Add a Publisher abstraction and queued job to publish from the UI

Introduce Publisher/PublisherManager (WordPress + Reddit implementations)
so publishing logic is shared between the CLI, the queue, and future
network integrations. Add a "Publish" button on the Posts page that
dispatches PublishPostJob instead of blocking the request — Reddit's
publisher shells out to the existing Playwright sidecar and can take
tens of seconds, so it can't run synchronously in a web request.

Adds a `target` field (e.g. subreddit) and `publishing` status to Post,
plus a `publish_error` field so failures surface in the UI. Refactors
posts:publish to delegate to WordPressPublisher without changing its
CLI output contract (existing tests pass unchanged).

Also fixes two bugs found along the way: UpdatePostRequest was silently
dropping `published_url` from PATCH requests (never in its validation
rules, despite AI_API.md documenting it), and three Livewire index-page
tests were broken by the earlier auth change (never re-run after adding
the `auth` middleware) since they hit routes via HTTP without a logged-in
user.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Sonnet 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

AI_API.md

@@ -36,8 +36,11 @@ SocialAccount  (login for a social network)
 
 Post  (one piece of content, belongs to a Site, optionally a SocialAccount)
   └─ type: same vocabulary as SocialAccount.network, plus "blog"
-  └─ status: draft -> scheduled -> published | failed
+  └─ target: nullable, network-specific destination (e.g. a subreddit for type=reddit)
+  └─ status: draft -> scheduled -> publishing -> published | failed
   └─ published_url: set once it's actually live somewhere
+  └─ publish_error: set to the failure reason when status=failed (or when a
+     publish attempt is rejected back to draft — see below)
 ```
 
 The typical agent loop is:
@@ -45,7 +48,14 @@ The typical agent loop is:
 1. Read Sites/Social Accounts to know what you're working with (`GET /api/sites`, `GET /api/accounts`).
 2. Create a Post as a draft (`POST /api/posts`), or find one that's already `due` (`GET /api/posts?due=1`).
 3. Publish it externally, by whatever mechanism fits its `type`/site (see "How to actually publish" below).
-4. Report the outcome back with `PATCH /api/posts/{id}` — set `status` to `published` or `failed`, and `published_url` if you have one, **unless** you used the `posts:publish` command, which already does this step for you.
+4. Report the outcome back with `PATCH /api/posts/{id}` — set `status` to `published` or `failed`, and `published_url` if you have one, **unless** you used the `posts:publish` command or the app's own Publish button/job, which already does this step for you.
+
+`publishing` is a transient status set automatically while a background publish
+job (triggered by the app's own "Publish" button in the UI) is running — you
+won't normally set it yourself. If the underlying publisher rejects the post
+before attempting anything (missing title, no target, credentials not set),
+the job puts it back to `draft` rather than `failed`, since nothing was
+actually attempted; check `publish_error` for why.
 
 ## Sites
 
@@ -117,7 +127,7 @@ Full CRUD — this is the resource the agent actively drives.
 
 `GET /api/posts`
 Query params (all optional, combine freely):
-- `?status=` — exact match: `draft` | `scheduled` | `published` | `failed`
+- `?status=` — exact match: `draft` | `scheduled` | `publishing` | `published` | `failed`
 - `?site_id=` — exact match
 - `?social_account_id=` — exact match
 - `?due=1` — the important one for automation: returns posts where
@@ -134,6 +144,7 @@ Body:
   "type": "blog",
   "title": "Optional title",
   "body": "Required content",
+  "target": null,
   "status": "draft",
   "scheduled_at": null
 }
@@ -141,8 +152,9 @@ Body:
 Validation: `site_id` required, must exist. `social_account_id` nullable,
 must exist if given. `type` required, one of `twitter`, `instagram`,
 `facebook`, `reddit`, `tiktok`, `linkedin`, `youtube`, `blog`, `other`.
-`body` required. `title` nullable. `status` defaults to `draft` if omitted.
+`body` required. `title` nullable. `target` nullable — a network-specific
-`scheduled_at` nullable datetime.
+destination, e.g. the subreddit name for `type=reddit`. `status` defaults to
+`draft` if omitted. `scheduled_at` nullable datetime.
 
 Note: `type` and the linked Social Account's `network` are **not**
 cross-validated — you can link a `type=blog` post to a Twitter account, or
@@ -151,7 +163,7 @@ it's what later determines *how* the post gets published (see below).
 
 `PATCH /api/posts/{id}` — partial update. This is how you **report a
 publish result** back for anything you didn't publish via the
-`posts:publish` command:
+`posts:publish` command or the app's own Publish button:
 ```json
 { "status": "published", "published_url": "https://example.com/2026/07/my-post" }
 ```
@@ -164,9 +176,28 @@ or on failure:
 
 ## How to actually publish a post
 
-This app is a data store and scheduler — **it does not publish content by
+Publishing happens through a shared `Publisher` abstraction
-itself except via one specific command below.** Publishing mechanism
+(`app/Support/Publishing/`) — one implementation per network family
-depends on the post's target:
+(`WordPressPublisher`, `RedditPublisher`, more to come), resolved by `Post.type`
+via `PublisherManager`. There are three ways to trigger it, depending on
+who/what is driving:
+
+- **From the UI**: the Posts page has a "Publish" button (for any post whose
+  type currently has a publisher). Clicking it sets `status=publishing` and
+  dispatches `PublishPostJob` on the queue — a worker must be running
+  (`php artisan queue:work`) for anything to actually happen. The UI polls
+  and updates itself once the job finishes.
+- **From the CLI**, for WordPress specifically: `php artisan posts:publish
+  {post_id}` (unchanged, see below) — synchronous, no queue needed.
+- **Manually**, for anything without a wired-in publisher yet: do it
+  yourself and `PATCH` the result back (see below).
+
+Note the asymmetry: WordPress is synchronous (a single HTTP call, fast
+enough to run inline), Reddit is not (it's real browser automation via
+Playwright, tens of seconds) — which is exactly why the UI path is
+queue-backed rather than a direct synchronous call.
+
+Publishing mechanism depends on the post's target:
 
 ### WordPress sites (`type=blog`, site has `cms_type=wordpress`)
 
@@ -244,6 +275,7 @@ setting `status` and, if applicable, `published_url`.**
 | Task | How |
 |---|---|
 | Find work to publish | `GET /api/posts?due=1` |
+| Publish from the UI | click "Publish" on the Posts page (queues `PublishPostJob`; needs a queue worker running) |
 | Publish to a WordPress site | `php artisan posts:publish {post_id}` (handles status/published_url itself) |
 | Publish to Reddit | `sidecars/reddit-post/run.sh ...`, then `PATCH /api/posts/{id}` yourself |
 | Publish anywhere else | do it yourself, then `PATCH /api/posts/{id}` yourself |

README.md

@@ -15,17 +15,23 @@ Built with Laravel 13, Livewire, and Tailwind CSS.
 - **Social Accounts** — logins for social networks (Twitter, Instagram,
   Facebook, Reddit, TikTok, LinkedIn, YouTube, etc.).
 - **Posts** — the actual content, each tied to a Site and optionally a
-  Social Account, moving through `draft -> scheduled -> published/failed`.
+  Social Account, moving through
+  `draft -> scheduled -> publishing -> published/failed`.
 - A **JSON API** (`/api/sites`, `/api/accounts`, `/api/posts`) plus thin
   Python CLI wrappers in `python_scripts/`, so an agent can poll for due
   posts (`?due=1`) and drive the publish lifecycle without hand-rolling
   HTTP requests.
-- Built-in publishing paths:
+- A **Publish button** in the UI (Posts page) for any post whose network has
-  - **WordPress**: `php artisan posts:publish {post_id}` posts directly to
+  a publisher wired up — queues a background job so slow, flaky publishers
-    a site's WordPress REST API and updates the post's status.
+  (e.g. Reddit's browser automation) don't block the page.
-  - **Reddit**: a standalone Playwright sidecar at
+- Built-in publishers (`app/Support/Publishing/`), one per network, resolved
-    `sidecars/reddit-post/` logs in and creates a post.
+  by `Post.type`:
-  - Anything else: publish however fits, then report back via the API.
+  - **WordPress**: posts directly to a site's WordPress REST API. Also
+    available synchronously from the CLI: `php artisan posts:publish {post_id}`.
+  - **Reddit**: drives a standalone Playwright sidecar at
+    `sidecars/reddit-post/` that logs in and creates a post.
+  - Anything else: no publisher yet — publish however fits, then report
+    back via the API.
 
 See `AI_API.md` for the full API reference and publishing contract, and
 `python_scripts/README.md` for the CLI wrapper usage.
@@ -80,6 +86,14 @@ This starts the PHP dev server, queue listener, log viewer (Pail), and
 Vite dev server together. The app is served at `http://localhost:8000` by
 default.
 
+Outside of `composer run dev` (e.g. a plain production deploy), the Publish
+button needs its own queue worker running, or queued publishes will just sit
+in the `jobs` table:
+
+```bash
+php artisan queue:work
+```
+
 ### Reddit sidecar (optional)
 
 If you plan to publish to Reddit, set up the Playwright sidecar separately:

app/Console/Commands/PublishPost.php

@@ -3,9 +3,8 @@
 namespace App\Console\Commands;
 
 use App\Models\Post;
+use App\Support\Publishing\WordPressPublisher;
 use Illuminate\Console\Command;
-use Illuminate\Http\Client\ConnectionException;
-use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Http;
 
 class PublishPost extends Command
 {
@@ -13,7 +12,7 @@ class PublishPost extends Command
 
     protected $description = 'Publish an existing blog post to its site\'s WordPress REST API';
 
-    public function handle(): int
+    public function handle(WordPressPublisher $publisher): int
     {
         $post = Post::with('site')->find($this->argument('post'));
 
@@ -25,61 +24,26 @@ class PublishPost extends Command
             return $this->failWith("Post {$post->id} has type '{$post->type}', expected 'blog' to publish to a CMS.");
         }
 
-        if (! $post->title) {
+        $result = $publisher->publish($post);
-            return $this->failWith("Post {$post->id} has no title, required to publish to WordPress.");
-        }
 
-        $site = $post->site;
+        if ($result->success) {
-
+            $post->update(['status' => 'published', 'published_url' => $result->url, 'publish_error' => null]);
-        if ($site->cms_type !== 'wordpress') {
+            $this->line(json_encode(['success' => true, 'url' => $result->url]));
-            return $this->failWith("Site '{$site->name}' is not configured as WordPress (cms_type={$site->cms_type}).");
-        }
-
-        if (! $site->wp_username || ! $site->wp_app_password) {
-            return $this->failWith("Site '{$site->name}' is missing WordPress credentials.");
-        }
-
-        try {
-            $response = Http::withBasicAuth($site->wp_username, $site->wp_app_password)
-                ->post(rtrim($site->url, '/') . '/wp-json/wp/v2/posts', [
-                    'title' => $post->title,
-                    'content' => $post->body,
-                    'status' => 'publish',
-                ]);
-        } catch (ConnectionException $e) {
-            return $this->publishFailed($post, "could not connect to site: {$e->getMessage()}");
-        }
-
-        if ($response->failed()) {
-            $message = $response->json('message') ?? 'unexpected response from WordPress';
-
-            return $this->publishFailed($post, $message);
-        }
-
-        $link = $response->json('link');
-
-        if (! $link) {
-            return $this->publishFailed($post, 'unexpected response from WordPress: missing post link');
-        }
-
-        $post->update(['status' => 'published', 'published_url' => $link]);
-
-        $this->line(json_encode(['success' => true, 'url' => $link]));
 
             return self::SUCCESS;
         }
 
+        if ($result->attempted) {
+            $post->update(['status' => 'failed', 'publish_error' => $result->error]);
+        }
+
+        return $this->failWith($result->error);
+    }
+
     private function failWith(string $message): int
     {
         $this->line(json_encode(['success' => false, 'error' => $message]));
 
         return self::FAILURE;
     }
-
-    private function publishFailed(Post $post, string $message): int
-    {
-        $post->update(['status' => 'failed']);
-
-        return $this->failWith($message);
-    }
 }

app/Http/Requests/StorePostRequest.php

@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ class StorePostRequest extends FormRequest
             'type' => ['required', 'string', 'in:' . implode(',', Post::TYPES)],
             'title' => ['nullable', 'string', 'max:255'],
             'body' => ['required', 'string'],
+            'target' => ['nullable', 'string', 'max:255'],
             'status' => ['sometimes', 'string', 'in:' . implode(',', Post::STATUSES)],
             'scheduled_at' => ['nullable', 'date'],
         ];

app/Http/Requests/UpdatePostRequest.php

@@ -20,8 +20,10 @@ class UpdatePostRequest extends FormRequest
             'type' => ['sometimes', 'required', 'string', 'in:' . implode(',', Post::TYPES)],
             'title' => ['nullable', 'string', 'max:255'],
             'body' => ['sometimes', 'required', 'string'],
+            'target' => ['nullable', 'string', 'max:255'],
             'status' => ['sometimes', 'string', 'in:' . implode(',', Post::STATUSES)],
             'scheduled_at' => ['nullable', 'date'],
+            'published_url' => ['nullable', 'string', 'max:255'],
         ];
     }
 }

app/Http/Resources/PostResource.php

@@ -16,9 +16,11 @@ class PostResource extends JsonResource
             'type' => $this->type,
             'title' => $this->title,
             'body' => $this->body,
+            'target' => $this->target,
             'status' => $this->status,
             'scheduled_at' => $this->scheduled_at,
             'published_url' => $this->published_url,
+            'publish_error' => $this->publish_error,
             'created_at' => $this->created_at,
             'updated_at' => $this->updated_at,
         ];

app/Jobs/PublishPostJob.php

@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+<?php
+
+namespace App\Jobs;
+
+use App\Models\Post;
+use App\Support\Publishing\PublisherManager;
+use Illuminate\Bus\Queueable;
+use Illuminate\Contracts\Queue\ShouldQueue;
+use Illuminate\Foundation\Bus\Dispatchable;
+use Illuminate\Queue\InteractsWithQueue;
+use Illuminate\Queue\SerializesModels;
+use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Log;
+
+class PublishPostJob implements ShouldQueue
+{
+    use Dispatchable, InteractsWithQueue, Queueable, SerializesModels;
+
+    public int $timeout = 150;
+
+    public function __construct(public readonly int $postId) {}
+
+    public function handle(PublisherManager $publishers): void
+    {
+        $post = Post::with(['site', 'socialAccount'])->find($this->postId);
+
+        if (! $post) {
+            return;
+        }
+
+        $publisher = $publishers->resolve($post);
+
+        if (! $publisher) {
+            $post->update(['status' => 'draft', 'publish_error' => "No publisher available for post type '{$post->type}'."]);
+
+            return;
+        }
+
+        $result = $publisher->publish($post);
+
+        if ($result->success) {
+            $post->update(['status' => 'published', 'published_url' => $result->url, 'publish_error' => null]);
+
+            return;
+        }
+
+        $post->update([
+            'status' => $result->attempted ? 'failed' : 'draft',
+            'publish_error' => $result->error,
+        ]);
+
+        Log::error('post publish failed', ['post_id' => $post->id, 'error' => $result->error]);
+    }
+}

app/Livewire/Auth/Login.php

@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ class Login extends Component
             return;
         }
 
-        request()->session()->regenerate();
+        session()->regenerate();
 
         $this->redirect(route('sites.index'), navigate: true);
     }

app/Livewire/Posts/Index.php

@@ -2,9 +2,11 @@
 
 namespace App\Livewire\Posts;
 
+use App\Jobs\PublishPostJob;
 use App\Models\Post;
 use App\Models\Site;
 use App\Models\SocialAccount;
+use App\Support\Publishing\PublisherManager;
 use Livewire\Attributes\Layout;
 use Livewire\Component;
 
@@ -25,21 +27,45 @@ class Index extends Component
 
     public string $body = '';
 
+    public string $target = '';
+
     public string $status = 'draft';
 
     public string $scheduledAt = '';
 
+    public ?string $publishNotice = null;
+
     public function render()
     {
+        $posts = Post::with(['site', 'socialAccount'])->orderByDesc('created_at')->get();
+
         return view('livewire.posts.index', [
-            'posts' => Post::with(['site', 'socialAccount'])->orderByDesc('created_at')->get(),
+            'posts' => $posts,
             'sites' => Site::orderBy('name')->get(),
             'accounts' => SocialAccount::orderBy('username')->get(),
             'types' => Post::TYPES,
             'statuses' => Post::STATUSES,
+            'hasPublishing' => $posts->contains('status', 'publishing'),
         ]);
     }
 
+    public function publish(int $id): void
+    {
+        $this->publishNotice = null;
+
+        $post = Post::with('site')->findOrFail($id);
+
+        if (! app(PublisherManager::class)->resolve($post)) {
+            $this->publishNotice = "No publisher available yet for post type '{$post->type}'.";
+
+            return;
+        }
+
+        $post->update(['status' => 'publishing', 'publish_error' => null]);
+
+        PublishPostJob::dispatch($post->id);
+    }
+
     public function create(): void
     {
         $this->resetForm();
@@ -55,6 +81,7 @@ class Index extends Component
         $this->type = $post->type;
         $this->title = (string) $post->title;
         $this->body = $post->body;
+        $this->target = (string) $post->target;
         $this->status = $post->status;
         $this->scheduledAt = $post->scheduled_at?->format('Y-m-d\TH:i') ?? '';
         $this->showForm = true;
@@ -68,6 +95,7 @@ class Index extends Component
             'type' => ['required', 'string', 'in:' . implode(',', Post::TYPES)],
             'title' => ['nullable', 'string', 'max:255'],
             'body' => ['required', 'string'],
+            'target' => ['nullable', 'string', 'max:255'],
             'status' => ['required', 'string', 'in:' . implode(',', Post::STATUSES)],
             'scheduledAt' => ['nullable', 'date'],
         ]);
@@ -78,6 +106,7 @@ class Index extends Component
             'type' => $validated['type'],
             'title' => $validated['title'] ?: null,
             'body' => $validated['body'],
+            'target' => $validated['target'] ?: null,
             'status' => $validated['status'],
             'scheduled_at' => $validated['scheduledAt'] ?: null,
         ]);
@@ -99,6 +128,7 @@ class Index extends Component
         $this->type = '';
         $this->title = '';
         $this->body = '';
+        $this->target = '';
         $this->status = 'draft';
         $this->scheduledAt = '';
         $this->resetValidation();

app/Models/Post.php

@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ class Post extends Model
         'tiktok', 'linkedin', 'youtube', 'blog', 'other',
     ];
 
-    public const STATUSES = ['draft', 'scheduled', 'published', 'failed'];
+    public const STATUSES = ['draft', 'scheduled', 'publishing', 'published', 'failed'];
 
     protected $fillable = [
         'site_id',
@@ -23,9 +23,11 @@ class Post extends Model
         'type',
         'title',
         'body',
+        'target',
         'status',
         'scheduled_at',
         'published_url',
+        'publish_error',
     ];
 
     protected $casts = [

app/Providers/AppServiceProvider.php

@@ -2,6 +2,9 @@
 
 namespace App\Providers;
 
+use App\Support\Publishing\PublisherManager;
+use App\Support\Publishing\RedditPublisher;
+use App\Support\Publishing\WordPressPublisher;
 use Illuminate\Support\ServiceProvider;
 
 class AppServiceProvider extends ServiceProvider
@@ -11,7 +14,10 @@ class AppServiceProvider extends ServiceProvider
      */
     public function register(): void
     {
-        //
+        $this->app->singleton(PublisherManager::class, fn ($app) => new PublisherManager([
+            $app->make(WordPressPublisher::class),
+            $app->make(RedditPublisher::class),
+        ]));
     }
 
     /**

app/Support/Publishing/PublishResult.php

@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+<?php
+
+namespace App\Support\Publishing;
+
+final class PublishResult
+{
+    private function __construct(
+        public readonly bool $success,
+        public readonly bool $attempted,
+        public readonly ?string $url = null,
+        public readonly ?string $error = null,
+    ) {}
+
+    public static function success(string $url): self
+    {
+        return new self(success: true, attempted: true, url: $url);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * The publish attempt itself failed (network, API error, etc).
+     */
+    public static function failed(string $error): self
+    {
+        return new self(success: false, attempted: true, error: $error);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * A precondition wasn't met — no attempt was made (bad data, missing
+     * credentials, wrong type). Callers should not treat this the same as
+     * a failed attempt.
+     */
+    public static function rejected(string $error): self
+    {
+        return new self(success: false, attempted: false, error: $error);
+    }
+}

app/Support/Publishing/Publisher.php

@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+<?php
+
+namespace App\Support\Publishing;
+
+use App\Models\Post;
+
+interface Publisher
+{
+    /**
+     * Whether this publisher handles the given post's type. Does not imply
+     * the post is actually publishable (see publish()'s rejected results).
+     */
+    public function supports(Post $post): bool;
+
+    public function publish(Post $post): PublishResult;
+}

app/Support/Publishing/PublisherManager.php

@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+<?php
+
+namespace App\Support\Publishing;
+
+use App\Models\Post;
+
+class PublisherManager
+{
+    /**
+     * @param  array<Publisher>  $publishers
+     */
+    public function __construct(private readonly array $publishers) {}
+
+    public function resolve(Post $post): ?Publisher
+    {
+        foreach ($this->publishers as $publisher) {
+            if ($publisher->supports($post)) {
+                return $publisher;
+            }
+        }
+
+        return null;
+    }
+}

app/Support/Publishing/RedditPublisher.php

@@ -0,0 +1,59 @@
+<?php
+
+namespace App\Support\Publishing;
+
+use App\Models\Post;
+use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Log;
+use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Process;
+
+class RedditPublisher implements Publisher
+{
+    public function supports(Post $post): bool
+    {
+        return $post->type === 'reddit';
+    }
+
+    public function publish(Post $post): PublishResult
+    {
+        if (! $post->title) {
+            return PublishResult::rejected("Post {$post->id} has no title, required for a Reddit post.");
+        }
+
+        if (! $post->target) {
+            return PublishResult::rejected("Post {$post->id} has no target subreddit set.");
+        }
+
+        $account = $post->socialAccount;
+
+        if (! $account || $account->network !== 'reddit') {
+            return PublishResult::rejected("Post {$post->id} has no linked Reddit social account.");
+        }
+
+        $result = Process::timeout(120)->run([
+            base_path('sidecars/reddit-post/run.sh'),
+            "--username={$account->username}",
+            "--password={$account->password}",
+            "--subreddit={$post->target}",
+            "--title={$post->title}",
+            "--body={$post->body}",
+        ]);
+
+        $data = json_decode(trim($result->output()), true);
+
+        if (! is_array($data) || ! array_key_exists('success', $data)) {
+            Log::error('reddit sidecar returned unparseable output', [
+                'post_id' => $post->id,
+                'output' => $result->output(),
+                'stderr' => $result->errorOutput(),
+            ]);
+
+            return PublishResult::failed('Reddit sidecar returned unparseable output — check logs.');
+        }
+
+        if (! $data['success']) {
+            return PublishResult::failed($data['error'] ?? 'unknown Reddit sidecar failure');
+        }
+
+        return PublishResult::success($data['url']);
+    }
+}

app/Support/Publishing/WordPressPublisher.php

@@ -0,0 +1,55 @@
+<?php
+
+namespace App\Support\Publishing;
+
+use App\Models\Post;
+use Illuminate\Http\Client\ConnectionException;
+use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Http;
+
+class WordPressPublisher implements Publisher
+{
+    public function supports(Post $post): bool
+    {
+        return $post->type === 'blog';
+    }
+
+    public function publish(Post $post): PublishResult
+    {
+        if (! $post->title) {
+            return PublishResult::rejected("Post {$post->id} has no title, required to publish to WordPress.");
+        }
+
+        $site = $post->site;
+
+        if ($site->cms_type !== 'wordpress') {
+            return PublishResult::rejected("Site '{$site->name}' is not configured as WordPress (cms_type={$site->cms_type}).");
+        }
+
+        if (! $site->wp_username || ! $site->wp_app_password) {
+            return PublishResult::rejected("Site '{$site->name}' is missing WordPress credentials.");
+        }
+
+        try {
+            $response = Http::withBasicAuth($site->wp_username, $site->wp_app_password)
+                ->post(rtrim($site->url, '/').'/wp-json/wp/v2/posts', [
+                    'title' => $post->title,
+                    'content' => $post->body,
+                    'status' => 'publish',
+                ]);
+        } catch (ConnectionException $e) {
+            return PublishResult::failed("could not connect to site: {$e->getMessage()}");
+        }
+
+        if ($response->failed()) {
+            return PublishResult::failed($response->json('message') ?? 'unexpected response from WordPress');
+        }
+
+        $link = $response->json('link');
+
+        if (! $link) {
+            return PublishResult::failed('unexpected response from WordPress: missing post link');
+        }
+
+        return PublishResult::success($link);
+    }
+}

database/migrations/2026_07_21_133845_add_publishing_fields_to_posts_table.php

@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+<?php
+
+use Illuminate\Database\Migrations\Migration;
+use Illuminate\Database\Schema\Blueprint;
+use Illuminate\Support\Facades\DB;
+use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Schema;
+
+return new class extends Migration
+{
+    /**
+     * Run the migrations.
+     */
+    public function up(): void
+    {
+        Schema::table('posts', function (Blueprint $table) {
+            $table->string('target')->nullable()->after('body');
+            $table->text('publish_error')->nullable()->after('published_url');
+        });
+
+        DB::statement("ALTER TABLE posts MODIFY status ENUM('draft', 'scheduled', 'publishing', 'published', 'failed') NOT NULL DEFAULT 'draft'");
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Reverse the migrations.
+     */
+    public function down(): void
+    {
+        DB::statement("UPDATE posts SET status = 'failed' WHERE status = 'publishing'");
+        DB::statement("ALTER TABLE posts MODIFY status ENUM('draft', 'scheduled', 'published', 'failed') NOT NULL DEFAULT 'draft'");
+
+        Schema::table('posts', function (Blueprint $table) {
+            $table->dropColumn(['target', 'publish_error']);
+        });
+    }
+};

python_scripts/posts.py

@@ -5,10 +5,10 @@ Usage:
     python3 posts.py list [--status STATUS] [--site-id ID] [--social-account-id ID] [--due]
     python3 posts.py get POST_ID
     python3 posts.py create --site-id ID --type TYPE --body BODY
-                             [--social-account-id ID] [--title TITLE]
+                             [--social-account-id ID] [--title TITLE] [--target TARGET]
                              [--status STATUS] [--scheduled-at DATETIME]
     python3 posts.py update POST_ID [--site-id ID] [--social-account-id ID]
-                             [--type TYPE] [--title TITLE] [--body BODY]
+                             [--type TYPE] [--title TITLE] [--body BODY] [--target TARGET]
                              [--status STATUS] [--scheduled-at DATETIME]
                              [--published-url URL]
     python3 posts.py delete POST_ID
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ import argparse
 import _client
 
 TYPES = ["twitter", "instagram", "facebook", "reddit", "tiktok", "linkedin", "youtube", "blog", "other"]
-STATUSES = ["draft", "scheduled", "published", "failed"]
+STATUSES = ["draft", "scheduled", "publishing", "published", "failed"]
 
 
 def main() -> None:
@@ -46,6 +46,7 @@ def main() -> None:
     create_parser.add_argument("--body", required=True)
     create_parser.add_argument("--social-account-id", type=int)
     create_parser.add_argument("--title")
+    create_parser.add_argument("--target", help="Network-specific destination, e.g. a subreddit for Reddit posts")
     create_parser.add_argument("--status", choices=STATUSES)
     create_parser.add_argument("--scheduled-at", help="ISO 8601 datetime, e.g. 2026-07-20T09:00:00")
 
@@ -56,6 +57,7 @@ def main() -> None:
     update_parser.add_argument("--type", choices=TYPES)
     update_parser.add_argument("--title")
     update_parser.add_argument("--body")
+    update_parser.add_argument("--target", help="Network-specific destination, e.g. a subreddit for Reddit posts")
     update_parser.add_argument("--status", choices=STATUSES)
     update_parser.add_argument("--scheduled-at", help="ISO 8601 datetime")
     update_parser.add_argument("--published-url")
@@ -85,6 +87,7 @@ def main() -> None:
             "type": args.type,
             "title": args.title,
             "body": args.body,
+            "target": args.target,
             "status": args.status,
             "scheduled_at": args.scheduled_at,
         }
@@ -98,6 +101,7 @@ def main() -> None:
             "type": args.type,
             "title": args.title,
             "body": args.body,
+            "target": args.target,
             "status": args.status,
             "scheduled_at": args.scheduled_at,
             "published_url": args.published_url,

resources/views/livewire/posts/index.blade.php

@@ -1,9 +1,13 @@
-<div>
+<div @if ($hasPublishing) wire:poll.3s @endif>
     <div class="flex justify-between items-center mb-4">
         <h1 class="text-xl font-semibold">Posts</h1>
         <button wire:click="create" class="bg-blue-600 text-white px-4 py-2 rounded">Add Post</button>
     </div>
 
+    @if ($publishNotice)
+        <div class="mb-4 p-3 bg-amber-50 border border-amber-200 text-amber-800 rounded text-sm">{{ $publishNotice }}</div>
+    @endif
+
     <table class="w-full bg-white border border-gray-200 rounded">
         <thead>
             <tr class="text-left border-b border-gray-200">
@@ -22,10 +26,22 @@
                     <td class="p-3">{{ $post->site->name }}</td>
                     <td class="p-3">{{ ucfirst($post->type) }}</td>
                     <td class="p-3">{{ $post->title ?: \Illuminate\Support\Str::limit($post->body, 40) }}</td>
-                    <td class="p-3">{{ ucfirst($post->status) }}</td>
+                    <td class="p-3">
+                        @if ($post->status === 'published' && $post->published_url)
+                            <a href="{{ $post->published_url }}" target="_blank" class="text-green-700 hover:underline">Published</a>
+                        @else
+                            {{ ucfirst($post->status) }}
+                        @endif
+                        @if ($post->status === 'failed' && $post->publish_error)
+                            <div class="text-xs text-red-600 mt-0.5">{{ $post->publish_error }}</div>
+                        @endif
+                    </td>
                     <td class="p-3">{{ $post->scheduled_at?->format('Y-m-d H:i') ?? '—' }}</td>
                     <td class="p-3">{{ $post->socialAccount?->username ?? '—' }}</td>
                     <td class="p-3 text-right space-x-2">
+                        @if (in_array($post->type, ['blog', 'reddit']) && in_array($post->status, ['draft', 'scheduled', 'failed']))
+                            <button wire:click="publish({{ $post->id }})" class="text-green-700">Publish</button>
+                        @endif
                         <button wire:click="edit({{ $post->id }})" class="text-blue-600">Edit</button>
                         <button wire:click="delete({{ $post->id }})" wire:confirm="Delete this post?" class="text-red-600">Delete</button>
                     </td>
@@ -84,6 +100,12 @@
                     @error('body') <span class="text-red-600 text-sm">{{ $message }}</span> @enderror
                 </div>
 
+                <div>
+                    <label class="block text-sm font-medium">Target (optional — e.g. subreddit for Reddit posts)</label>
+                    <input type="text" wire:model="target" class="w-full border rounded p-2">
+                    @error('target') <span class="text-red-600 text-sm">{{ $message }}</span> @enderror
+                </div>
+
                 <div>
                     <label class="block text-sm font-medium">Status</label>
                     <select wire:model="status" class="w-full border rounded p-2">

tests/Feature/AuthTest.php

@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+<?php
+
+use App\Livewire\Auth\Login;
+use App\Models\User;
+use Livewire\Livewire;
+
+test('guests are redirected to login when visiting a protected page', function () {
+    $this->get(route('sites.index'))
+        ->assertRedirect(route('login'));
+});
+
+test('the api stays open to guests', function () {
+    $this->getJson('/api/sites')->assertOk();
+});
+
+test('users can log in with correct credentials', function () {
+    $user = User::factory()->create(['password' => bcrypt('correct-password')]);
+
+    Livewire::test(Login::class)
+        ->set('email', $user->email)
+        ->set('password', 'correct-password')
+        ->call('login')
+        ->assertRedirect(route('sites.index'));
+
+    $this->assertAuthenticatedAs($user);
+});
+
+test('users cannot log in with incorrect credentials', function () {
+    $user = User::factory()->create(['password' => bcrypt('correct-password')]);
+
+    Livewire::test(Login::class)
+        ->set('email', $user->email)
+        ->set('password', 'wrong-password')
+        ->call('login')
+        ->assertHasErrors('email');
+
+    $this->assertGuest();
+});
+
+test('authenticated users are redirected away from the login page', function () {
+    $this->actingAs(User::factory()->create())
+        ->get(route('login'))
+        ->assertRedirect();
+});
+
+test('users can log out', function () {
+    $this->actingAs(User::factory()->create())
+        ->post(route('logout'))
+        ->assertRedirect('/login');
+
+    $this->assertGuest();
+});

tests/Feature/Jobs/PublishPostJobTest.php

@@ -0,0 +1,82 @@
+<?php
+
+use App\Jobs\PublishPostJob;
+use App\Models\Post;
+use App\Models\Site;
+use App\Models\SocialAccount;
+use App\Support\Publishing\PublisherManager;
+use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Http;
+use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Process;
+
+test('it publishes and updates the post on success', function () {
+    Http::fake([
+        '*/wp-json/wp/v2/posts' => Http::response(['link' => 'https://wp.example.com/post'], 201),
+    ]);
+
+    $site = Site::factory()->wordpress()->create();
+    $post = Post::factory()->create(['site_id' => $site->id, 'type' => 'blog', 'title' => 'Hi', 'status' => 'publishing']);
+
+    (new PublishPostJob($post->id))->handle(app(PublisherManager::class));
+
+    expect($post->fresh())
+        ->status->toBe('published')
+        ->published_url->toBe('https://wp.example.com/post')
+        ->publish_error->toBeNull();
+});
+
+test('it marks the post failed when the publish attempt fails', function () {
+    Http::fake([
+        '*/wp-json/wp/v2/posts' => Http::response(['message' => 'nope'], 401),
+    ]);
+
+    $site = Site::factory()->wordpress()->create();
+    $post = Post::factory()->create(['site_id' => $site->id, 'type' => 'blog', 'title' => 'Hi', 'status' => 'publishing']);
+
+    (new PublishPostJob($post->id))->handle(app(PublisherManager::class));
+
+    expect($post->fresh())
+        ->status->toBe('failed')
+        ->publish_error->toBe('nope');
+});
+
+test('it reverts a rejected post to draft instead of failed', function () {
+    $site = Site::factory()->wordpress()->create();
+    $post = Post::factory()->create(['site_id' => $site->id, 'type' => 'blog', 'title' => null, 'status' => 'publishing']);
+
+    (new PublishPostJob($post->id))->handle(app(PublisherManager::class));
+
+    expect($post->fresh())
+        ->status->toBe('draft')
+        ->publish_error->toContain('no title');
+});
+
+test('it reverts to draft when no publisher supports the post type', function () {
+    $post = Post::factory()->create(['type' => 'twitter', 'status' => 'publishing']);
+
+    (new PublishPostJob($post->id))->handle(app(PublisherManager::class));
+
+    expect($post->fresh())
+        ->status->toBe('draft')
+        ->publish_error->toContain('No publisher available');
+});
+
+test('it publishes a reddit post via the sidecar', function () {
+    Process::fake([
+        '*' => Process::result(output: json_encode(['success' => true, 'url' => 'https://reddit.com/r/test/comments/abc'])),
+    ]);
+
+    $account = SocialAccount::factory()->create(['network' => 'reddit']);
+    $post = Post::factory()->create([
+        'type' => 'reddit',
+        'title' => 'Hi',
+        'target' => 'test',
+        'social_account_id' => $account->id,
+        'status' => 'publishing',
+    ]);
+
+    (new PublishPostJob($post->id))->handle(app(PublisherManager::class));
+
+    expect($post->fresh())
+        ->status->toBe('published')
+        ->published_url->toBe('https://reddit.com/r/test/comments/abc');
+});

tests/Feature/Livewire/PostsTest.php

@@ -1,16 +1,20 @@
 <?php
 
+use App\Jobs\PublishPostJob;
 use App\Livewire\Posts\Index;
 use App\Models\Post;
 use App\Models\Site;
 use App\Models\SocialAccount;
+use App\Models\User;
+use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Queue;
 use Livewire\Livewire;
 
 test('posts index page lists existing posts', function () {
     $site = Site::factory()->create(['name' => 'My Blog']);
     Post::factory()->create(['site_id' => $site->id, 'title' => 'Hello World Post']);
 
-    $this->get(route('posts.index'))
+    $this->actingAs(User::factory()->create())
+        ->get(route('posts.index'))
         ->assertOk()
         ->assertSee('Hello World Post')
         ->assertSee('My Blog');
@@ -79,3 +83,28 @@ test('a post can be deleted', function () {
 
     expect(Post::find($post->id))->toBeNull();
 });
+
+test('publishing a post queues the job and marks it publishing', function () {
+    Queue::fake();
+
+    $site = Site::factory()->wordpress()->create();
+    $post = Post::factory()->create(['site_id' => $site->id, 'type' => 'blog', 'title' => 'Hi', 'status' => 'draft']);
+
+    Livewire::test(Index::class)->call('publish', $post->id);
+
+    expect($post->fresh()->status)->toBe('publishing');
+    Queue::assertPushed(PublishPostJob::class, fn ($job) => $job->postId === $post->id);
+});
+
+test('publishing a post with no available publisher shows a notice and does not queue anything', function () {
+    Queue::fake();
+
+    $post = Post::factory()->create(['type' => 'twitter', 'status' => 'draft']);
+
+    Livewire::test(Index::class)
+        ->call('publish', $post->id)
+        ->assertSee("No publisher available yet for post type 'twitter'");
+
+    expect($post->fresh()->status)->toBe('draft');
+    Queue::assertNotPushed(PublishPostJob::class);
+});

tests/Feature/Livewire/SitesTest.php

@@ -2,12 +2,14 @@
 
 use App\Livewire\Sites\Index;
 use App\Models\Site;
+use App\Models\User;
 use Livewire\Livewire;
 
 test('sites index page lists existing sites', function () {
     $site = Site::factory()->create(['name' => 'Example Site']);
 
-    $this->get(route('sites.index'))
+    $this->actingAs(User::factory()->create())
+        ->get(route('sites.index'))
         ->assertOk()
         ->assertSee('Example Site');
 });

tests/Feature/Livewire/SocialAccountsTest.php

@@ -2,12 +2,14 @@
 
 use App\Livewire\SocialAccounts\Index;
 use App\Models\SocialAccount;
+use App\Models\User;
 use Livewire\Livewire;
 
 test('social accounts index page lists existing accounts', function () {
     SocialAccount::factory()->create(['username' => 'example_user']);
 
-    $this->get(route('social-accounts.index'))
+    $this->actingAs(User::factory()->create())
+        ->get(route('social-accounts.index'))
         ->assertOk()
         ->assertSee('example_user');
 });

tests/Feature/Support/Publishing/PublisherManagerTest.php

@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+<?php
+
+use App\Models\Post;
+use App\Support\Publishing\PublisherManager;
+use App\Support\Publishing\RedditPublisher;
+use App\Support\Publishing\WordPressPublisher;
+
+test('it resolves the first publisher that supports the post', function () {
+    $manager = new PublisherManager([
+        new WordPressPublisher,
+        new RedditPublisher,
+    ]);
+
+    expect($manager->resolve(Post::factory()->make(['type' => 'blog'])))->toBeInstanceOf(WordPressPublisher::class);
+    expect($manager->resolve(Post::factory()->make(['type' => 'reddit'])))->toBeInstanceOf(RedditPublisher::class);
+});
+
+test('it returns null when no publisher supports the post', function () {
+    $manager = new PublisherManager([
+        new WordPressPublisher,
+        new RedditPublisher,
+    ]);
+
+    expect($manager->resolve(Post::factory()->make(['type' => 'twitter'])))->toBeNull();
+});

tests/Feature/Support/Publishing/RedditPublisherTest.php

@@ -0,0 +1,110 @@
+<?php
+
+use App\Models\Post;
+use App\Models\SocialAccount;
+use App\Support\Publishing\RedditPublisher;
+use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Process;
+
+test('it supports reddit posts only', function () {
+    $publisher = new RedditPublisher;
+
+    expect($publisher->supports(Post::factory()->make(['type' => 'reddit'])))->toBeTrue();
+    expect($publisher->supports(Post::factory()->make(['type' => 'blog'])))->toBeFalse();
+});
+
+test('it rejects a post with no title', function () {
+    $post = Post::factory()->for(SocialAccount::factory()->state(['network' => 'reddit']), 'socialAccount')
+        ->create(['type' => 'reddit', 'title' => null, 'target' => 'test']);
+
+    $result = (new RedditPublisher)->publish($post);
+
+    expect($result->success)->toBeFalse();
+    expect($result->attempted)->toBeFalse();
+    expect($result->error)->toContain('no title');
+});
+
+test('it rejects a post with no target subreddit', function () {
+    $post = Post::factory()->for(SocialAccount::factory()->state(['network' => 'reddit']), 'socialAccount')
+        ->create(['type' => 'reddit', 'title' => 'Hi', 'target' => null]);
+
+    $result = (new RedditPublisher)->publish($post);
+
+    expect($result->success)->toBeFalse();
+    expect($result->attempted)->toBeFalse();
+    expect($result->error)->toContain('no target subreddit');
+});
+
+test('it rejects a post with no linked reddit account', function () {
+    $post = Post::factory()->create(['type' => 'reddit', 'title' => 'Hi', 'target' => 'test', 'social_account_id' => null]);
+
+    $result = (new RedditPublisher)->publish($post);
+
+    expect($result->success)->toBeFalse();
+    expect($result->attempted)->toBeFalse();
+    expect($result->error)->toContain('no linked Reddit social account');
+});
+
+test('it publishes successfully via the sidecar', function () {
+    Process::fake([
+        '*' => Process::result(output: json_encode(['success' => true, 'url' => 'https://reddit.com/r/test/comments/abc123'])),
+    ]);
+
+    $account = SocialAccount::factory()->create(['network' => 'reddit', 'username' => 'redditor']);
+    $post = Post::factory()->create([
+        'type' => 'reddit',
+        'title' => 'Hi',
+        'target' => 'test',
+        'social_account_id' => $account->id,
+    ]);
+
+    $result = (new RedditPublisher)->publish($post);
+
+    expect($result->success)->toBeTrue();
+    expect($result->url)->toBe('https://reddit.com/r/test/comments/abc123');
+
+    Process::assertRan(function ($process) use ($account) {
+        return str_contains($process->command[0], 'sidecars/reddit-post/run.sh')
+            && in_array("--username={$account->username}", $process->command)
+            && in_array('--subreddit=test', $process->command);
+    });
+});
+
+test('it treats a sidecar-reported failure as an attempted, failed publish', function () {
+    Process::fake([
+        '*' => Process::result(output: json_encode(['success' => false, 'error' => 'invalid credentials'])),
+    ]);
+
+    $account = SocialAccount::factory()->create(['network' => 'reddit']);
+    $post = Post::factory()->create([
+        'type' => 'reddit',
+        'title' => 'Hi',
+        'target' => 'test',
+        'social_account_id' => $account->id,
+    ]);
+
+    $result = (new RedditPublisher)->publish($post);
+
+    expect($result->success)->toBeFalse();
+    expect($result->attempted)->toBeTrue();
+    expect($result->error)->toBe('invalid credentials');
+});
+
+test('it fails gracefully when the sidecar output is unparseable', function () {
+    Process::fake([
+        '*' => Process::result(output: 'not json'),
+    ]);
+
+    $account = SocialAccount::factory()->create(['network' => 'reddit']);
+    $post = Post::factory()->create([
+        'type' => 'reddit',
+        'title' => 'Hi',
+        'target' => 'test',
+        'social_account_id' => $account->id,
+    ]);
+
+    $result = (new RedditPublisher)->publish($post);
+
+    expect($result->success)->toBeFalse();
+    expect($result->attempted)->toBeTrue();
+    expect($result->error)->toContain('unparseable');
+});