diff --git a/.claude-plugin/marketplace.json b/.claude-plugin/marketplace.json
index 2f549ad..1ee909c 100644
--- a/.claude-plugin/marketplace.json
+++ b/.claude-plugin/marketplace.json
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@
     },
     {
       "name": "astro-builder",
-      "description": "Build Astro 6 static content sites with Claude. Enforces best practices for i18n, content collections, the page-views pattern, and design systems. Starts with /astro-builder:init to scaffold a working, buildable site.",
+      "description": "Build Astro 7 static content sites with Claude. Enforces best practices for i18n, content collections, the page-views pattern, and design systems. Starts with /astro-builder:init to scaffold a working, buildable site.",
       "version": "1.8.1",
       "author": {
         "name": "pcamarajr",
diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index ff7f6e1..23e99b2 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -9,3 +9,6 @@ node_modules/
 /.cursor/rules/memory.mdc
 /.claude/skills/init-memory/
 /.claude/skills/import-memories/
+
+# Serena (local tooling config)
+.serena/
diff --git a/CLAUDE.md b/CLAUDE.md
index 09e85d8..a2f4856 100644
--- a/CLAUDE.md
+++ b/CLAUDE.md
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ content-stack/
 ├── .claude-plugin/
 │   └── marketplace.json        ← plugin registry (name, version, description, source)
 ├── content-ops/                 ← content creation & management plugin
-├── astro-builder/               ← Astro 6 site builder plugin
+├── astro-builder/               ← Astro 7 site builder plugin
 ├── astro-lsp/                   ← Astro language server plugin
 └── README.md                    ← marketplace landing page (install commands, plugin list)
 ```
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 24a3e58..ab814f1 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -111,7 +111,7 @@ Install:
 
 ### [`astro-builder`](./astro-builder/README.md)
 
-Astro 6 site builder plugin that scaffolds and evolves static content sites using the page-views pattern, i18n, content collections, and quality gates. `init` interviews you, then scaffolds a working, buildable site — config, layout, `src/lib/` utilities, i18n files, and the full SEO surface.
+Astro 7 site builder plugin that scaffolds and evolves static content sites using the page-views pattern, i18n, content collections, and quality gates. `init` interviews you, then scaffolds a working, buildable site — config, layout, `src/lib/` utilities, i18n files, and the full SEO surface.
 
 - **Best for:** creating or restructuring Astro content architectures
 - **Key skills:** `init`, `init project`, `init lighthouse`, `new-page`, `new-content-type`, `translate`, `audit`, `css-conventions` (auto-applied), `html-conventions` (auto-applied), `seo-conventions` (auto-applied), `ux-writing` (auto-applied)
diff --git a/astro-builder/.claude-plugin/plugin.json b/astro-builder/.claude-plugin/plugin.json
index 1da73c4..e65c2c5 100644
--- a/astro-builder/.claude-plugin/plugin.json
+++ b/astro-builder/.claude-plugin/plugin.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "astro-builder",
-  "description": "Build Astro 6 static content sites with Claude. Enforces best practices for i18n, content collections, the page-views pattern, and design systems. Starts with /astro-builder:init to configure your project.",
+  "description": "Build Astro 7 static content sites with Claude. Enforces best practices for i18n, content collections, the page-views pattern, and design systems. Starts with /astro-builder:init to configure your project.",
   "author": {
     "name": "pcamarajr",
     "email": "eu@pcamarajr.dev"
diff --git a/astro-builder/NOTICE.md b/astro-builder/NOTICE.md
index cdbf59a..f973c15 100644
--- a/astro-builder/NOTICE.md
+++ b/astro-builder/NOTICE.md
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0:
 - `skills/ux-writing/SKILL.md` — the UX-writing guidance is adapted from Impeccable's
   `skill/reference/clarify.md` (formerly `ux-writing.md`).
 
-These materials were rewritten and re-scoped for the Astro 6 + native-CSS workflow this plugin
+These materials were rewritten and re-scoped for the Astro 7 + native-CSS workflow this plugin
 enforces. The original work is **not** vendored verbatim; it serves as the conceptual source.
 
 - Project: Impeccable — https://impeccable.style/
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ licensed under the MIT License:
   conceptual source for the document is John Ousterhout's *A Philosophy of Software Design*,
   cited in the document itself.
 
-The material was rewritten for the Astro 6 domain this plugin enforces; the original work is
+The material was rewritten for the Astro 7 domain this plugin enforces; the original work is
 **not** vendored verbatim.
 
 - Source: https://github.com/mattpocock/skills
diff --git a/astro-builder/README.md b/astro-builder/README.md
index 41f04f2..c05a85c 100644
--- a/astro-builder/README.md
+++ b/astro-builder/README.md
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 # astro-builder
 
-Build and evolve Astro 6 content sites with a repeatable architecture, not one-off prompts.
+Build and evolve Astro 7 content sites with a repeatable architecture, not one-off prompts.
 
 `astro-builder` is part of [content-stack](https://github.com/pcamarajr/content-stack), built for founders, marketers, and lean teams that want a production-ready content site without custom engineering for every step.
 
@@ -15,6 +15,8 @@ Current scope is intentionally basic. The long-term direction is a strongly opin
 /plugin install astro-builder@content-stack
 ```
 
+Targets Astro 7 (7.1.x) and requires Node >= 22.12.0 — the engine floor Astro 7 declares.
+
 ---
 
 ## Quick Start
@@ -48,7 +50,7 @@ If you want the fastest start, begin from the ready template:
 | `/astro-builder:init project` | Interview → generate guidance files AND scaffold a buildable site: config, BaseLayout, `src/lib/` utilities, i18n JSONs, content collections, RSS, 404, robots.txt |
 | `/astro-builder:init lighthouse` | Set up automated Lighthouse auditing on git push |
 | `/astro-builder:new-page` | Scaffold a route for all locales: thin page wrappers (≤5 lines), a page-view wired to the BaseLayout SEO contract (`title`/`description`, `type="article"` + `publishedAt` for content pages), and i18n keys in every locale JSON |
-| `/astro-builder:new-content-type` | Add a content collection following the project contract: schema with `lang`/`translationKey`/`tags`/`draft`, a `getXByLang()` helper in `src/lib/content.ts`, a URL builder on `buildLocaleUrl`, and example content |
+| `/astro-builder:new-content-type` | Add a content collection following the project contract: schema with `lang`/`translationKey`/`tags`/`draft`, a `getXByLang()` helper in `src/lib/content.ts`, a builder method on the locale-bound `createUrls(locale)` factory in `src/lib/urls.ts`, and example content |
 | `/astro-builder:translate` | Localize a content entry or i18n JSON to another locale — same slug, target `lang`, matching `translationKey`; hreflang and RSS are derived by the architecture, no manual wiring |
 | `/astro-builder:audit` | Orchestrated project audit: architecture, i18n, schema, per-skill domain checklists (CSS, HTML/a11y, and SEO today), AI design slop, style guide, and build validation |
 | `css-conventions` _(auto-applied)_ | Enforces CSS discipline whenever styles are written: token-only values, scoped `<style>` blocks, Tier-1 modern CSS, no Tailwind / CSS-in-JS / preprocessors, and a CSS-first interactivity ladder |
@@ -199,7 +201,7 @@ These rules are not arbitrary: every one is argued from the design criteria in
 interfaces, design it twice — applied both to the sites the plugin generates and to the plugin
 itself (based on John Ousterhout's *A Philosophy of Software Design*).
 
-### Astro 6 patterns
+### Astro 7 patterns
 
 - `src/content.config.ts` with `glob()` loaders (never `src/content/config.ts`)
 - `astro.config.ts` in TypeScript (never `.mjs`)
@@ -208,6 +210,9 @@ itself (based on John Ousterhout's *A Philosophy of Software Design*).
 - `prefixDefaultLocale: true` on all routes
 - `translationKey` to link content across locales
 - Flexible `tags: string[]` (never fixed category enums)
+- Node.js >= 22.12.0 (Astro 7 engine requirement)
+- Every tag explicitly closed and no invalid nesting — the Astro 7 Rust compiler errors instead of
+  auto-correcting
 
 ### Tooling
 
@@ -229,7 +234,8 @@ biome check .   # Zero lint/format errors
 
 This plugin cites only two external references for any web or Astro API:
 
-- **Astro 6**: https://docs.astro.build/llms-small.txt
+- **Astro 7**: https://docs.astro.build/llms-small.txt (upgrade notes:
+  https://docs.astro.build/en/guides/upgrade-to/v7/)
 - **MDN Web API**: https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/
 
 ---
diff --git a/astro-builder/agents/astro-architect.md b/astro-builder/agents/astro-architect.md
index 1a26d23..2535972 100644
--- a/astro-builder/agents/astro-architect.md
+++ b/astro-builder/agents/astro-architect.md
@@ -1,9 +1,9 @@
 ---
 name: astro-architect
-description: Architecture and planning agent for Astro 6 projects. Reads project context from CLAUDE.md and .astro-builder/, designs solutions before execution, and produces clear implementation plans. Use BEFORE making changes to understand the right approach.
+description: Architecture and planning agent for Astro 7 projects. Reads project context from CLAUDE.md and .astro-builder/, designs solutions before execution, and produces clear implementation plans. Use BEFORE making changes to understand the right approach.
 ---
 
-You are the **Astro Architect** — a planning and design agent for Astro 6 static content sites.
+You are the **Astro Architect** — a planning and design agent for Astro 7 static content sites.
 
 ## Your role
 
@@ -16,7 +16,8 @@ You design solutions. You do not write code. When invoked, you:
 
 ## Reference documents (always consult)
 
-- **Astro 6 docs**: https://docs.astro.build/llms-small.txt — the authoritative reference for all Astro patterns, APIs, and configuration.
+- **Astro 7 docs**: https://docs.astro.build/llms-small.txt — the authoritative reference for all Astro patterns, APIs, and configuration.
+- **Astro 7 upgrade guide**: https://docs.astro.build/en/guides/upgrade-to/v7/ — secondary reference for anything that changed between Astro 6 and 7.
 - **MDN Web API**: https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/ — for any browser or web API usage (fetch, URL, IntersectionObserver, etc.).
 - **Design criteria**: `docs/architecture.md` (plugin root) — the APoSD criteria every plan must be argued from: deep modules, information hiding, narrow interfaces, design it twice, when NOT to abstract.
 - **Project context**: `CLAUDE.md`, `.astro-builder/` folder, and existing source files in this repo.
@@ -36,7 +37,7 @@ You design solutions. You do not write code. When invoked, you:
 - Never pass `lang` or `tl` as props
 - Use explicit `redirects: { '/': '/en' }` — never `redirectToDefaultLocale: true`
 
-### Content collections (Astro 6)
+### Content collections (Astro 7)
 - Config at `src/content.config.ts` (not `src/content/config.ts`)
 - `glob()` loaders, `defineCollection()`, `reference()` for cross-links
 - Single collection per type with locale subfolders: `articles/en/`, `articles/it/`
@@ -71,6 +72,15 @@ You design solutions. You do not write code. When invoked, you:
 - `tsc --noEmit` — zero type errors
 - `biome check .` — zero lint/format errors
 
+### Astro 7 constraints (every plan must account for these)
+- Node >= 22.12.0 — say so when a plan touches tooling or CI
+- Every tag closed, no invalid nesting (no `<div>` / `<ul>` / `<p>` / heading inside `<p>`) — the Rust compiler errors on unclosed tags and ships invalid HTML as authored
+- Explicit whitespace between inline elements (literal space or `{' '}`) — `compressHTML` defaults to `'jsx'` and strips newline-only whitespace
+- Markdown is Sätteri by default — a plan that needs remark/rehype plugins must add `@astrojs/markdown-remark` and set `markdown: { processor: unified() }`
+- `logger`, `cache` and `routeRules` are top-level config keys — never `experimental.*`
+- `src/fetch.ts` is a reserved advanced-routing entrypoint — never plan a file there for another purpose
+- `@astrojs/db` no longer exists — plan `node:sqlite`, Drizzle ORM, or a hosted DB if data storage is ever needed
+
 ## Anti-patterns (never suggest these)
 
 See `docs/astro-patterns.md` for the full canonical list. Key ones:
@@ -85,6 +95,9 @@ See `docs/astro-patterns.md` for the full canonical list. Key ones:
 - Never use ESLint or Prettier
 - Never use `prefixDefaultLocale: false`
 - Never use `redirectToDefaultLocale: true`
+- Never suggest `@astrojs/db`
+- Never suggest `experimental.*` flags removed in Astro 7 (`rustCompiler`, `advancedRouting`, `queuedRendering`, `logger`, `cache`, `routeRules`)
+- Never create `src/fetch.ts` for anything other than advanced routing
 
 ## Output format
 
diff --git a/astro-builder/agents/astro-builder.md b/astro-builder/agents/astro-builder.md
index 2a34320..a0521a3 100644
--- a/astro-builder/agents/astro-builder.md
+++ b/astro-builder/agents/astro-builder.md
@@ -1,9 +1,9 @@
 ---
 name: astro-builder
-description: Fully autonomous build agent for Astro 6 projects. Reads project context, writes code, installs dependencies, runs builds, fixes errors, and commits. Use for implementing features, fixing bugs, and scaffolding. Operates without interruption until the build passes.
+description: Fully autonomous build agent for Astro 7 projects. Reads project context, writes code, installs dependencies, runs builds, fixes errors, and commits. Use for implementing features, fixing bugs, and scaffolding. Operates without interruption until the build passes.
 ---
 
-You are the **Astro Builder** — a fully autonomous implementation agent for Astro 6 static content sites.
+You are the **Astro Builder** — a fully autonomous implementation agent for Astro 7 static content sites.
 
 ## Your operating mode
 
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ You do not ask for permission at each step. You ask only when you encounter a ge
 ## Reference documents
 
 - **Astro LSP** (requires astro-lsp plugin): Run `mcp__ide__getDiagnostics` on `.astro` files after writing them — fast validation before the full build gates.
-- **Astro 6 docs**: https://docs.astro.build/llms-small.txt — fetch only when unsure about a specific API or feature; the LSP covers runtime validation.
+- **Astro 7 docs**: https://docs.astro.build/llms-small.txt — fetch only when unsure about a specific API or feature; the LSP covers runtime validation.
 - **MDN Web API**: https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/ — for any browser or web platform API.
 - **Design criteria**: `docs/architecture.md` (plugin root) — consult when a task tempts you to add a new abstraction, prop, or wrapper; it defines when an abstraction earns its place.
 - **Project context**: `CLAUDE.md`, `.astro-builder/` folder contents.
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ Never:
 - Accept `lang` or `tl` as props
 - Hardcode any UI string — always use `tl('key')`
 
-### Content collections (Astro 6)
+### Content collections (Astro 7)
 ```typescript
 // src/content.config.ts — not src/content/config.ts
 import { defineCollection, z } from "astro:content";
@@ -83,12 +83,29 @@ export const collections = { articles };
 ```typescript
 import BaseLayout from "@layouts/BaseLayout.astro";
 import { getArticlesByLang } from "@lib/content";
-import { buildArticleUrl } from "@lib/urls";
+import { createUrls } from "@lib/urls";
 import { createTranslator } from "@lib/i18n";
+
+// Bind both factories to the locale once, at the top of the component:
+const tl = createTranslator(Astro.currentLocale);
+const url = createUrls(Astro.currentLocale);
+// …then: <a href={url.article(article.id)}>{tl("articles.read")}</a>
 ```
 
 Never use relative imports (`../../`) when an alias is available.
 
+## Astro 7 build rules
+
+These are the failure modes you will actually hit. Check them before blaming anything else.
+
+- **Unclosed tags fail `pnpm build`.** The Rust compiler no longer tolerates them. Close every tag — write two properly closed `<p>` elements instead of `<p>a<p>b</p>`.
+- **Invalid nesting is shipped as authored.** Nothing gets auto-corrected anymore: never put a `<div>`, `<ul>`, `<p>` or heading inside a `<p>`.
+- **Newline-only whitespace between inline elements disappears** (`compressHTML: 'jsx'`). If two inline elements need a space between them, write a literal space or `{' '}`.
+- **A build error mentioning a markdown/remark plugin** means the project must `pnpm add @astrojs/markdown-remark` and set `markdown: { processor: unified() }`. `remarkPlugins` / `rehypePlugins` / `remarkRehype` are deprecated but still functional — they just need that package (no longer bundled) and the `unified()` processor. Without both, the default Sätteri processor runs instead and those options have no effect.
+- **Never add `@astrojs/db`.** The package and the `astro db` CLI are gone.
+- **Never write `src/fetch.ts`.** It is the reserved advanced-routing entrypoint.
+- **Node >= 22.12.0 is required.** Run `node -v` before blaming the code for a cryptic build failure.
+
 ## Validation flow (run in order after every change)
 
 1. Run `mcp__ide__getDiagnostics` on modified `.astro` files — fix any LSP errors before proceeding.
@@ -145,3 +162,5 @@ If `biome check .` fails:
 - Never use `src/content/config.ts` — always `src/content.config.ts`.
 - Never use `redirectToDefaultLocale: true`.
 - Never create separate collections per language.
+- Never add `@astrojs/db` or an `astro db` script.
+- Never re-introduce removed `experimental.*` flags (`rustCompiler`, `advancedRouting`, `queuedRendering`, `logger`, `cache`, `routeRules`).
diff --git a/astro-builder/docs/anti-slop.md b/astro-builder/docs/anti-slop.md
index a24f9aa..085b09f 100644
--- a/astro-builder/docs/anti-slop.md
+++ b/astro-builder/docs/anti-slop.md
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ before reporting.
 | `hero-eyebrow-chip` | Tiny uppercase letter-spaced label / pill chip directly above an oversized hero headline. | visual. | brand-advisory | P2 |
 | `repeated-section-kickers` | Tiny uppercase tracked labels repeated above every section heading — editorial scaffolding. | visual. | brand-advisory | P3 |
 | `numbered-section-markers` | `01 / 02 / 03` display markers as section labels. | `grep -rnE ">0[1-9][^0-9<]" src --include="*.astro"` near headings. | brand-advisory | P3 |
-| `em-dash-overuse` | More than two em-dashes in a body passage — AI cadence tell. | `grep -rno "—" src/content` then count per file (>2). | both | P2 |
+| `em-dash-overuse` | More than two em-dashes in a body passage — AI cadence tell. | `grep -rnoE "—\|---" src/content` then count per file (>2). Count both forms: markdown sources normally write `---`, which Astro's smart punctuation renders as an em dash, so grepping only the literal character under-counts. Ignore `---` frontmatter fences. | both | P2 |
 | `marketing-buzzword` | streamline / empower / supercharge / world-class / enterprise-grade / next-generation / cutting-edge / seamless / leverage / unlock. | `grep -rniE "streamline\|empower\|supercharge\|world-class\|enterprise-grade\|next-generation\|cutting-edge\|seamless(ly)?\|leverage\|unlock your" src/content src --include="*.astro"` | both | P2 |
 | `aphoristic-cadence` | 3+ sections landing on "X. No Y." / "Not a feature. A platform." manufactured-contrast aphorisms. | visual / read the copy. | both | P3 |
 | `oversized-h1` | A full-sentence headline blown up to display size, dominating the fold. | visual. (Short punchy headlines at display size are fine.) | brand-advisory | P2 |
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ before reporting.
 
 | id | Rule | Detection | Register | Sev |
 |---|---|---|---|---|
-| `broken-image` | `<img>` with empty/missing/placeholder `src` ships as a broken box. | `grep -rnE "<img[^>]*src=(\"\"\|''\|\"#\")" src --include="*.astro"` + flag `Astro.glob` images that 404. | both | P1 |
+| `broken-image` | `<img>` with empty/missing/placeholder `src` ships as a broken box. | `grep -rnE "<img[^>]*src=(\"\"\|''\|\"#\")" src --include="*.astro"` + flag images resolved through `import.meta.glob` or collection asset fields that 404 at build time. | both | P1 |
 | `gray-on-color` | Gray text on a colored background — washed out. | visual: muted text color over a non-neutral surface. Use a darker shade of the bg color. | both | P1 |
 | `low-contrast` | Text below WCAG AA (4.5:1 body, 3:1 large). | Compute contrast on `--color-text`/`--color-text-muted` vs surfaces. | both | P1 |
 | `layout-transition` | Animating `width`/`height`/`padding`/`margin` — layout thrash. | `grep -rnE "transition:[^;]*(width\|height\|padding\|margin)\|@keyframes" src --include="*.astro" --include="*.css"` | both | P1 |
diff --git a/astro-builder/docs/architecture.md b/astro-builder/docs/architecture.md
index 48092d9..95bfac0 100644
--- a/astro-builder/docs/architecture.md
+++ b/astro-builder/docs/architecture.md
@@ -16,6 +16,13 @@ modules.
 
 ## Part 1 — The code the builder generates
 
+Astro 7 moves two concerns that used to be cosmetic into the correctness column. Its Rust compiler
+no longer auto-corrects markup, so an unclosed tag or a block element nested inside a `<p>` fails
+the build instead of being silently repaired; and the new `compressHTML: 'jsx'` default strips
+whitespace JSX-style, so significant space between inline elements has to be written explicitly.
+Both are rules, not criteria, and they belong to `skills/html-conventions/SKILL.md` — the point
+here is only that "the markup renders anyway" is no longer an argument.
+
 ### 1.1 — Deep modules: small interface, large functionality
 
 A module's cost to its callers is its interface; its value is the functionality behind it. A
@@ -69,15 +76,21 @@ When complexity must exist, put it inside the module so callers don't carry it.
 - **`lib/i18n.ts`** — `createTranslator(Astro.currentLocale)` returns `tl(key)`. Nothing else
   knows where strings live, the fallback order, or the default locale. The `MessageKey` union
   turns a typo into a compile error instead of a blank string in production.
-- **`lib/urls.ts`** — `buildLocaleUrl(locale, ...segments)` is the one place that knows every
-  route carries a locale prefix and a trailing slash. Components never concatenate paths.
+- **`lib/urls.ts`** — `createUrls(Astro.currentLocale)` returns a locale-bound set of builders; it
+  is the one place that knows every route carries a locale prefix and a trailing slash, and the one
+  place that strips the locale folder out of glob-loader entry ids. Components bind the locale once
+  (exactly like `createTranslator`) and never concatenate paths.
 
 ```astro
+---
+const url = createUrls(Astro.currentLocale);
+---
+
 <!-- 🔴 Every component re-derives routing policy; change the URL scheme, sweep the codebase -->
 <a href={`/${Astro.currentLocale}/articles/${article.id.replace(`${Astro.currentLocale}/`, "")}/`}>
 
-<!-- ✅ Policy lives once, behind one function -->
-<a href={buildArticleUrl(article.id, locale)}>
+<!-- ✅ Policy lives once, behind one locale-bound factory -->
+<a href={url.article(article.id)}>
 ```
 
 The complexity (locale prefixes, slug stripping, trailing slashes) didn't disappear — it moved
@@ -86,10 +99,10 @@ down, where it is written once and tested once.
 ### 1.3 — Information hiding: one decision, one place
 
 Each design decision should live in exactly one module; everything else consumes its result.
-In generated sites: `prefixDefaultLocale: true` is *known* only by `lib/urls.ts` (building
-prefixes) and BaseLayout's `localePath` strip (removing the one the framework reports). No
-component parses a URL to detect the locale — that would copy the routing decision into every
-parser.
+In generated sites: `prefixDefaultLocale: true` is *known* only by the `createUrls` factory in
+`lib/urls.ts` (building prefixes) and BaseLayout's `localePath` strip (removing the one the
+framework reports). No component parses a URL to detect the locale — that would copy the routing
+decision into every parser.
 
 The same principle shapes this plugin: **a convention rule and its mechanical check live
 together.** Each convention skill defines its rules in `SKILL.md` and ships their checks in
diff --git a/astro-builder/docs/astro-patterns.md b/astro-builder/docs/astro-patterns.md
index 9a48622..cc42237 100644
--- a/astro-builder/docs/astro-patterns.md
+++ b/astro-builder/docs/astro-patterns.md
@@ -1,9 +1,13 @@
-# Astro 6 Canonical Patterns and Anti-Patterns
+# Astro 7 Canonical Patterns and Anti-Patterns
 
-This document is the authoritative reference for Astro 6 architectural patterns enforced by the astro-builder plugin.
+This document is the authoritative reference for Astro 7 architectural patterns enforced by the astro-builder plugin.
+
+**Target version**: Astro 7.1.x — requires Node >= 22.12.0 (and npm >= 9.6.5 if npm is used at all; this stack uses pnpm).
 
 **Always verify against the live docs**: https://docs.astro.build/llms-small.txt
 
+**Migrating from Astro 6**: https://docs.astro.build/en/guides/upgrade-to/v7/
+
 ---
 
 ## Canonical Patterns
@@ -15,12 +19,19 @@ This document is the authoritative reference for Astro 6 architectural patterns
 import { defineConfig } from "astro/config";
 import vercel from "@astrojs/vercel";
 import sitemap from "@astrojs/sitemap";
+// Only when custom remark/rehype plugins are needed:
+// import { unified } from "@astrojs/markdown-remark";
 
 export default defineConfig({
   site: "https://example.com",
   output: "static",
   adapter: vercel(),
   integrations: [sitemap()],
+  // Astro 7 default is 'jsx' (JSX-style whitespace stripping between elements).
+  // Setting it explicitly is allowed: 'jsx' | true (v6 HTML-aware collapsing) | false.
+  compressHTML: "jsx",
+  // markdown: { processor: unified() },  ← opt-in only; required before any
+  //   remarkPlugins / rehypePlugins take effect (default processor is Sätteri).
   i18n: {
     defaultLocale: "en",
     locales: ["en", "it"],
@@ -35,7 +46,13 @@ export default defineConfig({
 });
 ```
 
-### Content collections (Astro 6)
+Every key above is still valid in Astro 7. Three things about the surrounding config surface:
+
+- `logger`, `cache` and `routeRules` are **top-level** keys in Astro 7 — they graduated out of `experimental` and must never be written as `experimental.logger` / `experimental.cache` / `experimental.routeRules`.
+- `fetchFile` controls the reserved `src/fetch.ts` advanced-routing entrypoint: point it elsewhere (`fetchFile: './src/router.ts'`) or disable it (`fetchFile: null`). A static content site ships neither the file nor the option.
+- `markdown.processor` selects the markdown pipeline. The default is Sätteri (native Rust); `@astrojs/markdown-remark` is not installed unless you add it.
+
+### Content collections (Astro 7)
 
 ```typescript
 // src/content.config.ts — at project root, NOT src/content/config.ts
@@ -58,6 +75,8 @@ const articles = defineCollection({
 export const collections = { articles };
 ```
 
+`glob()` accepts an optional `deferRender` flag (added in Astro 7.1, default `false`). With the default, Markdown entries are rendered **eagerly during content sync**; `deferRender: true` defers each entry's rendering until it is actually rendered on a page. That keeps build memory bounded — the documented fix for large collections whose rendered HTML is big enough to run `astro build` out of memory — at the cost of the rendered HTML no longer being cached.
+
 Content folder structure — single collection, locale subfolders:
 ```
 src/content/
@@ -151,15 +170,28 @@ const { Content } = await render(article);
 
 ### URL builders
 
-```typescript
+```ts
 // src/lib/urls.ts
-export function buildArticleUrl(slug: string, lang: string): string {
-  return `/${lang}/articles/${slug}`;
+export function createUrls(locale: string | undefined) {
+  const lang = locale ?? "en";
+  const path = (...segments: string[]) => `/${[lang, ...segments].join("/")}/`;
+  return {
+    path,
+    home: () => path(),
+    rss: () => `/${lang}/rss.xml`,
+    article: (id: string) => path("articles", id.replace(`${lang}/`, "")),
+    tag: (tag: string) => path("tags", encodeURIComponent(tag)),
+  };
 }
+```
 
-export function buildTagUrl(tag: string, lang: string): string {
-  return `/${lang}/tags/${encodeURIComponent(tag)}`;
-}
+A locale-bound factory, exactly like `createTranslator` — the locale is bound once per component, so no call site ever passes `lang` around:
+```astro
+---
+import { createUrls } from "@lib/urls";
+const url = createUrls(Astro.currentLocale);
+---
+<a href={url.article(article.id)}>{article.data.title}</a>
 ```
 
 ### Path aliases (tsconfig.json)
@@ -182,14 +214,46 @@ export function buildTagUrl(tag: string, lang: string): string {
 
 ---
 
+## Astro 7 migration notes
+
+Upgrade guide: https://docs.astro.build/en/guides/upgrade-to/v7/
+
+| Change | What it affects | Action |
+|---|---|---|
+| Rust compiler (`@astrojs/compiler-rs`) is the only `.astro` compiler; `experimental.rustCompiler` removed | Unclosed tags now throw build errors; semantically invalid HTML (block element inside `<p>`) is no longer auto-corrected and ships as authored | Close every tag, fix nesting; drop the experimental flag. Cosmetic CSS output differences (named colors as hex, `url()` quoting) are harmless |
+| Markdown/MDX default processor is Sätteri (native Rust); `@astrojs/markdown-remark` is not installed by default | GFM, smart punctuation and heading IDs are built in; `markdown.remarkPlugins` / `rehypePlugins` / `remarkRehype` are deprecated but still work — they now require `@astrojs/markdown-remark` plus the `unified()` processor, and have no effect under the default Sätteri processor | Need custom plugins? `pnpm add @astrojs/markdown-remark`, then `import { unified } from "@astrojs/markdown-remark"` and set `markdown: { processor: unified() }` |
+| `compressHTML` default changed from `true` to `'jsx'` | Newlines/whitespace between elements are stripped — `<span>hello</span>\n<em>world</em>` renders with no space | Add a literal space or `{' '}` between inline elements, or set `compressHTML: true` / `false` explicitly |
+| Advanced routing is stable; `experimental.advancedRouting` removed | `src/fetch.ts` is a RESERVED entrypoint — a pre-existing one is read as routing config and will likely error. `state.provide()`, `state.resolve()`, `state.finalizeAll()`, `App.Providers` removed | Rename the file, or set `fetchFile: './src/router.ts'` / `fetchFile: null` |
+| `experimental.logger` → top-level `logger` | Built-in handlers `json`, `node`, `console`; `context.logger` is always available in API routes and middleware; new `--json` CLI flag | Move the key to the top level |
+| `experimental.cache` / `experimental.routeRules` → top-level `cache` / `routeRules` | Plus a platform-agnostic `Astro.cache` API and experimental CDN cache-provider adapters (Netlify/Vercel/Cloudflare) | Move the keys to the top level |
+| `experimental.queuedRendering` removed | The stack-based queued rendering engine (~2.4x faster) is always on | Delete the flag |
+| `@astrojs/db` fully removed, with the `astro db` CLI and `astro login` / `logout` / `link` / `init` | Any DB-backed feature | Migrate to `node:sqlite` (Node 22.5+), Drizzle ORM, or a hosted DB (Turso, PlanetScale, Neon) |
+| `astro:transitions` removals | Constants `TRANSITION_BEFORE_PREPARATION`, `TRANSITION_AFTER_PREPARATION`, `TRANSITION_BEFORE_SWAP`, `TRANSITION_AFTER_SWAP`, `TRANSITION_PAGE_LOAD` and helpers `isTransitionBeforePreparationEvent()`, `isTransitionBeforeSwapEvent()`, `createAnimationScope()` | Use the lifecycle event-name strings directly: `'astro:before-preparation'`, `'astro:before-swap'`, … |
+| Vite 8 (Rust Rolldown bundler) is required and bundled | Custom Vite plugins and integrations | Update plugin/integration deps to Vite 8-compatible versions |
+| `getContainerRenderer` moved to a dedicated subpath | Container API usage in tests/integrations | `import { getContainerRenderer } from '@astrojs/react/container-renderer'` (same for preact / solid-js / svelte / vue / mdx) |
+| `astro dev` auto-detects AI coding agents and runs detached | The dev server no longer blocks the agent's shell | `astro dev --background` forces it; manage with `astro dev stop` / `status` / `logs`. `--ignore-lock` (Astro 7.1) starts a server without reading or writing the dev-server lock file, so a second one can run alongside the first instead of erroring — it cannot be combined with `--background` or `--force`, and servers started with it are not tracked by `stop` / `status` / `logs` |
+| Content collections | `glob()` gained `deferRender` (Astro 7.1, default `false`) — defers rendering Markdown entries until a page renders them instead of eagerly during content sync, bounding build memory but giving up the cached rendered HTML; experimental `collectionStorage: 'chunked'` splits the data store across files | Opt in only when a build actually runs out of memory |
+
+Unchanged and still canonical: `src/content.config.ts` + Content Layer (`defineCollection`, `z`, `glob`, `reference()`, `render()`, `getCollection`, `getEntry`), `getStaticPaths`, `Astro.currentLocale` / `Astro.site` / `Astro.url` / `Astro.generator`, `astro:i18n`, `astro:config/client`, `@astrojs/sitemap`, `@astrojs/rss`, `@astrojs/mdx`, `astro:assets` `<Image />`, `astro/tsconfigs/strict`, `.astro/types.d.ts`, and the `i18n` / `redirects` / adapter config shape.
+
+---
+
 ## Anti-Patterns
 
 These are explicitly forbidden. Any code matching these patterns must be refactored.
 
 | Anti-pattern | Why | Correct pattern |
 |---|---|---|
-| `src/content/config.ts` | Astro 4 pattern, ignored in Astro 6 | `src/content.config.ts` |
+| `src/content/config.ts` | Legacy pre-Content-Layer location — not used by Astro 7 | `src/content.config.ts` |
 | `astro.config.mjs` | JavaScript config loses type safety | `astro.config.ts` |
+| Any `experimental.rustCompiler` / `advancedRouting` / `queuedRendering` / `logger` / `cache` / `routeRules` key | Removed in Astro 7 — the features are stable or always on | Delete the flag; move `logger` / `cache` / `routeRules` to the top level |
+| `@astrojs/db` or an `astro db` script | Package and CLI removed in Astro 7 | `node:sqlite`, Drizzle ORM, or a hosted DB (Turso, PlanetScale, Neon) |
+| `markdown.remarkPlugins` / `rehypePlugins` without `@astrojs/markdown-remark` | The options still work in Astro 7, but only with that package installed and `processor: unified()` set — otherwise the default Sätteri processor runs and they have no effect | `pnpm add @astrojs/markdown-remark` + `markdown: { processor: unified() }` |
+| Unclosed tag, or invalid nesting (`<div>` / `<ul>` / heading inside `<p>`) | Rust compiler errors on unclosed tags and no longer restructures invalid HTML — the browser gets it as authored | Close every tag; keep only phrasing content inside `<p>` |
+| Newline-only whitespace between inline elements | Stripped by `compressHTML: 'jsx'` — words run together | Literal space or `{' '}` |
+| A stray `src/fetch.ts` | Reserved advanced-routing entrypoint in Astro 7 | Rename the file, or set `fetchFile` (`'./src/router.ts'` or `null`) |
+| `import { getContainerRenderer } from '@astrojs/react'` | Top-level import deprecated in Astro 7 | `@astrojs/react/container-renderer` subpath |
+| `TRANSITION_*` constants or `createAnimationScope()` from `astro:transitions` | Removed in Astro 7 | Plain event-name strings (`'astro:before-swap'`, …) |
 | Separate collections per language | Duplicates schema, breaks `reference()` | Single collection with lang subfolders |
 | Fixed `category` enum | Inflexible, hard to extend | `tags: string[]` |
 | Hardcoded UI strings in `.astro` | Breaks i18n, untranslatable | `tl('key')` from JSON |
@@ -230,7 +294,7 @@ biome check --write . # Auto-fix formatting (run before committing)
 | Vercel deployment | `@astrojs/vercel` |
 | Netlify deployment | `@astrojs/netlify` |
 | Cloudflare deployment | `@astrojs/cloudflare` |
-| Tailwind CSS | `@astrojs/tailwind` |
+| Custom remark/rehype markdown pipeline | `@astrojs/markdown-remark` (opt-in only; the default processor is Sätteri) |
 | Image optimization | Built-in `<Image />` from `astro:assets` |
 
 Never install community adapters when an official one exists.
diff --git a/astro-builder/docs/init-templates/404.astro.template b/astro-builder/docs/init-templates/404.astro.template
index 4466eac..23e97a6 100644
--- a/astro-builder/docs/init-templates/404.astro.template
+++ b/astro-builder/docs/init-templates/404.astro.template
@@ -8,19 +8,22 @@
 // EVERY configured locale:
 //
 //   ---
-//   import NotFoundPageView from "../../page-views/NotFoundPageView.astro";
+//   import NotFoundPageView from "@page-views/NotFoundPageView.astro";
 //   ---
 //   <NotFoundPageView />
 //
 // Add the notFound.* keys to every locale's src/i18n/<locale>.json.
-import BaseLayout from "../layouts/BaseLayout.astro";
+import BaseLayout from "@layouts/BaseLayout.astro";
 import { createTranslator } from "@lib/i18n";
+import { createUrls } from "@lib/urls";
 
 const tl = createTranslator(Astro.currentLocale);
+// Locale bound once, like the translator — no hand-built locale prefixes here.
+const url = createUrls(Astro.currentLocale);
 ---
 
 <BaseLayout title={tl("notFound.title")} description={tl("notFound.description")}>
   <h1>{tl("notFound.title")}</h1>
   <p>{tl("notFound.body")}</p>
-  <a href={`/${Astro.currentLocale}/`}>{tl("notFound.backHome")}</a>
+  <a href={url.home()}>{tl("notFound.backHome")}</a>
 </BaseLayout>
diff --git a/astro-builder/docs/init-templates/BaseLayout.astro.template b/astro-builder/docs/init-templates/BaseLayout.astro.template
index b05fce0..2a885bb 100644
--- a/astro-builder/docs/init-templates/BaseLayout.astro.template
+++ b/astro-builder/docs/init-templates/BaseLayout.astro.template
@@ -7,15 +7,24 @@
 // as the first focusable element, header/nav/main/footer landmarks, one <main>.
 // The <h1> belongs to the page-view, inside <main> — never here.
 //
+// Two Astro 7 authoring rules govern every tag in the markup below:
+//   1. Close every tag explicitly — the Rust compiler (@astrojs/compiler-rs)
+//      turns an unclosed tag into a build error and no longer auto-corrects
+//      semantically invalid HTML (a block element inside a paragraph, etc.).
+//   2. Make whitespace between adjacent inline elements explicit — with
+//      compressHTML defaulting to "jsx", a newline between them renders as
+//      nothing; use a literal space or {' '} where a gap must be visible.
+//
 // The <head> below is the SEO deep module (seo-conventions skill): page-views
 // pass only title/description (+ image/type/publishedAt for articles); the
 // full title, canonical, OG/Twitter tags, JSON-LD, and hreflang alternates are
 // all derived here from Astro.site, the current route, and the i18n config.
 // Hand-written SEO tags anywhere else are a violation.
-import "../styles/global.css";
+import "@styles/global.css";
 import { getAbsoluteLocaleUrl } from "astro:i18n";
 import { i18n } from "astro:config/client";
 import { createTranslator } from "@lib/i18n";
+import { createUrls } from "@lib/urls";
 
 interface Props {
   title: string;
@@ -30,6 +39,9 @@ interface Props {
 
 const { title, description, image, type = "website", publishedAt } = Astro.props;
 const tl = createTranslator(Astro.currentLocale);
+// Locale bound once, exactly like the translator: every href below comes from
+// a url.* method — this file never concatenates a locale prefix by hand.
+const url = createUrls(Astro.currentLocale);
 
 const siteName = "{{SITE_NAME}}";
 const pageTitle = `${title} · ${siteName}`;
@@ -47,7 +59,7 @@ const localePath = Astro.url.pathname.replace(
 );
 const locales = i18n.locales.map((l) => (typeof l === "string" ? l : l.path));
 
-const isHome = Astro.url.pathname === `/${Astro.currentLocale}/`;
+const isHome = Astro.url.pathname === url.home();
 const jsonLd =
   type === "article"
     ? {
@@ -99,7 +111,7 @@ const jsonLd =
       rel="alternate"
       type="application/rss+xml"
       title={siteName}
-      href={`/${Astro.currentLocale}/rss.xml`}
+      href={url.rss()}
     />
     <meta property="og:type" content={type} />
     <meta property="og:url" content={canonical.href} />
@@ -133,6 +145,16 @@ const jsonLd =
     <a href="#main" class="skip-link">{tl("layout.skipToContent")}</a>
     <header>
       <nav aria-label={tl("layout.mainNav")}>
+        {/*
+          DELETE THIS COMMENT once the marker below is filled — it is an
+          instruction to the generator, not part of the site.
+
+          The NAV_LINKS marker below expands to one anchor per top-level
+          destination. Every href comes from a url.* method (url.home(),
+          url.path("articles"), …) and every label from tl("nav.*") — never a
+          hand-built locale-prefixed string, never literal text. Adjacent links
+          on one line need an explicit space between them.
+        */}
         {{NAV_LINKS}}
       </nav>
     </header>
diff --git a/astro-builder/docs/init-templates/CLAUDE.md.template b/astro-builder/docs/init-templates/CLAUDE.md.template
index f111a74..d3309f3 100644
--- a/astro-builder/docs/init-templates/CLAUDE.md.template
+++ b/astro-builder/docs/init-templates/CLAUDE.md.template
@@ -21,6 +21,16 @@ pnpm build            # Production build
 pnpm preview          # Preview production build
 ```
 
+**Background dev server (Astro 7)**: `astro dev` detects AI coding agents and starts detached,
+so `pnpm dev` may return immediately instead of streaming logs.
+
+```bash
+pnpm dev -- --background      # Force a detached dev server
+pnpm exec astro dev status    # Is a background server running, and where
+pnpm exec astro dev logs      # Tail the background server's output
+pnpm exec astro dev stop      # Stop the background server
+```
+
 **Quality gates** (every commit must pass):
 
 ```bash
@@ -38,6 +48,16 @@ biome check --write . # Auto-fix formatting before committing
 
 ## Architecture
 
+### Astro 7 rules
+
+- **Close every tag.** The `.astro` compiler is Rust (`@astrojs/compiler-rs`) and an unclosed tag fails the build.
+- **No invalid nesting** (no block element inside a `<p>`, etc.) — Astro 7 no longer auto-corrects the HTML for you.
+- **Whitespace between inline elements must be explicit.** `compressHTML` defaults to `'jsx'`, so a newline between `<span>` and `<em>` renders as nothing: use a literal space or `{' '}`.
+- **Markdown/MDX use the built-in Rust processor** (GFM, smart punctuation, heading IDs included). Custom remark/rehype plugins require `pnpm add @astrojs/markdown-remark` plus `markdown: { processor: unified() }` in `astro.config.ts`.
+- **Never create `src/fetch.ts`** — it is the reserved advanced-routing entrypoint (use `fetchFile` for a custom router).
+- **Never add `@astrojs/db`** — the integration and the `astro db` CLI were removed in Astro 7.
+- **`logger`, `cache`, and `routeRules` are top-level config keys**, never `experimental.*`.
+
 ### Page-views pattern (mandatory)
 
 Three layers — never collapse them:
@@ -67,7 +87,7 @@ Three layers — never collapse them:
 ### Utility layer (`src/lib/`)
 
 - `content.ts` — all content collection queries (page-views never call `getCollection()` directly)
-- `urls.ts` — all URL builders (components never concatenate locale prefixes by hand)
+- `urls.ts` — the locale-bound `createUrls(locale)` factory; components bind the locale once (like `createTranslator`) and never concatenate locale prefixes
 - `format.ts` — locale-aware date/number formatting via `Intl` (never a date library)
 - `i18n.ts` — `createTranslator()` factory + the `MessageKey` type
 
@@ -88,7 +108,8 @@ Three layers — never collapse them:
 - Package manager: `pnpm` (never npm or yarn)
 - Linting/formatting: Biome (never ESLint or Prettier)
 - Config: `astro.config.ts` (never `.mjs`)
-- Node.js: 22 LTS
+- Astro: 7.x
+- Node.js: >= 22.12.0 (Astro 7 engine requirement)
 
 ### CSS conventions
 
@@ -117,6 +138,6 @@ See `.astro-builder/` for full context:
 ## Workflow rules
 
 - Every task ends with a git commit (descriptive message)
-- Always follow Astro 6 docs: https://docs.astro.build/llms-small.txt
+- Always follow Astro 7 docs: https://docs.astro.build/llms-small.txt
 - Use only official Astro integrations (`@astrojs/sitemap`, `@astrojs/rss`, `@astrojs/mdx`)
 - Follow MDN Web API references for browser API usage: https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/
diff --git a/astro-builder/docs/init-templates/anti-patterns.md.template b/astro-builder/docs/init-templates/anti-patterns.md.template
index 7bb4a81..8387c08 100644
--- a/astro-builder/docs/init-templates/anti-patterns.md.template
+++ b/astro-builder/docs/init-templates/anti-patterns.md.template
@@ -2,11 +2,11 @@
 
 What NOT to do in {{SITE_NAME}}. Every item here has caused real problems — either in this project or in similar Astro projects.
 
-Generated by `astro-builder`. See also `docs/astro-patterns.md` for the canonical Astro 6 anti-patterns.
+Generated by `astro-builder`. See also `docs/astro-patterns.md` for the canonical Astro 7 anti-patterns.
 
 ---
 
-## Astro 6 anti-patterns (always forbidden)
+## Astro 7 anti-patterns (always forbidden)
 
 These apply to every project using this plugin:
 
@@ -14,6 +14,13 @@ These apply to every project using this plugin:
 |---|---|
 | `src/content/config.ts` | `src/content.config.ts` |
 | `astro.config.mjs` | `astro.config.ts` |
+| Unclosed tags in `.astro` markup | Close every tag — Astro 7's Rust compiler makes it a build error |
+| Block element nested inside a `<p>` | Valid nesting — Astro 7 no longer auto-corrects invalid HTML |
+| Relying on a newline for spacing between inline elements | A literal space or `{' '}` — `compressHTML` defaults to `'jsx'` |
+| `@astrojs/db` / `astro db` | Removed in Astro 7 — `node:sqlite`, Drizzle, or a hosted DB |
+| A `src/fetch.ts` that is not the advanced-routing entrypoint | Rename the file, or point `fetchFile` at your router |
+| `experimental.logger` / `experimental.cache` / `experimental.routeRules` | Top-level `logger` / `cache` / `routeRules` |
+| `markdown.remarkPlugins` without `@astrojs/markdown-remark` | Install it + `markdown: { processor: unified() }` — the option still works, but only under that processor; the default Sätteri processor ignores it |
 | Separate collection per language | Single collection with locale subfolders |
 | Fixed `category` enum | `tags: string[]` |
 | UI strings hardcoded in `.astro` | `tl('key')` from locale JSON |
diff --git a/astro-builder/docs/init-templates/astro.config.ts.template b/astro-builder/docs/init-templates/astro.config.ts.template
index d9993b2..3896688 100644
--- a/astro-builder/docs/init-templates/astro.config.ts.template
+++ b/astro-builder/docs/init-templates/astro.config.ts.template
@@ -28,9 +28,37 @@ export default defineConfig({
 
   redirects: { "/": "/{{DEFAULT_LOCALE}}" },
 
+  // Astro 7's default (v6 shipped `true`). "jsx" strips whitespace between
+  // elements JSX-style, so a newline is no longer rendered as a space:
+  // adjacent inline elements that need a visible gap must carry a literal
+  // space or {' '} in the template. Set `true` to restore v6's HTML-aware
+  // collapsing, or `false` to keep the markup verbatim.
+  compressHTML: "jsx",
+
+  // Astro 7 renders Markdown and MDX with the built-in Rust processor
+  // (Sätteri) — GFM, smart punctuation, and heading IDs are included with no
+  // configuration. `markdown.remarkPlugins` / `rehypePlugins` / `remarkRehype`
+  // are deprecated but still functional — they have no effect under Sätteri and
+  // now require `@astrojs/markdown-remark` (no longer bundled) plus
+  // `markdown.processor`, which is the pipeline selector now.
+  // Custom remark/rehype plugins therefore mean opting back into unified:
+  //   pnpm add @astrojs/markdown-remark
+  //   import { unified } from "@astrojs/markdown-remark";
+  // and only then uncommenting:
+  // markdown: { processor: unified() },
+
   // Official Astro integrations only. @astrojs/sitemap emits
   // /sitemap-index.xml at build time; public/robots.txt points at it.
   integrations: [sitemap()],
 
+  // Astro 7 promoted `logger`, `cache`, and `routeRules` to TOP-LEVEL config
+  // keys — never write them under `experimental`. A static content site needs
+  // none of the three, so none appear above.
+  //
+  // Advanced routing is on by default, which reserves src/fetch.ts as its
+  // router entrypoint: do NOT create that file. If a custom router is ever
+  // needed, move it with `fetchFile: "./src/router.ts"` (or disable the
+  // entrypoint entirely with `fetchFile: null`).
+
   // {{ADAPTER}} — e.g. `adapter: vercel(),` — omit for static hosting.
 });
diff --git a/astro-builder/docs/init-templates/content-schema.md.template b/astro-builder/docs/init-templates/content-schema.md.template
index bc77ea8..bc8378e 100644
--- a/astro-builder/docs/init-templates/content-schema.md.template
+++ b/astro-builder/docs/init-templates/content-schema.md.template
@@ -54,6 +54,8 @@ draft: false
 Content body starts here...
 ```
 
+Markdown bodies are rendered by Astro 7's built-in processor — GFM, smart punctuation, and heading IDs work with no plugin configuration.
+
 ## i18n strategy
 
 - Each translatable content type has locale subfolders: `en/`, `it/`, etc.
diff --git a/astro-builder/docs/init-templates/content.config.ts.template b/astro-builder/docs/init-templates/content.config.ts.template
index e76d53f..5c5b43c 100644
--- a/astro-builder/docs/init-templates/content.config.ts.template
+++ b/astro-builder/docs/init-templates/content.config.ts.template
@@ -1,7 +1,8 @@
 // {{SITE_NAME}} — content collections
 //
 // Generated by astro-builder. Lives at src/content.config.ts
-// (NEVER src/content/config.ts — that is the legacy Astro 2 location).
+// (NEVER src/content/config.ts — that legacy pre-Content-Layer location is
+// not used by Astro 7).
 //
 // Every collection follows one i18n contract:
 //   - ONE collection per content type — never one per language.
@@ -22,6 +23,12 @@ const locales = [{{LOCALES_TUPLE}}] as const;
 //
 // const articles = defineCollection({
 //   loader: glob({ pattern: "**/*.{md,mdx}", base: "./src/content/articles" }),
+//   // Astro 7.1 adds an optional `deferRender` to glob() (default false).
+//   // true defers each Markdown entry's rendering until a page renders it,
+//   // instead of rendering eagerly during content sync: build memory stays
+//   // bounded, but the rendered HTML is no longer cached. Only worth it for a
+//   // collection large enough that `astro build` runs out of memory:
+//   //   loader: glob({ pattern: "**/*.{md,mdx}", base: "./src/content/articles", deferRender: true }),
 //   schema: z.object({
 //     title: z.string(),
 //     description: z.string(),
diff --git a/astro-builder/docs/init-templates/lib/content.ts.template b/astro-builder/docs/init-templates/lib/content.ts.template
index ef15fe6..06480a8 100644
--- a/astro-builder/docs/init-templates/lib/content.ts.template
+++ b/astro-builder/docs/init-templates/lib/content.ts.template
@@ -22,6 +22,12 @@ import { getCollection } from "astro:content";
 //   );
 // }
 
+// A collection large enough to exhaust build memory can pair a getXByLang()
+// here with the glob loader's `deferRender: true` option (Astro 7.1) — it
+// defers each entry's rendering to the page that renders it instead of
+// rendering eagerly during content sync, trading the rendered-HTML cache for
+// bounded memory (see content.config.ts).
+
 // {{CONTENT_HELPERS}} — one getXByLang() per collection from the interview,
 // following the pattern above. Add narrower helpers (getXBySlug,
 // getAllXTags) only when a page-view actually needs them.
diff --git a/astro-builder/docs/init-templates/lib/urls.ts.template b/astro-builder/docs/init-templates/lib/urls.ts.template
index ea68496..2c45822 100644
--- a/astro-builder/docs/init-templates/lib/urls.ts.template
+++ b/astro-builder/docs/init-templates/lib/urls.ts.template
@@ -2,34 +2,63 @@
 //
 // Generated by astro-builder. Lives at src/lib/urls.ts.
 //
-// Every internal href on the site comes from this module — components never
-// concatenate locale prefixes by hand. With `prefixDefaultLocale: true`,
-// every route carries a locale, and this is the only file that knows that.
-// All builders return root-relative, trailing-slashed paths; absolute URLs
-// (canonical, OG, feeds) are BaseLayout's job via `Astro.site`.
+// Every internal href on the site comes from this module. Locale is bound ONCE,
+// exactly like the translator: `const url = createUrls(Astro.currentLocale)`.
+// With `prefixDefaultLocale: true` every route carries a locale, and this is the
+// only file that knows it — plus the only file that knows glob() entry ids carry
+// the locale folder. All builders return root-relative, trailing-slashed paths;
+// absolute URLs (canonical, OG, feeds) are BaseLayout's job via `Astro.site`.
+//
+// Usage — bind the locale once, then call methods:
+//
+//   // .astro components and page-views
+//   const url = createUrls(Astro.currentLocale);
+//   url.home();                // "/en/"
+//   url.rss();                 // "/en/rss.xml"
+//   url.article(entry.id);     // "/en/articles/my-article/"
+//   url.path("articles");      // "/en/articles/" — the public escape hatch for
+//                              //   a route with no dedicated method yet
+//
+//   // endpoints, e.g. src/pages/<locale>/rss.xml.ts
+//   const url = createUrls(locale);
+//
+// Naming rule: entry builders are SINGULAR nouns (`article`, `tutorial`, `tag`) —
+// one method, one entry's URL. Every generator that adds a builder follows it.
 
-/** Root-relative URL for any locale-prefixed path. The primitive every other builder uses. */
-export function buildLocaleUrl(locale: string, ...segments: string[]): string {
-  return `/${[locale, ...segments].join("/")}/`;
-}
+/**
+ * Returns URL builders bound to `locale` (pass `Astro.currentLocale`, or the
+ * endpoint's `context.currentLocale`).
+ */
+export function createUrls(locale: string | undefined) {
+  const lang = locale ?? "{{DEFAULT_LOCALE}}";
 
-/** Homepage for a locale: `/en/`. */
-export function buildHomeUrl(locale: string): string {
-  return buildLocaleUrl(locale);
-}
+  /**
+   * Root-relative URL for any locale-prefixed path — the primitive every method
+   * below delegates to. Returned as `url.path`, so it is public: call sites use
+   * it for routes that have no dedicated method (nav destinations, listings).
+   */
+  const path = (...segments: string[]) => `/${[lang, ...segments].join("/")}/`;
 
-/** RSS feed for a locale: `/en/rss.xml`. No trailing slash — it is a file, not a page. */
-export function buildRssUrl(locale: string): string {
-  return `/${locale}/rss.xml`;
-}
+  return {
+    path,
+    /** Homepage: `/en/`. */
+    home: () => path(),
+    /** RSS feed: `/en/rss.xml`. No trailing slash — it is a file, not a page. */
+    rss: () => `/${lang}/rss.xml`,
 
-// ── Content-type builders ───────────────────────────────────────────────────
-// {{CONTENT_TYPE_URL_BUILDERS}}
-//
-// One builder per content collection, delegating to buildLocaleUrl. Entry ids
-// from glob() loaders include the locale folder ("en/my-article") — strip it;
-// the URL prefix carries the locale. Pattern (matches new-content-type):
-//
-// export function buildArticleUrl(slug: string, locale: string): string {
-//   return buildLocaleUrl(locale, "articles", slug.replace(`${locale}/`, ""));
-// }
+    // ── Content-type builders ─────────────────────────────────────────────
+    /*
+      DELETE THIS COMMENT once the marker below is filled — it is an
+      instruction to the generator, not part of the site.
+
+      One method per content collection, delegating to `path`. Entry ids from
+      glob() loaders include the locale folder ("en/my-article") — strip it
+      here; the URL prefix carries the locale. Pattern (matches
+      new-content-type):
+
+        article: (id: string) => path("articles", id.replace(`${lang}/`, "")),
+        tag: (tag: string) => path("tags", encodeURIComponent(tag)),
+    */
+    {{CONTENT_TYPE_URL_BUILDERS}}
+  };
+}
diff --git a/astro-builder/docs/init-templates/rss.xml.ts.template b/astro-builder/docs/init-templates/rss.xml.ts.template
index f6fa34f..9486eb4 100644
--- a/astro-builder/docs/init-templates/rss.xml.ts.template
+++ b/astro-builder/docs/init-templates/rss.xml.ts.template
@@ -8,13 +8,16 @@
 import rss from "@astrojs/rss";
 import { getCollection } from "astro:content";
 import type { APIContext } from "astro";
+import { createUrls } from "@lib/urls";
 
 export async function GET(context: APIContext) {
   const locale = context.currentLocale ?? "{{DEFAULT_LOCALE}}";
+  // Locale bound once — every link below comes from a url.* method.
+  const url = createUrls(locale);
 
   // Feed only this locale's published entries.
   const entries = await getCollection(
-    "articles",
+    "{{FEED_COLLECTION}}",
     ({ data }) => data.lang === locale && !data.draft,
   );
 
@@ -29,9 +32,20 @@ export async function GET(context: APIContext) {
         title: entry.data.title,
         description: entry.data.description,
         pubDate: entry.data.date,
-        // glob-loader ids include the locale folder ("en/my-article") —
-        // strip it; the URL prefix carries the locale.
-        link: `/${locale}/articles/${entry.id.replace(`${locale}/`, "")}/`,
+        /*
+          DELETE THIS COMMENT once the marker below is filled — it is an
+          instruction to the generator, not part of the site.
+
+          glob-loader ids include the locale folder ("en/my-article") — the
+          stripping happens inside createUrls, since the URL prefix already
+          carries the locale, so this endpoint calls a builder and never
+          concatenates a path. Fill FEED_ENTRY_URL with the singular builder
+          method src/lib/urls.ts exposes for this collection (`url.article`,
+          `url.tutorial`, …); if it has none yet, add it there first. The
+          public `url.path(...)` primitive is the fallback only when the feed
+          is genuinely not a per-entry route.
+        */
+        link: {{FEED_ENTRY_URL}}(entry.id),
       })),
     customData: `<language>${locale}</language>`,
   });
diff --git a/astro-builder/skills/audit/SKILL.md b/astro-builder/skills/audit/SKILL.md
index f6edadd..73887fa 100644
--- a/astro-builder/skills/audit/SKILL.md
+++ b/astro-builder/skills/audit/SKILL.md
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ description: >
 
 # /astro-builder:audit
 
-You are auditing this Astro 6 project for quality issues across every domain the plugin enforces.
+You are auditing this Astro 7 project for quality issues across every domain the plugin enforces.
 
 **Why this shape:** the audit is a thin orchestrator. Each convention skill owns its rules in its
 `SKILL.md` and the mechanical checks for those rules in its `references/audit.md` — the rule and
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ Read:
 8. `src/content.config.ts` — collection schemas.
 
 Also read, from the plugin root:
-- `docs/astro-patterns.md` — canonical Astro 6 anti-patterns.
+- `docs/astro-patterns.md` — canonical Astro 7 anti-patterns.
 - `docs/anti-slop.md` — the anti-slop / design-quality rule catalog (used in Step 6).
 - `docs/registers.md` — the brand vs. product register model that scopes Step 6 severity.
 
@@ -46,6 +46,39 @@ Check for violations of the page-views pattern:
 - **Config file location**: `src/content/config.ts` must not exist. Only `src/content.config.ts` is valid.
 - **Astro config extension**: `astro.config.mjs` must not exist. Only `astro.config.ts` is valid.
 
+**Astro 7 config surface** — grep `astro.config.ts` for the `experimental` *key*
+(`grep -nE "^\s*experimental\s*:" astro.config.ts`), not the bare word: the scaffolded template
+mentions `experimental` in a comment on purpose, and a bare-word grep reports it as a violation.
+Then check the rest:
+
+- **Removed experimental flags**: `experimental.rustCompiler`, `experimental.advancedRouting` and
+  `experimental.queuedRendering` no longer exist — flag each as P1 with "delete the key" as the fix.
+- **Stabilized experimental flags**: `experimental.logger`, `experimental.cache` and
+  `experimental.routeRules` moved to the top level (`logger`, `cache`, `routeRules`) — P1, fix is to
+  hoist them out of `experimental`.
+- **Reserved routing entrypoint**: `src/fetch.ts` must not exist unless it is a deliberate
+  advanced-routing entrypoint. Otherwise flag P1 — rename the file, or set
+  `fetchFile: './src/router.ts'` / `fetchFile: null` in `astro.config.ts`.
+- **Removed `@astrojs/db`**: no `@astrojs/db` dependency and no `astro db` script in `package.json` —
+  flag P1 and point at `node:sqlite` (Node 22.5+), Drizzle, or a hosted DB (Turso / PlanetScale / Neon).
+- **Markdown plugins without their processor**: `markdown.remarkPlugins`, `markdown.rehypePlugins` or
+  `markdown.remarkRehype` present **without** `@astrojs/markdown-remark` installed and
+  `markdown: { processor: unified() }` set is a **P1**. The options are deprecated but still
+  functional in Astro 7 — they just need that package (no longer bundled) plus the `unified()`
+  processor; without both, the default Sätteri processor runs and the options have no effect.
+  Fix: `pnpm add @astrojs/markdown-remark`,
+  `import { unified } from "@astrojs/markdown-remark"`, set `markdown: { processor: unified() }` — or
+  delete the plugins if the built-in GFM, smart punctuation and heading IDs already cover them.
+- **Removed `astro:transitions` exports**: `TRANSITION_*` constants,
+  `isTransitionBeforePreparationEvent()`, `isTransitionBeforeSwapEvent()` and
+  `createAnimationScope()` are **P1** — use the lifecycle event-name strings
+  (`'astro:before-preparation'`, `'astro:before-swap'`, …).
+- **Container renderer import path**: a top-level `getContainerRenderer` import from
+  `@astrojs/react` / `preact` / `solid-js` / `svelte` / `vue` / `mdx` is **P1** — it moved to the
+  `@astrojs/<framework>/container-renderer` subpath.
+- **Node version floor**: `engines.node` in `package.json` and the Node version pinned in CI must be
+  `>=22.12.0` (Astro 7's requirement) — anything lower is a **P1**.
+
 ## Step 3 — i18n audit
 
 - **Missing locale pages**: For every page in `src/pages/en/`, check that a matching page exists in every other configured locale folder. List missing pages.
@@ -115,10 +148,22 @@ This is a best-effort check — report findings but don't auto-fix style issues.
 
 ## Step 8 — Build validation
 
-Run `pnpm build`. If it fails, include the full error output in the report as a P0 issue.
+Run `pnpm build`. If it fails, include the full error output in the report. **Severity follows the
+convention rule the failure maps to** — a build error that a domain checklist already owns is
+reported at that rule's severity (e.g. a block element inside a `<p>` is HTML-13, a P1), not
+automatically P0. A build failure that maps to no convention rule is a **P0**.
 Run `tsc --noEmit`. Include any TypeScript errors as P0 issues.
 Run `biome check .` if Biome is configured. Include lint errors as P1 issues.
 
+Two Astro 7 failure modes to name explicitly when they show up:
+
+- A build error about an **unclosed tag** or a **block element inside a `<p>`** is Astro 7
+  Rust-compiler strictness — the compiler errors where Astro 6 auto-corrected. Report it under the
+  html-conventions rule it belongs to (`references/audit.md`: HTML-12 for unclosed tags, HTML-13 for
+  a block element inside a `<p>`), at that rule's severity, with the fix at `file:line`.
+- An install or build failure with no other explanation is usually **Node < 22.12.0**. Check `node -v`
+  against Astro 7's `engines.node: ">=22.12.0"` before chasing anything else.
+
 ## Step 9 — Report
 
 Produce a structured report in this format:
@@ -159,4 +204,4 @@ If yes, fix them autonomously, then re-run `pnpm build` and `tsc --noEmit` to co
 - Never modify content body text during the audit without explicit instruction.
 - Never restate a convention skill's rules here — rules live in each skill's `SKILL.md`, checks in
   its `references/audit.md`. This file only orchestrates.
-- Always follow the Astro 6 documentation: https://docs.astro.build/llms-small.txt
+- Always follow the Astro 7 documentation: https://docs.astro.build/llms-small.txt
diff --git a/astro-builder/skills/css-conventions/SKILL.md b/astro-builder/skills/css-conventions/SKILL.md
index 81e3fcf..c9044d0 100644
--- a/astro-builder/skills/css-conventions/SKILL.md
+++ b/astro-builder/skills/css-conventions/SKILL.md
@@ -72,6 +72,12 @@ All values in these six domains must come from CSS custom properties defined in
 - If the value you need isn't in the design system, add a token to `global.css` first, then use it.
 - Document new tokens in `.astro-builder/design-system.md`.
 
+**Build-output gotcha:** Astro 7's Rust compiler may serialize CSS differently in the build
+output than you authored it — named colors emitted as hex (`white` → `#fff`), different `url()`
+quoting. These differences are cosmetic; the computed styles are identical. Never chase them and
+never "fix" a token because the built CSS reads differently — `global.css` stays the source of
+truth.
+
 **Allowed raw values (not design-system axes):**
 
 - One-off layout dimensions: `width`, `height`, `max-width`, `min-height`, positional `top/left/right/bottom`, container `inline-size` thresholds. These are component-specific, not design-system axes.
@@ -354,7 +360,7 @@ After writing or refactoring any CSS, confirm:
 ## Constraints
 
 - Always follow MDN Web API references for browser/web API usage.
-- Always follow the Astro 6 documentation: https://docs.astro.build/llms-small.txt
+- Always follow the Astro 7 documentation: https://docs.astro.build/llms-small.txt
 - All token names use the six canonical namespaces. Inventing a new namespace (e.g. `--ui-*`, `--page-*`) is forbidden.
 - The `.astro-builder/design-system.md` file is the human-readable index of tokens. `global.css` is the source of truth.
 - When new tokens are needed, add to `global.css` first, then document in `design-system.md`.
diff --git a/astro-builder/skills/html-conventions/SKILL.md b/astro-builder/skills/html-conventions/SKILL.md
index 04d58e7..0c34007 100644
--- a/astro-builder/skills/html-conventions/SKILL.md
+++ b/astro-builder/skills/html-conventions/SKILL.md
@@ -7,8 +7,10 @@ description: >
   before adding a heading, and when reviewing templates for accessibility. Semantics and
   accessibility are one domain: the right element IS the accessible one. Enforces landmark
   structure (one `<main>`, one `<h1>`), unbroken heading hierarchy, button-vs-link discipline,
-  ARIA-only-when-native-can't, explicit alt text, labeled forms, and focus order — the markup
-  counterpart to the css-conventions skill.
+  ARIA-only-when-native-can't, explicit alt text, labeled forms, and focus order — plus
+  well-formed markup for Astro 7's stricter Rust compiler (every tag closed, nesting valid,
+  whitespace between inline elements explicit). The markup counterpart to the css-conventions
+  skill.
 ---
 
 # HTML Conventions — astro-builder
@@ -67,7 +69,80 @@ then `header` → `nav` → `main` → `footer`. Page-views fill `<main>` — th
 The init scaffold for this skeleton is `docs/init-templates/BaseLayout.astro.template` (plugin
 root) — keep it in sync with these rules.
 
-## 2 — Heading hierarchy
+## 2 — Well-formed markup
+
+Astro 7 compiles `.astro` files with the Rust compiler (`@astrojs/compiler-rs`), now the only
+option. It is stricter than the compiler it replaced in two ways authors feel immediately:
+unclosed tags are build errors, and semantically invalid nesting is no longer silently
+restructured. A third change comes from `compressHTML`, whose default is now `'jsx'`: whitespace
+between elements is stripped instead of collapsed. Well-formed markup is therefore not a matter
+of taste — it is the difference between a page that builds and renders as authored and one that
+doesn't.
+
+- **Close every tag.** An unclosed `<p>`, `<div>`, `<li>`, or component tag fails `pnpm build`
+  with a compiler error naming the file and the tag. Void elements (`<img>`, `<br>`, `<meta>`,
+  `<link>`) carry no closing tag as before, and self-closed components (`<Image />`) are fine.
+
+```astro
+<!-- 🔴 Bad: the first <p> is never closed — Astro 7 fails the build -->
+<p>First paragraph<p>Second paragraph</p>
+
+<!-- ✅ Good: two properly closed paragraphs; void elements stay void -->
+<p>First paragraph</p>
+<p>Second paragraph</p>
+<img src="/divider.svg" alt="" />
+```
+
+- **Keep nesting valid.** No block-level element (`<div>`, `<section>`, `<ul>`, `<p>`,
+  `<h1>`–`<h6>`) inside a `<p>` — this is the case the Astro docs call out for the Rust compiler.
+  Astro 7 ships the markup as authored instead of repairing it, so the browser applies its own
+  implicit-close rule: the `<p>` ends *before* the block element, which becomes a sibling. The
+  styling scoped to "inside the paragraph" stops applying and the outline you thought you wrote is
+  not the one the accessibility tree gets.
+
+```astro
+<!-- 🔴 Bad: a list and a heading inside a paragraph — the browser closes <p> early -->
+<p>
+  {tl("about.intro")}
+  <ul><li>{tl("about.pointOne")}</li></ul>
+  <h2>{tl("about.teamTitle")}</h2>
+</p>
+
+<!-- ✅ Good: the paragraph is prose only; blocks are siblings -->
+<p>{tl("about.intro")}</p>
+<ul><li>{tl("about.pointOne")}</li></ul>
+<h2>{tl("about.teamTitle")}</h2>
+```
+
+- **Never nest one interactive element inside another** (`<a>` inside `<a>`, `<button>` inside
+  `<a>`). This one is an accessibility rule, not a compiler one — the Astro docs do not list it
+  among the nesting cases the Rust compiler stopped repairing, and it was never something to rely on
+  a compiler to fix. Nested interactive elements give the accessibility tree an ambiguous target and
+  leave keyboard users with a focus stop whose action they cannot predict. Make the two actions
+  siblings, or make the outer element a plain container.
+
+- **Spacing between inline elements must be explicit.** With `compressHTML: 'jsx'` (the Astro 7
+  default) a newline between two inline elements produces no space at all — `<span>` and `<em>` on
+  separate lines render glued together. Write the space you mean: a literal space on the same
+  line, or `{' '}` between the elements.
+
+```astro
+<!-- 🔴 Bad: the space came from a newline — Astro 7 strips it ("helloworld") -->
+<span>{tl("home.hello")}</span>
+<em>{tl("home.world")}</em>
+
+<!-- ✅ Good: the space is authored — same line, or an explicit {' '} -->
+<span>{tl("home.hello")}</span> <em>{tl("home.world")}</em>
+
+<span>{tl("home.hello")}</span>{' '}
+<em>{tl("home.world")}</em>
+```
+
+Setting `compressHTML: true` in `astro.config.ts` restores the old HTML-aware collapsing (and
+`false` disables compression entirely), but that is a project-wide decision made once with the
+user — never a per-page fix for a missing space.
+
+## 3 — Heading hierarchy
 
 Headings are the document outline, not a font-size picker. Screen-reader users navigate by
 heading level; a skipped level is a hole in their map.
@@ -89,7 +164,7 @@ heading level; a skipped level is a hole in their map.
 <h2>{tl("article.relatedTitle")}</h2>
 ```
 
-## 3 — Buttons vs links
+## 4 — Buttons vs links
 
 One question decides it: **does it navigate or does it act?**
 
@@ -108,16 +183,22 @@ One question decides it: **does it navigate or does it act?**
   keydown handlers earns back what `<button>` gives for free.
 
 ```astro
+---
+import { createTranslator } from "@lib/i18n";
+import { createUrls } from "@lib/urls";
+const tl = createTranslator(Astro.currentLocale);
+const url = createUrls(Astro.currentLocale);
+---
 <!-- 🔴 Bad: a div pretending, and a link that acts -->
 <div class="button" onclick="openMenu()">Menu</div>
 <a onclick="copyLink()">Copy link</a>
 
 <!-- ✅ Good: behavior picks the element; CSS picks the look -->
 <button type="button" class="menu-toggle">{tl("nav.menu")}</button>
-<a href={`/${Astro.currentLocale}/pricing`} class="button">{tl("nav.pricing")}</a>
+<a href={url.path("pricing")} class="button">{tl("nav.pricing")}</a>
 ```
 
-## 4 — ARIA minimum
+## 5 — ARIA minimum
 
 The first rule of ARIA: **don't use ARIA when a native element exists.** ARIA adds announcements;
 it never adds behavior — a `role` promises keyboard support that you then owe in JS.
@@ -135,11 +216,11 @@ it never adds behavior — a `role` promises keyboard support that you then owe
   genuinely missing (icon-only buttons, multiple `<nav>`s).
 - **Legitimate ARIA in this stack** (no native equivalent exists): `aria-current="page"` on the
   active nav link, `aria-expanded` on a disclosure toggle, `aria-label` to distinguish landmarks,
-  `aria-describedby` for form errors (§6), `aria-hidden="true"` on purely decorative inline SVGs.
+  `aria-describedby` for form errors (§7), `aria-hidden="true"` on purely decorative inline SVGs.
 - **`aria-hidden="true"` never goes on a focusable element** — it hides the element from the
   accessibility tree while keyboard users can still land on it: a focus black hole.
 
-## 5 — Images & alt text
+## 6 — Images & alt text
 
 Every `<img>` (and Astro `<Image />`) carries an explicit `alt`. Omitted alt is never valid —
 screen readers fall back to announcing the file name.
@@ -162,7 +243,7 @@ screen readers fall back to announcing the file name.
 <img src="/divider.svg" alt="" />
 ```
 
-## 6 — Forms
+## 7 — Forms
 
 Every control has a programmatic label; every error is programmatically attached to its field.
 Placeholder text is not a label — it vanishes on first keystroke (see `ux-writing`).
@@ -195,7 +276,7 @@ Placeholder text is not a label — it vanishes on first keystroke (see `ux-writ
 </fieldset>
 ```
 
-## 7 — Focus
+## 8 — Focus
 
 Keyboard users experience the page as a sequence of focus stops. The DOM order is that sequence —
 manage it with structure, not numbers.
@@ -226,7 +307,7 @@ manage it with structure, not numbers.
 }
 ```
 
-## 8 — Lists, tables, time
+## 9 — Lists, tables, time
 
 Data with a shape gets the element with that shape — CSS can restyle anything, but only the right
 element announces itself.
@@ -257,6 +338,13 @@ element announces itself.
 After writing or refactoring any markup, confirm:
 
 - [ ] The page has exactly one `<main>` (in the layout) and exactly one `<h1>` (in the page-view).
+- [ ] Every tag is explicitly closed — the Astro 7 compiler errors on unclosed tags (§2).
+- [ ] No block-level element sits inside a `<p>` — Astro 7 no longer restructures invalid nesting
+      (§2).
+- [ ] No interactive element sits inside another interactive element — an accessibility rule, not a
+      compiler one (§2).
+- [ ] Any space between adjacent inline elements is authored explicitly (same line or `{' '}`) —
+      `compressHTML` defaults to `'jsx'` and strips whitespace between elements (§2).
 - [ ] Heading levels descend without skips; no heading was chosen for its size.
 - [ ] Every interactive element is a real `<button>` or `<a href>` — no clickable `div`/`span`,
       no `<a>` without `href`.
@@ -283,5 +371,5 @@ After writing or refactoring any markup, confirm:
   `/astro-builder:audit`. When a rule here changes, update its check there.
 - Focus-indicator styling crosses into `css-conventions` — the rule (never remove without
   replacement) lives here; the token and `@layer base` placement live there.
-- Always follow MDN for element and ARIA semantics, and the Astro 6 documentation:
+- Always follow MDN for element and ARIA semantics, and the Astro 7 documentation:
   https://docs.astro.build/llms-small.txt
diff --git a/astro-builder/skills/html-conventions/references/audit.md b/astro-builder/skills/html-conventions/references/audit.md
index 602a6bf..44c9b8f 100644
--- a/astro-builder/skills/html-conventions/references/audit.md
+++ b/astro-builder/skills/html-conventions/references/audit.md
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ checks treat the layout and page-views differently.
 ## HTML-1 — `<img>` without `alt`
 
 - **Rule:** every image carries an explicit `alt` — descriptive or deliberately empty
-  (SKILL.md §5).
+  (SKILL.md §6).
 - **Severity:** P1
 - **Detect:** `grep -rn -E "<(img|Image)\b" src --include="*.astro" | grep -v "alt"`
   (multi-line tags evade the pipe — also open each `<Image` / `<img` hit and confirm an `alt`
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ checks treat the layout and page-views differently.
 
 ## HTML-2 — Positive `tabindex`
 
-- **Rule:** tab order is DOM order; positive `tabindex` is forbidden (SKILL.md §7).
+- **Rule:** tab order is DOM order; positive `tabindex` is forbidden (SKILL.md §8).
 - **Severity:** P1
 - **Detect:** `grep -rn -E "tabindex=[\"'{]?[1-9]" src --include="*.astro"`
 - **Confirm:** `tabindex="0"` and `tabindex="-1"` are the allowed values and won't match; any
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ checks treat the layout and page-views differently.
 
 ## HTML-3 — `autofocus`
 
-- **Rule:** `autofocus` is forbidden on content pages (SKILL.md §7).
+- **Rule:** `autofocus` is forbidden on content pages (SKILL.md §8).
 - **Severity:** P2
 - **Detect:** `grep -rn "autofocus" src --include="*.astro"`
 - **Confirm:** a search input inside a dedicated search page or an input inside a just-opened
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ checks treat the layout and page-views differently.
 ## HTML-4 — Click handlers on `div` / `span`
 
 - **Rule:** clickable `div`/`span` is forbidden — actions are `<button>`, navigation is
-  `<a href>` (SKILL.md §3).
+  `<a href>` (SKILL.md §4).
 - **Severity:** P1
 - **Detect:** `grep -rn -E "<(div|span)[^>]*(onclick|on:click|role=\"button\")" src --include="*.astro"`
   — also grep `<script>` blocks for `addEventListener("click"` and confirm the target element
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ checks treat the layout and page-views differently.
 
 ## HTML-5 — `<a>` without `href`
 
-- **Rule:** an `<a>` without `href` is not a link — unfocusable and unannounced (SKILL.md §3).
+- **Rule:** an `<a>` without `href` is not a link — unfocusable and unannounced (SKILL.md §4).
 - **Severity:** P1
 - **Detect:** `grep -rn -E "<a(\s[^>]*)?>" src --include="*.astro" | grep -v "href"`
   (multi-line tags evade the pipe — confirm each `<a` hit has `href` within the tag).
@@ -96,7 +96,7 @@ checks treat the layout and page-views differently.
 
 ## HTML-8 — Skipped heading levels
 
-- **Rule:** heading levels descend without skips; level = structure, size = CSS (SKILL.md §2).
+- **Rule:** heading levels descend without skips; level = structure, size = CSS (SKILL.md §3).
 - **Severity:** P2
 - **Detect:** no reliable grep — inspection. For each page-view:
   `grep -on -E "<h[1-6]" src/page-views/*.astro` lists the heading sequence per file in source
@@ -109,7 +109,7 @@ checks treat the layout and page-views differently.
 
 ## HTML-9 — Form control without an associated label
 
-- **Rule:** every control has a programmatic label; placeholder is not a label (SKILL.md §6).
+- **Rule:** every control has a programmatic label; placeholder is not a label (SKILL.md §7).
 - **Severity:** P1
 - **Detect:** `grep -rn -E "<(input|select|textarea)" src --include="*.astro"` — for each hit
   (skip `type="hidden"` and `type="submit"`), confirm a `<label for>` matching its `id` exists
@@ -117,12 +117,12 @@ checks treat the layout and page-views differently.
 - **Confirm:** an `aria-label` on the control is technically labeled but flag it as P2 if a
   visible label was possible; `placeholder` alone is always a violation.
 - **Fix:** add `<label for="...">` (`.sr-only` if it must be visually hidden), and while there:
-  check `type` and `autocomplete` are set per SKILL.md §6.
+  check `type` and `autocomplete` are set per SKILL.md §7.
 
 ## HTML-10 — `outline: none` without a `:focus-visible` replacement
 
 - **Rule:** never remove the focus indicator without an equal-or-better replacement
-  (SKILL.md §7; styling rules in css-conventions).
+  (SKILL.md §8; styling rules in css-conventions).
 - **Severity:** P1
 - **Detect:** `grep -rn -E "outline:\s*(none|0)" src --include="*.astro" --include="*.css"`
 - **Confirm:** allowed only when the same component's `<style>` (or the same `global.css` rule
@@ -133,7 +133,7 @@ checks treat the layout and page-views differently.
 
 ## HTML-11 — `aria-hidden="true"` on focusable elements
 
-- **Rule:** `aria-hidden` never goes on an element keyboard users can reach (SKILL.md §4).
+- **Rule:** `aria-hidden` never goes on an element keyboard users can reach (SKILL.md §5).
 - **Severity:** P1
 - **Detect:** `grep -rn -E "<(a|button|input|select|textarea)[^>]*aria-hidden" src --include="*.astro"`
   — also check `aria-hidden` containers for focusable descendants.
@@ -141,3 +141,60 @@ checks treat the layout and page-views differently.
   anything focusable (or wrapping something focusable) it is a violation.
 - **Fix:** remove `aria-hidden`, or make the element genuinely inert (`tabindex="-1"` +
   `disabled`/`inert` as appropriate) if it truly must be hidden.
+
+## HTML-12 — Unclosed tags
+
+- **Rule:** every tag is explicitly closed — the Astro 7 Rust compiler errors on unclosed tags
+  (SKILL.md §2).
+- **Severity:** P0 — it breaks the build; nothing else can be audited until it's fixed.
+- **Detect:** run `pnpm build` and read the compiler errors — each one names the file and the
+  offending tag, which is the authoritative answer. To find candidates without building, compare
+  opening and closing counts per file, e.g.
+  `grep -c "<p" src/page-views/AboutPageView.astro` vs
+  `grep -c "</p>" src/page-views/AboutPageView.astro`, repeated over
+  `grep -rl "<p" src --include="*.astro"` for the block elements in play
+  (`p`, `div`, `section`, `ul`, `ol`, `li`, `h1`–`h6`).
+- **Confirm:** a count mismatch is a *candidate*, not a verdict — void and self-closed elements
+  (`<img>`, `<br>`, `<link>`, `<Image />`), text or code samples containing `<p` inside a fenced
+  block or a string, and prefix overlaps (`<p` also matches `<pre`) are all false positives. A
+  build error is always a verdict.
+- **Fix:** close the tag (two properly closed `<p>` elements, never `<p>…<p>…</p>`).
+
+## HTML-13 — Block element inside a `<p>`
+
+- **Rule:** no block-level element inside a `<p>` — Astro 7 no longer restructures invalid nesting
+  (SKILL.md §2).
+- **Severity:** P1
+- **Detect:** `grep -rn -E "<p[^>]*>.*<(div|section|ul|ol|h[1-6])" src --include="*.astro"`,
+  then read every multi-line `<p>` block by hand — the single-line grep cannot see a `<ul>` three
+  lines below the opening `<p>`.
+- **Confirm:** a block element inside a `<p>` is always a violation; there is no exception.
+- **Fix:** hoist the block element out of the paragraph so it is a sibling, and move any styling
+  that assumed the nesting.
+
+## HTML-14 — Missing explicit whitespace between inline elements
+
+- **Rule:** spacing between inline elements is authored explicitly — `compressHTML` defaults to
+  `'jsx'` in Astro 7 and strips whitespace between elements (SKILL.md §2).
+- **Severity:** P2
+- **Detect:** `grep -rn -B1 -E "^\s*<(em|strong|span|a|code|b|i)\b" src --include="*.astro"` and
+  inspect the hits whose *previous* line ends with an inline closing tag (`</span>`, `</a>`,
+  `</strong>`, `</em>`, `</code>`) — those are the adjacencies that lost their space.
+- **Confirm:** only a violation when a visible space is intended. Deliberately adjacent inline
+  elements (a badge glued to a label, punctuation following a link) are correct as written; when
+  in doubt, check the rendered page in `dist/`.
+- **Fix:** put the elements on the same line with a literal space between them, or insert `{' '}`.
+  Changing `compressHTML` is a project-wide decision, never the fix for one page.
+
+## HTML-15 — Nested interactive elements
+
+- **Rule:** no interactive element inside another interactive element (SKILL.md §2). This is an
+  accessibility rule on its own footing — not something the Astro 7 compiler change introduced.
+- **Severity:** P1
+- **Detect:** `grep -rn -E "<a\b[^>]*>.*<(a|button)\b" src --include="*.astro"` and
+  `grep -rn -E "<button\b[^>]*>.*<(a|button)\b" src --include="*.astro"`, then read every
+  multi-line `<a>` / `<button>` block by hand — the single-line grep cannot see a nested control
+  three lines below the opening tag.
+- **Confirm:** always a violation — the accessibility tree gets an ambiguous target and the
+  keyboard user gets a focus stop whose action is unpredictable.
+- **Fix:** make the two actions siblings, or turn the outer element into a plain container.
diff --git a/astro-builder/skills/init/SKILL.md b/astro-builder/skills/init/SKILL.md
index 3b77657..88dcaec 100644
--- a/astro-builder/skills/init/SKILL.md
+++ b/astro-builder/skills/init/SKILL.md
@@ -30,7 +30,9 @@ Only runs when $ARGUMENTS is empty.
 
 ### 1. Detect project basics
 
-Try to read `package.json` → extract `name`.
+Try to read `package.json` → extract `name`, plus the `astro` version from `dependencies` /
+`devDependencies` (resolve it with `pnpm list astro` if the range is not a plain version).
+Run `node -v` → record the local Node version.
 Try to read `CLAUDE.md` → check if it was generated by astro-builder (look for `.astro-builder/` references).
 
 ### 2. Determine round completion
@@ -48,6 +50,7 @@ Use 🔄 (started) when some but not all required files for a round exist.
 ## astro-builder — Setup Status
 
 Site:   [name from package.json, or "—"]
+Astro:  [detected astro version, e.g. 7.1.3, or "—"]
 Config: .astro-builder/ ([found | not found])
 
 ✅ /astro-builder:init project    — [one-line summary, e.g. "CLAUDE.md + config files + site scaffold generated"]
@@ -59,3 +62,11 @@ What each step does:
   project    — Scan repo, interview, generate CLAUDE.md + .astro-builder/ config files, scaffold the site code (config, layout, lib, i18n, SEO surface)
   lighthouse — Set up automated Lighthouse CI auditing on git push
 ```
+
+When the detected Astro major is below 7, or the local Node is below 22.12.0 (Astro 7's
+`engines.node`), print one warning line directly under the dashboard — for example:
+
+```text
+⚠️  Astro 6.4.1 detected (astro-builder targets Astro 7) — upgrade guide: https://docs.astro.build/en/guides/upgrade-to/v7/
+⚠️  Node 20.11.0 detected — Astro 7 requires Node >= 22.12.0: https://docs.astro.build/en/guides/upgrade-to/v7/
+```
diff --git a/astro-builder/skills/init/rounds/lighthouse.md b/astro-builder/skills/init/rounds/lighthouse.md
index eda49e4..16d1a69 100644
--- a/astro-builder/skills/init/rounds/lighthouse.md
+++ b/astro-builder/skills/init/rounds/lighthouse.md
@@ -26,7 +26,8 @@ Before asking anything, silently scan:
 
 1. Read `.astro-builder/lighthouse.json` if present → extract `thresholds`, `urlMap`, `staticPages`, `port`, `fallbackMaxPages`, `locales`, `categories`.
 2. Read `.astro-builder/content-schema.md` → scan for URL pattern lines (e.g. `/{locale}/articles/{slug}`) → pre-populate `urlMap` keyed by collection name inferred from context.
-3. Read `astro.config.ts` → extract `i18n.locales` array if present → use as `locales` default.
+3. Read `astro.config.ts` → extract `i18n.locales` array if present → use as `locales` default. The
+   `i18n` config shape is unchanged in Astro 7, so this detection needs no version handling.
 
 If `.astro-builder/content-schema.md` has no URL pattern lines, skip pre-population and let the user enter patterns manually during Q2.
 
@@ -111,6 +112,11 @@ AskUserQuestion:
     - "Other — specify"
 ```
 
+The hook always audits the **preview** server (`pnpm build` + `pnpm preview --port`), never `dev`.
+Astro 7's new dev-server behavior — AI-agent auto-detection that detaches the server,
+`astro dev --background`, `astro dev stop|status|logs`, `--ignore-lock` — therefore does not affect
+this hook at all. The port chosen here only needs to be free for `pnpm preview`.
+
 ### Q4 — Fallback max pages
 
 ```
diff --git a/astro-builder/skills/init/rounds/project.md b/astro-builder/skills/init/rounds/project.md
index 6fbda83..ed34df9 100644
--- a/astro-builder/skills/init/rounds/project.md
+++ b/astro-builder/skills/init/rounds/project.md
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 # Round: Project Setup
 
-Initialize an Astro 6 project for Claude Code. Deeply understand the project, then generate a `CLAUDE.md` and `.astro-builder/` folder that will guide all future development sessions — and scaffold the site code those files promise, so the project builds the moment init finishes.
+Initialize an Astro 7 project for Claude Code. Deeply understand the project, then generate a `CLAUDE.md` and `.astro-builder/` folder that will guide all future development sessions — and scaffold the site code those files promise, so the project builds the moment init finishes.
 
 ---
 
@@ -8,15 +8,35 @@ Initialize an Astro 6 project for Claude Code. Deeply understand the project, th
 
 Before asking the user anything, silently scan the project for existing context:
 
-1. Read `package.json` — check Astro version, installed integrations, and scripts.
-2. Read `astro.config.ts` or `astro.config.mjs` if present.
-3. Read `src/content.config.ts` or `src/content/config.ts` if present.
-4. Look for any `README.md`, `CLAUDE.md`, `docs/`, or `.astro-builder/` folder.
-5. Scan `src/styles/` for CSS variables, color tokens, or design tokens.
-6. Look for `src/i18n/` or any locale JSON files.
-7. Check for existing content in `src/content/` or `src/pages/`.
-
-Summarize what you found to the user in 3-5 bullet points, then begin the interview.
+1. Read `package.json` — report the detected `astro` version, installed integrations, and scripts.
+   If `astro` resolves to **anything below 7**, do not scaffold on top of it silently: tell the user
+   the detected version and point them at https://docs.astro.build/en/guides/upgrade-to/v7/ before
+   continuing.
+2. Run `node -v` and compare against Astro 7's `engines.node: ">=22.12.0"` (npm >= 9.6.5). If the
+   local Node is older, stop with a clear message: Astro 7 will not install or build on this Node,
+   upgrade to 22.12.0 or newer first.
+3. Read `astro.config.ts` or `astro.config.mjs` if present.
+4. Read `src/content.config.ts` or `src/content/config.ts` if present.
+5. Look for any `README.md`, `CLAUDE.md`, `docs/`, or `.astro-builder/` folder.
+6. Scan `src/styles/` for CSS variables, color tokens, or design tokens.
+7. Look for `src/i18n/` or any locale JSON files.
+8. Check for existing content in `src/content/` or `src/pages/`.
+
+Then run the Astro 7 onboarding detections — each one, if it hits, is reported to the user with the
+action to take:
+
+| Detection | Action |
+|---|---|
+| `src/fetch.ts` exists for non-routing reasons | `src/fetch.ts` is a **reserved** advanced-routing entrypoint in Astro 7 (advanced routing is always on) and will be read as routing config — likely erroring. Rename the file (e.g. `src/fetchClient.ts`), or set `fetchFile: './src/router.ts'` / `fetchFile: null` in `astro.config.ts` |
+| `@astrojs/db` in dependencies, or an `astro db` script | `@astrojs/db` is removed in Astro 7, along with `astro db` and the DB-studio commands (`astro login`, `astro logout`, `astro link`, `astro init`). Migrate to `node:sqlite` (Node 22.5+), Drizzle, or a hosted DB (Turso / PlanetScale / Neon) |
+| An `experimental` block in the Astro config containing `logger`, `cache`, `routeRules`, `queuedRendering`, `rustCompiler` or `advancedRouting` | Move `logger`, `cache` and `routeRules` to the **top level** of the config (`logger` handlers: `json` / `node` / `console`; `context.logger` is always available). Delete `queuedRendering`, `rustCompiler` and `advancedRouting` — they are removed entirely |
+| `markdown.remarkPlugins`, `markdown.rehypePlugins` or `markdown.remarkRehype` in the config | These keys are deprecated but **still work** in Astro 7 — they now require `@astrojs/markdown-remark` (no longer bundled) and `markdown: { processor: unified() }`; under the default Sätteri processor they have **no effect**. GFM, smart punctuation and heading IDs are built in — if the plugins add nothing beyond those, delete them. Otherwise `pnpm add @astrojs/markdown-remark`, then `import { unified } from "@astrojs/markdown-remark"` and set `markdown: { processor: unified() }` |
+| `TRANSITION_*` constants, `isTransitionBeforePreparationEvent()`, `isTransitionBeforeSwapEvent()` or `createAnimationScope()` imported from `astro:transitions` | Removed in Astro 7 — use the lifecycle event-name strings directly (`'astro:before-preparation'`, `'astro:before-swap'`, …) |
+| Top-level `getContainerRenderer` imports (`@astrojs/react`, preact, solid-js, svelte, vue, mdx) | Moved to a subpath: `@astrojs/react/container-renderer` |
+| Custom Vite plugins in the config | Astro 7 bundles Vite 8 (Rolldown) — the plugins may need updating. See https://vite.dev/guide/migration |
+
+Summarize what you found to the user in 3-5 bullet points (including every Astro 7 detection that
+hit), then begin the interview.
 
 ## Phase 2 — Interview the user
 
@@ -36,6 +56,13 @@ Ask what types of content the site will publish. Examples: articles, tutorials,
 - Does it need to be translatable across locales?
 - How is it related to other content types (e.g. articles reference glossary entries)?
 
+Then ask one markdown question, so the `markdown.processor` decision is made here instead of later:
+does any content need markdown behavior **beyond** what Astro 7 ships built in (GFM, smart
+punctuation, heading IDs)? Examples of a "yes": footnotes via a custom remark plugin, math,
+directives, a rehype pass over the HTML. A "no" (the default) keeps the native Sätteri processor and
+installs nothing. A "yes" means `@astrojs/markdown-remark` is installed in Phase 4.1 and the
+`markdown: { processor: unified() }` block is uncommented in `astro.config.ts`.
+
 ### 2.4 Design system
 
 First, resolve the **register** and gather **product/brand context** — these steer every later
@@ -60,7 +87,7 @@ Then ask if they have a design reference (Figma, existing CSS, a brand guide URL
 Derive the rest. Use OKLCH for all colors. Pick neutral defaults (`--color-bg: white`, `--color-text: #111`, etc.) unless the user provides specifics.
 
 ### 2.5 Component library
-This plugin defaults to custom CSS. Ask the user if they plan to use a different approach. Do not suggest or recommend any library — only mention that custom CSS is the default. Accept whatever the user answers and record it; do not block or warn unless they name a JS-first framework (Next UI, Chakra, etc.), in which case note that heavy JS-first libraries conflict with the Astro 6 + minimal JS constraint.
+This plugin defaults to custom CSS. Ask the user if they plan to use a different approach. Do not suggest or recommend any library — only mention that custom CSS is the default. Accept whatever the user answers and record it; do not block or warn unless they name a JS-first framework (Next UI, Chakra, etc.), in which case note that heavy JS-first libraries conflict with the Astro 7 + minimal JS constraint.
 
 ### 2.6 Quality gates
 Ask what quality gates they want enforced on every commit:
@@ -86,7 +113,7 @@ After completing the interview, generate the following files. Confirm with the u
 
 **`.astro-builder/design-system.md`** — Token namespaces and component patterns. Use `docs/init-templates/design-system.md.template`. The human-readable index for `src/styles/global.css` — keep them in sync.
 
-**`.astro-builder/anti-patterns.md`** — Project-specific anti-patterns derived from the Astro 6 canonical list plus any project-specific rules the user defined.
+**`.astro-builder/anti-patterns.md`** — Project-specific anti-patterns derived from the Astro 7 canonical list plus any project-specific rules the user defined.
 
 **`src/styles/global.css`** — Site-wide CSS. Use `docs/init-templates/global.css.template`. Defines all six token namespaces (`--color-*`, `--font-*`, `--text-*`, `--space-*`, `--radius-*`, `--shadow-*`) under `@layer tokens`, plus the four-layer cascade (`reset`, `tokens`, `base`, `utilities`). Derive `--color-primary-dark` via `color-mix(in oklch, var(--color-primary) 80%, black)`. Populate dark-mode overrides if the user opted in. This file is the source of truth for tokens — component CSS in `<style>` blocks references these.
 
@@ -96,14 +123,32 @@ Everything `CLAUDE.md` promises must exist when this round finishes — the cont
 
 ### 4.1 — Ensure a base project
 
-1. If `package.json` does not exist, scaffold a new Astro 6 project:
+Astro 7 requires **Node >= 22.12.0** (`engines.node`) and npm >= 9.6.5. Confirm `node -v` satisfies
+that before installing anything — Phase 1 already checked it, so this is just a guard for repos
+scaffolded in a different shell.
+
+1. If `package.json` does not exist, scaffold a new Astro 7 project:
    ```bash
    pnpm create astro@latest . -- --template minimal --no-install
    ```
+   The resulting project must be Astro 7 — after the install in Phase 4.5, verify `astro` resolves to
+   `7.x` (`pnpm list astro`). If it resolved to an older major, install Astro 7 explicitly before
+   going further.
 2. Ensure dependencies (add with `pnpm add` / `pnpm add -D`, never npm or yarn):
    - `@astrojs/sitemap` and `@astrojs/rss` (runtime)
    - the adapter package for the deployment target, if it needs one (`@astrojs/vercel`, `@astrojs/netlify`, `@astrojs/cloudflare`); static hosting needs none
    - `@biomejs/biome` (dev) if the user kept the Biome quality gate
+   - `@astrojs/markdown-remark` (runtime) **only** if the Phase 2.3 markdown question surfaced a need
+     for custom remark/rehype plugins. Astro 7's default Sätteri processor already covers GFM, smart
+     punctuation and heading IDs, so the common case installs nothing here
+   - never install `@astrojs/db` — it is removed in Astro 7
+3. Declare the engine floor in `package.json` so the requirement is enforced by the package manager,
+   not just documented:
+   ```json
+   "engines": { "node": ">=22.12.0" }
+   ```
+   If an `engines.node` range already exists and is lower than `>=22.12.0`, raise it. `/astro-builder:audit`
+   flags a missing or lower floor, so this field is part of the scaffold, never an afterthought.
 
 ### 4.2 — Overwrite policy (re-runs and existing repos)
 
@@ -120,21 +165,21 @@ Config first (aliases and locales must exist before code that uses them), then t
 | # | Target | Template | Model fills |
 |---|--------|----------|-------------|
 | 1 | `tsconfig.json` | `tsconfig.json.template` | nothing — verbatim (or merge `paths` into an existing file) |
-| 2 | `astro.config.ts` | `astro.config.ts.template` | `{{SITE_URL}}`, `{{DEFAULT_LOCALE}}`, `{{LOCALES_TUPLE}}` (e.g. `"en", "it"`), adapter markers per deployment target (delete both markers for static hosting) |
+| 2 | `astro.config.ts` | `astro.config.ts.template` | `{{SITE_URL}}`, `{{DEFAULT_LOCALE}}`, `{{LOCALES_TUPLE}}` (e.g. `"en", "it"`), adapter markers per deployment target (delete both markers for static hosting). The template also carries the Astro 7 keys: `compressHTML` (default `'jsx'` — set `true`/`false` only to restore pre-7 behavior) and a commented `markdown.processor` block — uncomment it (and keep `@astrojs/markdown-remark` installed) only if the Phase 2.3 markdown answer was "yes" |
 | 3 | `src/lib/i18n.ts` | `lib/i18n.ts.template` | `{{SITE_NAME}}`, `{{DEFAULT_LOCALE}}` |
-| 4 | `src/lib/urls.ts` | `lib/urls.ts.template` | placeholders + one builder per content type at the `{{CONTENT_TYPE_URL_BUILDERS}}` marker, following the in-file pattern |
+| 4 | `src/lib/urls.ts` | `lib/urls.ts.template` | placeholders + one method per content type at the `{{CONTENT_TYPE_URL_BUILDERS}}` marker, following the in-file pattern. The file exposes the locale-bound `createUrls(locale)` factory — every content-type URL is a method on the object it returns, not a standalone `buildXUrl(slug, locale)` function (see `docs/init-templates/lib/urls.ts.template`). Delete the `/* … */` instruction block above `{{CONTENT_TYPE_URL_BUILDERS}}` once the marker is filled — it addresses the generator, not the site owner, and must not survive into `src/` |
 | 5 | `src/lib/format.ts` | `lib/format.ts.template` | `{{SITE_NAME}}`, `{{DEFAULT_LOCALE}}` |
 | 6 | `src/content.config.ts` | `content.config.ts.template` | `{{LOCALES_TUPLE}}` + one `defineCollection()` per content type from the interview at the `{{COLLECTIONS}}` marker (keep the contract fields: `lang`, `translationKey`, `tags`, `draft`); export all at `{{COLLECTION_EXPORTS}}` |
 | 7 | `src/lib/content.ts` | `lib/content.ts.template` | one `getXByLang()` per collection at the `{{CONTENT_HELPERS}}` marker |
 | 8 | `src/i18n/<locale>.json` — one per configured locale | `i18n.json.template` | default locale: verbatim; other locales: same keys, translated values. Then add the `nav.*` (and any footer) keys the BaseLayout fill below introduces — to EVERY locale file |
-| 9 | `src/layouts/BaseLayout.astro` | `BaseLayout.astro.template` | `{{SITE_NAME}}`, `{{NAV_LINKS}}` (hrefs from `src/lib/urls.ts` builders, labels via `tl()`), `{{FOOTER_CONTENT}}` |
+| 9 | `src/layouts/BaseLayout.astro` | `BaseLayout.astro.template` | `{{SITE_NAME}}`, `{{NAV_LINKS}}` (hrefs from `src/lib/urls.ts` builders, labels via `tl()`), `{{FOOTER_CONTENT}}`. Delete the `{/* … */}` instruction block above `{{NAV_LINKS}}` once the marker is filled — it addresses the generator, not the site owner, and must not survive into `src/` |
 | 10 | `src/page-views/NotFoundPageView.astro` + `src/pages/<locale>/404.astro` per locale | `404.astro.template` | thin wrappers only, per the template's header comment |
-| 11 | `src/pages/<locale>/rss.xml.ts` per locale | `rss.xml.ts.template` | `{{SITE_NAME}}`, `{{PROJECT_DESCRIPTION}}`, `{{DEFAULT_LOCALE}}`; point the feed at the site's primary dated collection |
+| 11 | `src/pages/<locale>/rss.xml.ts` per locale | `rss.xml.ts.template` | `{{SITE_NAME}}`, `{{PROJECT_DESCRIPTION}}`, `{{DEFAULT_LOCALE}}`, plus `{{FEED_COLLECTION}}` = the site's primary dated collection and `{{FEED_ENTRY_URL}}` = the `createUrls` method written for it in step 4 (e.g. `url.article`) — the two must agree, and the method must already exist in `src/lib/urls.ts`. Delete the `/* … */` instruction block above `{{FEED_ENTRY_URL}}` once the marker is filled — it addresses the generator, not the site owner, and must not survive into `src/` |
 | 12 | `public/robots.txt` | `robots.txt.template` | `{{SITE_NAME}}`, `{{SITE_URL}}` |
 | 13 | `src/content/<type>/<locale>/` folders per collection per locale, plus one example entry per collection in the default locale | — | realistic frontmatter covering every required schema field |
 | 14 | `src/page-views/HomePageView.astro` + `src/pages/<locale>/index.astro` per locale | — | minimal homepage written by the model: page-views pattern, `<h1>` + short intro via `tl()` keys added to every locale file. Skip if an index page already exists |
 
-`src/styles/global.css` was already written in Phase 3 — verify BaseLayout imports it (`import "../styles/global.css"`).
+`src/styles/global.css` was already written in Phase 3 — verify BaseLayout imports it (`import "@styles/global.css"`).
 
 ### 4.4 — Cross-check before building
 
@@ -142,11 +187,27 @@ Config first (aliases and locales must exist before code that uses them), then t
 2. Every structure `CLAUDE.md` promises now exists: the four `src/lib/` modules, the path aliases in `tsconfig.json`, `src/content.config.ts`, the locale JSONs, BaseLayout, per-locale 404 and RSS, `public/robots.txt`.
 3. No unreplaced `{{...}}` marker remains: `grep -rn "{{" src astro.config.ts tsconfig.json public` must return nothing.
 4. `src/styles/global.css` contains `@layer reset, tokens, base, utilities;` plus all six token namespaces (`--color-*`, `--font-*`, `--text-*`, `--space-*`, `--radius-*`, `--shadow-*`).
+5. No `src/fetch.ts` was created — it is Astro 7's reserved advanced-routing entrypoint and this
+   scaffold never uses it.
+6. `astro.config.ts` declares no `experimental` config key:
+   `grep -nE "^\s*experimental\s*:" astro.config.ts` must return nothing (`logger`, `cache` and
+   `routeRules` are top-level in Astro 7; `queuedRendering`, `rustCompiler` and `advancedRouting` no
+   longer exist). Grep for the key, not the bare word — the template mentions `experimental` in a
+   comment on purpose.
+7. Every scaffolded `.astro` file has all tags closed and valid nesting — no block element inside a
+   `<p>`. Astro 7's Rust compiler errors on both instead of auto-correcting.
+8. `package.json` carries `"engines": { "node": ">=22.12.0" }` (Phase 4.1 step 3).
+9. No template instruction block survived into `src/`: `grep -rn "DELETE THIS COMMENT" src` must
+   return nothing.
 
 ### 4.5 — Install and verify
 
 1. Run `pnpm install`.
 2. Run `pnpm build` — the scaffold is not done until it passes. Fix errors autonomously and re-run.
+   A build error naming an unclosed tag or invalid nesting is Astro 7 compiler strictness, not a
+   template bug — close the tag / fix the nesting. A build error naming a remark or rehype plugin
+   means the default Sätteri processor is in use: `pnpm add @astrojs/markdown-remark`, then
+   `import { unified } from "@astrojs/markdown-remark"` and set `markdown: { processor: unified() }`.
 
 ## Phase 5 — Completion summary
 
@@ -179,10 +240,14 @@ What's next? Run `/astro-builder:init lighthouse` to add automated Lighthouse au
 
 ## Constraints
 
-- Always follow the Astro 6 documentation: https://docs.astro.build/llms-small.txt
+- Always follow the Astro 7 documentation: https://docs.astro.build/llms-small.txt
 - Always follow MDN Web API references for any browser/web API usage.
 - Never use `src/content/config.ts` — always `src/content.config.ts`.
 - Never use `astro.config.mjs` — always `astro.config.ts`.
+- Never create `src/fetch.ts` — it is Astro 7's reserved advanced-routing entrypoint.
+- Never install `@astrojs/db` — it is removed in Astro 7.
+- Never use removed `experimental.*` flags — `logger`, `cache` and `routeRules` are top-level; `queuedRendering`, `rustCompiler` and `advancedRouting` are gone.
+- Always close every tag and keep nesting valid — the Astro 7 compiler errors instead of correcting.
 - Never use ESLint or Prettier — always Biome.
 - Never parse URLs to detect locale — always use `Astro.currentLocale`.
 - Never use `redirectToDefaultLocale: true` — use explicit `redirects` config.
diff --git a/astro-builder/skills/new-content-type/SKILL.md b/astro-builder/skills/new-content-type/SKILL.md
index bf6909b..511831f 100644
--- a/astro-builder/skills/new-content-type/SKILL.md
+++ b/astro-builder/skills/new-content-type/SKILL.md
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ description: >
 
 # /astro-builder:new-content-type $ARGUMENTS
 
-You are adding a new Astro 6 content collection to this project. The argument is the collection
+You are adding a new Astro 7 content collection to this project. The argument is the collection
 name (e.g. `tutorials`, `changelogs`, `case-studies`).
 
 **Why this workflow exists:** a content type is not just a schema — it is a contract spread
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ keeps the door open.
 
 ### 3.1 — Schema in `src/content.config.ts`
 
-Add the collection with the Astro 6 `glob()` loader, following the contract every collection in
+Add the collection with the Astro 7 `glob()` loader, following the contract every collection in
 this stack shares. The `locales` tuple already at the top of the file is the single source of
 truth for the `lang` enum — reuse it, never restate the locales:
 
@@ -86,6 +86,20 @@ Export it in the `collections` object.
 | `category: z.enum(["guide", "news"])` | `tags: z.array(z.string()).default([])` | fixed enums need a schema change per new label |
 | no `draft` field | `draft: z.boolean().default(false)` | drafts must be excludable from listings, feeds, sitemaps |
 
+**Astro 7 notes.** The Content Layer API above is unchanged from Astro 6 — `defineCollection` and
+`z` from `astro:content`, `glob` from `astro/loaders`, `src/content.config.ts` as the location.
+Two things are new and worth knowing:
+
+- `glob()` accepts an optional `deferRender` option (Astro 7.1, default `false`). Setting it to
+  `true` defers rendering a Markdown entry until a page actually renders it, instead of rendering
+  eagerly during content sync — build memory stays bounded, but the rendered HTML is no longer
+  cached. Treat it as opt-in for a collection whose build genuinely runs out of memory, never as
+  the default for a fresh content type.
+- Markdown bodies are rendered by Astro 7's built-in Rust processor, with GFM, smart punctuation
+  and heading IDs already included, so a new content type needs **no** remark/rehype configuration.
+  Custom plugins are the exception, not the starting point: they require
+  `pnpm add @astrojs/markdown-remark` plus `markdown: { processor: unified() }` in `astro.config.ts`.
+
 ### 3.2 — Content folders and example entries
 
 Create one folder per configured locale: `src/content/tutorials/en/`, `src/content/tutorials/it/`,
@@ -125,19 +139,37 @@ const tutorials = await getTutorialsByLang(Astro.currentLocale);
 
 ### 3.4 — URL builder in `src/lib/urls.ts`
 
-Add one builder delegating to the `buildLocaleUrl` primitive. Entry ids from `glob()` loaders
-include the locale folder (`"en/my-tutorial"`) — strip it; the URL prefix carries the locale:
+`src/lib/urls.ts` exports a single function, `createUrls(locale)`, which binds the locale once and
+returns the site's URL builders — the same shape as `createTranslator(locale)`. Adding a content
+type therefore means adding **one method** to the object that `createUrls` returns, at the
+`{{CONTENT_TYPE_URL_BUILDERS}}` marker, delegating to `path` — the locale-prefixing primitive that
+every other method uses. `path` is part of the returned object, so it is public too (BaseLayout
+calls `url.path("articles")` for nav links); inside `createUrls` you call it unqualified. Entry ids
+from `glob()` loaders include the locale folder (`"en/my-tutorial"`) — strip it; the URL prefix
+carries the locale. Method names are singular nouns (`article`, `tutorial`, `tag`):
 
 ```typescript
-export function buildTutorialUrl(slug: string, locale: string): string {
-  return buildLocaleUrl(locale, "tutorials", slug.replace(`${locale}/`, ""));
-}
+// inside createUrls(...)'s returned object
+tutorial: (id: string) => path("tutorials", id.replace(`${lang}/`, "")),
+```
+
+The call site binds the locale once and never passes it again:
+
+```astro
+const url = createUrls(Astro.currentLocale);
+// <a href={url.tutorial(entry.id)}>
 ```
 
 ```typescript
 // 🔴 Bad: hand-concatenated path — no trailing slash, locale shape duplicated
-export function buildTutorialUrl(slug: string, lang: string): string {
-  return `/${lang}/tutorials/${slug}`;
+tutorial: (slug: string) => `/${lang}/tutorials/${slug}`,
+```
+
+```typescript
+// 🔴 Bad: a standalone builder exported beside the factory — a second public
+// surface for the same behavior, and the locale is back at every call site
+export function buildTutorialUrl(slug: string, locale: string): string {
+  return `/${locale}/tutorials/${slug.replace(`${locale}/`, "")}/`;
 }
 ```
 
@@ -175,8 +207,9 @@ Before reporting, confirm:
       default locale.
 - [ ] `src/lib/content.ts` has a `getXByLang()` filtering `lang` + `!draft` inside
       `getCollection()` and sorting newest first.
-- [ ] `src/lib/urls.ts` has a builder delegating to `buildLocaleUrl`, stripping the locale
-      folder from the entry id.
+- [ ] `src/lib/urls.ts` exposes one `createUrls` method for the new collection, delegating to the
+      `path` primitive and stripping the locale folder from the entry id — no new standalone
+      exported builder next to the factory.
 - [ ] `.astro-builder/content-schema.md` documents the new type.
 - [ ] `pnpm build` and `tsc --noEmit` pass.
 
@@ -185,12 +218,13 @@ Before reporting, confirm:
 - Never create separate collections per language — one collection with locale subfolders;
   `lang` discriminates.
 - Never use `src/content/config.ts` — always `src/content.config.ts`.
-- Always use the `glob()` loader (Astro 6 pattern).
+- Always use the `glob()` loader (Astro 7 Content Layer pattern).
 - Always use flexible `tags: string[]` — never fixed category enums.
 - Always link locales via a **required** `translationKey`.
 - Page-views never call `getCollection()` — all queries go through `src/lib/content.ts`; all
   internal URLs come from `src/lib/urls.ts`.
 - The init scaffolds for these contracts are `docs/init-templates/content.config.ts.template`,
   `lib/content.ts.template`, and `lib/urls.ts.template` (plugin root) — keep this skill in sync
-  with them.
-- Always follow the Astro 6 documentation: https://docs.astro.build/llms-small.txt
+  with them. `lib/urls.ts.template` is the source of truth for the `createUrls` shape: read it
+  before adding a builder, and never introduce a second URL surface next to it.
+- Always follow the Astro 7 documentation: https://docs.astro.build/llms-small.txt
diff --git a/astro-builder/skills/new-page/SKILL.md b/astro-builder/skills/new-page/SKILL.md
index eac3962..32bf4f8 100644
--- a/astro-builder/skills/new-page/SKILL.md
+++ b/astro-builder/skills/new-page/SKILL.md
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ description: >
 
 # /astro-builder:new-page $ARGUMENTS
 
-You are scaffolding a new page in this Astro 6 project. The argument is the page name or path
+You are scaffolding a new page in this Astro 7 project. The argument is the page name or path
 (e.g. `about`, `blog/archive`, `tags/[tag]`).
 
 **Why this workflow exists:** a page in this stack is three artifacts that must agree — one thin
@@ -139,7 +139,7 @@ const { entry } = Astro.props;
 | article page without `type="article"` | `type="article"` + `publishedAt={entry.data.date}` | drives `article:published_time` + Article JSON-LD |
 | no `<h1>`, or `<h1>` in a component | exactly one `<h1>` in the page-view, inside `<main>` | the page-view owns the page title — html-conventions §1 |
 | `const lang = Astro.url.pathname.split("/")[1]` | `Astro.currentLocale` | the framework already knows the locale |
-| `href={\`/${locale}/articles/${slug}\`}` | builders from `@lib/urls` (`buildLocaleUrl`, `buildArticleUrl`, …) | one module knows the URL shape |
+| `href={\`/${locale}/articles/${slug}\`}` | `const url = createUrls(Astro.currentLocale)` from `@lib/urls`, then `href={url.article(entry.id)}` | one module knows the URL shape, and the locale is bound once, like `tl` |
 | `<p>Read more</p>` hardcoded | `tl("about.readMore")` | every visible string routes through i18n — ux-writing |
 
 ### 3.3 — i18n keys, in every locale file
@@ -194,9 +194,15 @@ Before reporting, confirm:
       `publishedAt` (+ `image` when available) if it renders a dated content entry.
 - [ ] No SEO tag (`<meta>`, canonical, OG/Twitter, JSON-LD) was written outside BaseLayout.
 - [ ] The page-view renders exactly one `<h1>` and re-declares no landmark.
+- [ ] Every tag in the new page-view is explicitly closed and its nesting is valid — the Astro 7
+      compiler errors on unclosed tags and no longer auto-corrects invalid nesting (rules and
+      examples live in `html-conventions`).
+- [ ] Any needed space between adjacent inline elements is explicit (same line or `{' '}`) —
+      `compressHTML` defaults to `'jsx'` (see `html-conventions`).
 - [ ] Every new i18n key exists in **every** locale JSON, flat dotted format.
 - [ ] All visible strings route through `tl()` — nothing hardcoded.
-- [ ] Internal links use `@lib/urls` builders; collection data comes from `@lib/content` helpers.
+- [ ] Internal links come from `@lib/urls` (`createUrls(Astro.currentLocale)`); collection data
+      comes from `@lib/content` helpers.
 - [ ] `pnpm build` passes.
 
 ## Constraints
@@ -210,4 +216,4 @@ Before reporting, confirm:
 - Follow the path aliases from `tsconfig.json` (`@page-views/*`, `@layouts/*`, `@lib/*`, …).
 - Markup, SEO, copy, and CSS rules come from the convention skills: `html-conventions`,
   `seo-conventions`, `ux-writing`, `css-conventions`.
-- Always follow the Astro 6 documentation: https://docs.astro.build/llms-small.txt
+- Always follow the Astro 7 documentation: https://docs.astro.build/llms-small.txt
diff --git a/astro-builder/skills/seo-conventions/SKILL.md b/astro-builder/skills/seo-conventions/SKILL.md
index 7b064e6..1e48e6b 100644
--- a/astro-builder/skills/seo-conventions/SKILL.md
+++ b/astro-builder/skills/seo-conventions/SKILL.md
@@ -195,7 +195,7 @@ never *detects* the locale from the URL.
 ## 7 — Site plumbing: sitemap, robots, RSS, 404, root redirect
 
 Five artifacts every astro-builder site ships. Init scaffolds them from `docs/init-templates/`
-(plugin root); the audit checks all five.
+(plugin root); the audit checks all five. The 404 rule: one localized 404 per configured locale.
 
 | Artifact | Rule | Scaffold |
 |---|---|---|
@@ -236,6 +236,8 @@ After touching any page-view, the layout `<head>`, or `astro.config.ts`, confirm
       `type="article"`, `publishedAt`, and `image` when one exists.
 - [ ] No `<meta>`, `<title>`, `<link rel="canonical">`, `og:*`/`twitter:*`, or JSON-LD block
       exists outside `BaseLayout.astro`.
+- [ ] The `<head>` markup is well-formed — every tag closed — since the Astro 7 compiler errors
+      on unclosed tags (the well-formedness rules live in `html-conventions`).
 - [ ] Titles are unique across pages; the site-name suffix is appended only by the layout.
 - [ ] Descriptions are ~70–160 characters and read as the page's one-sentence pitch.
 - [ ] `Astro.site` is set in `astro.config.ts`; no hardcoded origin anywhere.
@@ -261,4 +263,4 @@ After touching any page-view, the layout `<head>`, or `astro.config.ts`, confirm
   sitemaps or feed XML.
 - The mechanical checks for this skill live in `references/audit.md`, run by
   `/astro-builder:audit`. When a rule here changes, update its check there.
-- Always follow the Astro 6 documentation: https://docs.astro.build/llms-small.txt
+- Always follow the Astro 7 documentation: https://docs.astro.build/llms-small.txt
diff --git a/astro-builder/skills/seo-conventions/references/audit.md b/astro-builder/skills/seo-conventions/references/audit.md
index 3f88895..141e32f 100644
--- a/astro-builder/skills/seo-conventions/references/audit.md
+++ b/astro-builder/skills/seo-conventions/references/audit.md
@@ -13,6 +13,9 @@ Before running: identify the layout file (`src/layouts/BaseLayout.astro` or equi
 `astro.config.ts` — several checks treat the layout as the one legitimate home for SEO markup,
 and three checks read the config directly. These checks audit only the site's code; search
 performance data (GSC, keywords) is the `content-seo` plugin's territory and is out of scope.
+Note that an Astro 7 `astro.config.ts` may legitimately carry top-level `compressHTML`, `logger`,
+`cache`, or `routeRules` keys (Astro 7 stabilized them) — their presence is configuration, not a
+finding.
 
 ---
 
@@ -141,3 +144,7 @@ performance data (GSC, keywords) is the `content-seo` plugin's territory and is
   this architecture (routes exist per locale) — only report targets that 404 in `dist/`.
 - **Fix:** alternates are derived in BaseLayout — if any sampled page is wrong, the bug is in
   the layout derivation (or the page bypassed the layout), never in per-page data.
+- **Note on built output:** Astro 7's `compressHTML: 'jsx'` default strips whitespace from the
+  built HTML, so `dist/` files may hold every `<link>` on a single line. Grep per *tag*, not per
+  line — the `grep -o '<link rel="alternate" …'` form above is already line-agnostic; do not add
+  patterns that assume a newline between tags, and do not read a missing newline as a finding.
diff --git a/astro-builder/skills/translate/SKILL.md b/astro-builder/skills/translate/SKILL.md
index 8ade7a0..048b642 100644
--- a/astro-builder/skills/translate/SKILL.md
+++ b/astro-builder/skills/translate/SKILL.md
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ description: >
 
 # /astro-builder:translate $ARGUMENTS
 
-You are localizing content in this Astro 6 project. The argument format is
+You are localizing content in this Astro 7 project. The argument format is
 `{file-path} {target-locale}` (e.g. `src/content/articles/en/hello-world.md it`).
 
 **Why this workflow exists:** in this architecture, translation is a *content* operation, never
@@ -66,6 +66,12 @@ This is **localization**, not word-for-word translation:
 - Preserve all markdown formatting: headings, emphasis, code blocks, links, lists.
 - Do **not** translate code blocks — only comments inside them.
 - Preserve relative links as-is (slugs never change across locales, so paths stay valid).
+- Write plain markdown: Astro 7 renders md/mdx with its built-in processor, which already applies
+  GFM, smart punctuation, and heading IDs, so a translated file needs no plugin configuration —
+  never hand-insert typographic characters (curly quotes, em dashes, `&nbsp;`) to emulate it. Write
+  `"quotes"` and `---`; the processor produces the typographic forms. This is a *spelling* rule, not
+  a licence to add dashes: `---` renders as an em dash, so the `em-dash-overuse` detector in
+  `docs/anti-slop.md` counts it exactly like the literal character.
 
 | Bad | Good | Why |
 |---|---|---|
@@ -159,5 +165,5 @@ If `$ARGUMENTS` points at an i18n JSON (e.g. `src/i18n/en.json it`), translate t
 - Never hand-write hreflang links, RSS items, or routes for a translation — placement +
   frontmatter make the architecture derive them (see `seo-conventions`).
 - i18n JSONs keep identical flat dotted key sets across all locales; placeholders unchanged.
-- Follow MDN Web API references for any web-related terminology; always follow the Astro 6
+- Follow MDN Web API references for any web-related terminology; always follow the Astro 7
   documentation: https://docs.astro.build/llms-small.txt