'Platform schema',
+      title: 'Platform-defined, admin-writable',
+      body: "This object's schema is defined by the platform, but its rows are yours to create and edit here. Who may write is governed by delegated administration and record-level security, not by this badge.",
+    },
     appendOnly: {
       short: 'Read-only · Audit log',
       title: 'Read-only historical record',

packages/i18n/src/locales/zh.ts

@@ -467,6 +467,11 @@ const zh = {
       title: '由平台管理',
       body: '当源记录上的操作运行时,这里的行会自动创建。下方列表是只读监控界面——行级操作(批准、撤回、重发等)在每一行上。',
     },
+    systemWritable: {
+      short: '平台架构',
+      title: '平台定义,管理员可写',
+      body: '此对象的架构由平台定义,但其数据行可在此处创建和编辑。谁可以写入由委派管理和记录级安全控制,而非此标记。',
+    },
     appendOnly: {
       short: '只读 · 审计日志',
       title: '只读历史记录',