Prototype: Bluesky-authenticated comments on blog posts

[lksbrssr]

What this is

A prototype of reader comments on blog posts, authenticated with Bluesky — the "lightweight, no password, but you say who you are" model. It reuses the site's existing AT-Protocol OAuth (/api/login, /api/oauth/callback, useAuth) so signing in is one click with a Bluesky handle, and every comment carries a real, verified identity (handle, display name, avatar) instead of a free-text name box.

Screenshots

Empty state + sign-in box (bottom of a blog post):

How it works

• Identity: reuses existing Bluesky OAuth. The commenter's identity is read from the verified server session — never from request input — so impersonation isn't possible.
• Storage: comments are written to the plresearch.org service repo (same app-password service agent already used by the pages / opportunity-spaces editors) under a new org.plresearch.comment collection.
• Read path: a single listRecords call filtered by post slug — no firehose/indexer dependency, so it works the moment this merges.
• Moderation: authors can delete their own comments; admin DIDs can delete any. One repo = one place to moderate.
• Return-to-post: login now passes an optional same-origin returnTo through the OAuth state param, so readers land back on the post after signing in (backward-compatible — existing login(handle) callers unchanged).

Files

File	Change
src/lib/lexicons.ts	new org.plresearch.comment collection + types
src/lib/comments.ts	server helper: service agent, list/create/delete
src/app/api/comments/route.ts	GET (public) / POST (auth) / DELETE (author or admin)
src/components/Comments.tsx	client widget: thread + sign-in + composer
src/app/blog/[slug]/page.tsx	render <Comments> (skipped for external-stub posts)
src/app/api/login, oauth/callback, src/lib/atproto.tsx	optional returnTo after login
.env.example	documents that comments reuse ATPROTO_HANDLE/ATPROTO_PASSWORD

Deliberate prototype tradeoffs / open questions

• Single-repo storage (vs. each user's own repo) was chosen for a zero-infra read path and easy moderation. If you'd rather comments live in each commenter's repo, that needs the GraphQL indexer to index org.plresearch.comment — happy to switch.
• Spam: real Bluesky identity already blocks impersonation and most drive-by spam. Not yet added: Cloudflare Turnstile, rate limiting, per-post disable. Easy follow-ups.
• No optimistic moderation queue — comments post live. Could gate behind approval if desired.
• Requires ATPROTO_HANDLE/ATPROTO_PASSWORD to be set in the deployment (already used elsewhere). Without them the API returns a clean "not configured" message.

Verified

• tsc --noEmit clean
• next build succeeds; /api/comments registered as a dynamic route; all 310 static pages generate
• Widget renders on a real post (screenshot above)

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Project	Deployment	Actions	Updated (UTC)
plrd.org	Ready	Preview, Comment	Jul 21, 2026 3:45pm