commit 64f41fdb011deb46d56e5292e86da6af169cd670
Author: devops <talal@encoach.com>
Date:   Mon Mar 30 19:41:16 2026 +0400

    chore: add .gitignore and README
    
    Infrastructure files for staging deployment pipeline.
    The post-receive hook on the staging server will build and
    deploy automatically when PRs are merged to main.
    
    Made-with: Cursor

diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..176f9188
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+# Environment files — never commit secrets
+.env
+.env.*
+!.env.example
+
+# Python
+__pycache__/
+*.py[cod]
+*.pyo
+.venv/
+venv/
+env/
+*.egg-info/
+dist/
+build/
+
+# Poetry
+poetry.lock
+
+# OS
+.DS_Store
+Thumbs.db
+
+# Logs
+*.log
+
+# Docker
+*.tar
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
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index 00000000..28929018
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+++ b/README.md
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+# EnCoach Backend — v2
+
+## Branching Workflow
+
+This repo is connected to the staging server via a Git post-receive hook.
+**All deployment is automatic — but only after code review approval.**
+
+### How to contribute
+
+1. Never push directly to `main` — branch protection will block it.
+2. Create a feature or fix branch:
+   ```bash
+   git checkout -b feature/your-feature-name
+   ```
+3. Develop, commit, and push your branch:
+   ```bash
+   git push origin feature/your-feature-name
+   ```
+4. Open a **Pull Request** on Gitea targeting `main`.
+5. Request review from **devops (Talal)**.
+6. Once approved and merged, the staging server rebuilds and redeploys automatically.
+
+### Environment
+
+The `.env` file is **not committed**. It lives only on the staging server at `/opt/encoach/backend-v2/.env`.
+Contact the team lead if you need a local copy of the environment variables.
+
+### Required files (push with your code)
+
+- `Dockerfile` — used by the staging server to build the container image
+- `docker-compose.yml` — defines the backend service (port mapping, env vars, etc.)