## Implementation Plan: Jack Up Comment Length (Default 1000 → 5000, Live-Changeable)

### Summary

Increase the default comment maximum length from 1000 to 5000 characters and make the limit dynamically adjustable via the existing site_settings mechanism (60s TTL cache) with environment variable fallback (`DEVPLACE_COMMENT_MAX_LENGTH`). This requires introducing a single resolver function `get_comment_max_length()` and applying it across nine consumption points, plus documentation and test updates.

---

### Step-by-Step Changes

#### 1. Core Resolver

Create a new function in `devplacepy/database/settings.py` (or a new module, but reuse existing pattern). This function will be the single source of truth for all runtime lookups.

```python
def get_comment_max_length() -> int:
    from devplacepy.config import COMMENT_MAX_LENGTH  # avoid circular import
    return get_int_setting("comment_max_length", COMMENT_MAX_LENGTH)
```

#### 2. Models (`devplacepy/models.py`)

- Lines 160, 175: Replace `Field(max_length=COMMENT_MAX_LENGTH)` with `Field(max_length=10000)` (generous hard cap).
- Add a Pydantic `@field_validator('content')` that calls `get_comment_max_length()` and raises `ValueError` if length exceeds the current live value.

#### 3. Templating Globals (`devplacepy/templating.py`)

- Lines 9, 70: Replace the direct value reference with a callable: `lambda: get_comment_max_length()`. The Jinja `{{ comment_max_length }}` in templates will invoke this callable transparently.

#### 4. Documentation Strings (API docs, Devii tool descriptions)

These must evaluate `get_comment_max_length()` at render time, not import time. For each file:

- `devplacepy/docs_api/groups/content.py` (lines 3, 233, 294): Replace `COMMENT_MAX_LENGTH` with `get_comment_max_length()`.
- `devplacepy/docs_devrant.py` (lines 3, 242): Same.
- `devplacepy/services/devii/actions/catalog/comments.py` (lines 5, 32): Same.

All of these use f-strings inside callables (e.g., endpoint descriptions or tool parameter descriptions) that are evaluated lazily, so the function call will return the current value.

#### 5. Route-level Validation

Replace direct constant imports with runtime calls:

- `devplacepy/routers/devrant/rants.py` lines 230-232: Replace `COMMENT_MAX_LENGTH` with `get_comment_max_length()`.
- `devplacepy/routers/devrant/comments.py` lines 72-74: Same.

#### 6. Bot Process (`devplacepy/services/containers/files/bot.py` line 75)

This process runs separately and reads `os.environ.get("DEVPLACE_COMMENT_MAX_LENGTH", ...)`. No code change needed; update the environment variable default in `.env.example` and README.

#### 7. Documentation

- **`README.md` line 172**: Change “default 1000” to “default 5000”. Add a new section (or subsection after “Configuration”) explaining that the value can be changed at runtime via the settings API or admin UI, and that the environment variable acts as a fallback when the DB setting is absent.
- **`.env.example` lines 42-44**: Update `DEVPLACE_COMMENT_MAX_LENGTH=5000`.

#### 8. Tests

- **Unit tests**: Ensure existing API tests (`tests/api/comments/create.py` lines 350-366, `tests/api/comments/edit.py` lines 134-147) still pass (they post content > 1000 but ≤ 5000). Update the test constants if needed to reflect the new default.
- **E2E test**: Add a new test in `tests/e2e/post.py` that navigates to the comment form, fills in text exceeding `get_comment_max_length()`, submits, and checks for a client-side or server-side rejection. This validates that the Jinja and API layers agree.

---

### Definition of Done

- [ ] All nine consumption points listed in the investigation have been updated to use `get_comment_max_length()`.
- [ ] `.env.example` shows `DEVPLACE_COMMENT_MAX_LENGTH=5000`.
- [ ] `README.md` documents both the environment variable and runtime setting mechanism; default value updated.
- [ ] New Pydantic validator in `models.py` enforces live max length; `Field(max_length=10000)` acts as hard cap.
- [ ] Existing API tests for too-long comments pass (update test data to use a length > 5000 if they were testing 1001).
- [ ] One new e2e test (in `tests/e2e/post.py`) creates a comment exceeding the live limit and expects a rejection.
- [ ] All project verification commands pass:
  ```
  pip install -e '.[dev]' -q && make test-unit
  pip install -q ruff && ruff check .
  ```
- [ ] Manual smoke test: start dev server with default `DEVPLACE_COMMENT_MAX_LENGTH=5000`, verify comment form shows `maxlength=5000`, submit a 5001-character comment, get rejected. Then change the setting via admin UI to 2000, verify the same flow rejects at 2001.
- [ ] No regressions detected in related functionality (comment editing, rant posting, Devii tool usage).