---
phase: 05-visibility-and-client-portal
plan: 03
subsystem: portal
tags: [portal, tickets, comments, conversation, payment-scaffold, subscriber]

# Dependency graph
requires:
  - phase: 03-operational-modules
    provides: Ticket model, TicketService with createTicket and status transitions
  - phase: 05-visibility-and-client-portal
    plan: 02
    provides: Portal auth (withPortalAuth, subscriberId in session), PortalService
provides:
  - TicketComment model for conversation threads
  - Portal ticket service (createPortalTicket, listPortalTickets, getPortalTicket, addTicketComment)
  - ensurePortalUser shadow User pattern for subscriber->User FK bridge
  - Portal ticket API routes (list, create, detail, comments)
  - Payment scaffold endpoint with outstanding balance and instructions
affects: [05-04 (network monitoring may reference tickets), 05-05 (e2e tests)]

# Tech tracking
tech-stack:
  added: []
  patterns:
    - "ensurePortalUser shadow User for subscriber->User FK bridge"
    - "TicketComment append-only conversation thread on tickets"
    - "Payment scaffold returning balance + instructions (gateway deferred to v2)"

key-files:
  created:
    - prisma/schema.prisma (TicketComment model, paymentInstructions field)
    - src/lib/services/portal-ticket-service.ts
    - src/app/api/portal/tickets/route.ts
    - src/app/api/portal/tickets/[id]/route.ts
    - src/app/api/portal/tickets/[id]/comments/route.ts
    - src/app/api/portal/payments/coming-soon/route.ts
    - src/lib/__tests__/portal-ticket-service.test.ts
  modified:
    - prisma/schema.prisma

key-decisions:
  - "ensurePortalUser creates shadow User with CLIENT role and portal-{accountNumber}@portal.local email -- bridges Subscriber auth to User FK on Ticket.createdById"
  - "Portal tickets use source=SUBSCRIBER (not PORTAL) -- TicketSource enum has STAFF/SUBSCRIBER, SUBSCRIBER is semantically correct"
  - "TicketComment is append-only (no edits/deletes) -- conversation integrity preserved"
  - "Closed tickets reject new comments -- enforced at service layer"
  - "Payment scaffold computes outstanding balance in JS from SENT/PARTIAL/OVERDUE invoices -- same pattern as other derived aggregations"

patterns-established:
  - "Shadow User pattern: portal subscribers get lazy-created User records for FK constraints"
  - "Ticket conversation threads via TicketComment with chronological ordering"

# Metrics
duration: 5min
completed: 2026-03-05
---

# Phase 05 Plan 03: Portal Ticket Submission and Payment Scaffold Summary

**Subscriber portal ticket creation with conversation threads, shadow User FK bridge, and payment coming-soon endpoint with outstanding balance -- 6 tests passing**

## Performance

- **Duration:** 5 min
- **Started:** 2026-03-05T09:30:50Z
- **Completed:** 2026-03-05T09:35:36Z
- **Tasks:** 2
- **Files modified:** 8

## Accomplishments
- Subscribers can create support tickets from the portal (source=SUBSCRIBER)
- Conversation threads on tickets via TicketComment model (append-only, chronological)
- Shadow User pattern bridges Subscriber auth to User FK on Ticket.createdById
- Portal tickets visible in staff ticket queue (cross-system verified)
- Closed tickets reject new comments
- Payment scaffold returns outstanding balance and configurable payment instructions

## Task Commits

Each task was committed atomically:

1. **Task 1: TicketComment model and portal ticket service** - `2d5b9ca` (feat)
2. **Task 2: Portal ticket API routes, payment scaffold, and tests** - `3f44f5c` (feat)

## Files Created/Modified
- `prisma/schema.prisma` - Added TicketComment model, paymentInstructions on TenantSettings, ticketComments relation on User
- `src/lib/services/portal-ticket-service.ts` - Portal ticket service with ensurePortalUser, createPortalTicket, listPortalTickets, getPortalTicket, addTicketComment
- `src/app/api/portal/tickets/route.ts` - GET (list) and POST (create) for portal tickets
- `src/app/api/portal/tickets/[id]/route.ts` - GET ticket detail with conversation thread
- `src/app/api/portal/tickets/[id]/comments/route.ts` - GET (list) and POST (add) ticket comments
- `src/app/api/portal/payments/coming-soon/route.ts` - GET outstanding balance and payment instructions
- `src/lib/__tests__/portal-ticket-service.test.ts` - 6 integration tests

## Decisions Made
- **Shadow User pattern:** Portal subscribers authenticate as Subscriber (not User), but Ticket.createdById requires User.id. ensurePortalUser() lazily creates a User with CLIENT role and email `portal-{accountNumber}@portal.local` to bridge this gap.
- **SUBSCRIBER source (not PORTAL):** The TicketSource enum has STAFF and SUBSCRIBER. Used SUBSCRIBER which is semantically correct for portal-submitted tickets.
- **Append-only comments:** TicketComment has no updatedAt -- comments cannot be edited or deleted, preserving conversation integrity.
- **Closed ticket comment rejection:** Enforced at service layer -- addTicketComment checks ticket.status !== CLOSED before creating comment.
- **Outstanding balance in JS:** Payment scaffold computes balance from SENT/PARTIAL/OVERDUE invoices in JavaScript, consistent with the derived-aggregation pattern used throughout the project.

## Deviations from Plan

None -- plan executed exactly as written.

## Issues Encountered
None.

## User Setup Required
None - no external service configuration required.

## Next Phase Readiness
- PORT-03 (ticket submission) and PORT-05 (online payment scaffold) requirements satisfied
- Portal now has: auth, account view, invoices, payments, tickets, and payment scaffold
- Ready for 05-04 (network monitoring) and 05-05 (e2e tests)

---
*Phase: 05-visibility-and-client-portal*
*Completed: 2026-03-05*