data model

Data model — where OpenStation keeps its data

Everything the plugin persists, and how the pieces relate: eight plugin-owned tables, two custom post types, and a set of keys in WordPress's own meta and options tables — plus the caches, the upload directories and the cron hooks around them. Read this before adding a store, renaming a key, or asking "where does X live?".

The inventory is taken from the code under includes/ and apps/, not from memory. When the code and this page disagree, the code wins and this page has a bug.

Which store for which data

Data	Store	Why there
Desktop tiles, folders, uploaded files, shares, game scores and challenges	Plugin-owned tables ({$wpdb->prefix}desktop_mode_*)	Relational, high-cardinality, queried by owner / parent / state. Serialised blobs in options or meta would not index.
Agent conversations, sticky notes	Custom post types in wp_posts	They are content: authorship, capabilities and deletion with their author come from Core. Both types are private (no admin UI, no Core REST, no revisions) and are served by their own REST routes; notes go to the trash, conversations are deleted outright.
AI agents	Rows in wp_users	Authorship and capabilities come from Core; the profile lives in user meta.
Per-user preferences, session, opt-in, play time	wp_usermeta	Follows the user; get_user_meta() is cached per request.
Site-wide flags, schema versions, uploaded themes	wp_options	One value per site; the hot ones are autoload = no.
Computed caches (content graph, Woo aggregates, feeds)	Transients	Regenerable; never a source of truth.
Uploaded file bytes, theme ZIP contents	Disk under uploads/	The database holds names and hierarchy; the disk is a dumb blob store.

Every stored name that still reads desktop_mode_* / desktop-mode-* is the pre-rebrand spelling and is frozen: those are tables, options and meta keys holding rows on live installs. Renaming a constant does not migrate anything — it points the code at an empty place. A real rename goes through includes/migrations.php. See AGENTS.md for the full list of frozen values.

Entity–relationship diagrams

Neither diagram shows a MySQL FOREIGN KEY, because there are none — WordPress Core declares none either. Integrity is kept in code: the Files cascade-cleanup hooks, the tombstones table, and the daily prune cron.

Files and sharing

Six tables. file_placements is the desktop itself: one row per tile, with its position and a polymorphic reference (file_type + file_ref) to whatever the tile stands for. Dotted lines are those polymorphic references; solid lines are plain id columns.

erDiagram
    wp_users ||--o{ desktop_mode_stored_files : "owner_id"
    wp_users ||--o{ desktop_mode_folders : "owner_id, trashed_by"
    wp_users ||--o{ desktop_mode_file_placements : "owner_id, trashed_by"
    wp_users ||--o{ desktop_mode_folder_shares : "invited_by"
    wp_users ||--o{ desktop_mode_share_user_decisions : "user_id"
    desktop_mode_folders |o--o{ desktop_mode_file_placements : "parent_id (0 = desktop)"
    desktop_mode_folders |o--o{ desktop_mode_file_placements : "trashed_via_folder"
    desktop_mode_file_placements }o..o| desktop_mode_folders : "file_ref when file_type = folder"
    desktop_mode_file_placements }o..o| desktop_mode_stored_files : "file_ref when file_type = upload"
    desktop_mode_file_placements }o..o| wp_posts : "file_ref when file_type = post / attachment"
    desktop_mode_file_placements }o..o| wp_users : "file_ref when file_type = user"
    desktop_mode_folders ||--o{ desktop_mode_folder_shares : "folder_id when target_type = folder"
    desktop_mode_stored_files ||--o{ desktop_mode_folder_shares : "folder_id when target_type = file"
    desktop_mode_folder_shares ||--o{ desktop_mode_share_user_decisions : "share_id"
    wp_posts }o..o| desktop_mode_stored_files : "_openstation_stored_file_id (attachment created from an upload)"

    desktop_mode_stored_files {
        bigint id PK
        bigint owner_id FK
        varchar display_name
        varchar disk_name "UUID, no extension; bytes on disk"
        bigint size_bytes
        varchar mime
        bigint created_at_ms
        bigint updated_at_ms
    }
    desktop_mode_folders {
        bigint id PK
        bigint owner_id FK
        varchar name
        varchar share_mode "diagnostic only"
        longtext share_meta "diagnostic only"
        bigint updated_at_ms
        bigint trashed_at_ms "NULL = active"
        bigint trashed_by FK
        longtext trashed_meta
    }
    desktop_mode_file_placements {
        bigint id PK
        bigint owner_id FK
        bigint parent_id FK "0 = desktop root"
        varchar file_type "folder, upload, post, attachment, user, shortcut"
        varchar file_ref "id of the referenced row"
        int x
        int y
        int sort_order
        longtext meta
        bigint trashed_at_ms "NULL = active"
        bigint trashed_by FK
        bigint trashed_via_folder FK
        longtext trashed_meta
    }
    desktop_mode_file_tombstones {
        bigint id PK
        varchar kind "post, media, user, agent, chat, comment, drag"
        bigint ref_id "id of the deleted row"
        bigint removed_at_ms
    }
    desktop_mode_folder_shares {
        bigint id PK
        varchar target_type "folder or file"
        bigint folder_id FK "folders.id or stored_files.id"
        varchar principal_type "user or role"
        varchar principal_ref "user id or role slug"
        varchar capability "read or write"
        varchar state "pending, accepted, ..."
        bigint invited_by FK
        bigint invited_at_ms
        bigint decided_at_ms
    }
    desktop_mode_share_user_decisions {
        bigint id PK
        bigint share_id FK
        bigint user_id FK
        varchar state
        bigint decided_at_ms
    }

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file_tombstones has no edges on purpose: it records ids of rows deleted outside the plugin (a post, an attachment, a user, an agent, a chat, a comment) so clients can drop the tiles that pointed at them.

Core tables, agents and games

The two custom post types, the agent rows in wp_users, and the two Games tables.

erDiagram
    wp_users ||--o{ wp_usermeta : "user_id"
    wp_users ||--o{ wp_posts : "post_author"
    wp_posts ||--o{ wp_postmeta : "post_id"
    wp_posts ||--o{ wp_comments : "comment_post_ID"
    wp_comments ||--o{ wp_commentmeta : "comment_id"
    wp_posts }o..o| wp_users : "_desktop_mode_agent_chat_agent_id (chat to its agent)"
    wp_users ||--o{ desktop_mode_game_scores : "user_id"
    wp_users ||--o{ desktop_mode_game_challenges : "challenger_id"
    wp_users ||--o{ desktop_mode_game_challenges : "recipient_id"

    wp_users {
        bigint ID PK
        varchar user_login
        varchar user_email
        varchar display_name "agents: _desktop_mode_agent = 1 in usermeta"
    }
    wp_posts {
        bigint ID PK
        bigint post_author FK
        varchar post_type "desktop_mode_chat, wpd_note, plus Core types"
        varchar post_status
    }
    desktop_mode_game_scores {
        bigint id PK
        varchar game
        bigint user_id FK
        bigint score
        longtext meta
        bigint created_at_ms
    }
    desktop_mode_game_challenges {
        bigint id PK
        varchar game
        bigint challenger_id FK
        bigint recipient_id FK
        bigint score_to_beat
        longtext score_meta
        varchar state "pending, accepted, declined, completed"
        varchar result
        bigint result_score
        longtext result_meta
        bigint created_at_ms
        bigint decided_at_ms
        bigint completed_at_ms
        bigint updated_at_ms "Heartbeat high-water mark"
    }

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Modules and the stores they write

A module per row, a store per column. Read down a column to answer "who writes to options?"; read along a row to see everything a module touches. The sections below name the exact tables and keys.

Module	Own tables	wp_users + usermeta	wp_posts + postmeta	wp_commentmeta	wp_options	Transients	Disk
Files	●	●	●		●		●
Folder sharing	●
Games	●	●			●
Agents		●	●		●	●	●
Notes		●	●		●
Recycle Bin			●	●	●
Presence					●
Preferences and session		●			●
First run		●			●
App Framework Store		●			●
Desktop themes					●		●
Media Library			●		●
AI Copilot				●	●
OAuth relay						●
PWA		●				●
Content changes feed					●
Caches: content graph, Woo, feeds, stats					●	●
Migrations					●

Plugin-owned tables

Six belong to Files (desktop tiles and sharing) and two to Games. All are created on activation and, if missing, lazily on init, admin_init and rest_api_init whenever the schema-version option does not match the constant (includes/desktop-files/schema.php, includes/games/schema.php). Timestamps are epoch milliseconds in BIGINT columns, not DATETIME.

Table	Module	What it holds	Created by
desktop_mode_stored_files	Files	One uploaded file per row. The bytes live at uploads/desktop-mode-files/{owner_id}/{disk_name}; the table is the only source of name, size and MIME.	dbDelta
desktop_mode_folders	Files	Desktop folders. share_mode and share_meta are diagnostic leftovers; visibility is computed from folder_shares.	dbDelta
desktop_mode_file_placements	Files	One row per desktop tile: position (x, y, sort_order), parent folder (0 = desktop root) and what the tile stands for. file_type + file_ref is polymorphic: folder, upload, post, attachment, user, shortcut. The trashed_* columns carry the Recycle Bin.	dbDelta
desktop_mode_file_tombstones	Files	Ids of rows deleted outside the plugin (posts, media, users, agents, chats, comments) so clients drop orphaned tiles.	dbDelta
desktop_mode_folder_shares	Folder sharing	Access grants. target_type decides whether folder_id names a folder or a stored file; principal_type + principal_ref is a user id or a role slug.	CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS
desktop_mode_share_user_decisions	Folder sharing	Each user's accept / decline of a grant (unique per share + user).	CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS
desktop_mode_game_scores	Games	One row per finished play: game, user, score, free-form meta.	dbDelta
desktop_mode_game_challenges	Games	A challenge between two users with its state machine and result.	dbDelta

The two sharing tables deliberately bypass dbDelta: its DESCRIBE-based detection can miss an existing table on some MySQL / MariaDB setups and then issue a bare CREATE TABLE that fails. Their ensure_* helpers check INFORMATION_SCHEMA and use CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS; the schema file explains the history. Multisite gets one set of tables per site through $wpdb->prefix.

Custom post types (wp_posts)

post_type	Module	What it is	Meta on the post
desktop_mode_chat	Agents	One conversation with an AI agent. The post belongs to the human; the agent is in meta.	_desktop_mode_agent_chat_agent_id → wp_users.ID of the agent
wpd_note	Notes	One sticky note on the desktop.	_wpd_note_x, _wpd_note_y, _wpd_note_z, _wpd_note_color, _wpd_note_seed, _wpd_note_converted_post → wp_posts.ID

User meta (wp_usermeta)

Keys with a leading underscore are private (hidden from REST and the profile screen). AI agents are ordinary wp_users rows flagged with _desktop_mode_agent, so their whole profile lives here too.

meta_key	Module	Content
desktop_mode_mode	Core	The user's opt-in: 1 turns the shell on.
openstation_enabled_at	First run	Epoch seconds of the user's first enable; absent until then. Written by openstation_record_user_enabled() from the admin-bar toggle and the portal.
desktop_mode_os_settings	Preferences	Every OpenStation Preferences value (appearance, windows, navigation, features), including openWindowsAs (default, maximized, focused; default default). REST-synced through /wp-json/desktop-mode/v1/os-settings.
desktop_mode_session	Session	Open windows and their geometry for restore. On multisite the key is suffixed: _{blog_id} on a secondary site, _network in the network admin.
desktop_mode_default_window	Core	The window that opens on arrival.
desktop_mode_file_associations	Files	Which app opens each file type.
desktop_mode_pwa_state	PWA	Install / prompt state.
desktop_mode_seen_intros	Onboarding	Intros already shown, as a list of slugs. The shell tour writes three: shell-tour (do not auto-start it again), then shell-tour-skipped or shell-tour-done for how the run ended. Those two replace each other, so only the latest run counts; skipped is what puts the relaunch icon on the desk. "Reset what's-new dialogs" clears the list.
desktop_mode_rebrand_notice	Onboarding	Rebrand notice dismissed.
desktop_mode_game_playtime	Games	Lifetime play time per game.
desktop_mode_game_playtime_days	Games	Play time per day (rolling window).
openstation_station_home_card_preferences	Station Home	Which home cards are shown or hidden.
openstation_app_store	App Framework	The Store contract with user scope, a key → value map. Plugins stores desktop-mode-plugins:installed-view here (cards or table, default cards). The same name with site scope is an option.
_desktop_mode_last_login_at	Users	Last login time.
_desktop_mode_has_notes	Notes	Cache `{rev}:{0
_desktop_mode_agent	Agents	1 marks this wp_users row as an AI agent rather than a person.
_desktop_mode_agent_abilities, _desktop_mode_agent_created_by (→ wp_users.ID), _desktop_mode_agent_description, _desktop_mode_agent_face, _desktop_mode_agent_face_seed, _desktop_mode_agent_instructions, _desktop_mode_agent_model, _desktop_mode_agent_rate_limit, _desktop_mode_agent_runs, _desktop_mode_agent_triggers, _desktop_mode_agent_vibes	Agents	The agent's profile and run log, on its own user row. includes/agents/store.php owns every key.

Post meta and comment meta

meta_key	On	Content
_desktop_mode_trash_user_id	posts, comments	Who sent the row to the Recycle Bin (→ wp_users.ID).
_desktop_mode_trash_time_gmt	posts, comments	When it was sent there.
_desktop_mode_width, _desktop_mode_height	attachments	Cached image dimensions for the Media Library; a one-time backfill is flagged by the desktop_mode_media_dims_backfilled option.
_openstation_stored_file_id	attachments	The stored file this attachment was created from (→ desktop_mode_stored_files.id).
_openstation_stored_file_key	attachments	Deduplication key of that stored file.
_desktop_mode_ai_analysis	comments	Verdict written by the on-demand desktop-mode/analyze-comment ability.

Options (wp_options)

option_name	Module	Content
desktop_mode_files_schema_version	Files	Installed schema version; a mismatch triggers the lazy install.
desktop_mode_games_schema_version	Games	Same, for the two Games tables.
desktop_mode_migration_version	Migrations	Last data migration applied (includes/migrations.php).
desktop_mode_extended_options	Preferences	Site-wide extended options: Media Library enhancement, Games, AI agents, OpenStation Network, plus window_prewarm and admin_asset_cache (both default true; administrator opt-outs apply on shell reload).
desktop_mode_desktop_themes	Desktop themes	Themes uploaded as ZIPs and the active selection; their files go to uploads/desktop-mode-themes/.
desktop_mode_agents_defaults_seeded	Agents	Flag: default agents already created.
desktop_mode_media_dims_backfilled	Media	Flag: dimensions backfill done.
desktop_mode_notes_rev	Notes	Global notes revision; invalidates the per-user cache.
desktop_mode_terms_cache_version	Content graph	Cache version for terms.
_desktop_mode_presence	Presence	Snapshot of every user's presence (autoload = no). Heartbeat updates it with a write throttle; a daily cron prunes it.
_desktop_mode_content_changes_log	Content changes	Recent content changes for the feed, capped at 100 entries (autoload = no).
_desktop_mode_recycle_bin_change_ts	Recycle Bin	Timestamp of the last bin change, for the badge (autoload = no).
openstation_app_store	App Framework	The Store contract with site scope.
openstation_installed_at	First run	{ at, via }: when the plugin was activated (autoload = no). via is activation from the activation hook, backfill when reconstructed on admin_init for an install that predates the stamp; a backfilled age reads as unknown everywhere.
openstation_activated_by	First run	ID of the user who last activated the plugin, 0 when nobody was logged in (WP-CLI, a Playground Blueprint). Written by openstation_record_activator() on every activation; the welcome dialog shows only to this user.
openstation_first_enabled_at	First run	{ at, via }: the first time any user turned OpenStation on (autoload = no). Written by openstation_record_user_enabled(). On a site that already had users in the shell, openstation_record_installed() and migration 10 write at: 0, via: backfill instead. Its presence is what stops the activation nudge.

Transients

Caches with an expiry. They live in wp_options under the _transient_ prefix unless a persistent object cache is installed. None is a source of truth; every one regenerates.

Prefix	Module	Content
desktop_mode_cg3_*	Content graph	The computed content graph.
desktop_mode_oauth_state_*	Auth	State of an OAuth flow in progress.
desktop_mode_woo_customer_plan, _customer_spend, _product_total, _product_plan, _coupon_plan	WooCommerce	Customer, product and coupon aggregates read from Woo's wc_orders, woocommerce_order_items and woocommerce_order_itemmeta.
dm_user_insights_{id}	User edit	Computed insights for one user; cleared when the account is edited.
desktop_mode_about_feed_v1, _failure_v1, _stale_v1	About	The news feed and its failure / stale states.
desktop_mode_living_tree_snapshot	Living Tree	Wallpaper snapshot.
desktop_mode_site_views_meta	Stats	Site views metadata.
desktop_mode_agent_user_rate_{invoker}_{YmdH}, openstation_agent_rate_{agent}_{YmdH}	Agents	Hourly invocation counters, one per human invoker and one per agent, bucketed by the UTC hour. They expire after an hour.
openstation_shell_build	PWA	Hash of the shell bundles, used to detect a deploy.
dm_pwsz_map	Plugins	On-disk size of each plugin.
openstation_plugins_handoff_{user_id}	Windows	The screen a plugin redirected a plugins window to, held for the plugins screen the window went back to, which opens it in a window of its own. Expires after a minute.

The Plugins app also uses the desktop-mode-plugins object-cache group for in-request caching.

Disk, cron and the browser

Resource	Kind	Use
uploads/desktop-mode-files/{owner_id}/{disk_name}	Disk	Bytes of each stored file; disk_name is an extension-less UUID.
uploads/desktop-mode-themes/	Disk	Uploaded desktop themes.
uploads/desktop-mode-agent-faces/	Disk	Generated agent face images.
desktop_mode_files_daily_prune	Cron (daily)	Sweeps ZIP temp files and reconciles stored files against the disk.
desktop_mode_presence_daily_prune	Cron (daily)	Prunes the presence option.
desktop-mode-widgets-geometry, desktop-mode/files, …	localStorage	Widget geometry and other client state; never reaches the database.

Related

• Files on the Desktop — the registry and the placements model from the plugin author's side.
• Folder Sharing — the ACL model on top of folder_shares and share_user_decisions.
• Architecture — preference and session persistence in detail.
• Multisite — session scoping across a network.

Agent job storage

All names below are per-site. No transient or browser cache is the source of truth for job execution.

Name	Kind	Contents / lifetime
openstation_agent_job_{uuid}	Option, non-autoloaded	Owner, agent, bounded message/history, source, timestamps, status, result/error. Retained for one day.
openstation_agent_job_claim_{uuid}	Option, non-autoloaded	Atomic execution claim, retained with the job; never recycled for retries.
openstation_agent_job_active_{owner}_{agent}	Option, non-autoloaded	Admission slot (`uuid
openstation_agent_job_run	Single cron event, UUID argument	Executes a queued invocation once.
openstation_agent_job_cleanup	Single cron event, UUID argument	Deletes job input/result and its claim after one day.