# Explore — handoff

## Summary

Discover public rooms and featured communities on Matrix homeservers. Browse by server, search public room directory, and preview/join rooms.

## User-facing behavior

- Explore tab in sidebar
- Pick server / homeserver directory
- Featured rooms list
- Search public rooms on server
- Join room from preview

## Architecture

```
client/explore/
  Explore.tsx — main explore page
  Server.tsx — server-specific directory
  Featured.tsx — featured rooms
  PublicRooms via matrix directory API
```

## Key files

| Path | Role |
|------|------|
| `cinny/src/app/pages/client/explore/Explore.tsx` | Explore hub |
| `cinny/src/app/pages/client/explore/Server.tsx` | Server directory |
| `cinny/src/app/pages/client/explore/Featured.tsx` | Featured list |
| `cinny/src/app/pages/client/sidebar/ExploreTab.tsx` | Sidebar entry |
| `cinny/src/app/hooks/useRoomDirectoryVisibility.ts` | Directory visibility |

## Data model

Public room directory from homeserver HTTP API (ephemeral).

## Dependencies

- Homeserver `/publicRooms` or sliding sync directory
- `matrix-js-sdk` room directory helpers

## Integration points

- **routing-and-navigation**: `EXPLORE_PATH`, `_SERVER_PATH`, `_FEATURED_PATH`
- **join-before-navigate**: may route here before join

## Testing

### Manual

1. Open explore; list loads for default server.
2. Switch server; directory refreshes.
3. Join public room from explore.
4. Server without public directory — error handling.

### Automated

- None

## Known issues & gotchas

- Public directory disabled on many private homeservers
- Featured rooms may be config-dependent (`clientConfig`)

## Future work

- Federated universal search
- Room preview with topic/avatar before join

## Related docs

- [routing-and-navigation HANDOFF](../routing-and-navigation/HANDOFF.md)
- [join-before-navigate HANDOFF](../join-before-navigate/HANDOFF.md)

## Add your extra things here

- `getExploreFeaturedPath` in pathUtils